Named among Seattle's Most Influential People of 2011 by Seattle Magazine, Chris Pardo, 32, and fiancée Laura Olson, 28, are working on building their own business empire. They opened three new Seattle restaurants and bars in 2010 and another four this year, with a presence in Capitol Hill and the University District.

Now, the power couple has set their sights on Ballard.

"We have five projects currently planned for Ballard," revealed Pardo, an entrepreneur and architect.

The first four projects are located in the 2014 NW Market Street Building, and include a Po Dog. With locations in the U District and Capitol Hill, Po Dog Ballard will be the third location of this popular gourmet hot dog joint and it should open any day now.

Recently featured in People Magazine and on the Today show, Po Dog offers twelve signature dogs, homemade deep fried pickles, and a selection of beers.

Some of the most popular hot dogs include: the Peanut Butter and Banana Dog, The Texas dog featuring house-made deep fried onion straws, Hot Dog Sushi, and a bacon-wrapped and deep-fried hot dog with sautéed onions and chili sauce titled the "Deep fried Danger Dog".

The second venture is a three story venue called Queen of Norway, which will open on the street level adjacent to Po Dog.

"It is a Scandinavian themed intimate bar, serving Scandinavian and northwest fusion tapas," said Pardo, adding that it will be a full bar with local beer selctions.

With the Queen of Norway, Pardo, whose extended family has been in Ballard and Queen Anne for over 100 years, pays tribute to his grandmother.

"My Grandmother was the Queen of Norway in a parade in Ballard when she was in her early twenties. I always remember listening to her stories. She was an amazing woman," he said.

The upper level of the Market Street building will be a small events space with local DJ's on Friday and Saturday nights, and the lower level is going to be a wine cellar/speakeasy to open last out of the four venues.

Pardo and Olson have a fifth project in the works but Pardo would not divulge any information regarding the project at this time.

"The businesses will primarily serve the  Ballard community and surrounding markets," Pardo said. "Each individual business has a slightly different target market."

Po Dog is family friendly, while the private events space will be great for company parties and provide a safe, fun nightlife opportunity. The speakeasy provides a more intimate artisan experience, and the Queen of Norway has a more comfortable neighborhood feel.

"As with all of our businesses we are expecting and encouraging a large mix of lifestyles, age groups and interests," said Pardo.

Pardo and Olson hope to add more life to the Market Street area and become assets to the local community, driving high quality options for food and entertainment.

Pardo and Olson have expanded rapidly during the downturn of the economy and they anticipate slow growth over the next three years. But Pardo revealed that they have three or more projects in the works in addition to the Ballard venues.

Pardo said that in addition to his family ties, they were drawn to Ballard because of its character, diversity and density.

"Ballard is a diverse city within itself, offering a vibrant restaurant scene, but more importantly has been able to successfully breed small scale local retail," he said. "Ballard and Capitol Hill share a level of residential density beyond that of other neighborhoods in Seattle and each have its own unique character."