Minority & Small Business Week
September 27, 2006
Page B3
W E LLS
FARGO
The Next Stage®
African American Business Services
Helping Small Business Owners
Succeed Financially
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Piya Promlukkano (left) and his wife Pirn operate the Thai Pod restaurant at 20015 N.E. Broadway.
Cuisine Comes
with Business Expertise
C ouple opens th ird
A sian restaurant
by L ee P eri man
T he P ortland O bserver
Having come halfway around the world to
northeast Portland, Piya Promlukkano has
brought some of his native Thailand with him.
He originally came here as a graduate stu­
dent. having earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree
in business administration back home. His first
job in the restaurant business was in Sunnyvale,
Calif, near San Francisco.
He made several trips back to Thai land to visit
relatives. After one such visit, in 1995. he met a
young immigrant named Pint making her way to
Portland with her family. After many long­
distance phone calls the two married and
bought a house in Beaverton.
They opened a Thai restaurant - the Pepper
Tree - on Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale High­
way in 1996.
"It was very difficult at first," Promlukkano
says. "I was still learning how to do business
here." Eventually the business thrived and the
couple moved on to a second venture: the Thai
Elephant in
Beaverton.
They have since sold both and, earlier this
year, started their third restaurant, the Thai Pod
at 2015 N.E. Broadway. The restaurant offers
23 lunch entrees at $5.95 each. Monday through
Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner is served
between 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. seven days a
week, and a half hour later on Saturday, with
prices ranging from $8.95 to $13.95.
“We use fresh ingredients, and have our own
recipes that we re proud of," Pirn Promlukkano
says.
Comparing the Portland area to Bangkok
Piya says. "I like the people here. The city is not
too big and not too small."
He said Bangkok, by contrast, is a major
metropolis of several million that is very hot and
humid.
Of the new restaurant Pirn says, "We like the
area. We've met lots of people. They welcomed
us to the area."
Celebrating over a half-billion dollars in lending
Hard work and the right financial tools are
essential for the success of any small
business. As part of our dedication to small
Building a Professional Portfolio
Tisha Stigler is the new man­
ager of the Wells Fargo branch
inside the Safeway Food and
Drug store at 8330 N. Ivanhoe
in the St. John's neighborhood
of north Portland.
The Portland native directs
the custom er service, sales,
professional development and
community involvement ef­
forts of six team members. Tisha Stigler
She previously worked at U .S.
Bank for eight years in vari­
ous departm ents, including
branch su p p o rt, c o n su m e r
lending and a custom er ser­
vice manager.
Stigler completed classes at
Kansas University and Kansas
Community College. She iscur-
continued
on pope H6
business, Wells Fargo has committed to lend
$1 billion to African American business
owners.* Since 1998, we have lent over $700 million to thousands of
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small business. Call 1-800-35 WELLS, Ext. 300 to receive more
information about our African American Business Services program or
visit wellsfargo.com/biz/aabs today.
S e rv in g you, b u sin e s s an d th e
c o m m u n itie s in w h ic h w e live!
W e s a lu te m in o rity b u s in e s s e n te r p r is e
an d s u p p o rt M in o rity E n te rp ris e
D e v e lo p m e n t W e e k 2 0 0 6
We provide business enterprises strategic resource solutions
• Training the current and future workplace
• Educating tomorrow's business today
• Employing diversity through opportunity
Call John Person at the M/W/ESB
procurement office for more information.
503-978-5572, FAX 503-978-2901
Email: jperson@pcc.edu
P o rtla n d
< c > > C o m m u n ity
C o lle q
g e
w w w .p c c .e d u
' All credit applications subject to standard credit approval
© 2006 Wells Fargo Bank, N. A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC.
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