Too many banks... again?
A COUPLE OF hundred metres past the airport on the way out of Phnom Penh, a bright orange sign and a showroom filled with small demonstration walls mark the location of the sales office of Primoris Brick and Paving Company. Rob Brough, an Australian lawyer-turned entrepreneur, launched the venture three years ago as the country’s construction boom was gearing up, offering a higher-quality brick than was usually available locally. By the time he was ready to start serious production the financial crisis had hit and only one of four planned factory lines is now active.
The business is ticking over nicely now, says Brough, thanks to some timely diversification and careful cost management but he is still excited by the sector that many locals see as Cambodia’s future – agribusiness – and is talking to funds whose main problem is finding projects large enough...
