Journal of Business - February 2023

Plans to grow ag innovation center begin to take root

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Randy Hayden spent two years shepherding the team that wooed Darigold Inc. to spend $500 million to build a state-of-the-art milk processing plant in Pasco, the largest investment in Darigold’s 104-year history.

Work has just started at the site of the future plant, but Hayden, executive director of the Port of Pasco, is already plotting the next big thing for Mid-Columbia agriculture: establishing an Agricultural Innovation Center.

The center would support research and problem solving for one of the most important components of the Mid-Columbia economy: producing food.

The agricultural innovation center is an initiative of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s MyTRI 2030 Agricultural Committee, one of several formed to envision the future for the local economy’s many sectors. Agriculture was worth more than $1.6 billion to Benton and Franklin counties in 2017, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture.

The USDA conducted the 2022 census this winter and will report results in 2024. The impact will certainly be greater.

Hayden was named the ag committee chair in January and took over planning for what could be a state-of-the-art research and development facility for all things agriculture.

He outlined the project, still in its infancy, for 300 local business executives on Feb. 1, when the Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC, held its annual Economic Outlook in Kennewick.

An ag-focused innovation center could help move Mid-Columbia forward as the world’s need for food and how it is produced adapts to technological and climate change. Agriculture is a stabilizing economic influence on the Tri-City community.

This is the place to ensure it keeps doing that, Hayden said.

“The Tri-Cities is a leader in ag innovation already,” he said.

The effort includes pursuing state funds for a feasibility study and federal grants to support design and construction. No location has been

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Firefighters working to contain a devastating fire in the Cascade building in downtown Kennewick entered a neighboring business at 6:30 a.m. Feb. 4, 2022, a Friday.

Dennis Schoeneberg, who has owned Desert Gem & Appraisal since 2019, got a notification when the alarm on the door rang through to his phone.

He raced downtown, and, along with neighboring business owners, waited across the street, watching crews led by the Kennewick Fire Department work to contain the dramatic flames at the corner of Kennewick and Cascade avenues.

The fire reduced the two-story building

By Kristina Lord kristina@tcjournal.biz

Jackie Tyler knew in high school that she wanted to help cure diseases.

But she also knew she didn’t want to be a doctor.

To reach her goal meant taking lots of science classes at Richland’s Hanford High and then studying biomedical engineering in college. In summer, she’d return home to the Tri-Cities for internships at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

This serious science student landed a job with a biotechnology corporation more than nine years ago. She’s spent the last seven of them working on a team to develop a new cancer-fighting drug, which the FDA recent-

on

at 306 W. Kennewick Ave. to a shell of its former self. Fighting it sent rivers of water into the neighboring building that contained Desert Gem and Foodies Kennewick, a restaurant.

Schoeneberg and fellow business owners gathered in the Sports Page Bar and Grill, across Kennewick Avenue, and watched in a state of shock.

The fire forced residents and businesses out, including Desert Gem and Foodies.

One year later, the Cascade building is under repair and most of the affected businesses have reopened.

Desert Gem is back in business at its original location. Foodies reopened a mile or so

drug

ly approved.

Tyler, 32, a technical development principal scientist at Genentech, said the process of getting the medicine over the finish line and to more patients has been surreal.

“It’s really great knowing now it’s available for any patient who needs it outside of clinical trials, which is incredible,” she said.

The medicine

The Food and Drug Administration ap-

“You go where the future is. We really try to get out there for the younger community.”

-Ginny Hildreth, owner of

&

A year later, Kennewick businesses have put fire behind them to move

Richland native has hand in development of new cancer

Photo by Wendy Culverwell

Dennis Schoeneberg, owner of Desert Gem & Appraisal at 306 W. Kennewick Ave., stands behind the counter of his rebuilt store. Desert Gem and most of the businesses displaced by the 2022 fire that ravaged the Cascade building in downtown Kennewick have reopened.

Jackie Tyler

Richland braces for Bateman causeway removal

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Richland is bracing for the impact of what removing the Bateman Island causeway will have on the Yakima River Delta and on the Columbia Park Marina and public boat launch.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is finalizing a $13.9 million plan to fully remove the illegally-built land bridge, which is blamed for the warm, brackish conditions that threaten endangered salmon, steelhead and other species at the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers.

Once the causeway is removed, water will flow at a rate as high as three feet per second around the south end of Bateman Island in the spring, according to the city of Richland. That is too strong for the private marina and public boat launch, which are currently shielded by the dirt structure.

The corps cites a far lower figure for the remaining 90% of the time, saying the water flow will be marginal and will have little impact on the marina.

The corps released a draft Finding of No Significant Impact for the plan on Jan. 26 and is accepting public comment through March 10.

Removing the causeway will support salmon habitat. Leaving it will undermine hundreds of millions of dollars being invested to establish fish passage in Cle Elum, remove a dam in Yakima and other projects along the length of the Yakima River, the Army corps said.

Richland, which has monitored plans to remove the causeway for more than five years, is preparing to hire experts in marine law and engineering to represent its interests. That includes protecting the privatelyowned Columbia Park Marina and the cityowned public boat launch, heavily used by fishers, kayakers, standup paddleboarders and other boaters.

Joe Schiessl, deputy city manager and longtime point person on the causeway issue, said Richland embraces the goal of clean water at the delta, but must consider what will happen once the causeway is gone, and water again flows around both sides of Bateman Island.

The marina was not designed for swift currents. Boaters would avoid trying to maneuver around docks in such conditions.

Schiessl briefed the city council about the plan in January, shortly before the corps advertised it to the public.

“These docks are not engineered or built to operate in a river environment,” he said.

“If the United States is proposing a project that renders a marina inoperable, that’s an impact, a negative downstream impact, that shall be mitigated.”

Mayor Terry Christensen agreed the city needs to support a business threatened by a major change to how water moves through

the heart of the Tri-Cities.

“I want to protect the business,” he said during the January meeting.

The causeway was constructed apparently without permission in the mid-1940s by a farmer on Bateman Island. The 500foot structure rests on 37,000 cubic yards of dirt and rocks.

Today, it is considered an illegal encroachment on the riverbed, which is owned by the state of Washington.

Its impact on how the Yakima River drains into the Columbia at the Richland Wye is obvious from aerial photos.

The causeway, which has no culverts, partly dams the Yakima River, forcing water to flow upstream and around Bateman to the north before it merges with the waters of the Columbia. The Delta is brown, brackish and silty. The Columbia is a ribbon of deep blue.

The causeway exists in a legal gray area.

Public comments and open house

The Army Corps invites public comments on the Yakima River Delta ecosystem restoration project.

An open house is from noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 23 and from 3-6 p.m. at the Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, Richland.

Written comments may be emailed to: NEPANWW@usace. army.mil with “Yakima River Delta” in the subject line.

The 30-day comment period ends March 10.

Hikers and birdwatchers use it to visit Bateman. So do fire trucks. Richland, which controls the island under a 50-year recreation lease with the corps, dispatches wildland fire crews to battle fires that break out roughly once every five years.

Schiessl said a dispute over firefighting strategies between the city and the Department of Natural Resources once delayed trucks by two to three minutes. Schiessl said the city prevailed when it pointed out people camped on the island, putting lives at stake.

At the time, aerial tankers assigned to Eastern Washington were out of service for maintenance. Pasco’s fire boat has a 100- to 150-foot limit, giving it the ability to sprinkle the island’s edges.

The lost minutes counted, he said. There is no plan to replace the causeway with a bridge, a major sticking point for island users and the city.

But in the long term, Bateman Island

uBATEMAN ISLAND, Page A8

Photo by Wendy Culverwell

The Columbia Park Marina, operated by Amy and Greg Ford, near the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers, would be threatened by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to remove the Bateman Island causeway (visible in the background) to improve salmon habitat.

Paul Read Group Publisher 509-344-1262 paul@tcjournal.biz

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AG INNOVATION CENTER, From page A1

specified.

It would be a collaborative effort involving the private sector, the many commodity groups (grapes, hay, potatoes, wheat and so forth), and the state and federal departments of agriculture.

It would contain labs and so-called makerspaces where ideas could be transformed into reality.

It would provide a gathering spot for the local farming community to get together to talk about their industry, challenges and ideas.

It would also focus on transferring technological innovations into the ag sector.

Hayden cited several models for the region to consider.

The Stepan Agricultural Innovation Center is an industry-sponsored facility in

away in Columbia Park. The Lady Bug Shoppe moved to a nearby building. An insurance company and a janitorial company remain in business, but not downtown.

Schoeneberg said Desert Gem was fortunate. His inventory of gems and jewelry was tucked safely in his fireproof safe for the night. The debacle claimed display gear and paper goods, but not the shop’s prized contents.

For almost five months, he operated out of loaned space at JD’s Time Center, a nearby business. His shop was completely rebuilt, with new floors, ceilings and sheet rock. He moved back June 14.

Insurance helped cover the losses and the down time. That was the key, he said.

“We hate writing that check every month, but it’s made the whole process doable.”

That’s good advice, said Neal Wilson, who operated Neal Wilson Insurance in a small office at the Cascade building.

His agency, which is affiliated with Mosaic, sells insurance for auto, home, car and vehicles, among other products.

In the days after the fire, he said he could operate from anywhere he could get an internet connection. He lamented the loss of furniture and computers that could be replaced and artwork, including drawings by his children, that could not.

One year on, his assessment proved correct. The desks, computers and furniture were a loss. His files were in fireproof cabinets and survived. Even if they hadn’t, his data was backed up on the cloud.

Insurance covered the damage, including the higher cost of leasing new office space

Winder, Georgia, with a focus on sustainable agriculture.

The Lynda and Steward Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation is being constructed on the campus of University of California, Davis, next to its plant sciences building and its student farm field house.

The 40,000-square-foot California project is supported by a $50 million donation from its namesakes, which includes funds to support research.

Darigold isn’t the only ag operator betting on the Tri-Cities.

Local Bounti Inc., the Montana-based ag tech startup, is making progress on its indoor lettuce plant in Pasco, reports Laura Hann.

Hann, its director of sustainability, joined Hayden along with a representative from Purple Star Winery for the economic out-

in western Kennewick.

The experience was challenging but gave him a renewed sense of the importance of the products he sells.

“Fortunately, I had insurance coverage to pay for all that and the loss of use,” he said. “It actually validates how I always ran the insurance business.”

His new office, 30 S. Louisiana St., is off West Clearwater Avenue, near Excalibur car Auto Group.

It turned out the artwork he treasured was salvageable. He reframed it. No amount of insurance could replace drawings by his children.

“My youngest daughter is 28,” he said.

Heather and Jeremy Skinnell were at home when news alerts flashed across Jeremy’s phone. He told his wife they needed to head to work early. The Cascade building, home to their Squeaky Clean Janitorial business, was on fire.

Heather Skinnell recalled spending the day in shock. The fire departments let the couples remove vans away from the property, but she left depressed.

Days later, a restoration contractor allowed them in – improperly it turned out. They retrieved four loads of furniture, equipment and supplies before being chased out of the building, which had been condemned. She estimates business losses at $3,000.

“It could have been worse,” she said.

Skinnell said she didn’t let herself dwell on the damage long. She decided to face the situation and get back to work almost immediately.

The couple continued the business, operating from their garage. They haven’t been

look’s session on agricultural innovation. Chad Utecht of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and chairman of the West Richland Planning Commission moderated the discussion.

Hann said Local Bounti chose the TriCities for its sunshine, regional workforce, easy access to Seattle, Spokane and Portland. It expects to begin cultivating lettuce in its three-acre greenhouse by the end of the year. It will begin filling management and engineering positions this summer, she said.

“We see the Northwest as a growing hub for indoor agriculture,” Hann said.

The city of Pasco recently approved a $3.5 million permit to begin construction of the company’s 238,660-square-foot greenhouse. Future building additions are included in its plans.

able to replicate the downtown Kennewick location though. Nothing else offers the right combination of a central location, safe neighborhood and affordable rent.

“It’s tricky. We just make it work,” she said.

Cindy Mosley-Cleary, owner of The Lady Bug Shoppe, was in some ways the face of the fire. She had painted birches and cardinals – signs of hope – in the shop window for the 2021 Christmas shopping season, a critical time for her gifts and home goods store. The shop owner and her colorful window were featured in a pre-fire holiday story in the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

She was featured again afterward. Her birch-and-cardinal painting survived the fire and remains a sign of hopeful new beginnings in early 2023.

The fire didn’t reach her store. But the water and smoke did.

She said the ceiling tiles collapsed, forming a soggy paste over her inventory of C.C. beanies, Pop Its, key chains, toys and other items – ruining everything.

It was a total loss, for which she was partly insured.

She reopened in July at 321 W. Kennewick Ave., which is near the old location. She considered joining the Public Market @ Columbia River Warehouse in the former Welch’s juice plant but decided to stay in her current spot.

A year later, she said she runs a leaner business. It takes time to assemble the kind of inventory she lost. She doesn’t want to run the risk of losing it again.

“We’re still in business,” she said. “We still have people realizing we reopened.”

KENNEWICK FIRE, From page A1

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Kennewick Bed Bath & Beyond to close

Bed Bath & Beyond is closing 150 more stores, including Kennewick’s, a week after the struggling retailer announced the closure of 87 locations.

In addition to Kennewick store at 1220 N. Columbia Center Blvd., the company will close four other stores in the state: Walla Walla, Issaquah, Bellingham and Vancouver.

The national retailer said in a Jan. 5 public filing that it faces “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue operating due to declining sales, lower customer traffic and reduced levels of inventory availability.

Dates for the closures were not announced.

Ice Harbor prepares to make its move

Ice Harbor Brewery announced plans to close the doors to its original downtown Kennewick brewpub on Feb. 25 as it prepares to move to its new home less than a mile away.

The brewery encourages patrons to visit the pub at 206 N. Benton St. Kennewick before it closes.

Ice Harbor is relocating to a bigger space at the Public Market @ Columbia River Warehouse in the former Welch’s-J. Lieb Foods campus at 10 E. Bruneau Ave. An official opening date hasn’t been announced.

The brewery’s Clover Island property, Ice Harbor at the Marina, remains open.

Businesses eligible for Covid-19 impact grants

Benton County businesses impacted by Covid-19 can apply for the second of three rounds of grants through Feb. 28.

The funds are awarded by the Business Resource Initiative, a collaborative effort between Benton County and the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce to provide financial support to local businesses.

Forty-seven businesses out of 237 applications received grants in the first round, which were dispersed in October 2022. Businesses can request up to $30,000.

The program includes $3 million in federal grant funds, which are being distributed in three phases, at $1 million per phase. It includes a coordinator to serve as a single point of contact and expert on available loans, grants, supplies, webinars, training, service and other programs.

Businesses may apply for the second phase at BentonBRI.com. Call Tracie Boothe, 509-491-3236, for information.

OCOchem receives $752K grant for project

Richland-based OCOchem Inc. received a $752,000 grant to support its clean energy demonstration project at the Port of Tacoma.

The Centralia Coal Transition Board awarded the grant to OCOchem’s Formic Liquid Hydrogen Carrier Clean Energy Demonstration Project, which will be leveraged with additional funds from the Washington State Department of Commerce Clean Energy Fund, Tacoma Power and Toyota Motor North America to dem-

onstrate the economic and environmental benefits of electrochemically converting clean energy, captured carbon dioxide and water to move and store green hydrogen in a liquid hydrogen carrier form.

It will generate distributed power and replace diesel gensets used in Tacoma.

Hanford contractor hits single-shell tank milestone

Washington River Protection Solutions, a U.S. Department of Energy contractor at the Hanford site, reports it has hit a major milestone in its work to remove waste from the site’s single-shell storage tanks.

It began retrieving radioactive and chemical waste from the fourth and final underground single-shell tank at AX Farm, one of a series of tank farms where waste was once deposited in tanks. The waste is

being moved to newer, safer double-shell tanks until it can be treated at the Waste Isolation and Treatment Plant, or the vit plant.

It will remove an estimated 426,000 gallons of hazardous waste from Tank AX101, which will be the site’s 21st singleshell tank to be emptied.

AX Farm is the second tank farm where such operations have been undertaken. The project previously tackled 16 underground tanks at C Farm, which was completed in 2007.

The AX Farm was built in the mid1960s and was used to store waste from plutonium production until 1980.

It holds solid, salt-based waste along with liquid and sludge-like material. It is being removed by a process called “sluicing,” which uses high pressure water spray to break up the waste and pump it out.

Workers operate equipment remotely. It will take about 18 months to complete work at AX-101.

Cleanup of the Hanford site is carried out by a workforce of about 10,000 federal and contractor employees.

Visit Tri-Cities highlights tourism impact

Visit Tri-Cities celebrated National Plan For Vacation Day, which was Jan. 31, by highlighting the impact tourists have on the Tri-Cities economy.

Visitors spent nearly $490 million in Benton and Franklin counties in 2021, generating $51.2 million in state and local taxes and supporting 4,739 jobs.

For more about tourism and recreation opportunities in the Tri-Cities, go to: visittri-cities.com.

FEB. 17-19

• Regional Home & Garden

Show: 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. Feb. 17; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 18; 10 a.m.4 p.m. Feb. 19; HAPO Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Cost: $8 for adults, kids 12 and under are free. $3 off admission price with a nonperishable food item for Salvation Army. Free re-admission all weekend with return stamp. Details at hbatc.com.

FEB. 18

• Heart for the Arts Gala: 6 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Fundraiser to support Academy of Children’s Theatre. Tickets: academyofchildrenstheatre. org.

FEB. 21-25

• Benton-Franklin Humane Society Mardi Paws Party and online auction fundraiser. Register at bfhs.ejoinme.org/mardipaws2023.

FEB. 21

• Richland Chamber Luncheon: noon-1 p.m., Three Margaritas, 627 Jadwin Ave., Richland.

• PNNL lecture, “Through the Eye of the Needle: Microbes, Carbon, Water, and Soil”: 5 p.m. via Zoom. Details at pnnl.gov/events.

FEB. 22

• Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce Monthly Membership Luncheon, “State of the Economy”: 11:30-1 p.m., Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center Pasco. 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Register at web.tricityregionalchamber.com/ events.

FEB. 23

• Columbia Basin Badger Club, “Addressing Homelessness in Our Community”: noon via Zoom. Register at columbiabasinbadgers. com. Cost is $5 for nonmembers.

FEB. 28

• Ask the Experts: “Getting Traction in Your Business in 2023: Using the Entrepreneurial Operating System to Structure Your Team Productivity”: 3-4:30 p.m. Bechtel Board Room, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Details at web.tricityregionalchamber. com/events.

MARCH 1

• West Richland Area Chamber of Commerce Membership

Luncheon: noon-1:30 p.m., The Mayfield Gathering Place, 331 S. 41st Ave., West Richland. Details at westrichlandchamber.org.

• Virtual Procurement Technical

Assistance Center workshop, “Contracting Coffee Hour”: 8-10 a.m. Free forum with three retired contracting officers, a large business, small business liaison and a PTAC counselor. Information at washingtonptac.ecenterdirect.com/ events.

MARCH 2

• Pasco Chamber of Commerce, “A Pasco Posse Patty’s Day” networking event: 4-6 p.m., Total Employment and Management, 3405 W. Court St., Pasco.

MARCH 4

• You Medical 35th anniversary celebration dessert and silent auction: 6:30-8:30 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center. 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Register at youmedical.org/banquet.

MARCH 7

• PNNL lecture, “Nano Scale Investigations of Calcium Biominerals Formed by Bacteria”: 5 p.m. via Zoom. Details at pnnl.gov/ events.

MARCH 9

• Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, Business After Hours Jacobs & Rhodes: 4-6 p.m., 4825 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Networking event for chamber members and their guests. Details at web.tricityregionalchamber.com/ events.

MARCH 16

• Tri-City Cancer Center Foundation, Cancer Crushing Breakfast: 7:30 a.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. RSVP before March 1 by calling 509-7373373 or email carrie.almquist@ kadlec.org.

• Tri-Cities Clean Energy Sector Convening 2.0: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., WSU Tri-Cities Collaboration Hall, Room 201, 2780 Crimson Way, Richland. Register by March 10 at PortofBenton.com/RSVP.

MARCH 17

• Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Celebration: 6-9:30 p.m., Pasco Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave. Cost: $60 per person, $400 for table of 8. Register at tchispanicchamber. com.

• Rascal Rodeo’s 9th annual Honky Tonk Hoedown: 5:30-11:30 p.m., Benton County Fairgrounds, 1500 S. Oak St., Building 2, Kennewick. Tickets at rascalrodeo. org.

OPINION OUR VIEW

Tri-Cities boasts ag, energy and innovation trifecta

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

If Tri-City visionaries get their way, we soon could be home to think tanks focused on ways to support the agriculture and energy sectors.

That’s welcome news in a region where the two industries help to bolster our economy.

Plans to establish an Agricultural Innovation Center were announced at Tri-City Development Council’s annual Economic Outlook event this month in Kennewick.

(See story on page A1.)

We’re well positioned to launch such an innovation center as our region is a powerhouse for food processing.

We’re already home to processing giants like Lamb Weston, which turns potatoes into french fries for the world market. Reser’s Fine Foods opened a $120 million food processing plant last fall to transform mashed potatoes into deli dishes.

The number of food and beverage manufacturers operating in Benton and Franklin counties increased to 121 in 2021, nearly double the total from 2004, according to Benton-Franklin Trends data.

Darigold is building a $500 million milk processing plant in Pasco, and Local Bounti Inc., a Montana-based ag tech startup, recently applied for a $3.5 million permit to build a giant greenhouse to grow lettuce in Pasco.

Washington’s child care shortage is a business issue

An ag-focused innovation center would help the Mid-Columbia support research and problem-solving as the world’s need for food and how it is produced grows.

Agriculture was worth more than $1.6 billion to Benton and Franklin counties in 2017, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture data.

The total acreage of the state’s top five crops – apples, potatoes, sweet corn, onions and grapes – in the bicounty area was more than 172,000 acres.

The announcement about the Ag Innovation Center comes on the heels of the December news of plans to establish an energy institute at Washington State University Tri-Cities in Richland.

Gov. Jay Inslee seeks $10 million to fund the energy institute that will tap into WSU’s network of research institutes, including the bioscience facilities on the Richland campus.

We’ve said it before: we’re uniquely situated to become the regional, if not national, capital of clean energy development, thanks to our abundant energy resources – hydro, nuclear, wind, solar and biomass.

We feel we can issue the same boast about an ag-focused innovation center. We have the right ingredients: fertile and efficient farms, big food processors, a well-positioned transportation network, and an experienced workforce.

One of the biggest challenges facing Washington employers today continues to be a lack of qualified workers. Even with rising inflation and growing concern about a potential recession, workforce issues remain paramount.

At the same time, one of the biggest challenges facing parents today is finding high-quality, affordable child care. Like so many of the challenges we are facing today, this was not created by the pandemic, but it was certainly magnified by it.

It should come as no surprise that both issues – the workforce shortage and the child care shortage – are interwoven.

The Association of Washington Business is taking steps to address both issues: A task force is currently working on a report about potential workforce ideas, and a new partnership called the Legislator Education & Action Project, or LEAP, is focused on child care issues.

The AWB Institute and the Children’s Campaign Fund launched LEAP in early January with an event aimed at raising awareness among lawmakers, staff, and key advocates throughout the state about why child care is an important issue.

More than half of Washingtonians live in an area classified as a “child care desert.” The problem is due in part to low wages for child care workers, high staff turnover – as much as 43% per year – and thin profit margins for licensed child care providers. It’s especially pronounced in small towns and rural

communities where access to specialized providers and care outside of traditional 9-5 working hours is limited.

The problem was made worse by the pandemic. Millions of Americans dropped out of the workforce during the height of the pandemic and while many have since returned, a lack of child care is one of the barriers preventing more parents from rejoining the workforce.

Kris Johnson Association of Washington Business GUEST COLUMN

It’s not just an issue for families, but also for employers and the economy. The lack of child care costs businesses more than $2 billion per year in employee turnover or missed work and costs the state economy more than $6.5 billion per year, according to a 2019 report from the Washington State Child Care Collaborative Task Force.

When people can’t find affordable child care, they leave jobs, turn down jobs, and forego education opportunities.

Fortunately, lawmakers and others are working to address it. The Department of Children, Youth and Families is

uJOHNSON, Page A8

America needs Navy’s nuclear expertise to meet electricity

It’s past time for an energy reality check.

If we are to meet our soaring demand for electricity and produce it without coal and natural gas, we must double down on nuclear power.

Today, U.S. nuclear plants generate enough electricity to power more than 70 million homes. It’s the most reliable source of electricity operating at full capacity over 90% of the time. It is “greenhouse gas” free, yet many activists are pushing to close, not build, nuclear power plants.

If President Joe Biden and Gov. Jay Inslee continue to push to outlaw gas and diesel vehicles and ban natural gas in restaurants, homes and buildings, we must rapidly replace that electricity. Now is the time to look to the Navy for its nuclear expertise.

Washington is the perfect place to develop advanced nuclear power technology. The Navy’s Bremerton shipyard and Bangor submarine base are already equipped to overhaul nuclear-powered

vessels. People working there are highly trained and experienced in nuclear technology.

demands

the electricity generated in Washington state.

Nuclear power plants generate massive amounts of electricity on a small land footprint.

Don C. Brunell Business analyst GUEST COLUMN

Nuclear energy has been part of the Navy since 1954 when USS Nautilus was launched as the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine. Today’s Navy runs on nuclear power and thousands of sailors safely work on board ships all over the world within a few feet of nuclear reactors.

Development is already underway on advanced small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) at Oregon State University. SMRs take up one percent of the space of a conventional reactor and each one produces 60 megawatts of power.

Subsequently, it has been spun out to NuScale. To make the reactors safer, Jose

Reyes, a nuclear engineer and co-founder of NuScale, told Science Magazine they have simplified the design and made them impervious to meltdown. The first SMR is expected to be operational this year at the Idaho National Lab near Idaho Falls.

In Wyoming state officials are working with TerraPower founder Bill Gates to convert the Rocky Mountain Power coal plant to the first sodium-cooled advanced nuclear reactor. The power generator and transmission facilities remain in place.

Our state also has the Hanford site. While today’s primary mission there is nuclear waste treatment and cleanup, work on smaller reactors occurs there.

Hanford, with its vast energy infrastructure and talented workforce, is an ideal place to develop and install new technology.

Currently, our state’s only nuclear power plant, Energy Northwest’s Columbia River Generating Station, is located north of Richland. It produces 10% of

Available land will grow increasingly scarce. For example, the Columbia Generating Station encompasses 1,100 acres. By contrast Washington’s 1,725 wind turbines need 1.5 acres each or roughly 26,000 acres, according to National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

There also are mounting concerns over building vast wind farms. For example, in the northeastern U.S. there is growing resistance to massive offshore wind towers planned for the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.

Those towers require mammoth foundations dug deep into acres of undisturbed seabeds, which disrupts aquatic life.

Today, our elected officials are fixated with tearing down coal-fired plants and replacing them with solar and wind farms. But that isn’t practical because

BATEMAN

may not remain in public ownership. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation or the Yakama Tribe could pursue ownership if – or when– Congress considers transferring portions of the Tri-City waterfront back to local control.

But removing the causeway will allow water to flow around both sides of the island. It will flush out algae, sediment and restore water temperatures that sustain coldwater species that must migrate through the Delta as juvenile smolts and as adults. The warm water is a haven for nonnative species such as small mouth bass and channel catfish, which feed voraciously on young salmon.

Smolts that reach the delta are highly vulnerable and are “essentially waiting to

be eaten or to die of (high) temperatures,” one corps official said.

The restored conditions will be good for native fish, but not the marina and public boat launch.

Schiessl said if the government takes steps to harm a city facility, it has a responsibility to mitigate it.

The situation raises a tantalizing prospect: Developing a protected marina on the south side of the delta that replicates the Columbia Park Marina, which is on the north. Under the right conditions, Columbia Park Marina could be moved to a niche further downstream.

That is not as far-fetched as it sounds.

The “niche” marina was proposed in a 1970s plan, before Richland annexed the Wye and Benton County was responsible for the area. Schiessl said several compli-

cated and expensive steps would have to occur for a “second Columbia Point Marina,” but it is possible.

He added that the odds of success would be very low.

The marina is operated by longtime TriCitians Amy and Greg Ford under a monthto-month lease. It offers 104 slips as well as guest dock privileges. Its lease expired in 2017 and the corps refused to renew it, according to corps documents. The Fords could not be reached for comment.

The causeway predates construction of McNary Dam and 17 miles of federal levees along the Tri-City waterfront in the 1950s. Together, they delivered a devastating blow to migrating salmon, both adult and juvenile.

According to the corps, 82% of riparian and shallow water habitat supporting

salmon, birds, wildlife and other threatened aquatic species was destroyed. Lake Wallula, the pool formed behind McNary Dam, inundated the lower two miles of the Yakima River.

The corps estimates salmon runs once saw half a million fish pass through the Yakima River Delta. In the modern era of dams and agriculture, that has dwindled to about 10,000.

The Yakima Delta water project is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife initiative with the corps.

“These effects from the removal of the causeway will significantly increase the success of migrating salmon species,” the corps said.

Cooperating agencies include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Ecology, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakama Nation.

The Yakama Tribe supports removing the causeway and relocating the marina. Learn more about the corps’ plan and submit comments at bit.ly/YakimaRiverDelta.

JOHNSON, From page A7

requesting additional funding from in the Legislature this year, which the state can afford without additional taxes, and there are policy proposals aimed at increasing the number of child care workers, as well.

There are no easy solutions, but we can start by adopting policies that will stabilize families and child care programs while creating a strong foundation for a thriving child care system in the future. We can learn from other states, too, where we have seen multi-pronged solutions that include employers, government and families. It’s going to take everyone working together to ensure that child care is both accessible and affordable.

Child care is interwoven with the workforce, and with other issues. It’s an education issue. It’s an economic development issue. Most important, it’s a Washington issue. We need affordable, accessible child care for our economy to grow.

Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturers association.

BRUNELL, From page A7

when there is no wind or sunlight, nuclear and hydro are the reliable alternatives.

Washington has an abundance of hydropower; however, in many parts of our nation electricity from coal or natural gas fired power plants are primary reliable sources. They are needed in severe cold weather such as occurred recently over most of the nation.

While nuclear power may not be popular, it is essential. That’s reality!

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at theBrunells@msn.com.

Grandpa collected real estate. Now, 18 parcels at Richand Wye are for sale

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Jerry Sleater was many things. A box boy in Pasco. A grocery store owner in Kennewick. A firefighter and a fire commissioner.

When he died in 2019, he left for his children and grandchildren a sizeable real estate portfolio.

Now, Sleater’s heirs are selling 18 separate parcels totaling 10 acres at the Richland Wye, including the Island View Market that overlooks Bateman Island. The portfolio includes a mix of zoning designations – waterfront, commercial limited business, business and commerce, general business and medium-density residential.

Collectively, they offer an investor or investors a “unique opportunity” to establish a foothold in an up-and-coming area of Richland, said Derrick Stricker of Stricker CRE. He is working with Musser Bros. Auctions to sell the portfolio through an inperson and online auction process.

The parcels include several modest homes and a 3.5-acre commercial site near Ben Franklin Transit.

The Richland Wye is a potential gold mine for its riverfront location in the heart of the Tri-Cities, its proximity to Columbia Center mall and its easy access to Highway 240, Stricker said.

The properties were listed individually on standard commercial platforms such as LoopNet in early February with a series of auctions set for March. The market will determine the price, Stricker said.

Auctioneer Scott Musser pledged a fair

and transparent auction process.

“No one is precluded from buying anything. For phase one (the grocery), anyone can buy individual or multiple parcels,” he said.

Musser clarified that even if someone bids on multiple parcels, that does not preclude anyone else from bidding, which has been a point of confusion in the past.

Stricker said he’s rooting for a visionary to step in. The Richland Wye, generally the area that extends from east of Columbia Center Boulevard to Highway 240, along the Yakima River Delta, is undergoing a revival.

The 18 parcels in the Sleater estate could play a big role and leverage another 60 potential deals if neighboring property owners choose to sell.

The area has seen significant investment in recent years as developers recognize the

value of the riverfront. The Port of Kennewick established the Spaulding Business Park a decade ago, converting 31 acres into a Class A business park.

Several apartment complexes overlook Bateman Island.

More recently, Richland spent $5 million to upgrade streets, sidewalks and other infrastructure.

Lionell Singleton and Houston Lillard, former Tri-City Fever players, teamed with Broadmark Realty Capital and Elite Construction and Development to build Vertisee Apartments, an upscale project that is now leasing in the 1100 Block of Columbia Park Trail.

John Bookwalter, the Richland winemaker and restaurateur, is converting the former R.F. McDougall’s Irish Pub & Eatery into Fable, a casual family restaurant that will serve as a counterweight to his

high-end Fiction restaurant a few miles away.

Rivers Edge Plaza, the former home to Chuck E. Cheese and All-American Gymnastics, is getting an overhaul under new owners and Benton Franklin Transit is constructing a new office building on its campus.

The Sleater Estate could be another domino in a chain reaction that helps the area develop to its highest and best use.

The Sleater story started with Jerry Sleater, who began his grocery career as a box boy at a Pasco Safeway. He graduated from Kennewick High School in 1950 and worked his way up through the company but returned to Kennewick in 1962 and bought Ray’s Grocery – now Island View Grocery – from his father. He retired 20 years later.

Sleater was not just a grocer. He was, in Stricker’s words, a real estate “shark” who bought properties around his store. The estate includes the store itself, which overlooks Bateman Island and its troublesome causeway (See story on page A3), aging homes and commercial sites near Ben Franklin Transit.

Sleater managed the rentals himself. Today, some are unoccupied and are in various states of repair. Stricker said it is unlikely a buyer will purchase them simply to continue running them as rentals.

“A lot of those properties are ripe for what the future is going to be,” he said.

Courtesy Stricker CRE

Island View Grocery and 17 other properties at the Richland Wye will be listed for sale this month by the heirs of Jerry Sleater. The longtime grocer died in 2019, leaving a collection of properties that could help anchor the ongoing makeover of the Yakima River Delta waterfront.

Two successful entrepreneurs met in the Tri-Cities. Good things followed

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Dan Preston has never lived in the TriCities.

But that didn’t stop the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce from honoring him with its 2012 Alumnus of Distinction Award for work related to Hanford that led to the patents behind the OnStar system employed in GM vehicles.

Preston is, for the record, an Oregon State University graduate, Bainbridge Island resident and relentless entrepreneur and inventor whose company, ClaroVia Holdings, holds more than 200 patents, including one that undergirds OnStar.

The chamber invited Phil Ohl, another successful engineer, to host Preston when he visited for the awards program.

Ohl grew up in Spokane, the son of an Air Force officer. He and his wife moved to the Tri-Cities for a Hanford post in the mid-1980s after collecting degrees from Washington State University. He’d left his Westinghouse job to venture out on his own and eventually sold Vista Engineering to Veolia.

He launched a new career as an investor and travel writer.

The Ohls and the Prestons met for dinner at Meadow Springs and the resulting partnership continues to pay dividends for the Tri-City economy.

“We hit it off,” Ohl said.

One of the most notable examples is the quarterly “Shark Lunch,” hosted by Ohl and held by invitation to give investors a chance to scrutinize local investment opportunities.

One of the biggest investments to emerge from the lunch was a $500,000 Fuse Fund-led round in STARS Technology, the Richland company founded in 2016 to commercialize chemical processes developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

STARS executives presented at a March 2022 Shark Lunch and won over Ohl and Preston.

STARS was seeking capital to pursue a pilot of its hydrogen-at-the-pump technology with Southern California Gas Co. at a SunLine Transit fueling station in Thousand Palms, California.

Ohl and Preston participated in the round and in helping STARS position itself to succeed if the pilot succeeds.

The next Shark Lunch is March 8. Attendance is by invitation, but those who

are interested in participating can request one from Ohl at phil@entropy-group. com.

Ohl warns the program is a cold-blooded exercise in capitalism.

“There’s nothing altruistic about it,” Ohl said.

Preston sees the Tri-Cities as rich territory. His work on Hanford contracts introduced him to the intellectual and physical landscape. It left an impression.

“I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Tri-Cities,” he said.

He is seeking local partners to commercialize two sets of patents he thinks have commercial potential. The first is focused on mining technology. The other is focused on blockchain technology –though not crypto.

“We would place the technology in the Tri-Cities,” Preston said. “You’ve got everything. Smart people. Great demographics.”

Preston pledged to provide the existing patents and to develop any new ones. He wants partners who look beyond the technology to the “what can this do” factor.

“At 72, I can’t bring it together. It is time for younger guys to do it,” he said.

The mining technology stems from detectors WSU engineering students developed through an internship program he supports in Olympia. The idea is to give students real world success that can help them enter the professional world.

He tasked the aspiring engineers to figure out how to log all the rocks coming out of a 10,000-foot tunnel then being bored in the Los Angeles area.

The students figured it out and deployed the equipment to monitor the debris from the tunnel operations as it moved on a conveyor belt. When the equipment encountered unexpected rock, data from the “Digital Geologist” resolved questions about who would pay the high cost to repair the boring equipment.

“There’s a business in there and a service that goes with it,” he said. The technology has a name, AxialAi, for Artificial Intelligence.

Gary Spanner, who retired as economic development manager for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, said the partnership between Ohl and Preston validates the premise of the Distinguished Alumnus program.

By bringing successful people with Tri-City connections back to the community, they might invest. And they have, he said.

Chamber presents

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce will present its “Business on a Roll” awards at its annual meeting and awards luncheon on March 22. The annual event is from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Three Rivers Convention center in Kennewick. The awards honor local businesses for success in 2022 and for their positive impact on the community.

Dan Preston

Phil Ohl

Port hires Walla Walla company to manage Richland railroad

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Port of Benton has hired Columbia Rail to manage the 16-mile railroad that serves businesses at Horn Rapids, a critical first step to repairing decades of deterioration that reduced train speeds to 5 mph.

Walla Walla-based Columbia operates short line railroads throughout the MidColumbia. It will operate and maintain the line the port calls the Southern Connection Rail Line through Richland.

The port commission approved the in-

BRIEFS

Webinars explain state’s new job posting law

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries will explain the state’s new job posting requirements in a series of webinars planned for March 1, April 5, May 3 and June 7.

The Equal Pay law requires employers with 15 or more employees to include a wage scale or salary range, plus information about benefits and other compensation, in job postings. It took effect Jan. 1

The webinar will examine what constitutes a job posting, what information must be included in a posting, what constitutes a wage scale or salary range and what information on benefits and other compen-

novative, 24-month agreement in January.

Columbia will pay $13,000 a month for the use of the line and a locomotive repair facility while the port will repay the money in the form of maintenance. It is essentially working for free.

The port plans to begin seeking a longterm operator later this year.

Columbia will pay $13,000 a month for the rights to the track, while the port will return the money to cover operations costs. The port continues to seek state and federal grants to fund the wholesale upgrades to ties, signals and other equipment.

sation must be included.

L&I offers free consultations to help guide employers.

Sign up at the department’s Workshops and Training Center page, lni.wa.gov/ workshops-training. Look for “Equal Pay and Opportunities Act” under the “Event Title” dropdown menu.

For information, email EqualPay@lni. wa.gov or call 360-902-6625.

Trios opens expanded medical-surgical unit

Trios Health in Kennewick has opened its renovated and expanded medical and surgical floor.

The 18-month, 11,574-square-foot project was part of the $28 million investment for a new birth center and med-surg expansion at Trios Health’s Southridge

The port plans to improve the tracks enough to raise train speeds to 10 mph in the immediate future and eventually to restore the historic 25 mph limit. It can take two hours under current track conditions for a standard train to traverse Richland.

The railroad was built in 1947 to connect the Hanford nuclear reservation with rail links in Kennewick. The port acquired it and the other assets in the 1100 area in 1998.

The port evicted its longtime operator, Tri-City Railroad Co., in 2022, citing a decade of disputes over track conditions and access to information.

campus.

The expansion takes the Trios Health med-surg unit from 44 to 48 rooms that are slightly larger in size, and also results in an additional 14 rooms transitioning to a new progressive care unit. The new rooms are on the third floor of the facility and feature new furniture, cardiac monitoring technology and vital sign machines.

The expansion is phase two of the construction project, which began with a more than 23,000 square foot addition to construct the new Trios Birth Center, which opened in March 2022.

CWU agribusiness program receives $75,000 boost

The agribusiness program at Central Washington University received $75,000 in federal funding from the recently

The Columbia contract includes detailed requirements for maintenance and requires it to share inspection reports and information about rail traffic with the port.

BNSF Railway and Union Pacific both use the track to access customers in the Horn Rapids area.

The port notes Columbia began assessing the tracks prior to the contract and has committed to getting several port-owned locomotives operational. A port official jokingly called the idle engines “very large paperweights.”

passed congressional spending bill.

Thanks to the help of U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and nearly two dozen industry leaders across the region, CWU’s newly minted “ag biz” program will now be able to develop a third stackable minor/certificate that will eventually be combined with two other certificates as a four-year degree program.

College of Business Dean Jeffrey Stinson said the funding comes at the perfect time for the rapidly growing program, which launched its first minor/certificate in food and agribusiness management and marketing in fall 2021. A second certificate in applied agribusiness technology was introduced last fall, and a third – which will be built around food and agricultural business innovation – is set for fall 2023.

uBUSINESS

RETIREMENT

86-year-old retiree opens art gallery in Kennewick

By Laura Kostad for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Joe Molvik of Kennewick is proving the old axiom you’re never too old to try something new.

At 86, he decided to open an art gallery showcasing his Norwegian-inspired paintings, wood carvings and other woodwork.

The former custom metalworker hung up his trade in 2022 after over 50 years in business and turned his workshop and office into a studio and art gallery that is open by appointment.

Molvik has been painting “off and on” for over 50 years and picked up wood carving around 1993 when one of his sons bought him a basic set of carving tools and a block of wood.

The hobby stuck.

In addition to painting, Molvik enjoys figure carving, crafting picture frames and Norwegian bentwood containers called tine (pronounced like the name “Tina”) and assembling cutting boards, charcuterie boards and butcher blocks out of unexpectedly beautiful salvaged wood.

“I have been blessed by the Lord to have a compulsion to always be in the process of designing and building something,” he said. “Ever since I was little, I always had to be creative, I always had to create something.”

Molvik immigrated with his family to

the United States from Norway at the age of 16 in 1954. His father and mother originally met in the upper Midwest in evangelical circles, before returning to Norway to start their family.

This time they began afresh in Scandinavian-influenced Seattle, where Molvik attended Ballard High School.

An art teacher recognized his inherent talent for painting and encouraged him and he had the opportunity to represent Ballard at a two-week seminar held at the Seattle Art Museum.

After high school, Molvik attended the University of Washington for a year to study industrial design. During that time he met his wife, Mary Ann, the daughter of Swedish immigrants, and they were married in 1959.

He took a drafting course at Broadway Technical School and moved his growing family to Tri-Cities in 1966 after responding to a news ad for a metalworking job in the area.

In 1972, he bought Tri-City Fabricating, formerly located at 202132 E. 25th Ave. and Highway 397 in Kennewick.

“We were making stamped metal parts to start with and gradually we started doing more regular fabricating and after some years we got into the ornamental iron,” Molvik said.

“We went broke in 2008 during the reces-

sion. Then I gradually started a small iron shop at my home where we lived before, and then when we moved here, we took the old farm building and made a big iron shop out of it. Since 2009, I did about 1,000 jobs, all around the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla, Othello, Yakima,” he said.

During those years, he focused on ornamental iron, making mostly chairs, gates and spiral staircases. He carried his business name, Atelier JM, to his new venture.

Molvik was born in 1937 in the Arctic Circle of northern Norway to a traveling minister father. He was a boy during the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War II.

“There was not much money, not many toys, nor recreational equipment. So, from an early age, we children made our own. There was always a knife in my pocket with paper and pencil available,” he recalled.

He also fondly remembers the support of his father’s 14 brothers and sisters who helped the family through the hard times with food and other necessities.

“Up north, especially where we lived, you either made your living fishing and subsistence farming. That was common for thousands of little farms on the coast in the northern part of Norway, so that was some-

uMOLVIK, Page A19

Meals on Wheels adds breakfast, extends cafe hours

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Kristi Thien retired on a high note as nutrition services director for MidColumbia Meals on Wheels, the free senior meals program.

In January, Senior Life Resources, which operates the nonprofit, fulfilled two of Thien’s wishes when it began offering a weekly breakfast and extended services at its cafe north of Columbia Center mall.

By its second week, the Wednesday morning breakfast attracted 19 diners without significant publicity.

Thien brought a lengthy list of dreams when she joined Meals on Wheels in 2009 and kept adding to it when she succeeded Marcee Woffinden as nutrition services director in 2018. She announced she would retire in 2022, which gave the nonprofit time to hire Cara Hernandez, an Eastern Washington University alumna who has served as deputy director for seven months. Thien’s last day was Feb. 3, coinciding with her 59th birthday in late January.

She looks forward to volunteering, hiking, gardening and helping her aging mother and in-laws. She’s ready for her next chapter and is eager to turn the reins over to Hernandez.

“It’s time for someone else to have the privilege I’ve had,” she said.

She called Meals on Wheels the best and most rewarding job she ever had, in a career full of rewarding positions. She once worked in recreation and noted she got to wear shorts to work.

She relishes the little things about serving seniors, like the joy of welcoming people to the cafe.

“It’s just so fun to hold the door open,” she said. The monthly roast beef lunch, which honors birthdays, is a particular favorite and always crowded.

She joined Meals on Wheels almost

by accident. As her children grew older, she mentioned to a friend she was looking for a job with flexibility. The friend was a dietician for Meals on Wheels and the nonprofit was hiring.

She joined as a home assessor, which entailed visiting homebound seniors to get them signed up for services. The job was later renamed “service coordinator” to make it sound less threatening.

For the past five years, she’s been nutrition services director, marshaling a team of paid staff and volunteers to keep

food flowing to clients age 60 and over. She emphasized the focus on teamwork: “Not a single accomplishment is mine.”

She was less than two years into the top job when the Covid-19 pandemic began its worrying march across Washington state and the U.S in 2020.

Concerned about senior clients, senior volunteers and their families, she decided on March 3 to cancel a March 10 breakfast.

Gov. Jay Inslee would issue the Stay

uMEALS ON WHEELS, Page A14

Photo by Laura Kostad Joe Molvik, 86, of Kennewick opened his own art gallery, Atelier JM – A Norwegian Artistic Journey, in the former office of his metalworking shop at 1218 S. Lincoln St. in Kennewick. He paints landscape and still-life scenes, carves wooden figures and handcrafts cutting boards and Norwegian tine bentwood boxes. The shop is open by appointment.

Americans have not adequately planned for retirement. Several studies suggest that more than 85% of our population will not have financial wherewithal to retire at age 65. Coupled with the fact that the Federal Social Security program is severely underfunded, our aging population is staring into a financial abyss.

What is the Secure Act?

The setting every community up for retirement enhancement (“SECURE”) act was signed into law to encourage small business employers to offer 401k benefits to their employees. To qualify, employers must meet 3 requirements:

1. Have 100 or fewer employees who earned at least $5,000 in the preceding year; and

2. Cover at least one non-highly compensated employee; and

3. Have not offered a retirement program in the preceding 3 tax years.

What does the Secure Act mean to small business owners?

Employers have a unique opportunity to offer a 401k program that supports the recruitment and retention of staff. Employers that previously couldn’t offer a 401k employee benefit because of cost or administrative complexity, now have viable options.

Why join the Mountain West 401K plan?

Mountain West 401K is a pooled employer program (“PEP”), headquartered in Pasco, Washington. All employers that sign up through Mountain West are eligible to receive the SECURE tax credits for up to three years.

Mountain West 401k has a unique value proposition that includes relief from administrative and fiduciary obligations, transparent pricing, a no cost, simple set up process, automatic enrollment, and diverse fund lineup. The Mountain West 401k program is managed and serviced by experienced business executives who have served in CEO and CFO roles and understand the unique challenges facing small business administrators.

MEALS ON WHEELS, From page A13

Home, Stay Healthy order on March 23, 2020, but for a few weeks, Meals on Wheels was a standout. Not everyone agreed with her decision.

“I got hate mail,” she recalled.

The shutdown was a difficult time for Meals on Wheels, which closed its cafes and worked to keep the food going by delivering frozen meals.

It set up a delivery service and established a phone buddy system, but she fretted about the missed connections. For some homebound clients, the Meals on Wheels driver is often a lifeline.

“It was nerve wracking to know vulnerable seniors were only being contacted

once a week,” she said.

While her pre-retirement wish list is unfinished, she is pleased with what has been accomplished.

This includes establishing a pet food program and offering low-sodium meals. She hopes to see Meals on Wheels offer renal-friendly meals and to give its clients more choices in the meals they get.

It prepares 30 different meals in its kitchen and freezing facilities, but recipients are limited to what is put in their bag.

“I’d like them to get what they want,” she said.

She credits the 3 Rivers Community Foundation with funding pilot projects that sometimes work and sometimes don’t. It had to halt its “memory cafe” program during the pandemic. But it is likely to make a return. The cafe offers a semi-private dining space for people who want to eat in a cafe but are self-conscious about being in public, possible because of Parkinson’s-related shaking or dementia.

It is working to replace a broken TV in the cafe. Thien sees an opportunity to establish movie nights when the new one is in place.

As Meals on Wheels and the community recover from the pandemic, she spent her final months working to rebuild inperson dining.

It reopened its dining centers on May 2, 2022. She looks at the facilities and yearns for more activity.

“These expanded hours, what a shame to have this beautiful facility empty,” she said.

The expanded service includes a traditional breakfast from 8-10 a.m. Wednesday. Cafe hours are now 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday.

The expansion is supported by grants from the 3 Rivers Community Foundation and Hanford Mission Integration Solutions.

Meals on Wheels is a free service though it accepts donations from seniors who receive meals. Nearly 500 local volunteers support the program.

It delivers hot and frozen meals to homebound seniors Mondays through Thursdays and serves meals at eight dining centers in Benton and Franklin counties.

For more information, call 509-7351911 or go to seniorliferesources.org.

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Kristi Thien, nutrition services director for Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels, visits with diners at the nonprofit’s Richland cafe shortly before she retired in early February.

Richland Knights are tops in nation for helping Ukrainian refugees

By Kristina Lord kristina@tcjournal.biz

When the Richland Knights of Columbus launched its fundraiser to help Ukrainian refugees nearly a year ago, it didn’t expect to get nationwide attention for its efforts.

But it recently reached an important milestone in its campaign.

Council 3307 raised the most money of any Knights group in the country – more than $76,000.

“Of all the councils across the U.S., we have been identified as the No. 1 fundraiser. It put the Tri-Cities, so to speak, on the map, and let the Richland council be known a bit across the other councils,” said Bob Zinsli, a member of the fundraising committee.

The Richland Knights are inching closer to their goal of raising $100,000, thanks to a $25,000 matching fund program.

About 285 men make up the local Catholic fraternal organization, a nonprofit located off the bypass highway at Van Giesen Street.

Zinsli, a retired engineer manager, has been a Knight since 1961 and is the second oldest member of the Richland council. He has lived in the Tri-Cities for “crowding on 70 years.”

He said local donations go to the Knights council in Poland and then directly to help refugees. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, sending millions of Ukrainian refugees fleeing for safety across the border.

The money is used to buy food, medical supplies, clothing, religious goods – “what-

ever the basic needs are for refugees,” Zinsli said.

“It’s getting into the root level of where charity takes place,” he said.

The Knights’ campaign kicked off in spring 2022. One member offered $25,000 to create a matching fund to jumpstart donations.

To get the word out, the Knights handed out brochures at church services, posted information on social media and talked the campaign up across town.

“That started our campaign of fundraising,” Zinsli said.

Donations have ranged from small amounts – coins from children, to $50 and

up, to a few $1,000 donations. A few companies contributed.

One donor donated a day’s pay, an homage to the 51,000 or so employees from Hanford Engineer Works who donated a day’s pay toward the purchase of a B-17 bomber in 1944.

Zinsli declined to share donors’ names.

The money raised at local Knights councils will be matched by the national Knights group, up to $500,000.

“This is in response to a massive need. It’s in the millions now, the number of refugees,” said Bill Murray, Grand Knight of the Richland council. “We’re trying to do our part.”

How to donate to Ukraine Solidarity Fund

desktop Online: donate.kofccharities.org/ team/429132

Envelope By mail: Make checks payable to: “Knights of Columbus Charities.” In the notes/memo field, write: “Ukraine Fund Council 3307” and send to: Knights of Columbus Charities, Inc. c/o Council 3307 2500 Chester Road Richland, WA 99352

All donations are tax-deductible.

The United Nations reported there are more than 8 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe, including 1.6 million in Poland, on Feb. 7. The refugees seek safety, protection and assistance as the war approaches its one-year anniversary this month.

Catholics were persecuted in Ukraine when the country was part of the Soviet Union, according to the Catholic News Agency. About 9% of Ukrainians are Catholic.

Every dollar donated has an immediate effect, and 100% of every donation goes di-

ESCAPE THE EVERYDAY

Friday, February 17 Seattle @ 7:05 p.m.

AMSHOCKEY.COM

Saturday, February 18 Spokane @ 6:05 p.m.

Wednesday, February 22 Everett @ 7:05 p.m.

Friday, March 3 Seattle @ 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, March 11 Portland @ 6:05 p.m.

Sunday, March 12 Kelowna @ 4:05 p.m.

Photo by Kristina Lord

Grand Knight Bill Murray, left, and Bob Zinsli, a past Grand Knight, seek to reach their goal of raising $100,000 in a yearlong effort to help Ukrainian refugees. They are members of the Richland Knights of Columbus Council 3307, which has raised the most in the national campaign.

Adjust your finances to navigate rough waters of economic uncertainty

Depending on your age, you may have lived through a few different economic cycles in your lifetime – you know they ebb and flow. If you’re younger, you might have only experienced an economy that has gone north. Regardless of age, the strength of the economy over the last decade has had the ability to lull people into potentially bad financial habits.

While what we’re experiencing in our economy is certainly not unprecedented, it very well may feel that way. Many of us are still making financial decisions with a mindset stuck in 2019, when we should be adjusting ourselves and our finances to reflect what we’re seeing in 2023: a potential recession and challenging economic conditions.

In a study from last year, an estimated two-thirds of the U.S. population shared that they did not feel optimistic about their personal finances. Maybe you feel the same way. The good news is you don’t need to navigate the rough waters alone.

planning staple, in truth, very few people have an adequate emergency fund in place to handle even a small emergency let alone one that could impact your family for months.

Richard Waddle Gesa Credit Union GUEST COLUMN

Here are a few tactics that can help as you manage your finances in 2023.

Have an emergency fund in place. Despite this piece of advice being a financial

The rule of thumb is to have at least three to six months of living expenses saved to handle life’s emergencies. In the last few weeks, we’ve seen major global and national employers laying off up to 20% of their workforce due to worsening economic forecasts. My hope is that TriCity households and businesses weather this storm with no problems, but if the last decade of seemingly non-stop prosperity has allowed you to put off this rule of thumb, I’d advise you make this a priority. This isn’t doom and gloom planning, this

is just sound financial planning for your family.

Make sure your money is working for you – not against you. Plan an evening this week where you turn off all distractions and set aside some time to review your finances. First, make sure you have a budget that is factoring in all of your expenditures at the start of each month – knowing where your money is going is step one.

Next, check your loans, your savings, and investment accounts; are there areas where you could make improvements? Albert Einstein called compound interest the Eighth Wonder of the World. You worked hard for your money. Your money should work hard for you.

Be prepared to take Beneficiary IRA distributions in 2023

In 2019, The SECURE Act changed the rules concerning distributions from pre-tax Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) inherited through beneficiary designation (a so-called “Beneficiary IRA”). As with many such changes to the tax rules, this new rule took time to dissect and fill in “best guesses” for how the new law functioned where the statutory language was perhaps ambiguous.

It also took time for regulatory agencies like the IRS to weigh in on its interpretation of the rule. Fast forwarding to 2023, we have a bit more clarity but still a level of uncertainty.

The specific rule at issue from the 2019 act concerned non-spouse beneficiaries of IRAs who inherited an IRA from someone that passed in 2020 or later.

Most non-spouse beneficiaries (think of your children) were required to withdraw the entire balance of the IRA within 10 years of the IRA owner’s death. As one might imagine with the high prevalence of IRAs, this new rule applied to many families after the death of a loved one.

The act of 2019 appeared to suggest that the distribution requirement was simple –just withdraw the entire balance within 10 years.

Many practitioners assumed (as did this columnist) that the distributions could take place at any time up to and including distributing the entire balance the day before the 10-year deadline. Effectively this would provide up to 10 years of additional tax-deferred growth.

In the case of an account owner that passed away before he or she reached the age that triggered Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) to begin this under-

UKRAINE FUND, From page A15

rectly to those in need, Murray said.

“Not one penny is there in transfer fees or management fees. It will all go to Ukrainian refugees,” said Murray, a Knight for about 20 years and a retired Richland

standing was, and probably is, still true.

However, early in 2022, many practitioners were surprised when the IRS issued proposed regulations concerning distribution requirements for a Beneficiary IRA where the owner passed after he or she was required to begin taking RMDs.

The proposed regulations would specifically not allow the non-spouse beneficiary of an IRA to wait the (almost) 10 years before making a distribution from the IRA. Instead, the IRS proposed regulations that require the beneficiary to take out (at a minimum) a fraction of the IRA during each of the 10 years after death.

That fraction was generally the beneficiary’s remaining life expectancy as the denominator and “1” as the numerator multiplied by the account balance on the previous Dec. 31.

This was the standard distribution protocol prior to the SECURE act and often referred to as the “stretch” allowing a beneficiary to take a portion out each year over the beneficiary’s life expectancy.

The IRS has proposed that, because the SECURE Act did not specifically alter the annual distribution requirement, that it still remains. So, the IRS is contending (i.e. mandating) that the non-spouse beneficiary of an IRA take a fraction of the IRA for years 1-9 and take out anything remaining

School District band director.

The Richland Knights will suspend their local fundraising campaign once they’ve raised $100,000, but Zinsli said the national Knights effort will continue as long as there’s a need in Ukraine.

in year 10.

So, what’s the problem? Many people who have inherited an IRA since the SECURE Act was passed have assumed that no distributions were necessary and therefore chose not to take any distributions.

And, until the recent passage of SECURE 2.0 in which the penalty will be decreased, the IRS imposed a penalty when a beneficiary failed to take a RMD of 50% on the amount not withdrawn.

Luckily, the IRS was sensitive to the outpouring of comments after it issued its proposed regulations when beneficiaries realized they might be subject to that 50% tax for failure to distribute the RMDs.

In Notice 2022-53, the IRS announced

that its interpretation of the RMD rule would take effect (i.e. the final regulations will apply) no earlier than the 2023 distribution year. This means that those that failed to follow the IRS proposed regulations for 2021 and 2022 are in the clear.

But, for 2023, it’s time to be prepared to take the RMDs.

The exact distribution amount can be complex to calculate and depends on several variables. There are general rules and exceptions to the rules. Be sure to consult a qualified professional to discuss your specific circumstances.

Beau Ruff, a licensed attorney and certified financial planner, is the director of planning at Cornerstone Wealth Strategies.

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Custom Labeled Water Bottles:

• Are a useful promotional branding tool

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what common with my uncles and aunts,” he said.

Times have changed and the wider world has found its way even to that remote corner of the world.

“Things are different now,” he said. “A lot of that lifestyle is somewhat forgotten.

“So, I guess you might say that mostly my inspiration is that I try to do this – wood carving especially – and painting as a memorial to them.”

His pieces provide a window into that former way of life, revealing the lifestyle and day-to-day activities that made up the fabric of his family’s and surrounding community’s lives set on a backdrop of water: Nordland-style boats, boathouses and iconic Scandinavian homes under the midnight sun. “There is a strong feeling of attachment to the culture of the country, appreciation of

There are many ways to grow your savings right now. Certificates of deposit are back, yielding rates consumers haven’t seen in over a decade. Check with your financial institution to see what products work for you.

Pay down debt. It’s tough to think about adding more cash outflow to your budget, but it’s a good idea to pay down your debt in 2023. Interest rates are higher, meaning that you are paying more on your variable rate credit cards and home equity lines of credit.

More importantly, when economic conditions look scary the last thing you want is debt weighing you down. Inflation is easing, but the costs of goods in

the places of my childhood and a deep love of my family with its rich history,” Molvik said.

He has returned to Norway three times and is proud to have had the opportunity to paint the Molvik family farm, which remains in the family. He said he doesn’t think he’ll get back again, unless he can travel first class and have a few more of those comforts for the long flight.

At the Atelier JM gallery, customers can find original art pieces as well as prints for sale with or without frames. Molvik also collaborates with another Norwegian-inspired artist in the area, Sara Watson, who practices traditional Norwegian painting techniques, which have decorated some of Molvik’s wood creations. The two met through the local Sons of Norway lodge.

“Once in a while, I paint something that’s local. Currently I have two of them here –

many areas haven’t caught up. Just as we pointed out in the emergency fund section, if something were to happen with your employment or you wanted to make a life change, you don’t want your debt to limit your options.

Make a list of all your debts and make an intentional plan to pay them off one at a time. Some advocate to pay off the smallest debts first, while others advise to pay off the debts with the highest interest rates. Whatever makes you feel like you are making the most progress and provides you with the most happy dance endorphins is your best bet. Make 2023 the year you pay off, or significantly pay down, your debt.

Maybe the housing market is turning in your favor: One upside to the rising inter-

from Whidbey Island and a Palouse farm,” he said.

He also does custom painting and carving on commission and hopes to have more opportunities for that in the future.

Though Molvik’s gallery is nowhere near the water, visitors will enjoy seeing his progress on yet another project underway at his studio: the restoration of a traditional Nordland boat that he and three friends from the local Sons of Norway lodge built in 1999 for the first Nordic Fest held in the area.

Attendees had the opportunity to take a spin on the Columbia in it. It was built using traditional methods and Molvik said it can be made river-worthy once more and that he looks forward to its return voyage.

As for the gallery, Molvik has more plans.

At Christmastime he had an open house.

est rate environment is that we’re seeing the housing market cool. Which means, if you’re in the right position, now may be a good time to consider buying a home. At the expense of sounding contrary to the advice of lowering debt, hear me out. If your employment situation is sound, you’ve built a solid credit score and have an emergency fund, you may be in a good position to take advantage of a buyerfriendly market.

Rents have gone up quickly over the last couple of years, so talk to a local mortgage professional about current rates and payments. That monthly rent payment may not be much different than a monthly mortgage payment that allows you to build equity in a home. For every cloud there is a silver lining, and the 2023 housing market may

“I want to develop that so that periodically we have an event or get together here and also I would be open for the possibility of workshops or classes,” he said.

He also wants to build a website to expand his reach, advertise more and attend more art shows.

He will be at the 2023 Vintage at the Ridge show March 10-11 at the Numerica Pavilion at the Southridge Sports and Events Complex in Kennewick.

He also plans to be at Art in the Park at Howard Amon Park again this summer.

“I guess I had better do it all before I get too old,” he said with a chuckle. “I do enjoy it, and I feel that I have to create. It’s just in me.”

search Atelier JM – A Norwegian Artistic Journey: 1218 S. Lincoln St., Kennewick. Open by appointment. Contact: 509-5390811, Facebook.

be yours.

While these are just the tip of the iceberg, it’s important to know that whatever you do, you don’t need to feel like you must do it alone. Having a conversation with your financial institution can help educate you on not only what the market in your area is like, but also what may be the best solution for you and your individual situation.

It’s important to have local, expert advice to help guide you and to help you understand your options. Most economic models point to 2023 being a challenging year. For the person who plans ahead and is intentional with their money, it doesn’t have to be doom and gloom. You got this.

 Richard Waddle is executive vice president at Gesa Credit Union.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Shannon Marie, who is now the owner of Columbia Basin Hearing Center.

Recently, Jennyfer Wright, M.A. has been elevated to be the Director of Audiology for Columbia Basin Hearing Center. With over 15 years of experience with CBHC, and a deep well of knowledge in hearing care from pediatrics to Cochlear, Jennyfer will be ensuring every patient enjoys Better Living through Better Hearing.

We have also brought on Dr. Cassidy White, Au.D. to work with us in a telehealth capacity. Dr. White has experience in treating tinnitus and hearing loss in a wide range of patients from varying backgrounds and with different needs.

Also, please welcome Brenda Nelson who joins our team as a Hearing Instrument Specialist after a career with My Hearing Centers. Having hearing loss herself, Brenda is compassionate to patients and highly knowledgeable in hearing care.

If you are struggling to hear as well as you once used to, our team at Columbia Basin Hearing Center has the experience, care and technology to put you back on top.

Coming in March 2023

Not all hearing problems are related to hearing loss!

Did you know that there are stages to auditory development? It’s true!

A person’s ability to detect the presence of sound does not automatically mean that they will understand connected speech.

We CAN help!

Dr. Shannon Marie, Au.D.

Jennyfer Wright, M.A.

Dr. Cassidy White, Au.D.

Brenda Nelson, HIS

HEALTH CARE

New owner bets big on health care, pickleball at Pacific Clinic

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Pacific Clinic, the sprawling fitness and health facility formerly known as the TriCity Court Club, has a new owner and big plans to evolve as it continues its evolution from fitness center to holistic health campus in the coming year.

The BRAE LLC, owned by Stephen White, a former professional athlete, recently paid $6.7 million for the complex, which includes a fitness center, indoor tennis club, dental clinic, commercial space and other facilities. Founder Carl Cadwell was the seller.

“We view ourselves as the premier health and sports campus,” said Shaelah Harmon, president and general manager. She has led the facility since The BRAE took over management in July 2021 and during the 18 months it took to complete the sale, which closed Oct. 1, 2022.

The club is at 1350 N. Grant St., near the intersection of West Canal Drive and North Edison Street in Kennewick.

“Brae” is a Scottish word for a steep hill and echoes White’s philosophy of honoring the struggle.

Harmon said The BRAE is reconfiguring

spaces and expanding to add a pickleball stadium on vacant property facing North Edison Street, which it also purchased.

Two of the three racquetball courts are becoming offices to serve its clinic and provide space for a larger kids’ area on the second floor.

Pacific Clinic hosts various youth programs, including a summer camp and outdoor water park between Memorial and Labor days. The upper space from the racquetball courts will be filled to provide added space on the second floor to accommodate family activities.

“Families are a big priority for us,” she said.

The pickleball stadium is still an idea that needs fleshing out. Harmon said it will be built with roll-up doors.

The facility is already a major outlet for pickleball, the popular sport with Washington roots that is gaining popularity nationwide. It already has six dedicated tennis courts and six dedicated pickleball ones. The tennis courts can be marked off for pickleball.

When it hosts its annual pickleball tournament, the site has more than a dozen courts to play.

“We see more growth in pickleball and

medical services,” she said.

The stadium and the neighboring tennis pavilion will get heating and air conditioning systems to provide a comfortable environment for players all year round.

The growth comes indirectly at the expense of the racquetball courts, which are at the heart of the property. Cadwell built the original club around the courts. Harmon said interest remains but can be accommo-

dated with a single court.

“They take up a lot of space,” she said.

Stephen White, The BRAE’s owner, grew interested in the facility when he worked with Carl Cadwell through his own post-concussion issues.

He recovered most of the lost function and embraces regenerative therapy, a cornerstone of his vision for the clinic. The

uPACIFIC CLINIC, Page A30

Courtesy Pacific Clinic

Pacific Clinic in Kennewick has new owners and plans to expand its offerings to include more holistic health.

Rising costs delay plans for fourth CBHA clinic

By Laura Kostad for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Columbia Basin Health Association is coming to Pasco.

The small health system, which operates clinics in Othello, Connell and Mattawa, bought an 18-acre site at the northeast corner of North Road 68 and Three Rivers Drive and plans to build a 27,000-squarefoot facility on six of the acres.

CBHA had originally hoped to see completion of the facility during the summer of 2024.

“Covid has put a dent in a lot of things,” said CBHA CEO Nieves Gomez. “The most recent inflation is making it very difficult to

continue to grow, especially in health care.”

He said health care providers can’t simply raise prices like a restaurant where the price of menu items can be raised in response to increases in the costs of inputs.

The federally qualified health center provides medical, dental, mental health, eye care, pharmacy services, health and nutritional coaching, maternity education and more – all under one roof.

Six years ago, CBHA moved its first clinic in Othello from Main Street to a new state-of-the-art 78,000-square-foot facility off 14th Avenue near Highway 26.

“What we invested in that one is now double the price for a smaller building,” Gomez said, referring to cost for the new

Pasco clinic.

“We’ve acquired the land and done the assessments … We would love to build a clinic like we built in Othello, but that’s not the world we live in right now,” he said.

At this time, CBHA does not have its own board’s approval to build a Pasco facility, but is currently in the design phase with an architectural firm.

Gomez emphasized that a clinic is coming despite the unknown timeline.

A Tri-City need

Based on market analysis, there is a need in the Tri-Cities.

CBHA estimates it served more than 39,000 unique patients across 200,000 vis-

its between their three clinics last year – a record year.

Of those 39,000, over 3,500 were from the Pasco area, and 55% of the Connell clinic’s nearly 7,500 patients hailed from a Tri-City zip code.

CBHA prides itself on providing care to people regardless of their ability to pay, predominantly serving Medicaid-managed and uninsured patients at a proportion of 54% and 19%, respectively, of their payor mix.

Privately insured patients make up 21% of their base and Medicare-provided makes up 7%.

Upon further analysis, Gomez and his team found that Franklin County ranks last in population-to-provider ratios and that there is a big need for behavioral health and dental services, as well as providers accepting Medicaid-insured patients in general.

There are some 25,000 to 30,000 TriCity residents on Medicaid, according to CBHA’s market research.

“Behavioral health is our fastest growing service line,” Gomez said. “It doubled in size within the past year due to several factors, but especially among kids. He noted the turbulence experienced by many when schools switched to online schooling, then later reopened for in-person attendance.

“We exist to keep folks who don’t need to be in the hospital out of the hospital,” Gomez said, referring to the tendency for uninsured people to simply go to emergency rooms with nonemergent medical issues since ERs are required by law to treat those who come through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay.

This jams up services for those with emergency medical needs and doesn’t always result in the care the patient needs, as ER staff are not necessarily trained or equipped to deal with chronic conditions or other nonemergent issues.

At CBHA, staff strive to offer same-day and next-day appointments to see primary care providers, further reducing the rate of ER visits.

Rooted in community

CBHA opened its first clinic in Othello in 1973 to fill a void for the medically underserved. Next came Mattawa, followed by Connell.

Though CBHA is a federally qualified health center, it receives the majority of its funding, 49%, from patient services, followed by 24% from premiums, 23% from grants and 4% from other sources.

More than half of CBHA’s board of directors must represent the individuals that their clinics serve based on factors such as race, ethnicity and gender, and the majority must be patients of CBHA.

“We are a highly culturally sensitive organization; 100% of my clinics we employ from the city where they (are located),” Gomez said, noting that half of CBHA’s providers speak Spanish fluently, while the other half are put through Spanish language courses to help bridge communication gaps.

“Community’s a big thing for us,” he said. “If you don’t have a good reputation in the community, you just won’t win.”

“We don’t wait for people to come to us, we go out to the community, to orchards, to farms,” he said, adding that almost half of

HEALTH CARE Campaign underway to get life-saving medication in everyone’s hands

By Robin Wojtanik for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Overdose prevention could be viewed as the new CPR: the Benton-Franklin Health District wants everyone to be prepared and know how to help anyone at any time.

The BFHD is actively marketing its “Carry a Second Chance” campaign in the hope people will equip themselves with naloxone, an emergency medication that could reverse an overdose. It is available without a prescription in Washington state.

“It is my goal that everybody carries naloxone in their purse and their wallet and their car wherever they can carry it,” said Shelley Little, a public health nurse with the Benton-Franklin Health District for the past 22 years.

“Think about your grandparents who maybe have taken some type of pain pill and they’re on another type of medication that interferes with that, or how older people are sensitive to alcohol, and they drink the regular beer they’d have while on pain pills for a sore back. It could be that population who overdoses.”

The health district is moving away from using the word ’opiate’ because the nation’s overdose epidemic is not just opiates, Little said.

“People are dying even more now with lots of other drugs, too. So, it isn’t a single drug epidemic, and any drug could be involved,” she said.

Naloxone also may be known by its brand name, Narcan, and is available in spray or injection form.

The medication typically costs $60 to $125, depending on insurance coverage, but also may be free for some populations, including those on Medicaid.

It is not available directly from the health district, despite the standing order to provide it without a prescription, and may be obtained from a pharmacy or through the Washington State Narcan Mail Order Program, an online order system which can be shipped by providing only a name, address and payment, if needed.

It is also available at the Blue Mountain Heart to Heart (BMH2H) clinic at 911 S. Auburn St., Kennewick.

A safe drug

While naloxone only works to reverse the effects of opiates, people are still encouraged to use it if any overdose is suspected.

“Let’s say it’s not an opiate. Let’s say it’s not fentanyl. Let’s say it’s not any of those; it will do no harm,” Little said. “It will do no harm to a pregnant person, and it will do no harm to a child. This is a very safe drug.”

Washington’s Good Samaritan Law also protects people from prosecution for drug possession if they call 911 to save a life while illicit drugs are still on the scene.

“It’s completely legal to take (naloxone), and it’s completely legal to use it,” said Everett Maroon, executive director of BMH2H. “As opposed to other rescue devices, like defibrillators, you won’t hurt anybody if you use it on someone who’s not actually overdosing on a narcotic. It just won’t do anything for them.”

Tracking overdoses by industry

Overdose deaths are tracked by the BFHD and reported on a dashboard, thanks to a $75,000 Overdose Data to Action grant from the Centers for Disease Control. The data dashboard is similar to ones used to report Covid-19 infections and deaths, and suicide rates.

The data shows overdose deaths doubled between 2019-20 in Benton and Franklin counties.

Studying the vital records death certificates provided the BFHD with new insights into which populations are most susceptible to an overdose, including certain occupations and industries. Little noted a 100% increase in overdose deaths in the construc-

tion industry alone.

“We could start to look at why this construction worker trend has been the highest growing population of construction, labor and trades,” Little said. “In just one year, the overdose death rate for restaurant and food service workers went up 300%. And it was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ these are identifiable occupations where people are working at the time of their deaths.”

Armed with that knowledge, outreach efforts began in earnest. Little said when initial strategies didn’t seem to be making a sizable impact, the BFHD shifted to use grant money toward a media campaign, resulting in “Carry a Second Chance.”

One of its first calls was to the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities (HBA) because the highest incidence of overdose deaths for all occupations since 2016 has been those in the construction, labor and trade industry. Little found the HBA was immediately receptive and agreed to include campaign flyers in all billings, totaling about 300.

The health district already had the infrastructure in place to make regular connections with those in the food service industry through annual food establishment inspections.

“If you’re just going to do a routine inspection, we put a packet together for the environmental health specialist to hand to the purveyor to say, ‘Hey, these are your

employees, this is what’s happening, here’s the flyer, here’s how you get it.’ ” After launching this outreach effort last September, it’s expected every food establishment will be reached by this fall.

Little is so committed to the campaign, she has her own guerilla marketing strategy: She carries the flyers with her to tape up in restroom stalls when she’s off the clock.

“I don’t know if they get torn down, but at least anybody could hit that QR code. The whole thing is, we want people to know this is available,” she said.

Naloxone’s local impact

Maroon’s organization first began providing naloxone in late 2014 and saw 18 reversals of an overdose in the first year of use.

Last year, that number jumped to 638 across its three offices that provide the medication: Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and Clarkston.

“Part of that increase is better penetration of naloxone to people who are likely to overdose,” Maroon said. “But the other thing going on is that we’ve seen a real nose dive in terms of toxicity of the illicit drug market since Covid.”

Maroon is referring to the increase in fentanyl, a purely synthetic drug, versus heroin.

In 2022, BMH2H gave out 915 naloxone kits in the Tri-Cities and tracked 164 reversals of an overdose.

Reducing the stigma

With extremely limited harm reduction programs in Benton and Franklin counties, it’s BFHD’s goal to both make people aware of the benefits of carrying naloxone while also reducing the overall stigma associated with addiction.

“It really helps people understand this is a chronic, relapsing disease similar to diabetes,” Little said. “So many people get out of control with their diabetes where they end up with a Spudnut or three Cokes and their insulin goes up. Sometimes they just need more insulin, and sometimes they end up in the hospital, and there’s no stigma with that. Substance use disorder is the same, except it really has its foundation in loneliness and isolation. The lack of community connection is what makes addiction so stigmatized. It’s ‘those’ people. They’re in ‘this’ alley. It’s ‘that’ homeless encampment. It’s ‘other’ people. We don’t see them

uNALOXONE, Page A30

Courtesy Benton-Franklin Health District

A rise in overdose deaths among construction, labor and trades, and restaurant and food service workers industries prompted the Benton-Franklin Health District to begin an outreach campaign. The drive involves equipping and educating the public to be ready to treat an overdose with naloxone.

Health care sector continues to grow, but is health of population improving?

In prior years, this column’s annual look at health care in the greater Tri-Cities has treated the sector as a business.

On the basis of a key indicator in Benton-Franklin Trends that tracks employment by sector, we’ve pointed out that health care and social assistance in the two counties is now the second-largest source of employment. As of 2021, the sector represented nearly one out of every seven jobs here.

It wasn’t always so. After the turn of the millennium, the labor force in the sector took up about 1 out of every 12 jobs. Its remarkable growth over the past 20 years has been the largest and fastest of all the major 19 sectors of the local economy.

We also have pointed out that this robust growth is reflected in current job openings. The Washington Employment Security Department posts a monthly “top 25” openings.

Nursing usually occupies the top spot, as it does throughout most of the state. Yet, other health occupations typically populate the top 25 list for the two counties. For the most recent available month, December, the list for Benton County included nine occupations and in Franklin, five.

But let’s expand our field of vision. A health care sector exists, one hopes, to keep people healthy. The single most important metric of the health of a population is its life expectancy. (It would be better if we could adjust the years for quality of life, but that’s beyond the typical calculations at the local level of this key metric.)

How has the greater Tri-Cities fared

D. Patrick Jones Eastern Washington University GUEST COLUMN

over the years by this measure?

Not bad at all. Until 2020, that is. Trends data, “Life Expectancy at Birth,” clearly shows that the average number of years expected here has steadily increased over time. Additionally, it has always been higher than for

the average American, and in many years than for the average Washingtonian. The decline, however, between 2020 and prepandemic 2019 is startling.

The U.S. expected lifespan for the newly-born dropped by 1.4 years. In the greater Tri-Cities – by a full two years. Washington overall fared the best, with a decline of 0.7 years. This puts the 2020 outlook for newborns in the greater Tri-Cities at a level last seen 12 years prior, 2008.

What happened? We don’t know exactly, but if the local pattern of deaths from the pandemic matches that of the state, some clues emerge.

The Washington Department of Health (DOH) publishes a biweekly report on cumulative case counts, hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19 from the start of the pandemic. The most recent data show a wide disparity in all three measures by race and ethnicity.

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders and

American Indian/Alaska Natives clearly have been the hardest hit. But as Trends data shows, these two groups do not make up much of the area’s population.

Hispanic/Latinos, of course, do – by more than one third in 2021. And the experience with the pandemic of this population statewide was far less favorable than for the average Washingtonian.

Cumulative case rates have been about the same, according to Washington DOH. Hospitalizations, however, have been over 40% higher and age-adjusted death rates nearly double the statewide average. I doubt that the experience here has been

much different.

A lower immunization rate among Hispanics likely stands behind this widely disparate outcome. Research shows a clear connection between higher immunization rates and lower hospitalization and death rates. But lower immunizations reflect a larger phenomenon in the health care system in the greater Tri-Cities. In a word, the local Hispanic/Latino community appears underserved.

We see this primarily in supplemental data that tracks health care insurance

Courtesy Benton-Franklin Trends

Trainer motivates seniors to keep moving to stay fit

By Robin Wojtanik for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Personal trainer Claude Hafez believes most everyone can move and she won’t take “no” for an answer.

“Regardless of age or injuries or limitations, everyone can move. You think you don’t want to move anymore, and you feel like the chair is calling you to just sit down, but I want everyone around me to keep moving. That’s why I named my business ‘Keep Moving With Claude.’ ”

Hafez opened her business with a one-ofa-kind credential for the Tri-Cities area as she is the only certified master trainer from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

After more than six years at the Kennewick Gold’s Gym, Hafez went out on her own while based out of the Mission Accomplished Gym at 5601 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick.

Hafez said every one of her 60 clients followed her to the new location where she trains people of any age but has a passion for working with seniors.

“I love seeing people whose balance is better; they’re losing weight and moving easier. It’s so rewarding. It’s like someone gave me a million dollars,” she said.

Hafez has many success stories to tell from a variety of clients who arrived with shoulder issues, knee problems or lowered strength that often comes with age.

“Anyone who comes to me starts with simple movements and finds it makes a huge difference in their everyday lifestyle

by adding daily movement,” she said. She had a client in his late 50s with Parkinson’s who could only walk backward and had given up hope regaining the ability to walk forward.

Hafez said no one else wanted to train him. “I said, ’OK, I’m going to train this person,’ and I jumped in. His back muscles were very, very weak and his front muscles were very strong. I did an assessment to find what kind of imbalanced muscles he had, and he worked five days a week for six months and started walking forward again. He couldn’t believe it himself. He is a different person now. He couldn’t stop crying and it’s just so rewarding.”

To become a master trainer by the NASM, Hafez had to complete multiple prior certifications in several specialties, including corrective exercise, performance enhancement (intended for athletes), and weight loss. “I didn’t want to stop learning; I keep enjoying it,” she said.

Hafez hasn’t been living and breathing fitness and nutrition her whole life.

An immigrant from Lebanon who arrived in the U.S. after witnessing decades of war, Hafez was once overweight herself.

“I was big, and I didn’t want to move. I was just eating muffins and drinking orange juice. And one day I looked in the mirror and said, ‘This is not me. I’m still young. I

don’t want to end up being a couch potato.’ ”

She made a plan to hire a personal trainer but then had a restless night thinking she could do it herself. “I Googled, ‘What is the best certification to become a personal trainer?’ I found the National Academy of Sports Medicine and I registered that same day so I couldn’t change my mind tomorrow,” she said.

After she figured out how to help herself, Hafez decided to help people in the community.

“I want to show people how to be healthy, be fit and be active. It’s not about getting a six-pack; it’s about enjoying life and what they are doing every day,” she said.

That was a goal shared by Maggie Shearer, 63. “I found I was losing strength, and couldn’t do things around the house as well.

Claude helped me get my strength back. She’s really familiar with older bodies. They’re not as elastic and don’t recover as quickly, but we didn’t want to give up all the good stuff,” she joked.

Shearer comes to Keep Moving once a week for an hourlong session with two friends, Loria Kirsch, 60, and Joan Young, 67. The trio focuses on exercises that keep their balance and strength through compound muscle movements.

“I really like that she works on balance a lot with us,” Kirsch said. “We’re at that age where once you start losing it, that’s it.”

Kirsch and Shearer have been working with Hafez since 2016 and recently brought Young into the group training, which can

uCLAUDE, Page A28

Photo by Robin Wojtanik

Claude Hafez provides personal training to clients of all ages, but has a passion for working with seniors, including, from left, Joan Young, Maggie Shearer and Loria Kirsch.

CBHA’s patients are agricultural workers and almost half are infants to 18.

CBHA has hosted Covid-19 vaccine events and offered testing on an ongoing basis.

They have been partnering with neighboring schools in Othello and Mattawa on a grant to provide hybrid school-based health care in which a consultant is available so school counselors can provide same-day referrals.

CBHA also gets involved with and organizes community events such as food distributions and color runs, which raise money to provide more youth activities in the communities they serve.

“We pride ourselves on being known as a top performer in quality, efficiency and building design,” Gomez said.

He said that last year CBHA won five

make the sessions more affordable.

Hafez doesn’t operate on a contract basis, with sessions costing $65 per hour for one-on-one training or $45 per hour for a buddy workout.

She’ll also do 30-minute sessions for a single person for $45, usually for people coming back after surgery.

Group sessions are limited to three people so that no one compromises their form and risks injury.

Hafez is so confident people will find her service valuable that she has offered to refund their money if they don’t see a difference after a couple weeks.

“I just want to motivate them somehow. You know you’re not going to lose your money, right? Just lose my time. I’m happy to do this. But in a couple weeks they find they feel good after they work out and it changes the whole day,” she said.

Every new client starts with an assessment to get a baseline, which also accounts for any prior injuries, imbalance or deficiencies in strength. “So no one is going to be coming in here and start jumping and doing push ups and dead lifts,” Hafez said.

“From there, we build a program just for you. I do a lot of balance, mobility and joint workouts. This way we work more muscles at the same time. When you sit down on a machine, like the chest press, you work one muscle at a time. Instead, I put clients on the ball, if they have good balance, and when they do a chest press, they are also working their core, their legs, their glutes and their hamstrings, but their main focus

national awards for employee engagement and was ranked in the top 7% of federally qualified health centers nationally. “We are one of only two gold standard FQHCs in Washington state.”

CBHA made Modern Healthcare’s list of Best Places to work for 2022, 2021 and 2020. It was also the winner of the 2022 Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation as well as the Pacific Northwest.

CBHA also received the Health Resources and Services Administration Health Center Program 2022 award for being an access enhancer, health disparities reducer and health center quality leader.

“If you have happy employees, you have happy customers,” Gomez said. “CBHA is a high-quality health care delivery system that’s well integrated and would be a great partner for the Pasco area.”

is the chest. But just by being on the ball, they are moving more muscles so it takes less time to feel strong.”

Without a contract, Hafez isn’t trying to lock people into a set number of visits in the way a physical therapist might have with an insurance authorization. She provides each client with a written copy of their personalized workout and encourages them to do it on their own time.

Hafez is also certified in the TRX suspension trainers that use your own body weight to offer resistance and improve balance.

Young said she’s heard the success stories herself. “My friend has rheumatoid arthritis and says the resistance training has saved her life,” she said.

The goal of Keep Moving with Claude is to encourage people to move 30 to 45 minutes a day to feel the impact.

“You don’t need me your whole life,” Hafez said. “Not all people can afford a personal trainer for their whole life, but since I write everything down, your workout is your workout. I don’t want people to stay with me. My goal is just to keep people moving and that way you’re going to save your bones, you’re going to save your bone density, you’re going to save your joints, and you’re going to be enjoying more things like walking, playing golf, playing pickleball, or enjoying your grandkids.” search Keep Moving With Claude: 5601 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick; 509-3694745; kmwclaude.com.

CLAUDE, From page A27

CBHA, From page A24

proval for Lunsumio came in December. The medicine, administered intravenously, helps adults with the most common slowgrowing form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a blood cancer.

Results from clinical trials showed that 80% of patients who received at least two prior therapies responded well to the treatment, with 60% experiencing complete remission.

“This additional treatment option is good news for people whose blood cancer has not responded to multiple lines of treatment because it can become more difficult to treat each time it returns,” said Dr. Lee Greenberger, chief scientific officer of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Tyler is quick to share credit with her team.

“There are so many people involved in the process of bringing a medicine to market and so many hands touch it over the years as it goes through this. I’ve been really lucky that the people I work with are really awesome,” she said.

Tri-City ties

Tyler grew up in Richland, the daughter of an environmental scientist father Dan Tyler (the retired founder of Freestone Environmental Services Inc. in Richland) and a public nurse mother, Jerry Tyler.

Jackie took advanced biology and chemistry classes at Hanford High, graduating in 2008.

She knew when she began applying for college that she didn’t want to be a doctor or nurse.

She chose to attend Purdue University in Indiana because it offered good scholarships for women studying engineering and her grandparents lived nearby.

She earned her bachelor of science in biomedical engineering in 2012 and master’s in the same subject the following year.

At Purdue, her undergraduate work included research testing different nanomedicines for treating cancers and spinal cord injuries. The work involved animals, rats specifically, and she learned that she “really didn’t want to work with animals ever

Tri-City CONNECTIONS

Tri-City

again.”

“It was a valuable experience being able to spend time in the lab and trying out different instruments and techniques and learning what that workflow is like and seeing the scientific process firsthand,” she said. Joining Genentech

Genentech offered her a job before she graduated with her master’s.

“I defended my thesis and two weeks later started work. It was a whirlwind,” she said.

She packed up her university life and moved to San Francisco to join the California-headquartered company.

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, has been developing medicines to treat patients with serious medical conditions for more than 40 years.

She started at Genentech as an entry level associate engineer and spent her first few years there working on Kadcyla, a breast cancer drug.

Today, Jackie works in the pharma technical development group.

Her team’s focus is to figure out what inactive ingredients the medicine should be mixed with so it can be manufactured at large scale, so it is stable by the time it gets to patients and so it can safely be administered in the way doctors want.

“We really strive to understand the stability of the molecule and how it changes over time and how to slow or stop those changes so that the medicine is really good

by the time the patients get it,” Jackie said. This involved experiments in storing the medicine for two to three years and other types of stability testing.

Jackie’s role has evolved over time, with the scope growing with the needs of the project. Today, it involves more strategic, long-range planning and computer-based data analysis.

Some days she misses slipping on her lab coat and spending more time in the lab.

“It’s almost meditative because you have a set goal and you know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, and when you’re done with the day, you feel very accomplished in a lot of ways,” she said.

Even though Lunsumio is FDA approved, Jackie’s team will continue to support the medicine as it’s being launched into the world, adjusting for any changes in the

manufacturing process.

“It’s almost like I raised a child that’s graduating from high school or college. It’s really rewarding to kind of watch that process,” she said.

When she talks to other scientists about where she’s from, she always mentions that the Tri-Cities is in the heart of Washington wine country, home to alphabet houses and the Hanford nuclear site and has more Ph.D.s per capita than anywhere else. She talks about the strong science education she received at Hanford High.

“I feel really lucky that we have excellent public schools in the Tri-Cities,” she said, explaining it encouraged her to get involved in a Genentech outreach program that brings science to middle and high schoolers. “We’re helping to grow the next generation of scientists,” she said.

Connections is an occasional profile of Tri-City natives and former Tri-Citians who have had interesting careers. Email news@tcjournal.biz to suggest candidates.

property is packed with services catering to the health and cognitive needs of its members and patients. A full-service pharmacy opened near the entrance in January.

“We’re not the experts. We go find the experts,” Harmon said.

Cadwell originally developed the property around racquetball and it grew to boast a wide variety of offerings, from swim and therapy pools, to workout studios, free weights, cardio equipment, a kid zone, spa facilities, tennis and more.

It added primary care facilities along the way as it pivoted to regenerative health services to aid people being treated for strokes, dementia and other illnesses.

It changed its name to “Pacific Clinic” in 2020, a move Harmon said reflected its commitment to becoming a health outlet.

The name predated the pandemic, she said. For Harmon, uniting health care services with physical fitness goes hand in hand. The clinic wants to be a one-stop shop where members can get in a workout and attend to medical issues, including picking up prescriptions.

Collectively, Pacific Clinic is the umbrella for 13 departments.

“Our goal is to help people see the connection between health and wellness,” she said.

Pacific Clinic employs 185 people, rising to 220 in the busy summer months. It boasts 2,800 memberships covering about 12,000 people. Memberships range from $133 to $153 per month for a couple, depending on the level of services needed.

Go go: pacific.clinic.

as somebody’s mother, brother or friend.”

Using the tagline, “Suspect no one, expect anyone, respect everyone,” the goal is to break down communication barriers as people may find the stigma is often worse than the addiction.

“It’s really about destigmatizing this disease and getting naloxone in people’s hands so people can live longer. I think most people who have the disease of addiction do not want to die. They want to live, so the longer you can keep someone alive, the more time you’ll be able to spend time with them,” Little said.

Roughly 500 naloxone kits have been ordered by Benton and Franklin county residents through the state’s online program since the campaign launched in August.

“We are hopeful to expand awareness of the campaign this year, as well as increase access of naloxone to community agencies interacting with populations at a higher risk of overdose,” said Carla Prock, senior manager, Healthy People & Communities for BFHD.

“I think there is this misnomer (addiction) is a suicide thing, and people know they’re at risk every time they pick up an illicit drug. But it’s not that way,” Little said. “Some people are dependent on it. They are not looking to kill themselves, they’re looking to cure their disease. Diabetics take insulin because their sugars are high and they’re starting to sweat and feel agitated. These people are using illicit drugs or regular drugs because they need them. They want to be alive.”

Go to: carryasecondchance.com.

NALOXONE, From page A25

PACIFIC CLINIC, From page A23

Longtime developer with Tri-City property ties dies at age 78

By Erica Bullock Spokane Journal of Business

People who worked and did business with prominent Spokane developer Richard “Dick” Vandervert remember him for being a sharp dealmaker and community leader who treated everyone with the same level of respect.

Vandervert, 78, died unexpectedly of heart failure Jan. 4, according to his daughter Debbie Cozzetto. He was the owner of Spokane-based Vandervert Developments LLC, a commercial development and property management company, with properties in the TriCities.

He also was known for founding Vandervert Construction Inc., which was sold in 2014 after operating under his leadership for 28 years.

Susan Horton, CEO and president of Spokane-based Wheatland Bank, which has a Pasco branch, says Vandervert served on Wheatland Bank’s board

uBUSINESS BRIEF

UW medical school ending participation in rankings

The University of Washington School of Medicine will joint other top-flight institutions in opting out of the rankings of medical schools by U.S. News & World Report, beginning in 2024.

Richard Vandervert

of directors for 20 years. She says he also was a customer, a major shareholder, and a tremendous referral source of new business to Wheatland that helped drive growth of the bank.

Horton says she remembers first meeting Vandervert 24 years ago when Vandervert Construction was contracted to build three new branches.

“We were so impressed with the integrity in which he conducted his construction business that I thought it would be an amazing asset to our board if I could get the revered Dick Vandervert to serve,” Horton said. “I knew that he could help us grow … and that’s exactly what he did.”

Horton added, “Not only did he build

Other institutions making this decision include Harvard Medical School, Stanford Medical School, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia, and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

UW School of Medicine said leaders concluded the ratings were not aligned

a tremendous real estate empire, but despite all of his power, success, and intelligence, he was just a down-to-earth, humble man.”

Those close to him describe Vandervert as an active community member who contributed time and resources to various nonprofits and functions.

Cozzetto, who works at Vandervert Developments, said her father was sometimes mistaken as a janitor at his properties due to his habit of beautifying properties, picking up garbage from parking lots, and pulling weeds while dressed in his signature shorts and Tommy Bahama shirts.

Prior to becoming a commercial builder, he got his start in the construction industry during his senior year at Shadle Park High School, where he worked at a Keystone Frame & Manufacturing lumbermill after school. He then attended night classes at Whitworth University and later worked as a carpenter for Boise Cascade, construct-

with its values.

“We have determined that the current U.S. News ranking process does not align with our goals of creating an inclusive learning environment and developing a diverse and culturally humble workforce,” said Dr. Timothy Dellit, interim CEO of UW Medicine, interim dean at the University of Washington School of Medicine and interim execu-

ing pre-built houses.

Vandervert was married to his high school sweetheart, Bonnie (Riddle) Vandervert, for 58 years. She operates the hotel division of Vandervert Developments. The company manages five hotels in Eastern Washington, including Hampton Inn, and Homewood Suites, both in Richland and one in Kalispell, Montana.

Vandervert Developments has 24 properties and manages over 2 million square feet of commercial real estate in Spokane County, Pullman, Richland, and North Idaho listed on its website.

Prominent developments include Richland properties at 1080 George Washington Way, home to Porter’s Real BBQ, TC Cider House and Fresh Leaf Co., and River Walk Village at 400 Bradley Blvd., home to The Bradley and Longship Cellars, among others. Cozzetto says no plans are in place yet to name a new company leader.

tive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Washington.

UW Medicine plans to work with other medical schools to develop measures that are valid, meaningful and reflective of its values. UW Medicine also will continue to participate in the U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, which is a separate survey and uses different methodologies.

Chamber relaunches Ask the Experts program

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce is relaunching its Ask the Experts program with support from STCU.

Ask the Experts is a monthly series of workshops that aim to educate people on business topics. It is offered free to the Tri-Cities business community.

The first session will be held Feb. 28 and covers using entrepreneurial operating systems for productivity and traction. Experts Brett Spooner of Gravis Law, Brandon Cortes of Campbell & Co. and Brad Sappenfield of Spotted Fox will present.

Sessions are offered on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Bechtel board room at the chamber building in Kennewick. Participants may attend in person or via Zoom.

Register at tricityregionalchamber.com/ asktheexperts.

Pasco hires Kennewick firm for Broadmoor work

Kennewick-based Goodman & Mehlenbacher Enterprises will grade roads as part of the first phase of transportation work in Pasco’s Broadmoor area under a $600,000 contract.

The Pasco City Council awarded the bid in January. The work includes rough grading for the future Road 108, Sandifur Parkway and Road 103 in preparation for construction of utilities and roads, which will occur in future phases.

Goodman & Mehlenbacher submitted the lowest of 11 bids.

The work is the first of many phases to carry out $40 million in improvements to set the stage for development of the sandy dunes west of Road 100-Broadmoor Boulevard, as laid out in the Broadmoor Master Plan.

Pasco is using tax increment financing to fund the updates, using taxes on rising property values to repay bonds issued to pay for the work.

“We’re glad we received several very

coverage. Data makes clear that the rate of local residents without health insurance has placed higher than in the U.S. and Washington for nearly all years tracked.

At the inception of the Affordable Care Act, 2015, the local rate of the uninsured dipped significantly to match or even show a lower percentage than the nation. But since then, the local rate has climbed. (2020 data is unavailable from Census, as the pandemic curtailed response rates enough for the Bureau to not release them.)

Health insurance status provides a good proxy for the likelihood of encounters, especially on a somewhat regular basis, with health care providers. Without encounters, preventive measures such as immunizations simply aren’t commonplace, let alone habit.

When the supplemental data found in the source table to this indicator are examined, it is clear that the pandemic experience of people of color is mirrored in local health insurance rates.

The overall average rate of the unin-

competitive bids for this project, and this is just the first of many improvements to the area for the infrastructure needed to support the development coming to Broadmoor,” said Steve Worley, Pasco’s public works director.

Gesa has $100,000 for scholarships

Richland-based Gesa Credit Union is accepting applications for its education scholarships through Feb. 28.

Gesa said it will fund more than $100,000 in scholarships, including $50,000 offered to high school seniors who participate in its high school program, $30,000 for seniors entering their freshman year of college, $15,000 for Gesa members looking to continue their education and $5,000 for students with active student loans.

The program is open to any students who have active student loans, are entering college for the first time or are pursuing higher education.

Go to gesa.com/category/scholarships.

Legends Casino Hotel seeks grant applications

Legends Casino Hotel is accepting applications from nonprofits for its annual Yakama Cares grant distribution through March 31.

The Charitable Contributions fund called Yakama Cares will be distributed in May 2023.

The fund assists many area nonprofits with several hundred thousand dollars in grants to groups in Benton, Franklin, Kittitas, Klickitat and Yakima counties.

Charitable organizations whose service area lies within a 100-mile radius of the Legends Casino Hotel campus and address a youth/educational need, elder care and activities as well as medical benefit to the community receive priority consideration.

Go to legendscasino.com and look for “Yakama Cares” under the additional links at the bottom.

Legends Casino Hotel is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.

sured in the two counties over the 2017-21 period was 9.6%. For the large Hispanic/ Latino population nearly twice as much, at 18.7%. This high rate of Hispanic/Latinos was, unfortunately, not unique to the greater Tri-Cities; nearly all central Washington counties show this disparity.

The gap between the two rates raises the question of why?

Are employers of largely Hispanic/Latino staff not offering health insurance? Is the Washington state exchange, Healthplanfinder, too complex or not amenable to Spanish speakers? Is there a cultural hesitation to engage in preventive medicine?

Whatever the reasons, let us hope for the sake of the future of the Tri-Cities that this group is not excluded from the firstclass health care system here.

D. Patrick Jones is the executive director for Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis. Benton-Franklin Trends, the institute’s project, uses local, state and federal data to measure the local economic, educational and civic life of Benton and Franklin counties.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Leap of faith leads store owner to new spot after 61 years

By Jeff Morrow for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Ginny Hildreth hasn’t been afraid to make a risky leap in her life when she feels the time is right.

The owner of Discount Vac, Sew & Fabric is in the middle of what she calls the third big leap in her life: moving the store’s location of 61 years to a new address.

The good news is the move is not that far.

Currently, Discount Vac, Sew & Fabric is at 119 First Ave., in Kennewick. The new location is at 22 W. Kennewick Ave., one block north and two blocks east into what at various times was Lantor’s Men’s and Ladies’ Wear, the Purple Parasol, and the Washington State Department of Revenue office.

The bad news? There is a lot of product to move. That’s what happens when you take ownership of a longtime business.

Throw in the addition of a fabric store she bought a few years back, located in its own building next door, and there’s a lot to move.

“We’re still shooting for moving in (to the new location) for mid-February,” Hildreth said. “Our lease in the current building runs out March 1. And the lease in the quilting store runs out April 1.”

Hildreth has a loyal customer base who have offered to help her move the product from the old store to the new.

For Hildreth, this business’ journey has been life changing.

Changing occupations

By Hildreth’s estimation, she’s the third owner of Discount Vac & Sew.

The original owners were Ron and Marcia Kruger, who opened the store in 1961.

“Then a woman named Bobby Jay purchased it from the Krugers around 1992,” she said.

Hildreth had been running a statelicensed day care in the Tri-Cities for 14 years. In 2012, she helped Jay by teaching long-armed quilting for the next three years.

After three years, Jay convinced Hildreth to shut her day care down. With increasing state regulations that caused her headaches, she did it – but not without some trepidation.

“That was the first biggest leap of my life,” Hildreth said.

The next leap came almost eight years ago.

Jay had decided to either sell the business to someone or shut it down. She convinced Hildreth to buy it.

“That was the second biggest leap of my life,” she said.

Together with her husband Stuart, she became the store’s owner seven and a half years ago.

“I found I was much happier here, after years of raising other people’s kids and day cares were being regulated out of business by the state,” she said.

More space

The old Discount Vac, Sew & Fab-

Be a safe, responsible driver

You can MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our community by committing to ALWAYS DRIVE DISTRACTION FREE.

In Washington it is our goal to have ZERO people in your household be involved in a serious or fatal crash.

TIPS for driving distraction free:

• SET IT AND FORGET IT: Turn your phone off, set it to do not disturb, or put it in airplane mode.

• PLAN AHEAD: Schedule 10 minutes before you hit the road to take care of things that could distract you.

• TAKE A BREAK: For longer trips, build in breaks every two or three hours to use your phone, change playlists or have a snack.

• SET THE EXAMPLE: Always put your phone out of reach when you drive to help your family members pick up the habit. Remember: no matter how old your kids are, they’re learning to drive from your example.

ric store is packed with an incredible array of products, ranging from Riccar and SEBO vacuum cleaners, other brands of vacuum cleaner parts, to sewing machines (including high-end Baby Lock machines that can run $20,000) to fabrics, threads, and long-arm quilting machines.

Classes are held in the middle of the floor space, with customers and employees trying to squeeze by students. It’s all a mess, but Hildreth and her four employees make it work.

“We outgrew this place five years ago when we put the quilt shop in. Parking has not been fabulous,” she said. “We’ve been looking for (a new location for) three years.”

Her love of downtown Kennewick kept her looking close to home, when the new location had an opening.

“We’re getting 6,600 square feet of space,” Hildreth said. “It’s roughly the same as the old building, but it’s about 1,000 square feet more of display space. This old building is chopped up. There is

more usable space at the new place.” Hildreth says it’s a three-way split as to what sells best.

“It happens seasonally,” she said. “Sewing machines, vacuum cleaners, and quilting fabric. That’s why we want all three under one roof. We really do a lot of running back and forth between the stores. I lost two of my quilt shop employees this past year, so we’ve had to be closed two days of the week.”

• OUT OF REACH, OUT OF MIND: Put your phone physically out of reach.

• MAKE THE CAR A DEVICE-FREE ZONE: Enjoy the ride and surroundings rather than letting people use their phones or game systems in your car.

• PASSENGER PARTNERSHIPS: Ask passengers to assist with responding to phone messages, music or even settling down other passengers in the vehicle.

#U.Text.U.Drive.U.Pay #ontheroadoffthephone #targetzero

Spring and Summer Events - Newly Remodeled Space

Photo by Jeff Morrow

Ginny Hildreth has owned Discount Vac, Sew & Fabric in downtown Kennewick for over seven years. The shop has been in the same spot for 61 years, but it’s moving one block from 119 First Ave. to 22 W. Kennewick Ave. this month.

Non-alcoholic shop expands from public market into storefront

By Jeff Morrow for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The pandemic took its toll on Charles and Marlys Aspinwall.

The Richland couple readily admits it. There were just too many opportunities to socially drink with friends and neighbors as everyone was forced to stay home from work during Covid-19.

But in December 2021, they both had had enough, tired of the way they were feeling.

“We gave (drinking) up totally,” Marlys said. “ I woke up and said ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ ”

Charles started looking for non-alcoholic drinks.

“I got online and noticed what a large market it was becoming. It started in Europe,” he said. “I started reading this information and said this looks like a business idea. Non-alcohol drinks are supposed to be a $7 billion industry by 2025.”

Indeed.

In a Feb. 28, 2022, article in Wine Enthusiast magazine, writer Sophia F. Gottfried said the demand for non-alcoholic beverages had gone up 60% from July of 2020 into 2021. The article furthered that, in fact, sales are in the billions.

The couple have dived into the business over the past year, and they just opened a brick and mortar store, called Kindred Spirits, at 430 George Washington Way, Suite 103, across the street from Black Rock Coffee, off Bradley Boulevard.

“So we quit drinking in December (2021), opened an online business in March, and had a stall at the Public Market in downtown Kennewick by June,” Marlys said.

What they found was a customer base that felt noticed, and the Aspinwalls have developed a loyal following.

“We have a lot of return customers,” said Marlys. “A lot of people have shared their alcohol journeys with us. We’ve shed a lot of tears.”

Getting started

Charles started researching and found out that bottle shops up and down the East Coast were doing quite well.

“They were very successful,” he said. “But I was working on my own on what to do.”

They started ordering products online, and through trial and error, determined what the best were. Charles also started getting a feel for what was popular.

By March, the couple were selling products online.

“We used social media to get the word out about what we were selling,” he said.

Still, they felt they needed face-to-face contact with customers to really make it work.

So they rented a stall at Public Market @ Columbia River Warehouse in downtown Kennewick.

“At the market, we held an Alcohol Fair 101, giving out samples, and teaching customers about what’s available,” Charles said. “People were telling us the products were really good, and we started to get a following.”

There were naysayers too.

“We probably got a little frustrated with

some of the comments from people. But we still had to develop a thick skin,” he said.

“We didn’t know how it would go,” Marlys said. “We had to have some blind faith. But the first 45 responses were 90 to 99% positive.”

It became successful enough that the couple started thinking about a storefront.

“The costs of a brick and mortar are astronomical,” said Charles. “I mean, we just can’t pull that trigger.”

But a friend pointed them to the new location on George Washington Way, and when they found that two other people were

also looking at that building, they pulled the trigger.

They also were encouraged when they did a customer survey, finding out the majority of their customers were from the Richland area.

While Marlys retired from the medical field in 2021, Charles still works as a consultant for a local company. It’s just the two of them and no other employees.

“We prayed about it,” Marlys said. “If God doesn’t want us to do this, he’ll put up a road block.”

That hasn’t happened. Their last week-

end at the Public Market was in late January.

The products

The explosion of non-alcoholic products is rapid.

Back in the 1990s, there might have been an O’Doul’s non-alcoholic beer available and that was it.

But currently, the Aspinwalls sell 164 different products.

What’s popular are muscat wines, a Spirit 74 bourbon, wines made by Giesen, and various coolers.

Deschutes Brewery in Oregon has a porter with no alcohol in it.

Athletic Beer makes a number of different types of non-alcoholic beers that the Aspinwalls will sell.

They’ll also sell pre-mixed drinks and cocktails.

Locally, Charles points to Waterbrook Winery in Walla Walla, which makes a Clean Cabernet Sauvignon and a Clean Chardonnay.

“Waterbrook Winery is the only one in the area that makes a non-alcoholic wine,” Charles said.

The amount of non-alcoholic beverages is getting bigger all the time.

While the company logo has Kindred Spirits on it, there is a smaller line below that that says, “Alcohol Free Bottle Shop and Sober Bar.”

That’s why the couple have tables and chairs, so that people can stay and drink in

uKINDRED SPIRITS, Page A37

Photo by Jeff Morrow

Marlys and Charles Aspinwall stand in front of their shelves of non-alcoholic wines and spirits. The couple, who own Kindred Spirits Alcohol Free Bottle Shop and Sober Bar, opened a store at 430 George Washington Way, Suite 103.

Her energy ramps up when talking about her new plans.

“I’m most excited about having the quilt shop next door be under the same roof,” Hildreth said. “It’s a blank slate. I’ve got a picture in my head, and I get to do what I want.”

Walking through the new building, which was virtually empty, Hildreth points out where two different classes for sewing and embroidery will take place (on opposite ends of the room).

Wall space is expected to be adorned with beautiful quilts. A back room will have space for repairing sewing machines and vacuum cleaners.

The sales floor will be large, with sewing machines and vacuum cleaners intermingled together with quilting fabric.

Perhaps in a nod to the older husbands who drive their wives to class, who sit there waiting – sometimes impatiently – for class to end, Hildreth has an area just for them.

It will have a few sofas and chairs, a big screen TV and a refrigerator with non-alcoholic drinks.

Changing customer base

That older clientele is loyal, and Hildreth said, “We have a really strong repeat customer business.”

KINDRED SPIRITS, From page A35

the store.

“We’re bringing in a couple of refrigerators,” Charles said.

So who’s expected to come into the store?

“Pregnant women, people who can’t drink alcohol for health reasons, people who want to moderate but want to participate,” Charles said.

Marlys believes this is the first step with a storefront.

“(Pasco’s) Osprey Pointe, they actually called us up,” she said. “They say by the end of this summer they should be up and running. We eventually want to be out there too.”

What the Aspinwalls did was find a new business idea, ran with it, and found there are many others out there who think like them.

“It’s become sort of a ministry,” Marlys said. “We talk to people about the effects of alcohol. For the most part, the majority of our friends are supportive.”

Charles interjected: “Although I don’t think we get invited to parties as much.”

Marlys countered, “Our kids are very excited for us.”

The couple held a successful open house at the Richland store on Feb. 4, convincing them that they were right about their growth.

“We were like a pot of soil at the public market,” Charles said. “We grew and grew and grew. Now we’re repotting ourselves here.”

search Kindred Spirits Alcohol Free Bottle Shop and Sober Bar: 430 George Washington Way, Suite 103, Richland. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Contact: Sales.c.m.products@gmail.com or call 206499-5571.

But it might surprise people to know that there are plenty of younger customers she sells to.

“There are people as young as teenagers who are sewing,” Hildreth said.

The reason is cosplay, or costume play. Young people like to dress up as characters from anime, video games, television and film.

“Cosplay is huge. So we actually cater to the younger clientele,” Hildreth said. “My daughter is into it and she got us into it.”

Over the past few years, Hildreth and her employees have attended a gaming convention or comic convention, making dice bags for their games, or doing on-thespot repairs for their cosplay costumes.

“You go where the future is,” Hildreth said. “We really try to get out there for the younger community.”

Hildreth is hoping this move to a new location will improve business even more.

She’d like to see her staff back to nine employees, where it was before the pandemic happened and she was forced to close for six weeks. And like other businesses, it hurt Discount in other ways.

“We still have supply chain issues of certain parts that we can’t get,” she said. “And we lost a lot of business to the internet. Covid taught people how to shop online.”

But the pandemic taught her something too.

“Covid taught me that my husband and I have to take trips,” she said. “This summer, for the first time in seven years, my husband and I are going on a vacation. I have a fantastic staff. So for the first time in seven years, I can step away.”

It’s all made her appreciate everything:

her staff, her business and her customers.

“If you asked me (what I love about this) early when I first owned the place, I have a creative personality. So I love the creativity, and I love creative people,” she said. “Now? At the end of the day, I love the people who come into the store. They love the color, the fabric.”

They are a different breed.

“Sewers don’t sew for themselves,” Hildreth said. “Most of the things we make, we give them away. Those things are our creation. We’re giving of ourselves. So we’re like-minded. People who sew and create tend to be generous and kind-hearted.

“You have to have a passion to do what you do.”

search Discount, Vac, Sew & Fabric: 22 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick; 509-5861680; discountvacandsewwa.com.

uNEW HIRES

• Lourdes

Health has hired Mark Holyoak as its new chief executive officer, effective March 20. He joins Lourdes from Wilson Medical Center in Wilson, North Carolina, where he has served as CEO since 2018. Holyoak has served in diverse leadership positions in North Carolina, Utah and Nevada. Prior to his role at Wilson, he served as CEO of Castleview Hospital in Price, Utah, for seven years and chief operating officer for two years. He earned a bachelor of science in biology and chemistry from Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, and a bachelor of science in nursing from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He earned his master of business administration from the University of Phoenix in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Lifepoint Health Fleetwood Operational Excellence Award Winner.

• STCU has hired Brian Read as a chief retail officer to lead retail delivery across a growing geographical footprint. This includes oversight of STCU branch locations, which now number 38. He started as a teller and was most recently Umpqua Bank’s executive vice president and head of retail banking. He also brings broad financial institution leadership experience in credit administration, prod-

uct development, business banking and wealth management. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University and a master of business administration from the University of Washington. He lives in Spokane.

• Prosser Memorial Health has hired gastroenterologist Dr. Michael McDonnell to work at the Prosser Digestive Health Center. He brings with him a decades-long career within the medical field, which includes roles as staff physician, unit chief and associate chief of gastroenterology. He holds board certifications for internal medicine and gastroenterology. He started his medical career in Michigan, along with his wife, before making his way to the Pacific Northwest in 1997. McDonnell made the move to Prosser Memorial on the recommendation of longtime colleague and friend, Dr. Mitchell Cohen, who started and has been building up PMH’s gastroenterology program. McDonnell is bringing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to Prosser Memorial, a new service. Along with ERCP, he will be providing a variety of services such as treatment for celiac disease, liver and pancreatic disorders, IBS, inflammatory bowel disease, and many others.

• Gesa Credit Union has hired Sunwan Shon as a new Small Business Administration sales manager. He brings 20 years

Since 1978, our locally owned and independent brokerage continues to proudly serve buyers and sellers of the Tri-Cities. Our Professional Brokers truly complement our solid reputation of exemplary services. These individuals have the drive and local knowledge that generate results. Call today!

of experience working in the financial services industry. In his new role, Shon will oversee a team of SBA relationship managers and help produce SBA loans for Gesa members across the Pacific Northwest. Shon graduated from the University of Washington in 2004 with a degree in economics and a minor in Chinese. Afterward, he began his banking career serving in various roles at GBC International Bank and Bank of the West.

• Mark Long, outgoing executive director of the Oregon Home Builders Association and former director of the Oregon Building Codes Division, has joined Pac/ West Lobby Group, which has an office in Hermiston, as the vice president of construction policy and regulatory affairs. Long brings more than three decades of regulatory and policy experience and a track record of respected leadership in state agencies and government. He was the Oregon Building Codes Division director for 17 years, where he developed construction standards, building codes, and the regulatory framework for every specialty construction license in the state. He worked with five Oregon governors, including a year as the interim director of the Oregon Department of Energy, and has experience bringing together a diverse constituency of boards and organizations.

• MacKay Sposito has hired Donald

Wieber, PLS, as a survey manager.

Wieber comes to MacKay Sposito from the city of Kennewick, where he worked since 2008, most recently as a parks project coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department. A licensed professional land surveyor since 2011, Wieber has served on the Land Surveyors of Washington board for more than a decade and was board president in 2020. He is a graduate of Spokane Falls Community College and has continued his education at the University of Wyoming. He will be based in the Pasco office.

uDONATIONS

• Wrapping Rascals, a group of local volunteers who wrap holiday presents for donations, donated $2,800 to the Kadlec Foundation to support its K9 team. The money will be used to train two specialized K9 teams, as well as to buy treats and toys.

• For its 2022 end of year gift, the Kadlec Auxiliary donated $130,000 to the Kadlec Foundation to support the Kadlec Project da Vinci Surgical System Fund. Hundreds of patients each year benefit from robotic surgery at Kadlec. The robotic surgery system came to the Kadlec campus in 2012 and its capacity is maxed. The fund was created to raise money to buy a second system.

Weddings & Parties

Kim Keller Ed Branham Amy Butcher Judy Dubsky Jasmin Lucatero Hunter Shipman Melissa Reddout

Jennifer Mast Christa Sasser Wilhelm Brian Schienbein

Mark Holyoak

Dr. Michael McDonnell

Mark Long

Donald Wieber

uAWARDS & HONORS

• Reinke Manufacturing, a global leader in irrigation systems and precision irrigation technology, has recognized Skone Irrigation as a top 10 dealership for total sales in the U.S. and Canada. One of the top five dealerships in the Northwest territory, Skone has locations in Pasco and Warden. The Warden dealership earned Reinke’s Gold Pride award for their performance in the last year. The Pasco location earned Reinke’s Diamond Pride award and was also recognized for their CropX sensor sales.

• The Benton County Coroner’s Office has received accreditation from the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME). The coroner’s office self-submitted to this process for the purpose of ensuring the operating policies, procedures and practices are within international guidelines. This process includes review of 288 standards including administrative, forensic, investigative and facility review. The IACME requires 100% compliance of mandatory standards and 90% of all applicable standards. The completion of this process includes certification for a period of five years.

uPROMOTIONS

• Petersen Hastings, an independent, registered investment advisory firm in Kennewick and Walla Walla, has announced four recent promotions.

Donna Yakawich, a practicing certified public accountant for 20 years who joined Petersen Hastings as a wealth advisor in 2013, has been promoted to senior wealth advisor. She is one of eight shareholders for the firm.

Cory Briggs, an experienced wealth advisor and chairman of the investment committee who is a locally recognized SmartVestorTM investment professional for Tri-Cities and the surrounding area, has been promoted to senior wealth advisor. Briggs is also one of eight shareholders for the firm.

Haley Johnson, a 2017 Washington State University graduate who joined the firm in 2019 as an associate wealth advisor, has been promoted to wealth advisor.

Rachel Chacko joined Petersen Hastings as an associate wealth advisor in 2022. Chacko comes from a Zero Alpha Group (ZAG) affiliated firm, Carlson Capital Management, in which she held a similar role for four years. She has been promoted to wealth advisor for the firm, serving clients in Walla Walla and the surrounding area.

• Prosser Memorial Health has named Dr. David Carl as the new chief of staff starting January 2023. He leads the Benton City Clinic’s pediatrics department and previously held the position of vice chief of staff. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, among many other professional certifications and associations. Outgoing Chief of Staff, Dr. Jared Clifford, podiatric surgeon at Prosser’s Orthopedic Center, held the two-year position from 2021-23. Grandview Clinic provider Dr. Jose Santa-Cruz will serve as the new vice chief of staff.

uAPPOINTMENTS

• The Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) Board of Trustees appointed Emmett C. Schuster as interim chief executive officer, effective Feb. 13. He is not a candidate for the permanent CEO position; the board is actively searching for a permanent CEO. Schuster has had a successful career as hospital CEO for over 25 years leading rural health care facilities (less than 50 beds) and critical access hospitals (up to 25 beds). He obtained his master of health services administration degree from the University of Kansas and is a member of the American College of

Healthcare Executives.

• Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, was named as co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus alongside Rep. Mike Thompson, D-California, and will continue to lead the bicameral and bipartisan Caucus for the 118th Congress.

uELECTIONS

• Mark Brault, a longtime community volunteer, has been elected president of the Kennewick Public Hospital District where he has served as commissioner since 2020. Marv Kinney was elected vice president and Steve Blodgett reelected secretary. All are one-year terms.

Brault, a certified public accountant, also is the non-paid chief executive officer of Grace Clinic, which provides free health care to those in need. He has served on the boards of several organizations during his 40 years in the Tri-Cities.

Kinney, a former Port of Kennewick employee and retired from the Port of Benton, has served the KPHD board in several positions over his 20 years as an elected commissioner.

Blodgett was reelected secretary and in addition serves as treasurer, a position to which he was first appointed by the sevenmember board of commissioners in 2017.

The KPHD was created by state law in 1949 and exists today to support Trios Health and to help fill health care gaps in the community.

• The Energy Northwest Executive Board elected John Saven as its new chair during its regular public meeting Jan. 25 in Olympia. The board also elected Curt

Knapp, Pend Oreille PUD commissioner, as vice chair, and Bill Gordon, Franklin PUD commissioner, as secretary. Jim Moss remains assistant secretary.

Gordon became a Franklin PUD commissioner in 2003. He was appointed to the Energy Northwest board of directors in 2004 and served on the executive board from 2006-10. He holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration from Washington State University and has worked in hotels throughout the United States, as well as in Munich and Johannesburg. He and his father farmed together for five years in St. John, Washington. He also was appointed to the board of trustees for Columbia Basin College by Gov. Jay Inslee where he served from 2013-21. Energy Northwest’s Board of Directors elected Gordon as inside director to the executive board. He will serve through June 2026.

The board also selected Dave McKenzie, Skamania County PUD, as president; Jerry Asmussen, Okanogan County PUD, as vice president; Shan Rowbotham, Kittitas County PUD, as secretary; and Clint Whitney, city of Richland’s Energy Services director, as assistant secretary. Whitney was appointed to the Energy Northwest Board of Directors in 2018. He has worked in public service for 21 years in a variety of electrical engineering, operations and management positions. He has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, a master’s in business administration degree and is a licensed professional engineer in Washington. Board officers each serve two-year terms.

Dr. David Carl

Unused hangars at Vista Field set to become public gathering spot

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Kennewick’s Vista Field could debut an elegant, sheltered gathering spot by mid2024.

A pair of unused aircraft hangars on the south side of the 103-acre former municipal airport will be refashioned into a set of pavilions positioned around a courtyard.

Benton County is expected to provide up to $3.4 million to transform the metal buildings by removing walls, adding bathrooms and developing a courtyard through its Rural County Capital Fund, which supports economic development in the county. The commission approved an application from the Port of Kennewick, which owns and is redeveloping Vista Field, on Feb. 7.

The port said it was ready to begin design work once funding was approved.

Larry Peterson, the port’s director of planning and development, said the project could debut by Memorial Day or the Fourth of July 2024.

First, he expects to spend up to six months designing the project and then to solicit construction bids by fall. The bid schedule could change depending on market conditions, but Peterson indicated he’s hopeful prospective contractors will see view it as good winter weather work.

The pavilion promises to be the first major construction at Vista Field since the port tore out runways and began infrastructure work as it prepares to launch the first phase

of its eight-phase plan. It aims to establish a town center with a mix of residential, office, retail and dining options in the heart of Kennewick.

The first 21 parcels on 20 acres at the heart of the site went up for sale in June 2022.

When fully built, Vista Field is expected to add 740,000 square feet of retail, office, service and entertainment space, 1,000 homes, condominiums and apartments and a central plaza with public space.

The port closed the airport at the end of 2013, citing the prohibitive cost and lack of the kinds of federal funding that support the Tri-Cities Airport and the Richland Airport.

The town center plan developed in a series

of public meetings to assess the highest and best use of the property where Navy pilots once practiced landing on a simulated aircraft carrier deck.

Richland-based Total Site Services LLC completed the $4.9 million first phase during the pandemic. The work included streets, sidewalks, benches, lights and stream.

Jersey barriers came down in 2022 and the public can now drive through the property on Crosswind Boulevard, which connects West Grandridge Boulevard and West Deschutes Avenue in the area east of the Three Rivers Convention Center.

The hangars are adjacent to Crosswind on the Deschutes Avenue side of the prop-

erty. They were preserved to accommodate future use.

The port said the pavilion project will create a more welcoming entrance at Vista Field’s south end.

The Benton County capital fund is funded by an 0.09% sales tax rebate and is dedicated to supporting projects that boost the local economy. The county reports the fund accumulates about $300,000 a month, which it allocates to the five cities, two ports and its own projects.

The Legislature authorized the program in 1997 as part of a larger package that funded construction of a new stadium for the Seattle Seahawks.

As of Dec. 31, 2022, the fund had distributed nearly $19.4 million. Another $23.9 million was available.

The fund supported the initial Vista Field site development.

Other recent projects include a pair of sewer lift stations that allowed Benton City to contemplate development south of Interstate 82, the Port of Benton’s Innovation Center, Richland’s efforts to update the Swift corridor, demolition of the former Richland City Hall, development of Columbia Gardens Urban Wine & Artisan Village and Center Parkway construction south of Gage Boulevard.

For information about Vista Field, including available properties and design standards, go to vistafield.com. Amber Hanchette, the port’s real estate director, is overseeing property sales.

Daisy Ranch Saloon brings western vibe to old Towne Crier

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

A pair of Seattle restaurateurs are turning the former Towne Crier in Richland into a cowboy themed bar and nightclub.

The Daisy Ranch Saloon is expected to open by late March at 1319 George Washington Way, next to Some Bagels at the Uptown Shopping Center, said Nate Johnson Egerdahl, who is partnering with David Tran on the project.

The duo applied for a liquor license in 2022 and are busy transforming the space to suit their vision. They plan to merge country and rock music with pop music “for a perfect blend of Tri-City culture and community,” Egerdahl said.

Both are from the Puget Sound area, with Tran owning a series of bars and nightclubs. Egerdahl brings a background in marketing to the team.

Tran lives in Seattle, but Egerdahl and

his wife, Hillary, and two daughters moved to the Tri-Cities and make their home in Kennewick.

The partners wanted to replicate Tran’s Cowgirls Inc. bar in Seattle’s sta dium district in the Tri-Cities and had been scouting spaces. Noth ing quite fit and the spaces they liked tended to be leased quickly.

Egerdahl said they’d visited the Towne Crier before it closed and were drawn by the location and the atmosphere. Town Crier operated for 50 years before it closed in 2021.

They told Kenny Teasdale, a commercial broker with NAI Tri-Cities, that if it ever came on the market, to let them know.

It did. He did. And they successfully pitched their vision to the property owner.

They signed an eight-year lease, with options to renew.

“We plan on being here a long time,” Egerdahl said. “I’m pretty excited about it all.”

Egerdahl said the space is getting a substantial makeover by Flaminco LLC, a Richland contractor.

The ceilings, walls and floors are new, as are the bathrooms.

The rear has been extended into former office space.

The false floor is gone, but Daisy Ranch Saloon will retain the old bar, which is getting a new top.

A mechanical bull will be positioned near the entrance. There will be a dance floor in keeping with its nightclub vibe. There will be live music, a DJ on weekends and a staff that is mostly female.

Too, Daisy Ranch is retaining at least

one of Towne Crier’s better-known offerings, its famous broasted chicken.

The Daisy Ranch Saloon menu also will feature a simplified lineup of traditional bar fare. Egerdahl said ingredients will be fresh, never frozen, and sourced locally when possible.

Egerdahl said he’s pleased to be part of the Uptown, Richland’s quirky mid-century atomic-themed shopping plaza. He sees its nightspot potential in Daisy Ranch and in the revival of the former Ray’s Golden Lion under the team led by Stick + Stone.

That leaves just one empty spot in the area.

“There’s going to be a good group of us,” he said.

He said he’s excited about one of Uptown’s less obvious features, its alley gallery of murals. He promised that the future Daisy Ranch Saloon will participate in the walkable community art project.

Truck driving school expands to Pasco, where the students are Page B5

LaCoste Law breaks ground on Steptoe office building Page

Courtesy Port of Kennewick

A pair of unused aircraft hangars on the south side of Kennewick’s Vista Field will be transformed into a pavilion and public gathering spot under a partnership between the Port of Kennewick and Benton County.

Plans underway for apartments, river dredging, road work, event center

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Documents filed under Washington’s environmental review process reveal a list of projects in the works for the Mid-Columbia.

The State Environmental Review Act, or SEPA, often provides the first look at the mixed-use projects, mini storage facilities, apartments, industrial expansions, subdivisions and more that are working their way through the various planning departments of Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties.

Here’s a look at projects that appeared in the SEPA register in the past month.

Pasco-Burns LLC Apartments Pasco

Pasco-Burns LLC, based in Vancouver, Washington, has submitted plans to build a multi-family housing complex with 354 units within 14 buildings on Burns Road in Pasco. The project includes an office and amenities, such as a clubhouse and swimming pool.

The LLC paid $5 million for the 13 acres of vacant property at 10181 and 10315 Burns Road in April 2022.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife said a nesting bird survey, including for raptors, must be completed prior to any development.

Merlot Drive Hotel Prosser

Hardildar Gill of Richland-based 2ASPIRE LLC plans to build a 65-unit hotel at 250 Merlot Drive in the Port of Benton’s Prosser Wine & Food Park.

The four-story property will carry the Microtel brand, according to environmental review documents. The city of Prosser determined the project will not have a significant environmental impact in a decision released Jan. 11. It will employ 10-15 when built.

The project site is between Wine Country RV and Prosser Pharmacy.

Microtel is an economy brand of Wynd-

ham Hotels & Resorts that boasts “simple, smart, efficiency” in its properties.

If built, it will have an indoor pool, 14 single rooms, two ADA compliant single rooms, 40 double rooms, one ADA compliant double room, six suites and two ADA compliant suites. The property also will have a guest laundry, office and support facilities and 620 square feet for breakfast.

Sun Pacific retail center

Kennewick

A shopping center is planned across the street from Kamiakin High School in Kennewick.

The proposed building at 825 N. Edison St. will have 25,657 square feet on the lower level and 4,240 square feet on the upper. The site plan includes 122 parking stalls on the 2-acre site.

Site work is to begin this month, with completion in August.

LCR Construction LLC is the general contractor.

Miguel’s Venue

Finley

Jessica Morales of Pasco has submitted plans to build an outdoor reception facility with permanently affixed restrooms and a 125-space parking area at 201005 E. Game Farm Road in Finley.

Events held on site will not exceed 200 attendees and will be limited to conditions determined through a conditional use permit process.

The property is about a mile east of the intersection of Oak Street and Game Farm Road, across from Santiago County View Estates Mobile Home Park.

CHS barge slip dredging

Kennewick

CHS Inc. submitted plans to dredge deposited sand at its grain dock at 901 E. Columbia Drive in Kennewick to maintain an adequate berthing depth of a minimum 16 feet for a target dredge depth of 319 feet.

CHS is proposing to dredge up to about 5,000 cubic yards of sand over an approximately 0.4-acre area, about 485 feet along the dock face and 50 feet waterward from the dock face.

Dredging operations are anticipated to be conducted 12 hours per day, six days per week with the seventh day used for equipment maintenance if the project lasts for more than seven days.

CHS is proposing to complete the work between Aug. 1, 2023, and Feb. 28, 2024, which is within the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s approved inwater work window for this area of the Columbia River.

The terminal is in an area of Lake Wallula where deposits occur.

CHS serves an average of 60 barges per year.

Intersection improvements Richland

The city of Richland is planning construction of a new four-way lighted intersection near the existing intersection of Steptoe Boulevard and Tapteal Drive.

The city expects the project to improve traffic congestion and pedestrian access at the intersection.

Kingsgate could get first hotel, more apartments, storage units

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

Richland’s Kingsgate area seems poised to gain its first hotel, a second apartment complex and a new storage facility.

The city of Richland is considering selling 15.44 acres of city-owned property in the Horn Rapids Business Center to Lee Petty, who owns CEL 2 LLC and LCR Construction. The property is on Kingsgate Way, opposite the Horn Rapids RV Resort.

The deal, valued at $3.27 million, was discussed favorably by the city’s economic development committee on Jan. 23 and will be forwarded to the Richland City Council for final approval at a future, undetermined date.

Terms, including the final number of apartment units, have not been finalized.

The project is subject to securing approval to build in the C-3 zone, a general business designation that does not authorize apartments. The city notes CEL 2 will have to amend the zoning map to proceed with its plans.

According to the plan reviewed by the economic development committee, CEL 2 will build an 80-room hotel facing Kingsgate Way at the front of the property.

A 180-unit apartment complex and a 315-unit storage complex would be constructed to the rear, between the hotel

and Hanford Legacy Park, which borders Richland’s Babe Ruth Sports Complex.

The apartments would be contained in four buildings arranged in a square around a central yard.

The complex will have one driveway to access Kingsgate and a second to access a private road along the existing Vicinity at Horn Rapids apartments, the $38 million complex built by LCR Construction in 2020. Construction at that site continues, with the latest building now taking shape across the narrow road from the future project.

Vicinity, with 288 units, occupies a prominent spot near the intersection of Kingsgate Way and Highway 240.

The local apartment rental market remained notably tight at 4% vacancy in fall 2022, when the University of Washington Center for Real Estate Research conducted its most recent survey of rental property owners.

The survey covered 10,160 apartment units in Benton and Franklin counties with an average size of 882 square feet and average monthly rent of $1,316.

According to the survey, there were 400 apartment units available for rent in the Tri-Cities, which has more than 310,000 residents. Of those, 155 were one-bedroom units and 201 were two.

The city will deposit proceeds from the sale into its industrial development fund.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Richland creates Horn Rapids triangle to encourage manufacturing

Construction underway on new Graze restaurant

Work is underway at the future Kennewick location for Walla Walla-based Graze, A Place to Eat.

Owners Rebecca and John Lastoskie bought the former China Cafe at 131 N. Ely St. in late 2021.

The old building, which began life as a Pizza Hut, was demolished and is being replaced with a new 1,469-square foot restaurant with a drive-thru.

When it opens, it will be the third Tri-City location for Graze, after its spots on Gage Boulevard in Kennewick and on George Washington Way in Richland.

Permits filed to build new animal control building

The city of Pasco has applied for a $4.2 million construction permit to build a new building for TriCities Animal Control.

Plans call for a 9,651-square-foot facility at 1311 S. 18th Ave. The building site is approximately 2.51 acres in size, of which approximately 1.9 acres will be developed.

It will include complete site development around the new facility and relocating the current Heritage Trail.

The city of Richland has created the Horn Rapids triangle to encourage industrial and manufacturing development in a 2,300-acre area bordered by the Richland Airport to the south, Stevens Drive to the east and Horn Rapids Drive to the north.

The Richland City Council approved the “Targeted Urban Area” in January, making it the first in Washington to take advantage of the state’s newest tool to promote manufacturing through tax incentives.

The Port of Benton and Tri-City Development Council both endorsed the triangle, which includes land the port owns.

“This is a very strong tool for economic development that we lacked in the past,” said Karl Dye, president of TRIDEC. Dye said Washington often competes with states such as Idaho, Oregon, North Carolina and Virginia that have such tools for clean energy projects, putting the Tri-Cities at a competitive disadvantage.

Businesses that invest in the Horn Rapids Triangle are eligible for a break on city-related property taxes for up to 10 years. Businesses would be eligible by constructing buildings of 10,000 square feet or larger, investing at least $800,000 and by creating at least 25 new, full-time jobs paying $23 or more an hour.

The tax exemption would apply only to the city’s share of property taxes and would not affect other taxing authorities.

CKJT Architects PLLC of Kennewick is the architect.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Regional Treatment Center Project Creates Opportunity!

Starbucks to anchor new Richland strip mall

A Starbucks coffee shop will anchor a new strip mall planned in Richland.

The three-space project will be built at the site of the now-demolished Shari’s Restaurant, 1745 George Washington Way, at the Safeway-anchored Washington Plaza.

The old restaurant was demolished after standing empty for several years. Benton County property records indicate Shari’s, based in Beaverton, Oregon, still owns the site.

In December, Stephens & Sons Construction Inc. applied to the city of Richland for permits to build a retail building with a drive-through.

The future space is being marketed by Erik Nelson and Jason Goffard of Kiemle Hagood. Marketing materials confirm Starbucks will occupy the space with the drive-thru. The Seattlebased coffee chain operates a walk-in spot in the same shopping center.

Auburn Center thrived for decades as an extension of the previous hospital’s campus. Now, as the treatment center plans take shape, new opportunities in these commercial condominiums are available.

815 Auburn*

1,710 SF Office Space

New roof (2022). Available immediately.

Existing tenant will move upon sale or lease.

Lease $1,800/Mo includes utilities

MLS 266073

For Sale $225,000 MLS 266072

821 Auburn

Pharmacy space with drive-thru. Vanilla shell. Excellent business opportunity!

1,892 SF

For Lease $3,800/Mo includes utilities not listed on MLS

915 Auburn

1,025 SF Medical Space

New Roof (2021). Available July 1, 2023. Affordable Purchase!

For Lease $1,400/mo

MLS 266074

For Sale $169,000 MLS 266075

The project is being marketed to tenants as Washington Plaza “pad site,” with construction planned in 2023.

The site offers frontage on George

Construction is anticipated to begin this year.

Yesmar office/retail building

Pasco

An 8,730-square-foot office and retail building will be constructed at 8425 Chapel Hill Blvd., alongside two existing 10,500-square-foot buildings starting this spring. The addition will add 36 parking spots to the complex.

Knutzen Engineering of Kennewick is the proponent for the project.

The city of Pasco determined it will not have a significant impact on the environment in a decision issued Jan. 17.

McCurley Chevrolet expansion

Pasco

Washington Way and has spaces ranging from about 1,000 square feet to 3,600 square feet. Lease rates have not been disclosed.

House passes Kennewick lawmaker’s homebuyer bill

A bill sponsored by a freshman lawmaker from Kennewick has passed the Washington State House of Republicans.

Rep. April Connors, R-Kennewick, a real estate agent in private life, sponsored the bipartisan bill to exempt leaseback arrangements from the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. The proposed rule concerns home purchases where the seller leases a property from the buyer for a short period after the deal closes.

If approved, the bill will allow homebuyers to lease homes to sellers without being considered landlords by the RLTA. Under the bill, the seller must be represented by an attorney, real estate broker or managing broker licensed to practice in Washington.

Connors prefiled House Bill 1070 in December. It was scheduled for an executive session in the Senate Committee on Housing on Feb. 10, after the Journal’s press deadline.

Syngenta Seeds expansion

Pasco

Syngenta Seeds plans to build a 22,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building to expand its seed processing operations at 5516 Industrial Way in Pasco. Construction is anticipated to begin in March and take a year. Hummel Architects of Idaho submitted the SEPA documents.

Sylvester Street

safety upgrades

Pasco

The city of Pasco is planning to reconfigure West Sylvester Street between its intersection with Road 54 and its intersection with North Third Avenue.

The existing four-lane roadway will be converted to a three-lane roadway with bike and pedestrian facilities on both sides of the road.

The project is expected to begin this year.

919 Auburn

2,365 SF Investment Property New Roof (2021) and HVAC (2022). Leased to national medical tenant.

For Sale $468,000

6.8% Cap Rate

921 Auburn*

MLS 263765

4,854 SF Office Space

Lease entire space or divide into suites as small as 1,200 SF. Renovate to suit for tenants.

For Sale $499,000

MLS 266080

For Lease $12/SF plus condo fees MLS 266081

*Prohibited from medical use until December 2030.

Contact David Fritch 509.438.6260

McCurley Integrity Dealerships LLC plans to expand the service and parts center of the dealership at 1325 W. Autoplex Way in Pasco by nearly 44,600 square feet, bringing its total square footage to 89,865.

The project includes renovation of 671 square feet within the existing structure.

A future pedestrian bridge is anticipated to be built over Highway 395 but this project is not funded so will be built as a separate project in the future.

Auburn Center

Future home of the Three Rivers

Behavioral Health Recovery Center

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

SEPA, From page B2

Truck driving school expands to Pasco, where the students are

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

A truck driving school in Prosser has expanded to Pasco to cater to its growing roster of students.

Juan Rojas Sr. expects enrollment to double or even triple after he and son Juan Jr. opened the new, primary outlet for H&R Elite Trucking Academy at 2020 Garland St., near the Lewis Street exit from Interstate 182 and Highway 12.

A lifelong driver, Rojas established the trucking school in Sunnyside in 2012 and then, shortly afterward, moved to property he bought in Prosser. Prosser is still in business. The Pasco location caters to students who live in the TriCities, who represent about 70% of his students, and represents its future growth.

Elite caters chiefly young adults eager to get into a family-wage occupation, though Rojas notes he’s qualified a driver as old as 75. He anticipates continued growth as workers seek the financial security of a truck driving job.

The annual mean wage for heavy truck-trailer truck drivers in the TriCities is $56,210, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In reality, wages start higher.

The American Trucking Associations said the industry was short 78,800 drivers in 2022, just shy of the record 82,000

set the year prior.

ATA puts the average pay at nearly $70,000. But locally, Walmart advertises driver jobs paying up to $110,000 a year, plus benefits, on the Indeed job site. Young adults entering their 20s are noticing the opportunity it presents.

“They’re not making that kind of money working in any kind of warehouse,” he said.

Rojas said there is a line of wouldbe employers waiting for students to graduate and secure commercial driver licenses.

“The ones who get out of here, I’ve got jobs lined up,” he said. “There’s a big need for truck drivers everywhere you go.”

The city of Pasco welcomed the new school, which will help meet demand

for people who can operate 18-wheel vehicles presented by newcomers such as Darigold Inc., Amazon and others.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for someone to come to H&R Elite Trucking Academy, gain a skill and have the potential to make six figures your first year. These are living wage jobs, and I think that’s going to be a yet another tremendous boost to Pasco’s and the TriCities economy,” said Mike Gonzalez, the city’s economic development manager.

Rojas is an unabashed romantic when it comes to over-the-road-trucking. He grew up in Texas, where his father drove trucks and regarded “home” as the spot where his spouse lived. Rojas took up the family trade in his teens and continued into his 20s, even after moving to the Northwest.

He drew satisfaction from being part of the humming network of truckers who ferry goods across the country.

“Everyone transports everything through trucks,” he said.

He didn’t consider trying anything else. But a truck driving school near his home posted a sign seeking instructors. He’d been training drivers and the sign caught his attention.

He drove past dozens or even hundreds of times before curiosity prompted him to stop in. He asked what it would take to become an instructor and was of-

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Juan Rojas Sr., with his son, Juan Jr., expanded his Prosser truck driving school, H&R Elite Trucking Academy, to Pasco in late 2022. He expects enrollment to double or triple in the larger market.

uTRUCKING ACADEMY, Page B6

TRUCKING ACADEMY, From page B5

fered a job on the spot.

He was surprised, he said, how quickly he shifted from driver to instructor. As an instructor, he discovered a love of sharing his knowledge.

He taught for the school for about two years, then began thinking about starting one of his own. It was a daunting prospect, he recalled.

“I thought about opening my own business many, many times. I was scared,” he said.

Well-meaning friends and family asked him “what if” something didn’t work out. But he found himself pushing back against the negatives.

“I’ll never know ‘what if’ if I don’t try it,” he recalled thinking. He spent 2010-11 investigating the requirements for truck driving schools. In 2012, he was ready to go.

“I will never know if I didn’t try it. I decided to go for it,” he said

He launched in Sunnyside with $8,000 in savings, a truck and trailer leased from one friend and a yard borrowed from another.

He advertised on local radio and reports it attracted a wave of students.

“From that moment, it was on,” he said, adding that Elite students come from all backgrounds, but being fluent in English as well as Spanish helps.

Revenue grew, first $60,000, then $140,000, then $240,000, $350,000 and now about $650,000.

Today, he owns six trucks, six trailers and owns his own property, including the massive yards where trainee drivers practice backing up their big rigs.

He expects business to keep growing. Elite trains 10 to 12 students at a time. Its basic program is a four-week course that meets from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and offers classroom and on-the-road instruction. The state requires at least 160 hours of training. Rojas said he keeps training students as long as it takes to qualify for a commercial license.

Elite offers different programs for Class A, B, hazmat and forklift drivers. Students must be at least 18 years old and able to legally work in the U.S. Tuition for the Class A course is $4,800.

He employs four instructors. Juan Jr. will eventually take over.

Juan Jr. said he embraced truck driving after his original plans were upended by the pandemic.

He was attending Columbia Basin College to become a registered nurse when the pandemic struck. He left school and joined the family business, though he did not intend to become a driver. It grew on him and today he has a CDL.

His father said he relishes the life of an entrepreneur almost as much as driving, an occupation that rewards hard work with a decent paycheck.

He sometimes misses the romance of the open road and said he sometimes imagines driving a monthly route to California or Texas.

“But I’m not getting any younger,” he said.

search H&R Elite Trucking Academy: 509-882-0848 (bilingual), hrelitetruckingacademy.com.

LaCoste Law breaks ground on Steptoe offices

By Wendy Culverwell news@tcjournal.biz

LaCoste Law, a woman-led family law firm, has broken ground on its new Kennewick offices.

The firm, led by Jennifer LaCoste, is building a two-story, 8,700-square-foot office with space for its growing practice and a second suite available for rent.

LaCoste bought the property at 2062 N. Steptoe St. near the intersection with Gage Boulevard in early 2020 and disclosed plans for the project that fall.

It has taken longer than expected to clear various hurdles and start construction. In January, the city of Kennewick issued permits. LaCoste and her team expected to break ground by the end of the month, with construction to wrap by the end of the year.

LaCoste will occupy 4,900 square feet. A second 3,800-square-foot suite is available.

James Wade and Scott Howell, commercial brokers with SVN Retter & Co., are representing it to prospective tenants, noting it will be a rare Class A space with good parking and a central location.

LaCoste dedicated the $1.9 million project to the memory of her late grandmother, Roberta LaCoste, a prominent educator and tireless supporter who encouraged her as she progressed through high school in Seattle (Garfield), college (Carnegie Mellon University) and then law school (Gonzaga).

Her grandmother, she said, always told

her she could do anything she wanted if she worked hard and followed the Golden Rule – treating others with kindness. She wears a heart-shaped locket in her grandmother’s honor and said she wants LaCoste’s future home to exemplify the human connection.

“My heart is in my work,” she said.

That meant taking time to sort through various pandemic-related challenges, including supply chain disruptions and material costs that affected the final price. More important, the property borders a residential neighborhood on one side and businesses on another.

LaCoste said she wanted to be a good neighbor to the nearby residents, but to position her office to be part of the growing business district at the intersection of Steptoe and Gage. The solution: She will build a wall to buffer the office building from the houses.

LaCoste formed her own firm in 2019. Her team includes two administrators and three paralegals. She hopes to expand

when it moves from its leased offices on West Court Street in Pasco to the larger space.

LaCoste said the location spoke to her the first time she spotted the bare land. She knew she eventually wanted to relocate to Benton County. The property is not far from the Benton County Justice Center and to the Highway 240-Steptoe-Columbia Park Tail interchange, she said.

The office will have a driveway with left turn lanes onto Steptoe Street. Neighbors include a mix of office complexes, restaurants, a medical clinic, drug store, Gesa Credit Union, McDonald’s, Moonshot Brewing and a health club, among others.

The building team includes DKEI Architecture Services of Richland, Knutzen Engineering of Kennewick and Hummel Construction.

Office space is offered at $28 per square foot on a triple-net basis.

Benton County adds

maintenance staff at KGH site

Vandals caused more damage at the former Kennewick General Hospital property in downtown Kennewick than previously disclosed.

Benton County agreed to fund two new facilities maintenance workers for the closed hospital, saying a rash of break-ins and vandalism resulted in “significant damage” that went beyond the flooding and dying landscape it reported in December.

According to a January report, breakins and vandals caused extensive damage to the heating and fire protection systems, leaving large portions of the 193,000-square-foot hospital building out of service.

The county acquired the property on Nov. 1, 2022, to repurpose it as one of two sites for a regional recovery center.

It inherited a building that had closed in August 2022, when Trios Health moved its birthing center to the hospital at Southridge, and a failed irrigation system that threatened the mature landscape.

It worked to restart irrigation and hired security guards to police the property in December.

In January, the Benton County Board of Commissioners voted to provide $323,000 from the behavioral health fund to install two maintenance workers starting Feb. 1.

The workers will repair the damaged systems, remove damaged landscaping, furnishings and other material and keep the building operational.

Courtesy SVN Retter & Co.

Hummel Construction broke ground in January on the future home of LaCoste Law, 2062 N. Steptoe St. in Kennewick.

PUBLIC RECORD

uBANKRUPTCIES

Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings:

Chapter 7 — Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up non-exempt property and debt is discharged. Chapter 11 — Allows companies and individuals to restructure debts to repay them.

Chapter 12 — Allows family farmers or fishermen to restructure finances to avoid liquidation for foreclosure.

Chapter 13 — Plan is devised by the individual to pay a percentage of debt based on ability to pay. All disposable income must be used to pay debts. Information provided by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Spokane.

CHAPTER 7

Leslie Fogel, 306 Abert Ave., Richland.

Eva Erica Morfin, 8701 W. Third Ave., Kennewick.

James Michael Eddy & Sally Ann Eddy, 415 Petra Ave., #126, Prosser.

Cristian Emigdio Galvez Mendez, 5110 Reagan Way, Pasco.

Aaron Neal Penn, 4 W. 49th Ave., Kennewick.

Pamela Denise Barber, 832 N. Cedar Ave., Pasco.

Carla Aide Cota, 10305 Chapel Hill Blvd., #H26, Pasco.

Ginger Salas, 700 N. Road 32, #42, Pasco.

Jamie Lee Dempsey, 1912 Miller Ave., Prosser.

Shelby Maeceen Pierce, 9360 W. Seventh Place, Kennewick.

Krista Marie Phillips, 10305 Chapel Hill Blvd., #M2070, Pasco.

Kameron Lee Bozarth, 4929 W. Canal Drive, #A, Kennewick.

Randy Blair Hoopes & Angela Renee Davidson, 712 S. Yolo St., Kennewick.

George R. Hickman, 1918 W. 15th Ave, Kennewick.

CHAPTER 13

Hector Huerta, 318 E. 16th Ave., Kennewick.

Marlando Dupree Sparks Sr., 2646 Scottsdale Place, Richland.

Cynthia Cantu, 39107 S. Whitney Road, Kennewick.

Norma Linda Flores, 209 George Washington Way, Richland.

Patrick Dennis Kinder & Mary Louise Kinder, 1618 S. Nelson St., Kennewick.

uTOP PROPERTIES

Top property values listed start at $700,000 and have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure. Property values are public record and can be found by visiting the county assessor’s office.

BENTON COUNTY

3721 & 3732 S. Nelson St., Kennewick,

1-72 acre home site. Price: $945,000.

Buyer: Peake Contractors LLC. Seller: William Smith Properties Inc. & Kennewick Acquisition Company III LLC.

6603 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick, 45,806-square-foot commercial building on 4 acres. Price: $8 million. Buyer: Upper Fork LLC. Seller: SW Kennewick LLC.

4347 Lolo Way, Richland, 3,454-squarefoot home. Price: $769,000. Buyer: Scott & Lara Weelborg. Seller: New Tradition Homes Inc.

2404 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick,

2,253- and 384-square-foot commercial buildings. Price: $920,000. Buyer: SK Family Properties LLC Seller: TTGNY Inc.

5204 W. Okanogan Place, #150 and #160, Kennewick, 1,726- and 1,721-square-foot industrial flex buildings. Price: $1 million. Buyer: White Glove Detailing LLC. Seller: TTB Investments LLC. 330 Merlot Drive, Prosser, 3,320-, 1680-, 375-square-foot commercial buildings, 1,460-square-foot manufactured home, RV park on 10 acres. Price: $5.4 million.

Buyer: Wine Country RV Resort LLC. Seller: Voegele Development Limited Partnership.

1470 Badger Mountain Loop, Richland, 2,168-square-foot home. Price: $775,000.

Buyer: Wayne F. & Malinda A. Hall. Seller: Abhishek Somani & Dimple-Ben P. Patel.

1066 Battelle Blvd., Richland; 6503 W. Okanogan Ave., Suite B, Kennewick; and 6512 W. Hood Place, Kennewick, 2.5 acres of commercial property;

8,471-square-foot industrial flex building;

12,000-square-foot industrial flex building.

Price: $6 million. Buyer: Sage Bay Business Park LLC. Seller: Sage Bay Company LLC.

6949 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick,

12,401-square-foot commercial building.

Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: BPG Investments VI LLC. Seller: Donald J. & Susan

H. Gerend.

6018 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 1.4 acres of primary commercial property.

Price: $945,000. Buyer: Jackie & William Brown. Seller: William G. Dress Trustee & Jeffrey Dress Trustee. 3030 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 16,352-square-foot office building. Price: $2.7 million. Buyer: ASAP Clearwater

Plaza LLC. Buyer: Inisel LLC.

10603 S. 952 PR SE, Kennewick,

2,157-square-foot home and pole building. Price: $710,000. Buyer: Laura J. & Jackie S. Brandon. Seller: Gregg A. & Deborah Jean Couch.

915, 899, 947, 931 S. Zellar St., Kennewick; 10091, 10059, 10051, 10043, 10035, 10027, 10019, 10011, 10003, 10067, 10083, 10075 W. Ninth Place, Kennewick, 16 home sites. Price: $1.1 million. Buyer: Lexington Homes-DRH LLC. Seller: Crimson Hills Development Inc.

72404 E. Landon Lane, Kennewick,

1,952-square-foot home. Price: $1.1 million. Buyer: Tyson T. & Katie Beck. Seller: Jeffery & Valerie Lewis.

4927 Smitty Drive, Richland,

3,059-square-foot home. Price: $700,000.

Buyer: Luann Davison & Suzanne Stratton. Seller: Roxanne Wittman.

2741 Ketch Road, Richland,

3,043-square-foot home. Price: $787,000.

Buyer: Rick J. & Lori C. Anderson. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Horn Rapids Limited Partnership.

2473 Maggio Loop, Richland,

3,008-square-foot home. Price: $730,000.

Buyer: Patrick & Kristi Russell. Seller: Riverwood Homes Washington LLC.

2626 Harris Ave., Richland,

1,786-square-foot home. Price: $1 million.

Buyer: Max & Janet White. Seller: Debra K. Walker.

1244 Brentwood Ave., Richland,

4,706-square-foot home. Price: $745,000.

Buyer: Todd & Virginia Baddley. Seller: Geroge F. Garlick Trustee.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B10

B10 TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2023

321 N. Johnson St., Kennewick, 27,170-square-foot motel. Price: $3.4 million. Buyer: Evergreen Hotels LLC. Seller: RP Hotels LLC.

105504 E. 1049 PR SE, Kennewick, 2,284-square-foot home and pole building on 2.5 acres. Price: $800,000. Buyer: Grant & Kristina A. Nelson. Seller: Jerald A. Bickford.

2251 S. Belfair St., Kennewick, 2,664-square-foot home. Price: $987,000. Buyer: Martin Lewis Heimigner & Elisa Goldenthal. Seller: P & R Construction LLC.

17112 S. Clodfelter Road, Kennewick, 3,475-square-foot home and pole building on 2.2 acres. Price: $825,000. Buyer: Jacob L. & Taylor R. Ellsworth. Seller: Justin R. Spier.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

12815 Julies Court, Pasco, 0.68 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $1.4 million.

Buyer: Daniel & Heather Michael. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc.

113 Columbia Bluff Lane, Pasco, 1.12 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $1 million. Buyer: Andrew J. Gardner (etux).

Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc.

927 W. Opal St., 823 & 819 S. Seventh Ave., Pasco, 4,116-square-foot multifamily residential, 2,204-square-foot tri-plex, 2,204-square-foot four-plex. Price: $1.3 million. Buyer: Carlos Arellano. Seller: R & N Apartment Management I LLC. Property north of Basin Hill Road, 112.5 acres of ag land. Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: Easterday Land & Livestock LLC. Seller: Bellflower Farms LLC.

2491 McClenny Road, Pasco, 7,104-square-foot worker dormitory, 6 multiwide temporary worker housing buildings on 42 acres. Price: $2.1 million.

Buyer: Ice Harbor Orchards LLC. Seller: Stemilt Growers LLC.

6915 Lamb Court, Pasco, 0.55-acre home site. Price: $905,000. Buyer: Wesley

Thomas & Josephine Emelia Medley. Seller: Millennial Homes LLC.

1005 W. Lewis St., 104 N. Ninth Ave., 2,128-square-foot motel, 3,855-squarefoot apartment and mixed retail building. Price: $700,000. Buyer: AJJ Property Solutions. Seller: Gregory C. & Carol M. Dow. 5814 Road 68, Pasco, 0.71 acre of undeveloped land. Price: $3.1 million. Buyer: KJK Property LLC. Seller: Northwest QSR RE Owner II LLC.

12805 Willettas Place, Pasco, 0.56 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $780,000. Buyer: Roger A. Jones. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc.

uBUILDING PERMITS

BENTON COUNTY

Tri-Cities Shooting Association, 97457 N. Highway 225, Benton City, $60,000 on grading. Contractor: Conrad Russell Excavating.

Barnett Holdings, 12715 S. Wiser Loop, Kennewick, $371,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Hummel Construction and Development.

Wyckoff Farms Inc., 79302 W. Evans Road, Prosser, $24,000 for ag building. Contractor: Cleary Bldg. Corp. Barnett Holdings, 12715 S. Wiser Loop, Kennewick, $371,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

Columbia Irrigation District, 202131 E. 25th, Kennewick, $287,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Bishop Contracting LLC.

CSS Self Storage, 105106 E. Wiser Parkway, Kennewick, $1.6 million for new commercial. Contractor: CRF Metal Works LLC.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Crop Production Service, 3486 Glade North Road, Pasco, $12,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Eminent Roofing Inc.

KENNEWICK

USCOC of Richland, North Johnson St., $25,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Northcomm LLC.

United Rentals, 120 N. Morain St., $25,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Vixie Construction.

City of Kennewick, 302 W. 10th Ave., $75,000 for fire alarm system, $65,000 for fire alarm system. Contractors: Banlin Construction Co. LLC, Sierra Electric Inc. Spirit Master Funding X LLC, 7379 W. Deschutes Ave., $8,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Advanced Protection Services Inc.

Inland Ocean LLC, 5215 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 111, $25,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Kaizen Construction & Development.

Circle K Stores Inc., 5301 W. Canal Drive, $15,000 for commercial remodel, $15,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Island Petroleum Builder, Riggle Plumbing Inc. City of Kennewick, 9300 W. 10th Ave., $184,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: ATK Construction Inc.

Donald Wieber, 6020 W. Quinault Ave., $31,000 for new commercial, $5,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $8,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Goodman & Mehlenbacher, Riggle Plumbing Inc.

Kennewick School District, 5929 W. Metaline Ave., $44,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Banlin Construction.

Columbia Center Mall, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., #701, $19,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: WSD Construction. KTM Properties LLC, 103 W. Canal Drive, $22,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor:

Palmer Roofing Co.

Glenn Chalcraft, 2523 W. Kennewick Ave., $18,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Quality Landscaping. Circle K Stores Inc., 4201 W. 27th Ave., $30,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Wine Country Landscaping.

Walmart Stores, 2720 S. Quillan St.,

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B11

$35,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Shawna Ihde, 2062 N. Steptoe St., $1.7 million for new construction, $185,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $39,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Hummel Construction & Development, Riggle Plumbing Inc.

Rikki Cook, 10547 W. Clearwater Ave., $765,000 for new commercial, $50,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $33,000 for plumbing.

Contractors: Banlin Construction Co. LLC, Total Energy Management Inc., Columbia River Plumbing and Mechanical LLC.

TLM Petro Labor Force, 202 E. Columbia Drive, $55,000 for commercial remodel, $35,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor:

TLM Petro Labor Force.

LAIC Inc., 6515 W. Clearwater Ave., #202, $6,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Kennewick School District, 7001 W. 13th Ave., $384,000 for fire alarm system.

Contractor: Chervenell Construction.

Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., #321, $22,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Flores

Landscaping & Construction LLC.

CR Solutions Inc., 1611 W. Kennewick Ave., $29,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Columbia Roofing Inc. Faram LLC, 201 W. Kennewick Ave., $50,000 for demolition. Contractor: to be determined.

Spirit Master Funding X LLC, 7379 W. Deschutes Ave., $6,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: S&C Maintenance & Construction.

Donald Wieber, 6020 W. Quinault Ave., $197,000 for new commercial. Contractor:

Goodman & Mehlenbacher.

Garrett Commercial, 3509 W. Clearwater Ave., $11,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

HF Pasco LLC, 12125 W. Clearwater Ave., $6,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Kennewick Truck, 900 E. Bruneau Ave., $16,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor:

Palmer Roofing Co.

PASCO

MacArthur Co., 620 N. Oregon Ave., $50,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Almond Asphalt.

McCurley Subaru-Mazda Property LLC, 1230 Autoplex Way, $20,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: to be determined.

The Noel Corp., 2525 W. Hopkins St., $55,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor:

Cascade Fire Protection.

Big Sky Real Properties LLC, 2828

W. Irving St., $208,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Cliff Thorn Construction.

City of Pasco Animal Control, 1311 S. 18th Ave., $1.6 million for new commercial. Contractor: to be determined.

Roy D. Kintzley, 1435 E. Hillsboro Road, $9,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Skills Construction and Development LLC.

Star Group Inc., 611 W. Columbia St., $16,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor:

ABC Fire Control Inc.

Zepgon Investments LLC, 2120 W. A St., $190,000 for fire alarm system. Granite Real Estate, 1303 W. Shoshone St., $5,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner.

UCMS of Seventh-day Adventists, 605

W. Road 36, $19,000 for fire alarm. Contractor: Advanced Protection Services.

Hogback Road 68 Taco, 5326 Road 68, $12,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: McKinstry Co. LLC.

Archland Property, 4810 Road 68, $19,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: to be determined.

Reser’s Fine Foods Inc., 5526 N. Capitol Ave., $8,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: GB Manchester Corp.

BNSF Railway Co., 1130 W. Washington St., $10,000 for fence. Contractor: Frontier Fence Inc.

Desert Sagebrush, 1931 W. A St., $6,000 for sign, $13,000 fire alarm system. Contractor: Lonis Sign Service Inc., Camtek Inc.

Griggs Family LLC, 4316 Stearman Ave., $7,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell Cool Electric Plumbing. K & S Family Enterprise, 1935 E. Superior St., $46,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Cascade Fire Protection. Project Oyster Pasco, 1351 S. Road 40 East, $32,000 for commercial addition.

Contractor: Ryan Companies US Inc. GNM Corporation, 620 N. 28th Ave., $71,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: owner.

Port of Pasco, Parcel 119 210 023, $585,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: to be determined.

Grow Bounti North, 950 S. Elm Ave., $3.5 million for commercial remodel. Contractor: to be determined.

Port of Pasco, 3070 Rickenbacker Drive, $1.9 million for new commercial. Contractor: LCR Construction LLC.

Landstar NW LLC, 6005 Burden Blvd., $11,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

BoomBoom Properties, 9425 Sandifur Parkway, $19,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. Reser’s Fine Foods, 5526 N. Capitol Ave., $13,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: Amplified Wireless Solutions. Pasco Assembly of God, 7213 W. Court St., $55,000 for demolition. Contractor: B4 Development and Construction.

RICHLAND

JJB Tech Holdings LLC, 2801 George Washington Way, $5,000 for grading. Contractor: Fowler General Construction. Marsh Queensgate Properties LLC, 2150 Keene Road, $15,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: FreshCO2 LLC. CV The Franklin LLC, 1515 George Washington Way, $200,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Cliff Thorn Construction.

Columbia Basin Racquet Club, 1776 Terminal Drive, $250,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: DGR Grant Construction.

SRA-CH Richland LLC, 455 Bradley Blvd., $5.7 million for multifamily. Contractor: Cedar & Sage Homes LLC. United Pentecostal Church, 930 Aaron Drive, $23,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: A & A Roofing Services. LLC. Horn Rapids Homeowners Association, 3407 River Valley Drive, $85,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: POW Contracting.

Meadow Springs Country Club, 751 Country Club Road, $50,000 for antenna/ tower. Contractor: Pacific Northwest Tower. Raber LLC, 660 Truman Ave., $20,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Tool Tech LLC. Ford Group LLC, 1977 Fowler St., $25,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner.

WEST RICHLAND

Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, 3701 Watkins Way, $15,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Thornworks LLC.

uBUSINESS LICENSES

KENNEWICK

Sunshine Cleaning Services, 8514 W. Gage Blvd.

H2I Group Inc., 430 Industrial Blvd. NE, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Abbott, 9210 Corporate Blvd., Rockville, Maryland.

Ramgar Homes, 4003 Tusayan Drive, Pasco.

Coolsys Commercial & Industrial Solutions Inc., 145 S. State College Blvd., Brea, California.

Yakima Interiors Inc., 2920 River Road, Yakima.

Quality Restoration Solutions LLC, 2331

W. A St., Pasco.

Total Comfort Solutions LLC, 2904 Melrose St., Walla Walla.

Jay’s Concrete, 381 Puterbaugh Road, uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B12

“Townsquare’s

- Gordon Borrell CEO, Borrell Associates

performer.

Grandview.

Duncan’s Property Clean Up & Hauling, 41 Pine Glen Court, Easton.

Brothers Pipeline Corp., 615 Pacific Ave. South, Kelso.

D10 Signs & Graphics, 12700 NE 124th

St., Kirkland.

Smooky Moon LLC, 3500 S. Morain St., Kennewick.

Wrecking Ball Demolition LLC, 3310 Chestnut St., Everett.

Advanced Equipment Corporation, 19501 144th Ave. NE, Suite C100, Woodinville.

Gotta-Go Portables, 1276 Paige St., Richland.

Colonial Plaster & Drywall, 619 W. Shoshone St., Pasco.

Grim Sweetness LLC, 2202 W. Seventh

Ave.

The Barberlife Studio, 11 S. Dayton St.

Fulcrum Wealth Management Group, 1009 N. Center Parkway.

Youngblood’s Flooring LLC, 5700 W. 11th Ave.

W&G Flooring LLC, 1617 W. Clearwater Ave.

Integrated Data Solutions LLC, 7701 W. Fourth Ave.

Sanchez Bros. Construction LLC, 502

S. Camas Ave., Wapato.

Allusions Art & Design, 4112 S. Irby St.

Bales Construction Inc., 5620 E. Desmet Ave., Spokane Valley.

MLW Services LLC, 3335 E. Trent Ave., Spokane.

Dirt Stars Excavation, 1701 W. 24th Place.

Tattoos by Ryan Hall, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Sant Co., 4709 Cathedral Drive, Pasco.

J Wales Homes Solutions LLC, 1400 112th Ave. SE, Bellevue.

Velasquez Roofing LLC, 4209 N. Avalon Road, Spokane Valley.

EM & V Painting LLC, 3324 West 19th Ave.

Refresh Home Remodeling & Services LLC, 114 N. Olympia St.

AB&W Custom and Repairs LLC, 2540

S. Underwood St.

Usov Construction LLC, 200 Abbot St., Richland.

Adam Rivas LLC, 38 N. Lyle St. Connect Counseling, 7411 W. Clearwater Ave.

Maria Gabriela Trejo Barrientos,4815 W. Clearwater Ave.

Have a Ball Concierge, 2103 Symons St., Richland. Salsamix, 212 W. Kennewick Ave.

La Reina Blanca Enterprises LLC, 1030

N. Center Parkway.

Travis Harding, 9385 W. Eighth Place. Colibri Muscle Therapy LLC, 333 W. Canal Drive.

JD Torres Landscaping Inc., 29 N. Mayfield St.

Serenity Beauty Salon/Barber & Spa, 5009 W. Clearwater Ave.

Plaza One LLC, 320 N. Johnson St.

S & S Excavation and Construction

LLC, 2602 S. Lyle St.

The Towns On Entiat, 911 W. Entiat Ave.

Legacy Medical Consultants LP, 3309

W. 42nd Place.

Dollhouse 5, 2907 S. Morain Place.

Of His Kingdom, 3411 W. Hood Ave.

JCI, 1607 W. Kennewick Ave.

Julia Ward Country Financial, 8479 W. Clearwater Ave.

Empire Asphalt Services LLC, 6509 James St., West Richland.

Johnny’s Automotive, 5623 W. Clearwater Ave.

Siobeaute, 117 Vista Way.

Braids By Hopie LLC, 8514 W. Gage

Blvd.

Blue Cougar Properties Inc., 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Annapurna Rocks And Minerals Corp., 1920 N. Pittsburg St.

O’Malley Geomatics, 1030 N. Center

Parkway.

Mr. Renovator LLC, 1907 Riverview

Drive, Pasco.

Obsidian Tattoo LLC, 5221 W. Canal Drive.

Optimal Growth LLC, 1722 W. 14th Ave.

Cascade Medical, 3309 W. 42nd Place.

Sage Mountain LLC, 2917 W. 19th Ave.

Carpenter Capital, 4309 W. 27th Place.

Walther CRE LLC, 2016 S. Tweedt Court.

Talbosh Industries, 127 W. 31st Ave.

Vallucos Transport, 2105 N. Steptoe St. La Vita Felice Massage, 7411 W. Clearwater Ave. Ari LLC, 515 Palouse St.

Root Objective, 421 E. Columbia Drive.

Crowned Beauty & Sculpting, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Marsh Cleaning Services, 24 S. Fruitland St.

CCM Expert in Cleaning LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave.

Ryan’s Emergency Upfiting LLC, 2509

W. 35th Ave. Ambrose Wealth LLC, 2881 S. Kellogg St. My Real Estate Marketing, 110 S. Irving St.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B13

VRC Tree Service LLC, 831 S. 11th Ave.

Pasco

Hanson Pre-Employment Screening Services, 4004 S. Tacoma Court.

Train With Maggie, 2512 W. Klamath Ave.

Timefare Audio Productions, 5801 W.

25th Ave.

Robert Eugene Olson Trust, 552 N.

Colorado St.

Barca Services, 2110 S. Tweedt St.

H and M Nanny, 3312 W. 34th Ave.

Dough Nation LLC, 125 Gage Blvd.,

Richland.

Elite Writing and Research, 402 W. Kennewick Ave.

Rejuvenate U Medical Exercise, 4808 W.

Eighth Ave.

Cheyanne Hansen, 5453 Ridgeline Drive.

Moles Painting Solutions LLC, 5221 W. Argent Road, Pasco.

CV Advanced Aesthetics, 2459 S. Union

Place.

Ath-elite Fitness LLC, 806 S. Penn St.

Danielle Krasner, 1032 Nez Perce Lane, Richland.

Esneda Cervera, 2017 W. Fourth Ave.

Lovejoy Yoga Company, 5031 W. Clearwater Ave.

Sight And Sound Services, 6201 W.

Clearwater Ave.

Tithes & Offerings LLC, 520 N. Reed St.

Tribal Blessings, 1304 S. Grant St.

Advance Cleaning Services, 271 N.

Canal Blvd., Mesa.

Map Your Mind, 3103 S. Dennis St.

PASCO

Fadel 2 Perfection, 210 N. Fourth Ave.

Fashion Nails, 1931 W. Sylvester St.

Fadel 2 Perfection, 1212 N. 20th Ave.,

Suite D.

Amrik Singh - Uber, 413 S. Jefferson, Kennewick.

Wish A Latte LLC, 8921 Sandifur Parkway.

Jersey Mike’s Subs, 5326 Road 68.

FLM Landscaping Company, 4445

Galway Lane.

H&R Elite Trucking Academy LLC, 2020

Garland St.

Laboratory Corporation of America,

1200 N. 14th Ave., Suite 200.

Laboratory Corporation of America,

6303 Burden Blvd., Suite E.

Taqueria El Quetzal LLC, 1202 W. Lewis

St.

DLB Flooring LLC, 415 W. Shoshone St.

Two Brothers Technology LLC, 6005

Wildcat Lane.

Two Rivers Lawn Care LLC, 1713 W.

Brown St.

Caliber Collision Centers, 404 N. Or-

egon Ave.

Ding Tea, 5802 Road 68.

Areva Federal Services LLC, 9530

Bedford St.

Rowell Trucking LLC, 1814 N. 13th

Ave.

Mel’s Creations LLC, 1142 W. Henry St.

R&E Concrete LLC, 523 Pradera Court.

Bezos Academy, 333 W. Court St.

High Desert Drywall LLC, 106010 E.

Wiser Parkway, Kennewick.

City of Pasco, 1125 N. Fourth Ave.

Wild Herd Publishing, 4418 Providence

Lane.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, 5326 Road 68.

Phive Stars LLC, 3608 Desert Plateau

Drive.

Silhouette Body Contouring, 6013

Rockrose Lane.

G&C Rodriguez Contractors LLC, 3105 Wilcox Drive.

Creo Industrial Arts LLC, 8329 216th

St. SE, Woodinville.

Pisces Place, 4920 W. Sylvester St.

Bees Landscaping LLC, 1719 W. Ya-

kima St.

Speedy Trucking LLC, 936 W. Leola St.

Champion Roofing LLC, 1102 E. Fourth Ave., Kennewick.

Pacific Bath Company, 7859 S. 180th

St., Kent.

J&I Professional Landscaping LLC, 5710 Coppercap Mountain.

Eatz Pizzaria & Deli, 6916 W. Argent Road, Suite C.

KRR Services LLC, 11720 Pheasant Run Road.

Colts Painting and Restoration LLC,

3108 S. Lyle St., Kennewick.

Total Rejuvenation Med Spa LLC, 3220 Road F NE, Moses Lake.

Kinta Restaurante, 528 W. Clark St. Plaza Oaxaca LLC, 3315 W. Court St. Rodriguez and Son’s Transportation LLC, 8810 Wilshire Drive.

Vlad Tracking, 3516 Elon Lane.

Aguila Transport LLC, 1740 W. Cartmell St.

2 Partners Cleaning LLP, 3605 Estrella

Drive.

The Works General Contracting LLC, 933 S. Highland Drive, Kennewick.

Ace Daycare, 1727 N. 23rd Ave.

MDM Trucking LLC, 1907 N. 18th Drive.

Balcom & Moe Inc., 5806 Industrial Way, Suite A.

Ground Support Coffee, 6200 Burden Blvd.

JLL Appraisal Services LLC, 1101 S. Irving Place, Kennewick.

Katelynn’s Skincare, 123 Gage Blvd., Richland. TKK LLC, 1385 Admiral Place, Ferndale Amerisafe Inc., 3006 29th Ave. SW, Tumwater.

Colby & Cayden + KK Transportation LLC, 6212 Road 68, #14B.

Cristina Ramirez Realtor LLC, 2120 W.

A St. J & J Vending PLLC, 3303 Pinnacle Lane.

Little Rockets Childcare LLC, 605 Madrona Ave.

Artistic Blinds LLC, 225 Milwaukee Drive

North, Newport.

Elite Brothers Inc., 500 Haworth Road.

New Image Home Construction LLC, 224105 E. Main St., Kennewick.

Triple J Concrete, 603 E. Third Ave., Kennewick.

Relentless Custom Homes LLC, 2714 Hyde Road, Richland.

L&C All Shine Cleaning Service LLC, 8310 Ballard Loop, Richland.

Dan M. Thomsen - Uber, 2035 Delmont Place, Walla Walla.

Dickeys Barbecue Pit, 4525 Road 68, Suite B. Riverside Renovations LLC, 52 Log Lane, Richland.

Washington Electrical, 628 199th St. SW, Lynnwood. Prevision Plumbing LLC, 4764 Road E NE, Moses Lake.

Luxe Concrete, 520 S. Lester Road, Outlook.

Second Opinion Construction LLC, 451 Westcliffe Blvd., #E139, Richland. Silvia’s Nail Design LLC, 3411 W. Court St., #3411. 70 Welding and Remodeling LLC, 2250 S. Zillah Place, Kennewick.

Captain And Commander’s LLC, 4020 Janet Road.

Clouse’s Quality Construction Company LLC, 1310 W. Sunset Drive, Burbank.

Beni’s Refrigeration & AC Repair LLC, 419 E. Q St., Yakima.

Aztec Painting, 8715 W. Canyon Ave., Kennewick.

KLM Exteriors Inc., 64905 E. Sunset View PR SE, Benton City. Contract Property Solutions LLC, 3300 S. Buntin St., Kennewick. Do It All Handymen LLC, 51 Link Road, Naches.

Pier 77 General Construction Inc., 8 Royal Crest Loop PR, West Richland. Bridges Forward, 7 W. 49th Ave., Kennewick.

Rivers Collision Restore, 8425 PascoKahlotus Road.

Enedalia Ochoa Suarez, 1019 S. Beech St., Kennewick.

Fenrir Tactical Solutions LLC, 2424 Michael Ave., Richland. Pacific Decorative Concrete Inc., 5421 Stationers Way, Sacramento, California. Plush Flush, 78058 Country Heights Drive, Kennewick.

A V E Stucco Construction LLC, 256 E. Main St., Othello.

Harmony Renovation LLC, 7903 W. Grand Ronde Ave., Kennewick. Jose Albert Andrade, 1123 W. Court St., #1119.

Mapleway & Steele, 110 S. McKinley Place, Kennewick.

Dancing Bumblebee’s Child Care, 604 N. Cedar Ave.

Pro Mg Construction LLC, 10251 Ridgeline Drive, Apt. N118, Kennewick. Sany Construction LLC, 601 S. Kent St., Apt. I105, Kennewick.

Magnolia River Services Inc., 711 Nance Ford Road SE, Suite E, Hartselle, Alabama.

Velocytax LLC, 203 N. Fourth Ave. JR Electric LLC, 57 N. Quebec St., Kennewick.

Matador Lawn Service, 1816 62nd Place. Evelyn Moos, 2412 W. Grand Ronde Place.

Fast Floor Guys LLC, 4956 Spirea Drive, West Richland.

KR Painting LLC, 2419 Bramasole Drive, Richland.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B14

B14 TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2023

RICHLAND

Gradin & Sons LLC, 261 Maple St., Burbank.

Mattcorley.biz, 4632 Cowlitz Blvd.

Ramos Remodel, 210 E. First Place, Kennewick.

Compassion & Insight Counseling

PLLC, 1963 Saint St.

Tanglewood Laser Designs LLC, 668

Tanglewood Drive.

Fire Meets Wood, 405 Robert Ave.

1st Choice Roofing and Siding LLC,

2111 N. 19th Drive, Pasco.

Tri-Cities Custom T’s, 521 Cliffrose

Place.

Richland High Faculty Fund, 930 Long Ave.

Living Waters Kitchens & Remodel LLC, 2821 W. Pearl St., Pasco.

Pro Mg Construction LLC, 10251 Ridgeline Drive, Kennewick.

Kosmo Carpentry LLC, 1212 N. Morain

Loop, Kennewick.

Tri-Cities Epoxy LLC, 9323 W. Seventh

Place, Kennewick.

WEST RICHLAND

M & L Precision Painting LLC, 41507 E. Ridgecrest Drive NE, Benton City.

R&R Quality Framing LLC, 1731 N. 18th Drive, Pasco.

Three Rivers Urgent Care PLLC, 1507

Bombing Range Road

Dogwatch of the Columbia Basin, 3511

W. 46th Ave., Kennewick.

Torres Flooring LLC, 820 W. C St., Pasco.

Ilin Construction LLC, 2451 N. Rhode Island Court, Kennewick.

The Musicians Launchpad LLC, 4261 W.

Van Giesen St.

3 Rivers Landscaping LLC, 731 S. Elm Ave., Pasco. Presco Telecommunications Inc., 1521 15th St. NW, Auburn.

Dunn Wright Roofing & Exteriors LLC, 1728 N. 18th Ave., Pasco.

Arising Restoration, 611 N. Elm Ave.,

Pasco. Empire Asphalt Services LLC, 6509 James St.

B3 Enterprise, 5703 Collins Road. Espy LLC, 427 S. 41st Ave.

Ground Up Construction, 9605 S. Lexington St., Kennewick.

Lakeside Digital Marketing, 964 N. 60th Ave.

Rowmec LLC, 5101 Canter St.

Marty’s Mobile Music, 5300 S. Desert Dove Loop.

General One Contracting, 490 Bradley Blvd., Richland.

A&A Roofing Services, 2904 W. 43rd Court, Kennewick, Josephine Siegel, 5114 Point Fosdick Drive, Gig Harbor.

Michael A. L. Ramm, 519 S. Fourth St., Dayton.

Del Sol Inc., 4602 Kennedy Road.

Columbia Basin Construction LLC, 2427 W. Falls Ave., Kennewick.

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.

His & Hers Shoes LLC, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 6.

BMO Capital Markets Corp., unpaid

Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 6.

Superior Clean Services LLC, unpaid

Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 6.

Tru Door Inc., unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 6.

Eastern WA Construction Inc., unpaid

Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 6.

MKW Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 6.

EJ Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 6. His & Hers Shoes LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 9.

Chivas Construction, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 9.

Ramon R. Mendoza, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 9.

D&L Roofing, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 19.

Panchos Heating & Cooling, unpaid

Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 19.

Eastern WA Construction Inc., unpaid

Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 19.

CR Woodworks LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 26.

Casa Rosita LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 27.

Master Build Cabinets LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 27. Stucco & Stone Contractors LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 27.

Bradley’s Towing LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 27. Olympica Cascade Drive Ins LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 27.

Pedro Antonio Toscano-Gama, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 30.

Patricia E. Melendez Diaz et al., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 30.

Nevenka Milardovic, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 31. James Dean Robey, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Jan. 31.

uLIQUOR LICENSES

BENTON COUNTY

NEW

Fiction, 894 Tulip Lane, Richland. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement; cocktails/wine to-go; spirits/beer/ wine restaurant lounge+. Application type: new.

Convergence Zone Cellars, 1339 Tapteal Drive, Suites 104/114, Richland.

License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters; farmers’ market wine sales. Application type: new

Salud Bar & Kitchen, 50 Comstock St., Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver-in/out WA; spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge+. Application type: new.

APPROVED

Just a Minute Mart, 712 Ninth St., Benton City. License type: grocery store – beer/wine.

North Prosser Market 1, 130702 W. Johnson Road, Prosser. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

Hogue Cellars, 3090 W. Wittkopf Loop, Suite A, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

Villa Gloria, 1350 N. Louisiana St., Suite E, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine specialty shop. Application type: discount liquor sales.

Swift Stop, 2110 Swift Blvd., Richland. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

X-Golf Kennewick #81, 2905 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge-. Application type: new.

Valo, 2258 Wine Country Road, Suite B, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: change of location.

La Bella Vita Kitchen & Bar, 1515 George Washington Way, Suite B, Richland. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge+. Application type: added/change of class in lieu.

Winco Foods #2, 4602 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: change in corporate officer.

La Maison Dana, 5453 Ridgeline Drive, Suite 140, Kennewick. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED

Portland Spirit and Columbia Gorge Sternwheel, 435 Clover Island Drive, Kennewick. License type: interstate common carrier. Application type: discontinued.

China Cafe Restaurant, 131 N. Ely, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine. Application type: discontinued.

7-Eleven #20132M, 3606 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: discontinued.

Foodies, 308 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant service bar. Application type: discontinued.

Kennewick Inn, 4001 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: discontinued.

Letendre Family Wines, 39893 W. Knox Road, Benton City. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: discontinued.

Whitstran Brewing Company, 710 Sixth St., Prosser. License type: microbrewery.

Application type: discontinued.

Bookwalter Winery, 1887 Terminal Drive, Richland. License type: winery warehouse. Application type: discontinued.

French Creek Vineyards, 318 Wellhouse Loop Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: discontinued.

Giant Wine Company, 103612 E. Wiser Parkway, Suite G, Kennewick. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: discontinued.

Holly Jean’s Ice Cream, 626 N. 61st Ave., West Richland. License type: beer/ wine gift delivery. Application type: discontinued.

Graze, 8530 W. Gage Blvd., Suite A, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine. Application type: discontinued.

Graze, 610 George Washington Way, Richland. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine. Application type: discontinued.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

NEW

Metro Mart Pasco, 1015 W. Lewis St., Pasco. License type: grocery store –beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

Oriental Express, 1408 N. 20th Ave., Suite F, Pasco. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer. Application type: new. Los Pinos Mexican & American Cafe, 1504 W. Lewis St., Pasco. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer. Application type: new. Metro Mart, 1 Eagle Crest Drive, Connell. License type: grocery store – beer/ wine. Application type: assumption.

Kim’s Market, 1909 W. Court St., Pasco. License type: License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

APPROVED

Tacos Palomino Corp., 1315 E. Lewis Ave., Suites D&E, Pasco. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: new.

One Stop Mart 55, 2221 E. Lewis St., Pasco. License type: grocery store –beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

DISCONTINUED

Sun Willows Golf Course, 2535 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. License type: spirits/beer/ wine restaurant service bar. Application

type: discontinued. Quick Stop, 119 E. Humorist Road, Burbank. License type: grocery store – beer/ wine. Application type: discontinued.

uMARIJUANA LICENSES BENTON COUNTY NEW

Ababa LLC, 41305 N. Griffin Road, Suite

F, Grandview. License type: Cannabis producer tier 2; cannabis processor. Application type: assumption. Green Kite LLC, 22604 Hosko Road, Prosser. License type: Cannabis producer tier 3; cannabis processor. Application type: assumption.

uBUSINESS UPDATES NEW

The Teal Box is open at 741 The Parkway, Richland. The self-described “sassy gift shop” offers gift box services and offers shipping, local delivery and pickup. Contact: 509-713-7001; thetealbox.com.

Popcorn Northwest has opened at 624 George Washington Way, in Richland. The business formerly known as KC Kettle Corn offers specialty popcorn flavors, popcorn tastings and hand-dipped caramel apples. Hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Pacific Comprehensive Health PLCC has opened at 1200 N. 14th Ave., #245, Pasco. The new primary clinic is accepting new patients. Same-day and next-day appointments are available. Most insurances accepted, including Medicare. It is the new practice location of internist Dr. Srinivas Mascal, who has been practicing in the Tri-Cities since 2012. Services offered include primary care, geriatric care, chronic medical conditions management, urgent care

complaints, work and auto injury claims. Hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Contact: 888-675-4355, pacificcomprehensivehealth.com.

H&L Auto Glass LLC is open at 4023 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 11, Kennewick. It offers auto glass installation, both in-shop and mobile services. Contact: 509-405-1866.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, a fastfood fried chicken chain, is open at 5814 N. Road 68, Pasco. Contact: 509-9758778; popeyes.com.

NEW LOCATION

Oasis Physical Therapy & Sports

Rehab has opened an outpatient clinic at 9501 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite A130, in Kennewick. Oasis offers in-clinic and telehealth options for outpatient physical therapy, including manual therapy, pediatric sports medicine, injury prevention, return to full performance, total joint replacement, fall prevention, TMJ therapy, concussion management, migraine/headache management and vestibular rehabilitation programs. Oasis, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, also has a clinic at 4303 W. 24th Ave., Kennewick; two in Richland; and one each in Pasco and Walla Walla. The new clinic, known as KennewickWest Clearwater, is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to noon Friday. Contact: 509-241-8120; oasis.urpt.com.

MOVED

Delicakes, a custom bakery, has moved to 2803 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Contact: 509-551-5595; Delicakesbyangelica.com.

CLOSED

Just Joel’s restaurant at 1505 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, has closed.