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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 2003)
Wednesikn • (Xiolui 0<s ’Dit; z w w w. po r t landobserver.com 2003 ^ a r tla n h ©bserlier M in o r it y E nterprise D evelo pm en t W eek We should be proud o f him because o f his commitment to his workers and his community, i - African-American business leader Paul Knauls on local entrepreneur Jack Chung BUILDING A BUSINESS EMPIRE Jack Chung embraces community as he expands reach to be the new Paul Knauls.” Chung earned his success the hard way. He came to the United States from South Korea at age 19 in 1977. He worked for three years as a spot welder at Tektronix be fore being laid o ff and endured 10 months o f unemployment. Then a friend offered to let Chung have his job, as a distributor for Mary Jane’s Bakery, in exchange for Chung’s house. “It wasn’t for sale, but it was hard to sell a house at that time,” he recalls. “I thought it was a good L ee P erlman / T he P ortland O bsery er by The open space in front o f the adidas store at the comer o f North east Martin Luther King Jr. Boule vard and Alberta Street is called Harry Jackson Plaza and is dedi cated to the popular black police sergeant. However, the name also says much about the man who brought the store to the site and still owns the property: Korean-American Jack Chung. Chung rejected the advise o f Af rican-American estate agent Fred Stewart’s hat he name the space “Jack’s Place” after himself. “ 1 told him no, I’ve done nothing for MLK,” Chung said with his characteristic modesty. “I didn’t want it named for a mayor or some one with a big title. 1 wanted some one who did work in the commu nity. Then I said, ‘Why not Harry Jackson?’” The commercial development is typical o f Chung in another respect trade.” In 1987, he acquired the Alberta Street Market and the warehouse at Martin Luther King, the latter for just $8,900 down. In 1996, Stewart called to tel I him that adidas wanted the property. “I thought Fred was just talking, but they were serious,” he said. “I met with the president o f adidas. What the company wanted was to make the property their first fully- owned retail outlet anywhere.” Ray Leary, an African-Ameri can business leader who partici pated in the negotiations as an adidas executive, said, “Jack is very direct, but he also understands that suc cessful business deals are made by people, not just corporations. You establish a relationship and that en — it’s a positive influence on the community. Chung bought the property, then a warehouse, in 1987, when other businesses were not exactly clam oring to locate on the boulevard. However, he rejected cash offers from, among others. Fantasy Video, a sex-related business, to establish outlets there. “ I wanted it to be something good,” he said. Today, Chung is pursuing busi nesses that are good for the com munity on several fronts. He is replacing his Alberta Street photo by M ark W ashincton /T he P ortland O bserver Harry Jackson Plaza anchors the northeast business corridor on the corner o f Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Alberta Street. Korean-American entrepreneur Jack Chung developed the site and named it in honor o f highly regarded community servant Harry Jackson, an African American police officer. Market, which he has owned since 1987, with a new two-story struc ture. It will contain a new, revamped market, a new edition o f Northeast Broadway’s Yuki sushi restaurant, a beauty salon and several other commercial services. He recently purchased the Shamrock Tavern on Interstate Avenue and Skidmore Street, re named it the Interstate Bar and Grill, and per formed a major renovation. “ I wanted to clean it up," he says. “ I changed the paint, the pictures and the bathroom.” A grand opening for the establishment in August drew the likes o f longtime African- American business leader Paul Knauls and may- oral candidate Jim Francesconi. > I ’d always wanted to own a restaurant and bar, so I picked up the classified ads and saw that this place was for sale. It's right on the new MAX line and a busy intersection k - JackChungon theopenlngof the Insterstate Bar and Grill He recently purchased the Formosa Restau rant, an establishment with some history o f public safety issues, at 7410 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., and here too, he plans a total renovation and a name change. The long-time restaurant near the intersection with Lombard will be the Moon Star Bar and Grill. “ It will be beautiful,” he promises. Knauls notes that Chung will soon be propri- etorofthree liquor outlets: Interstate, Moon Star and Yuki. Recalling his own days as proprietor ofGeneva’s nightclub he quipped, “Jack’s going dures long after the ink is dry and the deal is complete.” To hear Chung tel I it, he acquired the Shamrock out o f boredom. He was already planning the renova tion o f the Alberta Market. “I knew it would take time, and I couldn't just sit around waiting,” Chung said. “I'd always wanted to own a restaurant and bar, so I picked up the classified ads and saw that this place was for sale. It’s right on the new MAX line and a busy intersection.” Then he stumbled on the Formosa, also up for sale. “I saw an opportunity," he says. “I hear that 45,000 cars a day pass by thereon Martin Luther King alone! I couldn’t just let that go. I said, ‘Let's do it!’ Sometimes you just get lueky.” To many observers, Chung’s success is not luck, but years o f positive effort paying off. Knauls says o f his management o f the Alberta continued on page B 12 D evelopm ent G ood for Business County Honors M inority Enterprises Michael Martin o f Portland oversees the demolition o f World War ll-era housing at Columbia Cilla. Proclaimation o f the week o f Oct. 13 • 17 fo r Minority Enterprise Develop ment Week. Troy Kyles has been a member fo r Local Laborer's Union 320 fo r IS years He has worked in the construc tion industry fo r 20 years. See inside, page BI2 See inside, page B10 See inside, page B4 I Unflagging Dedication
