Trees so that the village, called Chokdee or Lucky Village, is gradually becoming greener. The rent is set at twenty baht per month, but Bo cloims that he has never collected any.
Kamnan Bo s investment in public works and projects like the slum relocations have enhanced his popularity as well as assisting in the long-run success of his other more directly productive investments in housing and resort facilities in Bang saen. His generosity with the villagers enabled him to be accepted and respected in the community . All this makes him a valuable hua kanaen or vote bank for political parties. And finally in turn his connections with politicians and with other influential officials enable him to bring more large public projects into the locality, adding further to his status as a generous and effective local leader.
Bo also built up his followers and supporters through his business deslings. He has not ventured into farming of mining, largely to avoid conflict with powerful established interests. Big agricultural ventures such as cassava and sugarcane were the province of Damrong Singtothong (Hia Sui), president of the Sugar Cane Plantation Association of Chonburi and many times an MP. Mining was controlled by another big local businessman, supakit Prasomsap (kamnan Lee). Bo carefully built his business empire in a way which did not treas on the toes of such established locak entrepreneurs.
Like other well-eatablished jao pho, Kamnan Bo let his sons and associates manage most of his businesses. He himself took personal control of the real estate business in partnership with an associate, Nawamit Mahanakhon. Somchai, his eldest son, manages the hotels and resort businesses including S.S. Villa, Hotel Bang Saen, and Bang Saen Beach Resort (the TAT hotel). Various other businesses are controlled by a wide ring of associates. By allowing his men to run most of the businesses on his behalf, and by developing mutually profitable alliances with other major local entrepreneurs, Bo has developed a wide network of friends and dependents. For instance, Bo works closely with Somboon Tiemratananon (Tiem) , who supplies fresh foods to the hotels, resorts and entertainment complexes in Bo s empire, The business relationship runs largely on mutual trust