Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business - April 2020

April 2020 Volume 19 | Issue 4

Small business optimism alive and well in Tri-Cities

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Hanford

A specialty publication of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business Page B1

Real Estate

Homebuilders lobby governor to reconsider ‘nonessential’ label, brace for pain Page A31

Local News

Tri-City port districts consider rent breaks amid pandemic Page A32

NOTEWORTHY “We should be doing everything we can to stabilize our economy.”

-U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse

Page A19

In early April, American businesses raced to apply for $349 billion in forgivable loans through the CARES Act’s SBA Paycheck Protection Program.

The loans covered payroll costs, rent, benefits and more. Better still, they’re forgiven if businesses maintain employment through the coronavirus pandemic. Locally and nationwide, the numbers are staggering.

Washington Learn more about state reports how to apply for small unemployment business grants. claims were Page A38 seven times higher in early April than the worst moments of the Great Recession a decade ago. “Nonessential” businesses will remain closed, as a result of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order intended to slow the spread of coronavirus, in effect through at least May 4, meaning the pain will get worse.

While there were reports of challenges in completing applications through Small Business Administration lenders, the program is wildly popular and was expected to quickly reach the limits. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pledged to pursue an additional $250 billion within days.

It’s a dizzying time for small businesses.

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business reached out to local entrepreneurs to see how they’re faring.

We surveyed owners of businesses recently profiled in the Journal of Business.

Their answers are inspiring, funny, creative and most of all reveal a collective determination to survive and to do good while times are bad.

Here’s what they had to say:

David Lippes, Boost Builds The Tri-City investor owns or operates about two dozen businesses, including Boost Builds. The community-building development firm is constructing Park uOPTIMISM, Page A3

Courtesy Washington Air National Guard Maj. Brad Sanders of the Washington Air National Guard was called to active duty to help with the state’s response to the coronavirus emergency. While he’s deployed, his wife Yvette Sanders is overseeing daily operations at their business, the Tri-Cities FastSigns franchise in Kennewick.

Kennewick business owner called up for Air National Guard duty

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

It seems like a lifetime ago, but it’s only been a few months since Yvette and Brad Sanders bought the Tri-Cities FastSigns franchise.

The January deal had everything it needed to ensure the local business would continue and grow. The couple already had run a business and the sellers were staying on to help with the transition.

The transition has been anything but ordinary, Brad Sanders said.

The coronavirus pandemic brought demand for its signs, wraps and banners to a near halt shortly after the sale closed. Then,

Gov. Jay Inslee issued the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order in March, limiting nonessential activity to curtail the spread of coronavirus, which causes the deadly COVID-19.

Business didn’t dry up completely. Customers began asking for signs to help with the pandemic.

A Kennewick dentist who closed his practice needed a message guiding patients to emergency care. Businesses deemed nonessential needed “Closed for COVID-19.”

Businesses that stayed open asked for floor decals to enforce six-foot social distancing requirements.

While adapting to the new line of business, Sanders, a major in the Washington Air

uNATIONAL GUARD, Page A8

Moore Mansion sold to couple who pledge to honor weddings, events

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Pasco’s storied Moore Mansion is starting a new chapter after being sold by the couple who saved it from demolition.

Debra and Brad Peck sold the historic mansion to a Kennewick couple who will run it as a residence and event center. The Pecks and the new owners will collaborate to ensure weddings and other events booked for 2020 go on as planned.

Sandrine and Thomas King, a local pathologist, purchased the mansion, property and business assets for nearly $2.7 million as At the Moore LLC. The deal recorded in Franklin County on March 26.

The sale opens a promising new chapter for the Moore Mansion, the graceful Beaux Arts mansion built on the Columbia River

shoreline in 1908 but never occupied by its builder, James Moore. After a series of ownership changes, changes in use and a prolonged period of vacancy, it was nearly destroyed by a suspicious fire on May 9, 2001.

The Pecks bought it from a Florida bank in March 2004. They were motivated by a love of the property and desire to see it preserved. The $267,000 deal closed two days before a court-ordered deadline to rebuild or remove the damaged structure.

The Pecks restored it as a private residence and outdoor event center, hosting about 20 weddings, proms, meetings and other gatherings each year.

Brad Peck estimates 40,000 people passed through the property in the 14 years since it reopened. He and Debra never took a salary. They credit clients who chose the manuMOORE MANSION, Page A4

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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OPTIMISM, From page A1 Place, a high-profile apartment and retail complex at the former pit at 650 George Washington Way. “I have businesses that are benefiting from what’s going on, unfortunately, and businesses that have shut down,” he said.

As of early April, he intended to reopen all the businesses that are closed.

He declined to describe how individual businesses are operating, saying he didn’t want to reveal private investment information.

Most of his businesses have applied for SBA funds, including disaster relief and the Paycheck Protection Program.

He has mixed feelings about the financial rescue. He wants a sharper federal focus on the underlying crisis.

“We are in a health care crisis. We are getting federal financial relief. We are not getting coordinated federal action to address the underlying crisis, which is why we need help,” he said.

“The longer we have a health care crisis, the longer we have an economic crisis,” he said, adding, “If our president is as he has self-proclaimed, a war-time president, in times of war, if another country was attacking us, I would hope the president wouldn’t tell states and communities to defend themselves.”

Steve Lee, Green2Go Kennewick Mayor Pro Tem Steve Lee and his wife, Jessica, own the Green2Go cannabis shops in Finley and Tokio, as well as several affiliated businesses.

The couple are hunkered down at home waiting for the arrival of their first child, a girl they plan to name Zuzu Eleanor, in late April. They’ve been quarantining for weeks and plan to stay isolated for the foreseeable future.

Retail cannabis is an essential business under the stay-home order, but new rules have transformed the way Green2Go operates, Lee said.

“For me and my wife, this is a chance to lead with our values,” he said. “How can we participate in ethical capitalism during a pandemic?”

Green2Go adopted social distancing early and created a new position of social distancing coordinator to police the six-foot distancing requirements. It shut down half the registers and ordered sneeze guards to protect employees twice —the first batch was defective.

With masks impossible to find, it hired a local seamstress to make hundreds of face masks for employees, or budtenders.

Too, the new rules allow curbside delivery, allowing customers to drive up and buy at the curb.

It takes 2.5 fulltime employees to staff the curb posts. All need to be outfitted with body cameras to meet traceability

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Boost Builds, led by David Lippes and John Crook, is a partner in construction of Park Place, an apartment and retail complex being built at Richland’s former pit, 650 George Washington Way.

requirements and need safety vests, personal protective equipment and handheld devices such as iPads.

Lee said finding electronics is harder than protective masks and gloves.

“In a world where we’re all used to Amazon Priming it in a couple of days, we’re now out five or six days,” he said.

Looking ahead, the Lees will measure their success by employee turnover and if employees have to leave because they became ill.

He said he’ll be happy to emerge from the pandemic in a budget neutral position as long as people are protected.

“The 2020 budget will always have an asterisk,” he said.

Melissa Porcaro, CAN Do Kids Occupational Therapy The Richland clinic, which helps children with behavioral and physical challenges, has converted to a telehealth model.

“We’re doing therapy session via Zoom with clients,” she said, adding she uses a secured edition for patient privacy.

The shift has its benefits.

She was uncomfortable interacting with children online at first, but is finding that her young patients are incorporating their own toys and home settings into their therapy sessions. Parents are better able to see how their own yards, living rooms, kitchens and stairs can play a role in helping children with behavioral and other challenges.

“It’s working better than I expected,” she said.

On the downside, she’s unable to treat patients who live in Oregon because she doesn’t have a business license there. The state hasn’t responded to her inquiries.

One of Porcaro’s prime missions is to keep kids moving and reduce the amount

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of time patients spend with screens. With that in mind, she and her children chalked an obstacle course on the pavement at the entrance to The Park at the Lakes in West Richland.

As for the business, she’s pared down to a skeleton staff. Looking ahead, she’s worried about the future in two to six months as school closures persist until at least the fall.

She didn’t intend to apply for the SBAbacked PPP program.

“I think we can still make it without it, just not in the same capacity we have in the past,” she said.

Hilary Kelsay, Humming Hemp The Richland-based company sells raw hemp hearts and its Humming Hemp bars in groceries around the country.

“For us, it’s kind of business as usual,” said CEO Kelsay, who notes grocery stores remain open.

However, with promotional activities that drive sales on hold, Humming Hemp is tightening its belt.

“We’re hunkering down. Cash is king,”

she said. The business is supported by private capital. With investors sidelined during the pandemic, she said she’s relying on her current supporters to help keep the company going.

Prior to the pandemic, sales of the new hemp bars were growing well, she said.

Kelsay isn’t just focused on keeping the company going during the pandemic.

She’s explored ways for Humming Hemp to make a difference. She decided to ship product to support health care workers In New York City, at the center of the pandemic.

“What they need is food for health care workers on long shifts with no breaks.

They need nutrition,” she said.

Excited at the idea of supporting frontline workers, she reached out to FedEx. In early April, she shipped Humming Hemp bars from her Portland warehouse to 17 acute care facilities in New York.

“That’s our whole mission. We want to keep you humming along,” she said.

“We’re going to be able to weather the storm.”

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020 MOORE MANSION, From page A1

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sion for their events for supplying the funds to continue renovating and upgrading the property.

Brad Peck, a Franklin County Commissioner, said he and his wife will keep their home in District 1. He is required to live in the district he represents.

The Pecks will work with Sandrine King and her partner to ensure events booked for 2020 go on as planned. Peck said no events have been canceled during the coronavirus stay-home crisis, but some have been rescheduled.

New owners “We’re committed to making sure every one of our clients gets what they were promised,” he said.

Sandrine King, her husband and their twin sons, 6, have moved into the mansion.

She will run the event business with her partner, Lissette Conde, who will live on the property with her family in a carriage house once it is complete.

King, who financed the purchase with a mortgage, intends to increase the number of events held at the Moore Mansion. In addition to the outdoor events the Pecks welcomed, she will open the mansion itself to small indoor gatherings.

“Microweddings” could be held in the living room, she said, referring to weddings that involved 50 or fewer people.

Like the Pecks, King said she’s eager to leave her mark and pledged to continue with repairs and renovations.

“It’s not only beautiful, it has such history. It’s an icon of the Tri-Cities. I feel very privileged,” King said.

Renovations continue As part of the deal, Peck agreed to complete a balcony railing restoration project that will complete the ornate Beaux Arts exterior appearance. Most of the wooden rail pieces have been made, but need to be assembled and installed.

It will be the most visible improvement since the fire-damaged portions of the building were reconstructed, he said.

Originally from France, Sandrine King said she long dreamed of owning an event venue. In France, her grandfather ran a hotel and restaurant and she loved the activity. When her family moved to New York City, she worked in their restaurant and held jobs in the hospitality industry as well as a hospital, where she met her future husband.

LET’S BE SOCIAL! /tcajob /tcajob /company/tcajob

Courtesy Firefly Photography and Cinematography Sandrine King and her husband, Tom, along with partner Lissette Conde, bought the Moore Mansion from Debra and Brad Peck and will continue to operate the Pasco property as an event venue.

Tom King’s career brought them to the Tri-Cities 12 years ago by way of Phoenix. While in Arizona, she studied interior design and developed an appreciation for architecture.

She has a special interest in the mansion’s Beaux Arts style—formal, ornate, symmetrical and imposing.

Her understanding of the form convinced the Pecks she was the right buyers. While the Pecks were open to selling, they weren’t formally marketing it. After visiting with several prospective buyers, Peck said he was impressed by Kings’ affection for the property.

“They have the professionalism and knowledge and appreciation of the architecture,” he said. “They may be the only people who could tell me as much about Beaus Arts as I could tell them.”

The Pecks may have been passive sellers but the Kings were active buyers.

Sandrine King said she was actively looking at properties for an event venue. She’d been looking at an orchard but was running into bureaucrats who said an event center needed to be tied to a brewery or winery, which she didn’t want.

Still, when a broker told her an unnamed venue might be available, she said “no.”

She had second thoughts when she realized it might be the Moore Mansion.

One tour sold them on the idea.

“We had already fallen in love with the mansion. Who doesn’t?”

The couple sold their Kennewick home and secured a loan to close the purchase.

Rocky road The new chapter follows a long and

rocky past.

Moore Mansion fell into financial distress in the 1990s, culminating the devastating fire of 2001 and several years of court battles over its future.

Peck, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and Energy Northwest executive, said he and his wife bought it to ensure it wasn’t torn down. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it was worth saving.

When a structural engineer said it could be saved, they dug in.

Over the following decade-plus, property records indicate the Pecks spent about $800,000 to build an event center, begin the carriage house garage and more, in addition to their personal labor.

The property qualified for a 10-year historic property tax break, which expired in 2017.

Peck said there’s no question the fire was deliberate, saying he found damning evidence in the basement.

He was working by flashlight when he found a homemade torch in a wall by a staircase.

A cardboard tube with an 18-inch length of twisted paper had been inserted inside the wall, its edges were burned.

He turned the evidence over to investigators. While the mansion’s previous owner pleaded guilty to other charges associated with the mansion, arson charges were dropped as part of the plea bargain.

“I do believe without any doubt whatsoever it was arson,” Peck said.

Learn more about the Moore Mansion at mooremansion.com.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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Lamb Weston adapts to do its part to feed people

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Lamb Weston Inc. has enjoyed an idyllic run since it spun out from ConAgra Foods in late 2016.

Rising revenue and rising share prices spoke to a global appetite for its french fries, many produced in the Mid-Columbia, where Lamb Weston is a major employer as well as major buyer of Washington-grown potatoes.

The coronavirus pandemic appears to be putting a dent in its growth, company executives said in an April 1 earnings report.

Lamb Weston, based in Eagle, Idaho, employs thousands in the Tri-Cities. It has corporate offices in Kennewick, research and development facilities in Richland and french fry plants dotting the region.

Local operations haven’t been spared by coronavirus. The company temporarily closed a fry plant in Pasco for sanitizing after a worker tested positive for the virus that causes the deadly COVID-19.

A company spokeswoman said it was scheduled to reopen April 13.

For the first time since it began trading as a publicly-owned company, Lamb Weston said the outlook is too uncertain to offer financial performance estimates for its current fiscal year, which ends in May. With only two months left in fiscal 2020, it said the uncertainty around the pandemic forced it to withdraw its 2020 financial guidance.

It will still pay a dividend, but it is taking bold steps to manage the uncertainty, Tom Werner, president and chief executive officer, told analysts during the earnings call.

The company will alter production to match shifting demand. It has drawn almost all of its $500 million credit line to bolster its cash position.

It also suspended a stock buyback program, leaving $195 million on its balance sheet. And it is curtailing capital spending – paring back to the $150 million Werner said is minimum spending needed to keep the “wheels on.”

Overall, Werner said Lamb Weston (NYSE: LW) appears to be well-positioned to weather the crisis.

Providing an assured food supply and keeping employees and food safe are its top priorities.

“We don’t have all the answers. We’ll do our part to keep feeding people around the world,” he said.

The earnings report covered Lamb Weston’s third quarter, which ended Feb. 23. At that point, the pandemic’s impact was mostly confined to China, where the virus first emerged in the Wuhan province in late 2019 and led to severe restrictions on movement.

Werner said the company’s Chinese operations continued throughout the crisis, except for a government-ordered 10-day extension to the New Year’s holiday, a major cultural event for China.

Its experience in China could be telling, though Werner declined to predict if the same pattern will repeat itself in the U.S., Europe and other areas of the world.

In China, demand for french fries fell by half when the government imposed the most severe restrictions on movement. It

revived to about 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels as the restrictions relaxed, he said.

About 85 percent of Lamb Weston’s french fry products are sold to restaurants, split between fast food restaurants and dine-in locations. About 15 percent is sold through retail outlets such as grocery stores.

Werner said fast food restaurants’ ability to continue serving customers at drivethrus puts them in the strongest position to revive once the crisis passes. Dine-in establishments face a rough recovery, although many are reinventing themselves as pickup and delivery eateries during the crisis.

Grocery store sales have been strong,

which Werner traced to customers stocking their pantries during the quarantine. The company is shifting production to reflect the changing demand levels.

It is not clear what that will mean to its Washington- and Oregon-based operations.

When one analyst asked how hard it is to shut down a plant, the answer was “easy.”

Food processing plants stop for sanitizing every few weeks. They do not have to be continuously run.

Lamb Weston also could face a challenge matching production to demand.

Potatoes generally have to be used by the following September or they can’t be processed.

“These are difficult times for all of us,” Werner said. “We’ve faced challenges before. We will come out stronger on the other side.”

In its third quarter earnings report, Lamb Weston reported quarterly net sales of $937.1 million, or 76 cents per diluted share. Sales were up 1 percent over the same period of its prior fiscal year but other key metrics, including net income and income from operations were down, 21 percent and 16 percent respectively.

The company’s board previously voted to pay a 23 cent dividend on June 5 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 8.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

uBUSINESS BRIEFS IRS warns of coronavirus themed phishing calls

The Internal Revenue Service is advising taxpayers that scammers are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to trick victims into providing financial information or cash.

Taxpayers may be contacted by phone, email or other means by scammers attempting to cash in on the pandemic and economic stimulus payments. The IRS will never contact taxpayers that way.

Surrendering information can lead to tax-related fraud, identity theft and loss of funds.

“History has shown that criminals take every opportunity to perpetrate a fraud on unsuspecting victims,” said Don Fort, chief of the IRS criminal investigations unit.

Report suspicious activity to phishing@irs.gov.

Federal income tax filing extended to July 15

The federal income tax filing due date has been extended from April 15 to July 15.

Taxpayers also can defer federal income tax payments due on April 15, 2020, to July 15, 2020, without penalties and interest, regardless of the amount owed. This deferment applies to all taxpayers, including individuals, trusts and estates, corporations and other non-corporate tax filers as well as those who pay

self-employment tax.

Taxpayers do not need to file any additional forms or call the IRS to qualify for this automatic federal tax filing and payment relief.

The IRS urges taxpayers who are due a refund to file as soon as possible. Most tax refunds are still being issued within 21 days.

New law promotes peer support for prison workers

A new law promotes peer-to-peer support services for staff of the state Department of Corrections, who face many of the same critical incidents as their law enforcement peers.

Rep. Skyler Rude, R-Walla Walla, introduced the bill, noting correctional staff face higher rates of PTSD, depression and suicide. House Bill 2762 extended testimonial privilege to protect communications between peer counselors and DOE staff, fixing a 2019 bill that protected first responders but not prison staff.

The bill passed the Legislature with unanimous bipartisan support and has been signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee.

First-half property tax deadline is April 30; no coronavirus delay

Benton County will not delay the collection of property taxes because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The deadline to pay the first half of the annual property tax bill is April 30, with the second half due by Oct. 31.

The county treasurer considered delaying the deadline but decided against it, saying local taxing districts need the revenue to continue serving residents.

For those whose property taxes are not paid through a mortgage company, taxes may be paid by mail or at drop boxes at the Prosser Courthouse, 620 Market St., or the county annex at 5600 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick.

Drop boxes in Richland and Benton City are closed due to reduced staffing.

Pay online at bentoncountytax.com or call the treasurer’s office at 509-7358505 for information.

Franklin County property taxes as well as irrigation assessments are due on the same dates. Pay at the drop box at the county courthouse, 1016 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, or pay online at paydici.com/ franklin-county-wa/search/new.

Kroger raises pay, adds plexiglass barriers at stores

The Kroger Co., the Cincinnati-based parent to Fred Meyer and QFC, awarded its 13,000 Washington grocery workers $2 an hour wage increases, additional emergency paid leave to cover workers who self-isolate or quarantine because of coronavirus, new workplace safety measures and other protections.

The company also agreed to install plexiglass partitions at registers, pharmacies and other customer contact points.

The move followed talks to improve working conditions for the workers at the front lines of the coronavirus between UFCW International, which represents

1.3 million grocery and related workers, and Kroger.

The agreement includes allowing associates to wash hands and sanitize registers every 30 minutes and shortened store hours to provide time for restocking, cleaning and rest.

211 call center fielding questions about coronavirus

The state Department of Health is partnering with Washington 211 to answer the public’s coronavirus questions.

Call 800-525-0127 or text 211-211 for help between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Washington 211 replaces the health department’s novel coronavirus call center.

Washington 211 service includes trained professionals who help callers with questions about where to find more information about COVID-19 symptoms, how to get tested for the virus, how to prevent the spread of the virus, who to contact for medical assistance, forms to fill out if they meet exposure criteria and need to see a health professional, and more.

The 211 call center is not able to provide clinical information or test results.

Callers who need interpretative services can press # when the operator answers and say their language.

You can also text the word “Coronavirus” to 211-211 to receive information and updates on your phone wherever you are.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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Growing Pasco pipe company plans Foster Wells expansion

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

A Pasco company that fabricates and installs pipe systems for farms, wineries and industry is making a bold bet on the future.

Allynda and Kyle Callies, owners of Callies Welding and Fabrication in Pasco, are finalizing a deal to buy the last two developable at the Foster Wells Business Park from the Port of Pasco for their growing business.

The $450,000 agreement includes a 2.3-acre lot bordering a 2.7-acre site near Rock Placement Company and Kenyon Zero Storage on Industrial Drive.

The couple will build a shop and other buildings as well as a storage yard at Foster Wells, which is at the north end of the Pasco Processing Center industrial of complex on Highway 395 east of the Tri-Cities Airport.

The port created the industrial park to serve food processors and other businesses that support the agriculture industry. Foster Wells, with smaller lots, was designed to serve supportive industries.

Collectively, the park is home to processors, cold storage, landscape firms and building contractors, among others.

With the final lots sold, the port is moving to establish Reimann Industrial Park on 300 acres it purchased from Balcom and Moe. Callies Welding and Fabrication is just the type of business port officials had in mind for its business parks – local, growing and in need of land to build their businesses on.

Randy Hayden, the port’s executive director, called it an economic development win.

“We are happy to be able to support local, growing small businesses and have land availability,” he said.

Callies is all of those.

Kyle Callies is a Richland native who pursued welding at Columbia Basin College. He traveled the country working on pipeline projects. He met Allynda, who is from Nebraska, in a restaurant while traveling to a job on the East Coast.

They married in 2010 and made the Tri-Cities home. Callies Welding and Fabrication began as a mom and pop business in their pole barn. Allynda Cal-

Photos courtesy Allynda Callies Callies Welding and Fabrication of Pasco is building a new shop and storage yard at Foster Wells Business Park to support its growing business.

ing on the season and the nature of the job.

Allynda and Kyle Callies are buying the last “We have completely run two undeveloped parcels at Foster Wells Business Park from the Port of Pasco for a out of room,” said Allynda new home for their pipe company.

Callies, who oversees the office. lies credits her husband’s hard work and The new quarters will supwillingness to go out on a limb for the port growth by providing room to percompany’s growth. form larger jobs, she said. One recent job The barn-based business became a meant working with a 72-inch diameter proper LLC and leased shop space on pipe that arrived in 20-foot lengths.

East Commercial Street near Oregon Av“Moving and manhandling a pipe that enue in 2016 – but only because the port diameter when your bay door is only 12 didn’t have land with enough power to feet tall is quite a trick,” she said. support welding at the time.

Tight quarters and an even tighter The couple have since expanded to storage yard forces staff to move equipthree shop spaces in their Commercial ment around to complete tasks, which is Street building. But there’s no room to inefficient. expand, no additional power to support In 2019, Kyle Callies decided it was equipment and not much space for their time to create a facility that met the trucks, excavators and cranes. needs of the business.

The business employs 10 to 20 weldThe couple approached the port about ers, fabricators and other staff, depend- the last two Foster Wells sites after con-

cluding they needed to stay close to key vendors in Pasco.

Foster Wells a perfect fit for its location, size and available power, Kyle Callies told the port when he first proposed buying five acres. The project includes a steel shop building, office, employee area, parking, equipment storage and a pipe storage area.

Easy access to highways 12 and 395 were important too. The company serves job sites in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

Allynda Callies said the couple are pressing ahead with its plans despite the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home Stay Healthy order shut down all nonessential activity, part of the larger effort to contain coronavirus that could chill the economy.

Their business had a strong year in uCALLIES, Page A15

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020 NATIONAL GUARD, From page A1

Courtesy Washington Air National Guard Members of the Washington Air National Guard sort food at a Second Harvest facility in Spokane. The airmen relieved older volunteers who are sidelined by the coronavirus epidemic.

National Guard, was called to active duty to help with the state’s response to the coronavirus emergency.

He is serving at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, working to place airmen in communities that need support to weather the crisis.

The Guard had called 37 airmen to duty by April 6.

In Spokane, the airmen have stepped in to replace older food bank volunteers who have been sidelined by their vulnerability to the virus. Airmen are setting up COVID-19 testing stations in Bremerton and Yakima, and they’re posted in Colville, supporting Stevens County Emergency Management.

Sanders spent 10 years on active duty

in the Air Force, deploying to the Middle East five times in his role as a transportation officer. He’s served in the Washington Air National Guard for the past 15 years.

His Air National Guard deployment is for 30 days, but that could change, depending on need. He expects to face a 14day quarantine or period of self-isolation once he returns home.

He’s proud of the work his team is doing across the state. Business owners, doctors, teachers, lawyers and other citizens have had to step away from their families to help, as they often do during fires, floods, natural disasters and now pandemics.

He’s seen the social media posts that the National Guard is coming for citizens’ guns. He is frustrated by this narrative that distorts the Guard’s mission to help in times of crisis.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Sanders said. “The National Guard is here to help. That’s exactly what our people are doing.”

The National Guardsman runs the personnel accountability tracking program, which means he places airmen where they’re needed. Air National Guard members who have been laid off from their civilian jobs because of the pandemic are called first since they can deploy the fastest.

“We are trying to get them out there on the front lines first,” he said.

Back in Kennewick, Yvette is running FastSigns along with taking care of their family, serving as a volunteer paramedic and EMT for Benton Fire District 1 and preparing for courses at Columbia Basin College. She runs a dance business as well.

“We’re definitely not feeling the boredom,” Sanders said.

At Fairchild, Sanders tries to squeeze time in for FastSigns in his 13- to 14-hour days.

The business employs eight, including the couple.

So far, it has retained its employees, adapting to social distancing requirements and offering paid time off to those feeling unwell or unsafe.

“We’re committed to keeping them going,” he said.

Sanders is one of millions of small business owners who applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan to help the business survive the indefinite downtown.

The $349 billion program, authorized by the CARES Act, offers forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration to support payroll and business expenses. Applications quickly overwhelmed lenders and prompted administration officials to consider expanding the pool of money by $250 billion.

The move was pending at the time of this report.

Critically, PPP “loans” are forgiven if employees are retained and the borrowers meet other criteria.

Sanders said the emergency SBA programs could be critical to FastSigns’ future.

“Those make it possible to keep the employees on,” he said.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020 uBUSINESS BRIEFS President delays REAL ID enforcement for coronavirus

The Department of Homeland Security has extended the enforcement deadline for REAL ID to Oct. 1, 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

While Washington state is compliant with the new federal identification rules, it has closed Department of Motor Vehicle offices to the public to help control the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

President Donald Trump ordered the delay, which also will give DHS time to work with Congress to “implement needed changes to expedite the issuance of REAL IDs once the current health crisis concludes.”

After the deadline, the Transportation Security Administration will not allow passengers who do not have qualifying identification to board commercial aircraft.

Banner Corp. parent declares dividend

Banner Corp., the Walla Walla parent to Banner Bank and Islanders Bank, will pay a quarterly dividend of 41 cents per share.

The dividend will be paid April 17 to common shareholders of record on April 8.

Banner Corp. (NASDAQ GSM: BNR) is a $12.6 billion holding company with two commercial banks serving four western states.

Benton Fire District 4 seeks levy lid lift

Benton Fire District 4, serving West Richland, will ask voters to approve a levy lid lift in the Aug. 4 primary.

If approved, it will allow the district to hire additional personnel to help keep up with call volumes that have increased more than 78 percent since 2010.

“Our need for additional personnel predates the (coronavirus) pandemic, but it’s really bringing it home to us now,” said Acting Chief Paul Carlyle.

The levy lid resolution asks voters to return the fire levy to the previously approved amount of $1.50 per $1,000 of taxable value. The collected rate has dropped to $1.35 due to rising property values. If approved, it will add $3.75 per month for the owner of a home with a taxable value of $300,000, the district said.

Go to bcfd4.org for information.

Sunrise Rotary Club’s tourney postponed

Tri-Cities Sunrise Rotary Club’s scholarship golf tournament scheduled for April 24 has been postponed.

The annual event still will be held at Canyon Lakes golf course but at a date to be determined.

Contact Mike Miller at 509-545-1881 for information.

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Washington adding more hospital beds in coronavirus fight

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating a health crisis that has claimed more than 120 rural hospitals in recent years.

But it is also raising the fortunes of at least one closed Yakima hospital and begs the question: Will more reopen?

As Washington residents adapt to Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order to stay home to slow the spread of coronavirus, the state is racing to add more hospital beds to handle the influx of patients.

The Washington Department of Health announced emergency steps that will add hundreds of beds to the system, including 250 in Yakima, where the bankrupt Astria Regional Medical Center closed in January.

Astria Health has filed notice with bankruptcy court that the state will lease the closed hospital for $1.5 million a month and reopen it as a “surge” facility to handle anticipated patient demand from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

The health department expects to receive two 150-bed hospitals and six 40-bed hospitals from the Department of Defense, which likely will be sited in Pierce, Snohomish and King counties.

The state also has bought 1,000 beds that are ready to be positioned within the current system.

The race to boost capacity may be good news for closed hospitals but is likely temporary.

Health officials initially played down the possibility of reopening closed facilities, saying their focus was on bolstering the capacity of current medical facilities.

That said, it didn’t rule out pressing closed hospitals into service.

“We are considering the possibility that we may need to use closed facilities to support our response over time. We don’t have any specific details or plans at this time,” the health department said in response to a question about the status of several closed facilities in Southeastern Washington. That was before the decision was made to reopen Astria.

While rural hospital closures are somewhat concentrated in southern states that rejected the expansion of Medicaid, the

Northwest hasn’t been spared.

Only two months ago, Astria Health closed the 214-bed Astria Regional Medical Center in Yakima, a victim of bankruptcy, $40 million in losses and unanswered pleas for support to the state.

Kennewick too has unused beds at the former Kennewick General Hospital, 900 S. Dayton St., now owned by LifePoint Health after a bankruptcy in 2017.

LifePoint is parent to both Trios Southridge Hospital in Kennewick and Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco. It could not be reached to discuss what, if any, roles the unused beds buildings might play, either as primary care facilities or secondary treatment locations.

But Congress is paying attention.

In March, U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, and 27 colleagues called for federal support to bolster rural hospitals during the pandemic.

“At a time when access to care is of paramount importance, rural communities are facing unprecedented rates of hospital closures. Additionally, workforce shortages are significant and further impede access to care for the communities they serve.

Health care worker shortages and the physical geographic barriers—such as distance, terrain and seasonal weather—make it especially difficult to access care in normal circumstances, let alone a global pandemic,” their letter stated.

The letter calls on congressional leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to increase reimbursement rates for rural hospitals, to temporarily suspend the “Medicare sequester” to help their financial viability, provide federal support to address staffing shortages, to improve access to COVID-19 testing and increase the flow of medical supplies, including personal protective equipment, to rural communities.

The full text of the letter is posted at bit. ly/COVID-letter.

Gov. Jay Inslee signaled the need to expand hospital capacity when he signed a host of bills designed to combat the spread of coronavirus, including a budget bill.

“The law creates more hospital capacity to counter those projections,” it said.

While the governor’s steps focus on speeding up licensing for health care professionals, it highlights the challenges rural

Photo by Kristina Lord Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland implemented a “no visitor” policy in mid-March. There are minimal exceptions to this policy, such as children admitted to the hospital, labor and delivery, and patients receiving end-of-life or palliative care. All visitors must be 18 years or older and be free of cold or flu-like symptoms and not have a fever. To enforce these restrictions, visitors will be screened at the entrances.

medical systems were already facing when the coronavirus pandemic first surfaced in late 2019.

As of April 11, Washington state reported 10,411 positive tests for COVID-19 and 508 deaths.

The Tri-Cities reported nearly 400 cases and 30 deaths as of April 13.

Chartis Center for Rural Health and IVantage Health, which tracks what it calls the rural hospital “crisis,” reported 120 closures in recent years in a Jan. 1 report.

The study is available at bit.ly/Chartis-report.

Chartis, based in Chicago, notes the coronavirus pandemic should push health care systems to expand virtual care.

“This situation should provide the impetus for all health systems to significantly expand virtual health capabilities so that patients can be monitored and treated at affiliated hospitals, at nursing homes and at home, where possible, to avoid core tertiary hospitals being deluged with these patients,” it said.

The Chartis study highlights the vulnerability of rural hospitals.

One in four—453 critical access and rural and community hospitals—is at risk

for closure from shifting cost models, difficulty in recruiting staff to rural areas and a rural population that is older with more complex health needs than its urban counterparts.

In the interim, local hospitals are taking steps to control the spread of the virus within their current facilities. Here are the current rules governing patients and visitors: • Kadlec Regional Medical Center: Elective inpatient and outpatient surgeries for non-life threatening and non-urgent care was halted as of March 19. Most visitors are prohibited.

• Kadlec ExpressCare Clinics are closed. Providers will care for patients through ExpressCare Virtual, a video chat site. Go to providence.org for information.

• Trios Southridge Hospital in Kennewick banned visitors with limited exceptions for pediatric patients, obstetric patients and end-of-life care. Go to trioshealth.org for updated information.

• Lourdes Medical Center prohibits all visitors with limited exceptions for pediatric patients, obstetric patients and end-oflife care. Go to yourlourdes.com for updated information.

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Q&A

Number of employees: TRIDEC currently has eight team members.

Background of TRIDEC and its mission: Established in 1963, the Tri-City Nuclear Industrial Council, today known as Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) was organized for the purpose of promoting and advancing the economic strength and diversity in Benton and Franklin counties. Today and tomorrow, TRIDEC is a unifying voice that stimulates and sustains economic growth and diversity.

How did you land your current role?

Why were you interested in this post?

I was contacted by an executive search firm that worked with the TRIDEC board to find their next president/CEO. TRIDEC is viewed as an innovative leader in the economic development industry, and my family and I were excited to have a chance to live in our dynamic and amenity-rich community.

Why should Tri-Citians care about TRIDEC or economic development?

Our community along with the rest of the nation and world is going through an unprecedented economic change because of the COVID-19 outbreak and

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KARL DYE

President and CEO Tri-City Development Council

the measures taken to stop it. Now is the time for the community to participate in and support economic development, not just TRIDEC, but all of our local business organizations that are working together to get businesses reopened and our friends and neighbors back to work as the outbreak is contained.

What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

Good leaders listen first and create functional, empowered teams.

What is the biggest challenge facing business owners and managers today?

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused many businesses to close, reduce staff and/or hours while changing the way they operate their business. Trying to survive and stay open or have enough cash to quickly reopen when the outbreak is contained is an hourly struggle for some business leaders.

Who are your role models or mentors?

My Mom, Dad and John Wayne.

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Think of the worst leader you have ever worked for or with and try to do the exact opposite thing they would do

in every situation you encounter.

How do you keep your employees motivated?

We are currently learning to work as a team remotely and utilizing technology as much as possible. With this new work environment, we are trying to be as flexible as possible, connect our role in economic survival and recovery for our community to our daily work.

How did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today?

Sixteen years ago, I ran for and was elected as a county commissioner in Bonner County, Idaho. In this public service job, I learned of the importance of economic development, in good times and bad. When I was unsuccessful in my reelection, I was chosen to lead a local economic development corporation and found my calling.

How do you measure success in your workplace?

In the words of my predecessor, Carl Adrian, economic development is a pro-

Karl Dye

cess. In our workplace we focus on planning and executing our yearly plans that include the best practices in the industry that over time will yield the best results.

What do you consider your leadership style to be?

Inclusive empowerment.

How do you balance work and family life?

During this remote working opportunity many of us are facing it is much easier to balance the two as they both take place in our home. The key has been to focus and uDYE, Page A14

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DYE, From page A13 separate both during specific times of the day.

What do you like to do when you are not at work?

Right now, we are still settling into our house and working on the yard and garden to get ready for spring and summer. Our family loves to travel, and Disneyland and the Oregon Coast are two of our favorite destinations.

What’s your best time management strategy?

Schedule your entire day. Even if it is research, lunch or schedule a Zoom meeting with our kids’ teachers. Put it on the schedule and stick to it.

Best tip to relieve stress?

Push away from your desk and go for a walk. You’ll come back feeling better and maybe will have worked out the solution to what was stressing you out in the first place.

What is your favorite book? Podcast?

Why was it meaningful to you?

The only podcast I have listened to was one produced by two of my nephews who called their 84-year-old grandma (my Mom) and interviewed her last Christmas.

My favorite book is probably “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut. His concept that a character can become “unstuck” in time becomes more and more relevant to me the older I get.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Franklin County clerk prevails in records dispute with judges

The Washington State Supreme Court sided with Franklin County Clerk Michael Killian in a dispute over who determines how records are maintained.

In a March 20 ruling, the state’s highest court ruled 8-0, that the elected clerk and not the Superior Court “gets to choose the format in which court documents are maintained.” The decision reversed a lower court ruling.

Killian moved to paperless records using the state’s new Odyssey system

in early 2018. The Benton-Franklin Superior Court instructed him to continue maintaining paper files. When he refused, the judges sued and won.

The dispute sparked a sprawling legal case that expanded to include a fight about the judges’ legal fees and a dispute with the Franklin County prosecutor after the judges made their lawyer a special deputy prosecutor in Sant’s office.

The Franklin County Commission refused to pay the judges’ legal fees. The county is obliged to defend officials who are sued in their official capacity, but not to initiate litigation against them, they said.

The Supreme Court denied the judges’ request for attorney fees.

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Lost your job? Workforce council stands ready to help The Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council is designated by Gov. Jay Inslee as a local/regional workforce development area.

We are responsible for convening and coordinating local workforce development programs and activities through a certified American Job Center called WorkSource Columbia Basin. In addition, we oversee TC Futures, a youth and young adult outreach, in partnership with the local Educational Service District 123.

The BFWDC is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on our local community. We are committed to supporting those individuals and families affected during this crisis. We have created a list of resources, guidance, and assistance available for the public.

We invite everyone to visit our website at bentonfranklinwdc.com/covid-19 for continuous updates.

Although the doors of WorkSource Columbia Basin are closed to the public, the staff continues to provide services by phone, Tiffany Scott email, and via Benton-Franklin other virtual Workforce platforms.

Development Job seekCouncil ers are still GUEST COLUMN able to access assistance with job search, résumé and cover letter assistance, interview preparation, career counseling, labor market and wage information, online workshops, and referrals to community resources as needed.

For those who qualify, one-on-one case management services are also

available. Businesses can still receive assistance with recruitment of qualified candidates, labor market data, tax incentives and layoff aversion, including Shared Work and Rapid Response services for temporary layoffs and/or permanent closures.

All customers have 24/7 access to our online website at WorkSourceWA. com, where they can access resources to meet employment, training, and business needs. If you have any questions about WorkSource Columbia Basin and the services available to assist you, please call 509-734-5900.

TC Futures connects and prepares youth and young adults, between the ages of 16-24, with the skills that employers need.

Staff are also offering virtual services such as résumé reviews, mock interviews, referrals to community resources and to employers, job search assistance,

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Delta Dental offers grants, payments to dentists

Delta Dental of Washington said it will award $10 million in grants and advanced payments to independent dentists in its network affected by the coronavirus crisis.

Gov. Jay Inslee ordered a halt to all non-emergency dental procedures to reserve protective equipment for health care workers at the front lines of the pandemic.

The program will provide up to $15,000 per eligible practice and advance payments of up to 25 percent of a practice’s average historical weekly reimbursement levels for up to eight weeks.

Courtesy Allynda Callies Callies Welding and Fabrication of Pasco will build a new shop and storage yard for its growing business at Foster Wells Business Park in Pasco.

CALLIES From page A7

2019, putting them in a position to survive a slowdown, she said.

“When the economy took a turn, we didn’t really falter,” she said. The company will focus resources on building its new site and will defer investments in trucks and other gear.

“Pipeline is feast or famine. We are conditioned to save through the good times so when the bad times come, you’re set up for that,” she said.

The company is working with Banner Bank to buy the land and is pursuing a Small Business Administration loan to help with construction costs.

1304 E. Hillsboro St., Pasco, WA (509) 545-8420 • skoneirrigation.com

Benton County seeks sales tax proposals

Benton County is accepting requests for money it collects through the voter-approved Public Safety Sales Tax. The 10-year tax expires in 2024 and adds three-tenths of a percent sales tax to local purchases to support crime-fighting activities. The county receives 60 percent of the sales tax proceeds. Cities split the remaining 40 percent.

The tax supports extra police officers and sheriff’s deputies, prosecutors, di-

math tutoring, adult mentoring, comprehensive career counseling and alternative secondary school services.

If you have any questions about TC Futures and the services available to assist you, please call 509-537-1710.

In keeping with our vision, “The Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council contributes to our prosperous community by elevating the human potential,” and our mission of “Promoting a prosperous community by providing a progressive workforce system,” we are here to support our community during this time of crisis.

We will continue serving as a vital resource to the workforce system in Benton and Franklin counties. Tiffany Scott is chief executive officer of the Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council.

version courts, equipment purchases and grants to nonprofits such as religious and service organizations with a mission to combat crime.

The county anticipates concluding the fiscal year with more than $12.8 million left in the public safety sales tax account.

The deadline to apply to receive money is 5 p.m. May 15. The proposals will be presented June 2 with the winning bids receiving funding for the coming biennium.

Go to bit.ly/BentonCountyPublicSafetySalesTax for forms and other information.

Premera commits $100M to health care providers

Premera Blue Cross is providing up to $100 million in financial support in the form of advance payments to health care providers facing financial pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Primary care providers, specialists, behavioral health providers and dentists in Washington state may be eligible.

Premera will recover the money as a percentage of claims over the course of nine months beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

Health care providers can contact Premera about the program at providerrelief@ premera.com.

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It’s time to rally around Washington employers Washington’s small businesses have entered a new era as our state and nation fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today it’s critical that we support our local small businesses, and all Washington employers, to ensure a strong economic future for our state.

Our state’s small businesses are the foundation of our economy, and they’ve been impacted hard and fast by the coronavirus.

More than 590,000 small employers support more than 1.3 million jobs, the U.S. Small Business Administration reports. Those businesses are everything from custom manufacturers and auto repair shops to trucking firms, local restaurants, hardware stores and breweries.

Many of these jobs and the families that count on them are facing the biggest economic challenge in generations.

A recent survey of Association of Washington Business members shows that 91 percent of employers have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, and 79 percent have experienced a drop in revenue.

Employers also report reduced and delayed hiring. Notably, nearly 22 percent have temporarily closed, and nearly one-third have applied for financial assistance.

There are many great examples of small business creativity, too.

In Olympia there’s a bookstore that makes home deliveries. In Covington, you can pick up a box dinner, a craft kit and a bottle of wine from one local restaurant’s drive-thru.

And in Bingen, a fruit packing company has hired the younger relatives of older, at-risk workers who have to stay home.

It’s no longer business as usual for AWB as well.

We’ve shifted our events to focus on weekly webinars that connect employers with the resources they need to survive, including the latest health information, updates from leading Washington banks and credit unions, and conversations with officials from the Small Business Administration and state Employment Security Department.

AWB partnered with the Washington State Labor Council to urge Congress to pass the most recent federal stimulus package.

Now that the funds are flowing, our partners at financial institutions and the SBA report overwhelming interest.

Already, there’s discussion of another stimulus package to increase support for small businesses, and perhaps new federal investments in our country’s

infrastructure.

AWB will continue to advocate for strong federal relief to help our country navigate this challenge.

Kris Johnson There’s no Association of doubt that the Washington damage to Business Washington’s GUEST COLUMN small business community is sweeping, unprecedented and incredibly fast. Yet at the height of the crisis, before Congress had passed any comprehensive relief for small businesses, Washington’s employers were stepping up to do the right thing.

On March 20, AWB put out a call to manufacturers, asking if they could retool to manufacture critical medical equipment to help fight the pandemic.

Dozens of employers said yes.

The response was heartening.

Manufacturers volunteered to make everything from modular hospitals, N95 masks and face shields to ventilators, custom electronics, hand sanitizer, labeling and stickers, custom metal parts, hospital carts and cases to store equipment.

One comment exemplified the spirit of Washington’s employer community: “We are open to producing anything.”

Washington’s employers are in this fight against COVID-19 for the long haul.

Employers are rising to the challenge and are ready to repurpose their factories and shop floors just like our country did in World War II. From making medical supplies to supporting family wage jobs, our employers will help us navigate this time of great change.

And when our world emerges on the other side, our small businesses will be leading the recovery.

For now, let’s support our small businesses any way we can.

Every successful company starts with an idea and an entrepreneur willing to take a risk. These employers create and support the jobs that sustain our communities.

During this challenging time, let’s make sure they know that Washington has their back. Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturers association.

Thank you for supporting local journalism. #ReadLocal #ShopLocal #StayConnected

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Coronavirus pandemic strains medical waste system While lots of attention surrounding the coronavirus pandemic is on finding ample medical supplies – ventilators, masks, gloves and sterilized hospital gowns – there is growing concern about its impact on the trash collection system.

Can we safely dispose of the surge in infectious wastes from hospitals, first responders and residents?

American hospitals are generating huge volumes of contaminated trash that needs to be specially treated as the number of COVID-19 cases and related deaths skyrocket. That rapid growth is expected to continue through April.

The coronavirus presents difficult challenges. It is deadly, persistent in air vapor droplets and longer lasting on doorknobs, counters and other surfaces.

As we are learning, it can infect people by simply touching their faces.

It is spiking the demand for face masks, gloves and sanitary wipes, all of which show up in hospital and household garbage.

Stericycle, one of America’s largest handlers of medical waste processors, says it has seen an influx of masks, gloves and gowns in recent weeks. The company steam-sterilizes infectious trash before it is landfilled or incinerated.

“The U.S. is looking to China, where daily medical-waste volumes jumped sixfold in Wuhan as more people contracted the virus, prompting the government to deploy dozens of portable waste-treatment facilities. Chinese officials recently said medical-waste facilities in 29 cities were at or near full capacity,” Wall Street Journal’s Saabira Chaudhuri wrote.

Waste Dive, a garbage and recycling industry publication, reported COVID-19 has left the country dealing with mountains of medical waste. Much of it has been piled along curbs and roadsides.

During the height of the outbreak, Wuhan was dealing with 240 tons of medical waste per day, versus the normal 40 tons.

Safely dealing with medical waste is not new, particularly in our country.

However, volumes are increasing.

In 2016, worldwide more than 2 million tons of biohazardous waste was created in hospitals, veterinary clinics and homes, MedPro Disposal reported.

As China has experienced, that volume quickly explodes—often overnight.

“This staggering amount of waste has to go somewhere, and until recently most of it just went into landfills to be hidden and forgotten about,” MedPro reported.

Companies have increased their focus on recycling.

Pfiedler, a company that specializes in continuing medical education, is hoping to recycle up to 25 percent of surgical waste.

Meanwhile, lots has changed for workers who collect and process our trash. They require the same protective gear as doctors, hospital workers and first responders, all of which is in short supply.

While medical wastes are heavily regulated, the situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus changes by the hour.

Bob Cappadona, Veolia North Amer-

ica’s executive vice president and chief operating officer for environmental solutions and services, told Waste Dive his company Don C. Brunell is dealing with Business analyst the “known and GUEST COLUMN the unknown,” while trying to take precautions to protect its employees.

The company, which operates worldwide, has experience dealing with

outbreaks like Ebola, but Cappadona acknowledged the current pandemic is unprecedented in its scope and impacts.

While hospitals label and safely store their contaminated waste before disposal, household trash is another concern especially with government mandates for people stay at home. While trash collections from business and construction are down, residential garbage has increased.

With restaurants closed to in-house dining and peopled confined to their homes, drive-thru take-out and food delivery services are growing. Correspondingly, so is the accompanying number of disposable food containers.

While our garbage problems mount as the pandemic peaks, there are three things people can do now: stay home, make sure garbage bags are tightly tied, and thank the trash collectors. Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at theBrunells@msn.com.

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uBUSINESS BRIEFS T-Mobile completes Sprint merger

T-Mobile U.S. Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) completed its merger with Sprint Corp. on April 1.

The combined system is the nation’s third largest wireless company and will operate as T-Mobile, delivering a next-generation 5G network.

As part of the merger, Mike Sievert succeeded John Legere as chief executive officer. Legere will remain a member of the board of directors until the annual shareholders meeting in June 2020.

The combined company intends a rapid expansion of its system with the expectation it will deliver 5G service to virtually

all of the U.S. within six years.

Under terms of the transaction, Sprint shareholders received 0.10256 shares of T-Mobile for every Sprint share they held.

The deal was first announced in 2018.

Yakima basin water outlook mostly good

There should be enough water in the Yakima basin to fully satisfy senior water rights in 2020, according to the federal Bureau of Reclamation’s April 2020 Total Water Supply Available forecast.

The forecast projects junior water rights holders will be limited to 96 percent of their full entitlements this irrigation season.

“March precipitation, at 42 percent of normal, fell far short of expectations.

Snowpack, as percent of average, has de-

clined about 5 percent since March 1. The five reservoirs are just over 62 percent full and filled about as expected in March,” said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor. The Yakima basin reservoir storage is currently 102 percent of average, and the snowpack is 95 percent of average.

Port of Sunnyside gets grant for industrial park study

The Port of Sunnyside received a $50,000 state grant to conduct a feasibility study for the Midvale Industrial Park.

This study will include an infrastructure analysis, conceptual site plan, economic feasibility study, marketing study and wage analysis for the 300-acre site.

The grant comes from the Community Economic Revitalization Board for economic development, public infrastructure

development and economic feasibility studies targeting business growth and job creation.

CERB funds are matched by local resources.

Lieutenant governor won’t seek reelection

Washington Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib has announced he will not seek reelection this fall.

Habib will enter the Jesuit priesthood following what is described as “two years of careful and prayerful discernment.”

Habib, 38, a Democrat, was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2012, to the Washington Senate in 2016 and to statewide office in 2016. He is the only Iranian-American to hold statewide office.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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Essential residential construction will meet communities’ needs Life has temporarily changed for many during this pandemic. As we adjust our schedules, work environments and daily activities to keep our communities safe and flatten the curve, we must ensure that our economy can recover and that families are able to provide for their loved ones.

Much of my work in Congress has transitioned online or to phone calls, and I am in daily communication with the governor’s office, federal officials tasked with handling the COVID-19 outbreak and local community leaders and health care providers. The health and safety of the people of Central Washington are my top priority, and while I applaud and respect the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, one glaring discrepancy has become clear.

Gov. Jay Inslee’s list of “essential” activities that are permitted to continue throughout our state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak excludes residential construction.

The agriculture industry has earned this designation, as farmers and ranchers are working in overdrive to keep food on shelves and tables across the country.

Families recognize the essential nature of food production, and at the same time, having a roof over their heads is equally critical. In fact, most states that have issued stay at home orders have deemed residential construction as

“essential.”

On April 1, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and I sent a letter to Gov. Inslee urging him to make this Dan Newhouse critical change Congressman – both to keep our state’s GUEST COLUMN economy stable and to allow these contractors and homebuilders to provide for their families while ensuring that our state’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis isn’t exacerbated during this time of crisis.

One family in Yakima currently displaced from their home due to an accidental house fire is now unable to move forward with rebuilding. They are currently living in temporary monthto-month housing without certainty of when or how they will be able to return home.

Families across the state are facing similar challenges, including one family whose home previously burned down in a wildfire.

They had been living out-of-state while they attempted to rebuild their lives but returned home to Washington at the start of the pandemic. Now, construction has halted, and they are once again faced with the uncertainty of not

knowing when they’ll have a roof over their heads.

These are circumstances beyond their control.

Gov. Inslee’s restriction on residential construction is negatively affecting their quality of life. Additionally, the impacts of this industry’s absence are widespread.

For example, as paper mills seek to ramp up production to fill the empty paper product shelves at local grocery stories, they need the wood chips produced by these residential construction projects in order to do so.

Employees of Washington’s construction companies are being put on “standby” and asked to rely on unemployment benefits when there is work they can be doing – safely – to contribute to our economy and provide for their families.

The fact that public construction projects are included on the list of essential activity proves this work can be done safely and in compliance with

Pass it on..

both federal and state mandates.

In fact, the Construction Industry Safety Coalition has developed safety guidelines, currently being used in many other states by residential construction companies, that go beyond the social distancing and sanitation requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Why should we allow progress to be made on the new NHL arena in Seattle and not on developing housing complexes in Washington’s rural communities?

We should be doing everything we can to stabilize our economy and the availability of housing during this crisis and including residential construction as an essential activity will help achieve that goal. U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, represents Washington’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

To a coworker, family member or friend.

Please recycle your publication when you are finished reading it.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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There’s value in understanding the value of your small business Small business owners often have a very difficult time trying to determine the value of their business.

Perhaps the owner has never taken the time to consider the value. Perhaps the owner believes there really is no value to the business in the event that he or she ceased to run it.

More often, the owner simply doesn’t know how best to value the business. But, it is important that a business owner understand and have at least a vague notion of how to value the business and to use that knowledge to keep a running estimate of the ongoing value.

The information is vital for estate planning, for retirement planning and for determining whether to keep or sell the business.

The longer the owner puts off understanding the business’s value, the fewer the potential planning options will be available.

Please note that I am not a valuation expert. In addition, Cornerstone Wealth Strategies Inc. and LPL Financial do not provide business valuations.

There are much more qualified individuals who can apply comprehensive valuation methodologies.

This column is simply a “back of the paper napkin” way of determining the value of your business. For a legitimate valuation to meet specific needs or requirements, you will need to hire a business valuation expert (e.g. an individual with the Accredited in Business Valuation credentials) for a minimum of

a few thousand dollars.

The first common metric is to look at the business’s EBITDA, or Earnings Before Income Taxes, Beau Ruff Depreciation, Cornerstone and AmortizaWealth Strategies tion.

GUEST COLUMN It is a rough proxy for operating cash flow of a company and is, simply put, the profits after all expenses have been paid (including salaries) but before financing (interest expense), taxes (corporate taxes) and capital investment considerations (depreciation).

Then, to determine the value of the business, the owner would multiply the EBITDA by a factor (a multiple) – typically a fair market value factor of three to five for a small business but might be as low as one or two.

As an example, if the EBITDA for 2019 is $100,000, then the business might roughly be worth $400,000 (a four-factor example).

Unadjusted EBITDA is not a great method for all types of businesses.

For example, an entity taxed as a C-corporation is incentivized to inflate the salaries of the working owners to avoid the double tax structure of the C-corporation.

Alternatively, an entity taxed as an

S-corporation is incentivized to deflate the salaries of the working owners to avoid part of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, or FICA, tax on compensation.

The conclusion then is that artificially adjusted compensation for owners should be adjusted to fair (realistic) wages to calculate the adjusted EBITDA. For example, the business owner that takes a wage can determine what it would take to pay another person to do the same job and use that compensation for the calculation.

Again, as an example, if the business is a convenience store S-corporation where the owner works full time and is paid a wage of $30,000 a year (and an additional $100K in S-corporation distributions), but a replacement for the owner would likely command a wage of $60,000 a year, then the $60,000 figure should likely be used as fair compensation to determine the value of the business.

Sometimes, current EBITDA simply doesn’t produce the most relevant information.

This might be the case where the business is pushing its income toward growth, such as buying more inventory, paying more for marketing or improving company assets.

Alternatively, a company’s value may simply be a function of the value of its assets less liabilities.

As is evident, the value determined here gives no consideration to the “going concern” or “goodwill” of the business including its reputation or ability to generate revenue or income. Instead, it is another

simple metric that might be helpful in a business with high levels of inventory or equipment.

It is more helpful when the same business can’t show enough EBITDA because it continues to invest in more equipment or inventory. Similarly to EBITDA, this value is not a conclusive metric, but simply a helpful metric in gauging the value of a business.

Of course, the best metric of value is this: what would a willing buyer pay for your business?

This kind of metric is not easy to come by without actually engaging in the process of selling the business and soliciting offers.

But, it is still possible that the business owner has received unsolicited offers or off-the-cuff offers. While not providing any certainty, such offers might help to narrow the owner’s understanding of value in conjunction with other metrics.

There are probably dozens of other metrics that are important to know.

But, I am not the guy to provide that kind of analysis. Call a valuation expert to help you sort through and determine relevant methodology and the application of the methodology in guiding your financial decisions. Beau Ruff, a licensed attorney, is the director of planning at Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a full-service independent investment management and financial planning firm in Kennewick.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Newhouse: Congress stands ready to help business survive COVID-19

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, predicted Congress will add to the $2.2 trillion it has already authorized to prop up the nation’s economy during the COVID-19 pandemic in an April 10 meeting with the Tri-Cities Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The federal government is responding quickly and doing all it can to ensure Americans can stay healthy and that our economy can be as resilient as possible so when we finally get out of the stay at home orders that are keeping us from our businesses and workers from their jobs,” he told worried business leaders in a meeting

conducted via Zoom.

Newhouse fielded questions from constituents about the federal government’s response to the outbreak, prospects for added funding and his work to include homebuilding on the list of allowed activities under Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.

He assured listeners Congress will appropriate money to support business so the economy can restart when the crisis is past – a date he could not predict.

Newhouse encouraged Tri-City businesses to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program, the $349 billion forgivable loan program included in the CARES Act. Businesses can apply for funds to pay sal-

aries, rent, utilities and other costs. The loans are forgiven if jobs are kept.

As he spoke, the Senate was wrestling with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s request to add $250 billion to the PPP program total.

The upper house was unable to reach a consensus on the request on April 9. If it is unable to do so, Congress may have to return to Washington, D.C., for an in-person vote. Forcing members of the House and Senate to travel back to the nation’s capital for in-person sessions would be difficult, but Newhouse was optimistic the needed money will be there.

“I guarantee there will be adjustments to be made as we continue to watch how

things are responding,” he said.

He praised the federal government’s response to the crisis. He defended decisions to move ventilators and personal protective equipment from Washington state to harder-hit regions, saying the government must balance need.

“We have to make sure the ventilators and PPE are available and used in states with the most need,” he said.

Newhouse supports most aspects of Gov. Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order restricting nonessential activity and closing large swaths of the state, including business and education.

“It’s tough thing to have the health and well-being of seven million human beings on your shoulders,” he noted.

That said, Newhouse is pressing the governor to add residential construction to the list of essential activities, as it is in most states with similar stay-home rules in place.

“If a construction worker in Seattle (on a government project) can be safe, why can’t a construction worker on a condominium complex in Kennewick be safe?” he said.

Newhouse called the coronavirus pandemic the greatest challenge the country has faced in modern history. He challenged Americans to practice handwashing, social distancing, and other measures to prevent its spread. Congress is committed to helping business come through the crisis.

“We clearly are in unprecedented times in our nation’s history,” he said.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS State manufacturers asked to answer call for help

The state of Washington is seeking to fill severe shortages of specific infection-control products and other health care supplies with help from state manufacturers.

They can repurpose manufacturing operations to produce personal protection equipment (PPE).

The state Department of Enterprise Services is working to buy or arrange bulk donations of specific PPE and infection-control products identified by the state Department of Health and in coordination of the Gov. Jay Inslee’s office.

Impact Washington is working with companies once the equipment need is confirmed by interfacing and coordinating with the manufacturer.

Products needed include disposable gowns, coveralls, surgical procedure masks, powered air purifying respirators, hoods and filters, low ion batteries and disposable stethoscopes Those willing to repurpose manufacturing operations to produce PPE supplies may fill out an online form at bit.ly/ PPEmanufacture.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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Optometrist’s grand opening vision thwarted Tri-City Eyes doc remains confident despite crisis

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Dr. Jason Hair fulfilled his long-held ambition to own his own practice when he opened Tri-City Eyes in early March in Richland.

The coronavirus pandemic as well as the stay-at-home orders it inspired weren’t in obvious full swing at the time. But the crisis hit soon enough, forcing Hair to suspend all but emergency and urgent visits and to temporarily lay off the optician and patient care coordinator who had joined him only two weeks earlier.

It’s not the opening he anticipated, but Hair is confident that years of meticulous planning will pay off when the crisis passes.

“I’ve been surprisingly calm and confident that we’ll be OK through it all,” he said.

Tri-City Eyes opened in a former medical clinic at 2170 Keene Road in south Richland after a year of planning and many more years of dreaming.

Hair wasn’t always set upon optom-

etry or owning a business. He credits a chance episode from his college days for steering him on his way.

Originally from Jerome, Dr. Jason Hair Idaho, Hair attended Utah Valley University. He changed majors three or four times, uncertain about what he wanted to pursue.

That changed when he followed a friend to San Jose, California, to spend a summer selling Dish Network service door-to-door.

As a salesman, “I was awful,” he recalled.

Even worse, he depended a heavy lens prescription to navigate daily life.

He lost a contact lens and had no backup.

Jana, then his girlfriend, now his wife, took him to a privately-owned clinic. Hair had been treated by lots of optometrists over the years – he’s been wearing glasses since he was a boy – but the one in San Jose clinic was different.

The doctor owned the practice and took time to get Hair’s prescription right, explaining the process as he went along.

Hair said his new lenses worked bet-

Photo by Wendy Culverwell A Richland optometrist fulfilled his dream of opening his own practice in March.

Dr. Jason Hair is undaunted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ter than he knew was possible. He left both amazed and inspired.

“I walked out the door with Jana and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ ” He returned to Utah and completed a degree in biology. He earned a doctor of optometry degree at Southern College of Optometry in Tennessee in 2011. He

and Jana, who had married and started a family, moved to Virginia. He joined an existing practice with plans to buy into it.

They family spent three years in Virginia, with Hair gaining experience working with children and treating varuTRI-CITY EYES, Page A26

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

BUSINESS PROFILE

Opening of new axe throwing, laser tag business delayed

By Jeff Morrow

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

It’s tough having a small business that’s been forced to shut down in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and state orders to stay home.

It may be even more difficult when a new business was just about to open for the first time.

It’s like being between a rock and a hard place.

That’s where Tim Osborn is at right now.

His new business, Bullseye Lasertag and Axe Throwing, was set to open at Richland’s Uptown Shopping Center, 1341 George Washington Way, in Suite F. “We never opened,” he said. “We were looking to open the weekend of March 13-14. We were nearly ready, but the reality is quite different.”

The momentum simply stopped, he said.

“You get 10 people to come. They each tell two or three people, and soon you have 20 to 30 people coming in after finding out about us through word of mouth,” Osborn said.

But Osborn is not giving up.

He said the family’s first business, Red Dot Paintball in Richland, suffered a shutdown in early 2019 when heavy snow hit the Tri-Cities.

Located near the Vantage Highway in Richland, Osborn had to close the business for nine weeks.

“It was all drifting, heavy snow,” he said. “That nearly killed us. I’d assume we’d be somewhere similar in this situation.

“The reality is the buildout (for Bullseye) hit our cash supply,” Osborn said.

“We went all in, and we basically lost. We didn’t hit the great royal flush.”

Osborn is obviously not alone in facing this challenge.

There are plenty of small businesses in the Tri-Cities and across the country suffering under the governor’s stay at home order.

But if Osborn can get the new business open in the next few months, he’s confident that customers will have a great time.

And the idea of combining axe throwing and laser tag under one roof could be a real attraction.

Courtesy Bullseye Lasertag and Axe Throwing Multiple, no-bounce axe throwing lanes give parents something to do while the kids blast each other playing laser tag at Bullseye Lasertag and Axe Throwing in Richland. The new business was poised to open when Gov. Jay Inslee’s stayhome order went into effect statewide.

Courtesy Bullseye Lasertag and Axe Throwing Bullseye Lasertag and Axe Throwing features a 3,000-square-foot arena for laser tag with plenty of ultraviolet lighting.

“We thought it could make for good family entertainment,” he said. “While mom and dad are throwing axes, the kids are playing laser tag.”

Axe throwing is the interesting part in this equation.

“Paintball is mostly a weekend business,” Osborn said. “Laser tag is a weekend business. But axe throwing is for dif-

ferent people who might like to do it on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.”

Osborn envisions companies bringing in employees or clients to throw after a work day.

There are four axe lanes with one axe per lane.

“People will be throwing into in-cut blocks of wood,” Osborn said. “The tar-

gets are projected.”

Games include tic-tac-toe, zombies’ targets and traditional targets with bullseyes that change location after each round.

An anti-bounce system keeps axes from rebounding back at the thrower.

Lanes have 12-foot dividers to keep the neighboring axe thrower from hitting you.

There is also electronic scoring.

Don’t expect to drink alcohol while throwing your axe.

“Washington state does not allow the alcohol-axe thing,” Osborn said. “But in reality, in a place like the Uptown, there are four bars and lounges in the mall, and another two bars across the street.”

But you can still make a night of it.

“If you look at the Uptown, it doesn’t really start to get busy on Fridays until around 9:30 p.m., 10 p.m. at night,” Osborn said. “For instance, you can have dinner at the Emerald of Siam, come throw some axes, then go somewhere around here and have a drink. Everything is in walking distance.”

Axe throwing rates are $15 for 30 minutes; $20 for 60 minutes; $30 for 90 minutes; and an additional 30-minute extension is $10.

There are private group rates, too.

People as young as 16 can throw axes with an on-site parent or guardian present.

Throwers must arrive 15 minutes before the reservation time slot to receive a safety briefing and throwing instructions, as well to verify waiver forms and settle the balance.

There are plans for couples’ tournaments and league events down the road.

The laser tag arena is 3,000 square feet “with a lot of UV lighting,” Osborn said.

Laser tag prices for single players ages 8 and older are $10 for one game (20 to 40 minutes) and $20 for a triple game (60 to 90 minutes).

The business also can accommodate birthday party groups.

For now, though, Osborn has to play the waiting game that other small business owners do.

If he can open and get customers through the door, he’s pretty confident the business will flourish.

Bullseye Lasertag and Axe Throwing: 509-820-3730; bullseyetc.com; Facebook.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

BUSINESS PROFILE

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Richland bakery knows all you knead is fresh bread plus solid customer base

By Jeff Morrow

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Richland’s Denise Thai always wanted to have her own bakery, but life got in the way while raising three children.

Now decades later, the children are grown with lives of their own, and the grandchildren are busy teenagers.

Thai, 58, decided a few years ago that maybe there are second chances in life.

So she launched Birch House Bakery with the help of her husband, Nguyen.

“I was always going to have a bakery,” she said. “Starting something in the cottage foods industry without a building I felt was very less risky.”

A cottage food operation seeks to provide low-cost, home-based opportunities for food businesses, according to state law.

Thai's plan has been to build a customer base and then work her way into a storefront.

Birch House customers place orders online and then can pick up items in person from her home on Alder Avenue in Richland. The Thais also deliver.

The business’ Facebook page menu lists 42 different products, including bread, cookies, fruit crisps, fruit pies and divinity candy.

“Everything is made from scratch,” Thai said.

Mainly, though, “We are an artisan sourdough bakery.”

“It’s not necessarily hard, but you have to nurture it every day,” she said. “You have to take care of it every day. Kind of like having it as a child – you make sure it’s fed on time.”

Her bread can take 20 to 36 hours to make.

“Typically speaking, I like 20 hours,” she said.

Customers love her product.

Last fall, during local holiday bazaars, she sold out quickly.

“I am confident that people will say that it’s the best bread they’ve eaten. But I understand the price is prohibitive of return sales because it’ll cost them $10. And you can get a loaf of bread in the store for $2,” Thai said.

“You have to sell the idea that it’s not just a loaf of bread,” she continued. “It’s a way of life. You take from water and salt, and you make bread, and can feed a family without having to go to the store.”

Her earliest memory of baking and loving it when she was about 5 years old.

“It seems most of my really warm and comforting memories came from the kitchen, especially my mother’s kitchen,” she said.

Her goal as a youngster was to eventually attend a professional culinary program and study in France.

That all changed when her son was born. Within three years, Thai had three babies, and France was out of the picture.

But she continued to bake at home.

“I was raised on a farm. I had a lot of those ideals people get from growing up on the farm,” she said.

Photos by Jeff Morrow Denise Thai prepares to deliver fresh breads from her cottage food home kitchen in Richland. Her business, Birch House Bakery, opened a year ago.

Things like self-sufficiency and using organic foods.

And making her own bread.

She’s also had experience working in the food industry.

“I’ve managed a Cinnabon, a Safeway bakery, worked at Sbarro,” she said.

She celebrated her first anniversary in business on Dec. 31, 2019.

It was, she admitted, a tough year.

“I didn’t know how difficult it would be to create something without a storefront,” she said. “Cottage foods is difficult. You have to market.”

In January, she turned to online classes, “desperate to save the baby.”

“I want to show people that we can take care of ourselves,” she said. “I decided to try some online classes, one called Intro to Bread. It’s the very basics to teach people to make bread.

“The first class, I thought I’d get 10 to 20 people interested,” Thai said. “But I got 10,000 likes on Facebook. I thought I might have hit on something.”

She added classes on cinnamon rolls and focaccia bread. Then the coronavirus outbreak hit.

“We’ve taken another step back,” she said.

She’s paused classes and will wait until Gov. Jay Inslee lifts his Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.

But she hopes to resume normalcy.

Her Facebook page has three new classes scheduled, with the first one, Focaccia and Breadsticks, on May 30.

All of these classes are held at Red Mountain Kitchen in Kennewick. Classes, which average two hours, range between $45 to $60. Intro to Bread is $50.

“I’d like to get people involved in bread workshops, in food workshops,” Thai said.

It also helps get the word out on her

cottage food business, which all cottage food businesses need right now, she said.

“People would say, ‘Oh this is what you’re doing,’ ” she said. “A lot of it goes back to talking to people and education.

We try to introduce ourselves to everyone we can, and it’s slowly starting to happen that people are finding out about us.”

The pandemic hampered her takeout and delivery business, too.

Since the stay home order, she’s had few orders.

“People aren’t used to going to a home.

But that’s the most natural way of doing

VIRTUAL WORKSHOP

it. We did it that way 100 years ago,” she said.

She’s not giving up.

“My dream job is to have a well-established bakery,” Thai said. “I enjoy it a lot, and the journey is worth it. Would I like to be an Ethos Bakery with a storefront?

Sure I would.

“But right now, we’re kind of the little engine that could.”

Birch House Bakery Online Cottage Foods Bakery: 509-212-8288; Facebook.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

TRI-CITY EYES, From page A23 ious diseases, but the buy-in agreement didn’t pan out.

The Hairs enjoyed Virginia, but where ready to leave. The family moved to the Tri-Cities, driving across the country, stopping at Mt. Rushmore and other family-friendly spots.

They chose the Mid-Columbia in part because it is between family in southern Idaho and family in Oregon.

He joined a Kennewick practice, again planning to buy an ownership stake. Again, his vision didn’t align with his partner and he left to join Columbia Basin Health Care Association in Grant County.

After two buy-in plans fell through, Hair shifted gears and decided to stand up his own practice.

He and his wife began working on the difficult process of starting a medical business and getting credentialed by insurance companies about a year ago.

They hired a consultant to guide them through the process and designer to modernize the new space.

They chose the Keene Road area after concluding it was underserved.

While he’s interested in patients of all ages and backgrounds, he said the location aims to draw patients from the neighborhood.

Hair said he likes variety in patients, working with children and older people and finding ways to solve challenging conditions. He has a passion for treating dry eye, which he said is common in the

Tri-Cities.

Hair said coming up with Tri-City Eyes was one of the more challenging tasks of his career.

While he could never have anticipated a global pandemic would curtail his business so soon after it opened, Hair said he’s staying positive.

Laying off employees who had been on the job only two weeks was rough.

He assisted in signing them up for temporary unemployment benefits and is hopeful they will weather the crisis.

The clinic is semi-open, able to serve patients picking up contact lenses and glasses under the terms of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order, which extends to May 4. He can see patients for emergencies or urgent matters, though he notes he wasn’t open long enough to have a patient base It wasn’t the opening Hair wanted but it’s had unexpected benefits. He opened the practice with minimal debt by stocking it with essential equipment and putting off gear that would be nice but not critical. The crisis validated his decision to start lean.

The slow start has given him family time and space to finish tasks that weren’t complete before the practice opened. He’s even taken online training sessions to stay up on the profession.

“There’s definitely some blessings to this,” he said.

Tri-City Eyes: 2170 Keene Road, Richland; 509-402-2399; thetricityeyes. com; Facebook.

Grocery stores offer special shopping times for seniors

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Grocery stores around the Tri-Cities have set aside special shopping times for senior citizens and other vulnerable populations more susceptible to the coronavirus.

We’ve checked with several local stores to update this list, but it’s probably a good idea for customers to double-check hours before heading out.

Grocery stores offering special senior shopping hours include: Albertsons: 7-9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Stores are open for senior citizens and other at-risk members of the community, such as pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.

Costco: 8-9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Stores open to members 60 and older. The pharmacy also will be open during this hour, but the food court will maintain its normal operating schedule.

Fred Meyer: 7-8 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Store open for those 60 and older.

Ki-Be Market Grocery & Feed: 6:30-7 a.m. daily. Seniors 60 and older may shop half an hour before the usual opening time.

Prosser Food Depot: 6-7 a.m. daily.

Store open for senior citizens, pregnant women and those with compromised

immune systems.

Safeway: 7-9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Stores are open for senior citizens and other at-risk members of the community, such as pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.

Target: 8-9 a.m. Wednesday. Stores will be open for vulnerable guests, including those over 65 years old, pregnant women or those defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as vulnerable or at-risk.

Walmart: 6-7 a.m. Tuesday. Stores open an hour earlier for those 60 and older. Store pharmacies and vision centers also will be open during this time.

Winco: 6-7:30 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Stores are open for seniors, vulnerable populations and Winco employees. Winco said the employee access is intended to help local employee-owners who are working long hours to keep the doors to the stores open.

Winco Foods also has temporarily discontinued the use of all bulk barrels and bins requiring the use of scoops or tongs for unwrapped and ready-to-eat products.

Yoke’s Fresh Markets: 6-9 a.m.

Wednesday. Stores will be open to seniors and vulnerable guests. Also on Wednesdays, the pharmacy will open two hours early at 7 a.m.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

A27

Picking up phone may help seniors feel less isolated during outbreak “We feel like that friendly voice from a known driver will be reassuring and more important than ever,” said Baynes, a career firefighter before joining Meals on Wheels.

He encourages everyone to reach out and maintain meaningful contact with older neighbors to ensure they’re part of the battle against coronavirus.

“I’d love for seniors to feel part of the solution and communicated as part of the solution,” he said. “It puts people into a more normal frame of mind to help others.”

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

As Tri-Citians adapt to a statewide order to stay at home to combat the spread of the coronavirus, organizations serving seniors are racing to support those hit heaviest by the new normal.

Those age 60 and over, particularly those with underlying conditions such as heart or lung disease, are the most vulnerable to COVID-19, the potentially deadly disease caused by the new virus.

The effort comes with a call to action for everyone: Pick up the phone.

Check in with family, friends and colleagues. Use the phone. Listen, attentively.

It is uncertain why seniors are most vulnerable and by extension, facing the most extreme forms of isolation.

“It just seems apparent that it affects older people more, especially those with lung or heart disease,” said Dr. Wayne McCormack, professor and division head and William E. Colson endowed chairman in gerontology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

McCormack said it is “humbling” to contemplate the many questions that remain about coronavirus. It emerged in late 2019 and has spread to more than 100 countries.

Washington, with 2 percent of the U.S. population, had an outsized share of the nation’s confirmed cases, prompting severe measures to slow the spread to give medical professionals a fighting chance to handle overwhelming caseloads.

On March 23, Gov. Jay Inslee issued a Stay Home Stay Healthy order restricting nonessential activity and work.

Schools are closed, as are restaurants, fitness centers and countless other gathering spots. Many construction sites are dark. Workers are staying home, telecommuting when possible.

McCormack said the coming months will be difficult, but he offered words of hope.

Most people who are diagnosed with COVID-19, even vulnerable seniors, will experience it as a bad cold. Most will recover.

McCormack said he’s encouraged

File photo The best way to help thwart the loneliness and uncertainty that comes with social isolation mandated by the coronavirus outbreak can be picking up the phone to talk with an elderly family member, friend or acquaintance, according to local and state officials who work with seniors.

by the unparalleled cooperation in the global medical community. He’s in constant contact with colleagues around the globe. Researchers from the U.S. to hard-hit Italy and China are freely sharing information and research, he said.

McCormack urges people to take the threat seriously and prescribes the now-common set of countermeasures—frequent hand washing, keeping a six-foot distance, avoiding social interaction and self-isolation, particularly when unwell.

The next few months will be difficult, but McCormack called himself an optimist.

“I know that’s not as much fun as getting together and having a hug. But this will pass,” he said.

“We’re taking it seriously. There is fear but there is remarkable collaboration and resilience in the American spirit.”

Tri-City efforts Tri-City officials are scrambling to keep social distancing from isolating seniors.

Senior Life Resources Northwest, which operates the Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels program, halted in-person dining and delivers meals to thousands of seniors on a weekly rather than daily basis.

It’s offsetting the lost contact with phone calls, said Grant Baynes, executive director of the Richland-based agency.

“One of our strengths is the social contact when drivers bring the meal. It can be more important than the meal,” he said. “The fear now is isolation for seniors will become more extreme as people step back into their own world.”

Baynes said Meals on Wheels encourages drivers to call their seniors, which is something it has not done in the past.

Identifying seniors needing support David Everett, president of the Richland Senior Association, said the Interagency Planning Group, or IPG, serving seniors is racing to identify seniors in the community who don’t have family nearby to ensure they have the support and supplies they need. The group is an association of Tri-City retirement centers.

“There are a thousand nonprofits in the Tri-Cities and they’re all trying to figure out something,” he said.

The nonprofit formed to foster activity and connections among seniors with a variety of activities it undertakes with the IPG. Monthly dances and potlucks, meetups, education programs and philanthropic outreach are on offering.

Or rather were. Coronavirus put a halt to all of that. Everett is worried.

“Isolation is deadly,” he said. “Isolation is like smoking 10 packs of cigarettes a day.”

But reaching people can be a challenge. About half the senior association’s 500 members don’t use computers, he said. They’re split between those living in group settings such as nursing homes, retirement centers and those in the community.

It’s the people in the community who don’t have family nearby who need contact and support.

The goal is to identify them and find out what they need, whether it is food or something else.

We rock.

Shop the full line of Haworth FERN chairs in store or online at www.brutzmans.com

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION Homebuilders lobby governor to reconsider ‘nonessential’ label

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Tri-City homebuilders and colleagues across the state are pleading with Gov. Jay Inslee to reclassify homebuilding an essential activity after the industry was sidelined by the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order to slow the spread of coronavirus.

“We respectfully disagree with your finding that home construction is not an essential activity, yet government funded construction projects are,” wrote Jeff Losey, president of the 600-member Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities, in a letter dated April 7.

While he’s not optimistic the governor will reverse course, Losey said the ongoing shutdown of nongovernment construction is a catastrophe for the building industry.

It will take 30 to 45 days at a minimum to restart stalled projects once the all-clear is given.

In the interim, construction sites are targets for thieves and vandals and are attractive nuisances to children. An open foundation and a sheet of plywood is all that’s needed to turn an unsecure site into an unauthorized bike ramp, he said.

“The thieves are not dumb. They know everybody has walked away,” he said.

The industry has struggled with the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order since it was first issued March 23.

Homebuilding appeared to be classified as essential. That would have allowed builders to keep working and was consistent with federal guidelines and the position of the state of Oregon, among others.

Two days later, the governor’s office clarified it is nonessential and all construction except for public sector work halted at midnight March 25.

Losey said the same distancing practices that keep construction work safe in Oregon and at government-funded job sites applies to homebuilding.

“The governor has been completely unclear,” he said. “Everybody continues to scratch their head.”

The Stay Home order has been extended through May 4, although that date is also uncertain.

Public and private school is canceled for the rest of the 2019-20 year as part of the effort to “flatten the curve.”

It’s too early to predict how the COVID-19 crisis will affect construction, one of the region’s most robust industries, As of April 11, Washington state reported 10,411 positive tests for COVID-19 and 508 deaths.

The Tri-Cities reported nearly 400 cases and 30 deaths as of April 13.

There’s no question it will be damaging, said Craig Colligan, manager of the Seattle office of Rider Levett Bucknall, a construction cost estimating firm.

Colligan praised the industry for stepping up to help and the governor for trying to protect the state from a deeper crisis.

Photo by Scott Butner Tri-City homebuilding activity started strong in 2020 but the industry is bracing for a downturn because of the massive economic disruptions caused by efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus, including a statewide stay-home order that shuttered construction sites.

That said, the cost and impact will be huge. Idle equipment costs money. Construction cranes rent for up to $30,000 a month even if they’re not used. Construction materials that can’t be delivered to job sites have to be rerouted to warehouses for storage, another cost.

Expecting a banner year Tri-City homebuilders expected a busy year, building on the record-setting 1,655 single-family permits issued by local building agencies in 2019. A booming economy and robust employment kept demand high.

Building activity started on a strong note.

Through Feb. 29, local agencies approved $176 million in construction activity, $70 million more than the same period in 2019, according to HBA statistics.

Collectively, local cities and counties approved 246 single-family homes in the first two months of the year, compared to 162 in 2019, and 161 in 2018.

March figures were not available but it’s

clear efforts to have coronavirus will disrupt the industry.

Just how long is unknown. However, homebuilding is driven by jobs, access to capital and of course, access to building materials, many of them sourced from China.

Everything is disrupted, Losey said.

Building departments Prior to the stay-home order, homebuilders with active local projects were adapting to protective measures adopted by local cities and counties, which issue building permits and conduct inspections to ensure work is up to code.

Government offices are closed, but inspectors remained on the job, connecting with builders by phone and email.

Benton County adopted the most aggressive posture. It requires everyone to clear a building site before an inspector will visit. It has also halted inspections of all occupied buildings, meaning interior remodels, repairs and the like are not get-

ting inspected.

Franklin County and the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and West Richland were booking visits by phone and email.

Continued demand depends on how long businesses stay closed and how quickly jobs are reestablished.

“We have to have people with jobs who still have them,” Losey said.

The Washington Employment Security Department reported a record 170,063 new unemployment claims the week of March 29-April 4, 2,627 percent more than a year ago and 41 percent more than the prior week. There were 26,075 unemployment claims during the worst week of the Great Recession.

The federal Labor Department reported the week ending April 4 that a record 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Real Estate & Construction

Tri-City port districts consider rent breaks amid pandemic

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

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Tri-City ports are contemplating rent relief policies for tenants as the coronavirus pandemic takes its economic toll.

The Port of Pasco authorized a threemonth rent deferral program for tenants whose business is disrupted by Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order, which sidelines all nonessential activity through at least May 4.

The Port of Kennewick considered rent relief at its April 14 meeting, after the press deadline for this publication.

The Port of Benton Commission will take it up in May, and the Port of Walla Walla is expected to consider it as well.

Randy Hayden, the Pasco port’s director, said tenants at the port-owned Tri-Cities Airport and elsewhere have requested assistance. Some did not pay April rent.

Bergstrom Aircraft, the fixed-based operator on the airport’s east side, asked for free rent after it was forced to lay off a third of its idled employees, he said.

While it isn’t considering free rent, Hayden said the port has an interest in ensuring Bergstrom and its other tenants stay viable. Bergstrom supplies valuable services to the aviation community, and there is no other business lined up to replace it, he noted.

“We want to try to help our businesses to stay in business. It’s good for them but it’s also good for us,” he said.

Bergstrom isn’t alone. Buck Taft, the airport’s director, said every airport tenant has requested relief following a staggering 96 percent drop in passenger traffic.

“This isn’t just a Pasco problem. This is a national problem,” Taft said. The

four airlines – Allegiant, Delta, United and Alaska – have all requested deferrals or relief. Car rental agencies have sought breaks as well.

The port’s rent relief program defers rent. It does not forgive it.

Rent deferrals are open to tenants who are current on rent and who can prove they have sought relief through other COVID-19 emergency funding programs. The CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program authorizes $349 billion in forgivable loans with more money expected to be injected into the popular program.

“If they haven’t applied for the Payroll Protection Program, encourage them to because it’s a whole lot easier than this,” said Commissioner Vicki Gordon.

Rent for April, May and June would be deferred to Dec. 31, 2020. Any past due balances on Jan. 1 would begin accumulating interest and late fees.

Hayden said the port could revisit terms of the deferral program later as the pandemic evolves.

Ports are public taxing entities that often lease facilities in marine, industrial, office and other locations to support economic development.

Rent relief is gaining traction across the state, though Hayden notes ports so far are deferring rent rather than forgiving it.

The Port of Seattle announced that it will not evict tenants from its facilities if they are unable to pay rent through June 30. It authorized its director to provide added immediate relief to port tenants such as maritime and real estate tenants.

The Ports of Everett and of Camas-Washougal have enacted rent relief policies, according to the Washington Public Ports Association.

Real Estate & Construction

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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Grocery Outlet opens in Richland

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The much-anticipated Grocery Outlet Bargain Market has opened at Richland’s Vintner Square, 2901 Queensgate Drive.

The store debuted March 24 with 30 employees.

The newly built store joins the Target-anchored shopping complex at Queensgate and Duportail Drive. It is the third Grocery Outlet in the Tri-Cities, joining sisters in Kennewick and Pasco.

The new location is independently owned and operated by Nikki and Mike

Columbia Title sold to Idaho firm with global real estate reach

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Columbia Title Company, which has provided title services in the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla for more than a century, has been sold to TitleOne, an Idaho-based title and escrow provider whose parent company is tied to a global real estate and relocation services firm.

TitleOne is a subsidiary of Realogy Title Group LLC, which provides title and escrow services in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Realogy is in turn a holding of Realogy Holdings Corp., (NYSE: RLGY), which operates globally.

Columbia Title was first established in 1889 as Dean McClean Abstract Co. It currently operates offices in Walla Walla, Dayton, Kennewick and Prosser, which will convert to the TitleOne name.

Its 20 employees will retain their positions. Ben Case, owner of Columbia Title, will manage the Walla Walla operation.

Terms were not disclosed.

TitleOne is a fast-growing Idaho firm that is branching west to Washington. It formed in 2000 and has statewide through the successive acquisitions, starting with Idaho Title and Trust in 2011.

The addition of Columbia, Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties in Washington expands its reach to 19 locations and more than 300 team members.

“Columbia Title Company is the perfect fit for TitleOne in terms of geographic desirability, rich history and greater customer service. Adding Columbia Title Company to the TitleOne family will expand our servicing capability into the state of Washington, with four new locations and the addition of an outstanding team,” Jason Vickrey, president of TitleOne, said in a press release.

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“This partnership with Grocery Outlet allows us to be true entrepreneurs, create new jobs and have a positive impact on the neighborhood,” the Sims said in a press release announcing the opening.

California-based Grocery Outlet and its independent partners operate extreme value grocery stores.

Shoppers can enter a drawing for a grand prize through April 23 with a drawing for a grand prize on April 23.

No purchase is necessary.

Store hours for the new Grocery Outlet in Richland are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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Tri-City construction pulse beat strong, but what now?

Humans have shown a need to build since the dawn of time as hunter-gatherers.

That need accelerated as our ancestors organized into agricultural societies. Monumental reminders are still with us, such as pyramids in both hemispheres and the Great Wall. More modest reminders come from archeologists’ digs across the globe.

From an economic perspective, construction is a human endeavor that delivers both immediate economic activity and long-lived assets. Think of what homes, commercial structures, roads, factories and bridges represent. The process of creating them provides immediate jobs and payroll, then a flow of benefits that typically last decades. Construction also brings strong indirect effects from the supply chain, at least at the state or national level. Consequently, it’s no surprise that tracking construction activity offers insight into the state of the overall economy.

Construction typically lands among the largest sectors of local economies. In 2018 in Benton and Franklin counties, it ranked eighth by headcount, with average annual employment of nearly 8,800. In the eyes of labor economists, it is made up of three subsectors: building construction (general contractors), specialty trades and to a lesser extent, heavy and civil construction (highways and infrastructure).

For much of the past decade, construction activity in Benton and Franklin counties has been on a tear. This is clearly visible looking at the assessed value of new construction. For the most recent available year, 2018, the total amounted to $633 million. That was the third-highest result on record for the regional economy, with 2017 claiming the peak ($705 million).

The value of new construction in the greater Tri-Cities in 2018 placed only a little higher than a decade ago. The runup years to the Great Recession of 2008-09

were, of course, generous to the construction sector. And the decline was swift. So the 2018 value represents a big increase from the D. Patrick Jones deep trough that Eastern occurred in 2009, Washington $412 million.

University To facilitate GUEST COLUMN comparisons, the chart’s data also shows a related trend, per capita value of new construction (blue and green lines). As we can readily observe, for much of the past decade the value of local new construction expressed in this manner outpaced that of the state.

The most recent three years, however, depict that the pace of construction activity here slipped a bit relative to Washington, especially in 2018.

Part of the recent diverging paths between the greater Tri-Cities and the state’s construction activity lies in the definition of the ratio. Population is in the denominator. And population here has grown about 50 percent faster than the state average over the past decade! So, it’s no surprise that the ratio for the two counties would shade lower than that of the state.

The consequences of strong construction growth are all happy ones, from an economic perspective. First and foremost, jobs are created. Over the decade 200818, the construction sector produced over 1,850 new jobs. This placed it third among all sectors of the greater Tri-Cities economy for total job creation, after health care and social assistance, and hospitality.

Ranked by percentage growth, construction placed first, with a cumulative rate of 38 percent. That increase is about twice as

Courtesy Benton-Franklin Trends

large as the overall job growth rate in the two counties.

Currently, the relative size of the construction sector in the greater Tri-Cities lies well above its counterparts in metro areas of Eastern Washington. In 2018, those about 8,800 construction jobs in the greater Tri-Cities amounted to 7.1 percent of the workforce. Contrast that share to the immediately adjacent counties, where construction jobs took up 3.3 percent of the workforce in Yakima County and 3.1 percent in Walla Walla County. Further north, construction was a little more dominant, as it claimed 5.4 percent of the workforce in Spokane County and 4.5 percent in the greater Wenatchee area. Still, these are well below the share here.

To what degree this outsized position of construction is due to the Hanford cleanup is unknown. But according to regional labor economist Ajsa Suljic, most of those workers fall into a different sector.

It appears that the main driver of so many

construction jobs is simply the outsized population growth in the greater Tri-Cities.

Of course, the billions of dollars spent at Hanford have driven, in turn, population increases.

And what might the rest of the year here hold? A longer-term question concerns the second half of this year and into 2021.

If the economic recovery here and in the state doesn’t follow a “V-shaped” pattern, then the pace of construction growth will drop off, and perhaps turning negative.

Here’s to the future reward for physical (but not social) distancing—for this sector and for all of the greater Tri-Cities. D. Patrick Jones is the executive director for Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis. Benton-Franklin Trends, the institute’s project, uses local, state and federal data to measure the local economic, educational and civic life of Benton and Franklin counties.

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Real Estate & Construction

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Real Estate & Construction

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Longtime builder, philanthropist, volunteer dies

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Don Pratt, a prominent Tri-City builder, entrepreneur, volunteer and philanthropist, died April 7 after suffering a heart attack during a morning hike on Richland’s Badger Mountain.

Pratt, 66, received the community’s highest honor when he was named TriCitian of the Year in 2018.

The award, given jointly by Kiwanis International and Rotary International, was presented at a banquet headlined by another prominent citizen, former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.

He was nominated by Linda Moran,

who said at the time she was embarrassed she hadn’t done so earlier.

Pratt was president and owner of Don Pratt Construction, a residential and Don Pratt commercial building firm. He was also a tireless volunteer for Mid-Columbia Means on Wheels and a champion for a dizzying array of civic causes, many supported through his decades-long affiliation with Sunrise Rotary Club.

He served on the Blue Mountain Council for Boy Scouts of America as well.

Pratt graduated from Kennewick High School in 1971. His self-named commercial and residential building firm launched in 1977. He was an active member of the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities, serving several board terms and as the industry association’s president.

Pratt joined the HBA in 1989 and went on to become one of its most active and influential members joining the board of directors in 1994. He remained on the board until his death, holding the position of president three times. He was an anchor of the Parade of Homes, entering a home every year, and insisting that only

HBA member suppliers and subcontractors be allowed to work on his home.

Jeff Losey, president and chief executive officer, said Pratt was celebrated for identifying needs in the community and taking them on as personal challenges, all without seeking attention or praise.

“He never stopped,” he said.

“Don’s passing leaves a gaping hole in both the community and our organization.

The HBA and the Tri-Cities are better because of him. Our condolences go out to Don’s family,” the HBA said in an April 8 newsletter sent to its members.

Meals on Wheels remembered Pratt for uPRATT, Page A39

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Real Estate & Construction

TRIDEC urges businesses to jump on emergency COVID-19 grants

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Tri-City Development Council closed applications for an emergency business grant program on Monday after receiving 700 in the days after Gov. Jay Inslee authorized the $5 million program in early April.

Karl Dye, president and CEO of TRIDEC, said the local economic development organization wants businesses to keep applying though so it can link them to new programs that roll out to support the economy during the COVID-19 crisis.

The governor’s initial grants provide

up to $10,000 to support businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The new Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant Program is funded with up to $5 million from the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund and administered by the state Department of Commerce.

The state, working with local partners such as TRIDEC, will distribute funds across Washington based on population.

Dye estimates that will translate to between $200,000 and $250,000 for businesses in Benton and Franklin counties.

Grants are available to organizations that have been in business for at least

one year, employ no more than 10, can demonstrate how they have been harmed

by Washington’s stay-home order and are vital to the community.

Priority will be given to businesses suffering the most severe impact of the governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, which halted all activities considered nonessential through at least May 4.

While the Department of Commerce has pledged to distribute funds proportionally across the state, Dye stressed urgency.

“Five million dollars isn’t a lot,” he said. “It’s imperative that Tri-Cities business owners act quickly to maximize the

share we receive.”

Applications are available on the Department of Commerce’s website and eligible businesses may receive one award during the current budget cycle, which ends on June 30, 2021.

“Include all the details and tell your story,” Dye said. “(TRIDEC IS) ready to advocate for your business, and we have the best shot at securing those funds when you’re able to provide a complete and compelling account of the important service your business provides to our community.”

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An 18,000-square-foot Grocery Outlet Bargain Market opened March 24 at Vintner Square in Richland.

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The newest Tri-City Grocery Outlet is owned by independent operators Nikki and Mike Sims and is at the west end of Vintner Square, the Target-anchored shopping center owned by Browman Development.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Real Estate & Construction PRATT, From page A37

Photo by Rob Di Piazza/Artistic Portraits Don Pratt, owner of Don Pratt Construction, was named 2018 Tri-Citian of the Year.

delivering meals along with his father until his father’s death.

“Don was a generous, kind, and humble man who truly lived our principle of putting the needs of others before his own. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. His passing is a huge loss for our community,” the nonprofit said in a tribute posted to Facebook.

Because of COVID-19 concerns, Pratt's service will be held privately. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Hillcrest Funerals and Cremation of Kennewick is in charge of arrangements.

A tribute wall to share memories or photos of Pratt can be found on the funeral home’s website.

A39

West Richland site near Twin Bridges is under contract

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A West Richland hillside site is under contract to sell, with a tentative closing date of late April following a March auction.

Musser Bros. Auctions conducted the auction for about 125 acres on North Harrington Road near Twin Bridges Road.

Two parcels were purchased by local homebuilders. A third was purchased by a non-developer.

Auctioneer Scott Musser said the auction was conducted using social distanc-

ing protocols and bidders were invited to participate by phone.

The land was pitched as a potential residential site that could rival the scale of The Heights at Red Mountain Ranch, taking shape on farmland near Rupert Road and its future connection with Keene Road.

Details of the transactions, including the buyers and the prices paid, won’t be released until the deal closes and is recorded with the Benton County assessor, Musser said.

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A40

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Here’s how to help coronavirus relief efforts in the Tri-Cities to provide food to low-income families after demand for support more than doubled in March.

United Way launched the COVID-19 fund to support local organizations working to combat the epidemic. It received $6,000 in donations in the first week. Requests total $82,000.

Donate at give.uwbfco.org/givenow or call 509-783-4102.

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Tri-City businesses and nonprofits are rallying the community to support hospitals, health care workers, vulnerable populations and families struggling to secure the resources they need to combat the spread of coronavirus, which causes the deadly COVID-19.

Here are some ways to help.

Open for Business It’s no secret businesses are suffering as Washington residents stay at home to lower the risk of being infected with the coronavirus and that most have been ordered to close by Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home Stay Healthy order through May 4.

Area businesses are adapting to the changing circumstances. Both the TriCity Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visit Tri-Cities have curated lists of how restaurants and other businesses are serving customers through a delivery or pick-up model.

The chamber list is online at tricityregionalchamber.com/tri-cities-open-forbusiness.html The Visit Tri-Cities list is online at visittri-cities.com/tri-cities-open-forbusiness.

Visit Tri-Cities even recruited retired Gen. James Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Richland native, to spread the message that businesses need support now to survive the crisis.

“We’re going to get through this coronavirus. We’re going to get through it by

Courtesy Visit Tri-Cities A promotional video from Visit Tri-Cities touts the message of supporting local businesses by using carryout and curbside pickup services. It features retired Gen. James Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Richland native, picking up Spudnuts in the Richland Uptown.

listening to our public health officials.

Let’s make sure we’re all supporting our businesses. We’re still open for business, even if it’s carryout from your favorite restaurant. So let’s all pull together but stay apart, while we pull together and keep our businesses alive,” Mattis said in the video.

Tri-Citians who are able to do so can support their favorite business by buying gift certificates – online – for use when the crisis passes.

United Way nonprofit fund United Way United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties awarded the first grants from its COVID-19 Community Response Fund to Meals on Wheels and to the Salvation Army.

Senior Life Resources Northwest, which operates Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels, received $3,000 to serve vulnerable, low-income seniors.

The Salvation Army received $3,500

Donate blood The American Red Cross faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations during this coronavirus outbreak.

Healthy people are needed to donate to help patients counting on lifesaving blood.

The Red Cross reassures the public that it has implemented additional precautions to ensure the safety of donors and staff, including: • Checking the temperature of staff and donors before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy.

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Make an appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting uRELIEF, Page A41

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020 RELIEF, From page A40 RedCrossBlood.org or calling 800-7332767.

Helping Hands for Seniors TC The Richland Seniors Association and the Interagency Planning Group, an association of Tri-City retirement centers, launched Helping Hands for Seniors TC, a COVID-19 outreach effort to identify seniors in the community who may be in need of food and home supplies.

It is particularly concerned about seniors who may not use computers or have family nearby or who don’t have the financial ability to stock up on needed supplies.

Send suggestions, including lists of the supplies needed, to Katie Haynes at katie.haynes@jeaseniorliving.com or call 509-627-2522.

The effort is gathering food, books, magazines, newspapers, toiletries, hygiene items, pet supplies, toilet paper, adult diapers and other needed items.

Follow the effort on Facebook at Helping Hands for Seniors TC: facebook.com/HelpingHandsForSeniorsTC. Donations of food, household supplies may be dropped off at Windsong Southridge, 4000 W. 24th Ave., Kennewick, or at PCP Consulting, 732 N. Center Parkway, also in Kennewick, and Anthology Events Center, 706 Williams Blvd., Richland.

Meals for cancer patients The Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation is accepting donations to send cancer patients a meal from local restaurants and chefs who participated in the non-

profit’s Dine Out event in fall 2019.

During the week of April 13, a turkey dinner will be provided by CG Public House of Kennewick.

The foundation will announce which restaurant or chef it is working with on its Facebook page.

Donations to the DINE IN - Cancer Crushing COVID-19 Care campaign can be made at bit.ly/TCCancerCenter-meals.

United Way launches Volunteer Tri-Cities United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties launched Volunteer Tri-Cities to connect people with the causes they care about.

The online platform is free, mobile-friendly and offers opportunities to help in the time of social distancing.

Organizations who need help can seek “virtual” volunteers to help with administrative tasks such as website design, donation coordination and marketing as well as direct opportunities that can be conducted while maintaining distancing, such as delivering food.

Local nonprofits can register and add opportunities for people to volunteer or to donate products.

Go to volunteertricities.org.

TRIDEC collection The Tri-City Development Council led a drive between March 23-28 that collected more than 26,000 face masks and other pieces of protective equipment to distribute to area hospitals.

The equipment is being sent to Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Trios Southridge Hospital, Lourdes and Prosser Me-

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morial Hospital as well as other places as needed.

TRIDEC directed future donations to Franklin County Emergency Management, 1011 E. Ainsworth Ave., Pasco.

Needed equipment includes masks (surgical and N95), face shields and goggles, thermometers (home use and touchless/infrared), finger oximeters, hand sanitizer and isolation gowns.

Step Up With Us initiative Broadmoor Storage Solutions of Pasco has partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties to support its “Step Up With Us” initiative.

The program provides families in Benton and Franklin counties with emergency child care for essential personnel, virtual programming for families at home and delivery of food and other items to families in need.

Broadmoor Storage Solutions, a locally owned business, has increased its sponsorship to $15,000 and is offering it as a match to any individual donations made in the month of April.

For information on how to donate, go to greatclubs.org/donate.

Emergency fund for nonprofits The Three Rivers Community Foundation (3RCF) Board of Directors has created an emergency fund to support nonprofit organizations in Benton and Franklin counties whose programs and services have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fund had been seeded with $50,000 from an anonymous donor.

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Through this emergency fund, it is the goal of the 3RCF Board of Directors to support urgent and immediate needs of nonprofits who are providing critical services that are necessary in the community, both now and after the crisis has passed.

Qualified 501(c)3 organizations that have experienced an increase in demand for their services or who are experiencing program delivery challenges due to the economic impacts of COVID-19 may apply. Grants will be made based on the amount of money raised and will be available on a rolling basis so long as funds are available.

Contributions to the fund can be made through the donate button at 3rcf.org or by mail at Three Rivers Community Foundation, 1333 Columbia Park Trail, Suite 310, Richland, WA 99352. Make checks payable to 3RCF – Emergency Fund.

Community Strong campaign A GoFundMe campaign organized by Campbell and Company of Pasco had raised nearly $14,000 as of April 9 for a campaign to provide free meals to those in need.

The Community Strong - Tri-Cities program challenges area businesses and individuals to contribute. Cambell and Company buys gift cards from local restaurants and then gives them to Communities in School Benton-Franklin to distribute to the families in most need. Go to gofundme.com/f/community-strong-tricities.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

uBUSINESS BRIEF Interactive map shows how well we’re social distancing

Washington state earned a B- in social distancing, a better grade than Benton and Franklin counties’.

Benton earned a C-. Franklin got an D. The April 8 scores come from Unacast, a company that collects and analyzes smartphone GPS location data to compile a “Social Distancing Scoreboard.”

It scores state and county level performance to show how behaviors are changing across the country in the wake of social distancing recommendations from national and world health experts to reduce the spread of coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

Unacast says the metrics show a correlation between the number of confirmed cases and the reduction in the average distance traveled.

Unacast uses the decrease in the total distance traveled as a rough index to determine whether people are staying home.

Overall, the United States scored a B-.

The company, which has offices in New York City and Oslo, Norway, compares the data to pre-COVID-19 levels.

The Unacast scorecard is searchable and updated regularly. Go to unacast.com/ covid19/social-distancing-scoreboard.

Unacast said it doesn’t identify any individual person, device or household. It combines tens of millions of anonymous mobile phones and their interactions with each other each day and then extrapolates the results to the population level.

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uDONATIONS • Battelle donated $103,000 to Second Harvest in Pasco, Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels and to food banks serving Prosser and Sequim.

The money is earmarked to support residents suffering from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

Battelle, which manages the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, typically contributes about $400,000 annually to community organization. The gift is from unallocated funds.

• Yakima Federal Savings and Loan donated $1,250 to each of the following nonprofits to commemorate the opening of a new bank branch in Richland: Tri-County Partners Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement of Washington Southeastern Region, Edith Bishel Center for the Blind and Second Harvest Hunger Relief Network. The new branch is at 3100 Duportail St. • Standard Paint and Flooring donated 500 masks for the medical personnel at Virginia Mason Memorial.

The respirators – known as N95 masks – don’t look like the surgical masks that are commonly associated with medical procedures. Standard Paint and Flooring usually sells these masks to construction businesses and contractors.

• Bechtel National Inc. delivered 1,000 N95 masks to Tri-City emergency responders and health care providers to help in the global fight to protect

communities against the coronavirus pandemic in cooperation with the TriCity Economic Development Council (TRIDEC). The donation was made in connection with a community drive TRIDEC launched in March to collect personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, being distributed to local hospitals, nursing homes, and police and fire departments.

• Numerica Credit Union has pledged more than $225,000 to 14 regional nonprofits from the Numerica Charitable Fund to help meet the basic needs of the community’s most vulnerable population during the coronavirus pandemic. The grant program is funded

by Numerica’s Skip a Pay program where members can skip a month of loan payments in lieu of a $30 donation.

Tri-City recipients are: Domestic Violence Services Benton-Franklin, crisis response; Communities in Schools Benton-Franklin, expanded services for local youth; and Second Harvest, emergency response fund.

• The African American Community, Cultural and Education Society (AACCES) donated $10,000 to three local organizations to help people in financial need and boost food support for Tri-Citians. It donated $2,500 apiece to Franklin PUD and Benton PUD to help pay the utility bills of low-income residents, and $5,000 to Second Harvest to help provide meals for families in need.

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Staying at home?

Why not plant a garden?

By Kristina Lord

publisher@tcjournal.biz

Royceann Taft knows there’s solace to be found in the garden.

The Master Gardener who lives in Kennewick said anyone can tap into it, especially in times of isolation or stress.

“I have seen research that says that being out in the soil and sun is very, very good for your immune system. Not just your mental health, but your physical health, too. It makes sense to me that being outside and the mental part—you know you’re doing something to help yourself and your family,” Taft said.

It’s a theme reminiscent of the victory gardens of World War I and II. Americans were encouraged to plant them during the war years to ensure an adequate food supply for civilians and troops. The nationwide effort turned front yards, backyards, schoolyards and vacant lots into vegetable gardens. In 1943, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had a victory garden planted on the front lawn of the White House—one of the millions planted that year, according to Smithsonian Libraries.

So maybe it’s time to consider planting a COVID-19 garden at your home. After all, spring has arrived and the mild weather beckons despite state mandates to remain home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“We feel like we’re trapped a little bit.

This is one way to work through that and try to do something to offset all the other things. It’s a good place to take out any aggression or anger. You can definitely work it out if you’re building a garden,” said Taft, a Master Gardener since 2015.

Master Gardeners are community educators trained to work in partnership with

Washington State University Extension to educate the public and promote science-based gardening practices. They also provide gardening advice at plant clinics, demonstration gardens and other outreach activities.

Taft’s aunts were Master Gardeners in Oregon when the program first started. The semi-retired teacher decided the program would be a good fit for her as well because it combines her love of nurturing growth, whether it be in humans or tender green shoots.

“I’ve always enjoyed that with my students—seeing their growth,” she said. “I love to watch little seeds pop up and taking care of them. I find it really, really enjoyable. I like being outside in the sun.”

Taft, 52, taught elementary and middle school for 28 years, mostly in Hermiston, but also in Pasco.

In February, she taught a Gardening 101 class in Kennewick to a packed house of about 70 or so attendees, she said.

Taft grew up on a remote ranch in Roseburg, Oregon.

“We had victory gardens on steroids. We grew almost everything for an entire year on our property. We had massive gardens growing up,” she said, admitting she didn’t have her first takeout food until she went away to college.

It isn’t difficult to start up a small garden on your own, she said.

If planning a patio garden, find seeds that specify the plants are well suited to containers, she recommended. She said this ensures compact-growing plants that thrive in smaller spaces.

“You can grow pretty much anything you want in containers. It really depends on what you want to do,” she said.

“Herb gardens are great if you only use

Photo by Kristina Lord The Washington State University Extension of Benton and Franklin Counties offers plenty of resources to assist new gardeners. Spring has arrived and the mild weather beckons despite state mandates to remain home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. them for cooking: rosemary, basil. They’ll stay small depending on the size of container. Those are always nice to have.”

Taft said to place gardens or containers near the house so they’re visible and it’s easier to remember to care for them.

“A lot of people are starting to put raised boxes in their front yard for this reason,” she said. “If the garden is out front, you’re out front, which is a good way to meet neighbors. People always stop by and ask about what you’re growing. It actually builds community.”

Having access to water so hoses don’t need to be dragged around and a southern exposure for a full amount of sun also are

important considerations, she said.

Cool season plants like peas and lettuces may be started outside in April.

Taft said a lot of nurseries will deliver soil or compost to your driveway. They can be ordered on the phone and then delivered, all without having to leave the house, she said.

Check out the free literature on gardening at Gardening.wsu.edu. Click on “Vegetable gardens” on the left to learn about how to grow anything from carrots and cucumbers, to green peas and beans, to radishes and tomatoes. There are also resources for flower beds, fruits, lawns, trees, shrubs and pest management.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020 uNEW HIRES • The Port of Benton hired Miles S. Thomas as the director of economic development and governmental affairs. The port previously conMiles S. Thomas tracted Thomas as a consultant to fulfill the port’s economic development and state/local governmental affairs duties. After serving in this role for the first quarter of 2020, the port offered him the position permanently. Thomas brings more than 10 years of community and economic development experience to the position.

• David Reading joined Lineage Logistics as a sales manager based in Kennewick.

He will have responsibility for facilities in KenDavid Reading newick, Richland, Quincy and Othello, along with warehouses in Salem and Brooks, Oregon. He comes to the Burien-based company with an extensive background in transportation and logistics sales and operations.

• Summers Miya joined the Port of Benton as the port’s administrative technician.

Miya previously worked for Visit Tri-Cities and Summer Miya has more than 10 years of community. Her role will be to focus on the port’s commission meetings, accounting, events and administrative duties. Summers has a comprehensive sales, marketing and operations experience along with accounting background. Her experience allowed the port to combine two former positions into one.

• Baker Boyer Bank promoted Cathy Schaeffer to the role of Walla Walla family advising manager. Schaeffer, a certified financial planner, draws Cathy Schaeffer on more than two decades of diverse professional experience to provide outstanding client service and leadership.

She graduated from Washington State University with a master’s degree in agricultural economics and a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness. As the executive director of the Walla Walla Watershed Alliance and Partnership organizations from 2002-13, she was instrumental in coordinating efforts among stakeholder groups to arrive at a nationally recognized approach to water management. She also has been the business manager for an agricultural association, deputy district

director for a member of Congress and senior accountant for a local accounting firm.

Baker Boyer also welcomed the addition of Eric Denney as a family advisor based in Walla Walla.

He spent more than a decade Eric Denney in nonprofit management, most recently as the association membership executive for the YMCA of the Inland Northwest in Spokane. He received his bachelor’s degree from Walla Walla University and completed his master’s degree at Eastern Washington University.

He is completing coursework to achieve his financial planning certification.

uAWARDS & HONORS • Mission Support Alliance presented the Game Changer award to Todd Synoground, vice president of public works; Ashley Ward, director of information systems; and Jeff Flora, creative technologist at the Connected Plant conference in Atlanta.

Nominated for their collaboration to bring Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed-reality platform to the Hanford site, the team was recognized for modernizing and improving maintenance and operations protocols as well as training the next round of operations personnel. This platform will

Jeff Flora, from left, Ashley Ward and Todd Synoground

enhance operational efficiency, improve maintenance planning, modernize training, and provide reliability and availability improvements of Hanford’s key infrastructure systems.

The award, chosen by the editors of Chemical Engineering and Power magazines, recognizes fast risers in the field who have contributed to innovation, solved problems or made extraordinary improvements using digitalization solutions in the power generation and chemical process industries.

• Mission Support Alliance’s information management team recently received the 2020 Project of the Year award from the Columbia River Basin Chapter of the Project Management Institute. Selected by an independent evaluation team, MSA was recognized for its work on the Hanford data center modernization and closure project, led by project manager Dennis Rains.

As the site services provider, MSA manages Hanford’s computer network, including a primary and a backup data center. This project included the closure of an old data center, which was replaced

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with a new, more efficient and smaller center, which was moved off site. Partners included both Benton and Franklin public utility districts, Northwest Open Access Network and the U.S. Department of Energy.

• Matthew Riesenweber, an independent financial advisor in Kennewick, has been recognized as one of the 2020 top 1,200 finanMathew cial advisors Riesenweber in America, as ranked by Barron’s. Riesenweber, president and wealth advisor at Cornerstone Wealth Strategies in Kennewick, was recognized as the 20th advisor in Washington. The annual list highlights outstanding financial advisors from all 50 states based on data provided by more than 4,000 financial professionals around the nation, according to Barron’s.

Advisors were assessed on varying factors contributing to the quality of their practice, including the amount of client assets they serve and community outreach.

• The American Institute of Family Law recognized Katherine Sierra-Kelly of Gravis Law in Richland as one of the 10 best family law attorney for client satisfaction for three years. The institute is a third-party attorney rating organization that publishes an annual list of the Top 10 Family Law Attorneys in each state.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Meals on Wheels ramps up frozen meal production to feed seniors

By Kristina Lord

publisher@tcjournal.biz

Courtesy Meals on Wheels Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels staff and volunteers wear masks and gloves to prepare frozen meals to distribute to Tri-City area senior citizens.

Though Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels’ eight dining centers shut down daily hot lunch service and drivers have curtailed meal delivery to seniors’ doorsteps, the nonprofit’s staff and volunteers have been busy assembling frozen meals.

“We’re not planning to go anywhere.

We’ve been here 46 years, and although these are scary times, we’re here for them. We are 100 percent committed to our seniors and their loved ones who rely on us to provide nutrition, support and

friendship. We appreciate the support of our community and the faith they show in us,” said Kristi Thien, nutrition services director.

The nonprofit cooked and packaged more than 11,000 frozen meals during the week of March 27. Thien said the team typically cooks about 3,400 meals a week.

“Each of those meals requires product to be ordered, put away, cooked and then chilled, packaged, and boxed to be placed in our freezers. We’re working crazy hard to ensure that we have plenty of meals, and we want people to know that nobody needs to hoard them,” Thien said.

Senior Life Resources Northwest completed a $100,000 project to build a 1,200-square-foot facility to house a large freezer to store frozen meals last year.

Thien said the new freezer has been critical for storage. It was about 65 percent full on March 30.

Meals on Wheels has been sending out about 5,000 frozen meals on Tuesdays.

“Although we know they’re not as good as when we deliver them immediately after they’re prepared, we haven’t had complaints. Mostly people are just so grateful that we’re getting food to them, and I think they’re as worried about us as we are about them,” Thien said.

All of the Meals on Wheels dining rooms are closed for their regular Monday-through-Friday hot meals. From 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays seniors can pick up their frozen meals at the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, Pasco Parkside, Benton City and Prosser sites. Pickup in Connell is 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays.

Frozen meals also may be picked up from the Meals on Wheels Café every Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., regardless of which site clients typically dine in. The café is at 1834 Fowler St. in Richland.

Volunteer drivers will deliver meals to homebound clients on Tuesdays, with Thursdays serving as an overflow day for routes that have gotten too full or if a client misses a Tuesday delivery, Thien said.

The agency began offering limited home delivery and senior dining center meal service on March 16 to follow state recommendations that seniors avoid crowds. The duration is unknown.

“The main message we want our seniors and their loved ones to hear is that we are not abandoning our clients. We will continue to feed our seniors and maintain contact with them to preserve their safety and well-being. Our meal service may look different for a while as we adjust to the current health climate, but we remain committed to these folks who count on us.

We strive to be a caring agency who puts the needs of our seniors first, and our seniors need us now more than ever,” Thien said.

Seniors age 60 and older who are not current Meals on Wheels clients who may now need meal assistance should call Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels office at 509-735-1911 to sign up for meal service.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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Tri-City health care agencies seek homemade masks, gowns

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

A Tri-City nonprofit that serves the terminally ill and their families sought volunteers to make masks and gowns to protect its caregivers from infectious diseases during the coronavirus pandemic.

With N95 respirators and masks earmarked for hospitals and others, Chaplaincy Health Care is turning to homemade items to bolster its dwindling supplies of critical masks and gowns for hospice workers.

It’s not the only health care agency seeking personal protective equipment donations. The Benton-Franklin Health District serving the Tri-Cities has received numerous donations and is working to pair the donations with agencies needing them.

Leslie Streeter, Chaplaincy’s director of operations and business development, posted video instructions for both masks and gowns along with a plea for volunteers to produce them to the nonprofit’s Facebook page.

Streeter hoped to secure about 200 masks and 200 gowns for use in Hospice House in Kennewick.

Ideally, Hospice House would use commercially produced, sterile gear when needed, but hospices are ranked behind hospitals and senior centers on the priority list. As the need for protective gear rose with the coronavirus pandemic, Chaplaincy decided to turn to volunteers.

Chaplaincy didn’t specify fabrics or

other details. All donations will be washed in hot water and sterilized. Donated items will be rewashed between uses.

Handmade isn’t ideal, but it’s superior to no protection, Streeter said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said health care professionals might use homemade masks to care for patients with COVID-19 as a last resort. However, homemade masks are not considered personal protection equipment since their capability to protect workers is unknown. The CDC recommends caution be exercised and that homemade masks ideally should be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front and sides of the face.

As of March 23, Hospice House had fewer than 100 masks and gowns.

In normal circumstances, Hospice House personnel use protective gear around patients with infectious diseases, which is not typical. Most patients have terminal conditions that are not infectious.

With coronavirus, it is stepping up its use of protective gear. Even so, it is restricting masks to use around patients who show concerning symptoms. Patients are routinely screened for temperatures or other symptoms of infectious illness.

“Our supplies aren’t normally that high.

That’s part of why we’re so hard hit,” she said.

Here’s how to help: • Masks and gowns for Chaplaincy Health Care may be dropped off at Hospice House, 2108 W. Entiat St., Kenne-

Photo courtesy of Chaplaincy Health Care Nurses at the Chaplaincy Health Care Hospice in Kennewick model homemade masks.

wick, or at the Chaplaincy administration building, 1480 Fowler St. in Richland. For more about the agency and its services or to make a financial contribution, go to chaplaincyhealthcare.org.

• The Benton-Franklin Health District serving the Tri-Cities has received numerous donations, according to a Twitter post. Apply for donated masks at ow.ly/ kyhO50yVTkj then email the form to eoc. logistics@bfhd.wa.gov.

• The Tri-Cities Cancer Center is accepting homemade masks at a drop-off station at the back of the building near the administration entrance. Call 509-7373413 prior to dropping off donations. The cancer center is at 7350 W. Deschutes Ave. in Kennewick. Donations also are accepted

online to support comfort packs for cancer patients that include a blanket, soft hat and a satin pillowcase at tccancer.org/foundation.

• The JoAnn fabrics store in Kennewick said it did not have free mask kits on March 26 because the nationwide chain ran out of material after announcing it would provide precut material for face masks then distribute the donated items to health care facilities to support the coronavirus effort.

• A link to a pattern for isolation gowns, suitable for beginning sewers, is here: https://bit.ly/gown-pattern.

• A link to a St. Josephs’ Health video guide to making face masks is here: https:// bit.ly/facemask-pattern.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Facing the pandemic together we are reminded just how important it is to connect.

We have been connecting our community with local business news since 2002.

#READLOCAL #SHOPLOCAL #STAYCONNECTED

No paywall at tcjournal.biz

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

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PUBLIC RECORD uBANKRUPTCIES Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings: Chapter 7 — Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up non-exempt property and debt is discharged.

Chapter 11 — Allows companies and individuals to restructure debts to repay them.

Chapter 12 — Allows family farmers or fishermen to restructure finances to avoid liquidation for foreclosure.

Chapter 13 — Plan is devised by the individual to pay a percentage of debt based on ability to pay. All disposable income must be used to pay debts.

Information provided by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Spokane.

CHAPTER 7 Mark & Tanisha Barnhart, 8024 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick.

Jeffrey Merritt, 520 S. Belfair St., Kennewick.

Maricela Madrigal Martinez, 722 N. Arthur St., B-102, Kennewick.

Jose & Victorina Llamas, 2207 S. Washington St., Kennewick.

Tyler & Eunice Chappell, 2005 Trippe St., Richland.

Romaine Smith and Josefina MartinSmith, 910 Roza Vista Drive, Prosser.

Christine Bartlett, 59 Cosmic Lane, Richland.

Miguel Renteria, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave.,

No. 76, Kennewick.

Marissa Dillard, 412 Winslow Ave., Richland.

Prescilla Lai, 425 N. Columbia Center Blvd., A-103, Kennewick.

Jose & Linda Ramirez, 6120 Klickitat Lane, Pasco.

Christian Sanchez, 530 N. Edison St., A-101, Kennewick.

Ashley Guinn, 1425 W. Seventh Ave., Kennewick.

Noel & Daniela Cantu, 1111 Annie Place, Prosser.

Megan Leiby, 3030 W. Fourth Ave., F-108, Kennewick.

Erik Aagaard, 2414 W. Third Place, Kennewick.

Alfredo Avila, 3112 W. Agate St., Pasco.

Morris Poll, 3908 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick.

Glenda France, 1620 S. Yelm St., Kennewick.

Jerry Kennard, 6626 Chapel Hill Blvd., I-204, Pasco.

Jonathan Parada & Leticia Sanchez, 9314 E. Chapel Hill Blvd., A-1205, Pasco.

Lizbeth Porcayo, 3115 W. Agate St., Unit B, Pasco.

Jose Lopez-Murillo & Yesenia Lopez, P.O. Box 879, Connell.

Clara Gallegos, 5815 Rio Grande Lane, Pasco.

Raul Madrigal-Gil, P.O. Box 128, Plymouth.

Rene Mischenko, 1240 N. Fifth Ave., Unit

3305 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick (509) 735-1117 | ridenowtricities.com

A, Pasco.

Juan & Veronica Reyna, 2514 S. Anderson St., Kennewick.

Les Coutino, 1017 Allenwhite Drive, Richland.

Shawn Hewitt, 1320 Cottonwood Drive, Richland.

Jazmine Pacheco, 702 Adams St., Richland.

Grigoriy Alexeyev, 31606 S. Gerards Road, Kennewick.

Katie Summers, P.O. Box 186, Richland.

Tam Nguyen, 700 N. Road 32, Lot 3, Pasco.

CHAPTER 12 Arthur & Patricia Key, 2920 Bosch Court, Pasco.

CHAPTER 13 Faustina Trevino, 4517 W. Court St., Pasco.

Gregory & Elitha Schneider, P.O. Box 1352, Richland.

Laurie Connolly, 504 Rossell Ave., Richland.

Ron Whitten-Bailey, 7819 Deschutes Drive, Pasco.

Angie Foster, 371 Kriner Road, Sunnyside.

Ehumberto & Eva Moreno, 1407 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

Jaime & Keala Dorado, 460 N. Arthur St., C-206, Kennewick.

Jacob & Jennifer Garcia, 3714 S. Sharron St., Kennewick.

Nancy Garcia, 3809 W. Hood Court, Kennewick.

uTOP PROPERTIES BENTON COUNTY 73805 Sundown PR SE, Kennewick, Residential home on 4.5 acres. Price: $720,000. Buyer: Alexander & Jennifer Johnson. Seller: Brett & Jinni Mackay.

106905 N. Harrington Road, West Richland, 2,500-square foot home on 1.5 acres. Price: $510,500. Buyer: Rodney & Christina Rader. Seller: Val & Patricia Probst.

104204 E. Tripple Vista Drive, Kennewick, 4,500-square-foot residential home on 1 acre. Price: $540,000. Buyer: Todd & Ana Rebeca Hard. Seller: Linda Hardy.

83706 E. Wallowa Road, Kennewick, 2,600-square-foot residential home on 0.5 acre. Price: $570,000. Buyer: Carl & Dorothy Brodie. Seller: National Transfer Services.

18407 N. 1239 PR NW, Prosser, 2,700-square-foot residential home on 5 acres. Price: $522,500. Buyer: Matthew & Jessica Hoefer. Seller: Colin & Karen Morrell.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

1710 Highland Drive, Prosser, 4,700-square-foot commercial building used for dental office. Price: $700,000.

Buyer: Legacy CRE. Seller: Kelandren Enterprises.

7319 W. Hood Place, Kennewick, 3.7 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $810,000. Buyer: GPS Properties. Seller: Kennewick Liquidation Trust.

8601 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 4,200-square-foot commercial building.

Price: $775,000. Buyer: Incline B. Seller: Paulmor Investments.

6720 Caspian Place, West Richland, Residential home on 0.28 acre. Price: $518,500. Buyer: Joseph & Patricia Vacca.

Seller: Titan Homes.

2995 Wild Canyon Way, Richland, Residential home on 0.4 acre. Price: $512,500. Buyer: Richard & Tara Reed.

Seller: P&R Construction.

15014 S. Grandview Lane, Kennewick, 2,700-square-foot residential home on 0.77 acre. Price: $530,000. Buyer: Daniel & Ruthann Best. Seller: Carl & Dorothy Brodie.

320 Sell Lane, Richland, 3,100-squarefoot residential home on 0.27 acre, Price: $535,000. Buyer: Christopher & Heidi Mortensen. Seller: National Residential Nominee Services.

2144 Legacy Lane, Richland, Residential home on 0.3 acre. Price: $830,000. Buyer: Randy & Viktoriia Jorissen. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights.

357, 358, 364, 400, 401, 406, 412, 418, 424 and 430 Piper Street, 249, 254 and 260 John Court, Richland, multiple residential parcels. Price: $1,066,000. Buyer: Viking Builders. Seller: Dos Cabras Viejas.

300 Soaring Hawk St., Richland, 2,700-square-foot residential home on 0.35

acre. Price: $554,000. Buyer: Jeffrey & Allison Carlson. Seller: Darrington Trustee Susan Turner.

2136 Skyview Loop, Richland, 2,200-square-foot residential home on 0.31 acre. Buyer: Michael Perala & Samuel Mendoza. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights.

1638 Lucca Lane, Richland, 2,200-square-foot residential home on 0.33 acre. Price: $710,000. Buyer: Christopher & Mary Jo Lindquist. Seller: Larry & Shanda Braithwaite.

97697 Kase Blvd., Kennewick, 3,100-square-foot residential home with pool on 0.77 acre. Price: $515,000. Buyer: Karl Dye. Seller: Gordon & Angela Jacobson.

2981 Riverbend Drive, Richland, 3,800-square-foot residential home on 0.5 acre. Price: $600,000. Buyer: Sirshendu

Banerjee & Prama Chakravarti. Seller: Schwartz Jr. Trustees Rheu H. & Karen L. 1180 Pinto Loop, Richland, 3,500-squarefoot residential home on 0.7 acre. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Dale & Patricia Bayley.

Seller: Michael & Molly Anderson.

FRANKLIN COUNTY 170 Peterson Road, 5981 PascoKahlotus Road, 223 Carr Road, 1670 Peterson Road, multiple parcels of agricultural land totaling 3,527 acres. Price: $34,900,000. Buyer: Frank Tiegs. Seller: Premiere Farm Properties.

707 W. Court St., Pasco, 3,500-squarefoot restaurant building on 0.62 acre. Price: $500,000. Buyer: Salvador RodriguezValencia. Seller: Ismael Tovar.

12415 Clark Fork Road, Pasco, 2,800-square-foot home on 0.5 acre. Price: $655,000. Buyer: Gary & Mary Nobriga.

Seller: Hammerstrom Construction.

2121 N. Commercial Ave., Pasco, 7,200-square-foot building on 1.5 acres.

Price: $900,000. Buyer: Mendenhall Investments. Seller: Steven Schwartz.

1906 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, 8,600-squarefoot commercial building. Price: $1,000,000. Buyer: The Valley Alcohol Council. Seller: Pasco Futurevision.

1561 Kent Drive, Eltopia, 2,700-squarefoot residential home on 145 acres. Price: $1,500,000. Buyer: Joshua Jungers. Seller: Brian Messenger.

Undisclosed location, 10.5 acres of agricultural land. Price: $664,000. Buyer: Big Bend Electric Cooperative. Seller: Randy Mullen.

6538 Eagle Crest Drive, Pasco, 2,200-square-foot residential home on 0.5 acre. Price: $600,000. Buyer: Spencer & Angelita Santillan. Seller: Riverwood Homes Washington.

6415 Sandy Ridge Road, Pasco, 2,800-square-foot residential home.

Price:$565,000. Buyer: Lorna Martin. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction.

624 W. Yakima St., Pasco, 12,500-squarefoot apartment building. Price: $945,000.

Buyer: SJCJ Real Estate. Seller: 624 W. Yakima St. LLC. 8217 Nelson Court, Pasco, 2,500-squarefoot residential home. Price: $515,000.

Buyer: Heide Gehri. Seller: Story Family Five.

uBUILDING PERMITS KENNEWICK Cascade Natural Gas, 8113 Grandridge Blvd., $68,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: MP Construction.

Columbia Plaza LLC, 6855 W. Clearwater Ave., $20,000 for a commercial re-roofing.

Contractor: Palmer Roofing Company.

Clearwater Business Center One, 7103 W. Clearwater Ave., $85,000 for a commercial re-roofing. Contractor: Palmer Roofing Company.

Robinson Enterprises, 7411 W. Clearwater Ave., $13,000 for a commercial re-roofing. Contractor: Perfect Circle Construction.

CWS Holdings LLC, 8905 W. Gage Blvd., $50,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: Owner.

Sunshine Investors, 7801 W. Quinault Ave., $30,000 for a commercial re-roofing.

Contractor: All City Roofing.

Kadlec Regional Medical Center, 4804 W. Clearwater Ave., $20,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Owner.

Kennewick Public Hospital District, 7319 W. Hood Place, $2,800,000 for a 16,000-square-foot commercial building for

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page A51

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020 geriatric behavioral health services.

Contractor: Chervenell Construction.

PASCO Port of Pasco, 3601 N. 20th Ave., $37,000 for a commercial remodel. Contractor: Owner.

Pasco School District, 1102 N. Tenth Ave., $20,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: To be determined.

Pasco School District, 2515 Road 84, $20,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: To be determined.

Pasco School District, 301 N. Tenth Ave., $20,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: To be determined.

Pasco School District, 1801 Road 40, $20,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: To be determined.

Pasco School District, 4601 Horizon Drive, $20,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: To be determined.

Port of Pasco, 3502 Varney Road, $94,000 for a commercial addition. Contractor: To be determined.

Port of Pasco, 3508 Stearman Ave. 68, $24,000 for a commercial reroofing.

Contractor: Gillespie Roofing.

Port of Pasco, 2444 E. Dock Ave., $328,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: Bevco Construction.

Rigoberto Hernandez, 1712 E. Superior St., $298,000 for a new commercial building. Contractor: Tom O’Brien Construction.

Church of God, 1915 Road 84, $148,000 for a commercial addition. Contractor: Almond Asphalt.

Juan Muniz, 2404 N. Capitol Ave., $10,000 for a commercial addition. Contractor: Owner.

Grigg Family LLC, 700 W. Columbia St., $8,500 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: Owner.

Kenyon Zero Storage, Parcel 113, 120, 584, $960,000 for a commercial addition.

Contractor:

Owner.

Balcom & Moe Inc., 1315 N. First Ave., $110,000 for a commercial addition.

Contractor: Teton West of WA LLC. Sunbelt Investment, 6305 Chapel Hill Blvd., $42,000 for a commercial addition.

Contractor: Gjovani’s Masonry.

RICHLAND Walmart #3261, 2801 Duportail St., $432,000 for a commercial reroofing.

Contractor: R & B Roofing LLC. CMCS Properties LLC, 2607 Kingsgate Way, $1,500,000 for new commercial construction.

WEST RICHLAND First Westview LLC, 531 S. 38th Ave., $30,000 for a commercial reroofing of three buildings. Contractor: Roberts Construction BENTON CITY Benton Fire District 2, Station 210, 1304 Dale Ave., $140,000 for a commercial addition. Contractor: Better Built Structures.

Adroit Properties, 1535 Dale Ave., $250,000 for a new commercial building.

Contractor: Adroit Properties.

AgriNorthwest, 135827 S. Plymouth Road, Plymouth, $3,089,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Hendon Construction Co.

uBUSINESS LICENSES KENNEWICK Rettig Osborne Forgette LLP, 8836 W. Gage Blvd.

Musser Landscaping LLC, 17640 S. Fairview Loop.

Sanopso LLC, 8763 W. Metaline Ave. The Works General Contracting LLC,

Welcome Home to Parkview Estates

(509) 734-9773 Visit our website for more information 7820 W. 6th Avenue • Kennewick, WA

www.Parkviewslc.com

Independent/Assisted Living and Respite Care

1610 S. Ely St. Pelican Landing Properties LLC, 2014 S. Olympia Place.

A&R Trucking LLC, 4406 W. Seventh Ave. Hard Wood Handyman, 804 Smith Ave., Richland.

J’s Painting, 8206 Wenatchee Court, Pasco.

Doncaster Insurance and Financial Services, 1020 N. Center Parkway, Suite C. Ram Jack West, no address listed.

Twin City Masonry, 6010 Kent Lane, Pasco.

Roof Toppers, 5709 NE 88th St., Vancouver.

Forefront Holding Group, 4 S. Union St. Inland Imaging LLC, 7221 W. Deschutes Ave. Felix Mercedes, 2291 S. 38th Ave., West Richland.

Fisher, Valerie Delphine, 5207 W. Hildebrand Blvd.

VL Flooring LLC, 1743 S. Cascade St. Farias Distributing LLC, 119 N. Kellogg St. Summertime Landscaping LLC, 3908 Estrella Drive, Pasco.

H&N, 21 N. McKinley St. RTJ Trucking LLC, 524 E. Eighth Ave. Rockwater Development LLC, 1300 114th Ave. SE, Bellevue.

Title One, 1919 N. Pittsburgh Street, Suite A. Cave B Estate Winery, 313 E. Columbia Gardens Way. YFC Framing, 1114 W. Tenth Ave., Apt. U-103.

A Shine Above Cleaning Service, 1106 W. 17th Place.

Gary’s Plumbing of Yakima, 4303 W. Whitman Place, Yakima.

My Hero Mower LLC, 5209 W. 28th Ave.

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Soft Water Specialists LLC, 4 E. Columbia Drive.

Diamond Home Services LLC, 4308 Brahman Lane, Pasco.

J & E Homes LLC, 724 E. 14th Ave. Ground-Up Construction, 9605 S. Lexington St. ANP Innovations, 2009 W. 21st Court.

Nadel und Faden Press LLC, 310 S. Young Place.

Hot Solar Solutions, 15 Jackie Court, Burbank.

Lazy Boys Painters LLC, 1803 S. Huntington Place.

Hills Home Services LLC, 31404 E. Kennedy Road NE, Benton City.

A Place Like Home, 704 W. 26th Ave. Oregon Nitro Nationals, 509 S. Johnson St. Taqueria 3 Pueblos, 2446 W. Kennewick Ave. First Cleaning, 90 S. Verbena St. Michal Leah, 9 W. Kennewick Ave. Unalome Wellness, 8716 W. Clearwater Place.

Shelley A Ajax, 5861 W. Clearwater Ave. Eastside Dodgers Baseball Club, 5735 W. 17th Ave. Nuketown Beard Co., 605 W. 29th Ave. I Do It LLC, 21903 W. Meacham PR NW, Benton City.

Aloha Garage Door Co Inc., 412 S. Roosevelt St. Taqueria Stacks, 815 W. Columbia Drive.

David M. Allen, CPA, PC, 3219 W. Canyon Lakes Drive.

Landmark Grading & Landscape LLC, 109 N. Washington St. J & JC Properties LLC, 6855 W. Clearwater Ave. Gabe Beliz Photography, 407 N. Nevada Place.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

Amigo Repair, 4428 W. Clearwater Ave. Avila’s All Angles Framing & More LLC, 9611 Mustang Drive, Pasco.

Tri-Cities Tan LLC, 4008 W. 27th Ave. Elite Chiropractic and Massage, 8131 W. Klamath Court.

Entirely Holistic, 5009 W. Clearwater Ave. KarenKay, 1313 E. Tenth Ave. All About Food, 3324 W. 19th Ave., No. 125.

Pretty Waisted, 5501 W. Hildebrand Blvd.

Elite Lawn Care, 677 Hanson Loop, Burbank.

MDU Utilities Group, 8113 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Got a Guy Handyman Services LLC, 3320 S. Quincy Place.

Sachi Co Services LLC, 535 N. Montana St. Orchard Hills Ambulatory Surgical Center, 7501 W. Deschutes Place, Suite A.

Tri-Cities Public Relations LLC, 9008 W. Klamath Court.

Tonic Beauty Bar, 4309 W. 27th Place.

Talents Squared Construction Inc., 12819 SE 38th St., Bellevue.

Lewis Country Estates MHC LLC, 90 S. Verbena St. Nava Plastering LLC, 1123 E. Eighth Ave. CW Brock Construction, 310 Greentree Court, #6, Richland.

Supreme Landscaping, 2721 W. Sixth Ave. Knockerball Tri-Cities LLC, 4318 Vermilion Lane, Pasco.

Liz’s Cleaning Service, 221 S. Williams St. Veil Flooring LLC, 8508 W. Entiat Ave. Razor Landscaping, 4508 Campolina Lane, Pasco.

Valdez Services LLC, 926 N. Volland St. TKSC Properties LLC, 8842 W. Seventh Place.

Jamie McCullough, 123 W. First Ave. Tilly’s, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Martha’s Rentals Party Supplies, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave. Angel Hart Photography, 1606 W. 35th Ave. Buresh Building Systems, no address listed.

Phoenix Physical Therapy PLLC, 10121 W. Clearwater Ave. Keto Strong LLC, 1631 S. Huntington St. R&G Drywall LLC, 121 N. Douglas Ave., Pasco.

Melanie Malin, 200 S. Union St. August Edge Real Estate LLC, 521 S. Chelan Ave., Wenatchee.

Lana Nails, 101 N. Union St. Eagle Eye Drywall & Construction LLC, 4108 Laredo Drive, Pasco.

SSSK, 309 W. Kennewick Ave. No Worries Earth Angel, 2211 W. Sixth

Ave. Envy Galore, 323 W. First Ave. J&L Delivering Services, 2401 W. Sixth Ave. Birth Day and Beyond Doula Services,717 S. Jefferson St. The Advertiser USA, 8722 W. Bonnie Ave. The Brothers General Contractors LLC, 8918 W. Arrowhead Ave. Walther Iha LLC, 2016 S. Tweedt Court.

Yesco LLC, no address listed.

Rainshine Music Studio, 3118 S. Grant St. HDT Pools LLC, no address listed.

Fearless Painting LLC, 15E 15th Ave. Kingdom Bound Apparel, 4510 W. 20th Ave. Performance General Construction LLC, 1150 Belmont Blvd., West Richland Home Faith Family LLC, 3131 W. Clearwater Ave. Big Yard Cleanup, 1903 S. Fruitland St. Victor Morfin, 51 N. Edison St. Apa Solar Sunscreens LLC, 4919 Kennedy Way, Pasco.

NW Venting LLC, 10203 W. 18th Place.

Gallegos, Adrian, 211 S. Rainier St. Moonlight Cleaning Service, 4021 W. Tenth Ave. D Official, 105 S. Williams St. GVT LLC, 530 W. 18th Ave. Tech RPRZ, 320 W. Entiat Ave. Aladdin’s Salon and Spa, 8019 W. Quinault Ave. Gamino Tires, 206 W. Columbia Drive.

Jessica Sappington Stylist, 3622 W. Fourth Place.

Lyndsey Solutions LLC, 331 W. Sylvester St., Pasco.

Srooskaya Enterprises, 2923 W. Canal Drive.

Dorma USA, 6319 112th St. E., Puyallup.

Republic Rustic Woodworks LLC, 1316 Stevens Drive, Richland.

Connect Architecture, no address listed.

Reach Home Care Incorporated, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. The Rustic Rosebud LLC, 6413 W. Fifth Ave. PASCO D and V Machine, 820 N. 28th Ave. Servpro of Tri-Cities West, 7500 W. Yellowstone Ave., Kennewick.

All Star Automotive Group, 2715 W. Sylvester St. El Oasis, 1315 E. Lewis St., Suite A. ES&A Signs & Awnings, 89975 Prairie Road, Eugene, Oregon.

Prodigy Homes, 8458 W. Gage Blvd., Suite A, Kennewick.

Duraid M Rashad-Uber, 2100 Bellerive Drive, #50, Richland.

Kenneth Alexander-Uber, 3615 W. Fourth Place, Kennewick.

Pioneer Landscaping & Fencing Services, 617 S. Elm Ave. TCS General Construction LLC, 1541 N. 15th Ave. OMG Kitchen Cleaning LLC, 110 S. Fourth Ave. New York Hair Academy, 2508 W. Sylvester St., Suite D. Tri-City Truck Parts, 3275 Travel Plaza Way. Tacos Sahuayo, 104 S. Oregon Ave. Allnorth Services LLC, 4106 Phoenix Lane.

Pro Fire, 104 S. Tacoma Ave. Clear Rate Communications, 2600 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, Michigan.

Western Luna Boutique, 628 N. Cedar Ave. Waste Management of Washington, 8101 First Ave. S., Seattle.

Alpha Structural Engineering PLLC, 6306

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page A53

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020 Landsdowne Court.

Rooted Tarot, 4615 Kubota Lane.

Prime IT Services, 4910 Guemes Lane.

Pressure’s On Corp, 928 S. Tenth Ave. Tipsy’s Tavern, 414 W. Lewis St. Network Marketing Tax Advocates LLC, 202 N. Third Ave. The Pasco UPS Store, 5426 Road 68, Suite D. Mariscos El Camaron, 1410 E. Lewis St. Penske Truck Leasing Co. LP of Washington, 4225 E. B St. Bella-Life Club, 507 N. Fourth Ave. Geoengineers Inc., 17425 NE Union Hill Road, Redmond.

Tri-City Family Expo, 1845 Leslie Road, #92-H, Richland.

Antonia House Keeping, 100 N. Irving Place, #A-102, Kennewick.

All American Propane, 50 Summit St., Othello.

Northwest Pipe Insulation, 281 E. Santiago Drive, Meridian, Idaho.

K.M.S. Rustic, 1908 Road 32.

Allied Plumbing and Pumps LLC, 246 W. Manson Way, #124, Chelan.

Double A Construction LLC, 181 Travis Lane, Kennewick.

Jim Purswell’s Pump Co. Inc., 63 Able Road, Touchet.

Pegasus Corporation, 921 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham.

Juana Cruz, 409 N. Waldemar Ave. Yaquis Plastering, 911 N. Volland St., Kennewick.

JM Framing, 2021 Mahan Ave., #G-8, Richland.

Accuwal Constructions LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

G & B Construction, 522 N. Yost St., Kennewick.

Cruz’s Auto Detailing, 33 E. B Circle.

The Tiki Pirate, 9018 Cheshire Court.

Roberto’s Lawncare, 3318 Pinnacle Lane.

Najera Business Consulting, 9330 NE Vancouver Mall Drive, Vancouver.

All American Propane, 1617 S. Keys Road, Yakima.

Draftco Designs LLC, 5412 Robert Wayne Drive.

Handy Hands Construction Development, 1560 N. Dallas Road, Benton City.

Dark Horse Transportation LLC, 3115

King Ave. Precise Janitorial, 196 Bitterroot Drive, Richland.

3 Brothers Construction, 165 Cedarwood Court, Richland.

River North Transit LLC, 160 Varick St., Floor 4, New York, New York.

Be Creative Consultants, 28005 Dallas Road, Richland.

Norris Flooring LLC, 2008 S. Ione St., Kennewick.

Mercado Janitorial Services, 1707 S. Dayton Place, Kennewick.

Bat by GLP, 1342 Dakota St., Walla Walla.

Skittlez Barber Shop, 524 W. Clark St. Hard Wood Handyman, 804 Smith Ave., Richland.

Pacheco Samuel Roldon, 1739 Cartmell St. Roy’s Flooring & Painting LLC, 6005 Bayview Lane.

Absolute Proactive Protection LLC, 5910 Mandra Lane.

G&C Cornerstone Flooring, 914 S. Cleveland St., Kennewick.

Advanced Custom Cabinets, 250 W. Anton Ave., Couer d’Alene, Idaho.

Farias Handyman, 8918 W. Arrowhead Ave., Kennewick.

Columbia Construction Services LLC, 3319 W. Third Ave., Kennewick.

I Do It LLC, 21903 W. Meacham PR NW, Benton City.

NNZ LLC, 1406 W. Orchard Ave., Selah.

BR Operation LLC DBA Solomons MFG LLC, 19818 74th Ave. NE, Arlington.

JSR Construction LLC, 11801 W. King Tull Road, #1, Prosser.

TKSC Properties LLC, 8842 W. Seventh Place, Kennewick.

NO, 1648 Foxglove Ave., Richland.

Karen Kay, 1313 E. Tenth Ave., Kennewick.

MDU Utilities, 8113 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick.

Advanced Wireless & Logistics Inc., 7029 26th St. NW, Gig Harbor.

Mariano Refugio Alonso-Uber, 4104 Fernwood Lane.

Mariano Refugio Alonson-Lyft, 4104 Fernwood Lane.

RICHLAND Not available at press time.

WEST RICHLAND Arizona Courtlines, Inc., 9742 N. 78th Ave., Peoria, Arizona.

D & G Concrete, 104902 E. Tripple Vista Drive, Kennewick.

Gretl Crawford Homes & Interiors, 4504 W. 26th Ave., Suite 210, Kennewick.

John’s House Improvement & Services Corporation, 10909 Shady Lane, Pasco.

Vision Enterprises no address listed.

D’ Whittle Shop, 4262 Melinda Drive.

Miranda Sales, 6407 Morrison St. Les J Cleaning Service, 3324 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

Mix Plumbing, 4 W. 26th Ave., Kennewick.

Proficiency Construction LLC, P.O. Box 215, Connell.

Preferred Industrial Electric LLC, 8924 Bonnie Ave., Kennewick.

Ultra Construction, 2413 Famville Court, Pasco.

Little Chance Construction, 200802 E. Game Farm Road, Kennewick.

Hanford & Associates LLC, 5119 Dove Lane, West Richland.

Allstar Glass Company, 11420 E. Montgomery Drive, Spokane Valley.

Pilot Electric Company LLC, P.O. Box 5795, Pasco.

BFF Pet Care, 98103 N. Lenore Lane.

Queendom, 6005 Kilawea Drive.

Republic Rustic Woodworks LLC, 1316 Stevens Drive, Richland.

Tyson’s Painting and Remodeling LLC, 697 NW Third Street, Hermiston, Oregon.

Conde’s Dry Wall LLP, 2115 N. Seventh Ave., Pasco.

VM Roofing LLC, 319 N. Wehe Ave., Pasco.

Mr. Appliance of Kennewick, 6341 Copper Court.

Tri-Cities Maintenance LLC, 623 S.

A53

Garfield St., Kennewick.

Deluxe Details Koininia Comunion Con Dios, 5507 Texada Lane, Pasco.

Greenacres Landscaping & Maintenance, 604 W. 11th Ave., Kennewick.

Shannon’s Grooming, 500 Meadows Drive S., Richland.

Bazan Concrete LLC, P.O. Box 5237, Kennewick.

Rainier Publishing, 4220 Morab St.

uJUDGMENTS The state can file lawsuits against people or businesses that do not pay taxes and then get a judgment against property that person or business owns. Judgments are filed in Benton-Franklin Superior Court. The following is from the Franklin County Superior Court Clerk’s Office.

Ronald James Anderson, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed March 2.

Terraverde Bio-Sciences LLC, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed March 2.

TJ’s General Contractor LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 2.

Pasco FBO Partners LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 2.

Xpress Mart of Pasco LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 13.

Daniel Alvarez et al, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 13.

JP’s Wolfpack LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue, filed March 13.

Ramon R. Mendoza et al, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 13.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page A55

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020 Zairus Cloud, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 13.

Forward Operating Base Del, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 13.

Steven Roll et al, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 13.

MG Exteriors LLC et al, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 13.

Omega Contracting Services LLC, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed March 13.

T4Power LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 16.

P J R Construction Inc., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 16.

D&R&G Roofing Partnership, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 16.

Diana A. Bedoy, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed March 19.

Maria G. Llamas, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed March 19.

Paula J. Morgan Mansfield, filed Employment Security Department, filed March 19.

Jose I. Chaires, unpaid Employment Security Department, filed March 19.

David Borrego, unpaid Employment Security Department, filed March 19.

Chauntice L. Caperon, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes filed March 19.

P J R Construction Inc., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 19.

Jose Paulo Contreras, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 19.

Ismael Cardenas Rubio et al, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 30.

Jarrod Eugene Zadow, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 30.

Edgar Chavez Beltran, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 30.

Alejandro Sarmiento, unpaid Department of Licensing taxes, filed March 30.

CTM LLC et al, unpaid Department of Licensing taxes, filed March 30.

Rendon Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 30.

Daniel J. Holt et al, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 30.

uLIQUOR LICENSES BENTON COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Maharaja, 8110 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/wine/ restaurant/lounge+. Application type: assumption.

Carniceria El Sol, 623 Ninth St., Benton City. License type: grocery store beer/wine.

Application type: new.

Sedated Smoke Shop, 309 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver-in Washington only; beer/ wine specialty shop. Application type: new.

Wine Social, 702 The Parkway, Richland.

License type: direct shipment receiver-in Washington only; tavern-wine; off premises. Application type: new.

The Village Bistro, 5215 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 114, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine-restaurant-beer/wine; off premises. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

Kagen Coffee & Crepes, 270 Williams Blvd., Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver in/out-Washington; beer/ wine restaurant-beer/wine; off premises.

Application type: new.

Buffalo Wild Wings, 8551 W. Gage Blvd., Suite A, Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver-in Washington only; spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge +; kegs to go; off-premises sale wine. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

APPROVED Cave B Estate Winery, 313 E. Columbia Gardens Way, Kennewick. License type: 337, domestic winery < 250,000 additional location. Application: new.

Lush Wines, 3112 W. 27th Ave., Suite F-244, Kennewick. License type: 327, domestic winery < 250,000 liters.

Application type: new.

Hogue Cellars, 2800 Lee Road, Prosser.

License type: 328, domestic winery > 249,999 liters. Application type: change of corporate officer.

Gordon Estate, 313 E. Columbia Drive, Kennewick. License type: 337, domestic winery < 250,000 additional location.

Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED Qdoba Mexican Grill, 2673 Queensgate

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Drive, Richland. License type: 462, beer/ wine rest - beer/wine.

FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Perception Salon and Barbering, 4525 N. Road 68, Suite D, Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver-in Washington only; snack bar. Application type: new APPROVED 4 Whistles Winery, 450 Summit Loop, Eltopia. License type: 327, domestic winery < 250,000 liters. Application type: new.

Mariscos El Camaron, 1410 E. Lewis St., Pasco. License type: 452, beer/wine restaurant-beer. Application type: new.

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Pik-A-Pop #5, 110 S. Elm Ave., Pasco.

License type: 450, grocery store-beer/wine.

Application type: new.

uMARIJUANA LICENSES BENTON COUNTY APPROVED Common Roots Cannabis, 22604 Hosko

Road, Prosser. License type: 392, marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: assumption.

Three G Farms, 15505 N. Webber Canyon Road, Suite D, Benton City. License type: 392, marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: change of corporate officer.

A56

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2020