Penny and Frank Fukui — Nikkei Community’s Legacy Couple

Woodburn Company received Supplier of the Year 2018 by the Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council. Left to right: business partner Ben Johnson, Frank and Penny Fukui, and employee Dan Beary.

Frank and Penny Fukui are household names in the local Nikkei (Japanese American) community in Seattle. This is not only because of their successful business, Woodburn Company but also due to their extraordinary generosity in giving. Here is their story as they enter a well-deserved retirement.

Frank and Penny enjoy each other’s company. They will celebrate 57 years of marriage this year.

Q: Could you tell us a bit about both family histories?

Hitsuji Beppu (Penny’s grandfather), Sawa Beppu (Penny’s grandmother) and baby Taft Beppu (Penny’s father), 1910 in Seattle, WA. Photo credit:  unknown. ▼

Penny: My grandfather was Hitsuji Beppu born in 1871, and my grandmother was Sawa Beppu born in 1885. Both were born in Japan. After coming to Seattle, my grandmother was a mid wife. I was told that she delivered over 1,000 babies. It was April 1942 when she delivered Frank Fukui, little knowing he would eventually marry me, her yet unborn granddaughter. She drove a Model-T Ford from place to place delivering babies while her husband remained at home as the “househusband.” She was definitely ahead of her time! My dad, Taft Beppu, was the oldest of four brothers and had one sister, Hiroko. My dad worked at Linc’s Tackle located on Rainier Avenue South with my uncle Linc Beppu. My dad also raised me from the time I was nine years old after my mother passed away from stomach cancer.

Right: Penny Fukui, Pre-school teacher at Jefferson Community Center, Seattle, WA, 1977.  Photo credit:  unknown.

Left: Frank Fukui, senior class photo. Garfield High School, Seattle, WA, 1960.  Photo credit:  unknown.

Frank: My grandparents came from Shizuoka, Japan. My grandmother and grandfather had a farm in Port Orchard where my mother was one of 9 children. They raised vegetables and sold them at the Pike Place Market. My father, Yoshizo Fukui, and his brother came to Seattle in 1917 when he was 19 years old. They worked in the Pike Place Market selling produce.My mother, Mae Imamoto, married my father in 1941, and I was born in Seattle in April, 1942. My family was sent to the Puyallup fairgrounds, which was the temporary incarceration location for Japanese Americans during World War II. We were then transferred to Minidoka in Hunt, Idaho and stayed there until the war ended. As a very young child, I enjoyed my time there because there were many kids; we played every day. The adults made sure we were enjoying life even during this difficult time of the incarceration.They even called this place “camp.”

Penny: I was born in Minidoka incarceration camp and Frank’s family was sent there after his birth in Seattle. We both have no brothers or sisters. When World War II ended, our families were sent back to Seattle with the two suitcases they were allowed to take to Minidoka.Like most families, my family returned with nothing. As young children, we did not know we were poor because our families raised us with extraordinary love and care. I only witnessed one overt act of discrimination after we returned to Seattle. Someone threw a rock at my dad. I asked him why someone would do that. He said not a word but I knew from the look on his face that it was not something I wanted to pursue. After WWII in 1945, we lived in the Central Area at the St. George Apartments at 14th and Yesler Way. Then we moved to 18th and Spruce Street through high school. Since I was a cheerleader in my senior year, I was allowed to stay at Garfield High School after moving to Beacon Hill. My father dutifully drove me to school every day.

Frank: I lived one block from Collins Playfield at 15th and Yesler Way in the Central Area of Seattle. I attended Bailey Gatzert Elementary School and later Washington Junior High and Garfield High School. Most of my classes consisted of Japanese Americans who came back to Seattle after the war. Back then, there was no bussing and we did not change classes during the day so I saw the same students. Even to this day, I remain closely connected to my former classmates and know their families well. Growing up, my friends and I started the first baseball team at the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation when I was eight years old. It was the first year that Little League baseball became available in the International District. Roy Sakamoto was the coach and his knowledge of baseball helped make this team very competitive. I really enjoyed my time playing baseball and getting to know the other players who later became my good friends even to this day. At age 13, I joined the Skyliner band (see the recently published book by Kay Hirai and Randy Tada) and played alto saxophone from eighth grade through high school.

Q: How did you meet?

Penny: Frank and I first met in kindergarten when we both waited after school at the Seattle Glove Factory across the street from Bailey Gatzert Elementary School! Both of our mothers worked at the glove factory and we waited for them until they got off work. I am certain we did not pay attention to each other at that time. However, our moms were very good friends.Today, our good friend, Kenny Wakazuru, says he was the “matchmaker” for us. He still tells the story of how he drove Frank to my house and dropped him off on our porch one day. Frank waited until I let him in and then “he never left.” At least that is how Kenny tells it. My cousin, George Beppu, also claims that he brought us together. George and Frank were good friends at Washington Junior High. I guess both he and Kenny might be correct about introducing us to each other!

On our first date, we took a bus to a movie at the Coliseum Theatre in Seattle. Frank got his foot caught in the chair in front of him when someone sat in front and his foot was crushed badly! He was embarrassed and in so much pain. This year, we will celebrate our 57th anniversary!

Q:What did you each do prior to starting Woodburn?

Penny: Both Frank and I graduated from the University of Washington (UW). I received my masters degree in educational administration and Frank’s degree is in business administration and finance. I taught first, second and third grades in Seattle Public Schools; preschool at Jefferson Community Center; and later coordinated programs for the UW College of Engineering. I was also Executive Director of the Japanese American Chamber of Commerce from 1995 to 1997.

Frank spent three years in the U.S. Army after high school. Previously, he was enrolled at UW but had the worst grades – 0.7 GPA. He abruptly left school without withdrawing properly when he joined the Army. So, the low GPA stayed with Frank. Together we had to work hard to get him enrolled again at UW and eventually he graduated with decent grades!

Q: What was your initial vision for the business and where it is today?

Frank and Penny Fukui at Woodburn Company, 2010.  Photo credit:  unknown.　▶︎

Frank:My interest in buying Woodburn Company was when our oldest daughter, Shelley, entered UW. Our family lived in Portland at the time and she was living in the dormitory at UW. I had an interest in moving back to the Seattle area. When Jack Woodburn called me, I investigated the situation and decided to take a chance to buy the business and move back to Seattle in 1989.After taking over the Woodburn Company, we started as an A.B. Dick (printing products retailer) and RICOH (printers and products) dealer in Everett, Washington, with small accounts. After years of hard work, we secured two big accounts – Nordstrom and Puget Sound Energy! Both companies were searching for new business dealers. We put in a bid against intense competition and we were shocked to win. At the time, we were a small business with nine employees so those accounts really catapulted our business. It was the turning point! Currently, the business has grown to 50 employees. We are the only minority dealership to have multiple large copier and printer contracts with the State of Washington. We have been blessed to receive many awards over the years. These are not only corporate business awards such as Supplier of the Year, but also awards from our own community such as Commendation Award from the Japanese Consul General, National Asian Entrepreneur of the Year, Northwest Asian Weekly Community Award, and Nikkei Concerns.

Q: Tell us about your community involvement. What motivates you to give generously of your time and resources to the community?

Penny:My greatest mentor was my father who taught me the value and importance of education. He always said, “It is not only important to work hard, you have to ‘work smart’.” We stand on the shoulders of the Issei (first generation Japanese Americans) and Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) generations and their extraordinary sacrifices and examples. We continue to serve our community churches, nonprofits, and small business enterprises, as well as large corporations and government agencies so that our grandkids can have the same opportunities we had while growing up. Our business has grown beyond our wildest dreams. For this, we are truly grateful. We look ahead to “giving back and paying forward” wherever we are able. We have been blessed to be able to support many community groups throughout the years.

Today, we are honored to serve as honorary co-chairs with Bill Weyerhaeuser for the Remembrance Gallery. This is where 7,600 names will be permanently placed on the walls at the Puyallup fairgrounds where Japanese Americans were held until the incarceration camps were built.

Frank:I look back on the history of my parents’ lives and compare it to my life. They both experienced the harsh economic times of the 1929 Depression and again in the 1942 incarceration camps. To lose everything twice in your lifetime is very sad but to overcome these times and prosper is amazing. I give them a lot of credit and thanks for everything they both did for me.

Q: What’s in your future now that retirement is here?

◀︎ Frank and Penny Fukui receiving Supplier of the Year 2015, Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Council.  Photo credit:  Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Council. 

Penny and Frank:We just completed the sale of our business to our business partner! We are confident that it is in great hands. Our family means everything to us. Our two daughters are Shelley and Colleen, their husbands are Curt Kolar and Chris Sketchley respectively, and our grandkids are Kai, Akemi, and Jackson. They all make us proud!
While we do not have a bucket list per se, we did have a dream to take our whole family to Japan. That dream came true last February when we took all nine members of our family to Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kyoto. They got to meet family and friends, and take in the sites. We are looking forward to downsizing in our retirement and moving into a condominium in Seattle which has been four years in the making. Located on the top two floors, we will have an unobstructed panoramic view of downtown Seattle, the Space Needle, and Lake Union. It was always my dream to see the sunset every night. That dream will come true!

Left: Frank and Penny Fukui enjoying summer in Hawaii with family and friends, 2017.  Photo credit:  Shelley Fukui Koler.

Right: Left to right:  Remembrance Gallery Project Manager Sharon Sobie Seymour with Remembrance Gallery Honorary Co-Chairs Penny and Frank Fukui, April, 2023.  Photo credit:  Vincent Konkel.