OUR KOIKICHI MENTORS
Galen Mizuguchi
Andrew "Bibot"
Gotianun, Jr.
Danilo Antonio
Alfred Xerez-Burgos,Jr.
Galen Mizuguchi is a driven koi
breeder in pursuit of the lofty goal
of one day producing an American
Grand Champion,
Decades of acquiring oyagoi and perfecting his breeding techniques
have produced amazing winners in
recent shows. Inspired by Galen’s dedication to his craft, we reached
and he has been sharing his
expertise, techniques and tosai koi
ever since .
Fine Mizuguchi Showas figure prominently in our competition entries and are available in our store
inventories
"Boss Bibot" is a gentleman tycoon, businessman, accomplished
marksman, nature lover,
philosopher, sportsman and bona
fide Koikichi.
One of the first Nishikigoi collectors outside of Japan, he once said that
"Koi are like the people you meet in
life. Respect and nurture them and
they will pay you back with growth
and beauty in ways you wouldn't
expect."
Also known as the "White Wizard" for
his austere outfits and constant smoking, he would impart the habit
of focusing one's resources on purpose and knowledge rather than flamboyance on anyone wiling to listen.
He is admired for his restless determination in his numerous pursuits, willingness to do hard work and his
ability to enjoy life while running an honest business.
Professor Antonio is the inspiration
for Koinikuya.com.
His entrepreneurial spirit is made
even more infectious with his
optimistic attitude, perseverance,
analytic acumen and sense of
purpose.
While anything seems possible
when he talks about it, he cautions
that the path to success is seldom
easy or direct. no matter how clearly
you can visualize it.
He is quick to point out the the
numerous pitfalls that he himself
has experienced and is generous enough to share what he learned. An
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We continue to be his eternal
students.
While AXB constantly quoted that
real estate came down to location, location and location, he would
develop and successfully market
projects in some of the WORST
locations on Earth.
The man is naturally gifted with something most MBA graduates
struggle to learn - he is a branding
and marketing genius. Mundane projects that others have passed on
come alive, acquiring desirability
and exclusivity when he takes over.
Since AXB isn't much of a teacher,
we can only learn from his previous projects, look at our products and
ask ourselves WWAXBD (What
would AXB do)?
Kent Andrew K
Tom Lai
Justin Lai
Kent is an up and coming Japanese/American actor who hails from a family. of lifelong koi aficionados.
Although much younger, he has schooled Kuya Ed with his encyclopedic knowledge of koi varieties and familiarity with Japanese breeders.
He can be seen in Japanese and American shows when he takes time off from acting and martial arts.
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Nobody can get into the koi hobby in Northern California without encountering the charismatic and friendly owner of Champion Nishikigoi.
Tom has built his startup from a small, backyard operation to the most patronized, and possibly the largest koi dealership in the USA,
Tom has been generous enough to provide us with little nuggets of knowledge from his extensive experience and unique insights into sourcing quality koi from Japan
My koi journey started with Justin selecting Pizza for my first Showa at Champion Nishikigoi.
Almost all of my show winners were shown to Justin prior to acquisition and his record currently stands at 47 awards and prizes for Justin Lai-approved koi.
Not only did I learn to discern champion koi from hundreds of others swimming in a pond, Justin also reluctantly demonstrated shipping and care practices whenever I intruded into his numerous cigarette breaks., J
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