IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS OF AGRI-SMART AND BB2C

BB2C has terminated its relationship with Bunika San, formerly Country Director of Agri-Smart/BB2C, due to egregiously illegal and inappropriate conduct. Please be informed that BB2C is the patent-holder for the technology utilized in the Eli Seeder, and Bunika San does not have the rights to commercialize or sell the Eli Seeder, or to develop, commercialize or sell any seeder making use of such patented technology. We understand that Mr. Bunika San intends to attempt to subvert the proud mission of Agri-Smart/BB2C that our team of Cambodian nationals and international engineers and partners have spent years building. We hereby notify you that any purchases of such seeders from Mr. Bunika San will be in violation of such patents, and we strongly discourage you from collaborating with Mr. Bunika San due to the risk of patent infringement as well as the egregious conduct of Mr. Bunika San.

Save Agri-Smart/BB2C and the Eli Seeder, a lifeline for farmers in Cambodia.

The invaluable technology and organization that invented it is under attack. The seeder and the workshop to support it are being stolen by Bunika San, who has been fired as Country Director of Agri-Smart.  

Bunika San is stealing all the equipment in the workshop, the five 3-D printers, the plasma cutter, the cutting-edge technology, the seeders in inventory with protected patents owned by BB2C, the trucks, office equipment, all paid for by BB2C and other organizations in Cambodia, to start his own business.

Taking advantage of the Coronavirus and my inability to travel to Cambodia, the Country Director, Bunika San is in the process of closing Agri-Smart, stealing its technology and methods to start his own business. The shocking news was sent to us by frightened employees who have worked for us for years. 

My name is Paula Shirk and I am the Founder of the nonprofit organization Brooklyn Bridge to Cambodia (BB2C). We operate as Agri-Smart in Cambodia. I started the organization in 2007 to help struggling farmers. 

I grew up on a poor chicken farm and understand the struggles of farmers. When I adopted my son Rudi Puth Chak from Cambodia, and later found his birth family, they were homeless, had little food and were living against a factory fence. I helped the family start a small business in the local market. 

I then founded the organization BB2C, and worked with engineers to invent the Eli Seeder to help small farmers save time and heavy labor. I have devoted the last 14 years of my life to this effort. No organization is doing this creative work for small farmers in all of Southeast Asia. Cambodia is the proud source of our technology and the recipient of our donors’ generosity. We have received support from an Angel Donor, a Family Foundation as well as many small donor individuals, who send hundreds of thousands of American dollars to Cambodia. Our volunteer lawyers, volunteer accountants, volunteers from American universities and other volunteers contribute an additional hundreds of thousands of dollars on the development of BB2C/Agri-Smart.

A Description of Mr. Bunika San’s Shocking, Illegal Behavior

  • When we lost some of our funding because of the COVID pandemic, Ms. Shirk took out loans to continue the operations in Cambodia. During the fall of 2020, seeder sales were strong. When Mr. Bunika San was asked to send funds to help pay the loans, (debt that was partially incurred to pay his salary) we discovered no funds were available because he had bought a truck for business and his personal use for $23,000, an expenditure that was not authorized.
  • Mr. Bunika San sent Ms. Shirk an obscene pornographic photo. A shocking experience for the CEO of the organization. As his behavior violates any organizations’ Code of Conduct. Agri-Smart /BB2C under American and possibly Cambodian law could no longer in good conscience work with him.
  • Mr. Bunika San fired the Organization’s Quality Control employee because that employee told him to stop stealing from Paula.
  • Mr. Bunika San fired the Organization’s Marketing employee within one day for speaking to Ms. Shirk. That termination was without cause.
  • Mr. Bunika San has created a hostile work environment.  The people who are employed in the workshop are afraid of him and feel disrespected.  He refers to some of them as “any monkey with clean hands can do the job.”
  • He signed a document telling Ms. Shirk not to communicate with the staff. Ms. Shirk paid the salaries and health insurance of that staff for years.
  • He signed the document Dr. Bunika San.  According to his resume, he does not have a doctorate. In fact, it does not appear that he has a four-year college degree. 
  • Two American engineers moved heaven and earth to come to Cambodia during the COVID pandemic. They are devoted to our mission of providing innovative tools for farmers. And now Mr. Bunika San refuses to pay them. 
  • Mr. Bunika San is illegally selling the Eli seeders. He does not own the patents.
  • All professional accounting has stopped, as Mr. Bunika San is refusing to work with our respected accounting firm. He is in control of all the money in the business account, and we have been informed by our accountants that he treats it like a personal account.  He allows no professional oversight of expenses.  Any accounting firm would find our finances in shambles because of Mr. Bunika San’s deliberate misconduct.