Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business -- July 2018 by Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business/Senior Times

July 2018

Volume 17 • Issue 7

Trios Health emerges from bankruptcy, sells home health program BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Real Estate & Construction

Construction begins this fall on $13M hotel near Tri-Cities Airport Page 21

Energy

Framatome engineers earn award for nuclear fuel assembly model Page 39

Business Profile

West Richland clock repairman keeps on ticking Page 52

he Said It “Having a bank headquartered in your community is especially important as the deposits are lent primarily back within the community from which they are taken.” - Eric Pearson, CEO, Community First Bank Page 13

With nearly a year in bankruptcy soon to be in the rearview, Trios Health is moving ahead with plans to be acquired by private Tennessee company RCCH HealthCare. Trios also sold its home health service program for $1.1 million on July 2. The RCCH acquisition, expected to close sometime in late July or early August, does not include Trios Home Health Care. Kennewick Public Hospital District signed an agreement with Iron Bridge Healthcare Inc., doing business as Columbia River Home Health, a local affiliate of home health, hospice and home care services provider Cornerstone Healthcare, for Trios’ home health operations. Trios’ home health program’s 18 staffers — 10 registered nurses, four physical therapists, one occupational therapist and three support and administrative staff — were offered positions with Cornerstone or the option to stay at Trios Health in alternative roles, for which they must be qualified. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern Division of Washington confirmed the hospital district’s Chapter 9 plan for adjustment of debts in June. The hospital district had more than 3,000 creditors holding about $221 million in claims, according to court documents. These creditors included bondholders, real and personal property lessors and lenders, current or former employees and retirees, political subdivisions, or state or federal agencies and others. The court-approved debt plan comes just shy of a year after the hospital district filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection. Chapter 9 specifically provides for the reorganization of municipalities, providing a grace period to propose a plan for the adjustment of the municipality’s debts to third parties. Trios Health’s restructuring reduces the company’s pre-bankruptcy debt by about $350 million. uTRIOS, Page 3

Gary Gemar, center, chief operating officer of Incyte Diagnostics, stands with Daniel Jardine, left, of NAC Architecture, and Mac McGrath, right, of Bouten Construction Co., outside Incyte’s new laboratory at 221 Wellsian Way in Richland. The $1.6 million renovation project will create a consolidated location to serve clinicians at Kadlec and in Pendleton, Walla Wall and Yakima.

Pathology provider consolidates operations into Richland lab BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz

Faster test results for patients and streamlined operations prompted a Spokane Valley pathology services provider to open a laboratory in Richland. Incyte Diagnostics has been working on a $1.6 million renovation of a vacant office building at 221 Wellsian Way for an Aug. 13 opening. Incyte is leasing the building, with an option to buy, to create a centralized location to serve clinicians at Kadlec and in

Pendleton, Yakima and Walla Walla. “We can take advantage of all staffing at one location with better production, better cross training and more efficient use of equipment,” said Gary Gemar, chief operating officer of Incyte Diagnostics. Incyte also recently inked a contract with Kadlec to provide its histology services. Histology is the study of the microscopic structure of tissues. The 7,608-square-foot building is next door to the Academy of Children’s Theatre. uINCYTE, Page 4

New tapas restaurant serves up small plates, unique experience BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

When the ladies’ restroom is a must-see stop, you know the partners behind The Bradley want customers to notice every elegant finish of Richland’s new tapas restaurant and bar. “We put so much attention into detail,” said co-owner Zac Mason. “We obsessed over getting everything right.” Located in the former Rosy’s Diner at 404 Bradley Blvd., the restaurant is close to the Columbia River and just east of George Washington Way. The Bradley generated word-of-mouth buzz ahead of its official grand opening. Describing its offerings as “upscale service in chic, industrial aesthetics,” The Bradley is a unique new option for gourmet food and craft cocktails.

“We thought it was high time to bring something for young professionals, something for people who have culture and have traveled, and bring that to the Tri-Cities because there wasn’t a whole lot here for that. We believe in community and we wanted to be a part of raising the bar,” Mason said. Drinks are served from behind a sleek, white Silestone bar top off a menu that includes an $18 signature cocktail made using a torch, smoked glass and Earl Greyinfused bourbon. Offering local spirits, wines and beers next to international and top-shelf selections, it’s clear this restaurant hopes to be the newest hotspot for a Tri-City demographic eager to experience the kind of food and drinks normally reserved for metropolitan locations. uBRADLEY, Page 9

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Regal 8 Cinemas will shut down its theater at Columbia Center mall in Kennewick later this summer. Mall officials said they have plans to redevelop the space for a new retail company.

Kennewick’s Regal 8 Cinemas to close at mall BY JEFF MORROW

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

While the Tri-Cities will add 10 more movie screens later this year when Kennewick Fairchild Cinemas opens, it will lose eight screens at the Columbia Center mall. The Regal 8 Cinemas will shut down later this summer to make room for a larger retail space, said Barbara Johnson, general manager for Kennewick’s Columbia Center. “We can confirm Regal Cinemas will be closing at Columbia Center,” said Johnson in a statement. “We do have plans to redevelop the space for an exciting new retail offering, and look forward to providing more details when the time is right.” Johnson said the mall has not yet been notified of an official close date, though theater staff say it’s July 22. The theater opened in 1998 at the mall as Act III Theater Cinemas. It was an upgrade to the Columbia Center 3, which sat in a building east of the mall. The new theater was where the old Pay N Save was located on the south side of the mall. The project calls for the theater to be

torn down, then expanded from the original 34,000 square feet to 45,000 square feet, next door to the Barnes & Noble Booksellers store. Nothing official has been announced for the space yet. The project has been in the works for months. The city of Kennewick had a feasibility review meeting on Jan. 31. According to JUB Engineers, the new project will take away about 70 parking spots. The Regal Entertainment Group, with headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee, is the second largest theater chain in the United States. In June 2016, Regal had 564 theaters country-wide, with 7,307 screens. According to Variety Magazine, British theater company Cineworld acquired Regal Entertainment Group for $3.6 billion in December 2017. The country’s largest theater chain, AMC Theaters, was purchased by the Wanda Group of China for $2.6 billion in 2012. Regal had declining revenues of 12 percent, and declining attendance of 14 percent, during the third quarter of 2017.

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TRIOS, From page 1 “These financial commitments made by creditors demonstrate the interest and support in restructuring Trios Health’s financial affairs, servicing supplier contracts and enabling us to continue caring for the community well into the future. I am pleased and appreciative of our employees and patients who have supported us throughout this challenging process,” said Marv Kinney, president of the KPHD Board of Commissioners, in a statement. Trios Health soon will become part of RCCH HealthCare through its joint venture with UW Medicine, RCCH – UW Medicine Healthcare Holdings LLC, according to a Trios Health release. Last year, RCCH announced its interest to the hospital district’s Board of Commissioners. In February, RCCH formalized a public-private partnership with UW Medicine to own and operate community hospitals in Washington, Alaska and Idaho. RCCH will operate and manage these facilities and UW Medicine will provide clinical and quality expertise. “Our providers and staff are relieved to have this chapter behind us and are looking forward to the future,” Kinney said in a statement. “It’s been a tough couple of years, but one would be challenged to find a team as dedicated to their mission of community service as the Trios team.” Trios’ Home Health care program offered in-home care to patients recovering from surgery or injury in

their home by skilled caregivers, recording more than 12,800 visits each year. “We are pleased that the services will continue for the Tri-Cities and with Iron Bridge, which has confirmed its commitment to our home health employees, patients and local community to maintain the excellent standard of care we’ve offered,” said Scott Landrum, Trios Health’s interim chief executive officer, in a news release. Iron Bridge’s Eric Wise, executive director, said his company is grateful to continue Trios’ legacy of high quality, patient-centered care. “We are excited about the team of talented caregivers who are joining us from Trios. We look forward to serving the Tri-Cities area under the name Columbia River Home Health as we seek to fulfill our mission of providing life-changing home health services to our patients and their families,” Wise said in a statement. Trios Health is the Kennewick Public Hospital District’s system of care serving the greater Tri-Cities. The district operates two hospitals, Trios Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Trios Southridge Hospital. Trios Medical Group, comprised of nearly 100 employed physicians and providers, serves as the core of a medical staff network of more than 325 providers throughout the TriCities and includes practices and services at six care centers and one Urgent Care Center.

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INCYTE, From page 1 Four couriers will be based at the Richland site; six others will work in the outlying areas to ferry samples to the lab. The Richland office will have 38.5 full-time equivalent staff, with 27 existing staffers from Yakima, Walla Walla, Pendleton and Kadlec. The opening of the new lab also added eight new positions, including data entry, information technology and client services personnel, and a pathologist assistant. “If staff couldn’t relocate, we tried to make it as attract as possible with retention bonuses and paying for moving expenses,” Gemar said. Some staff will stay in their original locations to support operations in leased space within the hospitals because they’re needed to perform frozen sections during surgeries as well as rapid assessments. Total staff working at Incyte number 289, which includes 42 pathologists. The private company, founded in 1957, boasts pathologists with subspecialty training in dermatopathology, gastrointestinal pathology, gynecologic pathology, hematopathology, neuropathology and oral and maxillofacial, renal, and urologic pathology. Since the Tri-Cities is centrally located between Incyte’s labs in Yakima, Walla Walla and Pendleton, Gemar said it made sense to consolidate operations in Richland, especially after negotiating a deal to handle Kadlec’s histology operations. Incyte already had been serving Kadlec since 2003 with professional interpreta-

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A LOOK BACK July 2003

The Prosser Economic Development Association was in the beginning stages of raising money to build the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center. Cost of the project was estimated at $5.5 million. The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, a publication of TriComp Inc., is published monthly and delivered at no charge to identifiable businesses in Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Kennewick, Prosser and Benton City. Subscriptions are $27.10 per year, including tax, prepayment required, no refunds. Contents of this publication are the sole property of TriComp Inc. and can not be reproduced in any form without expressed written consent. Opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, other contributors or other advertisers, nor do they imply endorsement by staff, contributors or advertisers. Every effort will be made to assure information published is correct; however, we are not liable for any errors or omissions made despite these efforts.

tion of specimens. In addition to its lab work, Incyte contracts with hospitals to provide laboratory medical directorship and consultation services. Incyte hopes to develop a relationship with RCCH HealthCare since plans have been announced that the Tennessee-based company wants to take over Trios Health in Kennewick and Lourdes Health Care in Pasco, Gemar said. “We would love them to be a part of this but time will tell. It makes sense to have one processing center in the community,” he said. Lourdes already contracts with Incyte for professional services, Gemar said. Other savings Incyte realized through consolidation include fewer annual proficiency and state inspections, a requirement at each individual lab. The distribution of the workload also will be improved, Gemar said. The pathology team can review the day’s volume and distribute the workload equally. “That’s a huge thing because it’s really variable. It’s a huge benefit,” he said. “Our smaller locations like in Walla Walla and St. Anthony’s (in Pendleton), there’s not enough volume of tissue to have a pathologist assistant to (prepare the specimens) so pathologists have to do it. Now they don’t have to do that duty. They can focus on interpretation, tumor boards and medical director responsibilities,” Gemar said. All this means faster test results for doctors and patients. “We’re improving turnaround time on results. Less has to be sent to Spokane,

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more can stay here and the transportation is a really big deal. It slows things down,” Gemar said. The process for reviewing the tissue samples is labor and time intensive, requiring a multi-step process once specimens arrive at the lab. “Processing tissue is not a fast thing,” Gemar said. Specimen information is input into a computer, then it’s dissected or bisected and put into cassettes for preservation and processing, which involves removing the fluids with a variety of chemicals that can take up to 10 hours, depending on tissue size. Breast or colonoscopy samples can take up 10 hours; skin moles can take six hours. Then, the sample moves to an embedding process in which the tissue goes into a stainless-steel mold filled with hot liquid paraffin wax to create a block. The next step involves cutting fine tissue slices and affixing them to the slides. The slides are stained and cover slipped before heading to the pathologist for diagnostic work. “They make the diagnosis: normal or abnormal. If they can’t decide, there’s another test. Special stains are ordered which have antibodies,” Gemar said, explaining Incyte has special stains and 140 immunohistochemical antibodies to help zero in on a diagnosis. Renovation on the 12-year-old Richland clinic, which used to be home to pain management and gastroenterology clinics and had been vacant for about two years, began in April. The general contractor is Bouten Construction of Richland. NAC Architecture of Spokane is the architect. One of the building’s unique features was a 2,112-square-foot badminton court with hardwood floors. “The owners were from China and they have a real passion for badminton,” Gemar said, explaining the building also had a sports-themed bathroom and a room to restring rackets. The racquet court has been split and turned into a histology lab and a tissue supply room. Incyte opted to leave the court’s hardwood floor in the lab. Gemar also kept a couple of the birdies — hundreds were left on the court — on his Spokane Valley desk as a keepsake. An open house for the new lab is planned for the fall.

Near Gold’s Gym, next to Costa Vida

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 uBUSINESS BRIEFS Martini bar to open in Kennewick’s Cynergy Centre

A Tri-City couple have plans to open a cocktail and appetizer restaurant this fall in Kennewick. Kokos Bartini will be on the first floor of the three-story Cynergy Centre at 4309 W. 27th Place. The owners, who have asked not to be named until their opening date is closer, signed a three-year lease for the 1,400-square-foot space and applied for a state liquor license. “They’re already in the process of getting it ready, stacking that space out with tenant improvements,” said Scott Howell, commercial broker with the Kenmore Team. He said the owners envision Kokos to be a relaxing, fun environment where friends can meet up, play board games or just chill out. Kokos will serve about 40 different kinds of martinis in a variety of categories, ranging from serene, tropical, sweet, adventurous and spicy. Its focus will be on crafted, specialty martinis — like candy corn, birthday cake and watermelon — as well as classics like the Manhattan, Blue Eye and Vesper, James Bond’s preferred drink. Kokos also will serve fresh foods on small plates, like shrimp cocktail and Korean tacos. No fried foods, beer or wine will be found there. The owners anticipate an October opening with hours from 4 to 10 p.m.

Wednesday through Sunday. Several now defunct restaurants have operated in the building, including The Alley Public House and Brews, Barrel House Café and Wine Bar, Veritas and Cynergy Café.

Technology experts organize Sept. 14 tech summit

A Tri-Cities Tech Summit is planned at the Uptown Theater in Richland on Sept. 14. The event is a conference for professionals and innovators to come together and find out more about what’s happening across technology fields in the Tri-Cities. The theme for the one-day summit is innovation forward and will consist of local speakers and a special keynote speaker, along with demos of technology as part of the summit. As part of the event, there is a current search for tech-focused speakers to engage and inspire attendees. Those wishing to be a speaker or exhibit at the summit can apply at tctechsummit.com. The summit is the brain child of Byron Martin of Kennewick’s Teknologize and Ty Mulholland of Richland’s Wildland. Both have worked in technology industries for the past 15 years and wanted to create an event where they could bring together local innovators and organizations to share new technologies and discuss how it is changing business and creating opportunities. The summit is co-hosted by Teknologize, Wildland, Fuse SPC and TriCities Research District. Opportunities are available for those wishing to help spon-

sor the event. Registration begins this month. Those wishing to be contacted when registration is live may enter their contact information at tctechsummit.com.

ernet Sauvignon, opened its West Richland winery in September 2017, transitioning all its winemaking activities there. The winery also has a tasting room in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood.

Benton PUD offering home weatherization workshop

Franklin PUD project ups capacity by 28 megawatts

Benton PUD staff is offering a workshop on home weatherization and automation from 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 24 at its Kennewick auditorium and 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 25 at the Benton PUD auditorium in Prosser. The workshop includes information about the latest technologies and home automation devices available that can help make homes more energy efficient. There also will be information about rebates through contractors and do-it-yourself energy tips. Benton PUD’s new SmartHub app will be demonstrated and there will be time for questions. For more information, call 509-5821234.

Double Canyon opens tasting room in West Richland

West Richland’s Double Canyon winery opened a new tasting room on July 6. The new tasting room at 8060 Keene Road features a tasting bar and table seating with views of the barrel room and production area, as well as patio seating with a fire pit. Guests may enjoy a tasting flight or order wine by the glass or bottle from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Double Canyon, which focuses on Cab-

Franklin PUD customers began getting more electrical power in June. The project added 28 megawatts of energy to the system by installing a third transformer and five additional feeders at the Foster Wells substation in Pasco. The $2.5 million project will provide more capacity to serve customers in the northeast corner of Pasco, an area with a large number of agriculture and food processing customers.

Group to hold bike program for people with disabilities

The national group iCan Shine is offering a Kennewick class to teach people with disabilities to ride a two-wheel bicycle. The nonprofit has offered similiar programs nationwide since 2007 to teach people with disabilities to ride bikes. The iCan Bike program, offered by the Kiwanis Club of the Horse Heaven Hills, will be July 30 to Aug. 3 at the Southridge Sports Complex, 2901 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick. Professionals and volunteers will use adapted custom-built equipment to provide 75 minutes of instruction daily for five days. For more information or to register, call Marcella Hansen at 509-528-5550 or go to icanshine.org/ican-bike-kennewick-wa.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Richland bypassed for regional smart manufacturing center BY JOHN STANG

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A proposed facility to develop advanced manufacturing technologies is no longer in the cards for Richland. Richland was removed about six months ago as the site when the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute, or CESMII, went through an internal reorganization, said Howard Goldberg, the institute’s vice president for business development. Right now, the institute’s Los Angeles headquarters coordinates activities originally planned for Richland. In 2016, CESMII announced that Richland would be the Northwest hub for the nationwide venture. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was to operate the Richland site, which was supposed to study technologies to reduce energy use in factories, creating advanced materials and improve manufacturing processes. In the original proposal, PNNL was expected to join forces with Washington State University,

University of Washington, Oregon State University, VertueLab (formerly Oregon BEST), Montana educational institutions, Bonneville Power Administration, industry partners and other organizations across the Northwest. CESMII is financed by $140 million in federal and private money. It recently announced $10 million for funding its first 10 projects, none of which are in the Northwest. At that time, Jim Wetzel, interim CEO of CESMII, said in a news release: “We look forward to driving business practices, enabling technology, smart manufacturing capability and work force development through this investment.” More projects will be announced at a later date. That doesn’t mean PNNL can’t participate, said Mike Rinker, PNNL’s manager of energy efficiency and renewable energy. He added that CESMII likely will add a satellite office in the Northwest, but that site has not been picked yet.

Sunnyside mushroom farm secures $45 million in financing production, improve mushroom quality and significantly improve our operating efficiencies, thereby helping to position Sunnyside is closer to 200 new year- the company for continued success for around jobs thanks to Ostrom Mushroom the next generation,” he said. “The Farms LLC acquiring funding for its approach leverages design principles new state-of-the-art composting and and technology well proven in Europe operating platform at the Port of and elsewhere around the world but will Sunnyside. be among the first installations in the Ascendant Partners Inc. of Colorado U.S.” recently announced a $45 million Funding was sourced through a valfinancing package for ue-added private Ostrom, the largest investment firm comOstrom Mushroom mitted to serving food commercial mushroom Farms will add 200 and agriculture sectors producer in the Northwest. jobs to Sunnyside across the U.S. The The financing will with its new indoor innovative financing be used for the develstructure secured the growing facility. opment and construcnecessary project fundtion of the planned ing while minimizing new operation. the dilution of current The indoor facility will allow Ostrom ownership. to produce mushrooms year-around in “This process brought together two Sunnyside. complimentary partners truly commitOstrom has been operating since ted to the industry and the success of 1928 as a family-owned and operated this venture,” said Mark Warren, who commercial mushroom producer. led the process for Ascendant Partners. The new operation will complement “We’re extremely pleased to complete its existing operations in Olympia, said this funding so Ostrom can now fully David Knudsen, the company’s presi- focus on the development and impledent and chief executive officer, mentation of this exciting new mush“This new state-of-the-art operating room production operation.” platform will help Ostrom expand our BY TED ESCOBAR Daily Sun News

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HAPO Community Credit Union and Gesa Credit Union are teaming up with Second Harvest Food Bank to fight hunger in the Tri-City community. The credit unions are accepting food donations at their Tri-City locations through the end of August and each also will match up to $10,000 in monetary donations. Teams from HAPO and Gesa also will be assembling packs of food to distribute in schools to children in need. The donations will be distributed through Second Harvest.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

DATEBOOK

VISIT TCJOURNAL.BIZ AND CLICK ON EVENT CALENDAR FOR MORE EVENTS

JULY 18

• PTAC Workshop “Women Owned Business Certifications for Government Contracting”: 9 – 10:30 a.m., Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. RSVP: 509-4913231.

JULY 21

• 15th Annual Art Walk & Wine Gala: 6 – 10 p.m., Downtown Prosser. Visit: prosserchamber.org.

JULY 25

• Tri-City Regional Chamber Membership Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. RSVP: 509-736-0510. • SCORE Marketing Your Small Business workshop: 4 – 6 p.m., TRIDEC, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite A in Kennewick. Register: midcolumbiatricities.score. org.

JULY 26

• Resetting Your Dynamic – Getting Mobile After Treatment presentation: 4 – 5 p.m., Tri-Cities Cancer Center, 7350 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick. RSVP: 509-7373427.

JULY 27 – 28

AUG. 2 – 4

• TriConf Creative: Various times, Downtown Kennewick. Tickets: triconf. com.

a.m., Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. RSVP: 509-4913231.

JULY 27 – 29

AUG. 4

AUG. 10

• Art in the Park: 9 a.m., Howard Amon Park, 500 Amon Park Drive, Richland. Visit: galleryatthepark.org. • Tri-City Water Follies: 8 a.m., Columbia Park, 2701 Columbia Park Trail, Kennewick. Tickets: waterfollies.com.

JULY 28

• Hunt & Gather Vintage in the Park Show: 9 a.m., John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, Richland. Visit: countrynesters.com.

JULY 31

• Business Development University “Media Master Class”: 3 – 5 p.m., Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. RSVP: 509-4913231.

AUG. 1

• West Richland Chamber Membership Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sandberg Event Center, 331 S. 41st Ave., West Richland. RSVP: 509967-0521.

• CJ Mitchell Memorial Golf Tournament: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sun Willows Golf Course, 2535 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Register: 509-5214061.

AUG. 7

• Prosser Chamber Membership Luncheon: noon – 1 p.m., Jeremy’s 1896 Public House, 1232 Wine Country Road, Prosser. RSVP: 509-7863177. • National Night Out: 5 – 7:30 p.m., Southridge Sports and Events Complex, 2901 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick; 6 – 8:30 p.m., Memorial Park, 350 N. 14th Ave., Pasco; 5:30 – 7:30, John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, Richland; 5 – 8 p.m., Flat Top Park, 4749 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland. Visit: natw.org.

AUG. 9

• Procurement Power Hour “Veteran-Owned Businesses”: 8:30 – 9:30

AUG. 17 – 18

• River of Ink Writers Conference: 8 a.m., Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive. Register: riversofink.org.

AUG. 21 – 25

• Legends of Washington Wine Gala: 6:30 p.m., Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center, 2140 Wine Country Road, Prosser. Tickets: theclorecenter.org.

• Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo: 10 a.m., Benton County Fairgrounds, 1500 S. Oak St., Kennewick. Tickets: bentonfranklinfair. com

AUG. 11

AUG. 24

• Drink Some Wine and Solve a Crime: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Southridge Sports & Events Complex, 2901 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick. Tickets: tricitiescrimstoppers.org. • 2nd Annual Crawdad Boil: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., 1110 Osprey Point Blvd., Pasco. Tickets: 509-547-9755. • 2nd Annual Bow Wow Film Festival: 6 p.m., Uptown Theatre, 1300 Jadwin Ave., Richland. Tickets: bfhs.com.

AUG. 15

• Meet the Buyer “Doing Business with the Bonneville Power Administration”: 1 – 3 p.m., Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. RSVP: 509-491-3231.

• 11th Annual Cuisine de Vin: 7 – 10 p.m., Terra Blanca Winery, 34715 N. Demoss Road, Benton City. Tickets: childrensdevelop mentalcenter.org.

AUG. 25

• Prosser Beer & Whiskey Festival: 5 – 10 p.m., Prosser Wine and Food Park, 2840 Lee Road, Prosser. Tickets: prosserbeerandwhiskey. com.

AUG. 31

• Robert W. Ellis Post 4 Golf Tournament: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Canyon Lakes Golf Course, 3700 W. Canyon Lakes Drive, Kennewick. Tickets: post4.org.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

uBUSINESS BRIEFS BBB warns of online auto buying, transporting scam

The Better Business Bureau Northwest and Pacific is alerting customers of a fake transporting business that is using the name of a company that once operated in Paul, Idaho. BBB investigators say victims have collectively lost $30,000 to a company operating under the name of Elk Horn Express Transport. Consumers say they are directed to a website to register to buy and transport vehicles they have found online. When people are registered, they are required to wire payments for vehicles before inspecting them. People then never receive the vehicles. The BBB recommends avoiding doing

business with companies that want payments sent through wire transfers; examining companies’ websites for poor grammar and typographical errors; and reviewing auto shipping companies as they are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Legitimate companies will have a license that can be checked. To report a scam, go to bbb.org/scamtracker.

Agencies join forces over Amon Basin management

Efforts are being made to promote open communication about the management of activities in the Amon Basin. On July, 3 the Kennewick Irrigation District signed an agreement with Tapteal

Greenway, the Lower Audubon Society and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to work together for the first time on stewardship for Amon Basin. Resources of the Amon Basin include fish and wildlife habitat and irrigation facilities.

Richland council seeks applicants for committee

The Richland City Council is seeking applications from citizens who would like to serve on its American with Disabilities Citizens Review Committee. The committee meets in May and November. The appointment is through Sept. 30, 2021. Applications are being accepted until July 24. For more information, call 942-7388 or go to ci.richland.wa.us/bcc.

Hanford workers invited to free Dust Devils game

All former Hanford and other atomic facility workers will be celebrated at the second annual Atomic Worker Appreciation Night event at the Dust Devils’ baseball game. Workers are invited to attend free of charge to recognize them for serving their country’s nuclear defense program. The event is sponsored by Nuclear Care Partners. The Atomic Worker Appreciation Night event is July 21 at Gesa Stadium on 6200 Burden Blvd. in Pasco. Gates open at 6:15 p.m. with the game beginning at 7:15 p.m. A fireworks display is planned afterward. Former workers will have the opportunity to participate in special giveaways and will be honored throughout the baseball game. To get more information about the event or to RSVP for free tickets, former workers can call 509-420-5650. Free parking passes are available for the first 50 people to RSVP. Last year, more than 200 former atomic workers and family members attended.

Ben Franklin Transit rolls out two new routes

Ben Franklin Transit recently launched two new demonstration bus routes in Kennewick and Pasco. The Summer River Runner operates through Aug. 25, and Route 63D will run for about one year. During these time periods, ridership will be assessed for both routes to determine whether either or both will become permanent. The Summer River Runner is an hourly seasonal route that originates at Three Rivers Transit Center and runs the length of Columbia Park in Kennewick, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays. Served by a trolley bus, the River Runner stops at the Reach museum, throughout the park and the Playground of Dreams. Route 63D provides hourly service from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays between the 22nd Avenue Transit Center and multiple destinations in east Pasco. It travels east along Lewis until Wehe streets before heading north to Ochoa Middle School, then southeast to Tierra Vida. The new route—the result of extensive analysis by the Ben Franklin Transit’s Planning and Service Development team, a series of public meetings, and community survey input—will connect bus service to previously unserved areas in east Pasco, with access to Ochoa, Marie Curie STEM and Whittier clementary schools, Fiesta Foods, Griggs and more. Those interested in trying out the new routes are encouraged to use the transit’s GPS-enabled trip-planning tool at https:// MyRide.bft.org. Ben Franklin Transit also is offering reduced seasonal youth bus fares, including a summer youth pass that gives students in grades K-12 unlimited rides through Aug. 31 for $25 and a $1 day pass for all youth boarding buses. More information is at bft.org/Summer. For more information about the routes, visit bft.org/RiverRunner or bft.org/63D.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 because they’re actual people who grow BRADLEY, From page 1 “Everyone who comes in here agrees, all their own herbs and spices.” The resthere wasn’t anything like this in the Tri- taurant offers a number of wines from its Cities,” Mason said. Nor was there any Bradley Boulevard neighbor, Longship other restaurant that he knows of using a Cellars, and incorporates one into a chercarbon dioxide glass chiller to instantly ry compote served atop pound cake. The Bradley has no host for seating frost and cool a glass to serve cocktails. The food menu is described as “exqui- guests. Customers are invited to choose site small plates,” known as tapas. The from open tables or visit the bar. And while it’s not restricted to those food is intended to be shared around the older than 21, Mason warned, “We are table. “Everything is geared toward social not kid-friendly. We really tried to make interaction, grazing,” Mason said. “So this a place for adults to hang out. If you have your kids with instead of ordering a you, they’re 100 permeal for yourself, cent welcome here, but order one for your “Everything is a good disclaimer is table. And everybody that we don’t have gets to try a little of geared toward on our menu everything. Have that, social interaction, anything for kids. We’re really and a cocktail, and geared toward servicthen order another grazing.” ing an adult crowd.” round and another set Every handcrafted of food.” - Zac Mason, cocktail provides a bit If a guest prefers a The Bradley of history on the chomore traditional-sized sen spirit along with meal, Mason said, “that’s no problem, we can do large tapas. the drink’s description on the menu. A nod to Richland’s own history is But overall, the identity and the gearing is to help people do a more social interac- included in tables throughout the restaurant, which were made using wood from tion.” Some of the food offerings include bleachers believed to have been removed rosemary lamb lollipops ($28), salmon from the former Columbia High School tartare tacos ($18), and saffron risotto in 1977. The bleachers were thought to be ($9). A majority of the items are listed as from the World War II era, refinished and repurposed by Salvaged Hardwoods, a gluten-free. During the season, the restaurant local business that makes furniture out of intends to use local farmers’ markets to reclaimed wood. The Bradley was dreamed up by supply produce for its meals. “If you were to see our vendors come Mason and Dr. Jason Wright during a in, it’s a little bit different than most res- winter conversation at Richland’s Tap and taurants,” Mason said. “It’s like families, Barrel, a wine bar Mason helped open

The Bradley, a tapas restaurant and bar, is now open at 404 Bradley Blvd. in Richland. It offers handcrafted, classic cocktails and small plates. (Courtesy The Bradley)

and managed. Wright is a cosmetic surgeon and owner of Wright Surgical Arts in Pasco. Executive chef Andrew Grassick is at the helm in the kitchen. Grassick also partners with Mason and Kennewick businessman and mayor pro tem Steve Lee in a separate operation, running the Gourmet Grub Bus food truck. The Bradley is a different operation entirely and is in no way an extension of the food truck. Western Equipment was the general contractor for the estimated $350,000 remodel of the Richland restaurant. The team hired Stacey Eneix for interior design, which included that sleek wom-

en’s room and an equally-fashionable men’s room. Smile-A-Mile Painting was utilized for interior painting and Mustang Signs for design work. The restaurant is about 2,100 square feet, with a capacity for 99 people. It currently offers seating for 78, with plans to expand seating on the patio. The Bradley has a staff of 15 people and is open from 3 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The Bradley: 404 Bradley Blvd., Suite 106, Richland; atthebradley.com; 509940-5585; Facebook.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 uBUSINESS BRIEFS State Supreme Court to review Arlene’s Flowers case

The U.S. Supreme Court recently sent the Arlene’s Flowers case back to the Washington State Supreme Court to review in light of the recent ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. As is common when cases involving similar issues as a recent ruling are pending before the court, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a “grant, vacate, remand” order. This means the court does not conduct any additional review of the case to determine whether the ruling applies, but formally vacates the lower court ruling and sends the case back for a second look. The lower court then re-evaluates the case to determine whether that new ruling affects the case. The state attorney general brought the case against the Richland flower shop and its owner, Barronelle Stutzman, after she refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding. Under Washington law, a business need not provide a particular service, but if it chooses to do so for couples of the opposite sex, it must provide that service equally to same-sex couples.

Pathway to environmental careers now open

The state Department of Ecology is now recruiting for 300 environmental positions across the state in the Washington Conservation Corps, or WCC. The full-time AmeriCorps positions offer young adults and military veterans a range of opportunities to gain hands-on experience in environmental restoration, education projects and disaster response services for communities throughout the state. WCC is seeking young adults ages 18 to 25 as well as Gulf War Era II veterans, reservists and dependents with no age restrictions. Members will begin their 11-month service term Oct. 1. Typical projects include planting native trees and shrubs along rivers and streams, building and repairing bridges or backcountry trails, and responding to local or national disasters. To apply, go to ecology. wa.gov/wcc. In addition to career experience, WCC members who complete 11 months and 1,700 hours of service earn a $5,920 AmeriCorps Education Award. Full-time members also are eligible for education loan forbearance, interest payments, health insurance and biweekly paychecks equivalent to the state minimum wage. In May, dozens of WCC AmeriCorps members were deployed in Okanogan and Pend Oreille counties to help communities prepare for the worst spring flooding the region had faced in more than 40 years. WCC members filled and placed tens of thousands of protective sandbags around homes and other structures. Last fall and winter, members went to Texas, Florida, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to assist communities affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

BANKING & FINANCE

Tri-Cities’ financial sector boosted by strong economy BY D. PATRICK JONES

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Remember the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid?” It certainly is true when assessing the state of regional lending. Let’s walk through what the economy does for the regional financial sector. But first, a word about the sector. The “credit intermediation” industry – largely banks and credit unions – works on a relatively simple proposition: take deposits from customers/members/investors, then loan out the money to customers/members. One stays in business by maintaining a spread between the rate at which the money is loaned and the rate paid to depositors. Obviously, one also stays in business by making sound underwriting decisions. To grow the business, institutions can lend out a higher multiple of deposits, subject to governmental rules. But this strategy ultimately confronts government limits to protect the safety of the credit system. To expand operations long term, one needs a larger deposit base. Where do greater deposits come from? Outside of a capital infusion by investors, it comes from people willing to keep money in

checking, savings and CD accounts. In other words, savings. Growth of personal savings depends in turn on rising local incomes, and of course, a willingD. Patrick Jones ness to save. In Eastern addition, regional Washington financial instituUniversity tions need to offer competitive rates, since they face competition from entities, such as mutual and exchange traded funds. (Socking the money away under a mattress is an option, but probably one not taken too often.) Consequently, tracking the health of the local economy gives key insights into the likely health of the regional credit industry. If the economy is doing well, personal saving should be expanding and so should deposits. There are a few ways to measure the local economy and this column will touch on two of them. One of the most straightforward measures looks at per capita personal income.

(Courtesy Benton-Franklin Trends)

This is simply all personal income in the metro area (two counties), divided by every man, woman and child. As the indicator shows, the metro area has experienced a noticeable increase over time. (So have the U.S. and Washington state as a whole.) As of 2016, the last year for

which data is available, this measure stood at a little greater than $42,000. By comparison, in 2008, the dollars flowing to the average Tri-Citian amounted to $35,267. That’s a jump of nearly $7,000. Or in compounded terms, that’s in an increase of 2.3 percent per year. uECONOMY, Page 12

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

ECONOMY, From page 11 Those results apply to just one, or the average, person. To arrive at the economy’s total, consider how much the population has grown. That answer can be found in the first indicator on the Benton-Franklin Trends indicator at bentonfranklintrends.ewu.edu. Over the same period, population in the two counties grew by nearly 50,000 souls. Multiplying that count by the increase in per capita income, we arrive at an additional $350 million circulating, at least initially, in the regional economy. The sum income and population growth rates yield a compounded annual growth rate of 4.4 percent. What business wouldn’t like to see its potential market grow every year by more than 4 percent?

Gross domestic, metro product, or GMP, offers another way to measure the economy and consequently prospects for banks and credit unions. Like its big brother measure, Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, for the U.S., it is the sum of the dollar value of all transactions over a period of time. (It actually counts a concept known as value added instead of final sales, but let’s leave it at that.) And as with national GDP, the values are always offered after inflation has been deducted. GMP provides a different perspective of growth than per capita personal income does. For example, if inflation were running high, it could be possible that all the increase in personal income is due to higher wages that are merely

Banking & Finance covering higher prices of goods and services. If that’s the case, then the economy really hasn’t grown, and it’s unrealistic for banks and credit unions to experience increased deposits. So what has taken place here? Gross domestic metro product, net of inflation, has gone up over the same period in the two counties, but not by nearly as much as the personal income measure. In 2008, it stood at $9.54 billion; in 2016, it registered $11.34 billion. This implies the regional economy grew, in inflation-adjusted terms, at 2.2 percent, compounded annually. This is essentially half of the rate of total personal income. What measure matters more to regional banks and credit unions? It’s difficult to say but economists like to

think that inflation-adjusted dollars more faithfully reflect what is happening in any economy. Even at 2.2 percent growth, the regional economy has enjoyed tailwinds over a difficult period in our country’s economic history. And in 2016, the regional economy enjoyed a terrific bump in this measure. Will the 2017 results extend that experience? The results will be out this fall. 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.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Toshiba to pay $1.3M for price-fixing scheme affecting millions in state

Toshiba Corp., a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Japan, will pay $1.3 million as part of the state Attorney General’s price-fixing lawsuit against manufacturers of a component used in television and computer screens called cathode ray tube, or CRT. The lawsuit alleged Toshiba and other CRT manufacturers, including LG, Panasonic, Hitachi, Chungwha, Philips and Samsung, engaged in a price-fixing scheme to drive up the cost of CRTs from 1995 to 2007. During those 12 years, the price-fixing conspiracy caused millions of Washington consumers to be overcharged for their CRT TVs and computer monitors, according to the state attorney general’s office. The consent decree, which will be filed in King County Superior Court, holds Toshiba accountable for its role in the price-fixing scheme. Attorney General Bob Ferguson said he will distribute the bulk of the $1.3 million through a claims process to Washington consumers and state agencies that bought CRTs during the conspiracy. Some of these companies also orchestrated a strikingly similar conspiracy around the same time to drive up prices of LCD screens. In 2016, the Attorney General’s Office recovered $41 million for Washington consumers in its lawsuit over the LCD price-fixing conspiracy. The attorney general will retain a claims administrator to help with the distribution of the funds. Money will be distributed after all cases are resolved. More details on the claims process will be announced when available. This payment will bring the total paid so far by CRT manufacturers over their scheme to $3.65 million. So far, four other conspirators have paid a total of $2.35 million to Washington: LG, $1.5 million; Panasonic, $450,000; Hitachi, $275,000; and Chunghwa, $125,000. The lawsuit is ongoing against Philips and Samsung, with a trial set for July 2019.

Banking & Finance Number of employees you oversee: 95 Brief background of your business: Community First Bank started 20 years ago and is the only locally-owned bank in the Tri-City market. We specialize in commercial, mortgage and construction lending, as well as banking for clients who desire a consultative relationship with their financial institution. HFG Trust was founded in 1982 and merged with Community First Bank in 2016. HFG is a wealth management and trust company that offers estate planning, investment advisory service, trust services and 401(k) plans to its clients all while serving as a fiduciary for their clients. How did you land your current role? How long have you been in it? Prior to joining the company in 2006, I had a professional relationship with two of the banks’ directors who then encouraged me to look at joining the company. After meeting with the then CEO, Rich Emery, we mutually concluded it was a good fit and I came on board with the objective of becoming his successor. In 2009, I was named CEO and have served in that capacity ever since. How did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today? It was kind of by accident. My dad had just retired from banking when I graduated from college. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do, I decided to take a job at the bank he had retired from while I looked for a “real” job. I spent 13 years learning and growing

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

CEO Q&A

eric pearson

CEO of Community First Bank with that company before coming to Community First and the rest is history. Why should the Tri-Cities care about the banking industry? Banking is a critical part of a thriving economy. Banks pool their depositors’ money and lend it back out into the community. These loans help businesses grow and prosper, homes and buildings to be constructed and individuals to achieve their goals. Having a bank headquartered in your community is especially important as the deposits are lent primarily back within the community from which they are taken. Local banks have a keen understanding of the needs of their community and can be very responsive in meeting those needs. What is the biggest challenge facing bank managers today? Evolving technology, rising interest rates, competition and regulation are the primary challenges facing our industry today. What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess? A positive attitude. Leaders must

inspire those they lead with a message of optimism and excitement about the future. What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position? Be humble and regularly acknowledge that it is your team (not you) that delivers results. What do you consider your leadership style to be? I would describe myself as a team builder. Who are your role models or mentors? I have been fortunate to have a number of excellent role models and mentors. From a professional standpoint, it started with my dad who was also a banker and had a storied career in this industry. Even though he passed away 15 years ago, I still regularly reflect on what he would do as I stew over difficult decisions. I also have had the benefit of working with a number of amazing people and community leaders including those who were CEO at Community First Bank before me, our Board of Directors and a number of community

Eric Pearson

leaders who have taken time to assist my career and offer advice. How do you keep your employees motivated? We strive to maintain a positive environment where employees feel appreciated and desire to succeed for the betterment of the team. I believe that motivation comes from within and employees are not motivated by management. But, management can de-motivate staff. So, we work to create a team-focused environment and we want employees to regularly assess whether or not they are engaged in their work and finding their role rewarding. If/when they are not engaged, we need to actively work to make changes to re-engage them. uCEO Q&A, Page 16

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Banking & Finance

Connect with congressional leaders at Aug. 14 summit BY KRIS JOHNSON

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

It isn’t just the decisions made in Olympia that impact the economy in Washington state. What happens in the “other” Washington can also affect employers, their employees and our families. Everything from health care to trade and immigration to taxes are increasingly impacted by what happens — or doesn’t — in Washington, D.C. In short, if you’re in business in the state of Washington, you need to understand what’s happening in Washington, D.C. We know that employers are busy, which is why the Association of Washington Business is working on ways to make it easy to follow the issues and connect with your member of Congress. In 2014, at the urging of our members, working alongside business leaders, employees and community leaders, we began annual D.C. fly-ins to help facilitate employer engagement on federal issues with our members of Congress. At that time, the U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank was in jeopardy as members of Congress engaged in a political battle. Though a little-known government agency, the Ex-Im Bank is critical to Washington state’s trade-driven economy. Hundreds of Washington’s small businesses – from music stand maker Manhasset Specialty Company in Yakima to mint oil manufacturer Norwest Ingredients in Royal City — use the bank’s loan guarantee and insurance products to safely enter overseas markets, gaining new customers abroad and growing jobs here at home. Likewise, major changes in health care policy and purchasing at the federal level was beginning to have an impact on our state’s residents, employers and their employees. And, who can forget the 2014-15 West Coast ports slowdown? Our members of Congress worked hard to facilitate a resolution, and our members were right beside them to share anecdotes of the impact of the slowdown on jobs and calculate the real impact to Washington state’s economy — nearly $800 million in about six months. Today, trade tensions have the potential to do long-lasting harm to the economy and ongoing immigration issues are

impacting two major sectors of our state’ economy — tech and agriculture. Washington state is an integral part of the global economy that is delicately balanced Kris Johnson between policy Association of Washington decisions at the Business state and federal level. And, now more than ever, Washingtonians must speak to the issues that matter to them with their members of Congress. As part of that effort, AWB held its first-ever Federal Affairs Summit as part of last year’s annual Policy Summit in Cle Elum. Both Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell joined U.S. House members in addressing standing-roomonly crowds. For some business leaders, this is the only opportunity they have had to address their federally elected officials in their home state and in one location. It’s hard for busy entrepreneurs to get time away from their business. And it’s expensive to travel to Washington, D.C. So, this year, AWB is taking advantage of the congressional August recess and holding a day-long Federal Affairs Summit on Aug. 14 in Tacoma — once again convening Congress here at home. The event will allow employers, employees, and state and local officials to connect with Congress in one location, in one day, in their home state. Each one of Washington’s 12 congressional delegates are invited to discuss trade, taxes, health care, immigration, the Ex-Im Bank and more with us. There will be time for questions — and we have many of them — and the policy updates will get us up-to-date on the latest issues that impact our state’s employers, families and diverse regional economies. Just because we’re 2,500 miles from Washington, D.C., doesn’t mean we can’t share our voices and engage on critical issues before Congress that have a ripple effect across Washington state. Kris Johnson is the president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and designated manufacturing association.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Banking & Finance

Prudent investor rule helps to protect other people’s money, assets BY BEAU RUFF

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

You can do whatever you want with your money and assets but when charged with caring for another person’s money and assets, a body of law provides guidance on how you should proceed. Enter the prudent investor rule. I am not talking about financial planners and wealth management companies, though both are ostensibly charged with caring for a person’s money. I am talking about those in positions of power with the direct authority to manage assets independent of the person for whom they are managing money. Trustees of trusts are required to invest and manage assets as a prudent investor (RCW 11.100.020). Nonprofits are generally required to invest and manage assets as a prudent investor (RCW 24.55). Insurance companies must invest and manage float prudently (RCW 48.13.031). Exchange facilitators must invest and manage assets prudently (RCW 19.310.080). Guardians must invest and manage assets as a prudent investor (RCW 11.100.015). And though the rules have slight variations, this column explores the common thread among the various prudent investing laws. So, what is the prudent investor rule and why is it important? The prudent investor rule was adopted by Washington state and comes from the Uniform Prudent Investor Act, or UPIA, a product of the Uniform Law Commission and promulgated in 1994. UPIA and the Washington equivalent require these fiduciaries to adhere to modern portfolio theory and to invest as a prudent investor would invest “considering the purposes, terms, dis-

tribution requirements and other circumstances of the trust” using “reasonable care, skill and caution, according to the Uniform Law Commission. The theory was developed by Harry Markowitz for which he was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1952. It is a mathematical framework for a portfolio of assets that maximizes return relative to risk. As of 2018, the vast majority of states have adopted the Prudent Investor Act and the corresponding use of Modern Portfolio Theory developed by Markowitz, according to the Uniform Law Commission. The scope of the prudent investor rule generally applies to those people or entities acting in some kind of fiduciary capacity. A fiduciary is anyone who is legally required to act in the best interest of the person or persons the fiduciary is serving. It is a duty that can be distinct from acting as the person being served would act. The opinion of the principal or beneficiary is helpful though not determinative. An example helps to explain the concept. Assume John is the eldest son of his widowed mother and that, for example, she either places money into trust with John as the trustee, or John becomes the guardian of her estate. Assume that Mom loves the company ABC and had all her stocks in ABC, or all of her assets in other concentrated positions to include concentrations such as gold, treasury bonds, CDs or just cash. John may wish to honor his mother’s investment philosophy by maintaining the concentrated position in ABC. The problem is that such a move likely would be a breach of his fiduciary duty to his mother to act as a prudent investor under the prudent investor rule. And, in the event the portfolio

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suffered loss (i.e., ABC went down in price) then John could be liable for breaching this fiduciary duty. On the other hand, if John Beau Ruff constructed a Cornerstone portfolio in Wealth Strategies accordance with the prudent investor rule and the assets went down in value, John likely would not be liable for the loss as he has performed in accordance with his duty. The loss in the portfolio is not as critical as the composition of the portfolio. The prudent investor rule generally requires that the assets included in a portfolio be evaluated not individually and in isolation, but instead as part of the broader portfolio as a whole and as part of a broader investment strategy where the risk and return are suitable for the use of the funds. The fiduciary generally must consider the following relevant information in building a portfolio: general economic conditions; the possible effect of inflation or deflation; the expected tax consequences of investment decisions or strategies; the role that each investment or course of action plays within the overall portfolio, which may include financial assets, interests in closely

held enterprises, tangible and intangible personal property, and real property; the expected total return from income and the appreciation of capital; other resources available; needs for liquidity, regularity of income, and preservation or appreciation of capital; and an asset’s special relationship or special value, if any. See, for example, RCW 11.100.020. Simply choosing to invest the fund, without attention to these other matters, is insufficient. The statute specifically lays out the criteria the fiduciary should employ to set up the fund, choose investments and investment advisors, and the factors to consider in the ongoing management and investment of the funds. Those considerations should be stated and recorded in one form or another, sometimes in an investment policy statement and/or the minutes of the fiduciary or the board or investment committee. If you or someone you know is in such a position of power, the best practice is to seek advice from a qualified professional on compliance with the prudent investor rule. Attorney Beau Ruff works for Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a full-service independent investment management and financial planning firm in Kennewick.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Federal regulations change for check endorsements BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Consumers should be aware of a regulatory change that went into effect on July 1, adding a step to the process of depositing a check from your cellphone aimed at helping to prevent fraud. With the advent of banking mobile apps and other “remote deposit capture” technology, the nation’s check collection system is quickly converting from all-paper to electronic. Remote deposit capture allows consumers and businesses to quickly deposit checks from anywhere at any time, by taking a picture of the front and back of the check. Since the actual check remains in the

depositor’s hands after a mobile deposit, regulators have noted a national increase in attempts to double-deposit checks,” according to Spokane-based credit union STCU. STCU recently announced plans to open branches in Kennewick, Pasco and Richland. If the double deposit is successful, the financial institution is liable for any losses; at a nonprofit credit union, that means all members bear the cost for others’ intentional or unintentional double deposits. Starting July 1, many financial institutions began to shield themselves from liability, and make fraud attempts more difficult by requiring a “restrictive endorsement,” STCU said in a news release.

That simply means that anyone depositing a check remotely must endorse the back with a signature (as always) and a note saying the check is for mobile deposit only, at a specific bank or credit union. The exact wording may vary from one financial institution to another. STCU is asking its members to write “For STCU mobile deposit only.” Mobile deposits will be rejected if the check lacks the notation in legible handwriting. Checks with the notation cannot be cashed or deposited in person. In May, STCU members processed 26,964 checks using mobile deposit. That’s a 63 percent increase over May 2017, when mobile deposit was used 17,107 times.

Banking & Finance uBUSINESS BRIEF WSU begins construction on $52M research building

Work is beginning on a new state-ofthe-art research building at Washington State University. WSU broke ground in late June for the Plant Sciences Building in Pullman. The $52 million building is the fourth of six planned buildings in the V. Lane Rawlins Research and Education Complex. It will provide a modern research venue for faculty members and students of plant biochemistry, plant pathology, horticulture and crop and soil sciences. The programs will be moving from buildings constructed in 1959 and 1971.

CEO Q&A, From page 13 How do you measure success in your workplace? Our companies’ purpose is “to build a multi-generational legacy of success through remarkable relationships with our clients and our community,” and we strive to become our clients’ “financial partner for life.” Our success is measured against our ability to deliver on these goals. If we can connect with our clients to the point of becoming their financial partner for life, we will have done so because of the hard work and dedication of our employees. By doing so we will deliver growth and profit to our shareholders and we will be able to actively support our community. This circular relationship between all of our constituencies, if unbroken, is our measure of success. What’s your best time management strategy? I work best when there are hard deadlines. How do you balance work and family life? Family has to come first or it’s out of balance. By truly putting family first, when business becomes hectic, family is supportive, which allows me to draw strength from them rather than feeling guilty for not being with them. What do you like to do when you are not at work? I like to travel with my family, watch the kids’ sporting events, play golf and go boating. Best tip to relieve stress? I remind myself there are situations and/or problems facing others that are far worse than anything I may be dealing with. Obtaining this type of bigger perspective minimizes the cause of most stress.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Banking & Finance

E-commerce experts offer tips for navigating digital marketplace BY LAURA KOSTAD

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The new storefront is online and to be successful there, it’s best to learn all you can about how to do it. That’s according to James Bledsoe, director of the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s eCommerce Innovation Lab in Tacoma. “That’s how people are finding you and finding your products,” Bledsoe said during TRIDEC’s fourth annual FABREO (Food and Beverage Retention & Expansion Opportunities) expo in June. About 300 people attended the twoday event that featured 23 food and beverage industry brokers, distributors, retailers and exporters. The expo is designed to give start-ups a leg up and shorten their journey to success by offering entrepreneurs access to the brokers and distributors they need to grow beyond the commercial food kitchen and farmers’ market. This year’s agenda included a breakout session with e-commerce experts on how businesses can get in the game, strategize and improve efforts in the digital marketplace. Bledsoe and representatives from Kennewick-based Artmil Design emphasized the growing necessity of cultivating a strategic online presence to reach customers. Bledsoe said that food and beverage ranks No. 5 among the top five industries

selling and growing via e-commerce. He cited results from a study of Magento’s top 400 clients that found businesses grossing from zero to $1 million dollars per year in sales may see up to a 137 percent return from investing in e-commerce. Magento provides a cloud commerce platform to merchants and brands. “It used to be you had to have a business card. Now, it’s this stuff,” said Dennis Miller, principal at Artmil, referring to the myriad web-based tools available to businesses today. Derek Munson, senior designer and web developer at Artmil, shared statistics pulled from Mag.ispo.com that illustrate the way shopping habits are rapidly transitioning to online channels. He said companies with blogs generate 67 percent more leads per month than companies that don’t, and email open rates on mobile devices have increased by 180 percent, which Munson cited as the main reason mobile-friendly email campaigns and newsletters are becoming a greater necessity. He also talked about the importance of pursuing ways to bring as much coverage to your company and products as possible, which still includes brick and mortar events, such as trade shows and expos. “Recognition equals value,” said Munson, citing that of the 40 million images posted to Instagram every day, more than 10,000 are the Starbucks’ logo. “It’s a brand culture,” Munson said. “It takes customers only 10 seconds to form

Dennis Miller and Derek Munson of Kennewick-based Artmil Design spoke at TRIDEC’s fourth annual FABREO expo about making their online marketing campaigns a success using real-life case studies from Artmil’s clients.

a first impression of a brand’s logo, but it takes five to seven impressions for consumers to recognize the logo.” “Marketing and selling always begins with developing a strong brand identification,” he added. “Brand identification, essentially, is how a business wants to be perceived by customers,” Miller said. Though it may be tempting to dive headfirst into marketing strategies, such as social media where opportunities to promote one’s brand abound, all three presenters emphasized the necessity of focusing only on the campaigns that translate into the most clicks, and more importantly, the most sales.

“If you’re not going to invest the time to regularly post, then don’t have it,” advised Bledsoe, who added that unless you are dealing in direct consumer goods, many businesses don’t necessarily need to maintain so many social media platforms. “There’s nothing worse than going to a social media channel that hasn’t been updated in six months,” Bledsoe said. Munson noted that claiming your business on Google, adding photos and making sure contact information is correct is important. Search directories also need to be checked periodically to ensure company information is up to date and accurate. uE-COMMERCE, Page 20

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;˘ July 2018

Banking & Finance

Citibank to pay states $100M over interest rate manipulation BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Citibank, a Wall Street financial institution, will pay a total of $100 million to 42 states, including Washington, for manipulating a key interest rate before and during the Great Recession, costing investors millions of dollars. These manipulations may have led investors to make riskier investments than they realized, or impacted the profits from or costs of various investments throughout the financial system, said Attorney General Bob Ferguson in a news release. During the financial crisis, Citibank manipulated Libor, a benchmark interest rate affecting hundreds of trillions of dollars of financial products worldwide, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. Libor is the daily average interest rate that some banks charge each other to borrow money. At the time, each of these banks reported its own estimate of how much it would expect to pay to borrow money on a given day, and those reports contributed to Libor’s calculation. “This large Wall Street bank manipulated interest rates and defrauded Washington investors,” Ferguson said in a release. “When powerful corporate interests break the rules, my office will be there to hold them accountable.” A multi-state investigation started in 2012 revealed Citibank manipulated Libor in two primary ways.

First, Citibank’s managers asked staff submitting Libor estimates to lower their numbers to avoid the appearance that Citibank was in financial difficulty and needed to pay a higher rate than some of its peers to borrow money. Second, at various times from 2007-09, traders from Citibank and other banks asked Citibank’s Libor submitters to change their submitted numbers in order to benefit their trading positions. Citibank’s wrongdoing defrauded government and non-profit entities in Washington and throughout the United States of millions of dollars, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. Government entities and not-for-profit organizations that entered into Libor-linked investment contracts will be notified of this case if they are eligible to receive a distribution from the settlement fund. Of the $100 million, $95 million will be used for restitution back to investors. The rest will be used to pay investigation costs and for other uses consistent with state law, Ferguson’s office said. Citibank is one of several banks under investigation by state attorneys general for Libor manipulation. In two similar antitrust cases brought by Ferguson and other attorneys general, Barclays paid $100 million and Deutsche Bank paid $220 million. These cases returned more than $12.8 million to Washington government and nonprofits.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

More than 2 million tax ID numbers to expire this year IRS advises taxpayers to renew soon to avoid refund delays BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

With more than 2 million individual taxpayer identification numbers, or ITINs, set to expire at the end of this year, the Internal Revenue Service is urging affected taxpayers to submit their renewal applications soon to beat the rush and avoid refund delays next year. In the third year of the renewal program, the IRS has increased staffing to handle the anticipated influx of W-7 applications for renewal. This third wave of expiring ITINs is expected to affect as many as 2.7 million taxpayers. To help taxpayers, the renewal process for 2019 is beginning earlier than last year. “Even though the April tax deadline has passed, the IRS encourages people affected by these ITIN changes to take steps as soon as possible to prepare for next year’s tax returns,” said Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter in a news release. “Acting now to renew ITIN numbers will help taxpayers avoid delays that could

affect their tax filing and refunds in 2019. The IRS appreciates the help from partner groups across the nation sharing this information with those with expiring ITIN numbers.” ITINs that have not been used on a federal tax return at least once in the last three consecutive years will expire Dec. 31, 2018. In addition, ITINs with middle digits 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 81 or 82 also will expire at the end of the year. These affected taxpayers who expect to file a tax return in 2019 must submit a renewal application as soon as possible. ITINs are used by people who have tax filing or payment obligations but who are not eligible for a Social Security number. The IRS has launched a nationwide education effort to share information with ITIN holders. To renew an ITIN, a taxpayer must complete a Form W-7 and submit all required documentation. For more information, visit the ITIN information page on IRS.gov.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

E-COMMERCE, From page 17 “Google has been at the top for 15 years,” said Bledsoe, who cited a 2016 study of the most used search engines. Google is used 89 percent of the time by desktop computer users and 95 percent of the time by mobile users. Another key point emphasized by presenters is it’s not enough to just have a website, but a smooth, intuitively arranged, polished site that is easy to navigate and where products and product information can be found quickly. Bledsoe said 89 percent of all online product research is performed as part of a job. He said research also shows “they will spend less than a minute on your website … if I have to fight to find your products, I’m going to leave your site.” The Department of Commerce recently

launched its new and improved Business search engine algorithms to reference, Service Provider Directory, making it easi- those items aren’t searchable. er for businesses to find web developers, He said this is something businesses marketing firms and other resources that often overlook when trying to get their can help guide efforts. websites to the top of search results. When it comes to Bledsoe said another investing in digital marimplication of joining “SEO is the keting, Bledsoe said, the world of e-com“You must have analytmerce is becoming visfoundation of ics or SEO to make this ible to the international your site.” worthwhile, otherwise marketplace and the potential of selling you’re just burning - James Bledsoe, products worldwide. money.” director of eCommerce “If you’ve ever sold “SEO is the foundaInnovation Lab to Canada or Mexico, tion of your site,” he you’re exporting,” said continued, explaining Bledsoe, who explained that since search engines draw results from web page con- that even if you are selling your products tent, without information attached to graph- on the world wide web, those transactions ics, logos, and photos on websites for are still subject to export regulations and

BANKING & FINANCE fees, which vary from country to country. Export.customsinfo.com provides information regarding taxes, duties and tariffs by commodity classification. Export.gov has information on labeling requirements and prohibited items and ingredients by country. Equally as important as knowing how to legally sell in other countries is how to be successful doing so. Bledsoe recommended analyzing direct competitors and borrowing what is working for them. He said it also is important to understand national and regional marketplace dynamics and buying habits to tailor a sales approach. He added that third-party, incountry distributors can be a company’s best ally in learning these subtleties. In-country distributors also serve as valuable trade partners who can introduce foreign products to existing customers. Bledsoe recommended coordinating with the U.S. Embassy to be matched with relevant distributors. He emphasized the burden is still essentially on the shoulders of individual companies to abide by all applicable rules and regulations governing international trade and to protect themselves and their customers. “International e-commerce isn’t regulated by anybody,” he said. “It’s still the Wild West out there.” The privacy of customer data remains a major problem in e-commerce and regulatory entities worldwide are still trying to devise the best solution. Many countries are attempting to combat the issue by adopting General Data Protection Regulations, or GDPR, which aim to punish “businesses that are flagrantly not trying to protect information,” Bledsoe said. In response, the U.S. Department of Commerce has introduced Privacy Shield, a completely voluntary, “pay-to-play” selfcertification program that enables participating companies to demonstrate their efforts to protect customer information. “Some people really want to push and really want to get their product all over and some people would rather just be a regional company who hits all of the Fred Meyers and has a great following. That’s valid,” Miller said. But companies need to be educated and plan their strategy accordingly, the panel experts said.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Construction to begin on $13 million Courtyard by Marriott hotel this fall

A-1 Hospitality group, Port of Pasco reach agreement on site lease for project BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Pasco airport travelers soon will have another nearby choice for overnight stays. Marriott is bringing its Courtyard brand to the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco. Construction begins this fall. The airport, owned by the Port of Pasco, recently reached an agreement with A-1 Hospitality on a 50-year ground lease at the corner of Argent Road and North 20th Avenue allowing the franchise hotel project to move forward with construction. The lease includes a 25-year renewal. The Courtyard by Marriott — Tri-Cities/ Pasco Airport will open in the Airport Business Center next year. A-1 Hospitality will pay $28,000, or 1.25 percent of the hotel’s gross revenue — whichever is greater — annually to lease the property. The four-story, business-traveler focused hotel will feature 99 rooms, an indoor pool, fitness center, board room and a casual

bistro serving as a coffee bar by day and cocktail bar in the evenings. A hotel like this one typically costs about $130,000 per room to build, according to port officials. This puts the project cost estimate at about $13 million. “This hotel is an important addition to the airport and the neighborhood,” said Buck Taft, director of Tri-Cities Airport, in a news release. “The proximity to the airport provides the traveling public a convenient and affordable option while staying in the Tri-Cities, and it will also support Columbia Basin College and its visiting guests, students and families.” Idaho-based JRA Architecture and Planning is designing the hotel, and Fowler General Construction of Richland is the general contractor. The project is financed by Inland Northwest Bank headquarted in Spokane. The Courtyard by Marriott is being developed by Pasco’s A-1 Hospitality Group, and the hotel will be operated by A-1’s Columbia Hotel Management arm.

A sign announcing the future home of the The Courtyard by Marriott – TriCities/Pasco Airport sits at the corner of Argent Road and North 20th Avenue. Construction of the $13 million project begins this fall. (Courtesy Port of Pasco)

A-1 currently owns and operates the Holiday Inn Express and Suites on Road 68 in Pasco, and additional hotel properties in Oregon. Its past projects include SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn Marriott, both in Kennewick. “We are thrilled to bring the exceptional Courtyard brand to the Tri-Cities Airport. This corporate-centric hotel will provide much needed modern upscale lodging to

the airport community,” said Taran Patel, A-1’s managing member, in a news release. “Our experienced management team will provide unparalleled guest service in a clean and modern environment. We look forward to constructing a hotel that will not only accelerate further economic development in the Airport Business Center but also the surrounding areas.”

uHOTEL, Page 22

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

HOTEL, From page 21 Marriott’s Courtyard is the eighth largest lodging brand in the world, with more than 1,100 hotels in 47 countries, according to the company. In other airport news, the Tri-Cities Airport recently received more than $10 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The airport will use nearly $9.5 million to move the Taxiway Alpha. The work will bring it in line with current Federal Aviation Administration standards. Work will take more than a year to complete and will not affect travelers, airport officials said. About $757,000 will be used to update the airport’s master plan, which was developed in 2012. The master plan is a detailed study that

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

provides a 20-year look at future airport projects. The plan will be completed by national aviation engineering and planning firm Mead & Hunt. “These funds will allow the airport to provide important safety upgrades as well as properly prepare for the future,” said Buck Taft, airport director, in a news release. “The airport is excited to immediately put the grant money to good use investing in the airport and creating local jobs.” All the airport’s major projects included in the existing plan have been completed or planned, more than 10 years early, Taft said. “It’s now time to step back and think about what the next 20 years could bring,” he said.

uBUSINESS BRIEF State’s average annual wages increases 5 percent

Washington’s average annual wage grew by 5 percent in 2017 to reach $61,887 — the largest percentage increase since 2007, according to the state Employment Security Department. The average weekly wage for those covered by unemployment insurance increased from $1,133 in 2016 to $1,190 in 2017 The industries with the largest average wage growth last year were retail with an increase of 14.5 percent, information with an increase of 8.2 percent, and accommodation and

food services with a 6.9 percent increase. The average annual wage is used to calculate unemployment benefits for jobless workers. The minimum weekly unemployment benefit, calculated at 15 percent of the average weekly wage, will increase by $9 to $178, for new claims opened on or after July 1. At the same time, the maximum weekly benefit, which is the greater of $496 or 63 percent of the average weekly wage, will increase by $36 to $749. Currently, about 20 percent of unemployment insurance claims are paid the maximum benefit amount and 10 percent receive the minimum.

TRI-TECH EAST BUILDING 5929 W. METALINE AVENUE• KENNEWICK

Kennewick School District recently completed construction of the Tri-Tech East building on the Tri-Tech Skills Center campus. The new 10,200-square-foot detached building features 6,200 square feet of remodeled space and 4,000 square feet of new space at 5929 W. Metaline Ave. It opened in June.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

The $4 million project features space for classrooms, workshops and offices for existing programs at Tri-Tech Skills Center and new programs related to manufacturing. Funding sources included $1.7 million in state grants and $2.3 million from the State School Construction Assistance Program. Tri-Tech Skills Center is one of 11 skills centers in Washington dedicated to offering tuition-free technical and professional training for high school

students. It operates as a cooperative school of seven local school districts, including Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Finley, Columbia-Burbank, Kiona-Benton City and North Franklin. It also serves students from the Prosser School District, online schools and home-school students. The contractor was Banlin Construction of Kennewick and the architect was Design West Architects of Kennewick.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Grocery Outlet to open new Sunnyside store BY TED ESCOBAR Daily Sun News

Known for its low prices for common grocery items, Grocery Outlet will open a new store in Sunnyside. Grocery Outlet spokeswoman Kelly O’Rourke said construction will start soon. “Delivering thrilling deals has become our mission,” O’Rouke said. “It’s led us to become the nation’s largest extreme value grocery retailer.” Brand-name groceries and farmfresh produce discounted 40 percent to 70 percent from conventional retail

prices are common at Grocery Outlet, O’Rouke said, noting these are highquality, wholesome foods. Grocery Outlet buyers travel the world to find the best food deals available, O’Rourke said. The company has developed longterm relationships with thousands of producers and manufacturers through the years. Grocery Outlet buyers are experts at buying opportunistically; that is, outside the normal retail channel, such as packaging changes, product overruns and surplus inventories, to bring the best bargains back to consumers, O’Rourke said.

The third generation of the Read family is running the business now, with more than 280 independentlyoperated stores in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington. The nearest stores are in Kennewick, Walla Walla and Yakima. A Pasco location is planned for the corner of Road 68 and Sandifur Parkway. The California-based company has been around since 1946. Founder Jim Read started by selling military surplus for big discounts, and Grocery Outlet has been doing the same ever since.

uGRANTS • Two Pasco School District agricultural science teachers have received grants from the state Legislature in support of agricultural science education. Renee Johnson at Chiawana High School will receive $26,500. Carol Travis at New Horizons High School will receive $20,000 • A joint AECOM and Washington River Protection Solutions grant is providing more than 5,000 books to The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia to distribute to children in the schools’ summer meal and summer school programs. The program aims to keep children reading during the summer to prevent reading loss while they are not in school.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

WINE COUNTRY FAMILY DENTAL 6225 BURDEN BOULEVARD• PASCO

Wine Country Family Dental in Pasco moved to its new home on Burden Boulevard in May. The 3,800-square-foot dental clinic’s modern architecture and open-floor design incorporates a rustic and industrial feel similar to many of the wineries and newer buildings around the Tri-Cities. The clinic features exposed rustic beams throughout, with custom wine barrel sinks, wine barrel lights, suspended door soffits attached with metal industrial piping suspended from the ceiling and mounted TVs in each treatment room. There are six treatment rooms, with room for future expansion to add three more. Other building features include quartz and stainless

steel countertops, rustic wood tile and knotty alder doors. An automated lighting control system is used in the main spaces. The exterior features a metal roof, stucco, metal and stone siding. Building cost was $900,000 and the land was $335,000. The clinic, at 6225 Burden Blvd., is across the street from the Road 68 soccer fields and Gesa Stadium. Mark Schutte, owner of Wine Country Family Dental, grew up in the Columbia Basin and has been practicing dentistry since 2009 after graduating from the University of Washington School of Dentistry. After college, he practiced dentistry in the Navy for five years before moving back to the Columbia Basin and buying a practice in Pasco in 2014. Schutte also helps at Columbia Basin College’s dental hygiene program as a supervising dentist, and volunteers at Grace Clinic. Wine Country Family Dental is equipped with the newest dental equipment to offer most dental services and procedures, from fillings, routine dental cleanings, periodontal

therapy, extractions, other oral surgery services, crowns, dentures, cosmetic dentistry, tooth whitening, root canals, braces, temporomandibular disorder therapy, sleep apnea appliances and more. The clinic accepts new patients and same-day emergency walk-ins. For patients who have dental phobia or anxiety, the clinic offers oral sedation and nitrous oxide sedation services. Wine Country Family Dental accepts all major insurance plans and offers in-house payment plans. Adam Swank, owner of Pasco’s Inspiration Home Builders, was the general contractor. Schutte designed the overall layout with completed/ final drawings produced by Architect Anthony St. Martin of Sageland Design in Kennewick.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Company creates new position to ‘lean’ into efficiencies Bouten Construction hires director of performance and innovation BY LAURA KOSTAD

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Bouten Construction recently made a progressive business move not often seen among Eastern Washington construction firms, but more common among larger companies across the nation: it hired a director of performance and innovation. “We’ve come to a point now where we’ve grown a little bit in size,” said Tony Spratling, who was appointed to the new position in January after six years working with Bouten, Tony Spratling first as an engineer, and more recently in project management roles. “(We) need higher-level strategic leadership so that as we grow and find better ways to do things … that we are still providing a consistent project at the end of the day to our customers,” he said. “It’s strategic guidance to help us incrementally advance.” The Spokane-based firm, which has an office in Richland, has built a number of high-profile projects in the Tri-Cities, including the expansion of the Tri-Cities

Airport in Pasco, three Kennewick elementary schools and Kadlec’s six-story patient tower in Richland. Spratling said the new position is a “strategic move” that he and company President Bill Bouten discussed over the past few years as the company has increasingly adopted the so-called lean approach. In the wake of the economic recession, Bouten and his team were looking for a way to further distinguish the company in a saturated market. The answer came in 2011 in the form of lean. “Lean principles really started in manufacturing … it’s about eliminating steps and finding efficiency and less waste. Focusing on workflow and relationships,” said Spratling, adding that traditional approaches to construction are “loaded full of waste.” According to the Lean Enterprise Institute — a think tank that conducts research and shares resources about lean thinking and practice — the principles are: • Determine what is valuable from the standpoint of the customer as it applies to process, services or products. • Identify all the steps in the value stream for each part of process, services and products, eliminating whenever pos-

Spokane-based Bouten Construction, which has an office in Richland, has built several high-profile projects in the Tri-Cities, including Kadlec Regional Medical Center’s six-story patient tower. Bouten recently hired a director of performance and innovation to provide strategic leadership and guidance to the growing company. (Courtesy Bouten Construction)

sible those steps that do not create value for the customer. • Make the value-creating steps occur in tight sequence so the product will flow smoothly toward the customer. • As flow is introduced, let customers pull value from the next step in the process. • As value is determined, value streams are identified, wasted steps are removed, and flow and pull are introduced. Begin the process again and continue until a state of perfection is reached. Spratling said the key is incremental improvement. “It’s not always the big changes —

even if it’s just doing one step better, as long as you are continually moving forward and everyone is working that way together, then you’re not staying stagnant in the same place doing things the same way they’ve always been done.” “Construction was never going to be the same again,” said Bouten, referring to post-recession market conditions. “The market needed to wake up in a very concrete way to the issue of waste. Everything from the design process to the construction process in the field and how we close out the process.” uBOUTEN, Page 30

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Real Estate & Construction

Tractor Supply Co. under construction in Sunnyside BY TED ESCOBAR Daily Sun News

Construction is underway on a Tractor Supply Co. store in Sunnyside. Company spokeswoman Grace Stewart said the store at 2600 Yakima Valley Highway is projected to open this fall. It will be a company store, not a franchise operation. “It’s exciting to get new stores,” said Sunnyside Mayor Julia Hart. Tractor Supply will serve as a one-stop shop for the Sunnyside community’s farmers, livestock and pet owners, ranchers, part-time and hobby farmers, gardeners, homeowners, tradesmen and others. “We’re not just building a store, we’re building a team that understands the needs of the Sunnyside community,” said District Manager Mike Hardesty. … With the addition of our new location, we’re able to ensure the Sunnyside community is fully equipped with the products they need.” The store plans to hire 12 to 15 employees who will have firsthand knowledge and expertise in caring for pets, livestock and land. At the store, customers will be able to shop a wide selection of products, including workwear and boots, tractor and trailer parts, lawn and garden supplies, sprinkler and irrigation parts, power tools, fencing, welding and pump supplies. The store also will carry food and supplies for pets, equine and livestock, as well as a pet wash station where customers will have access to professional grade wash bays, grooming tables and tools. Lakeview Construction will build the 28,797-square-foot retail space. The store plans also include a sales floor and an external support service area. Tractor Supply is the sister company to Del’s Farm Supply, which closed. Only two remaining stores exist in Hawaii.

uGRANT • The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s Partners in Science awarded three $15,000 grants to Tri-City-area educators to engage in research with outstanding mentors. Thomas Collins, assistant professor of grape and wine chemistry at Washington State University Tri-Cities, and Raef Pedersen, a Chiawana High School teacher, will research chemical characterization of grape berries and leaves from smoke-exposed grapevines. Amoret Bunn, a research scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Rama Devagupta, a Southridge High School teacher, will research building responsible science between scientific institutions and security forces. Leo Fifield, a research scientist at PNNL, and Michael See, a Delta High School teacher, will research thermoplastic adhesives application to carbon fiber composite materials.

Real Estate & Construction

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Lutheran church moving to $3.5 million building in Southridge area King of Kings Lutheran Church also plans to open a new preschool, child care program

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

After 40 years in an A-frame building off Edison Street, a Lutheran church soon will move to the Southridge area of Kennewick. Pastor Tim Wilkens, 34, said King of Kings Lutheran Church has outgrown its current space and hopes to be in the new building by late next year. The church has been at 5209 W. Fifth Ave. since the mid-70s, but sold the building last year and is now renting the same space back from its current owners, the Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus. The two churches hold services at separate times so both congregations are able to share the same angled roof. Members of Apostolic Assembly use the building Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, which allows King of Kings to hold worship times on Sunday mornings and evenings. Wilkens has been pastor for three years and said the idea of expansion pre-dates his arrival, resulting in the purchase of the new property at 3315 S. Sherman St., just west of Southridge High School, about five years ago. Church members had an interest in moving to a part of the city that forecast future growth from new neighborhoods

and new families. The five acres bought on Sherman were not on the market at the time, but the congregation knew this was the ideal location and pursued the sale. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in mid-June and construction started a couple of weeks later. The church has a 520-day contract for the build and expects it could run through fall 2019. This would push back plans to open a prePastor Tim Wilkens school at the new location, making it available the following school year instead. King of Kings once operated a K-8 school for about a decade in the 80s and 90s before its closure. The church intends to offer child care before and after school and provide preschool instruction for up to 40 students at a time. In Southridge, King of Kings will nearly double its overall footprint, as the new location will be 11,800 square feet. The existing church off Edison Street is about half that size, split between the church building and an adjacent house that had been used over the years for the pastor’s home and meeting space. That 3,000-

King of Kings Lutheran Church will nearly double its overall footprint when it moves into its new building at 3315 S. Sherman St. in fall 2019. (Courtesy King of Kings Lutheran Church)

square-foot home was short-platted and sold separately from the church building to be a private home separate from future church operations. The Sherman Street church will have a sanctuary to accommodate about 280 worshippers, as well as an activity hall, kitchen, preschool classrooms, offices and conference room. The cost of construction will run about $3 million, with design and furnishings pushing the total to $3.5 million to $3.7 million. King of Kings is receiving a loan from the church body’s lender called the “church extension fund.” It will cover 90 percent of the project costs, plus a grant of $300,000

from the lender. The 270-member congregation launched a capital campaign to cover the purchase of the land five years ago, and raised an additional $300,000 in the past 18 months to work toward paying back the loan. The design and engineer work was completed by Meier Architecture Engineering, with contract work by Booth and Sons Construction, as well as subcontracting from Campbell & Co. King of Kings Lutheran Church will continue to hold services at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays at 5209 W. Fifth Ave. in Kennewick until its new church opens.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

THE ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE 424 KEENE ROAD• RICHLAND

A second The Original Pancake House is serving breakfast all day in the Tri-Cities. The new restaurant in south Richland opened this month in front of Yoke’s Fresh Market at 424 Keene Road. The $1.8 million restaurant will serve full-service breakfasts. Everything is made from scratch daily,

including all syrups, batters and toppings. The pancakes are crafted using a traditional sour starter. In addition to pancakes, customers will find eggs, crêpes, French toast, waffles and meat on the menu. The new 4,500 square feet restaurant features an 810-square-foot outdoor patio. FDM Construction & Development of Kennewick

was the contractor. The design team included Richland’s N2K Design, architect; Knutzen Engineering of Kennewick; and Puyallup’s Black Rock Industries for theming. BDE Holding Co. which also operates the Kennewick restaurant, which opened in April 2017, owns the franchise, as well as restaurants in the Tacoma area.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

BOUTEN, From page 25 Now, nearly 10 years post-recession, the local construction sector faces an overwhelming demand for contractors and their services as the Tri-Cities and surrounding communities continue to grow and flourish. Bouten found itself up to a new challenge: keeping competitive in the face of a breakneck-pace market filled with numerous competitors looking for a piece of the action, while still delivering the same level of quality the company has prided itself on for more than 70 years. “As the construction costs continue to rise and timelines are getting tighter, companies need a way to implement projects quickly and efficiently. The director of performance and innovation role is Bouten’s answer to the constraints of the

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

construction industry,” said Jessica Wade, account director at DH, a marketing firm that works with the company. “You can only can go so far organically without someone to focus everyone onto a strategic path,” Spratling said. “That was a huge commitment from a cost standpoint,” Bouten said. “However, we feel we can cover (Spratling’s) costs through savings throughout the company and projects. It was a very important investment.” As Wade explained, “The company needed a position with the sole purpose of ensuring lean gets woven into every project and into everyday processes — and it’s changing the way Bouten does business.” Bouten Construction began in the early 1930s as a father-and-son outfit building houses, and gradually worked its way into

the commercial sector. Today, Bouten is strictly a commercial contractor operating primarily in northern Idaho, Eastern Washington and the surrounding areas building medical buildings, workspaces, research labs and facilities, college and university buildings, public school and civic/community projects, and private projects, such as banks. Grandson Bill Bouten has been managing the family business since the 1990s and employs 62 salaried staff (12 of whom are in Tri-Cities) as well as a fluctuating number of craft laborers and carpenters. In 2015, Bouten’s volumes exceeded $100 million for the first time in the company’s history. Spratling said the adoption of lean principles has led to significant positive outcomes for Bouten in alignment with the

company’s mission: “The steadfast pursuit of better ways to build places that matter and relationships that last.” “Lean isn’t just marketing or a sales pitch for us, it’s the culture we’re trying to build in our company and with trade partners,” Spratling said. “A culture of continuous improvement. When everyone is actively engaged in that, that’s where the biggest opportunities are.” “We’re engaging our employees and asking them to look at their process and ask why,” he added. He said one of the biggest things the lean method has contributed to Bouten’s approach is “it’s helped us to really understand who our customers are a little better so that we can understand what’s important to them.” uBOUTEN, Page 31

BRANTINGHAM PHASE IV 3030 TRAVEL PLAZA WAY• PASCO

Michels Corp. has leased the Brantingham Phase IV building at 3030 Travel Plaza Way in Pasco. The new 9,150-square-foot pre-engineered steel warehouse features 2,010 square feet of wood framed front office space and 55,265 square feet of yard space.

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION BOUTEN, From page 30 Doug Carl, capital projects director at Kennewick School District, oversaw Bouten’s construction of the Cascade, Sunset View and Lincoln elementary schools in Kennewick. He said he appreciated the round-table approach Bouten adopted as a part of the lean method. “I think any time you engage in an activity to make yourself better, that says a lot about your company right there,” Carl said. “And then to include us. It was helpful just to understand what they’re doing. It was enough of a participation that I knew where they were going and what they wanted to do.” Carl said his experience with Bouten has been great. “They were great teammates, good to work with. In a large construction project like that, you’ve got a whole bunch

of different subcontractors that impact each other and the timing,” he said. He said Bouten’s use of lean principles ensures all parties involved understand they’re dependent on one another and must hold each other accountable. “It’s been a challenge (getting everyone on board),” Bouten said. “There’s been some resistance, but we’re past that and moving forward and seeing good results. It’s a little bit of a challenge when other team members outside Bouten are not as committed to lean.” Spratling said restandardization projects are the answer to some of those disconnects. He said Bouten holds meetings with suppliers and subcontractors to ask the question, “How can our process change to make your end of the process more efficient?”

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 “We’re not just looking internally, but looking at everything as a whole,” he said. “The overall story is we’re taking lean and really pushing the boundaries with innovation and all with the intent of finding ways to deliver projects more cost-effectively and more timely and just with better outcomes. That’s what this is about for us,” Bouten said. For those looking to integrate lean principles, Bouten said they are applicable to most types of businesses. “Anywhere there’s waste. You have to look at operations from a waste standpoint, and you have to be really committed to it and look at it methodically,” he said. Bouten Construction: 295 Bradley Blvd., Suite 202, Richland; 509-943-7677; boutenconstruction.com.

uGRANT • Mid-Columbia Libraries received a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to hold the NEA Big Read in the Mid-Columbia area. The NEA partners with Arts Midwest to support the national community reading program. This year’s selection is “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel and runs from September to June 2019. The grant will allow free copies to be distributed to the public. Various activities will be featured from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

DUTCH BROS.

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all proceeds — $6,455 — were donated to Mustangs for Mustangs, a nonprofit that offers emergency assistance for housing, primary transportation, medical needs, utility and rental assistance and personal safety issues. The group serves anyone who attended Prosser schools or lives in Prosser and their immediate family members “The community has already been so supportive of Dutch Bros,” Erin said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to give back to those who need it most.” Banlin Construction of Kennewick was the general contractor.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Real Estate & Construction

Gymnastics facility vaults into custom-built gym in south Richland

All-American Gymnastics finds permanent home after outgrowing two previous locations BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

AJ Schneider didn’t expect the hobby of a former girlfriend would one day lead to a role as co-owner and partner of a gymnastics facility and head team coach. “I have no background in gymnastics. I’d drop her off for tumbling and I’d stick around and watch, and I learned by watching. And one day they asked if I wanted to start coaching. I thought I might as well get paid for the hour I’m sitting here,” he said. Fast forward 11 years and Schneider is now a co-owner of All-American Gymnastics and Sports Center, which recently moved from a spot in Richland near Chuck E. Cheese’s to an airy gym at 127 E. Reata Road in south Richland, just west of Leslie Road. The gym, which employs 12 to 15 people depending on the time of year, offers everything from recreational and competitive gymnastics and cheer programs, to tumbling, ninja, agility and special abilities cheer classes, as well as an on-site preschool. The new 14,000-square-foot gym can accommodate 15 classes at the same time. The property owner is Riversedge Investments; general contractor was Teton West; and Wave Design Group was the architect. The $1.5 million project included the building and land. All-American was started in 2007 by Schneider’s co-owner and partner, Janice Olsen. She opened the Kennewick facility in the space now housed by Get Air TriCities. Schneider said it was born out of a need for a level of competition that Olsen wasn’t finding for her young gymnasts at the time. All-American eventually outgrew that space and moved to the Richland location in 2012. It spent six years in the Columbia Center Boulevard spot before opening the new gym in south Richland alongside Fallout Crossfit. All-American is owned by Olsen, Schneider, Tom Kinion and Kate Kinion, who also serves as head of the cheer program. Despite Olsen and Kinion’s interest and involvement in gymnastics and cheer, Schneider arrived with no background in either sport. “I picked it up as we went,” Schneider said. “I joke with parents that I’m a YouTube coach.” He graduated college with a degree in criminal justice and opened a bail bonds recovery company. But he found a natural interest in gymnastics and spent time observing and training under other coaches. “I learned to adopt the methods I felt they did really well and adapting them to what I wanted to teach, and how I wanted the program to be run,” he said.

Olsen eventually offered him a position as the new head coach, a role he’s held for three years. That on-the-job training and YouTube tutorials have contributed to some of the 20 state champions and seven regional champions the gym has trained, including many under Schneider. All-American Gymnastics calls itself the best-performing team in the Tri-Cities for the past three years. uGYMNASTICS, Page 37

All-American Gymnastics and Sports Center co-owner AJ Schneider and office manager and pre-team coach, Sarah Olsen, stand in the upstairs parents’ viewing area at the gym’s new location on East Reata Road.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

UNION LOCAL 598 1328 N. ROAD 28• PASCO

While training has always been at the forefront of United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 598, the time was overdue to expand its facilities and bring the infrastructure into the modern age. An expansion and remodel is underway of its existing Pasco building to increase training and education efforts, as well as offer a form of higher education. The expansion of the UA Local 598 Journeymen and Apprentice Training Center adds 18,000 square

feet of classroom space. Improvements include two theater-style classrooms with smart board technologies, a full-scale hospital room including medical gas trainers to aid in gaining state certification (a certificate required by the state of Washington to work on medical gas piping), three multi-use rooms and an additional 4,000 square feet of hands-on training facilities. These additions, in conjunction with existing facilities, will dramatically increase Local 598’s

efforts to meet the growth of the plumbing, pipefitting and construction industries, and remain on the cutting-edge of technology while continuing to meet high industry standards. The project, commissioned by the members of Local 598, is expected to be completed by the end of this month. Total Site Services of Richland is the general contractor. The architect is Wave Design Group of Kennewick.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Father-daughter duo share bounty from their small sustainable Pasco farm BY MARILOU SHEA

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Have you noticed that farm stands are few and far between these days with the success of our local farmers’ markets? I’m almost sure I heard a collective sigh when the popular Cool Slice stand shuttered its bins in Pasco two years ago. One of the reasons is that sustaining a small-scale operation is no picnic. It takes passion and sweat equity in equal measure. Enter Antonio and Criselda Villa. The Villas started their family farm almost 30 years ago. Antonio had spent 25 years managing 400 acres for big-time grower Alford Farms in north Pasco and decided it was time to venture out on his own. The family’s goals were two-fold: become a self-sustaining farming operation and teach their four children a strong work ethic and the value of a dollar. The kids worked on the farm to help offset school supplies and clothing expenses. Fast forward to today. Antonio and daughter Magdalena, who goes by Mogi, partner in managing the prodigious 10-acre Villa’s Fresh Produce in north Pasco. They’re the original DIYers. It’s only the two of them — no hired hands, no weeding crew and no college kid changing sprinklers. Whatever needs doing gets done between the two of them. Whatever revenue is generated goes directly to sustaining their lives — and the formula seems to be working. Antonio sticks to operating the tractor GYMNASTICS, From page 35 The new facility boasts the largest spring floor in the region, with Clarkston being the next nearest site to have a floor of a similar size. The spring floor includes two Olympic-sized floor exercise mats side by side, to create what the gym calls a “super floor.” In its new location, All-American added an in-ground foam pit, which allows for more safety as gymnasts learn skills completed in the pit. All-American keeps a limit on the number of gymnasts it allows in each class to lower the child-to-coach ratio. “Passion to work with kids is a very fine line because one day you want to strangle them and one day you want to love them,” Schneider joked. “You have to balance that line but it’s all the underlying passion for the sport that makes the kids have the passion with you. And everything goes better when everyone’s passionate about it.” The gym offers summer camps, open gym, birthday parties and pairs up with Knockerball Tri-Cities to offer events using giant, inflatable balls. The preschool program is still enrolling for the upcoming school year. Classes are available weekdays beginning at 10:30 a.m. through 6:30 p.m., and weekends include open gym and birthday party schedules. All-American Gymnastics: 509-7839036; allamericangym.org; Facebook; Instagram.

and takes the lead on managing the farm, but Mogi is hands-on there, too. Her unofficial title is farm operations and sales, but her role is multi-faceted. She helps her dad plant, cut and pick the produce in the early morning hours and then sells the bounty within hours the very same day. They have two direct sales channels: the produce stand behind IHOP and Taco Bell on Road 68 in Pasco and at the farm in north Pasco by appointment. Villa’s Fresh Produce grows 10 to 15 kinds of produce, from asparagus and tomatoes to cukes and apples. The duo’s claim to fame and top seller is some of the best-tasting asparagus in the Columbia Basin. They don’t spray their asparagus like some big-time growers and you can taste the difference in every spear. Customers agree. Mogi sells out of asparagus every day at the stand. Our family alone bought close to 100 pounds this year to put up our secret pickled asparagus recipe. Apples come in second in terms of customer popularity. Villa’s grows Honey Crisp, Galas and Fuji varieties. The business has grown due to a Facebook presence, with about 1,000 followers and a vast word-of-mouth network that raves about the quality of their produce. The story goes that one customer, customer A, told another customer, customer B, while in line at another store upon seeing their hands full of asparagus that the only true source for asparagus was to be found at the Villa’s Fresh

Produce stand in Pasco. Customer B promptly exited the store empty-handed and sought out the stand. Villa’s customer base is a well-rounded mix of all three Marilou Shea cities and outlyFood Truck ing areas, includAcademy ing Benton City and Burbank. Customers have been known to drop by, pick up a box of asparagus and pop over to UPS to ship the tender crowns to relatives as near as Idaho and as far as Texas. The father-daughter team consistently strive to improve their operations. This season it meant meetings over the breakfast table to organize their daily schedule, divide and conquer where necessary and take the lead where appropriate. It’s paid off in creating efficiencies all around and streamlined their field and sales efforts. Antonio is also teaching Mogi different planting techniques, which will allow them to expand their product offerings in the future. As you read this fine print, just a heads-up that they’ve partnered with other small family farms to complete their sweet suite with two popular products they don’t grow themselves but choose to sell: cherries and blueberries.

It makes for a consistent presence for the Villa’s at their stand while providing a sales channel for the other growers that doesn’t exist. Later this month, their uncommonly good garden rotation will make a welcome appearance and includes zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, all sorts of peppers, cukes, cantaloupe and watermelon. Come August, Gala apples will tip toe into the mix, followed by Honey Crisps. October beckons with butternut and the current culinary darling, spaghetti squash. The family has carved an immense reputation for their pumpkin patch, which makes its annual debut at the same time and is a perennial favorite. Last year, it produced a bountiful harvest of 2,800 pumpkins, and this year’s yield promises to be slightly more. You don’t get a badge of honor to stop and shop at produce stands like Villa’s Fresh Produce. What you do get is so much more. An incredible flavor experience of fruit in its prime, a fun conversation about the produce — its origins, its fleeting reputation for being fine or a disappointment this year — and, hopefully, tremendous satisfaction that the dollars you spend go directly into the hands sharing the fruits of their labor. What’s not to love? Food Love columnist Marilou Shea is adjunct faculty for Columbia Basin College’s hospitality program and Food Truck Academy, as well as the creator of Food Truck Fridays.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

ENERGY

Engineers earn national kudos for creating nuclear fuel assembly model BY JEFF MORROW

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Present a problem to an engineer and that engineer will find a solution with enthusiasm. That’s what a group of people did recently at Framatome in Richland. Caleb Sarka, Rianna Preston, Chad King, Destinee Rea, Jeff Waddell and Manuel Seubert all work for Framatome. And all are members of the North American Young Generation in Nuclear, or NAYGN, chapter at Framatome, the company formerly known as Areva NP until January of this year when it went back to the Framatome name. Framatome has 14,000 employees worldwide, including 550 at the Horn Rapids Road plant in Richland, making it among the biggest manufacturers in the Tri-Cities. The group of Framatome engineers had a meeting last August and one of the topics was how better to help students and parents understand what its employees do. The company manufactures nuclear fuel, provides engineering services, and inspects and maintains operating reactors. The group from Framatome usually gets about 15 minutes to explain the com-

plicated process to students during tours or classroom visits. Sometimes, there is nothing but blank stares. So the Framatome six decided to do something about it. “We went to a few schools,” said Jeff Waddell, a neutronics engineer. “We didn’t have anything to do hands on. It’s hard in the nuclear industry to show kids hands-on things. So in that August meeting, we tried to figure out what to do to show kids what we do.” It was a puzzle. “One common complaint we have when high school students visit the Richland site is that the tour is not handson. What better way to solve this problem than letting the kids actually build a fuel assembly themselves?” said Chad King, a thermal-hydraulics engineer and the Richland NAYGN chairman. “This is also a great tool for outreach activities to engage students and let them learn about the manufacturing process.” The group came up with something called Build a Bundle. At 15 inches tall, it’s a small replica of the 20-foot tall assemblies in the real plant. uFRAMATOME, Page 46

Framatome engineer Chad King, left, shows an attendee how the Build a Bundle model works at a recent energy conference in Atlanta. A group of engineers in the North American Young Generation in Nuclear Framatome chapter received the “best chapter in public information” award, recognizing their “outstanding impact to engaging and informing the public.” (Courtesy Framatome)

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Energy

NuScale Power’s small reactor project gains traction BY JOHN STANG

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A first-of-its-kind reactor complex in Idaho Falls will be operated by Energy Northwest — probably in the middle of the next decade. In late spring, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission finished the initial phase of reviewing the first small modular reactor design to be submitted to the agency. This design application for a small modular reactor by NuScale Power is the only one submitted so far to the NRC. The NRC expects to tackle three more phases of reviewing NuScale’s proposed designs in 2019, with two additional reviews to be completed by September 2020. The first review phase began in March 2017. “That’s a huge deal because Phase 1 is the most intensive phase of the review, taking more hours and effort than the remaining five phases combined,” wrote Jim Conca, a Richland-based science columnist for Forbes magazine. One aspect of the small modular reactor concept is that a growing site of small prefabricated reactors can be phased in more cost efficiently than building one huge 1,000-megawatt reactor. NuScale’s design would allow up to twelve 50-megawatt modular reactors to be hooked together into one main unit capable of producing 600 megawatts of power. Also, only one 50-megawatt reactor will have to be shut down at a time for refueling while 11 small reactors remain online, instead of closing down the entire reactor complex, said Brent Ridge, Energy Northwest’s vice president for corporate services and chief financial officer. With the financial backing of Fluor Corp., NuScale Power of Corvallis, Oregon, hopes to build the first actual small modular reactor complex at the Idaho National Laboratory, or INL, by the middle of the 2020s. NuScale intends to provide its first small modular reactors to the Utah Association Municipal Power Systems, a consortium of 44 utilities in Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. The intended INL complex has a cost estimate of $2.9 billion with an estimated three years to build. It would be operated by Energy Northwest, which already runs the Columbia Generating Station reactor north of Richland. “We speak the same language. We have the same value set of local controls to local agencies,” said Energy Northwest spokesman Mike Paoli. A small modular reactor is a prefabricated reactor of 300 megawatts or less. The concept is that all the major components would be built at a manufacturing site and then shipped to the reactor location for assembly. NuScale has not yet selected its manufacturing partner or its central manufacturing site, said NuScale spokeswoman Mariam Nabizad.

The Tri-City Development Council has been keeping close tabs on NuScale’s efforts, hoping a combination of the TriCities’ nuclear skills and never-used, partly-built Washington Public Power Supply System reactor infrastructure will provide an attractive manufacturing site. “We think we still have a shot at it,” said TRIDEC President Carl Adrian. The need for additional electricity in the Northwest is expected to surface about 2030. Meanwhile, Energy Northwest — which has the only power reactor in the Northwest — is looking to gain experience in operating this new type of reactor, Paoli said. The NuScale design is simpler and has less working parts than Energy Northwest’s 1,100-megawatt reactor. NuScale has set up a simulator of its control room and plans to set up another in Richland. Energy Northwest expects to begin training small modular reactor crews about two years prior to the Idaho site going online, Ridge said. The small modular reactor digital controls are designed differently from the more-analog one at the Columbia Generating Station. NuScale’s design is also going through a new and different licensing review process at the NRC. Ridge said a question yet to be answered by the NRC is whether a 12-small-reactor complex will need one crew or 12 crews operating it — one for each 50-megawatt reactor. It is too soon to tell if small modular reactors will become a trend in building new reactors across the nation, said Matthew Wald, spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute. “It’s hard to predict the future of energy,” he said. An example of this difficulty is Westinghouse Electric Co., which had been trying to develop small modular reactors. But those went on a back burner when Westinghouse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2017, largely prompted by cost overruns and delays on building four full-size reactors at two sites in Georgia and South Carolina. The two 1,200-megawatt Georgia reactors saw their construction budget grow from $14 billion to $20 billion — more than six times the cost of NuScale’s project, while producing only four times the electricity. In January, Brookfield Business Partners LP agreed to buy Westinghouse for roughly $4.6 billion. In March, a federal bankruptcy court judge approved Westinghouse’s plan to reorganize. Somewhere between NuScale and Westinghouse in designing a small modular reactor is a joint venture by Holtec International and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to develop a 160-megawatt reactor. This design has not yet been submitted to the NRC. GE Hitachi also has joined with Advanced Reactor Concepts to develop a small modular reactor in Canada, which is still in the design stage. uNUCLEAR, Page 46

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Energy

Regional public utility districts ponder best ways to handle bitcoin growth Benton PUD is processing or has approved 11 applications for cryptocurrency operations BY JOHN STANG

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Mining in the Northwest was different in the 1890s. Back then, miners hunted for gold in the streams and mountains of Alaska and the Yukon with picks and shovels. Seattle was a jumping-off point and supply center for gold miners. Today, central Washington, upstream of the Tri-Cities, has become the focus of a new type of mining, the bounty being valuable formulas in cyberspace. The tools are rows and rows of computers. There are about 50 bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining operations stretching along the Columbia River from Grand Coulee Dam to the Tri-Cities. Another 150 ventures have requested electrical power to set up their own operations in the same region. A few more mining operations likely exist in homes that Mid-Columbia public utility districts admit they don’t know about. It’s a phenomena that has five regional public utility districts scratching their heads — not necessarily opposing the concept but wondering how best to deal with it. Welcome to the world of bitcoins, the most famous version of cryptocurren-

which makes governments, banks and Mid-Columbia utilities leery. “Trust can evaporate at any time because of the fragility of the decentralized consensus through which transaccies. Cryptocurrencies are solutions to tions are recorded. Not only does this complicated mathematical formulas calcall into question the finality of indiculated and found in cyberspace. The vidual payments, it also means that a “miner” buys software designed to solve cryptocurrency can simply stop functhose formulas and sets up a string of tioning, resulting in a complete loss of computers to solve those equations. The value,” according to a June report by wrinkle is that once a cryptocurrency the Switzerland-based Bank for formula is solved, the equation for the International Settlements. next solution becomes harder. Consequently, a bitcoin is sort of like Created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, a cyberspace version of a new rare gembitcoin is the top cryptocurrency in exis- stone. The object has a value that rises tence. A single bitcoin looks like a or falls based on a type of emotional string of numbers and supply-side economletters on a computer ics. screen. Raw computer In 2009, bitcoins But Satoshi were merely a hobby power is the Nakamoto is a pseudfor computer geeks, onym. No one knows key to mining worth nothing. By who he or she is. It 2010, the cryptocurrencies. March could even be a front value of a single bitname for a group. coin crept up to a That creator put a third of a penny. In finite 21 million bitcoins in cyberspace. 2011, a bitcoin’s value went from $1 to On July 1, blockchain.info, which tracks $13 and then back down $2. Then it hit bitcoin numbers, said 17.1 million bit- $1,242 in late 2013. Values meandered coins have been mined. But the super- up and down for the next three years difficult formulas have industry experts before booming in 2017. A bitcoin’s speculating the final 3.9 million bitcoins worth made it to $17,900 on Dec. 15, could take 100 years or more to be cap- 2017, before dropping back to $6,311 tured. by July 1. Unlike the world’s more traditional “In 2013, if you told me a bitcoin money, bitcoins and cryptocurrencies would be $10,000 or $20,000, I are not backed by any government,

would’ve called you crazy,” said Lauren Miehe, co-founder of Bitcoin ASIC Hosting, who has switched from being a miner to being a provider of computing power to others bitcoin miners in East Wenatchee. His warehouse operation of providing computers to miners now employs 17 people. He declined to discuss his firm’s finances in detail. In a 4,000-square-foot East Wenatchee warehouse, Miehe has chambers full of computers connected by lots of red and yellow cables— with lots of fans and vents tackling the heat from the servers. Despite all the software, complex math and cyber stuff involved, raw computer power is the key to mining cryptocurrencies. Mining consists of doing zillions of calculations at warp speed. More electricity from the Mid-Columbia utilities equals powering more computers, which translates to better chances to solve the algorithms to “mine” a bitcoin. “They are basically brute-forcing solutions to those algorithms,” Miehe said. Miehe was a telecommunications and banking corporate guy in Seattle who got in a discussion about bitcoins with a friend over a beer. He scoffed at the idea of bitcoins. His friend scoffed back. They argued. That prompted Miehe to research the subject and it eventually convinced him to give the concept a try. uBITCOIN, Page 50

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;¢ July 2018

Energy

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Energy

WSU Tri-Cities professors land $1 million in grants for biofuel research BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Washington State University Tri-Cities recently landed two grants to advance biofuel research. Associate professor Xiao Zhang received $500,000 to pursue converting lignin to biofuel. Lignin is a common material that makes the cell walls of plants rigid. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the grant to Zhang, whose laboratory is part of the university’s Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering. The department also awarded a $500,000 grant to associate professor Hanwu Lei and his research team to create an environmentally-friendly catalyst to lower the cost and increase the efficiency in producing bio-based jet fuels. Zhang’s project will be conducted in partnership with Xuejun Pan, a professor in the department of biological systems engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lignin is one of the largest renewable carbon sources on earth. It allows trees to stand, gives vegetables their firmness and makes up about 20 percent to 35 percent of the weight of wood. It also is one of the largest remnant products left over in the biofuels creation process. Zhang and his team will investigate new conversion pathways to produce chemicals and biofuels without com-

pletely breaking down lignin into monomers — molecules that can be synthesized into polymers. In addition to its potential cost savings, the process could maximize carbon utilization in the biofuels creation process. It would also provide a profitable use for a waste product. “We aim at converting lignin into a skeleton that has a similar carbon length in jet fuel range,” Zhang said in a news release. “The uniqueness is really targeting a more cost-effective process in taking advantage of the basic lignin structure of characteristics. Unlike many other processes, we don’t have to break down the lignin completely to its monomers.” Lei’s grant is his second large major research grant from the USDA and National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The first grant for $494,000 was awarded in August 2015 to develop a different type of biomass-derived catalysts. Once developed, these catalysts will be used to increase the energy output and performance of biofuels. These catalysts will produce aromatic hydrocarbons, which are high-energy organic compounds that largely are responsible for the octane number, or performance rating, of a fuel. Under the new grant, Lei and his team will use enzymes to produce nanocrystalline cellulose. These “green catalysts” will be created from wastes such as corn stover, a remnant of corn harvest, or sawdust from Douglas fir trees. uBIOFUEL, Page 44

Washington State University Tri-Cities associate professor Hanwu Lei, left, and his team in the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to create a catalyst to improve jet biofuel production. (Courtesy WSU Tri-Cities)

Xiao Zhang, associate professor in Washington State University’s Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to pursue converting lignin to biofuel. (Courtesy WSU Tri-Cities)

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Energy

Tri-City electricity producers, providers pay more than $9M in taxes BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Three Tri-City public power electricity producers and providers recently paid more than $9 million in privilege taxes to the state. The annual tax is levied on public power electricity producers and providers for the privilege of generating electricity or providing electricity in the state. Energy Northwest paid nearly $4.8 million, up from last year’s $5.3 million, a record for the agency. Benton PUD paid $2.7 million, up from $2.4 million last year, and Franklin PUD paid $1.7 million, up from last

year’s $1.6 million. In 2017, the state collected about $53.9 million in privilege taxes, which accounted for 0.24 percent of all state taxes. The privilege tax was enacted in 1941. The privilege taxes collected by the state from Benton PUD include $905,000 for the state school fund and $276,000 to the state general fund. In addition, $1.5 million is divided between Benton County, and the cities of Kennewick, Prosser, Benton City and Richland. The privilege taxes collected by the state from Franklin PUD include $578,562 to the state school fund, $176,313 to the state general fund and

$960,166 to Franklin County. The amount of Energy Northwest’s annual privilege tax is directly tied to the amount of electricity generated at Columbia Generating Station, the third largest generator of electricity in the state at the plant north of Richland. “A recent study showed Columbia Generating Station’s value to the region, in economic benefits, jobs and carbonfree electricity generation,” said Brent Ridge, vice president and chief financial officer of Energy Northwest, in a news release. “These privilege taxes will go directly to supporting the local communities who support us every day.” The public power agency produces electricity at three other generating

facilities: Nine Canyon Wind Project, Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project and White Bluffs Solar Station. Generation at its four facilities totaled more than 8.4 million megawatt-hours of electricity last year. Columbia produced more than 96 percent of the total power generated by Energy Northwest, which is provided at the cost of production to the Bonneville Power Administration for resale to customers in six Western states. Here’s how Energy Northwest’s privilege taxes will be distributed: $2.1 million goes to the state school fund and $484,025 goes to the state general fund. The remaining $2.1 million will be divided between jurisdictions within a 35-mile radius of the Benton County intersection of Stevens Drive and Horn Rapids Road, with distribution based on population. Those within the radius include Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Walla Walla and Grant counties; the cities of Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, West Richland, Grandview, Sunnyside, Prosser, Connell, Benton City and Mesa; and four library and 16 fire districts. Energy Northwest has paid approximately $97 million in privilege taxes since Columbia Generating Station began operating in 1984.

BIOFUEL, From page 43 With funding from the second grant, the new nano carbon catalyst will further convert the aromatic hydrocarbons researched with the first grant to cycloalkane naphtha, a major component in jet fuels. “To reduce energy and hydrogen demands, and improve the catalytic performance of bio-jet fuel production, we proposed a new catalyst design that we could leverage from environmentally friendly, nature-based molecules,” Lei said in a news release. “These rodlike nanocrystals can be sourced from any agroforestry waste.” Lei said their project is transformative for the biofuels industry in two ways: it’s a new and innovative idea that can be used to produce bio-jet fuel using less energy and hydrogen compared to current production processes; and by using cutting-edge processes, the team is applying new knowledge and approaches to solve challenges in state-of-the-art nanocrystalline cellulose extraction. “The new process provides another novel pathway for conversion of biomass into advanced biofuels and jet fuels,” he said.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Energy

Energy-saving rebates available to Richland businesses BY JESSICA HOEFER

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Thanks to a partnership between the city of Richland and the Bonneville Power Association, commercial and industrial businesses within city limits are being rewarded for reducing their carbon footprint. The energy efficiency program offered through Richland Energy Services works with 30 to 50 commercial and industrial customers a year. After providing a no-cost energy analysis to identify energy inefficiencies in areas such as lighting, heating and cooling, customers are encouraged to make improvements. Financial rebates are based on kilowatthour savings and vary from project to project—and customers don’t have to do the updates all at once. Framatome has been an active participant of the program for more than a decade, taking advantage of incentives, while reducing its energy consumption by 20 percent since its first project with the city and BPA. Improvements have included upgrading compressed air, building seals and insulation. Senior Vice President Ron Land said the single biggest action Framatome has taken is upgrading the way it processes hydrogen gas through steam reformation. Framatome makes fuel for commercial nuclear reactors in the United States and the Pacific Rim and exports it as well. Although the plant is about 50 years old, Land said there are dozens of buildings on Richland’s 40-acre site, and each year the company aims to reduce its electrical consumption even more. “Every year we have a plan. It’s broader than electricity (and includes) water, sewer and fossil fuels. Some projects we do on our own, and some we do through programs offered by the city and BPA,” Land said. “The (Richland Energy Services rebate) program has

made us move faster to implement some of the improvements because with the financial incentive it makes the cost a little less on us. Obviously, we get a payback from the environmental perspective and a lower bill, but it helps with the decision making to push you along a little faster.” The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was another big project Framatome took on, putting variable speed drivers on some of its ventilation fans. “After you get by the big few (projects), you get into a bunch of smaller projects,” Land said. “Obviously, it’s not the same plant it was 50 years ago, but we take the opportunity to buy more efficient motors so when we do renew part of the plant, the processes become more energy efficient. We work very hard to reduce our environmental impact as much as possible. We’re quite green compared to other facilities in the world.” Framatome’s electrical engineering supervisor, Matt Durst, said the company is also more conscientious about shutting equipment down when it’s not needed. Framatome isn’t just updating old machines and lighting, it is also in the midst of building a new $20 million facility, and the company is putting energy efficiency at the forefront of the project. “We did partner with the city on that building. They were involved in giving us feedback. Going into it, we wanted to make sure we were getting a good level of energy efficiency. We’re replacing a very old facility on site that does much the same work, but it’s old and tired. I’m sure it wasn’t designed with energy efficiency in mind,” said Durst, who encourages other businesses to look into the city’s program. “The dams on the Columbia River are old too, and it’s a lot more cost effective to save electricity than produce more hydro generation or

A Framatome employee loads a shipping container with fuel assemblies. The Richland company has been an active participant in the city of Richland’s energy efficiency program for more than a decade, taking advantage of incentives and reducing energy consumption by 20 percent. (Courtesy Framatome)

produce more gas-fired plants. Anything we can do to help save is a win-win for everyone.” To qualify for energy rebate incentives, commercial or industrial businesses must be served by Richland Energy Services. Lighting incentives cannot exceed 70 percent of the total project cost and the project must show at least a 30 percent wattage reduction. Pre-installation inspection/reviews must be conducted by a city representative, and installed materials must meet or exceed specifications for installation. City of Richland Energy Specialist

Dawn Senger said light sensors and timers are easy ways to make improvements, as well as installing programmable thermostats. Durst acknowledged that simple changes can add up to big savings, and he’s incorporated some of the energysaving updates he’s seen at work into his home life. “Personally, I switched to LED lighting. They last a lot longer and they’ve gotten to be better quality lights,” said Durst, who went on to say, “I’ve noticed a decrease in my bill.” uREBATES, Page 48

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

NUCLEAR, From page 40 Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems wants to host the small modular reactor facility because it plans to shut down its coal-fired plants in the mid-2020s. It wants to spread the replacement power among both renewable and non-renewable sources, and small modular reactors helps it do so, said UAMPS spokesman LaVar Webb. Also, UAMPS likes the flexibility of adding a few modules at a time, he said. Meanwhile, the NRC has received the preliminary paperwork on another site besides INL to host a small modular complex. The Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, has applied for an NRC “early site permit” review of its Clinch River reactor site to accommodate a group of small modular reactors that could grow up to 800 megawatts in power production. This application looks solely at the site without accounting to the reactors’ design. The TVA has not yet picked a specific design of a small modular reactor, and it is still researching its future power needs, said authority spokesman Jim Hopson. Three small modular reactor complexes — using three different designs — already exist in China, India and Siberia, according to the World Nuclear Association in 2017. Five more are under construction in Russia, China and Argentina. The association lists another 10 projects worldwide, including NuScale’s, that are far into their development stages in the United States, Canada, Russia,

China and South Korea. Another 22 projects worldwide, including Westinghouse’s, are either in their infancies or have been significantly sidetracked, according to the association. “While we maintain priority on the work needed to support our first domestic deployment in Idaho, there is substantial international interest in small modular reactors and in the NuScale design specifically. We are actively pursuing this huge market opportunity including those in the (United Kingdom), Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. … This interest has increased considerably in the past year and is reflective of an overall international (small modular reactor) market size estimated to be as high as $550 billion through 2035,” said NuScale’s Nabizad in an email. Wald of the Nuclear Energy Institute said small modular reactors received a February boost from Congress when it extended production tax credits for nuclear power plants. The credits originally came from the 2005 Energy Act to help troubled reactor projects such as Westinghouse’s. But that credit was supposed to sunset in 2020 — a deadline that none of Westinghouse’s delayed reactors are on schedule to make. The new law allows the tax production credits to be used for the first 6,000 megawatts worth of reactors to go online after Jan. 1, 2021, a scenario that is expected to include NuScale’s Idaho project.

Energy FRAMATOME, From page 39 Students can try to manufacture a nuclear fuel assembly and gain a better understanding of nuclear fuel and fuel production. The main piece of the assembly was created on Caleb Sarka’s 3-D printer. Pellets, which in this case are made of coffee creamer dyed with cake decorating powder, are created using a hand press. Students then have to inspect the pellets, remove those that don’t meet standards, then insert the good pellets into rods in the correct arrangement. “The hard part,” Waddell said, “is getting the pellet size right.” But if it’s all done correctly, the device lights up. Because of their work, these Richland Framatome workers and their NAYGN chapter were named the “best chapter in public information” at the recent NAYGN national conference in Atlanta. “It’s the chapter’s first national award,” King said. NAYGN’s vision and mission is to develop leaders to energize the future of the nuclear industry. In addition, NAYGN provides opportunities for a young generation of nuclear enthusiasts to develop leadership and professional skills, create lifelong connections, engage and inform the public and inspire today’s nuclear technology professional to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The NAYGN Richland Framatome chapter has 50 to 60 active members, King said. Anyone who works in the nuclear industry can join. “We meet two to three times a month,”

King said. “We also volunteer with school presentations and help with tours here at Framatome.” “(Being a NAYGN member) provides an opportunity to learn about the nuclear industry,” said Sarka, a mechanical engineer in thermal hydraulics. “I enjoy the opportunity to educate others about the functioning of nuclear power and its benefits.” Rea, a process engineer in ceramics technical support, agreed. But she also sees it as a chance to draw more women into the industry. “The Build a Bundle is such a great opportunity to talk about not only how nuclear fuel is made, but also promote careers in manufacturing or careers in STEM,” Rea said. “It’s also really important to me to be able to represent to young girls that there are women working in manufacturing and STEM, and that it’s something they can do in the future with opportunities for them right here in the Tri-Cities.” Framatome visits schools and hosts high school and college students for tours. The Build a Bundle model has been a highlight on those visits. “The nice thing is that they can see that engineering and science is an option (as a career),” Waddell said. “This helps plant seeds. In an ideal world, it would convince people that nuclear power is a great energy source, that nuclear power isn’t scary.” King said other NAYGN chapters wanted to buy a Build a Bundle from their group. “But it’s all online,” King said. “We’ve got all of the files on our website. We’re trying to spread it beyond Framatome. I’d like to see it spread across the country. Use it in the schools to demonstrate nuclear power. One of NAYGN’s goals is to spread information about nuclear power.” It’s also to provide a spark to other ideas. “I think it’s inspired others to come up with their own (educational) ideas,” King said. “Someone decided to use a 3-D printer to make an entire miniature reactor.” It’s all about education, Waddell said. “The award signifies that this is a really interesting and worthwhile project,” Waddell said. “The more people that can understand nuclear energy through public education, the better.”

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Energy

Energy Northwest leaders aim to better promote benefits of nuclear power BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Energy Northwest recently announced some changes, including a new CEO and promotions within its leadership team. This includes a decision by the company’s executive board to name Brad Sawatzke as chief executive officer, after serving as interim CEO since the end of March. Prior to being named CEO, Sawatzke had most recently served as the company’s chief operating officer/ chief nuclear officer, after joining Energy Northwest nearly eight years ago. He also spent 29 years Brad Sawatzke with Xcel Energy, mainly at its nuclear plant in Minnesota. “We’re confident Brad will ensure this agency provides the most reliable and cost-effective power and energy solutions to regional electric customers,” said Sid Morrison, chairman of the Energy Northwest executive board. Grover Hettel replaced Sawatzke as chief nuclear officer this spring, after joining Energy Northwest as its vice president of nuclear operations six years ago. Following previous stops at nuclear sites across the country, including most recently in Arizona, Florida and Michigan, Hettel said Energy Northwest is unique compared to other places he’s been to. “Our closeness with the community — it’s a lot more of an integral part of the community than it is elsewhere. We have 1,000 to 1,100 regular positions, as well as another 1,500 to 2,000 for contractors during refueling. Our employees are responsible for giving back $150,000 annually to the community through Unit-

ed Way and other charitable organizations,” Hettel said. Filling Hettel’s former office is the new operations vice president, Bob Grover Hettel Schuetz, who also was promoted internally after serving as the plant’s general manager for nearly four years. Schuetz is a Navy veteran, serving as a submarine officer for 28 years, with his final assignment as deputy commander and chief of staff for the commander of Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet. A career path that flows from the military to Energy Northwest is common enough that the company was included on Victory Media’s list of Top 10 Military Friendly Employers in 2015 and 2016. Victory Media is Bob Schuetz an organization formed by veterans to help ease the transition from the military to a civilian career. A recent study found veterans make up 28 percent of Energy Northwest’s work force. The company’s executive board also made an organizational change to move its hydro, wind and solar operations under the leadership of its vice president for corporate services, Brent Ridge. Ridge also will oversee new development and energy business services. These internal moves and promotions speak to Hettel’s opinion that “nuclear power offers the opportunity to learn more. We do a lot of things to make sure we are developing our employees and

offer a significant training program.” Hettel said Energy Northwest promotes a “strong core nucleus of qualified, dedicated and knowledgeable leadership.” Energy Northwest operates the Columbia Generating Station, a nuclear power plant responsible for providing electricity to about one million homes in the state, making it the third largest provider of electricity in Washington. Operating north of Richland, some newcomers and those living outside the Tri-Cities might not realize they have a nuclear plant Brent Ridge so close. Hettel says in the past “we would have taken this as high praise because we’ve blended in, and had no safety issues, but now we want to share the benefits to the area. We run safely and reliably. We want to start making ourselves known because we have a lot to offer and we want people to be aware of the benefits of nuclear power.” Those benefits include carbon-free power. Schuetz said if the same amount of power was to be provided using a traditional natural gas plant, it would be equivalent to the carbon created by more than three-quarters of a million cars, or about 25 percent of the vehicles on the road in Washington. And while Energy Northwest also

operates hydro, solar and wind projects, “natural resources can’t always provide power 24 hours a day,” Schuetz said. “The costs are similar to solar and on-shore wind, and actually beats the cost of solar, minus the subsidies. We’re clean, costeffective and reliable.” For those who might raise concerns about the safety of the plant, Schuetz reminded the community, “the plant operates incredibly safely. It’s going to shut itself down if there’s an issue. Two nuclear regulators are on site at the Columbia Generating Station, and they bring in special inspection teams from outside agencies, including a federal regulator and nonprofit group, to make sure we run safely and operate efficiently.” The Nuclear Energy Institute, lobbyists for the nuclear technology industry, recently examined the economic impact of the Columbia Generating Station and found it provides more than $690 million in economic output, including $475 million in Washington alone. This comes from its support of nearly 3,000 jobs in the state through direct and indirect employment created from the operations at the site. The same study found that between 2018 and 2043, it’s expected operations at the Columbia Generating Station will generate more than $8.9 billion in economic impact to the state of Washington, and another $425 million to the rest of the nation. uENERGY NW, Page 48

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

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ENERGY ENERGY NW, From page 47 Energy Northwest works with the Bonneville Power Association to provide the generated power to homes and businesses down the grid. “A close relationship between us and BPA is very different and more integrated than what you might find elsewhere,” Schuetz said. “We sell all power at cost and they pass it along to the ratepayers. It’s convenient to reduce power on their request, and to do this successfully requires a daily working environment.” This is known as “load following” and allows the Columbia Generating Station to reduce its output based on need. This could happen during the spring when mountain runoff might create more hydroelectric power for BPA and lessen the need for nuclear power. Providing clean, cost-effective and reliable power is the overall goal for the company, Schuetz said. And as the company’s newest operations vice president, he breaks that down even further by recalling the times the plant came offline unexpectedly. “Supporting that is basic leadership by all members of the organization. We all are working as a team,” he said Schuetz also said, “there’s an opportunity to be even more efficient and cost-effective.” He cited a projection of the average cost per kilowatt to come in at 4.35 cents for the next 24 months, compared to the 4.7 cents from 2016-17 or 6.3 cents between 2011-12. One of the main strategies to reduce costs, while also maintaining reliability, is to “refine our maintenance strategy,” Schuetz said. “Fix equipment when it needs it, but not too much.” Schuetz also cited the times Energy Northwest has seized the opportunity to combine jobs simply through attrition, reducing the overall work force by about 100 people, strictly through voluntary departures. The Association of Washington Business named Energy Northwest its Employer of the Year in 2016. Columbia Generating Station has been owned and operated by Energy Northwest since it first went online in 1984, and plays a role in providing Washington consumers with the second-lowest power rates in the nation, just behind Louisiana. REBATES, From page 45 Along with commercial and industrial rebate programs, the city of Richland also offers rebates and lowinterest loans to qualified residential customers for energy efficient HVAC equipment and weatherization measures, including insulation, windows and doors. Information and applications for rebate programs for businesses and residential customers can be found on the city’s website at ci.richland.wa.us/departments/energyservices/energy-efficiency-programs. A list of energy-saving tips also can be found online, as well as an energysaving lighting guide and ways to save money with holiday lights.

Energy

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

Winemakers work with earth’s energy to cultivate grapes The ethanol and carbon dioxide produced are byproducts of the fermentation, along with a number of flavor and aroPlants are the ultimate energy-convermatic compounds. In the wine fermenter, sion machine, taking energy from sunwe must cool the jackets to pull away the light along with carbon dioxide to proheat from the energy being released by duce plant biomass and oxygen. Wine the yeast, otherwise the tanks of fermentgrapes, like many plants, will store some ing juice will get over 100 degrees and of this energy as sugar in the fruit. kill the yeast. The grapevine using the captured As you can see, nature has a pretty energy, along with water, nitrogen and good process for producing and fermentother nutrients from the soil and carbon ing fruit into wine. The basic role of the dioxide from the air, will produce biowinemaker is to get all the components mass through photosynthesis. This would together in one place be the leaves, trunk to allow the yeast to and cordon (limbs) convert the grape and fruit. The fruit juice to wine. From bud break contains the seeds in We just passed until harvest, a delectable package through the summer to entice birds and solstice and there is we work with other animals to eat a lot going on in the the energy of the them and scatter those vineyards. The rapseeds near and far. idly growing shoots earth and sky. Fruit production is that carry the develthe replication of the oping clusters need species and the plants attention to produce reason to be. quality fruit. There are a number of vineThe grape — with its sugar, flavor, yard practices taking place. Shoot thinaromas, acid and tannin — is the perfect ning is done early to remove excess mixture to produce wine. But we need shoots which have pushed from the coranother one of nature’s energy converdon (the vine’s horizontal limbs). sions maestros to produce wine. This is Removing these shoots opens the canopy the unicellular yeast, a fungus, which in to more air and light, reduces humidity the absence of oxygen and through the and allows for better spray penetration process of fermentation, will convert the and dappled light to the grape cluster. sugar to ethanol through a number of Sprays are applied frequently early in metabolic steps releasing energy and pro- the growing season to prevent mildew, ducing yeast biomass and replicating. which unprevented, will grow on the

BY DAVID FORSYTH

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

leaves and berries, ruining fruit. Noxious insect populations also are monitored and will be sprayed if populations get to a point where the vine or the fruit may David Forsyth be damaged. Four Feathers Deficit irrigation Wine Estates also is being employed during this time of year, with vines receiving less than the amount of water that they are requiring and using in their everyday growth. Growers want to apply just enough water to keep the vines growing. Excess watering leads to a large canopy, which in turn reduces air movement and light penetration. Later in the growing season, more water can be applied to the vine to keep it healthy and fully develop the fruit. July is a good time to get a crop estimate to understand how much fruit is hanging out there, usually related as tons per acre. Carrying an excessively large crop will lead to delayed ripening and poor flavor and color development. As the grape berries grow, they increase in size dramatically until they are near verasion, the stage when the berries begin to soften and change color from pea green to translucent yellow, or green if a white or red if a red variety.

At this point, the berries pause in their growth for a couple of weeks. This is called lag phase. This allows a window for the grower to go out and harvest grapes from several vines in each block. The grower counts the clusters and weighs them, determining an average cluster weight. The lag phase weights are correlated to harvest cluster weights and this correlation is known from previous year’s data. Using this sample vine data, the grower can calculate the pounds per vine (or tons per acre). If the crop exceeds optimum target yield for that block crop, thinning will need to be done. Vineyard workers then will go out and remove a certain number of clusters per vine by hand to ensure proper ripening. Weather and attention to vineyard operations during the active summer growing months are critical and will define the quality of grapes that will come off of a vineyard. Every growing season is different and how the grower and winemaker respond to that will determine the final character of the wines produced. From bud break until harvest, we work with the energy of the earth and sky. Harvest ends with the first frost, then winter waits for spring to begin the cycle again. David Forsyth is the winemaker and general manager of Four Feathers Wine Estates in Prosser.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

BITCOIN, From page 41 He started mining in Seattle when a bitcoin was worth $3. Adding computers for the increased computer calculations overwhelmed the electrical capabilities of Miehe’s house in Seattle. He moved to East Wenatchee and set up in the warehouse because this section of the Columbia River has some of the cheapest electricity in the nation coming from five dams between Grand Coulee and the Tri-Cities. Basic residential rates range from 2.7 cents to 4 cents a kilowatt-hour in Grant, Chelan and Douglas counties. Residential rates fall short of twice that in Benton and Franklin counties. The national average is 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. Meanwhile, the Chelan, Douglas and

Grant PUDs have at one time or another issued moratoriums on processing applications by cryptocurrency ventures for their electricity. So far, no miners have applied for Franklin PUD’s power, but that utility’s commissioners are pondering what to do if and when that happens. “It’s kind of a fear of the unknown, which is totally reasonable,” Miehe said. The moratoriums have been prompted by the mining operations using significant amounts of electricity with the PUDs wondering if they can afford to provide it. While the extra electrical load is within the production capabilities of the five dams, questions exist on adding power lines and extra transformers and substations — and who will pay for that extra infrastructure? And how stable is the cryptocurrency industry,

Energy which might need a lot of new infrastructure now, but may or may not die away as a fad in the digital age? That could leave the PUDs with extra maintenance costs while losing a revenue stream. Another wrinkle is that a bitcoin mining operation uses a steady amount of heavy power non-stop 24/7, instead of the day-and-night fluctuations of homes and normal businesses. That changes the dynamics of a PUD running its own power grid. Consequently, the cryptocurrency-power contracts are extremely complicated, with the miners paying more than a normal home or business would for a kilowatt-hour. Here is a breakdown of what the five PUDs have faced in the past few years. Benton PUD: This district is process-

ing or has approved 11 applications for cryptocurrency operations. It has a new policy requiring such operations to contact it so the PUD can determine whether the new heavy and steady load will cause any problems. This PUD provides about 203 megawatts annually for all of its customers. Grant PUD: Its first bitcoin operations applied for power in 2014. The PUD produces 2,000 megawatts annually from its Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams. About 200 megawatts goes to its own customers, with abut 16 megawatts going to 12 bitcoin firms. The rest goes to the Bonneville Power Administration. Grant PUD commissioners put 125 new cryptocurrency applications on hold last summer while they work on a new rate structure for bitcoin-type operations and make sure ends meet. The deluge of applications came as the value of individual bitcoins zoomed up last year, said Grant PUD spokesman Ryan Holterhoff. Chelan PUD: It is now on its second moratorium on cryptocurrency applications. The first took place from 2014 to January 2017, which resulted in 22 approved applications. “Then in October 2017, the price of bitcoins really skyrocketed, and we saw big increases in applicants,” said Andy Wendell, Chelan PUD’s director of customer services. The PUD discovered 28 unauthorized cryptocurrency mining operations in the county. The clues were huge steady 24/7 appetites for electricity that were more than a house would normally use. The PUD’s commissioners installed a moratorium again in March 2018 to re-review the situation. About 25 applications are on hold. The Chelan PUD has two dams — Rocky Reach and Rock Island — rated to provide 2,000 megawatts annually, although that translates to 1,100 to 1,400 in the real world, Wendell said. About 200 megawatts goes to the PUD’s customers, including about 16 megawatts to bitcoin mining. The rest goes to the BPA. Douglas PUD: Right now, Douglas County has eight cryptocurrency operations, each with a load of more than 1.5 megawatts. No additional applications are pending. Its commissioners held a three-month moratorium in 2014 to review what it would need to do with bitcoin miners. The Wells Dam is rated at 851 megawatts annually with county customers using roughly 108 megawatts a year, including 15 megawatts for cryptocurrency operations. However, the bicoin miners have paperwork in place to ramp up by a total of an extra 90 megawatts. The rest goes to the BPA. Meanwhile, Miehe is optimistic about his firm’s chances in East Wenatchee. Bitcoin ASIC Hosting has switched from being a mining company to a firm that provides computing power for other miners — a demand that he still sees as growing more than the availability of designated computers. All the equipment is a huge up-front investment for any bitcoin miner. Miehe said it takes a few years for such a single mining operation to become profitable. “You don’t get rich quick,” he said.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 uNEW HIRES

• Richland’s Desert Veterinary Clinic, a locally-owned, small animal, American Animal Hospital Associationaccredited clinic, has added a fifth veterinarian to its practice. Dr. Nicole Goodman began taking appointments in mid-July. Dr. Nicole Goodman Goodman graduated with her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from St. George’s University. Her areas of interest include small animal medicine, surgery, ultrasound and pocket pets. • Ken Gamboa is Tri-Cities Cancer Center’s new director of marketing and business development. He has a master’s of business degree from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Prior Ken Gamboa to being hired, he worked for U.S. Cellular as the director of sales for the Northwest. • Brian Johnson has been hired as the new auditor and director of administrative services for Franklin PUD. He will be responsible for the agency’s accounting functions. Johnson has a master’s degree in business administration from Northwest Christian University and has been working in the field for 17 years. Prior to coming to Tri-Cities, he worked at Emerald People’s Utility District in Eugene, Oregon. • Danielle Kane has been hired as the Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific’s Tri-Cities Marketplace Manager. She will serve as the media

and community contact. • Certified registered nurse anesthetist Jared Wingert was hired for Trios Southridge Hospital’s surgery services. He has a bachelor’s in nursing and a master’s in nurse anesthesia. He most recently Jared Wingert worked at the University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Missouri. • Dick Nelson has joined Wave Design Group to provide structural and civil engineering services. He has 20 years of experience in industrial, commercial, residential, church and governmental projects. He has a bachelor of science in civil Dick Nelson engineering from Portland State University and is licensed as a professional engineer in Washington, California, Texas, Idaho, Kentucky and Virginia. • Macy Griffiths was hired as an intern architect for Wave Design Group. She graduated from Kamiakin High and received a bachelor’s and master’s in architecture from the University of Macy Griffiths Idaho. • Chaplaincy Behavioral Health has made several new hires. Lynn-Marie Peashka, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, provides psychiatric evaluations and ongoing therapeutic medication management primarily to older adolescents and adults.

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Adrian Garcia, a clinical psychology with a specialty in art therapy, can see Medicare patients and also speaks Spanish. Albert Wilkins, a licensed mental health professional, specializes in minority mental health and has worked in chemical dependency with in-patient treatment. • Alli Talmage is the new events coordinator for the Pasco Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Gonzaga University. Alli Talmage • Kennewick School District hired April Heiser as its new transportation manager. She has worked in the industry for 22 years. Heiser spent the past 15 years as West Valley School District’s transportation director. In addition to her time in West Valley, she has been a bus driver, driver trainer and administrator in the Yakima and Walla Walla school districts. She served as a third-party tester for the state Department of Licensing for 10 years and is a mentor in the Pupil Transportation Management Training Program at Central Washington University. Heiser replaces retiring Transportation Manager Ethan Schwebke.

uPROMOTIONS • The following Benton PUD employees recently received promotions: Chris Folta is the new director of information

technology and broadband service and has been with Benton PUD since 1996; Christie McAloon is the new manager of customer service and has been with the agency since 2006; and Jenny Sparks is the manager of customer services for the Prosser office and has been with the agency since 2006. • Naomi Puckett has been selected as the next principal of Ridge View Elementary in Kennewick. Puckett has been Naomi Puckett with the district since 2001, working as a kindergarten teacher at Ridge View since 2002 and was named the assistant principal in 2016. • Michael Corbin was promoted to manage the architectural department of Wave Design Group. He has been with the company since October 2017. He has worked in the Tri-City area for 22 years and has worked on projects rangMichael Corbin ing from custom homes and small offices to schools and large office buildings. He earned a bachelor’s of architecture from Washington State University and is a registered architect in Washington and Oregon.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

BUSINESS PROFILE

West Richland clock repairman continues to see uptick in workload Owner of Nihart Clock Repair learned trade from his late father BY JESSICA HOEFER

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Al Nihart took apart his first clock before the age of 10. Like his father, Nihart was a mechanic at heart. But that’s where their similarities end. “He was a watch repairman, and I hate watches,” Nihart said. “You don’t fix a watch. You open it up and take out a broken or rusty part and put in another one. I didn’t want to just swap parts. A clock repairman has to fix the parts. It’s much more challenging than a watch.” And though Nihart, 71, wanted nothing to do with watch repair work, his dad — who owned Nihart Watch & Clock — preferred not to work on clocks. “But people would call him out to oil up their clocks or do service calls. When I was about 12 or 13, I went with him. (Dad) said, ‘Go ahead and do this repair,’ and after a while, it got to be when someone called and wanted their clock serviced, my mom would drive me out to do it. I had a two-step stool and I’d climb up to see in the clock and I’d oil them up,” Nihart recalled. When his dad died in the 1980s, Nihart took over the business but renamed it Nihart Clock Repair — eliminating the watch repair service. It’s been in business for about 65 years.

Despite changing the company’s work scope and seeing a rise in digital technology, Nihart said he’s busier than ever. “My business has gotten bigger and bigger because all of my competition has died. I’m one of the last buffaloes in the herd. You can’t find a clock repairman anymore. I’m already backed up three or four months,” he said, adding that most of his business comes from people looking to restore or repair family heirlooms, such as an old grandfather clock that’s been in the family for generations. “Most everything is battery operated now. People today don’t understand (antique) clocks.” Forty years ago, when he went to work full time at his dad’s shop around Christmas time, Nihart said they would line up clocks on the floor to be fixed and they would all be repaired by Christmas. Nihart has a new shop at 1010 N. 59th Ave. in West Richland, but this past December he couldn’t line up the clocks on the floor because he ran out of room. “I counted 60 clocks that needed to be serviced or worked on. If I take one more clock, I’ll be busy until this December,” he said with a laugh. “Today alone, three more came in.” On average, Nihart repairs two clocks a week—and the work doesn’t just come

Al Nihart, owner of Nihart Clock Repair in West Richland, has been servicing and fixing antique clocks for more than six decades.

from the Tri-Cities. “I have a really good following in Bickleton, Goldendale and The Dalles. And I had a lady this morning in my shop from La Grande. Fortunately, I could fix it while she waited. And I just had two clocks that came in UPS, one from Tacoma and another from Bellevue,” he said, adding that he has traveled to work on clocks as well. “(A while back), I had a lady from Pendleton, she had a really big grandfather clock, and I stripped it and made it safe for her to move to California. When she got there, she called me up and sent me a plane ticket. I flew to California, put her clock back together and flew home.” The price of repair or service work varies depending on the scope of the project and parts needed, but a basic service call to oil and adjust an antique

clock is $175 within the Tri-Cities. Mechanical clocks are supposed to be oiled every five years, said Nihart, who explained that the first thing a person will notice when their clock is in need of service is that the chimes get slower. But because the chimes slow down gradually over time, most people don’t notice, and that’s when major damage can occur, Nihart said. “An overhaul is sometimes as cheap as $275 to $300. If you have to replace the springs in a spring-driven clock, they’re about $50 apiece. So I put springs in there and it adds $100 to a $250 overhaul. And again, I’m not fixing junk. They were expensive to start with, and people want them fixed,” he said, adding that while the work itself is not difficult, it’s not a job everyone can endure. uCLOCKS, Page 54

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

BUSINESS PROFILE

Richland spiritual supply store offers tools, classes for self-discovery BY LAURA KOSTAD

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A Richland shop that opened a year ago already has expanded its footprint and offerings with a goal of providing “spirituality for all.” Lotus of the Moon, a metaphysical and spiritual supply store, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. The shop opened in June 2017 using $5,000 in savings and donations inside a 350-square-foot space in the Uptown Shopping Center. Community support prompted a move six months later into a bigger 2,250-square-foot store, also at the Uptown. “Lotus of the Moon is a spiritual store, but we are really so much more than that,” said Stephanie McCarl, who owns the store with her husband, Lenny McCarl. “Lotus of the Moon is committed to providing tools and opportunities for self-discovery and personal growth. We are building a community of people seeking connection and consciousness.” She said Lotus of the Moon’s purpose is to help people connect with what spirituality means to them, explaining that the store is a place for everyone, offering an array of tools to help facilitate personal spiritual journeys. “No matter where you come from, you’ll find something in there that will elevate that,” said customer Cindy McKay. “They are a great resource to the community. I (found) my Jesus cards in the Lotus of the Moon, but I also found my

Stephanie McCarl, co-owner of Lotus of the Moon spiritual supply store in Richland’s Uptown Shopping Center, said the shop received such an outpouring of community interest following its opening last year that it had to move into a bigger building.

reiki cards in there too. There’s always a book on lifting yourself up. Always something really inspirational. I’m always drawn to something special,” McKay said. Lotus of the Moon sells books on meditation, Middle Eastern philosophy and other approaches to mental and emotional well-being, as well as incense sticks and burners, various stones used in gem therapy, essential oils, sage smudging kits,

tarot, oracle and angel cards, and more. It also carries apparel, handmade jewelry, home décor and local art. And the best part is the majority of the items are made by Tri-Citians. Jen Jackson, owner of Candle Magick, is one of those entrepreneurs. She makes a line of all-natural soy therapeutic candles infused with essential oils, which she assembles in her kitchen. Each candle is

formulated to encourage healing for a variety of ailments, such as chronic stress and insomnia. Jackson began manufacturing her own candles when she learned store-bought candles, which often have dyes and artificial fragrance, had a negative effect on her health. She said she is thankful to have a local outlet to sell her products. Jackson also sells handmade jewelry made of copper wire, which she said helps to alleviate pain, as well as wire-wrapped gem stone designs. Those wanting to sell their products at Lotus of the Moon have two options: monthly space rental or consignment. If sellers rent, they get a three-by-six foot space, complete with fixtures and shelving, for $100 a month. With consignment, space also is provided. However, rather than a monthly fixed fee, Lotus retains 30 percent commission on all sales. Lotus of the Moon also offers designated spaces at the back of the store for hourly and daily rental. Availability can be checked and reservations booked on the shop’s website. Formerly occupied by Buckwheat Bottoms, a natural living and cloth diaper store that closed in November 2017, the large commercial building provided Lotus of the Moon ample room to host its wide array of meditation, art and healing classes and activities, put on by teachers and practitioners from the Tri-City area and beyond. uLOTUS, Page 54

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

LOTUS, From page 53 During the first year in business, Lotus of the Moon held 175 classes with more than 8,000 attendees and 55 collaborators teaching, selling and providing services, Stephanie said. The shop’s 100-square-foot “healing room” is used by reiki and energy healing practitioners, massage therapists, acupuncturists, counselors and others conducting small group or one-on-one sessions. Another healing room is planned for one of the back rooms currently used for storage. A 500-square-foot “classroom” is touted on the shop’s website as being “perfect for meetings, parties, events, photography sessions, art studio space, and other classes” and accommodates 12 to 30 people, depending on the type of event. Stephanie said Lotus of the Moon

recently began offering its own weekly growing number of other local businesses, lineup of 10 yoga classes in the classroom and free access to the shop’s book club and for a $60 monthly New Moon Club, membership fee for which celebrates each “I’m trying to adults and $25 for month’s new moon. kids. There is no Part of the reason redefine what enrollment fee. Lotus of the Moon’s small business “We’re one of the yoga membership is so only studios in the inclusive is Stephanie’s looks like. I area offering regular dedication to building really believe in classes for kids and community. teens,” Stephanie Stephanie was origcollaboration.” said. inally inspired to open The membership, - Stephanie McCarl, Lotus of the Moon which provides after visiting Chelan’s co-owner, unlimited access to Spirals store, which Lotus of the Moon she has since partnered the yoga classes, also includes 15 percent with to split the cost of off anything in the store and other services stocking a variety of products that would hosted at Lotus, as well as discounts at a be prohibitively expensive for a small shop Paid Advertising

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to source on its own. With a background in accounting, Stephanie said she has read a lot of research on intergovernmental collaboration. “All research shows that the more resources you bring together, the more there is for everyone. At a spiritual level, the more we give, the more we also receive — the energy will multiply,” she said. She said it’s why Lotus of the Moon also has teamed with The Lotus Pad yoga studio in Kennewick to launch a studio partnership offering a dual membership for unlimited access to both studios — $90 for adults, $40 for kids. “I thought, ‘Let’s be collaborative so we’re not competing,’ ” explained Stephanie, who hopes to recruit more local studios to the joint-membership concept to help build the Tri-City yoga and spiritual communities. “It’s a concept I’d like to see replicated elsewhere … across the country,” she said. Tanner Collins, one of the shop’s four employees, echoed Stephanie’s community-driven sentiment. “I think the best part of working here is being exposed to the community. A lot of people out there struggle to find that kind of community. I honestly just love the conversations with the people that come through,” Collins said. “We have gotten so far from connecting with other people, but all the analytical experts are saying that we are an experience-driven economy … retail alone isn’t going to work,” Stephanie said. “I’m trying to redefine what small business looks like. I really believe in collaboration,” she added. “I think small business needs to do the same.” The store is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lotus of the Moon: 1386 Jadwin Ave. in Richland’s Uptown Shopping Center; 509940-7460; lotusofthemoon.com; Facebook; Instagram. CLOCKS, From page 52 “When you work on a spring-driven clock and you pull that spring out of the barrel, I guarantee you Arnold Schwarzenegger would get cramps in his hand. Until that spring is threequarters loaded, you can’t let go. You don’t have to be big and strong to do this, but you have to be able to sit at a bench and bend over and concentrate on a part without it hurting your back,” he said. Nihart said there are so few people who do clock repair work anymore that he doesn’t expect his work to ever slow. He’s the official repairman for Howard Miller clocks in the area. As his territory has expanded, he’s occasionally sent to Spokane and Coeur d’Alene for repair jobs. “People ask me if I’m going to retire, but no. I can never retire,” he said. And while he’ll keep working on clocks as long as he can, he’ll never be caught with one in his home. “I can’t stand to have a clock in the house. Most clocks tick, and I’m a clock repairman. And a clock is never quite perfect. If I lay in bed and hear a clock tick, I have to get up and fix it.” Nihart Clock Repair: 509-539-2587.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 uNEW HIRES • Oscar Del Valle was hired at Trios Medical Group — Urgent Care as a family nurse practitioner. He previously worked at Prosser Memorial Health’s Benton Oscar Del Valle City clinic and was a counselor at Sea Mar Community Clinic in Kent. • Kara Kaelber of Pasco is the new program manager for the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation. She is a 2016 alumna of the AgForestry Kara Kaelber Leadership Program.

uBOARD • George Rangel, senior communications specialist for Bechtel at the Hanford vitrification plant, was selected and approved as a new member of the Junior Achievement George Rangel Board for Southeastern Washington. Rangel has been with Bechtel for 17 years.

uHONORS • The City of Pasco was among the Top 20 finalists in the All-American City Award competition put on by the National Civic League. The award recognizes efforts to engage residents in innovative, inclusive and effective ways to tackle challenges. This year’s theme was “Promoting Equity Through Inclusive Civil Engagement.” Teams from communities participated in presentations and workshops in Denver for three days. • Maryhill Winery’s winemaker, Richard Batchelor, was named 2018

Winemaker of the Year at the annual International Wine Competition. The award is given to the winery with the most gold medals. Maryhill received 53 medals, including 12 golds, 30 silvers and six bronzes. • Blaine Tamaki and Vito de la Cruz of Tamaki Law were chosen as 2018 Super Lawyers. The recognition is given to lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition. • Megan Hale and Sergio A. Garcidueñas-Sease of Tamaki Law were named as 2018 Rising Stars. The honor goes to candidates 40 years old or younger and in practice 10 years or less. • Petersen Hastings, an investment company in Kennewick, was named to 2018’s Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers list. It is one of eight firms in Washington and the only one in Eastern Washington to receive this recognition. • Benton-Franklin Superior Court Judge Bruce Spanner received the Outstanding Judge Award from the Washington State Bar Association. He became a judge in 2009 after 24 years of practicing law in Bruce Spanner the Tri-Cities. He was selected because of his devotion to equal justice under the law without bias or prejudice and his deep involvement in his community. He has been active in Kiwanis, March of Dimes, Habitat for Humanity, Tri-City Water Follies, Law Day and Bethel Church. He has served the Washington State Superior Court Judges Association as chair of its Technology Committee and as its representative on the project to implement the Odyssey case management system. • HAPO Community Credit Union was ranked the No. 1 credit union in Washington on Forbes’ “America’s BestIn-State Credit Unions” list for 2018. • The Kiwanis Club of Richland honored detective Damon Jansen on June 20 with the Kiwanis Police Outstanding Officer of the Year Award in observance of Law Enforcement Day. He has been with the department for 10 years. • Edwardo “Eddie” Morfin received

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the Pro Bono Public Service Award from the Washington State Bar Association. Morfin practices personal injury and started a yearly free legal advice clinic in Benton and Franklin counties Edwardo Morfin with BentonFranklin Legal Aid Society and the Latino/a Bar Association of Washington for low-income clients. In addition, he has volunteered extensively for Latino/a Bar Association legal clinics, interned with the Northwest Justice Project, interned with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and volunteered with the Washington State Commission on Hispanics Affairs. He also served as a clerk to Judge Salvador Mendoza in 2014.

uSCHOLARSHIPS • The Tri-Cities Industry Kiwanis Foundation recently announced the names of students who earned scholarships: TCI Kiwanis Foundation Scholarship, $1,000, Danielle Erlenbush, Liberty Christian High School; TCI Kiwanis Foundation Scholarship-renewal, $1,000, Stephanie Nelson, Biola University; Joan Rude Memorial Scholarship, $1,000, Stefan Geist, TriCities Prep; and Paul Beardsley Scholarship, $500, Krystal O’Dell, River’s Edge High School. • Mission Support Alliance recently awarded 45 scholarships to dependents of employees during its annual scholarship banquet. The recipients may use the scholarship at a post-secondary school of their choosing. Four co-op intern employees received scholarships that can be used at Columbia Basin College or WSU TriCities. MSA also contributed to CBC’s general scholarship fund and provided

WSU Tri-Cities donations to award scholarships to underrepresented students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. • The Kennewick Police Officers Benefit Association has established a $25,000 endowment at Columbia Basin College for student scholarships. The association represents the commissioned Kennewick police officers.

uDONATIONS • Washington River Protection Solutions gave $15,000 to Junior Achievement of Southeastern Washington in support of the Titan Business Challenge. Since 2009, WRPS has served as the sponsor of the regional competition for area high schools that give a real-world look at the challenges and opportunities of running a high-tech company. Each student from this year’s winning team received $300. • Kadlec Foundation raised more than $95,500 during its Kidz Dig Rigz event in May to support its pediatric services. The event is in its eighth year. • Numerica donated $30,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs’ Road to Success program that helps teens participate in career exploration activities and college tours. The foundation will pay for 20 teens to tour colleges around the Northwest during a weeklong trip along with helping to pay for a new van.

uCERTIFICATION • Iron Mountain Management recently was certified as a Woman Business Enterprise through the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises. Inclusion in the directory provides an easy way for buyers and contract officers of local, state and federal agencies to find and notify certified firms of procurement and contract opportunities.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;¢ July 2018

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

PUBLIC RECORD uBANKRUPTCIES Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings: Chapter 7 — Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up non-exempt property and debt is charged. 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 Victor Gonzalez, 1327 N. 24th Ave., Pasco. Kelly L. & Anndrea R. Hamby, 3388 S. Roosevelt Place, Kennewick. Joshua J. Goffard, 2839 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. Nazar V. Parkhotyuk, 4117 Dartmoor Lane, Pasco. Teresa Aguilar, 1716 W. Marie St., Pasco. Todd D. Sprague, Jr., 6687 Garnet Court, West Richland. CHAPTER 13 Cerise M. Peck, PO Box 635, Richland. Crystal A. Cardenas, 2550 Duportail St., Richland. David Hernandez, 4421 W. Marie, Pasco. Alicia Schultz, 2200 W. Shoshone St., Pasco. Randall D. Koller & Patricia A. Mosley, 8607 Lancaster Drive, Pasco. Robert M. & Britteni J. Holliman, 4101 W. Dusty Lane, Benton City. Michelle M. Razogarcia, 2210 Frankfort St.,

Richland. Christopher M. & Alyssa Schultz, 926 Thayer Drive, Richland. Eric & Dawn M. Locke, 250 Gage Blvd., Richland. Michael S. Martin, 4618 Yuma Drive, Pasco. Wayne B. Mattocks & Nora F. Kommer, 2023 W. Grand Ronde Ave., Kennewick. Christie J. Ray, 9202 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick. Jaz Jasmine, 411 Sailfish Court, Richland. Lindsey D. Clark, 6102 N. Road 68, Pasco. John C. & Hadley Masters, 3030 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick. David C. Morales & Priscilla I. Centeno, 22003 W. Gerrick Road, Benton City. Benjamin J. Getty, 3303 W. Seventh, Kennewick. Jayson T. Stowers & Kristen D. Sullivan, 3450 Olympia St., Kennewick, Lonn Mejiano, 5225 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Raul A. & Sarah Gallo, PO Box 569, Connell. David S. John, 2930 S. Keller Place, Kennewick. Hugo A. Mendez, 272 S. Osborne St., Kennewick. Cecelia J. Mauseth, 5230 Outlet Drive, Pasco. Home Tile Marble, 3603 Verbena Court, Pasco. Marla M. Murphy-Bussell & Ray E. Bussell, 171 Tamarisk Lane, Richland. Saul Chavez, PO Box 4366, Pasco. Jennifer Martinez, 1503 Johnston Ave., Richland. Jonathan E. Peralta, 1711 E. Parkview Blvd., Pasco. Kenneth C. Zwicker, 10251 Ridgeline Drive, Kennewick. Aaron W. Johnson, 4215 Duroc Lane, Pasco. Vania G. Villarreal, 905 S. Garfield St., Kennewick.

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Gerardo Barajas-Obregon & Martha A. Corona, PO Box 1057, Connell. Maria del Carmen Valdez, 1305 Road 48, Pasco. Crispina Garcia, 3313 W. Agate St., Pasco. Raymond Vasquez, 424 S. 22nd Ave., Pasco. Jesse Sandoval, 1517 Johnson Ave., Richland. Alyssa Pope, 307 E. Fifth Ave., Kennewick. Gustavo Santos-Rabelo, 4920 Matia Lane, Pasco. Edgar Rayo, 101 N. 62nd Ave., West Richland. Valeria L. Maples, 85 Ridgecliff Drive, Richland. Cedric J. Calderon, 1548 N. Edison St., Kennewick. Ingrid-Illona P. Hendrickson, 1329 McPherson Ave., Richland.

uTOP PROPERTIES

Top property values listed start at $500,000 and have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure.

BENTON COUNTY 24603 S. Sunset Meadow Loop, Kennewick, 2,336-square-foot, single-family home on 2.08 acres. Price: $590,000. Buyer: Michael & Leanna Miller. Seller: Allen & Cheryl Van Valkenburg. 1931 Artemis Ridge, West Richland, 2,822-square-foot, single-family home on 2.5 acres. Price: $695,000. Buyer: Brandon & Sarah Ritchle. Seller: Ryan & Alicia Kelly. 67204 685 PRNE, Richland, 2,281-squarefoot, single-family home on 5.19 acres. Price: $755,000. Buyer: Luke & Lacy Dynes. Seller: Amy Boudreau. 3701 Northlake Drive, West Richland, 4,046-square-foot, single-family home on 1.14 acres. Price: $525,000. Buyer: Michael & Melissa Lehrschall. Seller: Gordon Comfort Jr.

5100 Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, multi-unit apartment buildings on 8.7 acres. Price: $10,213,800. Buyer: Lakeside Kennewick. Seller: Lakeside Tri-Cities. 1246 Plateau Drive, Richland, 2,895-squarefoot, single-family home. Price: $581,500. Buyer: Jeffrey & Angelia Keck. Seller: William & Stacey Shelton Trustees. 445 N. Volland St., Kennewick, multi-unit apartment buildings on 5.06 acres. Price: $5,143,300. Buyer: Crown Village Kennewick. Seller: CV Apts. 30405 S. 903 PRSE, Kennewick, 3,066-square-foot, single-family home on 2.5 acres. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Mathew & Erin Kerr. Seller: Marvin Benard. 430 Keene Road, Richland, 2.82 acres of commercial land. Price: $1,290,000. Buyer: STCU. Seller: Keene Road Investments. 1820 S. Dawes St., Kennewick, 2,162-square-foot, single-family home. Price: $525,000. Buyer: Kevin & Teresa Konzen. Seller: Lewis & Marla Barnhart. 466 Bradley Blvd., Unit 2, Richland, 3,103-square-foot, single-family home. Price: $686,000. Buyer: Jody & Wills Easterday. Seller: James & Kay Arbogast. 87905 E. Sagebrush Road, Kennewick, 0.55 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $511,700. Buyer: Cathie Carter. Seller: Alderbrook Investments. 26304 Sunset Meadow Loop, Kennewick, 2,958-square-foot, single-family home on 2.08 acres. Price: $580,000. Buyer: Ian & Lauren Evans. Seller: Corey & Ashley Meehan. 13605 S. Clear View Lane, Kennewick, 0.53 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $534,900. Buyer: Simeon Morales & Shauna Farrar. Seller: Millenial Homes.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 58

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 PUBLIC RECORD, From page 57 201 W. Hillview Drive, Richland, 3,216-square-foot, single-family home on 0.75 acres. Price: $540,000. Buyer: Bartholomew Sullivan Roach. Seller: Greg Carl Trustees. 227 Kristen Lane, Kennewick, 2,473-squarefoot, single-family home on 1 acre. Price: $664,900. Buyer: Adam & Melissa Waggoner. Seller: Dean & Deana Jackson. 5040 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 6,724-square-foot, commercial building. Price: $560,000. Buyer: Haining Wang & Jing Zhang. Seller: James Rigby Trustees. 1243 Country Ridge Drive, Richland, 2,560-square-foot, single-family home on 1.2 acres. Price: $538,000. Buyer: Perez Jennifer. Seller: Arzu Gosney. 1802 W. 51st Ave., Kennewick, 2,286-squarefoot, single-family home. Price: $585,000. Buyer: Bryan & Lori Avery. Seller: Mathew Kerr. 1208 Brentwood Ave., Richland, 2,212-square-foot, single-family home. Price: $510,000. Buyer: Donald & Katherine Flynn. Seller: Liyuan Liang & Robert Riding. 87205 E. Sagebrush Road, Kennewick, 2,672-square-foot, single-family home. Price: $500,000. Buyer: Jared & Mindy Barber. Seller: Alderbrook Investments. Albany Place, Kennewick, 8 lots of undeveloped land. Price: $600,000. Buyer: Green Plan Construction. Seller: Jaya Holdings. 430 George Washington Way, Richland, 12,428-square-foot, commercial building. Price: $2,400,000. Buyer: Anchorage Corporate Aircraft Center. Seller: Timothy & Kathryn Bush Trustees. 98904 162 PRSE, Kennewick, 2.54 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $913,900. Buyer: Scott & Alexandra Adams. Seller: Septan Homes. 6002 W. Lattin Road, West Richland, 3,096-square-foot, single-family home on 0.97 acres. Price: $500,000. Buyer: Jeremy & Courtney O’Niel. Seller: Michael & Stacy Maul. 1123 Country Ridge Drive, Richland, 3,367-square-foot, single-family home on 0.93 acres. Price: $609,000. Buyer: Wesley & Shannon Heyden. Seller: Michael & Gwendolyn Atchison. 1440 Jadwin Ave., Richland, 5,720-square-foot, commercial building. Price: $650,000. Buyer: Jai Gurudev. Seller: Rajiv & Monica Malhan. 100425 E. Canyon View Drive, Kennewick, 2,073-square-foot, single-family home on 0.86 acres. Price: $526,000. Buyer: Brandon & Maren Wilm. Seller: Jeffrey Lippert. 5901 Lanay St., West Richland, 2,581-squarefoot, single-family home on 1.03 acres. Price: $520,000. Buyer: Robert & Tamara Cantwell. Seller: Jonathan & Erin Baker. FRANKLIN COUNTY 7021 W. Argent Road, Pasco, 1,356-squarefoot, single-family home, 2,200 & 2,776-squarefoot, commercial buildings on 1.99 acres. Price: $526,900. Buyer: Double Arrow Real Estate. Seller: G.H. Wisse. 1327 N. 24th Ave., Pasco, multi-unit apartment buildings on 2.5 acres. Price: $3,418,000. Buyer: CH Pasco. Seller: Susan & Donald Gerend. 3221 W. Court St., Pasco, 3,020-square-foot, commercial building. Price: $566,000. Buyer: Medprop. Seller: Banner Bank. 91 Larkspur Road, Pasco, 4,334-square-foot, single-family home on 5.09 acres. Price: $555,000. Buyer: Steven & Tonja Dilly. Seller: Jeff & Marsha Rau. Undisclosed location, 12,64 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $2,250,000. Buyer: Chapel Ridge 82. Seller: Big Sky Developers. 7216 Ricky Road, Pasco, 4,217-square-foot, single-family home. Price: $819,000. Buyer: Brian & Karla Thrall. Seller: Val & Mary Vail. 6904 Bitterroot Ave., Pasco, 3,162-squarefoot, single-family home. Price: $517,900. Buyer: Thomas & Jana Black. Seller: Riverwood Homes Washington. 300 N. Ford Ave., Connell, multi-unit apartment buildings on 4.15 acres. Price: $1,500,000. Buyer: Aldercrest Apartments. Seller: Connell Associates. 1320 W. A St., Pasco, 9,810-square-foot, commercial building. Price: $540,000. Buyer: Jack & Sonia Sylvan. Seller: PDS LLC. Nitinat Lane & Cassiar Drive, Pasco, 9 lots of undeveloped land. Price: $540,000. Buyer: Hayden Homes. Seller: Ron Asmus Homes. 9530 Bedford St., Pasco, 10,242-square-foot, commercial building. Price: $2,300,000. Buyer: Gunner LLC. Seller: Holey Moses LLC.

Santa Cruz Lane, Grandin Lane, & Parley Drive, Pasco, 15 lots of undeveloped land. Price: $877,500. Buyer: Viking Builders. Seller: EE Properties. 13181 & 13221 Glade North Road, Eltopia, 7,480-square-foot commercial building on 2.5 acres. Price: $520,000. Buyer: Ernestina Morales. Seller: Thomas & Garnet Philleo. 11315 Arrow Shelf Drive, Pasco, 3,074-square-foot, single-family home. Price: $576,500. Buyer: John Bojorquez. Seller: New Tradition Homes. Undisclosed location, 60.65 acres of agricultural land. Price: $1,000,000. Buyer: Paul & Leah Miller. Seller: Desert River Farms.

uBUILDING PERMITS

Building permit values have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure.

BENTON COUNTY Finley School District, 37012 S. Finley Road, $113,600 for a storage building. Contractor: Total Site Services. Pacificorp, 23401 S. Lincoln Road SW, $10,000 for miscellaneous expenses. Contractor: Divco. Cold Creek Vineyards, 245902 Cold Creek, $12,600 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Eastern OR Heating & A/C. Goose Ridge, 63615 E. Jacobs Road NE, $16,000 for a sign. Contractor: YESCO. Coventry Vale Winery, 51705 N. Wilgus Road, $6,000 for a sign. Contractor: Jay’s Curb and Concrete. Coventry Vale Winery, 159902 W. Evans Road, $8,000 for a sign. Contractor: Jay’s Curb and Concrete. FRANKLIN COUNTY Virgil Burns, 241 Fanning Road, $8.200 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner. Allied Potato Northwest, 3082 Glade North Road, $3,101,400 for commercial construction. Contractor: Teton West of Washington. Franklin County Cemetery, 1221 Cemetery Road, $20,000 for an antenna. Contractor: General Dynamics Information Telecommunications. Pomona Properties, 7566 Columbia River Road, $9,000 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. KENNEWICK King of Kings Lutheran Church, 3315 S. Sherman St., $3,000,000 for commercial construction, $200,000 for mechanical and $105,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Booth & Sons Construction and Campbell & Company. Tanglewood Apartments, 465 N. Arthur St., $650,000 for commercial remodel, $75,000 for plumbing and $25,000 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Hudson & Sons Construction, Tritan Plumbing and Fuse Heating & Air. South Hill Plaza, 4303 W. 27th Ave., $20,700 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. The Maurer Company, 1838 S. Washington St., $15,000 for tenant improvements and $15,000 for plumbing. Contractor: owner. Highland Center, 155 N. Ely St., $64,400 for miscellaneous expenses. Contractor: Palmer Roofing Co. Mustang Signs, 10379 W. Clearwater Ave., $1,360,000 for commercial construction. Contractor: Elite Construction & Development. Clearwater Professional, 5215 W. Clearwater Ave., $12,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner. Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, 2611 S. Quillan Place, $5,500 for a sign. Contractor: YESCO. C2 Management Group, 11257 W. Clearwater Ave., $6,000 for a sign. Contractor: YESCO. Two Dawgs, 4528 W. 26th Ave., $175,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Kitt Construction & Development. Gray Trustees, 1001 S. Washington St., $5,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Eagle Signs. Lamb Weston, 8701 W. Gage Blvd., $16,500 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. Benton County, 1500 S. Oak St., $6,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner. City of Kennewick, 7000 W. Grandridge Blvd., $16,800 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 59

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 PUBLIC RECORD, From page 58 Red Mountain Kitchen, 212 W. Kennewick Ave., $237,000 for tenant improvements, $39,000 for heat pump/HVAC and $18,000 for plumbing. Contractors: owner and Jordan Mechanical Group. Red Robin, 1021 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $27,700 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. Grandridge Kennewick, 425 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $35,000 for demolition. Contractor: Gallant Construction. Steele-Chavallo Investments, 5373 Canal Drive, $211,200 for commercial construction. Contractor: New Environment Corp. Steele-Chavallo Investments, 5331 W. Canal Drive, $144,000 for commercial construction. Contractor: New Environment Corp. Kennewick School District, 600 N. Arthur St., $17,800 for commercial construction. Contractor: Pacific Mobile Structures. Columbia Bells, 2718 W. Kennewick Ave., $11,500 for a sign. Contractor: YESCO. Columbia Square Kennewick, 1220 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $60,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: 13 LLC. LAIC Inc, 6401 W. Clearwater Ave., $16,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: G2 Commercial Construction. Tightline Ventures, 8804 W. Victoria Ave., $10,600 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs. Sun Rental Center, 116 N. Morain St., $67,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: JR Swigart Co. Red Robin, 1021 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $73,100 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Simon Roofing & Sheet Metal. Tri-Cities Community Health, 721 S. Auburn St., $43,800 for commercial remodel. Contractor: LCR Construction. Mustang Signs, 10379 W. Clearwater Ave., $1,360,000 for new commercial construction, $200,000 for commercial remodel, $20,000 for plumbing and $70,300 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Elite Construction & Development, Columbia Basin Plumbing and Jacobs & Rhodes. Kennewick School District, 125 S. Conway Place, $100,000 for a heat pump/HVAC, $950,000 for commercial addition and $75,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Total Energy Management, Banlin Construction Co. and Columbia River Plumbing & Mechanical. CIBB Properties, 5401 Ridgeline Drive, $970,100 for new commercial construction, $9,000 for plumbing and $81,500 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Bagley Landscape Construction, Columbia Basin Plumbing and Dayco Heating & Air. G&C Rawlings, 6250 W. Clearwater Ave., $5,600 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Bruce Heating & Air. Clearwater Square Apartments, 5031 W. Clearwater Ave., $70,000 for inground pool. Contractor: Kyle Gibson Rock-N-Pool. Lordus, 7201 W. Clearwater Ave., $14,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. Costco Wholesale, 8505 W. Gage Blvd., $14,800 for commercial addition. Contractor: Ferguson Construction. Amon Hills Properties, 9501 W. Clearwater Ave., $25,000 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs. Windsor Plywood, 311 N. Van Buren St., $7,000 for a sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign &

Fabrication. Ted Wong, 830 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $7,000 for a sign. Contractor: Signs Now. Washington Securities, 8901 W. Tucannon Ave., $15,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Signature NW Construction Co. JDCK LLC, 1350 N. Louisiana St., $20,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Lapierre Enterprises. Haining Wang, 5040 W. Clearwater Ave., $15,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing. PASCO Hogback Sandifur, 5710 Road 68, $83,100 for a fire alarm/system. Contractors: Cascade Fire Protection, Fire Protection Solution and Moon Security. Port of Pasco, 3125 Rickenbacker Drive, $17,400 for mechanical. Contractor: Chinook Heating & Air. Walmart, 4820 Road 68, $74,900 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Western Refrigeration. Self-Storage at Chapel Hill, 6615 Chapel Hill Blvd., $107,000 for a sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication. Vitruvius Development, 5804 Road 90, $245,100 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Elite Construction & Development. Walmart, 4820 Road 68, $90,000 for a fire alarm system. Contractor: Alltronics. Pasco Assembly of God, 1800 Road 72, $6,500 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Welch Heating & A/C. Port of Pasco, 1705 W. Argent Road, $15,000 for a fire alarm system. Contractor: Inland Fire Protection. Columbia Basin College, 2600 N. 20th Ave., $14,500 for commercial addition. Contractor: Burton Construction. Weber Properties, 2411 W. Court St., $48,000 for miscellaneous expenses. Contractor: Evglobal. Port of Pasco, 3125 Rickenbacker Drive, $750,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: MH Construction. Port of Pasco, 2305 W. Argent Road, $18,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: A-1 Illuminated Sign Co. CSP Pasco, 1408 N. 20th Ave., $86,200 for

commercial remodel. Contractor: Columbia Sweeping Services. Sandifur Plaza Retail, 5426 Road 68, $90,500 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Approved Services 1. RSB, 1315 N. Oregon Ave., $9,800 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner. Port of Pasco, 3306 Swallow Ave., $678,600 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Connor Construction Co. Sparrow Investments, 8921 Sandifur Parkway, $559,800 for new commercial construction. Contractor: StoneCrest Builders. Deanna Tom, 5506 Road 68, $13,100 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Modern Construction & Consulting. City of Pasco, 110 S. Fourth Ave., $8,500 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs. Bleyhl Farm Services, 6705 Chapel Hill Blvd., $50,000 for a sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication. Jodh’s Development, 2525 N. 20th Ave., $7,200 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. United Methodist Church, 703 W. Clark St., $7,900 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. S&W Industrial, 410 S. Main Ave., $29,100 for a commercial remodel. Contractor: Romm Construction. St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1320 W. Henry St., $40,000 for an antenna/tower. Contractor: to be determined. Okran Moon, 2221 E. Lewis St., $20,000 for a sign. Contractor: Signs Plus. Robert Olson, 2811 N. 20th Ave., $260,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: owner. T3 Group, 5210 Road 68, $9,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. Hogback Sandifur, 5802 Road 68, $671,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Stephens & Sons Construction. Jay Brantingham, 2710 Travel Plaza Way, $40,000 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Bruce Heating & Air. Jay Brantingham, 3030 Travel Plaza Way, $19,500 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Bruce Heating & Air. Sonia Urbach, 1901 N. Fourth Ave., $11,600 for commercial addition. Contractor: Western Equipment Sales.

Martha Padilla, 410 W. Lewis St., $5,300 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner. ConAgra Foods, 3330 E. Travel Plaza Way, $8,800 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. PROSSER Port of Benton, 230 Wine Country Road, Suite B, $15,900 for a fire alarm system and $5,200 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Fire Control Sprinkler System and Campbell & Company. City of Prosser, 601 Seventh St., $15,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: AJW Construction. Benton PUD, 250 Gap Road, $28,000 for tenant improvements and $37,900 for heat pump/ HVAC. Contractors: Vincent Brothers and Bruce Heating & Air. Gap Road Properties, 10 Merlot Drive, $342,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: GDP Group Professionals. Northwest Farm Supply, 451 Wine Country Road, $57,300 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Total Energy Management. Hopp Farms, 355 Old Inland Empire Highway, $8,700 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Refrigeration Plus. Prosser Memorial Health, 821 Memorial St., $12,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: AJW Construction. Milne Fruit Production, 2200 SR 221, $69,100 for a fire alarm/system. Contractor: Inland Fire Protection. Zirkle Fruit, 101 Benitz Road, $8,300 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. Milne Fruit Production, 804 Bennett Ave., $15,300 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. RICHLAND DP Management Enterprises, 299 Bradley Blvd., $1,061,900 for commercial construction. Contractor: Don Pratt Construction. Kadlec Regional Medical Center, 800 Swift Blvd., Suite 300, $120,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Tri-Rivers Construction.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 60

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509-579-5855

731 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Suite 122, Kennewick

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

PUBLIC RECORD, From page 59 Gesa Credit Union, 825 Goethals Drive, $81,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Gesa Credit Union. 1100 & 1200 Jadwin Avenue, 1100 Jadwin Ave., $240,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Booth & Sons Construction. Columbia Point Golf Course, 113 Columbia Point Drive, $21,300 for miscellaneous expenses. Contractor: owner. Sharledan Property, 701 The Parkway, $15,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Aarnie’s Construction. Wright Street LLC, 1001 Wright Ave., $6,200 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Welch Heating & A/C. Windsong Apartments, 850 Aaron Drive, $5,000 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: All Climate Services. Gesa Credit Union, 109 Gage Blvd., $5,000 for a utility shed. Contractor: Gesa Credit Union. PKE, 3348 Kingsgate Way, $400,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Conner Construction Co. WRP WA Plaza, 1757 George Washington

Way, $13,500 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Horizon Retail Construction. Extended Legacy, 2505 Garlick Blvd., $715,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Extended Legacy. Washington State University, 215 University Drive, $180,000 for an inground pool. Contractor: Chervenell Construction. LKZ, 1990 Saint St., $6,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Real Centric Solutions. John White, 417 Wright Ave., $12,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: A&A Roofing Services. Grant Land Co, 510 Wellsian Way, $6,500 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Communication Infrasture. Liberty Christian School, 2200 Williams Blvd., $40,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Siefken & Sons Construction. Christ the King, 1080 Long Ave., $8,300 for a heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. Battelle Memorial Institute, 910 Battelle Blvd., $272,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: DGR Grant Construction. Jerry D. Abrams, 303 Bradley Blvd., #206,

$30,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: REA Commercial. Central United Protestant Church, 1124 Stevens Drive, $16,900 for a heat pump/ HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. WEST RICHLAND City of West Richland, 2353 Foothill Road, $294,500 for new commercial construction. Contractor: City of West Richland. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5885 Holly Way, $5,000,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Scott Hedrick. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4500 Maple Lane, $7,500 for a heat pump/ HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company.

uBUSINESS LICENSES KENNEWICK Veritiv Operating Company, 20213 89th Ave. S., Kent. Academy Mortgage Corporation, 1030 N.

Tri-Cities’ premier event venue & restaurant Full-service restaurant, dance ﬂoor, outdoor seating, interior and exterior stages — at Michele’s has everything to make your day spectacular!

Grand Opening Celebration! Ribbon Cutting & Cocktail Hour Friday, August 10, 5 - 6 p.m. Dinner service with live piano and vocals 6 - 9 p.m. Followed by live music on the outdoor stage. Hawaiian Luau Saturday, August 11, 4 p.m. - midnight Special Hawaiian food, music, dancing and fun!

509-946-9559 • atmicheleseventcenter.com 2323 Henderson Loop, Richland, WA Thursday dinner: 5 - 10 p.m. | Friday & Saturday dinner: 5 p.m. - midnight | Sunday brunch: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Center Parkway, Suite 305. Sprint Spectrum, 830 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 1. Pilgrim Communications, 30057 129th Way SE, Auburn. Edi Concepts, 5806 W. 16th Ave. Fawcett Plumbing, 5022 84th St. E., Tacoma. All Valley Sheet Metal, 3601 Powerhouse Road, Yakima. Lawn Patrol Landscape Services, 4507 Campolina Lane, Pasco. Performance Carburetor Services, 210 N. Date St., #120. MHM Investments, 2290 Robertson Drive, Richland. Interstate Construction Group, 437 29th St. NE, Suite F, Puyallup. JNJ Construction Company, 511 Midvale Road, Sunnyside. Coast to Coast Carports, 22525 I 40, Knoxville, Arkansas. Jimmy’s Roofing, 11401 E. Montgomery Drive, Suite 2, Spokane Valley. Truss T Built, 29955 S. Meridian Road, Hubbard, Oregon. Juan’s Lawn Care Service, 2013 N. Road 44, Pasco. Lily’s Housecleaning, 720 S. Morain St. Johnny’s Quality Exteriors, 1104 Second Ave., Granger. Roasters Coffee, 22 W. Carmichael Drive. Rich’s Concrete Plus, 1107 W. 22nd Ave. Sexton & Co, 3011 S. Jean St. A&D Cleaning, 211 Greenbriar W., Richland. Permit Surveying, 2245 Robertson Dr, Richland. Rollin, 5322 Seahawk Drive, West Richland. Earthly Therapeutic Massage, 1700 S. Penn Place. Vicky’s Cleaning Services, 601 S. Kent St., Kennewick. Jr’s Ironworks, 27205 S. 1942 PRSE. Cable Bridge Construction Services, 37307 S. Coyote Cross PRSE. Falls Creek Outdoors, 3815 W. Seventh Ave. Dash Productions, 3703 W. Fifth Court. La Pinata Payaso, 424 N. Fruitland St. Pinky’s, 1713 S. Tacoma St. Skin Deep, 3425 S. Rainier St. Nations Roof Northwest, 25514 74th Ave. S., Kent. Tru-Design Construction, 1406 Fries St., Richland. Adroit Concrete, 1307 Hains Ave., Richland. Metsync Master, 3911 W. 27th Ave., Suite 107. Miao Spa, 418 N. Kellogg St., Suite G. Gutter Kings Construction & Roofing, 1831 W. 12th Ave. Preston Homes, 22505 S. Clodfleter Road. CW Brock Construction, 310 Greentree Ct., Richland. Three Rivers Therapy, 408 S. Roosevelt St. Epic Massage, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Hiline Homes of Tri-Cities, 3104 W. Kennewick Ave., Suite F. Rock River Investments, 4115 Phoenix Lane, Pasco. FDM Construction, 6855 W. Clearwater Ave. CWA Consulting Services, 9261 W. Arbor Place, Littleton, Colorado. Ace Landscaping, 348 Prospect Ave., Walla Walla. Woodsy Rose Photography, 805 W. 13th St., Benton City. One Stop Trucking Services, 830 S. 11th Ave., Pasco. Go Go Construction, 4416 Appaloosa Court, Pasco. 5 Star Guttering, 6402 Pacific Pines Dr, Pasco. Deko Builders, 180 Moore Road, Pasco. R&L Landscaping, 314 W. Sylvester St., Pasco. Johns Apartments, 806 W. 18th Court. Story Family Five, 3250 W. Clearwater Ave. Yawh Development & Construction, 1030 N. Center Parkway, Suite N137. Mid-Columbia Property Solutions, 1761 George Washington Way, Richland. Twilight Health, 1030 N. Center Parkway, # 142. Rock-It Auto, 416 W. Columbia Drive. Watermark Appraisal Services, 8956 W. Quinault Ave. Comtile, 227 Strada Nova, Palm Desert, California. Washington Immigration Solutions, 8697 W. Gage Blvd. Gathered Home, 211 W. Kennewick Ave. FTL Holdings, 4003 W. 43rd Ave. Alliance Drywall & Paint, 3923 Meadow Beauty Drive, Pasco. Columbia Custom Fence, 6206 Klickitat Lane, Pasco.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 61

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018 PUBLIC RECORD, From page 60 Legion Construction, 520 W. Entiat Ave. Mall Food Management Associates, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Molt Services, 406 S. Louisiana St. Temo’s Janitorial Service, 5012 Latimer Court, Pasco. Euphaura, 4005 S. Newport St. Grit & Grind Concrete Polishing, 2709 W. Octave St., Pasco. Columbia River Eco Wash, 6021 Thynewood Loop, West Richland. Tri-Cities AAV, 8524 W. Gage Blvd. El Itacate, 4501 W. Fourth Place. Tri-Cities Concrete, 5212 Montague Ln, Pasco. Springbuk, 502 S. Georgia St. Brigette’s Cleaning Services, 419 Madrona Ave., Pasco. Flourish Mid-Columbia, 2400 Mark Ave., Richland. JC Lawn Care, 4908 Tamarisk Drive, Pasco. TJ’s General Contractor, 1707 W. Brown St., Pasco. E.O.S. Embroidery, 30 N. Benton St. Professional Energy Solutions, 705 S. Ione St. Earth Element Spirit, 113 N. Mayfield St. Tri-Cities Black Belt Taekwondo, 101 N. Union St., Suite 207. City Maintenance, 6107 Washougal Ln, Pasco. Restore Wellness Health Coaching, 4601 W. 19th Court. Mateos Catering, 1918 W. Fourth Ave. Classy Beauty and Skincare by Lindsay Ramirez, 7101 W. Hood Place, Suite A102. Secured Office Solutions, 105 N. McKinley St. Zachary Homes, 43705 E. Road Mountain Road, Benton City. Mufasa Construction & Remodeling, 313 S. Williams St. DJ Express, 425 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Artisan Door & Trim, 129 Spengler St., Richland. Durans Window Cleaning, 5205 Reagan Way, Pasco. Solution Wall Systems, 233 N. Cora Ave., Milliken, Colorado. Ed’s Irrigation and Landscaping, 526 S. Olympia St. Ornamental Tree Care, 3906 S. Anderson St. JB Construction, 1 N. Palouse St. D&D Recovery, 519 N. Kent Place. D’s Mobile Repair, 814 S. Olympia St. RJ’s Bounce-N-Things, 7300 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland. Foster Brothers Construction, 8419 Oliver Drive, Pasco. Global Concepts Construction, 400 14th St., Benton City. Gemmells Mobile Welding, 3001 S. Gum St. Modeztya, 199008 E. Third Ave. Sun Coast Plumbing, 1615 W. 24th Place.

Performance Digital Marketing, 403 S. Taft St. Crown Contracting, 1620 S. Huntington Place. Aed Alliance, 2415 W. Falls Ave. A Quality Window Tint, 210 N. Perry St., Ste. A. ECOC, 2640 Kingsgate Way, Richland. Treasure’s by Ray, 3109 S. Dennis St. Snappy Camper, 4801 S. Coulee Vista Drive. Tony’s Construction, 2211 W. Fifth Ave. Crete Brothers, 3719 W. 16th Place. Stella Louise, 303 W. 48th Ave. Hilton Lawn Care, 8721 W. Second Ave. Miranda Construction, 451 Green Rd, Pasco. Bug Out Extermination, 246 N. Burke Ave., Connell. Innovative Arts, 3623 S. Quincy Place. Best Bett Mini Storage, 1427 S. Quillan Court. Dusek Virtual Solutions, 311 W. 36th Ave. Marrerotrucking, 4404 W. Hood Ave. Ryann Engel Design, 2514 W. 32nd Ave. Vintage Fix Market, 3300 S. Tweedt St. RICHLAND Fire & Water, 222 Symons St. Gregory Drilling Inc., 17609 NE 70th St., Redmond. Fantasy In Ice, 1732 W. Brown, Pasco. Fawcett Plumbing, 5022 84th St. E., Tacoma. JLR Interiors, 2112 Briarwood Court. MCN, 711 Capitol Way S., Suite 204, Olympia. Joyner Construction, 2100 Bellerive Drive. Nuclear Safety Associates, 1321 Sunset Drive, Suite B100, Johnson City, Tennesse. Refresh Hair Salon, 2160 Keene Road. Wageman Heating & Cooling, 406 Barth Ave. CEMJL Consulting, 2033 Davison Ave. Mr. Green, 1720 N. 15th Ave., Pasco. Budget Construction, 2313 Pullen St. Pacific Shades, 914 164th St., Mill Creek. Freshco 2, 8220 W. Gage Blvd., Suite 747, Kennewick. Fred’s Prep Rite Home Painting Services, 306 N. 22nd Ave., Pasco. Perfection Lawn Care, 1326 Mahan Ave. Childers Contracting Services, 317 W. 21st Ave., Kennewick. Matson Development, 13630 Cottonwood Drive, Kennewick, O&E Concrete Services, 1600 W. Clark St., Suite B1, Pasco. Blush Spa, 87 Keene Road. Kangen Wellness, 3019 Duportail St. Genesis Masonry, 226 W. Lewis St., Suite C, Pasco. Optimal Design + Construction, 1415 Sixth St., Clarkston. Grillo’s Transport, 416 E. 78th St., Tacoma. CLM Construction, 425 N. River Road, Prosser. Northwest Center Services, 7272 W. Marginal Way S., Bldg 1, Seattle. Picture Yourself, 2780 Katie Road, Kennewick. Orion Media Group, 516 Jadwin Ave. Micken, 2424 Harris Ave.

The Lodge at Columbia Point, 530 Columbia Point Drive. Frank General Home Services, 240 Fairway Court, Mesa. Flamenco Painting, 530 W. 18th Ave., Kennewick. Robert Youssef Interpreting, 6408 W. Victoria Ave., Kennewick. Superior Custom Concrete, 5620 W. Wernett Road, Pasco. Autonomy, 8704 Lancaster Drive, Pasco. Evolution Window Tinting & Graphics, 230 W. Lewis St., Pasco. Evergreen Eco Blasting, 1000 Abbott St. Breeder Designs, 42 Wright Ave. Liakamai, 2850 Monarch Lane. Pillar Contracting, 2919 Troon Court. Tikas Distribution, 2550 Duportail St. Horn Rapids Self Storage, 2015 Snyder St. Aaron Barbershop, 240 Williams Blvd. Three D Heating and Air, 77596 S. Edwards Road, Stanfield, Oregon. Simply Bugs, 2316 N. Road 92, Pasco. Apache Construction, 6404 Three Rivers Drive, Pasco. Perfection Built, 720 E. Fifth Ave., Kennewick. Super Shine Cleaning, 510 N. Irving St., Kennewick. 2 M’s Construction, 2722 Hyde Road. LA Construction, 218406 E SR 397, Kennewick. Masby Cleaning Services, 4517 Moline Lane, Pasco. Fairy’s Cleaning Touch, 1403 S. Tacoma St., Kennewick. Chicas en Accion Cleaning, 366 N. Union St., Kennewick. Sterling Staffing Solutions, 710 George Washington Way, Suite G. K&D Enterprises, 1911 Rhododendron Way, Bellingham. JR’s Concrete, 1114 Astor Way, Pasco. Pure Life Hydration, 2110 Torbett St. Desert Snow Creations Two, 1301 Cedar Ave. Krinda’s Cleaning, 7322 W. Bonnie Ave., Kennewick. JC Construction and Sales, 1336 Sacramento Blvd. JCC Lawn Care, 3507 W. First Ave., Kennewick. Delia’s House Cleaning, 1114 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick. Per Agilis, 1058 S. Director St., Seattle. First Cleaning, 90 S. Verbena St., Kennewick. WEST RICHLAND Mandy’s VI Services, 5901 Kilawea Drive. Cool Kids Daycare, 4414 Everett St. Al’s Quality Drywall, 203106 E. Bowles Road, Kennewick. Kapture Photo Booth, 9315 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco.

Skills Construction & Development, 4903 Antiqua Drive, Pasco. Black Dog Painting, 1187 Plateau Drive, Richland. Clearwater Construction & Management, 5711 W. Garden Springs Road, Spokane. S&J Flooring, 2204 N. Road 48, Pasco. Villanueva Interpreting, 20 Gala Drive, Prescott. Tamarack Cellars, 700 C St., Walla Walla. Preferred Industrial Electric, 8924 W. Bonnie Ave., Kennewick. D9 Contractors, 410 Fanning Road, Pasco. Spotted Fox Northwest, 4105 Watkins Way. Encore Window Cleaning, 1720 W. Seventh Ave., Kennewick. Fearless Construction, 2802 S. Fruitland St., Kennewick. Red Dot Paintball, 3420 Twin Bridges Road. Cascade Sign and Apparel, 315 Wellsian Way, Richland. We Ice, 54 Applegate Lane, Burbank. Northpoint Electrical Contracting, 2213 Henderson Loop, Richland. Tri-City Sno-Balls, 6902 W. Third Ave., Kennewick. B Rad Tools, 2008 S. Tweedt Court, Kennewick. Espino Lawn Care, 927 S. Elm St., Kennewick. JCJ Interiors, 517 Juniper St., Walla Walla. Jaylex Built, 3712 W. Second Ave., Kennewick. Granados Construction, 34410 N. Graham Road NW, Benton City. Royal Holland, 15 W. A St., Pasco. Rebuilt Construction and Landscape, 6206 Westmorland Lane, Pasco. A-1 Quality Construction, 1518 Grant Ave, Prosser. C2F Global, 4152 Melinda Drive. Tri-Cities Tutoring, 5106 Thrush Court. Brown Bear Construction, 12303 Willow Creek Drive, Pasco. Carter Woodworking, 485 N. 59th Ave. Veronica’s Cleaning Services, 601 S. Kent St., Kennewick. Cuevas Plaster, 1505 S. Road 40 E., Pasco. Balanced Books, 3302 Mount Daniel Road. Land Mine Patrol, 204 S. Neel St., Kennewick. J&J Kelly Construction, 1006 Christopher Lane, Pasco. Perseverance Painting, 1026 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick. JCC Lawn Care, 3507 W. First Ave., Kennewick. Perfection Lawn Care, 1326 Mahan Ave., Richland. MJ’s Lawn Services, 804 N. 10th Ave., Pasco. Tri-City Cotton Candy, 22911 E. Peach Drive, Benton City. Ringold Embroidery, 214 Torbett St., Richland. Tri-City Fence Works, 1620 E. Salt Lake St., Pasco. G@D Electric, 5600 W. 16th Ave., Kennewick.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 62

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

PUBLIC RECORD, From page 61

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.

Ismael Cardenas Rubio, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 4. Bear Motors, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 5. 3 Elements Restoration, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Antonio Lazaro Flores, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Wolfpack Fitness, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 5. Jaiden Sean Ford, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 5. Jay Bauman, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 5. Ochoa Brothers, unpaid Department of

Licensing taxes, filed June 7. KDC Farming, unpaid Department of Licensing taxes, filed June 5. Speedy Angeles Concrete, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 5. Timothy M. Thomasson, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 5. Speedy Angeles Concrete, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 5. Hugo Garcia, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 11. Ivans Construction, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 11. Southern Belles Espresso, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 18. Tres Pueblos Meat Market, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 18. Philip John Forzaglia Sr., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 18. Christophe M. Eason, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. Dana A. A. Baldwin, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. Javier Carrillo Garcia, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18.

Raymond L. Wilcox, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. Julio C. Hernandez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. J. Socorro Acevedo, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. Ernesto Aponte, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. Michael J. Gervais, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. Cyril Vaughan, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. JCS General Construction, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 18. Eliseo Hernandez, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 18. Jason Warren Thompson, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 18. VR Automotive, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 22. Carefree Meats, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 22. CM Curbing, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 22. Direct Staffing, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 22. Antonio Lazaro Flores, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 22. Royalty Pet Sitters, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 22. Pedro Benitez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 22. Adam R. Ponce, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 22. Gregory R. Sellers, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 22.

uLiquor Licenses

Information provided by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

BENTON COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Henry Earl Estates, 318 Wellhouse Loop, Suite D, Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters; farmers market wine sales. Application type: change of location. Prosser Foodmart, 1303 Wine Country Road, Prosser. License type: grocery store beer/ wine. Application type: assumption. Aquilini Brands USA, 23205 E. Limestone Road, Benton City. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new. Baums House of Chocolate, 513 N. Edison St., Suite C, Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only; beer/ wine specialty shop. Application type: new. One Stop Mart 55, 4105 Kennedy Road, West Richland. License type: grocery store beer/wine. Application type: new. APPROVED Palencia Wine Company, 421 E. Columbia Drive, Suite A140 & A110, Kennewick. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: added/change of class. The Bradley, 404 Bradley Blvd., Suite 106, Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver in/out of Washington. Application type: new. Badger Mountain Vineyards, 1106 N. Jurupa, Kennewick. License type: domestic winery >249,999 liters. Application type: change of corporate officer. The Hungry Bear Mexican Grill, 502 Ninth St., Benton City. License type: direct shipment receiver in/out of Washington. Application type: new. FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS CG@TRAC, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only; sports entertainment facility. Application type: new. APPROVED Dollar & More, 917 W. Court St., Pasco. License type: grocery store beer/wine. Application type: new. Kahlua’s Lounge Bar, 1901 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge. Application type: new.

uMARIJUANA Licenses

Information provided by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

BENTON COUNTY APPROVED T in T Elements, 43001 N. Griffin Road, Unit D, Grandview. License type: marijuana producer tier 2. Application type: added/change of class. Sweet Dreams Gardens, 234805 E. Straight Bank Road, Suite G, Kennewick. License type: marijuana producer tier 2. Application type: added/change of class. Leetcom Laboratories, 225805 E. Walter PRSE, Suite A, Kennewick. License type: marijuana producer tier 2. Application type: new.

ubusiness UPDATES NEW BUSINESSES Dino Drop In has opened at 8390 W. Gage Blvd., Suite 102 in Kennewick. The business offers preschool and drop-in or prescheduled daycare for children 30 months to 12 years old. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact: 509-5794150, dinodropin.com, Facebook. Forever Smiles Family Dental has opened at 4528 W. 26th Ave., Suite 110 in Kennewick. The business offers general, cosmetic and restorative dentistry for all ages and sleep apnea treatments. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 6: p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Contact: 509-380-9894, Facebook, foreversmileswa.com. Tri-Cities Black Belt Taekwondo has opened at 101 N. Union St., Suite 207 in Kennewick. The business offers taekwondo classes for all ages. Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Contact: 509-396-7079, tricitiesblackbelt.com, Facebook. Tri-Cities Furniture has opened at 4432 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick. The business sells furniture for every room and offers free delivery and assembly. Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Contact: 509-579-5955, tri-citiesfurniture.business.site, Facebook. Tri-Cities Regenerative Institute has opened at 8905 W. Gage Blvd., Suite 100 in Kennewick. The business offers regenerative injections, sports and physical medicine and regenerative cosmetic therapy. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact: 509-579-4300, tri-regen.com, Facebook. ADDITIONAL LOCATION Fiesta Mexican Restaurant has opened an additional location at 2731 Queensgate Drive in Richland. Contact: 509-219-0552, fiestarestaurant.com. MOVED All American Gymnastics has moved to 127 E. Reata Road in Kennewick. Contact: 509-783-9036, allamericangym.org, Facebook. Inland Bath and Kitchen has moved to 360 N. Kellogg St. in Kennewick. Contact: 509-943-5010, inlandbath.com, Facebook. Polestar Technical Services has moved to 1933 Jadwin Ave., Suite 230 in Richland. Contact: 509-946-8279, Facebook, polestartechnicalservices.com. NAME CHANGE Tri-City Title and Escrow is now First American Title at 8131 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite 100 in Kennewick. Contact: 509-7340771, firstam.com. CLOSED Toys R Us at 821 N. Columbia Center Blvd. in Kennewick has closed. Tri-Cities Allergy and Asthma Center at 7516 W. Deschutes Place in Kennewick has closed.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2018

AROUND TOWN

Area agriculture producers, processors and industry officials set a new event record by raising more than $91,000 to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities Inland Northwest on June 13 at the fifth annual Ag World Golf Classic at Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick. Ag World Support Systems was joined by co-hosts Simplot, Lamb Weston, McCain Foods and Potato Growers of Washington to make the 18-hole scramble a success. (Courtesy Ag World Golf Classic)

A Pasco Fire Department uniform serves as a photo backdrop for youngsters at the June 30 Pasco Farmers Market. Department officials were on hand to discuss home fire escape plans, smoke alarms and hands-only CPR, a form of CPR that doesn’t require rescue breathing on adults. (Courtesy Pasco Fire Department)

Leonard Sevigny, 84, of Richland, shakes hands with Lee Hyung-jong, the consul general of the Republic of Korea in Seattle, after receiving the Ambassador for Peace Medal on June 8 in Kennewick. Sevigny served in Korea from 1952-53 in the 1st Marine Division as a radio operator. To read full story, visit tcjournal.biz. (Courtesy Washington Department of Veterans Affairs)

Campers watch their rockets soar June 29 at Washington State University TriCities’ middle school science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, camp in Richland. WSU offered seven camps, with many selling out, including Fantastic Flight, a camp to explore flying machines that included creating catapults, slingshots and rockets. (Courtesy WSU Tri-Cities)

Jason Lee of Richland, a Navy veteran and union recruiting specialist with UA Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 598, was busy chasing ducks and geese on a dream hunt in Saskatchewan while filming an upcoming episode of Brotherhood Outdoors TV. He was selected to appear on the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s television series to highlight his work ethic and commitment to the service of his country and community. The episode aired on the Sportsman Channel. (Courtesy Union Sportsmen’s Alliance)

This year’s Tri-Citian of the Year Don Pratt, along with the program’s steering committee, presented $1,000 to My Friends Place and $1,000 to Tri-City area food banks during a recent Sunrise Rotary meeting. Pictured from left are Jan Francis, Sunrise Rotary; Karen Angas, Kiwanis, accepting for My Friends Place; Terry Fleischman, Sunrise; Diahann Howard, Richland Rotary; Don Pratt, Sunrise Rotary and Tri-Citian of the Year 2018; Mike Sinclair, Richland Rotary; Barb Keltch, Kiwanis; Karyl Whitely, Sunrise Rotary; and Bill Kitchen, Tri-Cities Food Bank. (Courtesy Tri-Citian of the Year)

Email Around Town photo submissions with captions to editor@tcjournal.biz

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;¢ July 2018