Chanon
and Chana Pongcharoenkul are handsome, intelligent, creative,
fun, ambitious, and well educated. They speak English with
slight American accents, and appreciate the intricacies of
developing businesses in a global economy. They attended Prince
Royal’s College, and then went on to graduate from the Chiang
Mai University Demonstration School. Each in turn, one year
apart, left home for university in the United States. Each
graduated, the older from Hawaii Pacific University, the younger
from Grinnell, and then completed certification at the American
Institute of Gemology (AIG) before returning home. But don’t
for a minute think that they are alike just because they have
taken the same paths in education and business, or even because
they are brothers. Chanon and Chana Pongcharoenkul, known to
friends and family as Mai and Pai, are a delightful study in
contrasting and complimentary personalities. Born first, Mai is
the August 1980 edition of this dynamic duo. Pai followed just a
year later in August of 1981.
I had dinner with them recently at the family
restaurant. Their clothes were the first giveaway. Mai was
dressed in designer black. Stylish and modern, he could have
just stepped out of Gentlemen’s Quarterly. Pai was laid
back and casual in an open neck sports shirt and slacks. No less
handsome, he looked like an advertisement for a resort. But more
on that follows.
We chatted briefly and ordered dinner. Fois
gras imported from France, seared lightly, with a good red wine
for Mai. The big wine glass arrived; and the latest in stemware
was placed before him. The wine was decanted and poured. Mai
expertly swirled it in his glass, leaned over to inhale the
woody aroma, and then carefully sipped from the glass. A
question arose in his mind. He handed it to his father for
further investigation. They discussed the transportation and
maintenance of fine wine in tropical weather. It was settled.
Mai took a sip and smiled.
Pai on the other hand, observed it all but
ordered a steak, medium rare, with a salad and fresh steamed
vegetables. Cool, clear water on this hot evening was his drink
of choice. "I eat simply", he said, "and I never
drink alcohol." He is more studious, more competitive in
academic work than his brother, but he has a fun and
light-hearted side, too. A few months ago, he was a featured
model in magazine advertisements for a Thai resort. He told
nobody in his family until the ads appeared. "We were happy
that he wore nice clothes", observed his mom with smiling
relief. The magazine was Cosmopolitan.
Mai, the older of the two, is the consummate
extrovert. He meets, he remembers, he networks. People are his
forte, not academics, although he did well in college and at the
AIG. He loves car racing and politics, both risky and dangerous
sports. Pai is more introverted. He likes to study and learn; he
examines trends and plans for future ventures. He knows all of
the international business buzzwords. He’s willing to take
risks of the business variety. Mai likes the hustle and bustle
of big city life in Bangkok; Pai loves coming home to Chiang
Mai.
They have been raised in a unique family and
business environment. They did all of the little boy things that
little boys all over the world do. School and friends, music and
sports, family outings and interaction with their parents’
many friends were all part of their childhoods. Their
grandmother’s home still stands on the family compound. She
was simply too dear to them for it to be removed. But many
sunrises followed many sunsets and here they are grown men.
Their parents live by unusual business
concepts. They must be able to trust their employees and be
trusted, there must be harmony in the work place, and each
employee is responsible for his or her personal growth. Thus, a
housemaid may learn to manage the books at one of the family
businesses, and the gardener may become an expert tea grower.
How, I asked, was this philosophy imparted to both of you? Very
simply. The family businesses are their learning laboratories.
They are allowed to make their own mistakes. That’s also part
of their parents’ philosophy.
Jewelry, in particular fine jade and
beautiful colored stones, is the family business. For over two
decades the parents have developed their shop on top of Doi
Suthep. Consulate and Embassy people buy from them, and bring
their VIP guests and family members alike to buy. When Mai and
Pai graduated from university and then AIG, the family opened a
new store in Bangkok, then rapidly expanded to a small shop near
a new five star resort. Now "the boys" have their eyes
on two other stores. They envision a small boutique type store
of original jewelry designs inside the resort, and they’re
looking at property between Siam Square and the World Trade
Center for a large store right on the Skytrain route. They have
incredible energy and the wonderful vision of young
entrepreneurs.
The family business does not stop with
jewelry and jade, though. We’re dining in a restaurant that
they grew up in and have recently redesigned. They were involved
in the development of the menu, the newly upholstered silver
colored silk chairs, the installation of long tables and benches
for the informal serving of fondue. Then there is the arabica
coffee and the oolong tea that their family is growing on a
mountain outside of town. There is packaging to be designed and
a website to be developed.
Both Mai and Pai are athletic, but again
their choices differ. Mai played on the university basketball
team. Pai played on the university tennis team. And both of them
studied piano as youngsters, although – this won’t surprise
you a bit - they like different types of music. Mai prefers the
modern; Pai sticks with the more traditional.
We ended our evening on a light note when I reminded them
that they’re both bachelors. Are there girlfriends? "I’m
taken", said Mai. "I’m not", said Pai.
