Business
The Karate Kids
Photos by George Hunter
The students at Taido Karate Dojo in Peachtree Corners get to live every 80’s kid’s fantasy. They get to learn the patience and discipline of the ancient art of karate from a real-life Mr. Miyagi.
Stepa Kolkov 
Jennifer Brown 
Connor Kenworthy
Ever since Mitsunobu Uchida was in grade school, he had a dream to one day move to America and teach karate. He knew that Americans loved organized sports, and karate not only gives you a great aerobic workout, but it also teaches you discipline unlike any other.
His father told him that he should move to Georgia, because the climate there is very similar to the one in Japan. So, in 1970, Mitsunobu moved to America to attend college in Nebraska, and eventually settled in Georgia — the land of “Gone with the Wind.”
Mitsunobu fulfilled his lifelong dream in 1975 by opening his first dojo in Doraville, Ga. Then in 1986, the dojo moved its location to Peachtree Corners, where today it stands on Spalding Drive as the most popular dojo in the Atlanta area.
Over 40 years later, two of his sons now help him run Taido Karate, bringing the words “family business” to a whole new level. Mitsunobu still serves as the Grand Master, with his son Mitsuaki as the General Manager, and his other son, Musashi, as the Assistant Manager. Not to mention Brendan Dumont, a 5th-degree black belt who has been the Head Instructor at Taido for so long that he feels like family.
Family extends into community
The Uchida family growing up in Peachtree Corners was not only a great influence on the community, but it made for an interesting childhood worthy of any box office screen. Mitsunobu never taught anyone to wax on, wax off, but he was once quoted saying “it’s raining dogs and cats outside.”
And did we mention that all of his four sons are black belts? The boys each attended Pickneyville Norcross High School where his son Mitsuaki has fond memories of being able to show off his gymnastic skills in front of the cheerleaders. “We would walk into the gymnasium where they were holding practice, and just bust out a roundoff,” he said. “They would be so impressed, and that’s when we would tell them that so much of karate is similar to gymnastics.”
Taido Karate now boasts three generations of students. There are those who learned under the tutelage of Mitsuaki’s grandfather, then his father, Grandmaster Mitsunobu — and now even Mitsuaki is teaching the children or grandchildren of those same students!
The dojo has truly become a pillar in the community of Peachtree Corners, and they say that their favorite part about America is how diverse and wonderful the people are, especially the city of Peachtree Corners. “I think people feel comfortable with being a part of something run by an interracial family [half Japanese, half American],” Mitsuaki said. “We never pushed to be diverse because we never needed to.”
Now Mitsuaki notices whenever there is a Muslim or Jewish holiday, because large chunks of the class will suddenly be missing. Taido is truly a melting pot of the American dream, where all races and nationalities can come together and learn all the fulfillment that karate can give. He jokes that there was a surge in students after the famous 1984 flick, but the biggest drop in attendance they have seen was during the pandemic.
Meeting the pandemic head-on
Before COVID-19, Taido Karate had over 400 students in attendance; within a few weeks, that number dropped to zero. So, with some quick thinking, they switched the entire program to 100% online Zoom classes for April and May of 2020. “We received an overwhelming amount of support from the community, and so many wonderful emails from parents during that time.”
The parents of the Taido Dojo were extremely grateful that the Uchida family kept classes running for the kids and gave them something to do at a time when parents were going nuts.
Then in June of 2020, the dojo decided to reopen their in-person classes and combine them with the online sessions. Mitsuaki recalls that confusing time in the dojo’s history, “It reached the point where there was so much information out there, you could literally go online and find whatever you wanted to support your theory, so we decided to do what made sense for us.”
Mitsuaki Uchida Musashi Uchida Mitsunobu Uchida Brendan Dumont
They kept the students six feet apart, allowed them to decide whether or not they wanted to wear masks, and over a year later they have a record of zero reported cases of COVID in the Taido dojo.
Currently, the Zoom class has been completely phased out, because almost the entire roster has decided to come back for in-person training with the Uchida family. But while the class size has returned to normal, they are still waiting for churches to open up — that’s where they hold competitions — so students can return to competing in tournaments.
Champions here and in Japan
While there are some similarities between the Taido Karate dojo and that famous tournament movie scene, there is one thing that Daniel LaRusso never got to do, and that is compete in in a worldwide tournament in Japan.
Every four years, the students of Taido Karate get the honor of traveling to Japan with their families to compete in worldwide Karate championships. Just like a mini version of the Olympics, the International Friendship Tournament switches off with the Japanese team, and every two years they come to America to compete, while the other two, the American team comes to them.
A total of 90 American students, plus their parents, travel together in a skillfully coordinated journey planned by Mitsuaki himself. Among many hurdles to overcome, he jokes that the hardest part of planning a trip that large was navigating the train system in Japan.
“It was like the Titanic,” he said. “The trains in Japan only stop for 60 seconds and that’s all you have to get 100+ people on board with their luggage. So we would have women and children enter one car while the men would throw all of the luggage into another car. It was crazy, but fun!”
The best part about the students getting to tour the country with a real Japanese tour guide, is that they get to experience the culture firsthand. One of the black belt students even ended up loving Japan so much that he moved there and is still living there today with his Japanese wife.
Mitsuaki boasts that they even won the Championships once while in Japan, and it was a great moment for the Taido team. The last tournament got cancelled three days beforehand due to COVID, and Mitsuaki has had all the trophies packed away ever since.
The Taido Karate family and their many students are eager to get back to competing in tournaments, including the World Taido Championships that will compete in Japan and Europe as soon as they receive the go-ahead.
Even if you’re not a Karate fan, you can surely appreciate the family legacy that the Uchida family has brought to so many generations of Peachtree Corners residents.
The strategic acquisition strengthens TransPak’s Southeast presence and expands their capabilities in custom packaging for military, aerospace and high-value equipment.
TransPak, a global leader in logistics, packaging and crating services, recently announced the acquisition of Reid Packaging, a long-standing provider of custom packaging solutions based in Peachtree Corners. Both family-owned and operated companies share a deep-rooted commitment to quality craftsmanship, reliability and customer service, making the acquisition a natural fit.
Reid Packaging, founded in 1982, has distinguished itself as the go-to customer industrial packager in the metro Atlanta region, providing corrugated, foam and custom-engineered crating solutions, particularly in the military and aerospace industries.
Under the ownership of Ward Phillips since 2008, the company has grown to become one of the largest packaging facilities in the region, with a 60,000-square-foot site.
The acquisition will allow TransPak to expand its local manufacturing capabilities in the Southeast, while leveraging Reid Packaging’s expertise in specialized and heavy-duty custom crates.
Strategic Atlanta location and enhanced capabilities
The acquisition is part of TransPak’s strategic expansion into the Atlanta market, a critical logistics hub for both the renewable energy and semiconductor industries.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Reid Packaging into the TransPak family,” said Tomas Molet, executive vice president of East and Midwest Operations, TransPak. “With Reid Packaging’s prime location in Peachtree Corners, we are now able to serve customers throughout the Southeast, including direct routes to the Carolinas and beyond. This acquisition strengthens our ability to meet the needs of existing clients, especially those in the semiconductor and renewable energy sectors.”
In addition to the strategic location, the acquisition brings new manufacturing capabilities to TransPak’s East Coast operations. Reid Packaging’s facility is now the largest of TransPak’s locations in the region. Its offerings include enhanced services, such as heavy-duty and triple-wall corrugated packaging, which will enable TransPak to meet the growing demand for custom-designed packaging solutions for fragile, high-value equipment.
Commitment to employees and leadership appointments
A key focus of the acquisition was ensuring a smooth transition for Reid Packaging’s employees.
“We made a commitment to Ward Phillips to take care of the staff, and we’ve delivered on that promise,” said Molet. “All employees were retained, and we’ve introduced benefits they previously didn’t have as part of our commitment to making this a positive transition for everyone involved.”
Amanda Gautney, a longtime member of TransPak’s leadership team, has been appointed as the operations manager for the Peachtree Corners facility. “I’m excited to work with the team at Reid and continue the legacy of this respected company,” said Gautney.
Looking forward in Atlanta
TransPak plans to continue operating under the Reid Packaging name for the immediate future. However, the facility will gradually transition to full integration under the TransPak brand, reflecting the shared values and commitment to quality of both companies.
About TransPak
Headquartered in Silicon Valley, TransPak has been providing innovative and cost-effective design, crating, packaging and global logistics for over 70 years.
As a customer-focused, women- and family-owned company, TransPak combines the agility of a small business with the reliability of a global powerhouse. TransPak lives by the slogan, “We make it happen,” ensuring that high-value, fragile, and oversized goods reach their destinations safely and efficiently.
For more information about TransPak, visit transpak.com.
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