Executive Suite: Toshiaki Nagano, Nikon Instruments

Growing up in suburban Tokyo, Toshiaki Nagano watched his father toil over precise calculations and measurements in his job as a mechanical engineer. The son, however, had no love of physics. Instead, Nagano studied business.

Yet he couldn't escape science. Today, Nagano, 53, works in Melville running the microscope division for the Pan-American arm of Nikon Inc., a Japanese company best known for its cameras. His division, Nikon Instruments, sells to research labs and universities in North and South America. The microscopes are manufactured in Asia and sell for up to $600,000.

Nikon's American headquarters, in a blue-glass and steel building just north of the Long Island Expressway on Walt Whitman Road, employs about 300 people, about 80 of them for Nikon Instruments. The rest work for the Nikon camera division.

When did Nikon break into the microscope business?

Microscopes were actually one of Nikon's original products after it was founded in 1917. The company -- which also made lenses for binoculars, periscopes and other equipment -- began incorporating its optical technology into cameras in the 1930s. During Nikon's most recent fiscal year, cameras accounted for 70 percent of the company's $9.5 billion in total sales. Roughly 7 percent of those sales were from microscopes.

When did the company set up shop on Long Island?

Nikon established its U.S. division in 1953 to export cameras here. We were moved to Garden City in the 1970s. And we came to Melville about 25 years ago. The office is close to Manhattan and Kennedy Airport. Most of the employees here work in marketing and sales. We also have about 10 software engineers to customize our products for customers.

When did you join Nikon?

This was my first company after graduating school. I started in 1984 in the microscope division, and I moved to the Melville office in February 2012. I've also worked at Nikon's offices in Amsterdam and Singapore.

Have you had to adjust your management style as you've moved from country to country?

When I arrived here my predecessor told me that the most crucial aspect of managing employees boiled down to one word: morale. I have tried to take that to heart. To keep morale from slipping, I do my best to communicate. Of course there are some things I can't talk about. But I find if I don't share information, employees start getting strange ideas.

Cameras face stiff competition from smartphones. Are high-end microscopes encountering similar headwinds?

As consumer products, cameras are subject to sudden swings as people rush out to buy the next hot products. That's less true with high-end microscopes. Most of our customers are research institutions and universities, whose budgets are often tied to government spending. That limits volatility.

What sets the U.S. market apart?

The customers are the most knowledgeable in the world. They understand the technology better than most. That means our sales staff needs to be equally sharp.

Who's your competition?

When it comes to high-end microscopes, there are really only four large players: Nikon, Leica Microsystems, Olympus Corp. and Carl Zeiss Microscopy. We believe we have the largest market share.

How often do you go to Japan?

I go every three months for budget meetings, which are very stressful. I also regularly visit our offices in Canada, Mexico and Brazil. My wife and two daughters, who are 20 and 21, still live in Japan. They visit me here twice a year.

Tell me about Nikon Instruments' Small World photography contest.

It's celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The only rule is that the photographs must be taken with a microscope. (It does not have to be a Nikon.) We see it as a very meaningful way to promote science and corporate responsibility. (See this year's winners at nikonsmallworld.com.)

AT A GLANCE

NAME: Toshiaki Nagano, president and chief executive, Nikon Instruments Inc. in Melville

WHAT IT DOES: Manufacture and sell powerful microscopes used by research labs, universities and bioscience companies

EMPLOYEES: 180, with roughly 80 on Long Island

REVENUE: Nikon's total revenue for the year ended in March was $9.5 billion, with $126 million from Nikon Instruments