Journal of Business - January 2023

Legislature convenes with new faces and familiar issues

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

The 2023 Washington Legislature convened on Jan. 9 with a slew of new lawmakers and a lengthy list of familiar tasks before its scheduled end date of April 23.

Transportation, energy, building codes, taxation, education and preserving the four Lower Snake River Dams are among the top issues raised by Tri-City leaders. The House and Senate are both controlled by Democrats.

The biggest challenge of the 105-day “long session” is to adopt a budget. Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed a $70.4 billion 2023-25 budget.

The governor’s request includes a few pieces of good news for the Mid-Columbia. The governor is seeking $10 million to establish an energy institute at Washington State University Tri-Cities and $15 million to upgrade the Connell railroad interchange, among other priorities.

The Association of Washington Business called the budget a “starting point,” praising it for not raising taxes but complaining that it drains reserves at a time the state should be saving for a potential recession.

“After years of strong budget growth, it’s time for lawmakers to make do with the considerable resources they have, and to make smart choices that will prepare the state for a possible downturn in the economy,” said Kris Johnson, AWB’s president.

Housing crisis

The housing crisis, which affects the Tri-Cities as much as the rest of the state, is a top priority for both parties and for the governor.

The governor proposes seeking voter approval for a $4 billion project to build more than 24,300 new “housing units” in the next six years.

The Building Industry Association of Washington is asking the Legislature to make energy code reform a key piece of any attempt to address the shortage and to reform the State Building Code Council to emphasize cost-efficient options for new construction.

In November, the State Building Code Council adopted rules requiring heat pumps in new homes built after July 1 of this year. BIAW estimates that adds $8,300 to the price tag, on top of tens of thousands of dollars associated with earlier

Lampson’s unique office is nod to company’s business

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Neil and Billie Jane Lampson didn’t have to look far for inspiration when they decided their growing crane company needed a headquarters building.

Neil Lampson enlisted Walt Trask, his head engineer and co-inventor on patented crane technology, and sketched out a building that looked like the boom of one of the company’s heavy lift cranes.

The result is one of the more striking company-owned and occupied office buildings in the Tri-Cities, a glassy, angled structure perched aside the Columbia River on the Kennewick side of the cable bridge at 607 E. Columbia Drive.

“For someone who may not be familiar with the crane industry, this may seem like an odd design, but for an avid crane enthusiast, it is a rather innovative and interesting design,” said Kate Lampson, director of strategic communication and the third generation of the family to work in the business.

Neil F. Lampson Inc., now Lampson International Co., moved into the four-story building in September 1980 after a year or so of construction. Forty-three years later, the unique building still serves the company well and has required little more than new carpeting.

Kate Lampson said there was little de-

Ag educators shine in 2023 Mid-Columbia Hall of Fame

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

As a high schooler, Carol Travis was drawn to the flowers her classmates carried around Spokane’s Ferris High School, the results of a floral class offered through the ag program.

She was drawn to the school’s charismatic ag advisor and to the thought of working plants.

eventually to New Horizons High School in Pasco, where she launched a thriving Future Farmers of America chapter in 2010.

Travis, together with fellow ag teacher Charlie Dansie of Connell High School, will be inducted into the Mid-Columbia Agriculture Hall of Fame on Jan. 19 as the 2023 Agriculture Advisor honorees.

They will share the spotlight with Harold Cox, a longtime farmer and rancher honored with the Pioneer Award, and with Maury Balcom, a third-generation Tri-Cities

So, when faced with choosing an elective, the choice was obvious: She signed up for horticulture class, which would lead to a career in the plant world and

Photo by Wendy Culverwell

Neil Lampson, founder of Lampson International Co., and Walt Trask, its head engineer, designed the company headquarters to resemble the boom of a crane. Forty-plus years later, it has not been significantly altered and continues to serve Kennewick’s iconic crane company well.

Tri-City native headlines brunch to benefit Carson College

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Cole Morgan, a Tri-Citian by birth who established Snap! Raise, will headline an upcoming brunch to benefit the Carson College of Business at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

The fifth annual Point to Success Brunch will be held Feb. 4 at Anthony’s at Columbia Point, 550 Columbia Point Drive, in Richland. The event took a hiatus for two years because of the pandemic.

Morgan was born in the Tri-Cities

to parents and grandparents who established local businesses, including Stu’s Teamsports, Harris-Morgan Music and more. His grandfather, Stu Morgan, is a Franklin PUD commissioner.

He was briefly the quarterback at Washington State University, where he earned a degree in ethnic studies. He went on to be quarterback for Central Washington University as well.

He formed Snap! in Seattle in 2014 to carry out his vision to support youth activities with campaigns that do not rely on door-to-door sales of items kids don’t

River west of Paterson.

Lamb Weston says sales up 27%

Lamb Weston Holdings Inc., the Eagle, Idaho, frozen potato giant with major operations in the Mid-Columbia, reported nearly $1.3 billion in net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2023, which ended in December, a 27% increase over the prior year.

Net income increased to $103 million, an increase of more than 217%, and diluted earnings per share rose to 71 cents, up 223%.

Lamb Weston updated its 2023 fiscal outlook to nearly $5 billion in net sales and $620 million in net income, or diluted earnings per share of $4.28.

Lamb Weston said volume declined 3%, which it attributed primarily to “an inability to fully serve customer demand in the company’s food service and retail channels.”

It said supply chain disruptions, commodity shortages and the challenge of training new production workers affected its production run dates.

Lamb Weston shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LW.” Its 52-week range as of Jan. 5 was $49.71 to $96.87.

Crow Butte makes it easy to pay for parking

A pair of new parking kiosks at Crow Butte Park will make it easy to pay fees to park in the Port of Benton-owned park and campground on the Columbia

The kiosks allow visitors to pay the $10 boat launch or day use fee when they enter.

Reservations for the 2023 season can be made at CrowButte.com.

Goldendale Energy Storage project advances

The proposed Goldendale Energy Storage project, which would provide hydropower during peak energy demand hours, has advanced after the state Department of Ecology completed an environmental impact (EIS) statement.

The EIS evaluates potential impacts to air quality, plant and animal habitat, transportation, water resources and quality as well as Native American resources in the area.

The next steps include a federal review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and permit decisions, which will occur over the next two years.

If built, the project will consist of a reservoir that generates power by releasing water into a lower reservoir when demand for power is high, then pumping the water back uphill during off-peak hours. Power would feed into the electrical grid at the John Day Dam.

Go to: bit.ly/DOEGoldendaleProject.

SBA funded nearly $940M to Seattle District in 2022

The U.S. Small Business Administration reports it supported nearly $940 million in funding for 1,500 loans to

want to sell and parents don’t want to buy. Snap! carries out fundraising work through its Snap! Raise, Snap! Spend, Snap! Store, Snap! Connect, and Snap! Manage arms. Learn more at snapraise. com.

Today, Snap! boasts having helped raise more than $700 million for 90,000 teams, clubs and organizations across the country. In 2019, it was ranked No. 182 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 for its 608% revenue growth.

Morgan has been named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award

small businesses within the Seattle District in 2022.

The Seattle district serves most of Washington state, including the TriCities, and portions of northern Idaho. Four counties in the Vancouver area are served separately out of SBA’s Portland District.

The Seattle District supported 1,250 7(a) loans valued at $776 million, 168 504 loans valued at $162 million and 83 microloans valued at $1.5 million. The figures exclude SBA Covid Relief programs.

Washington minimum wage now $15.74

Washington was one of 27 states to raise its minimum wage on Jan. 1 and is one of five where the minimum wage is above $15 an hour.

The current minimum wage is now $15.74.

The other states where the minimum hourly wage is $15 or more are California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York state, according to Chain Store Age, which reports on issues related to the retail sector.

The Oregon minimum wage is indexed to inflation and won’t take effect until July 1. It currently is between $12.50 to $14.75, depending on location.

The federal minimum wage remains $7.25, unchanged since July 2009. Twenty states follow the federal minimum wage, and it is the default in five more that do not have their own minimum wage regulations.

winner.

Point to Success will include a live auction, a wine grab and raise the paddle to support the business school. Tracci Dial of KNDU-TV will serve as emcee and Chantel Kimball-Booker will serve as the auctioneer.

Anthony’s is providing the space, food and champagne at no charge, so money raised will go directly to the school.

The cost is $100 per person if purchased before Jan. 25 and $125 after.

Go to: bit.ly/WSUCarsonfundraiser.

Benton County receives $2.17M to expand mental health care

Benton County has received $2.17 million for the Three Rivers Behavioral Health Recovery Center in Kennewick.

The state Department of Commerce announced another $20.4 million investment in community-based facilities serving people who are experiencing a mental health crisis, or who are in need of withdrawal management services to help them restore and stabilize their health.

Five crisis triage and stabilization projects across the state, including in Kennewick, were awarded grants from the Behavioral Health Facilities capital program.

These types of stabilization facilities offer a meaningful alternative to emergency room hospitalization or incarceration.

The funds are for construction, renovation, acquisition and/or equipment costs associated with establishing the facilities, and the projects must maintain the facility for at least 15 years.

This round of funding builds on to $140 million in additional behavioral health investments from earlier this year with funding provided by the Legislature for the 2021-23 biennium.

The investments support Gov. Jay Inslee’s five-year plan to modernize and transform Washington’s mental health system, with the goal of ending civil patient placements at the state’s large hospitals by 2023 in favor of smaller community-based facilities.

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farmer honored with the Stewardship Award.

Travis was a city girl back in Spokane and came from a humble family. But the flowers and the ag program won her over and would help set her path. Her first job, at 15, was to care for the plants in the Ferris High greenhouse over the summer.

She knew she wanted to be part of FFA from the start.

“I’ve got to get one of those jackets,” she recalled thinking.

FFA would become the stage where she would compete, adding coveted patches from her travels to local, state and even national competitions to her blue and gold jacket.

“FFA saved my life,” she said, sharing how her career lifted her out of poverty, a lesson her students appreciate.

“I value my FFA jacket more than my wedding dress. You buy a wedding dress. You have to earn your blue and gold,” she said.

She dreamed of teaching even in high school, but family circumstances kept her from attending college. She worked for a nursery, then joined Yoke’s Fresh Markets in Spokane, working and thriving in the floral department.

She moved to Pasco to open the chain’s first Tri-City store, working her way up to management. She never lost touch with her educational roots, helping with FFA events.

When an opportunity rose to join the Pasco School District, she jumped. She earned her teaching credentials during her first year. At the time, New Horizons met in portables and colleagues scoffed at the idea students attending the alternative school would be interested in FFA.

But they were, crowding into her tiny portable office. Today, 22 of the school’s 332 students are members. Through FFA, she said, the students see a future in agriculture that goes beyond field work.

More importantly, though, she’s proud that New Horizons has shed its reputation as a “dumping ground” for problem youth.

Today, its mission is to help students retrieve credits, graduate and find employment.

“We just love them and teach them and support them,” she said.

Dansie took a different route to the classroom, but like Travis was inspired by a teacher when he was growing up on a sheep ranch in Utah. He taught in Rexburg, Idaho, for 11 years, then in Warden before moving to Connell High School to join its robust ag program, where he is part of a three-person team.

He teaches beginning welding, woodshop and commercial driving. Connell launched a program to help older students earn their commercial driver’s licenses last year, inspired by an area farmer who was having trouble finding truck drivers.

It took three or four years to secure state approval, but it launched with 30 students, a waiting list and plenty of interest from other schools.

Dansie said not a week goes by that he doesn’t get a call from school leaders who want to replicate the CDL program in their schools.

He is also known for Connell’s annual Drive Your Tractor to School event. Students gather at a nearby shop, then parade to school in tractors and other farm vehicles.

“It’s just a fun activity,” he said.

The other awardees are:

Pioneer Award

Harold Cox, a farmer, rancher and dedicated community supporter grew up on his family’s farm in Outlook, raising potatoes, rutabagas, turnips, sugar beets, hay and livestock. The family farm provided the foundation for his own interests.

“You always, always make your goal, plan three steps ahead, figure out all the downsides, and then give it all you got! Never go halfway. Don’t ever give-up ‘til the job is done,” Cox said.

He served on numerous boards and commissions including Paterson School Board, Franklin County Planning Commission, President of both the Washington State Cattleman’s and Washington Cattle Feeder Associations, WA Asso-

ciation of Wheat Growers, WA Ag Forestry Leadership Foundation, Tri-Cities Cancer Center Executive Committee and the Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo 4H & FFA Market Stock Sale.

Stewardship Award

Maury Balcom, a third-generation farmer, was honored for his passionate involvement over five decades to preserve water resources in the Columbia Basin.

He was a founding board member for the Washington Wine Commission and served as a board member for many organizations including the Washington Wine Growers Association, Washington State Water Resources Association and the Tri-City Development Council.

He still serves on the South Columbia Irrigation District Board of Directors as president since 2002. In 2010, he was awarded the Water Resources Leadership Award from the Washington State Water Resources Association and is a pivotal influencer promoting agriculture and irrigation issues at the local, state and national levels on behalf of the agriculture industry.

Mid-Columbia Agriculture Hall of Fame dinner and installation gala will be held Jan. 19 at the Pasco Red Lion.

The Agriculture Hall of Fame Gala is presented by the Pasco Chamber of Commerce and the Port of Pasco.

For reservations and information, call the Pasco Chamber at 509-5479755 or drop by the office at 1110 Osprey Pointe Blvd. Suite 101, in Pasco.

Visit the chamber online at pascochamber.org.

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Carol Travis, ag educator at New Horizons High School in Pasco, launched the thriving Future Farmers of America chapter in 2010.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Badger Club welcomes globe-trotting

mayor

Former Pasco Mayor Watkins will share his tale of exploring the world in 412 days in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic at the Jan. 19 Columbia Basin Badger Club’s annual meeting, which will be held online.

Watkins, who is now managing Pasco’s efforts to construct a voter-approved aquatics center, stepped off the city council and left his job to explore the world, an adventure that saw him join in early relief efforts connected to the Russia-Ukraine war.

The virtual webinar is from 11:30 a.m. -1 p.m.

The event is free to Badger Club members and $5 for nonmembers.

Register at: bit.ly/BadgerMattWatkins.

Senske Services acquires Richland, Tacoma firms

Senske Services, a regional lawn care firm based in Kennewick, has acquired Richland-based DesertGreen from founder Scott Hockersmith, and Tacoma-based Scientific Spray Service.

Hockersmith established the lawn, tree and pest control company in 1997.

Terms were not disclosed.

Senske said the local acquisition adds “significant density” to its Tri-City business.

“I’ve known Scott for many years and have a tremendous amount of respect for what he’s been able to build in the TriCities. I’m excited to have his customers and employees join the Senske family as we look to continually grow and provide the same great services,” said Chris Senske, Senske board member.

It acquired nine businesses in 2022.

Senske said the acquisitions are part of its goal of growing in the U.S. It currently operates in Colorado, Idaho and Utah, as well as across Washington state.

It has a website for firms interested in selling to Senske at senske.com/whysenske/mergers-and-acquisitions.

TRIDEC’s annual Economic Outlook, lunch set for Feb. 1

The Tri-City Development Council holds its 60th annual Luncheon and 24th annual Economic Outlook on Feb. 1 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.

The half-day symposium features industry influencers leading panel discussions on key issues impacting the economy of the Tri-Cities. Topics include the impact of tourism, talent retention and recruitment, agriculture innovations, clean energy movement and projects that will be powering the next 60 years of economic development. The Economic Outlook session is from 7:30 a.m. to noon. The luncheon begins at noon.

To register: tridec.org/ events/2023outlook.

Children’s Reading Foundation distributes books

The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia is distributing 6,000 books to young readers through a partnership with Hanford Mission Integration Solutions.

The foundation, which promotes literacy, challenged the community to resolve to read 20 minutes each day with a child in 2023 through its Resolution Read.

The book campaign supports families in their efforts to read with their children. More than 200 families signed up for the program in December and will receive free books.

Another 300 book bags are being donated to local groups to distribute to families throughout the Mid-Columbia, including in north Franklin County and in Paterson.

Survey: Inflation, staffing shortages hurting patients

Patients have less ability to access medical care as inflation and staffing shortages strain Washington’s medical practices,

according to a recent survey by the Washington State Medical Association.

The association issued a call to action to shore up the outpatient practice community as the state recovers from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Access to care in our state will continue to diminish over the next year, creating even more pressure on our already overwhelmed hospitals,” it said.

The study included 82 responses from medical practices that were not affiliated with hospitals.

Key findings:

• Nearly 50% reduced office hours, services and treatments because of staffing shortages.

• More than 30% reduced patient access, including reducing office hours, services and treatments, because of inflation.

• Nearly 50% limited the number of Medicaid patients they see due to the practice’s current financial statement.

• Fewer than 10% had the minimum 18 weeks’ worth of cash required for operating expenses with nearly half of practices said they had less than four weeks’ worth of available cash.

• Over 50% expect further reductions in patient access a year.

Increasing Medicaid reimbursements and reducing staffing strain from prior authorization requirements were the most cited solutions to easing the pressures.

The medical association called on the 2023 Legislature to raise Medicaid rates for all specialties and to reduce the administrative burden posed by insurance carriers’ requirements that patients receive prior authorization for certain treatments.

DATEBOOK

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

JAN. 17

• Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities membership meeting: 11:30 a.m., Richland Courtyard, 480 Columbia Point Drive, Richland.

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

JAN. 19

• Columbia Basin Badger Club, “Around the World in 412 Days”: noon via Zoom. Hear tales from former Pasco Mayor Matt Watkins who toured the world by himself during the pandemic. Cost: $5 for nonmembers. Register at columbiabasinbadgers.com.

• Ag Hall of Fame: 5 p.m., Red Lion Hotel and Conference Center, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Buy tickets at PascoChamber.org.

• Volunteering with Chaplaincy Health Care: 3-4 p.m., 1480 Fowler St., Richland. Free educational seminar designed to provide information and tools to plan for the future. Call 509-783-7416.

JAN. 21

• Polar Plunge Winter Beach Party: 9 a.m., Riverfront Trail, Richland. Beach party with live music, beach games, hot tubs, food trucks, costume contests and prizes. Individuals and teams are encouraged to raise donations in support of Special Olympics Washington athletes. Admission: $75. Details at polarplungewa.com.

JAN. 25

• State of Education K-12 Update Membership Luncheon: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Red Lion Hotel Columbia Center, Kennewick. Details at web.tricityregionalchamber.com/ events.

• Are you prepared to write a winning proposal? seminar: 8-10 a.m., free virtual meeting. Information and registration at washingtonptac.ecenterdirect.com/ events.

JAN. 26-27

• Tri-Cities Day at the Capitol: 11 a.m., The Olympia Hotel at Capitol Lake, 2300 Evergreen Park Drive

SW, Olympia. Tri-Cities Legislative Council will share its priorities with key legislators and leaders in state government and network with business leaders. Details at web. tricityregionalchamber.com/events.

JAN. 31

• Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce luncheon, “State of the School Districts”: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pasco Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave. Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers. Register at tchispanicchamber.com.

FEB. 1

• 24th Annual Tri-Cities Regional Economic Outlook and 60th Annual Luncheon: 7:30a.m.-noon is the Outlook; annual meeting is from noon-1:30 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. To register: tridec.org/ events/2023outlook.

• 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 with decades of experience to answer your questions. Information at washingtonptac. ecenterdirect.com/events.

• 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.

FEB. 4

• Children’s Developmental Center Winter Fete: 5:30-11:30 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. For more information and to register go to bit.ly/winterfete2023.

• Point to Success Brunch: at Anthony’s at Columbia Point, 550 Columbia Point Drive, in Richland. The event includes a live auction, a wine grab and raise the paddle to support the Carson College of Business at Washington State University Tri-Cities. Cost is $100 per person if purchased before Jan. 25 and $125 after. Register: bit.ly/ WSUCarsonfundraiser.

OPINION

OUR VIEW

Newspaper changes hands but not its commitment to readers

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The new year always tends to usher in change and goalsetting.

And it’s no different for us.

We announced an ownership change at the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, bidding farewell and well wishes to longtime Journal owner Melanie Hoefer on Dec. 30.

Hoefer, the paper’s founder, sold the paper and stepped away from the publishing field to pursue the launch of a new consulting business. The Journal team wishes her the best in her next endeavor.

Both the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times, a monthly paper Hoefer bought in 2013, will continue independently under a new subsidiary of Cowles Co., Mid-Columbia Media Inc.

Cowles, which owns The Spokesman-Review and Spokane Journal of Business, is a fourth-generation company with holdings in news, broadcasting, real estate, printing and other industries.

In the past 21 years, the Journal has evolved into the area’s only business-

focused media outlet.

It’s grown significantly, adding a robust online presence and a variety of specialty publications, including two magazines, Focus: Real Estate + Construction in the fall and Focus: Agriculture + Viticulture in the spring; specialty publications on a variety of topics; an annual Young Professionals contest; and the Parade of Homes magazine in partnership with the Home Builders Association of TriCities.

This past December we produced a special section focusing on energy.

Though we’ve added new products and talent over the years, our mission has remained the same: provide quality business news to unite our community.

This goal will continue to be our guide in all that we do.

Our readers should continue to expect the best of local business news when they open their newspaper or click on our online stories.

We’re keeping our compass pointed in the direction we want to go: forward. And we’re excited to invite you along for the ride.

2023 gives lawmakers a new chance to champion the economy

The new year begins during a time of uncertainty and anxiety about the state of the economy, both nationally and at the state level.

Inflation has been rising at worrying rates for the last year, driving up costs for consumers and employers. The Federal Reserve’s attempts to bring it under control have increased the cost of borrowing and raised concern about a recession in the coming year.

So far, the labor market remains strong, and unemployment is low, but warning signs are flashing. A survey of employers, conducted in December by the Association of Washington Business, shows employers are feeling a growing sense of unease.

Half of the employers surveyed said they are “very concerned” about the potential for a recession in the new year, and almost all of the remaining respondents said they are “somewhat concerned” about a recession. This concern is leading employers to delay capital expenditures (41%), postponing hiring (28%), postponing expansion into new markets (17%) and laying off workers (7%).

Of particular concern is the number of employers – nearly one-third – who report their business is beginning to experience a downturn. That’s double the number reported in July.

This is the environment that legislators will be facing when they began the 2023 session on Jan. 9.

It’s a long session year, meaning the primary task facing lawmakers is to adopt a new two-year state budget. As is customary, the governor introduced his budget and policy ideas first, rolling out a $70.4 plan in December. Legislators will follow with additional proposals during the session.

Although Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposal does not call for new taxes, it would drain reserves at a time of tremendous uncertainty, leaving little in the way of a safety net if a recession leads to a drop in state revenue.

And it would continue the trend of significant spending increases, driving up state spending by another 9.8%. For comparison, 10 years ago Washington’s two-year budget was $33.6 billion, or less than half of the governor’s proposed $70.4 billion 2023-2025 budget.

As employers grow increasingly concerned about the health of their businesses, lawmakers would be wise to take these concerns seriously and to act as champions for the economy during this legislative session.

Being champions for the economy means slowing the trajectory of state

uJOHNSON, Page A8

America needs an ‘all of the above’ energy approach

In 2023 one of the most significant shifts America needs is to return to an “all of the above” strategy to expand our energy options rather than restricting them.

That strategy was incorporated in the 2005 Energy Policy Act signed into law by President George W. Bush. It was inclusive and focused on incremental improvements coupled with innovation.

However, in the last couple of years, our political leaders have hastily and unwisely narrowed fuel options to exclude gasoline, diesel, coal, and natural gas – and diminish the role of nuclear.

Our state’s approach to energy needs to broaden.

For example, Gov. Jay Inslee joined a dozen governors asking President Joe Biden to end the sale of new gaspowered vehicles nationwide starting in 2035. Inslee pushed our state’s ban up to 2030.

Rather than focusing totally on battery powered electric vehicles (EV), many carmakers see a need for diversi-

ty. For example, Toyota, which launched its gaselectric hybrids in 1997, is focusing on lowering fuel consumption and curtailing air pollutants.

While EV production and sales are ramping up, Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, warns he is among the auto industry’s silent majority in questioning whether EVs should be pursued exclusively.

Toyota’s goal is to produce 3.5 million electric vehicles annually by 2030, which would be more than a third of its current yearly sales.

As of last October, electric vehicles comprised 6.5% of the total new-car market according to consumer research firm J.D. Power. By comparison, Green Car Report estimates more than 1 billion

gas and diesel vehicles are on the planet today.

Last July, Inslee lobbied to change our state’s building codes to significantly restrict natural gas use in new buildings. Starting this year, new businesses and apartments are to use electric heat pumps to warm air and water.

Washington’s building codes ban is despite new technology used to extract methane from garbage landfills before it escapes into the atmosphere. It is collected and burned as a fuel source.

Methane is a need to replace more polluting oil used to propel ocean-going ships.

Tacoma-based Tote Maritime is pioneering liquified natural gas (LNG) to run its vessels sailing between Washington and Alaska.

So where does that leave us as we enter 2023?

First, we need to recognize there are no simple or magic answers. Each fuel source has its advantages and shortcomings.

For example, during extreme weather when solar and wind generation is down or insufficient, natural gas, coal, hydro and nuclear are needed to power the grid.

Second, our energy policymakers need a reality check. They need to consider the impacts of their limitations.

For example, in California last summer EV drivers were not allowed to charge their cars because of electric grid overload during a heat wave. There simply was not enough electricity or transmission capacity.

Third, elected officials must innovate. For example, 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.

Fourth, there must be a recognition

Kris Johnson Association of Washington Business GUEST COLUMN

Don C. Brunell Business analyst GUEST COLUMN

BRIEFS

Security guards head off vandals

at old KGH

Benton County has hired a security company to guard against vandalism at the former Kennewick General Hospital in downtown Kennewick.

The county acquired the now-closed hospital in November as part of its plan to create a two-campus recovery facility for Tri-Citians facing mental health and/or substance abuse disorder crises. The property was repeatedly targeted by vandals and metal thieves, forcing the county to act to protect the building.

PPP Solutions Inc., dba Phoenix

Security, is providing nightly security patrols under a contract approved in December.

The vandalism triggered a $12,400 repair bill to address flood damage in two incidents that occurred after regular business hours, the county said.

Richland City Council selects interim councilman

The Richland City Council has selected Ryan Whitten as a new councilman.

The council conducted four candidate interviews for Position 7 during a special meeting on Jan. 6.

The council voted unanimously selected Ryan Whitten to fill the role. He will be sworn in at the Jan. 17

council meeting.

Whitten grew up in Prosser and has been a Richland resident for six years. He is a Navy veteran and has a degree in political science from Columbia Basin College. He works as an instrument and controls technician at Energy Northwest.

Whitten fills the vacant position created by the resignation of Michael Alvarez who was recently sworn in as a Benton County commissioner. He will serve as an interim council member until the term for the position expires. The next general election is November 2023.

The council solicited applications from interested citizens to fill the vacancy. Ten applications were received.

BRUNELL, From page A7

that there are tradeoffs. For example, the four lower Snake River dams have 24 generators producing enough electricity to power a city the size of Seattle at peak generation. To replace their capacity would require between 2,900 and 4,200 wind turbines or six natural gas generating facilities.

Our elected leaders need to keep open minds and reinvigorate our entrepreneurial spirit. While government incentives are important, they should be used to encourage innovation and not to drive buying decisions.

Our focus must be an “all of the above” strategy.

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer, and columnist. He recently 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.

JOHNSON, From page A7

spending, setting aside resources for a rainy day, and looking for ways to provide targeted tax relief to promote positive outcomes such as doubling the state’s manufacturing sector.

Being champions for the economy also means taking steps now to ensure Washington has enough affordable electricity to power our homes and manufacturing facilities in the coming years. Expanding Washington’s baseload energy production must by priority No. 1 so we can maintain the state’s competitive advantage of low-cost, reliable electricity.

Being champions for the economy means addressing the significant housing shortage facing our state. Lawmakers can help by supporting legislation that reduces the regulatory timeline and duplicative overview required for permitting new home construction. And they can support reform of land use laws to allow greater flexibility in zoning for home ownership.

These are just a few of the issues facing lawmakers in the 2023 session. Others include finding solutions to the state’s long-term care insurance and Paid Family and Medical Leave programs and helping address the workforce shortage, which continues to be a top concern for many employers.

By the time lawmakers adjourn the 2023 session, it will be more than three years since the start of the pandemic. The economy – and Washington employers – have proven to be incredibly resilient during this period.

Whether that continues to be the case will depend in part on the willingness of lawmakers to step up this session and be champions for the economy.

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

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business gets new owner

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times newspapers began the new year with new ownership.

Tri Comp Inc., which published the Journal and Senior Times, and Cowles Company, a fourthgeneration Spokane business with holdings in the news, broadcasting, real estate, printing and other industries, reached an agreement in which a subsidiary of Cowles acquired the non-cash assets of Tri Comp.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Cowles Company also owns KNDUTV, the Tri-City NBC affiliate.

Both the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times will continue independently under a new subsidiary of Cowles Company, Mid-Columbia Media Inc.

Journal president and founder Melanie Hoefer of Richland, who launched the monthly business-focused newspaper in late 2001, is exiting the publishing field after a 27-year career to focus on a consulting practice.

Growing the brand

The Journal’s five full-time employees were invited to stay on board and no immediate changes are planned, said Paul Read, longtime publisher of the biweekly Spokane Journal of Business, operating under a separate subsidiary of Cowles Company.

Read has been with the Spokane Journal since it was founded in 1986 and will oversee the Kennewick-based operation.

“I have been so impressed with the staff and product at the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, and I can’t wait to see how they continue to grow their brand and serve their advertisers and readers,” Read said. “They have built a great local product and our intent is that it remains integral to and focused on the market it so capably serves.”

Two title changes come with the ownership change: Kristina Lord was named executive editor, and Tiffany Lundstrom, associate publisher for sales. The pair will head day-to-day operations in the Tri-Cities.

The team added a part-time employee, Erin Landon of Kennewick, a familiar face who has supported the two publications for more than a decade, working in production, billing and uNEW OWNER, Page A11

Bolster the rebar to stay focused on your 2023 plan

Remember, we aren’t calling your plan for 2023 a “New Year’s Resolution.”

You have made a bona fide strategic plan for your business or team, and you have established some clearly-defined, compelling objectives and goals to make that plan happen.

But have you noticed that as soon as you get started on a new plan or habit, resistance comes calling? When the plan goes from theory to action, it suddenly gets harder to implement.

No worries. You are going to be ready to get ahead of those obstacles that may come your way because you are not an idealist; you have strategies to leap over those obstacles.

Paul Casey Growing Forward Services

Here are eight supports, almost like rebar in your foundation, that will better guarantee you have your best year ever:

Accountability system

area of your life and business: to help walk alongside you to create systems and make great decisions. If you were accomplishing all your goals, you wouldn’t need advisors or coaches. But who does that? Not even coaches!

a monthly review to assure all the aspects of your plan are in motion – and never get forsaken for less than 30 days.

GUEST COLUMN

Rarely can we succeed by doing what we’ve always done and rarely can we succeed purely on our own. That’s why there are coaches for every

First, let’s talk about personal accountability: Put your goal actions into your calendar in blocks of time for deep work; make appointments with yourself as if you were making them with potential clients. If they’re not in your calendar, they probably won’t happen. When that time comes, obey your calendar. Then, review your plan at least weekly. Celebrate progress and set the priorities for next week. As that weekly review becomes a habit, add

Second, find a success partner. It could be someone within your company, or better yet, it’s a colleague outside your company. They are one for your ATEAM: providing Accountability, working together with Teamwork, dishing out Encouragement, someone to whom you can Ask for help, and who knows and lights up your Motivation. Schedule regular meetings with this key person, to ask you about your progress regularly.

Third, delay gratification until you get your next action done; then reward yourself!

Ask yourself daily

Determine seven to 10 questions to ask yourself daily that will remind you about your goals and priorities. Only choose questions that stretch you, not ones that are about habits that are already automatic. Post these questions where you can see them daily, and rattle through them looking for any No’s that you haven’t done that day. Once you master one of those habits, you substitute a new one into the mix.

Identify emotional baggage

What is the elephant in your room? You might be your own worst obstacle. If you don’t deal with the issue, you carry it to your next relationship, promotion or team meeting.

What do you need to free up from? “You give up to go up,” says leadership guru John C. Maxwell.

What are your greatest fears? Fear of failure? Of what others think?

What are the habits that stand in your way? Addictions? Talking too much? What are other barriers to getting to your goals? Lack of confidence?

Ask yourself: “What one thing do I need to eliminate from my life because it holds me back from my full potential?”

Psychologist Carl Jung reminds us: “What you resist, persists.”

Get complete physical

The physical should include bloodwork to make sure you are in tip-top shape for accomplishing your goals. Hormonal and allergy issues and sleep apnea are very real. People are amazed when after suffering for years, they have a check-up and realize that a simple herbal remedy returns the energy they lost, or a chiropractic adjustment relieves the constant pain.

Brainstorm options

When you get stuck (and we all will), brainstorm your options for making constructive changes to pull out of your dilemma. Don’t stay down and paralyzed. People backed into a corner do not see options. It’s the stress response: not fight, not flight, but freeze. Even ridiculous options brainstormed often lead to creative ideas.

I personally believe that this exploration is best done in community, like in a mastermind group of people who are supporting your success, and you theirs.

Choose the path forward that you can commit to wholeheartedly that will likely

other roles before she stepped away to be a stay-at-home mother. She returned several years ago to support billing for a few hours a month, and in her new parttime position she will handle accounts receivables and circulation, among other duties.

Humble beginnings

Hoefer founded the Journal with the mission of uniting the local business community and increasing enterprise in Benton and Franklin counties.

“I am humbled how our readers and advertisers have supported the growth of the Journal, and along with talented staff, helped it grow to the essential business resource it is today,” she said.

In 2013, Hoefer purchased the rights to Senior Times, a monthly publication focusing on news of interest to retirees.

Hoefer was honored for fostering community spirit and supporting entrepreneurs through her work with the Journal in 2014 when she received Richland Rotary Club’s Sam Volpentest Entrepreneurial Leadership Award. The “Sammy” award is named for Volpentest, who for nearly 50 years was a major driver of economic development, including the co-founding of the Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC.

Each year the Port of Benton, TriCity Regional Chamber of Commerce, Tri-Cities Research District, Fuse SPC and TRIDEC select a self-motivated community leader who guides and inspires others and contributes to entrepreneurship in the region for the award.

In the 21 years since the first edition rolled off the press, the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business has tackled news that drives the local economy, helping local business managers and owners stay current on issues affecting their bottom line.

That was evident when Volume 1, Issue 1 appeared in January 2002.

The front page featured stories about economic growth (“Local economy strong”) and the cost to fuel up (“Gas prices down”).

Inside, the inaugural issue touched on stories that showed the Tri-City community at its best, like Dr. Lewis Zirkle’s SIGN Fracture Care International, the Richland nonprofit aiding patients in underdeveloped countries and a Q&A with business leaders about how they thought the Hanford vitrification project would affect their companies.

A real estate brief noted the Richland City Council sold 51 acres to a California development company near Walmart for “Vintner’s Square.” That property today is a thriving Target-anchored super center.

Over the years, the Journal has grown significantly, adding a robust online presence and a variety of specialty publications, including two magazines, Focus: Real Estate + Construction in the

fall and Focus: Agriculture + Viticulture in the spring; specialty publications on a variety of topics; an annual Young Professionals contest; and the Parade of Homes magazine in partnership with the Home Builders Association of TriCities.

Also popular is the company’s biannual Senior Times Expo that attracts hundreds of visitors each spring and fall.

The Journal also has collected its share of awards over the years, including the Mid-Columbia Micro Business Award in 2015 and the Mid-Columbia Young Business award in 2003.

Cowles Co.

In becoming a subsidiary of Cowles Company, the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times join a stable of other news organizations that includes The Spokesman-Review newspaper of Spokane, the Spokane Journal of Business and several Fox and NBC stations.

Cowles, pronounced “Coles,” formed in 1890 when William H. Cowles moved to Spokane to be the business manager of The Spokesman, which he later acquired and merged with a rival, The Review.

Today, it is led by the sister-brother team of Betsy Cowles, chairman, who leads the broadcasting and real estate divisions, and Stacey Cowles, president, who oversees the print division.

“We think the Journal team does excellent work and we don’t anticipate major changes,” said Stacey Cowles. “We hope to implement better internal

tools for staff that will ultimately help expand online and print offerings.”

The company carries out civic, arts, cultural and educational philanthropy through the Harriet Cheney Cowles Foundation, established in 1944 to honor the memory of the founder’s wife.

Looking forward

Hoefer plans to leave the media industry, but her passion for serving will continue. She launched a new company, Pathways Coaching & Consulting LLC, through which she will help families find appropriate treatment options for their children in need of therapeutic intervention for myriad behavioral and mental health challenges.

She will donate a percentage of every consulting fee to nonprofits in the field that assist families in need, as insurance doesn’t often cover the cost of treatment programs. She plans to add personal and business coaching services in the future.

“God has been lining things up for me to transition into my next calling for a while now, so I fully trust this timing is the right timing,” Hoefer said. “I am confident the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times are in experienced hands, and I know the staff care deeply about their mission of providing our community with quality content and news.”

Stacey Cowles

Melanie Hoefer

LEGAL

Trained mediators help to find common ground in workplace and beyond

By Laura Kostad for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

It can be challenging to work out differences.

Sometimes it’s hard to see another’s viewpoint.

Sometimes it’s hard to look within. When disputes escalate, they can bog down the legal system.

That’s why the Dispute Resolution Center of Tri-Cities (DRC) has been working to resolve disagreements since 1999.

The support of trained, unbiased mediators can help people work out their issues, whether it’s discord in the workplace, a business-to-business conflict, a customer having an issue with a business, or a courtreferred case involving a divorce, eviction, lawsuit or other small claim.

The Tri-City center has a 75% success rate in resolving disputes.

“Over and over again, studies have shown that people are more likely to abide by agreements made in mediation than court-ordered resolutions,” said Executive Director Paul Shelp. “People are beginning to see it’s to their advantage to settle things out of court.”

The Tri-Cities center is part of a net-

work of 21 not-for-profit centers across the state that offer professional mediation services.

All agreements reached in mediation are legal and binding.

“People only have to experience (this) one time to realize it’s possible. They listen to each other, not just yell and hurl accusations. Instead, they do it in such a way that

retains relationships. They speak to each other as human beings, which is totally different than if someone is hauled to court.

“We live in a very litigious society. The return on investment of what is saved across the state every month and every year mediating instead of litigating is huge,” said Shelp, a trained mediator who has been with the center for 16 years.

Mediation services are provided by three main sources: attorneys, independent people in the private sector and DRC volunteers.

Because DRC mediators volunteer their time, it is able to provide services on an income-based sliding scale, with the cheapest being $50 for each three-hour session.

“It’s an access to justice kind of issue. People who don’t have money can’t hire attorneys yet can still have access to courts and those processes through mediation,” Shelp said.

Franklin and Benton county district courts both require mandatory mediation before a small claims case can go to trial. Mediation is mandatory in superior court for divorces.

“(Washington) is not an at-fault state … the question is who determines what’s fair and equitable? The court allows people to

do that for themselves if they can do that on their own, or they can come to mediation to help them decide how they’re going to do their settlement,” Shelp said.

This takes pressure off the court system, saving time, money and hassle for the courts, as well as those involved.

Family mediation is what DRC of Tri-Cities handles most, with workplace conflicts coming in second.

“It’s not at all uncommon for someone to be referred in and not be sure why they’re here because they don’t think it’s going to do any good,” Shelp said.

Eviction epidemic

In the wake of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Covid-19 pandemic rent freeze and eviction moratorium, mediation has become even more important.

“All across the state, there are people months and years behind in rent,” Shelp said. “When this was all lifted, (legislators) realized that the courts were going to be flooded with eviction cases.”

The state Legislature passed Senate Bill 5160, the Eviction Resolution Pilot Program (ERPP), which stipulates that landlords must attempt to engage delinquent tenants in professional mediation

Welcomes

Photo by Laura Kostad

Paul Shelp, executive director of the Dispute Resolution Center of Tri-Cities.

before they can take them to court to evict them.

As a state-funded and -sponsored program, it costs neither landlords nor tenants anything to pursue mediation.

“It has been very successful from the standpoint of far less evictions in court than there would have been otherwise,” Shelp said.

It hasn’t been without controversy, however.

The program is set to end June 30.

Shelp speculated that based on its success, lawmakers may push to make it permanent, much like mandatory mediation for divorces and small claims.

Shelp said some attorneys locally and statewide have objected to the ERPP,

claiming it deprives landlords of their constitutional rights.

The Tri-Cities’ DRC had successfully mediated over 3,000 cases since its establishment in 1999. Shelp said that for the month of December 2022, at press time, its case count was over 600.

Over the past 18 months, he said his office has worked on about 5,000 ERPP cases, though not all went to formal sitdown mediation.

He said he has three full-time staff members dedicated to ERPP – and it’s still not enough.

Hope is on the horizon because for this biennium the state Legislature has funded the $17 million the 21 DRCs collectively requested after years of operating on the margins with the help of donor assistance.

“We took the RCW and said, ‘If DRCs

were fulfilling everything we’re supposed to do, what would it take to fund them and we came up with … $17 million per biennium,’ ” Shelp said.

This will help the Tri-City branch fund a larger staff to manage the burgeoning caseload, among other things.

Learning the skills

The DRC provides education and training to individuals, businesses and organizations to enhance the skills necessary for managing and resolving conflict.

The DRC follows a model that breaks down conflict into smaller bites that can be talked about one issue at a time.

“A lot of it comes down to communication. Most people think they are good communicators, but they aren’t. People get into patterns of communication in their relationships, and they know how to push

each other’s buttons and that’s when communication shuts down,” Shelp said.

Mediators work in pairs to guide parties to keep their lines of communication open to resolution.

“We’re trying to help people find their underlying interests. If they can get their needs met, they will usually come to an agreement,” Shelp said, adding that sometimes resolutions are reached that go beyond what courts are legally allowed to prescribe. For example, barter arrangements for those who can’t afford the cost of damages owed.

“We don’t make the decisions for them; we are neutral,” Shelp said.

To become a DRC mediator, volunteers must complete a weeklong 40-hour basic training which prepares them to mediate any kind of conflict except divorce, i.e., neighbor-to-neighbor, workplace, business and other family conflicts.

At the conclusion, trainees must pass a final exam.

Trainees then become interns who observe a series of four real mediations, then actively mediate four cases alongside an experienced mediator.

A second 20-hour training course is available specifically for family mediation involving divorce.

Shelp said DRC volunteers come from all walks of life, with most having some professional background. They volunteer based on their availability.

He said some qualities common among them are being good listeners, able to remain neutral and not get drawn into other people’s conflicts and being comfortable with others getting emotional without becoming emotional.

“The folks that do this take it very seriously, are very devoted and dedicated to it. I have some volunteers that have been a part of this a long time, longer than I’ve been here. They really believe in the mission of the DRC to help people overcome and resolve differences outside of court. Our volunteers keep coming back because they see they are making a difference,” Shelp said.

Volunteer trainings are held every six months. The last session, scheduled for October 2022, was canceled due to no signups. The cost for the training is $350. Corporate attendees and attorneys must pay $650. The next session runs April 14, 15, 16, 29 and 30.

It’s not just prospective volunteers who sign up – human resources personnel, managers, supervisors and attorneys seeking continuing education credits – also may attend.

“As they come to understand better approaches to communication, in another setting, they can teach people on the job and in other settings that can help people resolve things more creatively and decisively,” Shelp said.

Educating employers about DRC’s services also opens the door to an alternative setting for employees to resolve conflicts they may not want aired to the greater workplace.

“In the future, I would love to see greater demand for trainings in workplaces to help minimize workplace conflict,” Shelp said.

search Dispute Resolution Center of TriCities: 5219 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 11, Kennewick; 509-783-3325; drctc.org.

Number of employees you oversee: As the Benton County prosecuting attorney, I oversee 63 employees, including 32 criminal and civil deputy prosecutors.

Where did you go to law school? What inspired you to pursue law?

I attended law school at the University of Idaho. When I started my undergraduate degree, I initially thought that I wanted to become an architect but soon found that what really drew my attention was history. It felt like law school was a natural extension of that interest.

Describe your career and how it led to the prosecutor role.

When I finished law school, I had my heart set on becoming a prosecutor.

The only problem was that very few prosecutor’s offices were hiring at the time. Just to get some experience, I volunteered at the Yakima County Prosecutor’s Office, where I worked in their district court unit.

I tried my first jury trial there against Tyler Everett, an attorney from Grandview. Then, after a few months of volunteer work and continuing to apply for positions across the state, I got my big break – a job offer as a deputy prosecutor

ERIC EISINGER

Benton County Prosecuting Attorney

Elected term began Jan. 1, 2023

for Lewis County.

I worked for Lewis County for about 2 1/2 years. It was a great job, and I had a wonderful supervisor, Andrew Toynbee, who is now a Lewis County Superior Court Judge.

However, my wife and I wanted to be closer to family, so in 2006 I took a position as a prosecutor for the city of Kennewick.

Why did you run for Benton County prosecuting attorney?

I ran for Benton County Prosecutor because I increasingly felt called to return to public service.

We have undergone so much societal change in the last two to three years. I think individuals, families and our community at large are struggling to adjust and to picture a positive future, and I have had a growing personal conviction that I could be a part of the solution.

I love this county. I think it’s a great place to live and raise a family, and I think it’s time to fight to keep it that way and to make it even better.

How does the prosecutor’s office affect the Tri-City business community?

As the chief law enforcement official for the county, it is my responsibility to

work with law enforcement to foster an environment where businesses are attracted to move to and remain. We have a unique opportunity for continued business growth in our region, and as we have seen in recent years public safety is integral to a healthy local economy.

For the families and local businesses who call the Tri-Cities home, I want to take proactive measures to make this the best place in the state of Washington to start and conduct business.

What will we see as you take over from Andy Miller, who held the role for many years?

Andy Miller was our elected prosecutor for 36 years, which means I have a great deal to learn. I am determined to succeed, and I think that with a lot of hard work that we can make this an even better place to live.

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

I believe that every leader needs to un-

Eisinger

derstand the “why” behind their work. In other words, a leader must have a clear sense of why they are doing the work, what really matters, and what they seek to achieve.

What is the biggest challenge facing managers today?

This is a difficult job market. In recent years, it has proved difficult to hire and retain top quality employees.

If you had a magic wand, what would you change about the justice system?

I am eager to see a return to personal responsibility and public accountability.

Eric

I recognize that between work, raising a family and all the other responsibilities that go along with adult life, it can be really hard to just get by. I’d love see individuals and families helping others and exercising compassion and care within the context of being accountable to one another.

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

Be curious. Listen and learn, and then lead.

How do you keep your employees motivated?

Entrusting employees with real responsibility is one of the most motivating things a leader can do.

Who are your role models or mentors?

Lewis County Superior Court Judge Andrew Toynbee taught me how to prosecute and more importantly what it means to be a prosecutor. He’s also an excellent fly fisherman.

How do you balance work and family life?

It is so important to maintain your core family relationships. They say you have to have gas in the tank to get anywhere. I am a big proponent of keeping a regular date night and having family meals together. We also try to limit our

TV and screen time.

What do you consider your leadership style to be?

I believe in servant leadership. I am in office to serve the public.

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

I love fishing and cycling.

What’s your best time management strategy?

I learned a long time ago that you want everyone in the office to perform at their level. That means the attorneys should be doing the attorney level work, legal assistants should be doing legal assistant level work and receptionists

What to expect with CODA:

should do the reception work.

Best tip to relieve stress?

Cycling, taking a walk or doing anything to get outside.

What’s your favorite podcast?

Dr. John Delony has a great podcast that covers a variety of life, relationship and mental health issues.

Do you have a personal mantra, phrase or quote you like to use?

“Do hard things.” I’m choosing to live a life full of meaning. It’s not going to be an easy road, but our community is worth fighting for.

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• CODA will handle the logistics and administrative work, while providing a unique environment to privately view loved ones and have a small gathering (all of the planning and execution is completed by the family/client).

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• Modified, A La Carte Service Options available to create the experience you are looking for.

Prenups aren’t the buzzkill marrying couples might think

Couples are often wary to bring up the dreaded P word when discussing their nuptials.

After all, who wants to ostensibly discuss a divorce and prenuptials when there is an impending marriage to consider.

Oftentimes the desire to avoid the topic is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the use and benefit of a prenuptial agreement. These agreements are not only helpful in a divorce setting, but from a planning perspective they can be essential to carry out an effective estate plan.

While some see great value in having a prenuptial agreement for themselves, many often also find value in encouraging their children to have a prenuptial agreement.

What is a prenup?

A couple can enter into an agreement concerning their property and related rights and obligations thereto.

Sometimes these agreements are entered into prior to marriage (prenups) and sometimes they are entered into after marriage (postnups).

Either way, the form is similar: both parties to the agreement share information regarding their assets and liabilities, and they together work to establish an agreement that appropriately captures their expectations for the ownership, character, and division of any property or rights related to property.

Usually, both parties would be represented by independent attorneys.

What happens in the absence of a pre-

nup?

A common misconception is that it’s somehow more romantic for a couple to not enter into any prenuptial agreement.

make a different determination.

Accordingly, though the term “prenup” evokes thoughts of distrust, lack of love or sharing, it can prove to be arguably more generous than is otherwise provided by a judge in a dissolution case.

Prenups and estate planning

come (acquired during marriage) to pay off the mortgage on the house. Now, when the wife dies, is the house (or a fraction of the house) included in “all the other assets?”

It’s a question that leads to an answer that is not straightforward and clear. And, in planning, the preference is always for an answer that is straightforward and clear.

Beau Ruff Cornerstone Wealth Strategies GUEST COLUMN

Though we don’t know what our futures will hold, whether it is a lifelong marriage, or sadly, divorce, having a plan in place is both practical and thoughtful.

In a divorce, under Washington law, a court will make a “just and equitable” division of all property considering a host of facts and circumstances. (See RCW 26.09.080.)

What this means is that a third party (the judge) will be deciding the fate of the couple and their assets.

So, instead of asking “do you want a prenup,” perhaps the more relevant question is: “Would you rather have us decide what happens in the event of a divorce or would you rather have a third party make that binding determination for us?”

As an example of the scope of a prenup, the agreement could (for example) provide that all property owned by the couple simply be split equally upon divorce.

This means that the prenup can be used to enforce the couple’s romantic ideology again rather than allowing a third party to

A prenuptial agreement can be very helpful in estate planning where there is any amount of separate property; and the distribution plan gives some amount to anyone other than the surviving spouse.

Imagine a second marriage where each spouse has his or her own kids and came into the marriage with some assets. Imagine further that one spouse’s will say something like: “I give my spouse $100,000 and I give all my other assets to my children.”

The difficult question is, “What are all the other assets?”

Oftentimes people think (read: assume) they know what assets they own.

But the issue is much more complex with community property laws. As a reminder, Washington is a community property state which simply means that all property acquired during marriage is owned one-half by each spouse, except for gifts or inheritance.

Seems straightforward.

But take my example above. Let’s assume that the wife brought a home into the marriage and the home had a mortgage on it.

The home was considered separate property. But, now the wife is using in-

In this case, the couple could simply provide the answer in a pre or postnuptial agreement: “We agree that the house is owned by wife and the total value of the house is wife’s notwithstanding any community property contributions to pay off the mortgage.”

This is of course simplistic but helps to showcase the myriad property ownership issues that can be created when evaluating the implications of community property laws.

Must I have a formal agreement?

For any chance of the agreement being enforceable, the answer is a resounding yes.

That being said, I think that any kind of writing might be helpful to a couple as it can more clearly articulate thoughts and expectations.

For example, in the scenario above, imagine the husband dies but has a clause in his will telling his executor: “I have agreed with my surviving spouse that I have no interest in her house in spite of the fact that some of the money used to pay the mortgage came from community

AG proposes legislative reforms to protect data privacy

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Statewide data breaches remain at record-breaking levels, prompting the state Attorney General to propose legislative reforms to protect data privacy.

In 2022, 4.5 million data breach notices were sent to Washington residents, second only to the 2021 record of 6.3 million.

State law requires organizations that experience a data breach to send notices to all consumers whose data was exposed and report breaches impacting more than 500 Washingtonians.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson released his seventh annual data breach report in December. His office has been tracking the

breaches since 2015.

The Attorney General’s Office received 150 data breach notifications in 2022, also the second highest amount after the 2021 record. This is more than double the average number of breaches from the first five years the report was issued, 2016-20.

The number of larger breaches – breaches affecting more than 50,000 Washingtonians – remained in the double digits for the second year in a row.

This is the second consecutive year Washington was hit with a “mega breach” – a breach affecting more than 1 million Washingtonians.

This year, a cybersecurity attack on TMobile exposed the data of more than 2

million residents. This is the largest breach to hit the state since the Equifax breach of 2018, which affected 3.2 million residents.

Cyberattacks and ransomware remain at prolific levels, the attorney general said.

Breaches caused by malicious cybercriminals caused 68% of all reported data breaches. Ransomware – a type of cyberattack in which cybercriminals use malicious code to hold data hostage in hopes of receiving a ransom payment from the data holders – was involved in 43 data breaches this year.

The data used in the report is acquired through a high-level review of breach notices submitted to the office.

Ferguson proposes a slate of reforms to

protect Washingtonians’ data privacy – particularly sensitive data on consumers’ reproductive health care.

“Washingtonians deserve control over whether entities get to profit off their most sensitive data,” he said in a statement. “This is particularly urgent after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Legislature must adopt these reforms to help protect Washingtonians.”

The report makes several other policy recommendations for Washington lawmakers to strengthen privacy and data breach protections:

• Require more transparency from data brokers and data collectors so Washingtonians know more about the consumer information these entities control. The report recommends companies that sell and buy consumer data be required to obtain a license from the state and provide regulators with information about how and why residents’ data is used.

• Pass legislation requiring organizations to recognize and honor opt-out preference signals. This recommendation requires businesses to honor “global opt-out” signals, or a privacy setting option in an internet browser that gives consumers the power to send an automatic signal to every website they visit that they are opting-out of sharing their personal information. This is a powerful tool for consumers to control their data.

• Expand language access to data breach notifications. The report recommends requiring businesses to make data breach notification information accessible to residents who do not speak English as their primary language.

• Expand the definition of “personal information” in state data breach laws that cover private business. The report recommends protecting Individual Tax Identification Numbers – the personal numbers the Internal Revenue Service provides to foreign-born individuals – as well as the combination of full names with the last four digits of Social Security Numbers.

A list of all data breach notices that have been sent to the office since 2015 is publicly available at atg.wa.gov/data-breachnotifications.

Information for businesses on reporting data breaches is available at atg.wa.gov/ identity-theft-and-privacy-guide-businesses.

property.”

While still not necessarily enforceable, the executor now has some indication of the testator’s intent in creating the distribution plan.

Bottom line

Sometimes planning requires difficult conversations concerning things no one wants to talk about, but in addressing all potential outcomes, you might avoid the headache and heartache that could result if those conversations did not occur.

Beau Ruff, a licensed attorney and certified financial planner, is the director of planning at Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a full-service independent investment management and financial planning firm in Kennewick.

Legal Aid Society honors attorneys who give back

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Benton Franklin Legal Aid Society honored an attorney and a legal technician with its highest awards for their service to the community in 2022.

The legal aid society is a nonprofit and provides volunteer attorneys to Tri-City residents who can’t afford to pay legal fees for noncriminal cases. Its attorneys handle disputes ranging from evictions, bankruptcy and family law to protection orders.

Al Yencopal Award

Allen Brecke, longtime lawyer and Tri-Citian, received the 2022 Al Yencopal Award.

lier in their careers.

Mendoza is a native of Eastern Washington who graduated from Othello High School in 2001. She attended the paralegal program at Columbia Basin College and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in political science from Washington State University in 2015.

She became a certified paralegal through NALA in 2017. She was Clearwater Law Group’s first staff member. As an LLLT, she advises and assists people going through divorce, child custody and other family law matters.

She is studying to pursue admission to the state bar as an attorney.

Other awards

The legal aid society also honored many attorneys for their commitment to providing pro bono services to the community.

The 2022 awards were sponsored by Cornerstone Wealth Strategies and held at Columbia Industries Opportunity Kitchen at the Richland Federal Building.

Judge George Fearing of the Washington Court of Appeals Division III was the guest speaker.

Attorneys received accolades include:

• Kari Hayles-Davenport, founding attorney, Tri-Cities Family Law, Kennewick, focuses on family legal issues.

• Mark Bunch, partner, Preszler & Bunch PLLC, Kennewick, focuses on Social Security disability and workers’ compensation.

• Kolleen Ledgerwood, Ledgerwood Law Office, Kennewick, family law.

• Christopher Mertens, of Miller Mertens & Comfort PLLC, Kennewick, a full-service law firm.

• Beau Ruff, president and director of planning, Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, Kennewick, estate planning, business planning and taxation strategy.

• Rachel Woodard, Powell & Gunter, Richland, general law practice.

The award honors the memory of the late judge, who died in 1993. He was a key supporter of bringing lowor no-cost legal services to the community. The award is given to an attorney for his or her longtime commitment to providing free services.

Allen Brecke

Brecke, who leads Allen Brecke Law Offices in Kennewick, is a proud Tri-City native and the son of a Manhattan Project physicist and lab technician.

He graduated from Kennewick High School in 1969 and later from the University of Washington in 1974. He earned his law degree from Gonzaga University, where he served as articles editor for the school’s law review.

He joined an insurance defense firm in Pasco in 1977 and formed his own firm in 1983. Since 1986, he has concentrated on representing injured victims.

He was the 2013 Tri-Citian of the Year, one of the community’s top civic honors. He is a member of both the Washington and Oregon bars.

Gene Schuster Award

Lori Mendoza of Clearwater Law Group in Kennewick received the Gene Schuster Award.

She is a limited legal licensed technician, or LLLT, and volunteers with the legal aid society, providing one-onone help in family law matters.

The late Gene Schuster, who died in 2006, founded the Legal Aid program. The award given in his name honors volunteers who are ear-

Lori Mendoza

be your most successful strategy. That “third alternative” is out there.

Develop personal board of advisors

These are your “wingmen” who look behind you for danger. In a plane in the air, they “check your six,” the area behind you that you cannot see. Choose to be under and around people who get you to greatness.

You have probably heard that you are the sum total of your five closest relationships: your “fist of five.”

Bounce a question a month by them, or carve out a lunch that you pay for, to pick their brain. Who is where or headed to where you want to be?

Get working time management system

To get to the bottom of time management obstacles, to see if you are being interrupted or wasting time or focusing on the less important, do a time-task analysis and graph your time spent on various tasks/ relationships.

Before going to bed tonight, give A, B, C priorities (I call them your daily top three) to those tasks as you plot out your next day.

Consider your days in blocks of time each week. You have 21 weekly blocks: three mornings, three afternoons and three evenings. Put a priority in each time block – and yes, family time and rest are priorities.

“Never sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate,” said Bob Kraning, a pastor of 50 years.

Don’t just bang out non-essential tasks just for the endorphins of crossing something off your list. Beat procrastination by taking a baby step in that direction. “WIN” stands for “work it now.”

Practice self-care

The “balance wheel of self-care” is critical to your success to burn bright without burning out. And these quick tips are a great checklist for recovery from a traumatic season of life, too:

• Getting back to fun/hobbies/trying new things.

• Reading to learn about the season of life you are facing right now.

• Renewing your faith connection.

• Connecting to beauty in the world.

• Journaling your feelings.

• Owning/dealing with your own issues.

• Hanging out with friends.

• Declaring positive self-affirmations.

• Serving others.

• Exercising or moving daily.

• Meal-planning nutritious meals.

And as the motivational speakers like to say, “Life doesn’t get easier; you just get stronger.”

When you catch yourself going offroad from your plan this year (even this month!), get back on track with these eight strategies.

Paul D. Casey lives in the Tri-Cities and is the owner of Growing Forward Services, which aims to equip and coach leaders and teams to spark breakthrough success. Casey has authored five books and hosts Leader-Launcher.com for emerging leaders each month. Online at growingforwardservices.net.

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING

Landscape

By Laura Kostad

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

As the Tri-Cities expands and reimagines itself in the wake of tremendous growth and an ongoing influx of new residents, new developments around the region are emerging more unique and dynamic in scope and design.

This is thanks in part to the work of landscape architects, which are increasingly in demand in the area.

Though in the Tri-Cities a licensed landscape architect must be hired to plan new commercial sites, it’s not a practice that’s on the radar of most people, said Tamra Lehuta, a Richland-based senior landscape architect with PLACE Landscape Architecture of Spokane.

“In the Inland Northwest, people are not as dialed into landscape architecture as they are in, say, the coastal areas, so things are much slower to evolve environmentally or to focus on art in the landscape or nonengineered solutions,” said Keith Dixon, principal at Architects West of Spokane.

He continued, “In the last 10 years, we have covered a lot of ground and had a lot more landscape architecture in the Inland Northwest.”

Tri-City newcomers from the East Coast and California are more familiar with landscape architecture because they may have used one for their home and they see the value, said Tom Sherry, president of SPVV Architects of Spokane.

“More people are learning what a landscape architect is and when they do their landscape, their neighbors notice,” Sherry said.

People often don’t realize the difference between layman landscape designer, educated landscape designer and landscape architect, Lehuta said.

“We don’t sell shrubs,” is one clarification Dixon wanted to make about the profession, a common misinterpretation by prospective clients.

To prospective customers, the biggest

see growing interest in Tri-City market

differentiator between the three categories is price, but more importantly, the real difference is training and expertise.

To become a licensed landscape architect requires a minimum of four years of higher education from a certified college, accumulated work experience in the field and the successful completion of a two-day, four-part test. Landscape architects pay for their license to be renewed annually in each state where they work and are required to routinely earn continuing education credits.

What’s the difference?

As opposed to traditional architects, whose focus is on buildings, interior spaces and mechanical systems, Sherry said landscape architects are all about the site, and many specialize in particu-

lar types of projects, such as senior citizen facilities, parks or schools.

“How the building sits on the site, the experience of the site – arrival, logical wayfinding, where’s the door? We make sure there isn’t that question and confusion. And then creation of outdoor spaces, for example, employee breakout

spaces in an office park,” said Dixon.

“Our best work marries the architecture and landscape architecture in a single solution so that all functions harmoniously. This extends to contacts with neighborhoods, the surrounding community and both manmade and natural environmen-

Courtesy Architects West

As opposed to traditional architects, whose focus is typically on buildings, interior spaces and mechanical systems, landscape architects are all about the site. Architects West designed Northwest Farm Credit Services’ office in Pasco featuring a layout concept centered around a 21st century activity center.

tal systems. The goal is to create something special that is treasured without realizing you’re treasuring it.”

Dixon said there is a lot of collaboration between landscape architects and adjacent professions, such as building architects, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and civil engineers.

“We are all working together toward a shared vision,” Sherry said.

Lehuta said landscape architects have a unique role as they often act as representatives for their clients.

“Most of our projects are thinking in broader strokes and a lot of sociology and thought work enters into the equation,” she said, explaining that due to the scope of factors landscape architects take into consideration in their site designs, they are uniquely situated to help clients and their contractors navigate permitting, municipal code and determining whether other consultants are needed on a given project.

“Clients may not put in everything we design, but we plan it in such a way that we can do those things later on so they haven’t built themselves into a corner,” she said.

Trends to watch

Technology plays an important role in design evolution, even in exterior spaces.

Advances in plant breeding for specific microclimates is broadening what’s available to work with, especially in the local region. Sherry said over decades nurseries have developed plantings and trees more adapted to local climate conditions.

In addition to the blossoming of public arts in Tri-Cities, Sherry and Dixon similarly expressed that on a municipal level, the way cities are laid out is changing based on how people are moving through them.

Roadways previously designed to accommodate more cars are now finding an increased mix of users, from a variety of public transit vehicles to traditional and e-bikes to more foot traffic.

All agreed that demand for dynamic, multiuse year-round public outdoor spaces is on the rise, with clients wanting options for all visitors, including ADAaccessible play areas and other experiences.

Pickleball courts are another big trend in the Northwest, Sherry said.

These kinds of improvements are being seen across schools, retirement homes, hospice houses and medical facilities. Sensory gardens – like the one planned for Pasco’s third high school – geared toward students on the autism spectrum and healing gardens that facilitate faster recovery and rejuvenation are being intentionally integrated into design plans.

“The conversion and infill of a lot of urban areas is becoming a much bigger item. We have a lot of older landscapes and developments from 50, 70, 80 years ago that are falling apart and in need of conversion and investment. There’s certainly a need for that in Tri-Cities,” Dixon said.

Another major shift is in landscaping for environmental considerations.

“The outdoors became very important during Covid. Parks were open spaces and people realized how important they were,” Lehuta said. “The environment is a limited resource. People are starting to realize the value of it and planning in order to be more environmentally sensitive.”

She said this perspective is changing both on the commercial and residential levels. Residential clients are creating flexible outdoor living spaces that demand less water, complementing the surrounding natural environment.

“Folks are wanting less time behind the lawnmower and are becoming more conscientious of the resources they’re putting in – herbicides, fertilizer, gasoline,” Sherry said.

“Nationally, there’s a really big push on climate change … Even though we are, as landscape architects, the most environmentally oriented profession out there, there’s still a lot we need to do to reduce climate change through our designs and what we communicate to clients,” Dixon said.

“Things are changing,” he continued. “How we adapt to the landscape and our natural environments is going to be really important over the next couple decades … Codes and attitudes and the way we approach projects in general are going to evolve, need to evolve … (to) mitigate human developments and impact on the natural world and connect people more to that natural environment that we live in.”

The new Richland City Hall features a mid-century modern style designed to capture the history and spirit of Richland civic architecture. The water feature in front of the building features a 1940s valve that diverted drinking water from the Columbia River.

Courtesy PLACE Landscape Architecture PLACE Landscape Architecture’s landscape plant palette at the Great Floors store in Kennewick features drought-tolerant, texture-rich perennial grasses, columnar basalt landscape boulders and fractured basalt mulch to complement the regional character of the Tri-Cities.

Courtesy SPVV Architects SPVV Architects of Spokane recently completed landscape architecture work at Kennewick High School.

Courtesy Architects West

Employee-owned firm creates blueprint for sustained success

By Robin Wojtanik for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

From small updates to large-scale projects, commercial or residential, Meier Architecture - Engineering has designed a wide range of structures across the Tri-Cities and beyond.

In business since 1982, and recently celebrating its 40th year, the company has grown from a small engineering firm to a full-service host of professional engineers and registered architects licensed in 35 states and offering services in a variety of disciplines, including civil, structural, electrical and mechanical engineering.

“I call us generalists,” said Paul Giever, president of Meier, and an employee for 32 years. “We do whatever the community needs. We’ve never really specialized in any particular area. To me, that’s the fun part. Because there, you get the variety. You’re not always doing hospitals or fire stations.”

But the firm also will do plenty of hospitals and fire stations. It has a wide portfolio of nearly 9,000 projects over the last four decades, including schools, courthouses, wineries, churches, restaurants, hangars, factories, warehouses, office buildings, homes and more.

Meier is behind many of the buildings the public might use or drive by, including Pasco’s newest Burger King, the Port of Kennewick’s wine tasting building, Pasco School District’s Chi-

awana High School, and the Support, Advocacy and Research Center in Richland.

The company also consults on many projects much of the public may not see, covering design work for the federal government on the Hanford site, a regular income stream that helps balance economic downturns.

Becoming magicians

The firm started with Terry Meier, a former Hanford worker who opened his own shop specializing in civil and structural engineering, with the rest of the disciplines coming later.

The structural piece isn’t always offered by all engineering firms.

“It’s a little bit of a specialty,” Giever

said. “Structural engineers are required on what they call ‘significant structures,’ which include projects like education or fire and police stations as well as tall structures.”

“Whether it’s pre-engineered buildings supporting some industrial function or high-end residences out on the Snake River, it all starts with clients having this dream and desire,” said Thomas Kastner, architecture group manager and a six-year Meier employee. “Our job is to take their dreams and turn them into reality. And in doing so, we make their dreams our dreams as well. We’re all magicians.”

Head magician and founder Terry Meier retired from the employee-owned company in 2010, but the firm retained his name and the reputation he’d built.

Many of the current 40 employees have been with the company for more than a decade, with some for more than 30 years. Meier is proud it didn’t lay anyone off during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We just have that philosophy of keeping people. We want to give living wage jobs, and we don’t do the staff augmentation thing,” Giever said.

“We understand our employees are our most important resource,” added Bobbi Keen, who has worked at Meier for eight years and is its controller/operations manager.

Keen said she most enjoys working

Photo by Robin Wojtanik

Meier Architecture - Engineering staff focus on a wide range of services for clients throughout Washington and Oregon. From left are Paul Giever, Thomas Kastner, Bobbi Keen and Antony Cockbain.

Regional Treatment Center Project Creates Opportunity!

the small projects that are completed in a couple months versus the ones that can take years to come to fruition. She typically handles a few plans at a time, while Meier’s project managers might juggle more than 20 long-term projects.

“Because we’re a full-service firm offering the full engineering complements, along with architecture, someone’s going to be very busy while other people can kind of go up and down,” Giever said. “We like to say we hire for the long term and not for a specific job or project.”

Downtown headquarters

While many people drive by the buildings Meier designs, the company gets less drive-by traffic after it relocated from corner lots on West Gage and West Grandridge boulevards in 2016 to a historic building in downtown Kennewick purchased from the Kennewick Irrigation District.

Meier had done the design work for the building at 12 W. Kennewick Ave. in 2003 and was familiar with the property.

reactor on the Hanford site along with writing reports on the condition of historic buildings located there, including a former pump house and the old high school.

The overbuild was a notable project that included the full gamut of services: architectural, structural, electrical, civil and mechanical engineering.

“Those federal contracts are maintained or rehabbed, and so you have projects within them, but it’s basically all the same services that we are continually providing, and that’s part of that strategy. It’s not real sexy and it doesn’t necessarily bring in the big dollars, but it’s there as a foundation for what we do,” said Anthony Cockbain, a Meier employee for 22-years and its director of projects.

After four decades in business, Meier has cultivated a high amount of repeat business in diverse fields, including areas outside of the Tri-Cities, where other firms might typically compete.

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“Now we get to avoid mall traffic and it’s a bonus we revitalized downtown and brought a whole bunch of people down here,” Giever said. “We’re all eating downtown and working with the Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership and getting their Avenue Square up and running and some of our employees volunteer for the group also.”

The company has a variety of staff who serve on boards for nonprofits and Meier sponsors a yearly United Way drive as part of its community contributions.

As a collaborative profession, Meier staff are mostly all based out of the downtown Kennewick location while fulfilling demands for clients typically in Washington and Oregon, but also throughout the U.S.

The company once supported international clients but is currently only working domestically. Its portfolio might ebb and flow with the economy, or if a large school bond passes, Meier may be hired to work on structural improvements to retrofit schools.

Seismic, telework, federal projects

State-funded seismic updates have brought new work, and Covid relief federal dollars were used to support virtual courtrooms.

“That project had to be done, designed and built within six months,” Keen said. “We provided the design and the construction support.” An increase in telemedicine also created more of those smaller projects within the health care industry.

“You’d think people don’t think about building in the middle of winter, but commercial and industrial folks do,” Giever said. “Since we do a mix of federal work and commercial work, in a downturn, the federal spigot doesn’t turn off nearly as fast. That helps the whole community, and it helps us as well.”

Meier recently designed an “overbuild” to encapsulate a former nuclear

“In Wenatchee, we have a couple mechanical engineering clients we’ve worked with and really like us, and they’ve brought us in on a big project with all disciplines,” Keen said.

“We keep our eyes open in a fairly broad way, looking at what’s advertised and are sensitive to what’s in the market we’re in,” added Cockbain.

The firm “feels very comfortable” with current standards for construction, known as building code, and this allows it to consult on such a wide range of projects while also supporting current trends like sustainable materials.

Brainpower

Meier was one of the first firms in the region to use computer-aided drafting, and early designers once taught at Columbia Basin College.

“We kind of grew up with this technology, so it’s baked into our DNA,” Cockbain said.

A few drafting tables still remain at the firm, and they’re still in use.

“Your brain is far more powerful than pretty much any computer you can think about. It doesn’t do computations quite as fast, but it can imagine; it can do all kinds of things,” Kastner said. “And it could very quickly look at problems and say, ‘No, that doesn’t work, I need to move this over here,’ and you can do that easily with a pencil and paper.

“From there, you can bring it into the electronic world, and they’ll say, ‘What about this? Let’s move that one.’ You get into a kind of a give and take, and the structural engineers get involved and say, ‘You forgot to put in a column grid.’ And the electrical people are always saying something; the mechanical people never have enough room. But it all works out. It’s a complicated dance and our people are very good at dancing.”

search Meier Architecture - Engineering: 12 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick; 509-735-1589; meierinc.com.

Auburn Center

Future home of the Three Rivers Behavioral Health Recovery Center

Rapidly growing population raises stakes for replenishing professional pipeline

Recent population leaps in the greater Tri-City region show no signs of abating.

That’s the takeaway from the demographers of the Washington Office of Financial Management (OFM). In its Growth Management (GMA) forecast released before Christmas, OFM now puts the likely total headcount of the two counties in 2025 at nearly 327,000, a gain of about 23,000.

Expressed as a cumulative growth rate between 2022-25, the forecast sees a 5% gain, tied with Mason County as the fastest growing metro area in the state. Among Washington counties, the fastest growing continues to be Franklin County, projected to add 6% of residents to its 2022 count by 2025.

The 2017 GMA estimate for 2020 undershot the Census count of that year by 8%.

As a consequence, OFM has adjusted its model so that the 2022 outlook represents an 8% to 12% increase for the current decade, depending on the year, over what it foresaw five years earlier.

This dynamic has led the demographers to predict total population here will reach 350,000 in 2030. As Benton-Franklin Trends data reveals, it was two short years ago that local population breached the 300,000 mark.

This relatively fast growth brings with it many implications for the area. One is workforce.

Let’s assume that 2025 population age mix isn’t too different than what we now

observe. That implies about 85% of the population will be 16 years or older, or nearly 200,000.

Let’s also assume that labor force participation rate in 2025 remains approximately what it is today, about 63%. This implies another 12,300 added to the civilian workforce in the greater Tri-Cities in the next 36 months.

As this edition of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business focuses architects, engineers and lawyers, what does the projected population and workforce growth imply for these occupations?

Will there be much change in the next 36 months in the mix of occupations here?

Some, such as warehouse and transportation (logistics) jobs will loom larger, when the Amazon fulfillment center opens. But overall I would not expect significant shifts, as most local economies don’t change quickly in the short run.

As of 2021, these professions, with some of their ancillary occupations such as technicians or drafters included, amounted to about 4% of the two county

ranks of the employed.

If the economy stays with this mix and at the employment rate we observed for 2021, we might then see nearly 500 jobs added to these occupations by 2025.

The bulk of the gain will occur in the engineering professions. They are, by far, the largest in this collection of occupations, formerly called “white collar” jobs.

In 2021, economists at Washington State’s Employment Security (ESD) office put the count of engineers employed here at over 3,500. Add in drafters, managers and technicians, the total engaged in engineering work in the two counties

is easily 4,500.

Fold into the current count the number of accountants and auditors, at slightly over 850; lawyers/ paralegals at approximately 500; and architects, at about 50.

If ESD detailed forecasts are correct, however, accountants and auditors will experience the fastest rate of growth among these professions.

Why should we care? From a regional economic perspective, these professions enjoy some of the highest wages paid locally. Those wages contribute to the pool

D. Patrick Jones Eastern Washington University GUEST COLUMN

Courtesy of Benton-Franklin Trends

bate about the form back in the late 1970s, when her grandfather decided to build. Neil and Billie Jane incorporated in 1946 as a small drayage company.

Today, Lampson is among the largest crane-owning companies in the world with offices in Kennewick, Pasco, Seattle, Denver, Houston and Laveen, Arizona, as well as in Canada and Australia.

In the early years, the Lampsons ran their company from a Quonset hut at Gum Street and Columbia Drive.

Building innovations

The team knew the site existed and that they wanted a building that spoke to the world of construction cranes. Kate Lampson said that once designed, construction was relatively straightforward and carried

out mostly by the company itself.

The superstructure was prefabricated as were the concrete foundation walls.

Three cranes – all Lampson models, naturally – lifted the former onto the latter.

The design was one innovation. The all-glass facade was another.

The wall of glass means every office has an outside view.

To the north, a massive Lampson-built crane positioned at Big Pasco Industrial Park is visible across the river.

Another innovation is the Lampson Blue Room, a first-floor suite with a kitchen, auditorium and piano bar fashioned from a piano once owned by the founders. The space accommodates employees and community events and has been used for special events.

But it is the fourth floor that takes “innovative design” to the next level.

The floor where Bill Lampson oversees the company as CEO doubles as a gallery for models of the company’s various cranes and inventions. The floor itself is suspended from the building frame by 1 ½-inch stainless steel wire rope, each consisting of seven braids.

“This is the same type of wire rope that we use on our cranes, so we know that it’s sturdy and reliable,” Kate Lampson said.

Company leaders relish sharing the “hanging floor” detail with guests.

“It’s always interesting to see the reactions on people’s faces when the topic comes up in a meeting and it is their first time in our building,” she said.

Lampson executives share the top floor

with the safety and purchasing departments, accounts payable, receivables and payroll departments and with the marketing and information technology teams.

Engineering occupies the third floor and the second is used for operations and training.

While the building serves the global crane company well, Kate Lampson acknowledged the future could bring updates.

“Right now we don’t have any plans for expansion although I am sure that with any older building, there will be repairs and replacements in the future. For now, it stands tall and continues to carry on the legacy that my grandparents started so many years ago,” she said.

JONES, From page A27

of income that is spent largely on local goods and services. Those expenditures, in turn, help fill the coffers of local government and other taxing districts.

According to another ESD data product, “Occupational Employment & Wage Survey,” these were the average annual wages in the greater Tri-Cities in 2021: accountants and auditors, at $80,690; architects, at $88,700; engineers, ranging from $93,000 to $129,000; and lawyers: $126,000.

The supporting occupations to these professions paid less, but still all above the overall annual average wage of $58,800 in the greater Tri-Cities.

While near-term population growth is pretty much assured, not assured is the incoming supply of these professions. The challenge seems most acute for accountants.

A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted the difficulties accounting and audit firms face: a dwindling supply of recent college graduates and rising departures from the profession, not necessarily tied to retirements.

Finding the right mix in the engineering pool likely will also pose challenges to local firms. While the state’s higher education institutions have had some success in boosting enrollment in engineering, a likely wave of retirements will keep this market tight. For nuclear engineering positions, even tighter.

All in all, the pains of a growing population and workforce are good ones to have. For a smooth acceleration of the local economy, let’s hope that our country’s labor markets, internationally among the most fluid, can answer the call. And let’s hope that young professionals from the Tri-Cities will be part of the solution.

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.

Pasco moves to hire owner’s rep to lead aquatics center project

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Pasco is moving to hire an owner’s representative to lead its efforts to build a $40 million aquatics center, one of the largest municipal projects in the Mid-Columbia development pipeline.

The city’s voters approved a modest sales tax hike in April to support debt to construct the center and support future operations. The tax took effect on Jan. 1 and will begin accumulating in the “aquatics center” account in March.

The Pasco Public Facilities District, the quasi-independent entity responsible for the project, is expected to solicit statements of qualifications from potential contractors as early as January. The district is led by an appointed board and works in partnership with the city.

“This is absolutely necessary,” said Marie Gillespie, vice president of the board, when it met in December.

Matt Watkins, the former city mayor who is now managing the project for the district, said selecting an owner’s rep is complicated, but necessary for challenging projects like building an aquatics center that will attract visitors from across the region.

Securing voter approval to build the aquatics center in 2022 was a critical step. But 2023 will demand ever-more complicated decisions as Pasco pursues its long-held dream of an aquatics center.

The coming months will see the district take the steps it needs to begin. That includes updating the feasibility study it last reviewed in 2022, selecting a site (most likely at the Broadmoor area), creating a financial plan, issuing revenue bonds to pay for construction, and of course, hiring designers to create a vision and contractors to build it.

Watkins projects a June 1, 2025, ribbon cutting, which he acknowledged is later than the fall 2024 opening he initially hoped for. After touring comparable facilities and

meeting with people who have built them, he realized 2024 was an overly ambitious target.

At its final meeting of 2022, the public facilities district met in private to discuss a potential site, though it took no action afterward.

The aquatics center likely will be built on the west side of town since Pasco’s Memorial Aquatic Park and its 50-meter pool are on West Shoshone Street, which is closer to the east side. In a separate proposal, the Pasco School District is partnering with the city on a project to install a removable enclosure at Memorial Pool to extend the swimming season beyond its traditional Labor Day end.

Courtesy City of Pasco Pasco’s $40 million aquatics center will need an owner’s representative, designers and engineers. The complicated municipal undertaking promises to begin taking form this year.

School districts, cities and other entities often rely on hired representatives to manage complicated projects. Local school districts and fire departments have employed them to advise on the best approach to contracting and to manage day-to-day details.

Watkins said several Tri-City businesses with experience have already reached out to ask about the work.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Walmart sends ice cream, chicken and lemons by drone

The 36 Walmart Neighborhood Market stores testing the company’s drone delivery program collectively dispatched more than 6,000 deliveries via drone in 2022, the company reported.

The most delivered products: Great Value cookies and cream ice cream, twopound bags of lemons, rotisserie chicken, Red Bull and Bounty paper towels.

In all, Walmart estimates that 85% of items in a Neighborhood Market meet the weight and volume requirements to be delivered by drone. The maximum weight is 10 pounds.

Walmart drone delivery hubs are operated by DroneUp, Flytrex and Zipline. Drone service typically takes 30 minutes or less after ordering and is currently available in seven states: Texas (11 drone hubs), Florida (9), Arizona (6), Arkansas (4), Virginia (3), Utah (2) and North Carolina (1).

Walmart notes it operates 4,700 stores in close proximity to 90% of the U.S. population, positioning it to offer drone delivery at a large scale.

Port of Pasco lands $416K for airport study

The Port of Pasco received $416,000 to conduct a due diligence study and engineering master plan for property at the Tri-City Airport to support efforts to promote aerospace and manufacturing at the 460-acre site.

The port was one of six rural entities to share a $2.5 million grant to accelerate

development of industrial sites.

The one-time grants were awarded under the 2021 Building Economic Strength Through Manufacturing (Best) Act, which was sponsored by then-Rep. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, now a state senator. The act provides a framework for the state to add 300,000 manufacturing jobs over the next 10 years.

The other recipients were the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation for East Omak, the Lummi Indian Business Council for Lummi Indian Business Park, the Port of Sunnyside for Midvale Industrial Park, the Port of Walla Walla for Wallula Gap Business Park and the Port of Skagit for Watershed Business Park.

Each agency received $416,000.

School supers headline two chamber events

The superintendents of the Kennewick, Pasco and Richland school districts will headline two local chamber luncheons.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of Education luncheon is from noon-1:30 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Red Lion Hotel Kennewick Columbia Center. The cost is $30 for members and $40 for guests.

For information, go to tricityregionalchamber.com. email info@tricityregionalchamber.com or call 509-736-0510.

The Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s luncheon, “State of the School Districts” is 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 31 at Pasco Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave. Cost is $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers. Register at tchispanicchamber.com.

Amon Creek Elementary

Richland City Hall

changes.

Tri-Cities Legislative Council

The Tri-Cities Legislative Council is the community’s lead advocate in Olympia.

This year, it is led by Visit Tri-Cities. Members include the Tri-City Area Chamber of Commerce, the Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the West Richland Chamber of Commerce, the Pasco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC.

The council’s wish list includes funding local transportation projects, preserving the four Snake River Dams as part of a clean energy future, addressing mental health needs and education funding.

“Funding these specific needs in transportation, mental health, energy, and education will support our community’s continued drive for economic strength and vitality,” said Hector Cruz, vice president of Visit Tri-Cities, the region’s tourism promotion agency. “We look forward to representing these priorities to state legislators later this month.”

Roads and infrastructure

The council’s transportation priorities include infrastructure preservation and improving the rural roads that support the $1.6 billion of agriculture cultivated in Benton and Franklin counties.

It seeks tweaks to the new Tax Increment Financing program to ensure it can be used to support road and infrastructure development at Broadmoor in Pasco, Vista Field in Kennewick, the 7,000-acre Lewis & Clark Ranch in West Richland and at Horn Rapids Industrial Park in Richland.

It is also promoting a wide range of funding from local cities and counties to build

and upgrade local roads and bridges.

Pasco is seeking $4 million to develop a bike and pedestrian overpass at West Sylvester Street and Highway 395. Kennewick is seeking $16 million for a similar project, which would create a trail system linking it and Richland via a bike and pedestrian bridge across Highway 240 near Columbia Center. Separately, Kennewick is seeking $20 million for its plan to build a new overpass that would carry Georgia Street over Interstate 82.

Other projects in the wish list include funding for transportation projects involving Red Mountain (West Richland), Aaron Drive/Highway 240 (Richland), A Street and Tank Farm Road (Pasco), Badger Corridor (Benton County), George Washington Way (Richland), Columbia Center Boulevard (Kennewick) and railroad updates (Port of Benton).

Snake River Dams, clean energy

The council calls on the state to support the continued operation of the four Lower Snake River Dams and Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station, which produces electricity for the power grid.

The dams and nuclear plant are important to support the state’s increasing reliance on electricity because of the Clean Energy Transformation Act, the Climate Commitment Act, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the new rules that limit the use of natural gas in residential and commercial buildings.

“To meet decarbonization requirements it is imperative we maintain our firm and dispatchable clean energy generators,” it said.

The council supports small modular reactors to provide additional power sources, regulatory review to minimize cost and conflict, expedited siting and permitting for

new projects and funding for the governor’s proposed Institute for Northwest Energy Futures at WSU Tri-Cities.

Mental health, wellness

The council supports a $2.3 million request from WSU to establish a four-plusone bachelor’s-plus-master’s degree program in social work at the Tri-Cities campus in Richland.

It also supports funding to help Benton County build a recovery center at the former Kennewick General Hospital and at a separate location in downtown Kennewick. Construction will cost more than $13 million.

It supports allocating $925,000 annually to support two Basic Law Enforcement Academies in the Tri-Cities to expedite training of new police officers, who currently travel to Burien or Spokane for training.

K-12, higher education

The council supports state funding for K-12 and higher education. It is asking the Legislature to restore the Richland School District to the funding formula that predates the 2017 education bill. The move is supported by the three Tri-City school districts.

It also requests $4.4 million to raise salaries at the WSU College of Nursing, where low salaries have contributed to high turnover and affected the ability to produce nurses.

The council said it supports a budget that will direct $1.7 billion in capital to maintain and modernize aging community and technical colleges. Other requests include $157 million to provide 6.5% salary increases for community and technical college employees and $93 million to expand virtual learning.

New faces for the 8th

The 8th District, which covers Kennewick, Richland and parts of Pasco, elected an all-new delegation in November, with the newcomers taking office this month.

Sen. Matt Boehnke, a Kennewick Republican, stepped up from the House after winning the race to succeed his businessfriendly predecessor, Sen. Sharon Brown, who did not seek reelection.

In the House, Boehnke built a reputation for supporting manufacturing. He sponsored the Building Economic Strength Through Manufacturing, or BEST Act, with road bipartisan support. The 2021 bill builds a framework for the state to add 300,000 manufacturing jobs and double the number of firms led by women and minorities.

Reps. Stephanie Barnard and April Connor, both Republicans, succeeded Brad Klippert and Boehnke, who both vacated their seats. Klipper left for a failed bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside.

The delegations representing the 9th and 16th legislative districts are unchanged. Go to app.leg.wa.gov.

April Connors

Stephanie Barnard

Timeline finalized for merger of Columbia, Umpqua banks

The FDIC has approved the merger of Columbia Banking System Inc. of Tacoma and Umpqua Holdings Corp. of Portland to create a $50 billion regional bank. The deal will be finalized by the end of February.

Both banks operate in the Tri-Cities.

Upon closing, the combined company will become one of the largest banks headquartered in the West, with offices in eight western states that serve customers in all 50 states.

The combined holding company will operate as Columbia Banking System Inc. with headquarters in Tacoma. The bank will operate under the Umpqua Bank name with headquarters in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

The two companies have received regulatory approvals from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; the FDIC; the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Division of Financial Regulation; and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.

In November, Columbia entered into definitive agreements to divest its 10 branches identified by the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, which was a condition for obtaining certain regulatory approvals.

Other major subsidiaries and divisions will include Columbia Trust Company, Columbia Wealth Advisors and Columbia Private Bank, which will operate under the umbrella of Columbia Wealth Manage-

ment, as well as Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc.

The combined company will trade under Columbia’s ticker symbol (COLB).

Hermiston picks up pace of housing development in 2022

The Hermiston Building Department approved permits for 210 new housing units in 2022, setting a new high mark in the city’s recent efforts to increase and diversify available housing for a growing population. This marks the most housing unit permits issued in the Oregon city since 2006.

The new housing includes a mix of single- and multi-family site-built dwellings, income-restricted apartments, and manufactured homes. Since the beginning of 2020 the city has issued 464 new housing permits.

While the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Oregon’s population declined by 16,000 people between 2021-22, Hermiston continued to grow at a steady pace. The Portland State University Population Estimate shows Hermiston adding 277 residents, in line with recent year-over-year growth and bringing the population to 19,696.

The Hermiston City Council has made housing availability an annual goal since 2017 and it has resulted in several large infrastructure investments which allowed the city’s development community to quickly respond to the recent low interest rates, Morgan said.

The city’s Moorehouse Apartments broke ground in 2022 and will add 60 income-restricted units to the city’s hous-

ing stock. The 200-home Santiago Estates Manufactured Home community is also underway and is expected to begin permitting units in 2023.

The 350-acre Prairie Meadows project on Feedville Road was also set in motion in 2022 through the development of the Southwest Hermiston Urban Renewal Area. It is expected to include 1,300 singleand multi-family units and other community amenities and to begin adding housing in 2025.

Pump price spike stalls after the holidays

The recent surge in gas prices caused by frigid weather and robust holiday road travel may be ending, according to AAA.

While the national average price rose daily starting on Christmas Eve, when it was $3.09 per gallon, the steam may have run out as pump prices flattened and then fell by a penny n. The national average for a gallon of gas rose to $3.28 on Jan. 9.

In the Tri-Cities the average price per gallon was $3.60, down from the $4 per gallon it was a month prior. The highest average for the area was $5.31 per gallon in June 2022.

“As we head toward February, pump prices will likely dip, barring any jolt in the global oil market,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “But it is likely that the national average prices we saw heading in to Christmas may have been the lows for this winter.”

According to data from the Energy Information Administration, gas demand dropped from 9.33 million to 7.51 million

b/d in early January. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks fell by 300,000 bbl to 222.7 million bbl. Lower gasoline demand has contributed to limiting increases in pump prices.

IRS: standard mileage rates increase for business use

The Internal Revenue Service issued the 2023 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning on Jan. 1, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

• 65.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3 cents from the midyear increase setting the rate for the second half of 2022.

• 22 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, consistent with the increased midyear rate set for the second half of 2022.

• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations; the rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2022.

These rates apply to electric and hybridelectric automobiles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.

The standard mileage rate for business use is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs.

Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates.

Ben Franklin Transit plans new office at Richland Wye

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Ben Franklin Transit is preparing to construct a new two-story operations center at its campus on Columbia Park Trail, near the Richland Wye.

The transit agency submitted plans for review under Washington’s Environmental Protection Act or SEPA. The city of Richland determined the 17,032-squarefoot project will not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environ-

ment in a decision issued Jan. 5.

Plans indicate the new building will replace an existing operations facility and will be constructed behind the Ben Franklin administration building at 1000 Columbia Park Trail. The new building will be constructed on the same footprint as the one it replaces.

TCF Architecture designed the project, which will accommodate fixed route and Dial-a-Ride Drivers, schedulers, the safety and training team and other opera-

tions staff.

Construction is expected to start in spring 2023 and will take approximately one year.

The project was designed as a threestory building but was reduced to two because of pandemic concerns. Documents indicate the structure will be able to accommodate a third story in the future.

An estimated 250 people will use the building daily, including multiple driver shifts. About 60 people will occupy it

“regularly.” It will contain a mix of open and private offices, work areas, dispatch, training and conference rooms. There will be a commons with kitchen and locker facilities.

New utilities, pedestrian walks, amenities to accommodate people with disabilities and updated stormwater facilities.

Ben Franklin Transit notes the property is served by transit, with a bus stop on Columbia Park Trail along the frontage of its property.

Positive early outlook projected for state’s ag industry

By Karina Elias Spokane Journal of Business

The La Niña weather pattern is delivering adequate precipitation going into 2023 for some of Washington state’s leading crops, say some industry experts.

The 12-month forecast for some of the state’s leading agricultural products, including hay, cherries, potatoes, and wine have profitable outlooks, according to a report from Northwest Farm Credit Services.

Casey Chumrau, CEO of the Spokanebased Washington Grain Commission, says there’s a long way to go between now and harvest, but things are off to a promising start for the new year.

“Looking ahead at 2023 crops, current winter wheat conditions are good, and La

Niña weather pattern is providing muchneeded precipitation,” Chumrau said.

While the current weather patterns are beneficial for Eastern Washington grain farmers, many factors that are beyond their control may impact the industry negatively in the coming year, including rising production costs, inflation, and the war in Ukraine, she said.

Rising costs are increasing greatly the risk that farmers won’t be able to recover production costs, Chumrau said. While inflation has strengthened the U.S. dollar around the world, it has made U.S. wheat more expensive relative to other countries.

Washington state historically exports 90% of its wheat mainly to Asia, but recently has seen a reduced demand due to higher costs, she says.

Following a challenging drought year in 2021, Washington had a rebound in grain production in 2022. Total wheat production reached 144 million bushels, a 65% increase compared with 87.1 million bushels in 2021, while barley production also rose, totaling 5 million bushels, up from 2.86 million bushels in 2021, Chumrau said.

“A long, wet spring provided adequate moisture and favorable growing conditions,” she said.

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, the value of Washington’s 2021 agricultural production totaled $10.2 billion, level with the 2020 total production value, which was up 7% from the year prior. The value of crop production totaled $7.2 billion, down 3% from 2020, but livestock production

in 2021 totaled $3 billion, up 9% from the previous year.

Jennie Strong, communications and outreach specialist for the Wenatcheebased Washington Apple Commission, said this year’s apple crop yielded the equivalent of 99.8 million 40-pound boxes of Washington state fresh apples, about an 18% decrease compared with the 2021 yield.

Apples remain the leading agricultural commodity in Washington with a value of $2.19 billion in 2021, up 4% from 2020.

Strong says that a 10- to 14-day harvest delay, poor pollination weather, and the lingering impact from extreme heat in June 2021 contributed to a smaller Washington crop this year.

Small federal contractor in Richland is state’s Employer of the Year

By Jeff Morrow for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

When Salina Savage took the stage on Nov. 17 to receive the Association of Washington Business Employer of the Year award, she was understandably excited.

It was well deserved.

If the Northwest hadn’t heard of Apogee Group LLC before it received AWB’s top honor, it soon learned about the small, woman-owned company from Richland and its nuclear nonproliferation work for the U.S. government.

Savage and her business partner, Barbara Stone, were honored at a gala at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. Employer of the Year was the biggest of the 13 awards given.

“Against the competition that was announced, we were first surprised,” Savage said. “There were some great companies offering exceptional benefits in this category. After the surprise wore off, we were extremely humbled as this is a significant honor.

“Apogee Group, like other small companies in Washington, has weathered tough times and uncertainty over the last three years. This award for us lets us know our values as a company are the right ones for us.”

AWB said it honored Apogee for paying 100% of health care costs for employees and providing other benefits, including a retirement match, gym memberships

and more. The result is low turnover.

“Owner Salina Savage goes out of her way to assist her staff during crises, allowing them to work remotely during the pandemic and personally stepping in to help when the spouse of an employee who was on vacation had a medical emergency,” it said.

AWB also honored Kennewick-based Senske Services with its Excellence in Washington Family-owned Business award.

Apogee Group provides program/ project management services to the federal government, which includes logistics management and procurement.

The summary of the company’s scope of work performed in nuclear non-proliferation is design, integration, communication, construction and engineering.

The U.S. government is its only client. A sample of its projects involve border security, construction, and global installation of radiation portal monitors for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NSSA).

“Most our work is executed outside the continental United States, so we have a couple of major partners we use that provide and extend our capabilities and capacity to execute our projects in these countries,” said Raoul Mebane, Apogee’s chief operating officer.

“We have had these partners for a long time in executing our work for the government. We have successfully executed (projects) in several different countries

such as Djibouti, Belarus and Ukraine. We are currently executing projects in Ukraine which are performed under an extremely difficult environment.”

Apogee does that by working with subcontractors and other companies.

“Nuclear non-proliferation is the industry in which we work, so we routinely network with partners and others to find employees,” Mebane said.

Getting started

Savage and Stone started Apogee Group in 2016, from an approved 8(a) Mentor-Protégé Agreement between NorthStar Federal Services and Savage Logistics.

The two have known each other for 34 years.

As the majority owner, Savage performs the executive management and business development functions. Stone performs all business management and finance functions.

In 2017, Savage Logistics was rebranded to Apogee Logistics, and the company built a new building, at 1440 Battelle Blvd., in Richland.

Over the years, it’s earned a reputation as a great place to work. Mebane said that’s important. The company needs

quality employees to carry out its work.

“The work we perform for the government is important and having an excellent benefit package is key to our low turnover,” Mebane said.

Apogee’s owners also wanted the employees to be able to concentrate on work and not be distracted by rising health care costs.

That philosophy, said Mebane, is one piece of Apogee’s values that allows it to attract and retain employees. And it’s

Courtesy Association of Washington Business Salina Savage, majority owner of Richland’s Apogee Group LLC, accepts the Employer of the Year award from the Association of Washington Business during a November gala in Tacoma. Savage and partner Barbara Stone formed the business in 2016.

By Jeff Morrow for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Michael Kohlhoff and his business partners, Justin Jones and Terry Osborn, think they’ve found the perfect restaurant for Tri-Citians.

It’s a franchise called the Dog Haus Biergarten, located at 7425 Sandifur in Pasco, and it’s set to open in February.

“We’re hoping to open right on the heels of the Super Bowl if we’re lucky,” Kohlhoff said.

The new restaurant will feature hot dogs, sausages and burgers served on grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls.

Kohlhoff and his partners purchased the top line of the offered franchise options, which features a kitchen plus a bar that serves both beer (24 taps) and hard alcohol.

The restaurant will have numerous televisions on the walls and in the spring, summer and fall, there will be outside seating.

Seating is expected to be 38 inside, including the bar, with seating for 12 outside.

Opening the Dog Haus has been a years’ long quest for Kohlhoff, who moved to the Tri-Cities in 2008 after he and his wife lived overseas as expatriates.

Kohlhoff started working for Lockheed Martin in IT in the Hanford area. That’s where he met Jones, who had moved to the area in 2008 also, but from Oklahoma.

The right restaurant

It has taken a number of years to find the right opportunity.

“We’ve tried for several years to bring something to the Tri-Cities that it doesn’t have,” Kohlhoff said.

As luck would have it, social media was listening.

“I was at home one night, talking to my wife about maybe trying to bring something new to the Tri-Cities,” said Kohlhoff. “We were discussing maybe a cool German-style restaurant.”

Kohlhoff said the next evening, he was browsing online the next evening when he came across an advertisement for the Dog Haus.

He was intrigued by the company’s line, “Come join the absolute wurst franchise.”

Kohlhoff put in a request for more information on the company.

“Within 30 minutes I got an email back, and then I got a call,” he said.

It was Erik Hartung, an executive vice president responsible for growth

and development for the Dog Haus brand, as well as Absolute Brands.

Hartung sent him the information on getting a franchise.

“I told Justin and Terry I think we’ve found something,” Kohlhoff said. “We looked at the information and we were hooked. It’s something very new and pretty exciting.”

The closest Dog Haus franchise is in Sandy, Utah.

There are 70 franchises overall, and another 150 in development, Kohlhoff said.

Dog Haus opened its first store in 2010 in Pasadena, California. In 2013, the company started franchising.

“There are pockets, like the Northwest, that they’re trying to get into,” he said.

And the trio has contracts for possible new locations in southeastern Washington.

“Our area consists of Benton and Franklin counties, plus Walla Walla and Whitman counties,” said Kohlhoff. “To start, we’re going to have two in the TriCities, and we want to build a third in Pullman for the college crowd.”

Never having been in the restaurant business won’t stop the partners.

Kohlhoff and Jones still have their full-time jobs. They’re both project managers at Hanford, now working for different companies. And Osborn, Kohlhoff’s neighbor, is a UPS driver.

“We’re not restaurant guys, but we’re business guys,” Kohlhoff said. “Our model is not as owner-operator. But instead, we’ve brought in a general manager who has 20 years experience in the marketplace. When we build the other stores, that general manager will become a regional manager.”

Photo by Jeff Morrow

Michael

from left, Justin Jones and Terry Osborn stand in

of

first Dog Haus franchise at 7425 Sandifur Parkway in Pasco. The restaurant is

February.

something the owners have valued from the beginning.

“During the pandemic, we altered our processes and received approval to perform our process remotely,” added Mebane. “This allowed us to continuously deliver services through the pandemic.”

Now that the pandemic precautions are ending, Mebane said the company has started to migrate its employees back to the office.

“We wanted to gain back the synergies of having people in one location, solving issues,” he said. “Therefore, we fully utilize our office space and are able to leverage the infrastructure we have built to perform our OCONUS (outside the continental United States) work.”

The future

Apogee is a certified women-owned small business, which allows it to compete for certain government contracts.

“That is important the type of business we look to compete on within a government agency,” said Mebane. “The government has specific set-aside contracts

for competition for small businesses or women-owned small businesses.”

Those contracts are not easy to get.

“Acquiring government contracts is extremely competitive, specifically in the small business area where Apogee Group competes,” Mebane added. “Yes, we have had several people with significant government experience, but the simple truth is it’s a lot of work. We pride ourselves on understanding client needs, crafting solutions for those needs, and competing for the business.”

Apogee has also done a good job of anticipating its employees’ needs. And that’s why the company earned the Employer of the Year award.

“We are excited each day for the challenge working in what a government environment provides,” said Savage. “There is always a new challenge daily, and our motto around the office is, ‘If it didn’t happen to us, we wouldn’t believe it.’

“At Apogee Group, we get to tackle all types of challenges with a small group of people we know and trust. That makes it all worthwhile.”

7 restaurants in 1

In addition to the Dog Haus brand, Kohlhoff and his partners have access to six other menus under the Absolute Brands marketing that Dog Haus started in March 2020 – allowing them to offer a seven restaurants-in-one setup.

“It works as a collective of virtual restaurants,” Kohlhoff said. “It’s a full ecosystem and it works off of our entire menu.”

Those other six restaurants are:

• Big Belly Burgers.

• Jailbird’s Chicken Wings and Tenders.

• Bad Mutha Clucka Nashville-style chicken sandwiches.

• Bad-Ass Breakfast Burritos.

• Huevos Dias breakfast tacos.

• Plant B, which features meat alternatives.

Franchise owners can choose which menus to use.

“Gradually, we’ll put them on,” said Kohlhoff. “But if the numbers aren’t good, we can turn them on or off.”

The trio will start with the Dog Haus menu, as well as the Bad-Ass breakfast burrito brand.

The breakfast burritos will basically be for delivery only.

“It’s all on digital delivery, and we’ll use Uber Eats and Door Dash,” Kohlhoff said.

The owners are expecting delivery to be 30% of their business.

“The company does an excellent job of integrating the local delivery system,” Jones said.

“Also (beer) growlers can be delivered to you. Not too many places in the Tri-Cities do that.”

The three expect to hire 50 employees to begin with, and eventually the store will settle into 30 to 35.

In early January, Kohlhoff and Jones were spending 10 days in class in California, training to learn the Dog Haus way.

The finish line to the opening is getting close.

“I can’t stand it, I’m so excited,” Kohlhoff said.

uDONATIONS

• The Hanford Vit Plant team donated $22,000 in toys and cash to local the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots and Local 598’s Bikes for Tikes campaign. Of the donation, $15,000 in toys and cash was designated for Toys for Tots. An additional $7,000 was raised for Bikes for Tikes. Donations to Bikes for Tikes helped purchase and assemble 1,600 bikes for the community, including some that are designated for Toys for Tots. In 2022, the vit plant team donated nearly $300,000 to local organizations, campaigns, and programs, such as United Way of Benton-Franklin Counties, Second Harvest, and Junior Achievement.

• Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) donated more than $25,000 through its “12 Days of Giving” program. Donations were made to, or in conjunction with, several local nonprofits. HMIS also donated wish list items and gift cards to both Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels and My Friends Place. Grocery store gift cards were provided to Columbia Basin Veterans Center, Communities In Schools of Benton-Franklin and the Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation for distribution to their clients and families. Rounding out the 12 Days of Giving were donations to each of the community care funds or foundations for six local law enforcement agencies: Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Kennewick Police Department, Pasco Police Department, Richland Police Department and West Richland Police Department. In addition to the year-end contributions, HMIS donated $150,000 to Columbia Basin College to enhance support of the Pathways to Hanford program.

• Numerica Credit Union donated $10,000 to Communities in Schools of Benton & Franklin Counties. The organization surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. From these funds, children received $100

in a Numerica savings account and free financial education resources.

• Team members from First Interstate Bank, a bank with an office in Kennewick, recently collected and donated 12,232 clothing items from its annual Coats and More Drive to help keep community members warm this winter. Items collected included coats, hats, mittens, scarves, socks, and snow boots, and were given to local nonprofits, including schools, child and family services, senior centers, and veteran outreach programs. Since starting the drive in 2009, First Interstate has collected and distributed 63,532 total items to community partners and schools.

• Employees at STCU, which has several Tri-City branches, documented 10,000 hours of volunteerism in 2022. The volunteers included 18 employees who served at least 80 hours at a single organization. Scores of others exceeded the 16 hours of paid time off that every STCU employee receives annually for volunteer activities. In response, STCU provided a record number of year-end Volunteers Count grants, ranging from $25 to $1,000. The grants go to every organization where an employee reported at least 12 hours of service – a total of 120 organizations. Any employee with at least 12 hours of service was invited to complete an application for a $1,000 grant on behalf of the organization they serve. The 18 recipient organizations were selected based on the employee’s passion for the cause, and the organization’s benefit to the community. In all, STCU employees reported giving their time to 307 organizations across a broad swath of the Inland Northwest. Also included are at least 69 organizations where STCU employees serve in leadership positions on boards or committees, including the WSU Board of Regents, Columbia Basin College Foundation and United Way of BentonFranklin Counties.

uNEW HIRES

• Erin Landon has joined the staff of MidColumbia Media Inc., the newly created company that publishes the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times on behalf of its new owner, the Cowles Company. She will work part time in accounts receivables, circulation and handle other business duties as assigned. She joined the Kennewick staff following the newspapers’ December sale to Cowles. She has supported the two publications for more than a decade, working in production, billing and other roles before she stepped away to be a stay-at-home mother. She returned several years ago to support billing a few hours a month. She has lived in Kennewick since 1989 and attended Kamiakin High School, Columbia Basin College and Washington State University. She and her husband, Chris, live in Kennewick, where she homeschools daughters Ava, 11, and Morgan, 8. The family also includes dogs, a horse, several steer, chickens and the most recent addition, a goat.

• Whitney Brigham has joined Idaho Central Credit Union as a senior private client relationship officer. She will be serving the Tri-City area. She was born in Spokane and raised in Prosser. She attended Yakima Valley Community College and Central Washington University. Brigham has been in the financial industry for the last 13 years and has held a variety of po-

sitions including branch banker, assistant relationship manager and wealth management banker.

• Prosser Memorial Health has hired Dr. James Wallace as a full-time emergency physician. He has been working in emergency medicine for 30 years and is certified in advanced cardiac, advanced trauma, and pediatric advanced life support, as well as a certification from the American Board of Family Medicine. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and his MD from the University Texas Southwestern. He completed an internship and residency with the University of Washington in Seattle and went on to build his professional career in Port Angeles. He speaks Spanish.

• Visit Tri-Cities has announced two new hires.

Rosemary Fotheringham joins the team as the director of marketing. She will lead the marketing, advertising and public relations efforts of Visit TriCities. She is responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing campaigns and comprehensive media outreach programs, developing compelling editorial content and social media communications, and managing visitor service programs. She graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand with two bachelor’s degrees in tourism business management and marketing.

Corbin Harder was hired as the director of creative and communication services and will lead the creative and communication services team in the development and design of multimedia assets, publications, websites and communication tools. He brings more than 10 years of varied creative industry knowledge as a creative director.

• Lourdes Health has hired Tara Zamarron as an advanced registered nurse practitioner at Lourdes Rheumatology. Zamarron will join the already established rheumatology practice with Dr. Sudeep Thapa. She previously practiced with Samaritan Healthcare in Moses Lake as a family nurse practitioner since 2016 and a registered nurse from 2013-16. She also worked as a nursing coach and development coordinator with Columbia Basin Health Association in Othello. From 2008-10, she worked as an emergency room RN at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. She earned her master’s of nursing from Simmons University in Boston in 2016 and her bachelor’s of nursing from Western Governors University in Kent. She completed nursing school at Bronson Hospital School of Nursing in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and an Emergency Medical Technician course with Belding Ambulance System in Belding, Michigan. She is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

uAWARDS & HONORS

• For the third time in a decade, L’Ecole N° 41, one of Walla Walla Valley’s founding wineries, has earned an international trophy at a global wine competition. Global Fine Wine Challenge’s International Trophy for Best New World Bordeaux Blend was awarded to the 2019 Perigee from its Estate Seven Hills Vineyard in the Walla

Walla Valley. This annual competition included six hundred of the New World’s top wines, entered by invitation only, from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.

• The Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo has received an Award of Excellence in the Hall of Honor Communications contest held by the International Association of Fairs and Expositions. The winning “By the Numbers” entry was submitted in the category of “Miscellaneous Marketing for Fairs” with an attendance of 100,001 to 250,000. The item is a data-driven year-in-review marketing piece showcasing achievements of the nonprofit. Some highlights from the card’s content were total dollars generated for local 4-H and FFA youth at the Market Stock Sale, the amount given by the Fair in community donations, and the income earned at the fair by local nonprofits. The statistics are updated annually on the By the Numbers flyer. The item will be featured during a national workshop on Feb. 15. This workshop will also include presentations from other contest winning entries from fairs and festivals throughout the United States.

• Summer Yates of Pasco was scheduled to participate in the National Womens Soccer League draft on Jan. 12. She graduated in December 2022 from University of Washington and currently ranks as the UW’s all-time leader in games played and started; and ranks third all-time in points (77) and goals (27). Yates was the UW’s first All-American since 2004. Yates also played with the United States Youth National Team since 2014. She represented US Youth Soccer at tournaments across the U.S. and internationally including Italy, Netherlands, England, Australia, China, Spain, Switzerland, and the Dominican Republic.

uBOARDS

• The Columbia Basin section of ASQ (American Society for Quality) has announced its 2023 elected and appointed officers: Section Chair, Denise Clements; Treasurer, Robert Boykin; Secretary, Marcus Aranda; Membership, Eric Clements; and Publicity, Jo Haberstok The local ASQ section offers monthly virtual and/or in-person meetings and a newsletter with a focus on quality tools and techniques.

Erin Landon

Whitney Brigham

Dr. James Wallace

Corbin Harder

Tara Zamarron

Rosemary Fotheringham

uPROMOTIONS

• CPA Megan McCary has been promoted to the position of partner in the Northwest CPA Group PLLC in Richland, effective Jan. 1. She first joined the firm in 2011. During that time, she has been a key member of the team. Prior to joining the firm, she received her accounting degree from Washington State University and worked as an accountant for a private company. As a partner in the firm, she will continue to assist her clients, as well as provide leadership, insights and innovation to develop the Northwest CPA Group team into the future.

• Angela Pashon has been named assistant city manager for the city of Pasco. In this new position in the 2023-24 city budget, Pashon reports to the city manager in the executive department and helps oversee all city functions in the pursuit of the city council’s goals and directives. The position provides additional capacity to lead strategic initiatives and organizational development to meet the growing demands of the city, and it will also oversee the city clerk’s office and communications division. She has been with the city since 2016, first working as executive administrative assistant in the police department, then as a policy analyst, and she has served in several interim roles throughout the city and most recently as senior management analyst. Originally from Puyallup, Pashon also has worked for the city of Spokane and holds a master’s in public administration from Eastern Washington University and a

Pashon was named one of the “Young Professionals” of 2019 in the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

• Baker Boyer Bank of Walla Walla announces the appointment of two employees to vice president and another seven to assistant vice president, effective Jan. 1. The promotions recognize leadership, innovation and commitment to the mission of the Bank and its communities and clients. The promoted individuals and their new roles

are:

Tyson Romanick to vice president. A CFA holder, Romanick started at the bank in June 2019 as a portfolio manager with the bank’s wealth management team. He has had an integral role in the portfolio management department, adopting and incorporating increasingly sophisticated technology to manage portfolios and communicate vital information to clients.

Matt Sursely to vice president. He worked in the financial industry for more than 15 years when he joined the bank’s Cetera team in 2019. He then was pivotal in the bank’s transition from Cetera and has become a financial planner and a trust and investment supervisor.

John Adams to assistant vice president. He joined as a trust advisor in 2019. He previously was co-owner and operator of his family farm in Adams, Oregon.

Amanda Anderson to assistant vice president. She is the assistant human resources manager and career development advisor after joining the bank in 2018 as a human resources coordinator.

Eric Denney to assistant vice president. He cultivated his relationshipbased approach to working with clients in nonprofit management before joining the bank in 2019. As a family advisor, he works with business owners and high-net-worth clients on solutions for success.

Elise Jablonski to assistant vice president. She joined in 2012 and is the business banking support supervisor.

She works with her team to assist clients with business lending needs.

Becky Kettner to assistant vice president. She is an investment advisor who came to Baker Boyer from a marketing and business strategy career in 2017. She previously was a trust advisor and key member of the D.S. Baker investment team that merged with the wealth management and trust team in 2021.

Molly Neal to assistant vice president. A member of the Baker Boyer team since 2021, she is a trust advisor with the D.S. Baker advisor team and serves as interim Yakima branch manager.

Nick Punch to assistant vice president. He joined Baker Boyer in 2019 and serves as a business advisor and interim Tri-Cities branch manager.

Angela Pashon

Tyson Romanick

Matt Sursely

John Adams

Elise Jablonski

Becky Kettner

Molly Neal

Nick Punch

Amanda Anderson

Eric Denney

ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Tri-City housing market slows but buyers are still out touring

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

The crystal ball gives no clear picture of what 2023 holds for the Tri-City residential real estate market. The new year started as a study in contrasts.

Home starts sputtered in 2022, as did sales, though prices remained strong.

The word “standstill” gets thrown around, but it falls short of describing the market.

Employment and wages remain strong, which bodes well for a strong market. So does the tight supply of housing – rental and for sale. On the flip side, interest rates doubled in 2022 amid a battle against inflation that topped 8%.

Against the confusing backdrop, Dave Retter was mostly unsurprised when 30 or so people spent the first days of the year touring model homes in the Siena Hills subdivision, a collection of new homes priced from the $500,000s to mid-$700,000s in the saddle of Little Badger Mountain in south Richland.

Retter, president of Sotheby’s International Realty | Retter & Company, acknowledged the last three months of 2022 brought

the market to a near halt. But customers pouring through doors suggests business is not grim.

“I’ve never been ‘dam the torpedoes and

rah rah rah,’ but when we have 30 people visit one site, that tells us that our 90 days of sticker shock is over,” he said. The 90 days refers to the fourth quarter of 2022, when

buyers were put off by rising interest rates, a contentious mid-term election and, in December, by persistently icy weather.

Don Tanninen, owner of Stellar Homes LLC, builds upward of 15 homes a year and is focused on Siena Hills.

He’s got six in construction. He stopped by on a sunny day to check one home before workers lifted roof trusses into place, remove debris from another and install a gas stove at a third.

He’s avoided supply chain issues by stockpiling building materials, including heat pumps. When he applies for a permit, he’s able to build in a matter of months.

Tanninen said the local market has a ceiling of about $600,000, so he works to stay below that. His newest home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a $574,900 price tag.

Tanninen, whose brother Bruce operates Tanninen Homes, is not an outlier. Homes are still being built. But plenty of his peers have pulled back.

New home starts stalled in 2022. Local homebuilders secured permits for 1,100 single-family homes from Mid-Columbia permitting agencies, according to year-end

Ethos’ evolution includes return to Queensgate area later this year

By Robin Wojtanik for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Ethos Bakery & Café wants the community to know it has not closed, even though its shop on Richland’s Keene Road is empty.

Ethos temporarily consolidated operations into its Richland Parkway location while awaiting completion of a new building intended to house all baking and milling operations under one roof.

Ethos must contract before it can expand, said Angela Kora, co-owner.

“We’re working on new and exciting things,” said Kora who is also Ethos’ bakery manager. “Come see us in the meantime so that we can make sure all those new and exciting things can happen.”

The new building at 2290 Keene Road is planned near the same Queensgate Drive and Keene Road intersection where Ethos has operated for the last six years, moving into a spot vacated by Sharehouse Coffee.

The project is being built by developer Greg Markel of Washington Securities and Investment Corp., the same entity behind the neighboring TacoTime and mixed-use building, currently home to Origami Salon and The Kozy Kup.

Markel said Hummel Construction will

build the 4,000-square-foot building, and an early February groundbreaking is planned, weather permitting.

If all goes as planned, construction will take 120 days.

Markel said he has one more lot to develop in the area to the west of the Kozy Kup. It was originally set to be home to the Dugout Bar & Grill. Though that plan fell through, Markel said he still plans to put a neighborhood pub there.

Kora hopes to be in the new building by the summer, as the move from the Keene Road shop resulted in layoffs of part-time staff and the need to spread operations across two facilities – the location on the eastside of The Parkway near the courtyard, and a second location, also in The Parkway, that it uses strictly for storage, baking and milling.

When Ethos moved into the central Richland location at 702 The Parkway in 2020, sharing a building with Moniker and Wine Social, it was only intended to be a small storefront, filling a need for a coffee shop in the retail strip and customers visiting the Richland Farmers Market, held weekly from spring to fall.

Kora and co-owner Scot Newell started

Photo by Wendy Culverwell

A construction crew hoists roof trusses onto a home being built by Stellar Homes in Siena Hills in south Richland. Homebuilding slowed in the MidColumbia in 2022, but strong interest at the start of 2023 has builders and agents hopeful the market will be steady in the coming year.

Courtesy Ethos Bakery

Dorcas Buckley, front of the house manager for Ethos Bakery and Café, displays the proposed building planned for its new location at 2290 Keene Road in Richland. Customers can visit the store at 702 The Parkway in Richland.

figures compiled by the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities. Prosser numbers were not available and are excluded from the final tally.

The number of homes begun in 2022 was 28.5% lower than the 2017-21 average of 1,553 permits when Prosser is factored out.

The average value of home construction was just over $400 million, 14.6% below the five-year average, even without adjusting for inflation.

The HBA said no community was spared.

“Whether it’s Benton County, Kennewick, Pasco or Richland, they’re all down,” said Jeff Losey, executive director of the home builders’ group.

The Tri-City Association of Realtors has not released market figures for December, but there were 3,873 sales through November, 17% fewer than the same period in 2021.

The average price of $465,000 and an average median price of about $430,000 were up 16% and 13%, respectively.

The Federal Reserve’s relentless series of interest rate hikes in support of its target inflation rate of 2% is the big driver of residential real estate in 2022.

In December, it raised the federal funds rate by half a percentage point, capping a year that saw seven rate hikes. Jerome Powell, chair, signaled it will keep raising the funds rate in 2023.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.48% in early January, according to Freddie Mac, created by Con-

gress to provide capital to the mortgage industry.

That’s double the 3.22% average of a year prior.

Retter advises buyers not to be too nostalgic for 3% mortgages. Barring another pandemic, they’re not coming back. The 50-year average on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage is 7.76%, he said.

He said local lenders have adapted their lending products to take off the edge. Buyers are in a better position to negotiate concessions from sellers, including buy downs that can lower the interest rate to 5.25%.

His message to buyers hoping for better prices is blunt.

“If they don’t want to buy at five and a quarter because they think that interest rate is too high, they’re never going to buy a house in their lives,” he said.

Retter and other real estate executives worry a construction slowdown will exaggerate the ongoing housing shortage.

The inventory of for-sale homes stood at 447 heading into the slow Christmas season, well below the 1,200 that is considered balanced.

Losey said the economy is strong and there’s no sign of layoffs, but there is uncertainty,

The Tri-Cities amped up to accommodate the twin distribution warehouses constructed for Amazon Inc. in eastern Pasco. Construction is complete, but the Seattle e-commerce giant is now contracting, not expanding.

On Jan. 4, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company would eliminate over 18,000 jobs, including those trimmed in late 2022. The distribution center is apparently paused.

Losey said that’s the kind of news that can change demand.

“The builders build to what the demand is,” he said.

Pressed to predict how 2023 will shake down, he said he is hoping it will run “parallel” to 2022, without a significant drop.

Travis Davis, the new president of the Tri-Cities Association of Realtors, and his managing broker, Glen Gosch, of Coldwell Banker Tomlinson, are among those who won’t engage in forecasting.

Gosch notes he would have been flat wrong if he’d given a prediction in the first weeks of the Covid-19 shutdowns, when the economy came to a standstill. He would have predicted a crash and not the boom that accompanies the pandemic and drove prices by double digits for three years and counting.

“It’s hard,” he said.

Both men welcome the calmer market and the importance of executing on basic

business skills. That includes serving as experts to clients, whether they are first-time homebuyers or luxury home sellers.

And they are confident the market will continue to register sales. Life does not stop because interest rates aren’t low.

“There are life events that happen every day that create the need to buy or sell property. People are having children. Children are going off to college. People are getting married. People are getting divorced,” Davis said.

Retter predicts calmness. All the factors that stabilize the Mid-Columbia economy while Seattle, Portland and other urban areas struggle are firmly in place: federal spending at Hanford and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a lively agriculture and food processing industry and a sprawling health care industry.

“We’re going to buck the trend again. We’re going to sell through a national recession. We’re lucky to be in the Tri-Cities.”

Photo by Wendy Culverwell

Don Tanninen, owner of Stellar Homes LLC, pauses to discuss the homebuilding industry before installing a gas stove in one of his six homes at Siena Hills in south Richland.

Richland winery opens second satellite tasting room

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

About a year after opening its first satellite tasting room in Vancouver, Washington, Barnard Griffin has opened a second one in Woodinville.

The grand opening for the 1,405-square-foot tasting room at 17401 133rd Ave., Suite 1008, was Dec. 16.

“These satellite tasting rooms expose customers to our top tier wines that are also available in Richland but were not readily available on the west side,” said Deborah Barnard, co-owner of the winery.

She also noted that the tasting rooms bring visitors to Richland for wine club

events so customers can explore and enjoy other Tri-City activities and stay in area hotels.

The Woodinville tasting room features a bar front, chandeliers and fused-glass installations designed and produced by Barnard, as well as materials beginning their second life such as patio furniture fashioned from single-use plastics.

It’s located in Kirkland-based MainStreet Property Group’s wine walk row section of its mixed-use development called The Schoolhouse District, which completed its initial phase of completion in the fall 2021.

Barnard Griffin celebrates its 40th year in business this year.

Voters to consider school funding requests on February ballot

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Benton and Franklin counties will mail ballots in late January for a series of school funding requests that, if approved, will affect local property taxes.

Ballots must be returned or postmarked by Election Day, Feb. 14, to count.

Here’s a look at the issues on local ballots:

Kennewick School District

The Kennewick School District’s education programs and operations levies failed in February and April 2022. The district is asking voters to reconsider pro-

viding local support to fund education in 2024-26.

A levy requires a simple 50% to pass.

If approved, the levies will raise $23 million to $24 million in each year by adding $1.73 per $1,000 to the property tax rate in 2024, falling to $1.68 and then $1.63 in the second and third years. For a home with a tax value of $250,000, the cost is $432.50 in the first year, $420 in the second and $406.50 in the third.

Pasco School District

The Pasco School District is asking voters to approve a bond to support school construction and remodeling. The

project list includes a third full-service high school to relieve crowding at Pasco and Chiawana high schools.

Bonds require 60% approval from voters.

If approved, the new tax would cost 31 cents per $1,000, or $77.50 per year for a home with a taxable value of $250,000.

Richland School District

The Richland School District shelved plans for a construction bond, but is seeking approval for a six-year capital levy for safety and security enhancements and to evaluate and design high school facilities.

If approved, the levy would raise $3.9 million in 2024, 2025 and 2026, $3.8 million in 2027, and $3.75 million in 2028 and 2029.

The levy would cost between 31 cents and 27 cents per $1,000 or $77.50 to $67.50 for a home with a taxable value of $250.000.

Finley School District

The Finley School District is asking voters to approve a two-year education programs and operations levy to support athletics, extracurriculars, instructional supplies, technology, maintenance, staff-

Courtesy Barnard Griffin

Barnard Griffin’s new Woodinville tasting room features a bar front, chandeliers and fused-glass installations designed and produced by winery co-owner Deborah Barnard. It’s located at 17401 133rd Ave., Suite 1008, in The Schoolhouse District’s wine row area.

Riverside Panda Express

plan gains steam in

Richland

Millennium Construction Group submitted plans to demolish the former Richland Red Robin building, 924 George Washington Way, on Dec. 22.

The application was pending in early January.

The restaurant is slated to be replaced by a new building housing a Panda Express.

The property is flanked by the Columbia River to the east, Sterling’s restaurant to the south and George Washington Way to the west.

Panda Express, based in Rosemead, California, confirmed its plans to open

new locations in Richland and in Pasco in 2022, bringing its local footprint to five restaurants.,

A Las Vegas-based trust paid $1.8 million for the former Red Robin building in April 2022. The property includes 1.4 acres and a deteriorating 7,732-square-foot building. It was originally constructed in 1954 and was once home to City Buffet. It has been vacant for about nine years.

The Pasco location is set for 1525 W. Court St., where the Panda Express developer intends to demolish a former credit union to make way for a restaurant with drive-thru.

Sephora moves, J.C. Penney creates own beauty shop

Shoppers at Kennewick’s Columbia

Center mall will have a new option when it comes to beauty products.

J.C. Penney Co. is opening its own beauty shop in the spot once occupied by Sephora.

Sephora moved to the other end of the mall after a partnership between the two brands ended. Sephora is now at 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 801, next to Verizon.

J.C. Penney debuted its in-house beauty store in 2021, and by 2022 said it would establish the JCPenney Beauty brand in its stores nationwide.

The new brand focuses on diverse products for customers with all skin types and colors. About 20% of its products are associated with JCPenney partner Thirteen Lune. Thirteen Lune focuses on beauty brands catering to people of all colors.

The company said it would complete 600 in-store conversions by spring 2023. The stores offer tech-enabled systems that give customers an opportunity to try makeup virtually.

Since the launch, JCPenney Beauty has sourced products from more than 100 brands, with about 60% founded by women or people of color.

Richland to demolish old Economy Inn

Construction Group International LLC of Woodinville will demolish a boarded up motel in a prominent spot on George Washington Way under a $437,000 contract with the city of Richland.

The city council approved the contract Jan. 3, at its first meeting of 2023.

The city agreed to buy the Economy Inn, 515 George Washington Way, in March 2022, with reports calling it a crime-ridden and blighted property. The two-story hotel and pool were constructed in 1962 on a wedge-shaped parcel at George Washington Way and Jadwin Avenue.

The city closed the motel on June 14, 2022, the day $1.2 million deal closed, and hired a consultant to confirm the presence of hazardous materials that had to be removed before it could be torn down.

Construction Group submitted the lowest of 11 bids for the work, which the city expected to cost $450,000. Bids ranged up to nearly $850,000.

The city expected to landscape the 0.9acre site once the old building and parking lot were removed. It could be reserved for a future municipal use, such as a fire station.

The property’s 2021 property tax bill was $8,854.

ing and more. Two prior requests failed in 2022.

The levy requires a 50% approval rate to pass.

If approved, the levy will raise $1.43 million in 2024 and $1.475 million in 2025. The estimated tax rate is $2.25 per $1,000 in the first year and $2.27 in the second, or $562.50 in the first year and $567.50 in the second for a home with a taxable value of $250,000.

Ki-Be School District

The Kiona-Benton City School District is asking voters to approve a two-year educational programs and operations levy, renewing a levy that expires this year.

It must receive 50% of the vote to pass.

If approved, it will support safety and security teachers, athletics, technology, maintenance, administration and more. It will cost an estimated $1.50 per $1,000, or $375 per year for a home with a taxable value of $250,000.

Paterson School District

The Paterson School District is seeking approval of a three-year educational programs and operations levy to replace the one expiring this year.

If approved, the levy will cost 68 cents per $1,000, or $170 per year in 2024, 2025 and 2026 for a home with a taxable value of $250,000.

Trails, wind farms, cattle lot upgrades in planning stages

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 MidColumbia.

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.

Farmland Reserve cattle feedlot Plymouth

Farmland Reserve Inc. proposes improvements to an existing cattle feedlot to improve wastewater containment.

The Riverbend Feedlot project includes changes to the existing feed lot infrastructure, which has a 35,000-head capacity, and modifications of pens, facilities and existing water and waste systems for more efficient management.

Construction and modification to the cattle hospital area, feedlot solid and liquid waste handling facilities, scales, office and accessory structures also are planned.

The feedlot is 3.5 miles north of the Columbia River, east of Interstate 82 and south of Coffin Road, near the south end of Nine Canyon Road.

The Benton County Planning Division

reviewed the proposed project for probable adverse environmental impacts and expected to issue a determination of nonsignificance, or mitigated determination of non-significance.

Ford Group LLC Zone Change

Kennewick

Amy Ford of Ford Group LLC is seeking to change zoning to general commercial, from commercial community, and to build a 20,000-square-foot warehouse and 5,000 square-foot office. The site can accommodate a future 11,250-squarefoot warehouse and 2,400-square-foot office building.

New construction is valued at $2.6 million.

The city of Kennewick determined the project will not have a probable impact on the environment in a decision released Dec. 22, 2022. The property near the intersection of South Steptoe Street and West Clearwater Avenue is undeveloped.

Two Rivers Park Boardwalk Project

Finley

Benton County proposes building a 150-foot raised boardwalk to extend the existing Two Rivers Park Nature Trail.

The project is being reviewed for potential environmental impacts by the Benton County Planning Division. It will require a Benton County shoreline substantial development permit, special flood hazard development permit and a building/grading permit.

Horse Heaven Wind Farm Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council

Unincorporated Benton County Boulder, Colorado-based Horse Heaven Energy LLC, aka Scout Clean Energy/ Quinnbrook Infrastructure Partners, proposes building a renewable energy facility skirting Kennewick to the south with a nameplate generating capacity of up to 1,150 megawatts. It would use both wind turbines and solar panels.

The Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the massive project on Dec. 19, 2022. Comments are due by Feb. 1, 2023.

The project would involve nearly 72,500 acres of leased land in unincorporated Benton County, running from the south of Kennewick to south of Prosser.

The project will not total more than 244 turbines, depending on the height and type of turbine selected, and three solar arrays.

The draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) is available at bit.ly/ HorseHeavenDEIS and at the Mid-Columbia Libraries branches in Kennewick, Pasco, Prosser and West Richland. It is also available at the Richland Public Library and the Washington State Library in Tumwater.

Jack

in the Box

701 Wine Country Road, Prosser

Jason Smith and Gary Christensen

plan to build a 2,400-square-foot Jack in the Box fast food restaurant at 701 Wine Country Road, Prosser, at the corner of Gap Road, west of Interstate 82.

The project will have 34 parking spots and a drive-thru.

The city of Prosser indicated it expects to issue a mitigated determination of non-significance for the project under the state’s Environmental Policy Act.

The Terraces at Queensgate Richland

Aqtera Engineering proposes developing a neighborhood with 19 single-family lots, 89 townhome lots and five open space tracts and associated streets on two parcels south of and adjacent to Kenne Road at Queensgate Drive in south Richland.

The project site has 36 acres. A public hearing was held Jan. 9.

The city expects to issue a determination of non-significance for the project under the state Environmental Policy Act.

The property is owned by Columbia Valley Property Holdings LLC, based in Redmond.

Culbert Gravel Yard Pasco

Steve Culbert of Culbert Construction proposes to create a gravel yard to export approximately 2,700 cubic yards of excess material from a site west of Highway 12 and north of East “A” Street.

The site is vacant. The property could

Ethos in 2011, and opened its first shop, Ethos Trattoria, in north Richland.

Since then, Ethos has expanded its offerings, growing a portfolio to include coldpressed juices, ice cream and whole grain flour.

Ethos has more than a dozen wholesale accounts for its bread or baked goods, including popular ham and cheese croissants, scones and macrons, which can be found at places like Barracuda Coffee Co. in Richland and Indaba Coffee in Kennewick.

You’ll also find the company’s bread at Richland’s Fiction @ J. Bookwalter and Barnard Griffin Winery and West Richland’s The Endive Eatery.

It features pop-up sales at some events, but no longer has a booth at local farmers markets due to its year-round presence in

The Parkway.

Ethos also sells its stone-milled flours to smaller, cottage bakeries along with local Yoke’s Fresh Markets and through direct mail orders.

The company partners with local growers for the variety of grains used in its whole grain flour, along with other natural ingredients, like fruit.

“It’s opened up a whole new world of opportunity for different collaborators, and that’s been really fun,” Kora said. “I think that it gives us an opportunity to look at a regional focus versus just a Tri-Cities focus.”

On its website, Ethos explains how “freshly-ground flour preserves the unique flavors and aromas of each grain and helps us make more complex and delicious baked goods.” It also says the stone-milling process preserves the nutrients more completely.

It’s still a method Kora finds people in the Tri-Cities aren’t as familiar with. “They haven’t drank the Kool-Aid yet, right?” she joked. “When we’re talking to bakeries, and even Spokane or Yakima, it’s people who are excited about it, and it’s less of a sell than talking to our retail customers here; it’s a whole new thing for them so there’s a lot more education that goes into it.”

The new Keene Road location will include a larger stone mill, along with the addition of a sifter, thanks to a $122,500 grant from the state Department of Agriculture as part of Covid-19 recovery funding to support local food system infrastructure.

The state said small businesses, including those owned by women and minorities, were affected by food supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and the grants are intended to increase resiliency by increasing access to locally-produced food products.

Ethos Holdings was one of 137 businesses receiving grants out of more than 700 who applied for a portion of the $17 million pot.

Along with housing the new mill and sifter, Ethos expects the new building, designed by Archibald & Company Architects, to have space for its single-origin espresso program, by Coava Coffee, along with a drive-thru and room for indoor and outdoor seating.

The excitement of the planned expansion is tempered with the current challenges faced, including a punishing winter that has kept people from venturing out on some days and the perception of access issues in The Parkway.

“Parking is not as much of a problem in the morning, when we hope our customers can come by, but it’s not as directly accessible as the Keene spot was for us, and for a lot of people, that drive-thru is really a key for being able to stop in,” Kora said. “I’ve actually heard a lot of people say they didn’t even know we had parking, and it’s just a reflection of the fact that if you’re not visible to folks, or it’s not on their typical route, it can be hard to get awareness out there.”

Kora said she has heard about more small

businesses who survived the pandemic, possibly thanks to Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government, who are now facing closure due to inflation and other issues.

“I think it’s just such a complex time coming off the pandemic, and then for us, in particular, having a lot of changes happening right now, while also grappling with significant challenges in terms of increased costs. We’re still trying to figure out what a new normal looks like and the hospitality industry is historically already a tough work-life balance,” she said.

Most of the current Ethos staff is full time, working across the two retail and production locations, with a few employees who have been with the company for more than five years.

The move was burdensome enough, occurring just after Thanksgiving, and the team spent most of December settling into a smaller space while still trying to capitalize on holiday shoppers.

A plan to offer expanded options, like pizza or lunches, hasn’t happened as quickly as Kora hoped, but it’s still on the agenda.

“Unexpected barriers with the move got us more behind schedule than we anticipated, and we need to get our logistics in line first. At the end of the day, we have a lot more energy in that space because we have more activity now that it’s the one place people can get our products. We also have a lot more on the shelves and are stocking as much as we can,” she said.

Ethos holds a lease for its Parkway location for at least another two years and hasn’t made any final decisions on whether to keep both locations when it expires.

For now, Kora is focused on getting back to the Queensgate area as quickly as possible.

“It’s a great neighborhood and we’ve gotten to know a lot of the customers in that area, so we’re looking forward to it. Come find us in The Parkway in the meantime,” she said.

Port receives $3.6 million to extend tracks to plant

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Port of Pasco has secured $3.6 million to extend railroad tracks to the future Darigold Inc. processing plant now under construction at Reimann Industrial Park near Highway 395.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both Washington Democrats, sponsored the port’s request for funds with support from U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside. It was included in the 2023 federal appropriations bill approved by Congress on Dec. 22, 2022.

The money will pay for construction of 6,100 feet of industrial rail (5,280 feet equals a mile) linking the industrial park to the BNSF rail yard in Pasco, the socalled “Last Mile Rail Project.”

Seattle-based Darigold broke ground on a $600-plus million processing plant in September 2022 after years of negotiations with the port led it to select Pasco for its newest state-of–art plant. The plant will be the largest of its kind in North America and will employ 200 or more when it opens in 2024.

The rail extension will support future tenants of Reimann Industrial Center, as well as Darigold.

The port sold 150 acres, or half of the Reimann park, to Darigold in a $3.3 million deal after negotiating for more than a year under the name “Project Ruby.”

Franklin County, the city of Pasco and the Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) supported the effort, which included a commitment to invest $30

million building new roads, utilities, rail and other infrastructure.

The port previously received a $7.5 million capital budget award from the Washington State Legislature and $2.3 million from Franklin County’s economic development fund. It also is using the state’s new Tax Increment Financial law to issue general obligation bonds to cover about $9 million of infrastructure costs.

“Darigold is the single largest project to locate at a Port of Pasco industrial center. Winning this project wouldn’t have been possible without the support and infrastructure investments made by the city of Pasco, Franklin County, Franklin PUD, several state legislators and now our congressional delegation,” said Randy Hayden, the port’s executive director.

The remaining property is available for sale.

At the time it broke ground, Darigold said the 400,000-square-foot plant will support its goal to become a top-tier global dairy producer. Citing U.S. Department of Agriculture data, it said domestic demand for dairy grew at 1.6% in 2021 while demand for dairy exports rose by 19%.

The Darigold plant will process 8 million of pounds of milk per day through two specialized milk dryers and two packaging lines for powdered milk products, two butter churns, two bulk butter packaging lines for commercial and institutional customers and five packaging lines for consumer products.

It will source milk from more than 100

local dairy farms.

When operational, it will have the capacity to produce 175 million pounds of butter per year and nearly 280 million pounds of powdered milk products. It said it will produce milk products that meet industry specifications for use in the most sensitive applications, such as infant formula.

The newly funded rail extension was a key to securing Darigold in Pasco’s evergrowing roster of major food processors.

Darigold said Pasco’s proximity to rail lines and global shipping ports will help it move products to both domestic and global destinations.

“Dairy farmers in the Pacific Northwest have a unique opportunity to benefit from global demand for dairy, which is rising considerably faster than it is domestically. This region is ideally suited to producing high-quality, nutritious dairy and our proximity to global shipping infrastructure makes it more efficient to access international markets,” said Allan Huttema, chairman of Darigold’s board of directors and operator of Almar Dairy in Parma, Idaho, said at the time of the groundbreaking.

The plant will employ state-of-the-art processing equipment that could mitigate more than 300,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, it said.

The Port of Pasco is the developer for the project. E.A. Bonelli & Associates is the architect. Miron Construction is the builder.

be used as an express parking and storage yard in the future.

Bergstrom Aircraft Fuel Storage Tank

Pasco

Malin Bergstrom of Bergstrom Aircraft is proposing to construct a 30,000-gallon above ground fuel storage tank. If approved, it will be within an existing fuel storage facility at the Tri-Cities Airport. The tank was expected to be installed around mid-January.

Tiger Cool Express Freight Intermodal Facility

Burbank

Remprex LLC of Lisle, Illinois, proposes to establish a truck-rail facility at Burbank on property owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

UP previously received approval for a project to convert an existing freight facility into an intermodal terminal at an existing 200,000-square-foot warehouse.

Rail spurs and grading work were completed in 2017, but the commercial vehicle parking area, communications tower and office space were not, and the facility was not brought into use.

Tiger Cool Express proposes to amend the original plan to improve parking and create areas to stack empty containers. Its project would use less concrete and asphalt, it said.

Walla Walla County issued a determination of non-significance on Dec. 15, 2022.

Speck Hyundai of Tri-Cities completed construction of its new Kennewick dealership facility on Dec. 1, 2022.

The project was built on behalf of JP and Katy Moore.

The $6 million project features a showroom and service department, charging for electric vehicles and can accommodate the incoming Hyundai Ioniq franchise, established to sell Hyundai’s electric vehicle models.

The exterior is stucco.

Wave Architecture designed the facility.

Prime Dental Pasco, an expansion of West Richland Family Dental, completed a new dental clinic in Pasco in late December.

The 5,000-square-foot building is home to a state-of-the-art dental facility with a dozen patient rooms and the latest technology. The $1.5 million project is near Gesa Stadium.

West Richland Family Dental, established in 1983, is led by brothers Paul and Dr. Jason Madsen and coowners Dr. Michael Maxfield and Dr. Wesley Karlson.

Bruce Baker and Angelique Madsen designed the project.

Oscar Torres of G2 Construction oversaw construction.

The $2.3 million project includes seven kitchens, one indoor dining area and an outdoor dining area. 1derful BBQ has opened in one of the spots. The rest are available for lease for around $2,500 per month, with tenants sharing common area expenses for custodial services, taxes, utilities and so forth.

Terence L. Thornhill Architect Inc. designed the project.

Cliff Thorn Construction was the general contractor.

For leasing information, contact Ashley Moala at SVN | Retter & Company at 541-379-1338.

Park

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Joo Seok Baek completed construction of 1derful Food Park, a hybrid of food trucks and brick-and-mortar restaurants at the Colonnade Shopping Center in Kennewick, on Dec. 7, 2022.

Neil Cooper completed construction of a 1,600-square-foot facility for Cooper Wine Co. at its Benton City vineyard estate.

The project includes a production area, fermentation hall, barrel room and hospitality space. The goal is to support Cooper Wine Co.’s current production capacity and improve efficiency.

The space includes a 3,000-square-foot mezzanine to host wine tastings.

Cooper Wine partnered with eight local, family-owned contractors to design and build the facility, which is within the Red Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA) wine-growing region.

Cooper Wine Co. is a family-run, boutique winery dedicated to crafting estatefarmed Red Mountain wines. The winery sources from its vineyard, farms the land and offers its wines directly to CoopClub members and their guests. The winery is currently open only to club members.

PUBLIC RECORD

uBANKRUPTCIES

Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings:

Chapter 7 — Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up nonexempt 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

Emmaleah Waterman Heinz, 3003 Queensgate Drive, #160, Richland.

Minerva Gabriela Perez, 117 Diamond Drive, Pasco.

Jackeline Ulloa, 4920 Matia Lane, Pasco.

Barbara Sue Collings, 1770 Leslie Road, #107, Richland.

Nakia Ann Becerra, 3710 Bing St., West Richland.

Jose Cruz Brambila & Arcelia Brambila, 1916 E. Butte St., Pasco.

Sabrina Kathleen Ellis, 6305 Chapel Hill Blvd., #J202, Pasco.

Cheryl Lynn Stafford, PO Box 377, Prosser.

Brent Allen Stach & Hayley Cane Stach, 5307 Paddington Lane, Pasco.

Oscar Arroyo Barajas, 480 Wenatchee St., Richland.

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

6821 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick, 10,786-square-foot restaurant. Price: $1.6 million. Buyer: Hogback Canal Drive LLC. Seller: JBP Properties LLC. 4294 Highview St., Richland, 2,440-square-foot home. Price: $780,000. Buyer: Jordon Leon & Ashley Richards. Seller: Jeremy & Ashley Faust.

36708 S. Hawks Tree PR SE, Ken-

newick, 2,755-square-foot home and pole building on 5 acres. Price: $900,000. Buyer: Alexander J. Fazzari & Lyndsay K. Rodgers. Seller: Kurt J. & Camilla A.G. Lockard.

372 Clovernook St., Richland, 4,054-square-foot home. Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: Augustine Achianga & Eunice N. Nkengasong. Seller: Michael D. & Tanis R. Detrick.

306 Piper St., Richland, 1,940-square-foot home. Price: $920,000. Buyer: Keenan & Madeline Dolan. Seller: Miguel Angel Saldana. 2603 W. 48th Ave., Kennewick, 3,006-square-foot home. Price: $730,000. Buyer: Pomcjhai Leelasinjaroen & Rawipan Uaratanawong. Seller: Jeffrey Alan Zuckerman & Angelica Cardenas Ruge.

2481 Legacy Lane, Richland, 2,390-square-foot home. Price: $800,000. Buyer: Jeffrey Jon & Colleen Inez Heilman. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights II LLC.

5431 Hershey Lane, West Richland, 4,521-square-foot home. Price: $907,000. Buyer: Matias J. & Racheal R. Vargas. Seller: Brad Beauchamp.

7563 W. 22nd Ave., Kennewick, 0.58-acre home site. Price: $800,000. Buyer: Anel Lapandic & Belma Zelkanovic. Seller: Prodigy Homes Inc.

3015 Riverbend Drive, Richland, 2,662-square-foot home. Price: $730,000. Buyer: Steve & Ciarlo Denise Norton. Seller: Jiguang & Li Zhang.

1702 S. Highlands Drive, West Richland, 4,460-square-foot home. Price: $900,000. Buyer: Judith Nyaribo. Seller: Anna Voloshchuk.

618 Lago Vista Drive, Richland, 2,868-square-foot home. Price: $938,000. Buyer: Samuel & Helen Kao. Seller: William R. Owen.

2465 Legacy Lane, Richland, 3,078-square-foot home. Price: $930,000. Buyer: Scott A. & Ann Marie T. Mitchell. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights II LLC. 3337 S. Young St., Kennewick, 0.3-acre home site. Price: $749,000. Buyer: David Anthony & Christine Anne Ciummo. Seller: Daniel & Wendy Marsolek.

756 Creer Way, West Richland, 2,236-square-foot home. Price: $908,000. Buyer: Waylon & Rachael Duncan. Seller: Urban Range LLC. 1369 & 1350 N. Grant St., Kennewick, 77,175-square-foot fitness center, 51,450-square-foot indoor tennis club, 3,568-square-foot dental clinic, 1,128-square-foot commercial building. Price: $6.7 million. Buyer: The Brae LLC. Seller: Carlton Cadwell/TriCity Court Club.

2449 Falconcrest Loop, Richland, 2,678-square-foot home. Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: Ameet Piryani. Seller: Prodigy Homes LLC.

953 Jericho Court, 816 N. Dallas Road, Richland, two 8,000-squarefoot, 9,522-, 8,420- and 8,020-squarefoot mini warehouse buildings on 10 acres. Price: $8.8 million. Buyer: CCW013 LLC. Seller: Watts & Sons LLC.

751 Meadows Drive, Richland, 2,626-square-foot home. Price: $920,000. Buyer: Bruce A. & Deborah A. Schnabel. Seller: Keith Edward “Gus” & Rebeccca Ann Myers Trustees.

2342 Harris Ave., Richland, 1,701-square-foot home. Price: $820,000. Buyer: Barbara J. Melko. Seller: Sandra Fiskum Trustee.

1312 Paige St., Richland, 2,500-square-foot home. Price: $815,000. Buyer: Allan & Yolanda Tuan. Seller: Benjamin P. Sappington & Kira J. Bennett.

105550 E. Tatum Blvd., Kennewick, 3,033-square-foot home. Price: $858,000. Buyer: Christopher & Melinda Major. Seller: Elegant Custom Homes LLC.

320 N. Johnson St., Kennewick, 8.,048-, 2,304-, 3,904-square-foot office buildings, 600-square-foot commercial building. Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: Plaza One LLC. Seller: 7D Development at Plaza 1 LLC.

2418 Garlick Blvd., Richland, 7,558-square-foot fitness center. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Blue Spruce Holdings LLC. Seller: G. F. Garlick Family LLC.

2444 Maggio Loop, Richland, 2,773-square-foot home. Price: $760,000. Buyer: Bonnie & Adam

Giampietro Trustees. Seller: Riverwood Homes Washington LLC. 6924, 6860, 6966, 6762, 6726, 6708, 6835 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick, home sites under 0.68 acres. Price: $721,000. Buyer: Hayden Homes LLC. Seller: HHIF VI LLC.

Property off Bofer Canyon Road, 270 acres of dry ag land. Price: $2 million. Buyer: Kadanizo LLC. Seller: Charles John Christensen.

Property off Bofer Canyon Road, 284 acres of dry ag land. Price: $2.3 million. Buyer: Wakapaqua LLC. Seller: Charles John Christensen.

1844 Sicily Lane, Richland, 2,869-square-foot home. Price: $768,000. Buyer: Abdullah Alkanan. Seller: Yang Kui Lu.

1658 Sorrento Lane, Richland, 2,535-square-foot home. Price: $800,000. Buyer: Jiguang & Li Zhang. Seller: Robert E. & Nancy A. Pruden.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

2221 E. Lewis St., Pasco, 3,624-square-foot car wash, 4,000-square-foot convenience store, 260-square foot snack bar, 2,640-square-foot laundromat. Price: $7 million. Buyer: Tiger LLC. Seller: Okran & Hoju Moon.

1125 E. Hillsboro Road, Pasco, 14,136- and 4,200-square-foot storage warehouse. Price: $1.6 million. Buyer: KCLC Holdings LLC. Seller: Kohler & King LLC.

6900 Ryder Road, Pasco, 0.6-acre home site. Price: $823,000. Buyer: Jesus Romero Jr. & Anahi Romero et al. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc. 8120 Sunset Lane, Pasco, 6,358-square-foot home. Price: $3.2 million. Buyer: Jesus Higareda-Diaz (etux). Seller: Jean You.

6907 Kau Trail, Pasco, 1,323-squarefoot doublewide and 800-square-foot utility building. Price: $1.8 million. Buyer: Jasbir Singh (etux). Seller: Madden D. & Beverly M. Alford Living Trust. 300 N. Ford Ave., Connell, 1,608-square-foot clubhouse, multibuilding apartment complex. Price: $2.8 million. Buyer: IPG-CWA LLC. Seller: Aldercrest Apartments LLC.

7628 Kohler Road, 2,306-square-foot home. Price: $1 million. Buyer: Kelly & Shane W. O’Leary. Seller: Caroline Settlemier (et al.).

5426 Road 68, Pasco, 12,800-squarefoot shopping center. Price: $3 million. Buyer: TK One LLC (et al.). Seller: Sandifur Plaza Retail Center LLC. Property off Sheffield Road, 119.5 acres. Price: $1.7 million. Buyer JMD Land LLC. Seller: Freeman Farms Land LLC.

4302 Swallow Ave., Pasco, 6,000-square-foot service garage. Price: $712,500. Buyer: GK Real Estate DOS LLC. Seller: Astley Tow and Transmission.

562 Kent Drive, Eltopia, 85 acres with shop building and farm implement shed. Price: $1.1 million. Buyer: Pretty and Nice Land Holdings LLC. Seller:

uBUILDING PERMITS

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Hudlow Inc., 2100 Black Road, Kahlotus, $150,000 for antenna tower. Contractor: Mastec Network Solutions.

TSK 2017 LLC, 52 E. Vineyard Drive, Pasco, $8,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Turping Construction LLC.

Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, 3152 Selph Landing Road, Pasco, $950,000 for commercial addition, $350,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: Tanco Engineering Inc.

Bejo Seeds Inc., 6560 Columbia River Road, Pasco, $52,000 for fire alarm

system. Contractor: Advanced Protection Services.

KENNEWICK

Phillips Kennewick, 2624 W. Kennewick Ave., A, $10,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Calvary Chapel of Tri-Cities, 10611 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite D, $6 million for commercial remodel, $500,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $200,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Owner, Total Energy Management Inc., Riggle Plumbing Inc.

Ice Harbor Brewing, 10 E. Bruneau Ave., $50,000 for plumbing, $750,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $750,000 for commercial remodel. Contractors: BNB Mechanical LLC, Bruce Mechanical Inc., Columbia River Warehouse.

Jeremy B. & Sheriann Appleby, 808 W. John Day Ave., B, $18,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner.

Kennewick School District, 7001 W. 13th Ave., $283,669 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Chervenell Construction.

Kennewick School District, 5929 W. Metaline Ave., D, $12,000 for plumbing. Contractor: Banlin Construction Co. LLC.

I & J Investments, 520 E. Columbia Drive, $18,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Dunn Wright Roofing and Exteriors.

Luis Miramontes, 4112 W. 24th Ave., $19 million for new commercial, $1.8 million for heat pump/HVAC, $785,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Mullins Enterprises LLC, Elite Construction & Development.

Gary D. & Linda J. Earp, 308 W. Ken-

newick Ave., $40,00 for commercial remodel, $17,500 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: owners.

Robin Hansen, 2913 W. Kennewick Ave., $1 million for commercial remodel, $89,000 for plumbing, $150,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Engelke Construction Solutions, Columbia River Plumbing and Mechanical LLC, Total Energy Management Inc.

Terral Finger, 6203 W. Clearwater Ave., $43,114 for accessory building. Contractor: Sure Built Structures.

Pro Made Construction, 2715 S. Sherman St., $26,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: RP Development LLC.

8200 Gage LLC, 8200 W. Gage Blvd., $12,000 for sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication.

Highlands Center, 2803 W. Clearwater Ave., $7,000 for sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication.

Inland Ocean LLC, 201 N. Edison St., #250, $7,000 for sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication.

DFU Property Management, 131 N. Ely St., $255,000 for new commercial. Contractor: owner.

Bruce Lok Trustee, 22 S. Gum St., $15,000 for plumbing, $15,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: TLM Petro Labor Force.

James Hutchinson Rentals LLC, 410 E. Kennewick Ave., $30,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Legacy Telecommunications.

Amon Hills Property, 9501 W. Clearwater Ave., #A126, $100,000 for commercial remodel, $5,000 for mechaniuPUBLIC RECORD, Page B17

William M. Derting.

cal. Contractor: APC Services LLC.

Bilingual Learning Center, 1110 N. Edison St., $16,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Moon Security Services Inc.

KFC, 901 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $6,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: ADT Commercial LLC.

Brookdale Canyon Lakes, 2802 W. 35th Ave., $14,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Johnson Controls.

Footwedge LLC, 6509 W. Rio Grande Ave., $11,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Advanced Protection Services.

CVKOB LLC, 30 S. Louisiana St., $9,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Cascade Fire Protection.

Kennewick Warehouse Investor LLC, 6420 W. John Day Ave., $60,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Bruce Mechanical Inc.

Dana Brown, 1720 W. Fourth Ave., $69,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner.

Circle K Stores Inc., 22 S. Gum St., $15,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Northwest Refrigeration.

Michael Chalcraft, 2523 W. Kennewick Ave., $10,000 for demolition.

Contractor: owner.

Platinum Automotive, 8504 W. Clearwater Ave., $7,000 for sign. Contractor: Yesco LLC.

Fruitland Dental Holding LLC, 100 N. Fruitland St., #4, $300,000 for commercial remodel, $30,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $30,000 for plumbing.

Contractor: W McKay Construction LLC.

Timothy Bush Jr., 5204 W. Okanogan Place, #140, #120, $100,000 for commercial remodel, $30,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $20,000 for plumbing.

Contractors: Hummel Construction & Development, Total Energy Management Inc., Riggle Plumbing Inc.

Wallace Properties, 128 S. Ely St., $10,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Cascade Fire Protection Systems.

Charles L. Hull, 2913 W. John Day Ave., #C202, $50,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Palmer Roofing Co.

Garry Tyhuis, 2912 W. Hood Ave., #C101, $50,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Palmer Roofing Co.

PASCO

Project Oyster Pasco, Parcel 112 550 115, $325,000 for new commercial.

Contractor: Ryan Companies US Inc.

Broadmoor Commercial, 5710 Road

92, $131,349 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Clearspan Steel LLC.

City of Pasco, 3624 Road 100, $1.2 million for new commercial. Contractor: to be determined.

Circle K Stores Inc., 3109 W. Court St., $25,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Circle K Stores Inc., 4823 Broadmoor Blvd., $25,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Port of Pasco, 2305 W. Argent Road, $15,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Mickelson Landholding LLC, 1931 E. Superior St., $31,700 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner.

MGSC LLC, 1840 W. Court St., $30,000 for demolition. Contractor: MH Construction Inc.

Flocchini Associates, 5710 Road 68, $7,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

St. Andrews Loop LLC, 2713 N. 20th Ave., $342,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Chervenell Construction.

I & J Investments, 1015 W. Lewis St., $6,000 for demolition. Contractor: Cliff Thorn Construction.

Court Street Mall, 1501 W. Court St., $45,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell Cool Electric Plumbing.

Darigold Inc., 8201 N. Railroad Ave., $14.4 million for new commercial. Contractor: Miron Construction Co. Inc.

Parr Lumber Co., 2105 N. Commercial Ave., $10,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Romm Construction Inc.

723 Pasco LLC, 723 N. Third Ave., $97,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Tri-City Glass Inc.

Yellow Transportation, 4905 N. Railroad Ave., $181,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: EJH Construction Inc.

STK Hosford South, 1800 W. Lewis St., Buildings A, B, C & D, $122,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Advanced Protection Services.

Port of Pasco, 3405 E. Ainsworth Ave., #T-262, $52,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: owner.

Shiva Financial LLC, 110 S. Elm Ave., $49,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner.

RBJK Ventures LLC, 1907 W. Jay St., $44,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Anchor D. Construction.

Brantingham Enterprises, 3115

Rainier Place, $28,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: CRF Metal Works LLC.

Sunnyside Hospitality Properties LLC, 4525 Road 68, $19,000 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Fire Control Sprinkler System.

Cascade Pasco LLC, 2605 N. Commercial Ave., $11,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

RMM Group LLC, 6701 W. Argent Road, $11 million for multifamily homes. Contractor: RM Construction & Interior Design.

Thomas C. Solbrack, 6711 W. Court St., $20,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Tilson Tech.

Dana Brown, 1204 W. Hassalo St., $39,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner.

Delia Hernandez-Alvarez, 117 S. Fifth Ave., $38,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner.

PROSSER

Zirkle Fruit Company, 101 Benitz Road, $20,000 for plumbing. Contractor: M Campbell & Company.

Prosser Public Hospital, 200 Prosser Health Drive, $29 million for new commercial. Contractor: Bouten Construction Co.

RJS Grant Street LLC, 1115 Grant St., $11,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Eagle Roofing & Siding LLC.

RICHLAND

686 Truman Ave., $20,000 for antenna/tower, owner not listed. Contractor: Sterling Telecom & Cons.

Los Tres Amigos LLC, 705 Gage Blvd., $75,000 for antenna/tower. Contractors: Legacy Telecommunications.

Los Tres Amigos LLC, 705 Gage Blvd., Suite 100, $48,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Foreman Construction.

Herb Brayton, 701 George Washington Way, $54,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Alliant Roofing.

Hamilton Cellars, 318 Wellhouse Loop, $152,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Northwest Roofing & Exterior.

City of Richland, 515 George Washington Way, $438,000 for demolition. Contractor: Construction Group International.

Circle K Stores Inc., 1401 George Washington Way, $6,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Northwest Refrigeration Services.

WEST RICHLAND

521 S. 38th Ave., $22,000 for commercial reroof, owner not listed. Contractor: Black Diamond Roofing.

6101 W. Van Giesen St., $11,000 for commercial reroof, owner not listed. Contractor: Perfect Circle Construction.

uBUSINESS LICENSES

KENNEWICK

Hi-5 ABA Processing Inc., 5306 Lee Highway, Warrenton, Virginia.

Engelke Construction Solutions LLC, 2927 Nationwide Parkway, Brunswick, Ohio.

Purple Diamond Construction LLC, 821 College St., Milton-Freewater, Oregon.

Amp Washington, P.C., 3500 Maple Ave., Dallas, Texas.

Vixie Construction LLC, 85198 Edwards Road, Milton-Freewater, Oregon.

Pontchartrain Partners LLC, 739 S. Clark St., New Orleans, Louisiana.

Transblue, 12613 Ingraham Road, Snohomish.

Noni’s Custom Creations, 6532 Marble St., West Richland.

Tu Decides Media, 1411 N. Nevada Court.

Prostat Electric, 1721 NE 64th Ave., Vancouver.

F.C. Concrete & Chico’s Construction, 223111 E. Bowles Road, Lot 2. Rosie’s Barbershop, 1424 N. 14th Ave., Pasco.

Focal Point Marketing LLC, 7535 W. Kennewick Ave.

TTB Investments LLC, 5204 W. Okanogan Ave.

Northwest Fence Company Inc., 14909 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley.

Sysco Food Service of Seattle, 22820 54th Ave. South, Kent.

Tri J’s Drywall, 51 N. Edison St., #H204.

Stan’s General Construction LLC, 1600 W. Clark St., Pasco.

Wall to Wall Painting, 4413 Sumas Lane, Pasco.

Manny Express LLC, 729 E. Fourth Ave., Kennewick.

Skills Construction & Development, 4903 Antigua Drive, Pasco.

Bryan Concrete LLC, 206 E. 15th Ave.

Hoopes Well Drilling LLC, 2000 Saint St., Richland.

Tracer Fencing, 5777 W. 28th Ave.

Angela Dryden Coach & LMT, 216 W. 52nd Ave.

First Impressions Flooring LLC, 6916 W. Yellowstone Ave.

The FG Collective, 2711 W. Canal Drive.

Jeni Moreno, 2417 W. Kennewick Ave.

Gold Key Properties LLC, 718 N. Green St.

Showcase Specialties, 915 S. Dawes St.

Cervantes Cleaning LLC, 315 N. Waldemar Ave., Pasco.

ATK Construction Inc., 51401 Stone Ridge Tail East, Ford.

Gray’s Wings & Things, 6481 W. Skagit Ave.

Big Rods Guide Service, 601 S. Young Place.

SJ7 Mobile Solutions LLC, 3103 S. Bermuda Road.

Home Cosmetic Solutions, 5520 Arthur Lane, Pasco.

Paula L. Lung, 7820 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick.

Dynasty Roofing, 8316 N. Colton Place, Spokane.

Kent Manor, 1000 W. Fifth Ave.

Antsy Nomads, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave.

Columbia River Inspections LLC, 140 Larkspur Road, Pasco.

PDS Bookkeeeping Service, 1208 S. Morain St.

Amos Construction, 59111 E. 95 PR SE, Benton City.

JMF General Contractor LLC, 1323 N. 16th Ave., Pasco.

Fragrant Oil Spa, 5009 W. Clearwater Ave.

Rodas Construction of Spokane, 4015 S. Conklin Road, Greenacres. Revolution Energy Systems Inc., 4425 100th St. SW, Lakewood.

Little Sunshine LLC, 2510 W. Seventh Ave.

Ace Handyman Service Tri-Cities, 4457 Highview St., Richland.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B19

Blossom Cups & Cakes, 6501 Crosswind Blvd.

The Local Bite, 415 W. 21st Place.

A Mend to Skin, 3902 W. Clearwater Ave.

Contract Property Solutions LLC, 3300 S. Buntin St.

Odom East LLC, 5810 W. Thorpe Road, Spokane.

Doct Dan Sept Spec, 1215 W. 27th Ave.

Duncunn Remodeling & Maintenance Services, 2821 W. Grand Ronde Ave.

Fate Painting LLC, 35703 N. Flagstone Drive, Benton City.

Country Girl Creations by Michelle, 4400 Van Belle Road, Outlook.

Corescreening Inc., 1030 N. Center Parkway.

Mas Childcare, 8100 W. Deschutes Ave.

Saba Razi, 5813 W. 25th Ave.

Holden, 30105 S. 2200 PR SE.

Ag Sales, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

GJ Siding & Remodels LLC, 1001 W. Fourth Ave.

Bookkeeping with Bianca LLC, 1212 W. 21st Ave.

Technical Training Mall LLC, 2537 W. Falls Ave.

Mamitas LLC, 1502 W. 39th Ave.

Groundscrew Coffee Maintenance & Consulting, 5031 W. Clearwater Ave.

AMC Provider LLC, 2105 N. Steptoe St.

M & J Quality Construction LLC, 66802 N. 82 PR NE, Benton City.

Origin Construction Corporation, 1107 E. Hastings Road, Spokane.

JPA Transportation, 320 W. Entiat Ave.

Dani Deff Hair, 10121 W. Clearwater Ave.

Tri-Cities Psychiatry PLLC, 1030 N. Center Parkway.

EDN Agriculture, 1107 E. Hastings Road, Spokane.

Shining Janitorial Services LLC, 3708 S. Everett St.

GS Flooring LLC, 16310 S. Gertrude St.

Preferred Rentals, 3120 W. Fourth Ave.

Mario Martinez Enterprises LLC, 8200 W. Grandridge Blvd.

H&L Auto Glass, 1509 W. 38th Place.

Vanesita’s Cleaning Services, 3422 S. Conway Court.

Randy Blair Hoopes, 712 S. Yolo St.

Advanced Nursing and Consulting Services LLC, 2117 W. 23rd Ave.

Candor Fitness, 10121 W. Clearwater Ave.

Soak N Clean, 1835 S. Neel Court.

Maximum Quality Painting LLC, 28608 S. Carlson Road.

Slobedies Construction LLC, 4103 Kechika Lane, Pasco.

A&M Commercial Doors LLC, 4133 W. Seventh Ave.

Alfa Designs, 5501 W. Hildebrand Blvd.

Deluxe Security Systems, 7611 Pender Drive, Pasco.

Altitude Carbon Solutions LLC, 2100 S. Edison St.

Enciso Construction LLC, 1805 W. Seventh Place.

Legacy Transport LLC, 1212 N. Morain Loop.

Independent Living Options LLC, 515 N. Neel St., Building A, Suite 102.

Norco Inc., 6223 W. Deschutes Ave., #408.

Impakt Health Invigor Medical, 3180 W. Clearwater Ave.

Wenaha Framing, 4655 S. Tacoma Place.

Lissette Kazun, 5121 W. 32nd Ave.

Joe B. Schroeder Consulting, 7115 W. Sixth Ave.

Glow To The Beat Gttb, 440 N. Volland St.

Caffeinated Crafters, 2800 W. John Day Ave.

Ambitious Construction LLC, 123 E. Sixth Ave.

Ruby Thai Kitchen, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Angels Cleaning, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave.

Medsupply Inc., 3311 W. Clearwater Ave.

Lowary & Associates LLC, 5402 W. 20th Ave.

Uvalle Construction LLC, 5801 W. Ruby St., Pasco.

Killgore Law Office PLLC, 7135 W. Hood Place.

Douglas Robert Knowles, 7019 W.

Sixth Ave.

Tri-Cities Epoxy LLC, 9323 W. Seventh Place.

Club K9 Pet Spa & Grooming Salon, 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd.

Tri-Cities Handyman Services LLC, 8132 W. Hood Ave.

Maid In America, 203106 E. Bowles Road.

Nandos Tacos, 702 Anaconda Ave., Pasco.

Royal Spa, 4727 W. Clearwater Ave.

Synergy One Lending Inc., 501 N. Quay St.

The Magical Touch, 1623 W. First Ave.

Halo Fishing Adventures, 7112 W. 13th Ave.

Carol L. Roblyer, 10251 Ridgeline Drive.

Nyberg Ballistics, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Tri-Cities Home Training, 6816 W. Rio Grande Ave.

Leslie’s Gift Shop, 10 E. Bruneau Ave.

BMR Company, 825 S. Fruitland St.

Benchmark Oasis Partners II LLC, 9501 W. Clearwater Ave.

Food Store, 6006 W. Clearwater Ave.

Theresa’s Box Design, 601 N. Montana St.

G.F.T. Enterprises LLC, 817 S. Neel Court.

Highway Haulers LLC, 500 N. Quebec St.

Zaragoza Trucking, 4215 W. Clearwa-

ter Ave.

Catrina Tacos, 4711 Bermuda Dunes Drive, Pasco.

Alpine Anesthesia, 1882 Nova Lane, Richland.

Scrappy Oaks Woodcraft, 3806 S. Vancouver St.

PASCO

John C. Perry – Via, 3030 W. Fourth Ave., H-106, Kennewick.

RNK Sales LLC, 1320 W. A St.

Eternal Life Adult Family Home, 3713 W. Sylvester St.

Garner Electric Washington LLC, 2601 N. Commercial Ave.

My Little Angel Day Care, 415 N. Cedar Ave.

Coffeenow, 2504 Manufacturing Lane, Richland.

La Palma Express LLC, 2020 E. Lewis St., #2028A.

Roach Rentals, 8521 W. Clara St.

B.A. Fischer Sales Co. LLC, 4502 Stearman Ave., #2-69.

Commercial Tire Inc., 3305 E. Ainsworth Ave., #T-261.

Positive Nature Homecare LLC, 3315 W. Court St.

Carmelo’s Carpet, 2013 W. Yakima St.

Central Blockchain Entertainment Company, 612 Road 40.

Sandoval Construction LLC, 1721 N. 10th Ave., Suite A.

Luna Wellness Center LLC, 3330 W. Court St., Suite H.

Level Up General Construction, 99304 E. Clover Road, Kennewick.

Ken Leingang Excavating Inc., 1117 N. 27th Ave., Yakima.

Applied Automation IT, 7131 W. Deschutes Ave., Suite 102, Kennewick.

Revolution Energy Systems Inc., 4425 100th St. SW, Suite H, Lakewood.

Veda Living LLC, 100 N. Howard St., Suite R, Spokane.

Alboreny, 2449 Bramasole Drive, Richland.

Eagle Signs LLC, 1511 S. Keys Road, Yakima.

JR Mobile Service, 521 S. Cedar Ave.

Matrix Construction General Contractor LLC, 4409 Phoenix Lane.

Anderson-Perry & Associates Inc., 214 E. Birch St., Walla Walla.

K Medelez LLC, 800 E. Punkin Center Road, Hermiston, Oregon.

Resound Energy Services, 22122 20th Ave. SE, Suite 159, Bothell.

Soothies of Montana, 565 Triple Creek Drive, Kalispell, Montana.

Williams Landscaping & Construction LLC, 28707 S. Finley Road, Kennewick.

AC Concrete LLC, 130 E. Broadway Ave., Milton-Freewater, Oregon.

N.W. Construction General Contracting Inc., 22317 NE 72nd Ave., Battle Ground.

Tri-Cities Lawn and Irrigation LLC, 625 Birch Ave., Richland.

Perfection Painting and Pressure Washing LLC, 5808 Three Rivers Drive.

D.O.C.S. Notary Services, 5710 Three Rivers Drive.

Skyline Machinery Sales Inc., 525 S. Oregon Ave.

Great Stones by SS LLC, 808 Madrona Ave.

Auto Detail Depot LLC, 1620 W. Lewis St.

Premier Tax Services, 3616 W. Court

St., Suite H.

Willy’s Hot Dogs, 931 W. Court St. Fiore Financial LLC, 726 W. Sylvester St.

Paintko LLC, 3608 Morehouse Place.

Ultimate Pressure Washing and Services LLC, 700 W. 42nd Ave., Kennewick.

Cat Scale Company #3336, 2252 E. Kartchner St.

Blanco Transportation LLC, 5011 Oxford Lane.

Raphael Acuna – Via, 2555 Bella Coola Lane, #A108, Richland.

Jason Brownlee – Via, 506 Sanford Ave., Richland.

God & Me Trucking LLC, 1840 W. Margaret St.

From The Heart 3, 4407 Segovia Drive.

From The Heart 2, 4411 Segovia Drive.

From The Heart 5, 4412 Artesia Drive.

Moonlite Logistics LLC, 8016 Massey Drive.

We Care Lawn Care, 4810 Catalonia Drive.

Bogert Ventures Inc., 3606 Swallow Ave., #850.

Sharyle’s Bling Shoppe, 9703 Shetland Drive.

Concept Embodiment Media, 5007 Latimer Court.

Greenworks Landscaping, 1516 Road 44.

Studio 1215 LLC, 4813 Indian Ridge Drive.

Lieb’s Fine Homes LLC, 4199 Highview St., Richland.

Taqueria Buenavista, 2805 E. A St.

Arby’s, 2252 E. Kartchner St.

Love’s Travel Stop #811, 2252 E. Kartchner St.

From The Heart 4, 4408 Artesia Drive.

MP Environmental Services Inc., uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B21

2501 E. Lewis Place.

Solufix Heating & Cooling LLC, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick.

Tri-Cities Wine Lab, 5019 Marlin Lane.

Renacer Child Care, 5511 Leon Court.

Ferny’s Painting LLC, 133 S. Elm Ave.

E3 Consulting LLC, 4008 Kechika Lane.

J. R. Swigart Company Inc., 1828 W. Lewis St., Suite A.

Rainbow Daycare, 8318 Silver Mound Drive.

Six Letters Business Services LLC, 5310 Reagan Way.

H & R Block Enterprises LLC, 5325 Road 68, Suite B.

Port 4U Logistics, 5501 W. Hildebrand Blvd., Kennewick.

Van Belle Excavating LLC, 500 Colleen’s Way, Grandview.

Desert Wind Development LLC, 92505 E. 83 PR SE, Kennewick.

D Squared Construction LLC, 727 S. Alder St., Apt. B, Unit B, Kennewick.

Burris Music Services, 503 Blue St., Richland.

RM Plumbing LLC, 624 Edith St., Burbank

DCT General Construction LLC, 511 S. Alder Place, Kennewick.

TJM Industries LLC, 306 Harrison Road, Burbank.

Claphan Installations LLC, 2112 S. Grant St., Kennewick.

Hot Tub and Swim Spa Sale LLC, 1012 Marquez Place, #106B, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Covenant Engineering, 33711 Highway 95, Lewiston, Idaho.

Penta Flooring & Design, 1620 W. 21st Place, Kennewick.

Avara Construction, 15333 NE 90th St., Suite 140, Redmond.

CMRR LLC, 6921 W. Willamette Ave., Kennewick.

JMAK Professional Cleaning LLC, 519 N. Kent St., Kennewick.

All American Barns LLC, 65310 N. Highway 225, Benton City.

Mustang Construction LLC, 2107 N. Pittsburg Court, Kennewick.

123 Express Transport, 508 Newcomer St., Richland.

Tri-City Tire & Service, 4918 S. Washington Place, Kennewick.

Bonanza Drywall LLC, 20 Nuclear Lane.

Galin Drywall LLC, 1021 S. 10th St.,

Sunnyside.

House To Home Contracting LLC, 917 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick.

Miranda’s Landscaping & Irrigation LLC, 18710 S. Hawthorne St., Kennewick.

Pai Construction LLC, 723 The Parkway, Richland.

Jeremie Prock, 1111 Crestline Drive, Couer d’Alene, Idaho.

Lupes Construction Landscaping LLC, 1601 Harvest Place, Sunnyside.

T & M Heating & Refrigeration Inc., 2711 S. Fifth Ave., Union Gap.

Pro-X Services LLC, 324 Adair Drive, Richland.

Showcase Construction & Landscape Inc., 22235 Dip Lane, Parma, Idaho.

Millennium Construction Group, 2888 Concord Blvd., Concord, California.

J Wales Home Solutions LLC, 1400 112th Ave. SE, Suite 100, Bellevue.

R and S Janitorial Services, 1300 W. Fourth St., Grandview.

My RN, 1603 Birch Ave., Richland.

Commercial Facilities Support, 330 102nd Ave. SE Apt 203, Bellevue.

Mayra Aguilar - Via, 921 N. 24th Ave., #2.

Watkins Endeavor LLC, 8616 Massey Drive.

Tri-Fry, 212 W. Kennewick., Kennewick.

Victor’s Lawn Services, 3703 Lakelse Lane.

Columbia Basin Fence Co. LLC, 829 SW Eighth St., Pendleton, Oregon.

Blueline Equipment Co, LLC, 2080 N. Commercial Ave.

Luz Salas, 1123 W. Court St. 1119

Jaxson Flooring, 4258 S. Zillah St., Kennewick.

Dejulia Elder Law & Estate Planning PLLC, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick.

Full Circle Rail, 1707 Road 60.

Mauricio A. Valencia Figueroa - Via, 7811 Deschutes Drive.

Top Choice Bomb Wings and Catering LLC, 110 S. Fourth Ave.

OCR General Contractor LLC, 200802 E. Game Farm Road, Kennewick.

A & One Septic Service LLC, 103 W. California St., Yakima.

Gradam Accounting, 8816 Bridger Court.

Derma Jem LLC, 3315 W. Court St., Suite 108

Teacher Solutions LLC, 310 W. Columbia St.

Herbert C. Wilson – Uber, 3517 Road 84, #125E.

Capitol Construction Solution Inc., 1050 State Route 126, Plainfield, Illinois.

Barnes DBWA Enterprises LLC, 6609 Burden Blvd., #6609.

George Allen Construction Co., 9930 W. 190th St., Suite A, Mokena, Illinois.

J&R Embroidery Designs, 925 W. Octave St.

RICHLAND

Electrical Construction Company, 981 Powell Ave. SW, Renton

Kettle Falls International Railway LLC, 125 E Meyers St., Kettle Falls

Tri-Cities Lawn Service, 116 N Douglas Ave., Pasco.

Shannon & Wilson Inc., 2705 Saint Andrews Loop, Suite A, Pasco.

CWW LLC, 709 N. 10th Ave., Walla Walla

The Math Translator LLC, 2965 Crosswater Loop.

Second Opinion Construction LLC, 451 Westcliffe Blvd.

Inland Mechanical Inc., 3095 Kingsgate Way.

Ultra Construction, 2413 Famville Court, Pasco.

Case By Case Services, 1917 Hoxie Ave.

C&R Painting LLC, 109 Harrison Place, Burbank.

Fable Craft Bar and Kitchen, 1705 Columbia Park Trail.

Birth & Bits, 1201 Jadwin Ave.

Luxe Concrete, 520 S. Lester Road, Outlook.

Richland Chamber of Commerce, 1229 Columbia Park Trail.

Jones of Washington, 2471 Robertson Drive.

Krispy Kreme, 2805 Duportail St.

Synergy Group Alliance LLC, 1440 Battelle Blvd.

Heidi Deschamps Counseling LLC, 750 Swift Blvd.

Bliss By Damaris Graphic Design LLC, 1845 Peachtree Lane.

The Hallelujah Doula, 2300 Boulder St.

Hartfit Athletics LLC, 1119 Bridle Drive.

Torbett Street Kindercare, 306 Torbett St.

Svoboda-Christman Properties LLC, 1609 Molly Marie Ave.

Twin Shades, 690 Gage Blvd.

KPR Contracting LLC, 2213 W. Eighth Place, Kennewick.

Brandy Michelle Langeberg, 2173 Van Giesen St.

Badger Mountain Sales, 4819 Smitty Drive.

Champoux Home Staging LLC, 3536 Nottingham Drive.

TJ Ledbetter Ethics Consulting LLC, 439 Cherry Blossom Loop.

Jr Electric LLC, 57 N. Quebec St., Kennewick.

World Tree Wellness, 1201 Jadwin Ave.

X7 Relight LLC, 1210 Gage Blvd.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B22

Contract Property Solutions LLC, 3300 S. Buntin St., Kennewick.

Jill Clark, 2615 Sandstone Lane.

Lauri B’s Soul Rides, 4308 Saint Paul Lane, Pasco.

Hair by Torpey, 87 Keene Road.

Doug and Tristy Hagedorn, Realtors, P.S., 2152 Morency Drive.

Silmac Wholesale Distributor LLC, 578 Clermont Drive.

Kelby Loves Hair, 1315 George Washington Way.

Clouse’s Quality Construction Company LLC, 1310 W. Sunset Drive, Burbank.

ABM General Contractor LLC, 1518 59th Court, Pasco.

L&C All Shine Cleaning Service LLC,

8310 Ballard Loop.

Harmony Development LLC, 2323 Eagle Ridge Court.

Fenrir Tactical Solutions LLC, 2424 Michael Ave.

Enterprise Behavior Analysis LLC, 1317 Cedar Ave.

Tumbleweed Animal Sanctuary, 98804 E. Caballo Place, Kennewick.

Valley Wide Cooperative - Grandview Retail, 940 E. Wine Country Road, Grandview.

Swift Stop, 2110 Swift Blvd.

Pier 77 General Construction Inc., 8 Royal Crest Loop PR, West Richland.

Ayres Enterprises, 425 Piper St.

Gatewood Designs, 4771 White Drive.

KSL All in One LLC, 344 Wishkah

Drive.

Enedalia Ochoa Suarez, 1019 S. Beech St., Kennewick.

Plush Flush, 78058 Country Heights Drive, Kennewick.

Miss Alyssa’s Cleaning, 212 S. Cedar Ave., Pasco.

WEST RICHLAND

Duncan’s Property Clean Up & Hauling, PO Box 424, Easton.

Mastec Network Solutions Inc., 22263 68th Ave. South, Kent.

JCI, PO Box 6394, Kennewick.

Moles Painting Solutions LLC, 5221 W. Argent Road, Pasco.

Noni’s Custom Creations, 6532 Marble St.

Apples Cuts, 4034 W. Van Giesen St.

Tri-City Equipment Rentals, 4095 Maple Lane.

Mullan Bookkeeping Services, 6600 Cyprus Loop.

IC Consulting Corp., 5440 Hershey Lan.

Shorty’s Construction LLC, 33 Galilee Lane, Granger.

Health Care /Adult Family Home, 536 Athens Drive.

M3 Security Inc., PO Box 3028, Pasco.

360 Automotive & Repair LLC, 6200 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Quality Plus Auto Glass, 16 N. Kellogg St., Kennewick.

CCM Expert in Cleaning LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Walters Autos LLC, 511 Wright Ave., Richland.

Sierra Kiel, 3903 Southlake Drive.

Brothers Pipeline Corp., 615 Pacific Ave. South, Kelso.

My Pro Contractor, 5426 N. Road 68, Pasco

Crown Utilities LLC, 4457 E. Franklin Road, Nampa, Idaho.

Quality Carpentry & Associates LLC, 6110 Curlew Lane.

Makeup by Danielle, 5187 Chris St..

Struxure Outdoor of Washington, 9116 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley.

S&S Excavation and Construction LLC, 2602 S. Lyle St., Kennewick.

Wickersham Workshop, 1423 Potter Ave., Richland.

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.

Isabel Rodriguez, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 1.

Julio Cesar Carrillo, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 5.

Leonor Brambila Moreno, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 5.

Katrina Jean Lovejoy, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 5.

Michael Aaron Howard, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 5.

Jorge Gonzalez Cruz, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 14.

Michael A. Rodriguez, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 14.

Gloria Zavala et al., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 14.

Vanguard LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 19.

Rosaura Ramos Anaya, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 19.

Isiah Gregory Delgado, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 19.

Stucco & Stone Contractors, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries

taxes, filed Dec. 20.

Columbia Basin Solar LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 20.

Miguel Angel Reyes et al., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 22.

HDZ Construction Services, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 22.

Oscar Manuel Silva Ramirez, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Dec. 28.

Columbia Memorial Park Inc., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 28.

David A. Castro, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 28.

Jose M. Damian, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 28.

Car Doctor Auto Repair LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 28.

509 Gutter Girl LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 28.

Genaro Perez, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 28.

Blind Ambitions LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Dec. 28

uLIQUOR

Johnson Road, Prosser. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

APPROVED

Jen Smoke & Gift Shop, 2404 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. License type: beer/wine specialty shop. Application type: assumption.

Moonshot Brewing, 94 Lee Blvd., Suite B, Richland. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: new.

1derful K-BBQ, 6494 W. Skagit Ave., Suite 1, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer. Application type: new

Honey Dog Productions LLC, 7425 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. License type: tavern – beer/wine. Application type: new.

El Buen Gusto Restaurant, 602 Sixth St., Prosser. License type: spirits/beer/ wine restaurant service bar. Application type: change of corporate officer.

Foodies Kennewick, 2701 Columbia Park Trail, Kennewick. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: new.

type: new

APPROVED

Kinta Restaurante, 528 W. Clark St., Pasco. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: new.

Family Dollar #32785, 920 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED

Kinta Restaurante, 528 W. Clark St., Pasco. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: discontinued.

uMARIJUANA LICENSES

BENTON COUNTY

NEW

Cannasourc’d Logistics, 17504 W. Yakitat Place, Suite A, Benton City. License type: cannabis transportation. Application type: new.

Kennewick.

The Little Plant Shop has opened a second location at 709 The Parkway, Richland. The shop sells plants, pots and accessories. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday. Contact: 509-792-1026; littleplantshoptc. com. The Pasco shop is at 3315 W. Court St., Suite 100.

NEW

What’s the Scoop? has opened at 3902 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 119, Kennewick. The ice cream shop is open from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and noon-8 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Find on Facebook. Email: whatsthescoopshop@ gmail.com

How Sweet It Is has opened at 710 George Washington Way, Suite E, Richland. It sells international, specialty, bulk and retro candy and pop culture gifts. Contact: 509-420-4426; howsweettc.com.

LICENSES

BENTON COUNTY

NEW

La Bella Vita Kitchen & Bar, 1515

George Washington Way, Richland. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge+, catering. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

Fresh Leaf Co., 1080 George Washington Way, Richland. License type: beer/ wine restaurant – beer/wine. Application type: new.

Circle K 6049, 6006 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

North Prosser Market, 130702 W.

The Olive Garden Italian Restaurant #1555, 1420 N. Louisiana Ave., Kennewick. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: added/ change of trade name.

DISCONTINUED

Moonshot Brewing, 94 Lee Blvd., Suite B, Richland. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: discontinued.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

NEW

One Stop Mart 55, 2221 E. Lewis St., Pasco. License type: grocery store –beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

Tacos Palomino Corp., 1315 E. Lewis Ave., Suites D & E, Pasco. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement; cocktails/wine to-go; spirits/beer/wine restaurant service bar. Application

uBUSINESS UPDATES

ADDITIONAL LOCATION

Moonshot Brewing has opened Pub at the Park, an additional location serving small bites and pub food at 94 Lee Blvd., Richland. Hours: noon-2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; noon-8 p.m. Friday; closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Contact: 509-957-3448; moonshotbrewing.com. The original location is at 8804 W. Victoria Ave, Suite 140,

Altitude Agri Services has opened at 1333 Tapteal Drive, Suite 107, Richland. The business offers drone services for agricultural, commercial and local, state and federal agencies. Owners are Melody and Kurt Beckley. Contact: 509-551-4774; altitudeagriservices.com.

CLOSED

Fresh Out the Box restaurant, 5215 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 102, in Kennewick, has closed.