Leadership Tri-Cities’ service project helps nonprofit launch new store

By Robin Wojtanik for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A boutique resale shop that will provide a future income stream to support clients of Domestic Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties is set to open in Kennewick, wrapping up a lofty project for the most recent class of Leadership Tri-Cities.

Mariposa, located next door to the Washington State Department of Licensing at 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick, is conveniently behind the DVS offices. The shop is intentionally not being called a “thrift store” and aims to offer only curated, higher end items, filling a void in the market following the March closure of the Seattle Children’s Kennewick Bargain Boutique.

“We really want to give the customers and clients a wonderful shopping experience. The customers will be supporting our clients with their purchases and then also with their donations of goods to the store,” said Diana Izaguirre, development director for DVS.

The nonprofit had dreams of opening the shop to make use of quality donations it acquired and provide a space for clients to receive basic necessities and household goods since many affected by domestic violence escape their current living situation with few possessions.

LTC’s service project

Each Leadership Tri-Cities class chooses a group project that benefits the community, and the 26th LTC class chose the DVS project to help bring the retail dream to fruition.

“Everyone in the class was asked to find nonprofits that need help, and we came back with about six of them,” said Meeghan Tripp, a member of LTC Class 26, who is acting construction chair for the group. “We all talked about different options and voted, resulting in a three-way tie before this project was picked. Since then, the scope of the work increased to where it became the largest project undertaken by any class.”

LTC’s mission includes developing diverse leaders to drive positive change in the community, and during a 10-month period, class members increase their understanding on a wide range of topics connected to the Tri-Cities, learning law and justice, human needs and services, agriculture, education and more. Sessions culminate with a class project that makes an impact on a local nonprofit.

Previous beneficiaries include Therapeutic Riding of Tri-Cities, Tri-City Union Gospel Mission and Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition.

Domestic violence awareness is a cause near and dear to Jenna Kochenauer, a member of the current LTC class and a recurring donor to DVS.

“I was hoping to do a Tri-Cities-wide domestic violence awareness campaign similar to the way breast cancer awareness brings all the pink to October. My mom was abused, and DVS has become my passion. I didn’t want to impose my passion on other people but when this was picked by the class, I was so happy,” Kochenauer said.

LTC Class 26 is the first since the pandemic sidelined the program. Each of the 21 class members is expected to contribute 20 hours to the DVS project, though Tripp said she’s easily hit four times that amount.

“I was way over my hours before the store even really started. We held a fundraising fashion show at the Uptown Theatre called Fashion for Compassion, which raised over $50,000 for DVS, the most any class singularly raised,” she said.

The LTC group repainted the 3,000-square-foot store, built a wall and storage closet, added a front counter, coordinated electrical work for a washer and dryer, rehabbed the restroom and installed privacy film on the windows.

Mariposa’s debut

Once home to a yarn store, the space has received a real “glow up,” which complements the name of the shop – not only is “mariposa” the Spanish word for butterfly, it fits a quote credited to an English proverb that may resonate with DVS clients: “Just

Domestic

Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties’ latest project, a 10-unit apartment building, is under construction for survivors of intimate partner violence experiencing homelessness to open in Benton County.

See story, page B1.

when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.”

“We see the name as a bridge between the cultures and to be inclusive,” Izaguirre said.

Painted murals will also brighten the walls.

Items available at Mariposa will be intentionally stocked and not all donations will be used. Those that don’t meet quality standards come at a cost to dispose of, so the nonprofit will need to be more selective at the front end.

“They don’t want to accept any donations that their clients wouldn’t want,” Tripp said. “If I just came out of a domestic violence situation, I would want something that felt nice to own.”

Once LTC volunteers completed their work on the shop, the clock began ticking to sort donations and get the doors open for the grand opening planned for June 2.

DVS already had a growing stockpile of donations stored in its administrative office in anticipation of launching a store, and when the suite came available behind the office, it provided the perfect spot logistically.

The nonprofit took possession of the space last fall and used the winter to line up a business license and other operational needs before actual labor on the shop could begin.

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Courtesy Sun Pacific Energy

Golf Universe plans to move into a $4.5 million development at 825 N. Edison St. at the beginning of next year. The new location means the end of the outdoor driving range and mini golf courses, as the shop moves to embrace new technology to better serve its customers.

GOLF UNIVERSE, From page A1

Sun Pacific sold all of its Tri-City area Sun Mart stations about 10 years ago. It currently has a number of newer Sun Market franchises, which usually include Firehouse Subs restaurants.

Golf Universe will be the flagship store at the nearly 30,000-square-foot shopping center that could be divided into nine suites.

The golf shop will occupy a large suite on one end, and Sun Pacific will look for as many as eight other tenants, possibly fewer if a tenant wants more than one suite.

Some of the suites will have a second story.

On the opposite end of the development will be a suite with a drive-thru window.

“We don’t have any future tenants yet,” Franson said.

There will be 122 parking stalls at the center, as well as a bus stop.

Devin Geisler of DKEI Professional Services is the project architect.

Shane O’Neill of LCR Construction is the contractor.

Golf Universe’s plans

Advances have made golf technology a bigger priority to better serve golfers, Franson said.

“Technology allows us to better fit people with their clubs with simulators,” he said. “The needs of golfers being fitted for their clubs properly has become a priority.”

Store officials expect to have three indoor bays that will use TrackMan technology, which can show golfers where their golf shot would end up on a simulated golf course, as well as every statistic imaginable on their swing.

TrackMan simulators can cost upwards of $50,000 each.

“Obviously, the technology is huge in this. But those (simulators) are just for fittings and private lessons,” Franson said. “This allows us to get all the information we can for the individual golfer because everyone swings differently.”

Franson said the new shop will have 5,000 square feet of retail space, more than the current location.

It will still sell a wide array of golf brands, too.

“And we’re going to be more competitive with online pricing,” he said. “In the past, customers have come in to try out clubs, then they go online and find the club cheaper than we can sell. By reducing our expenses, it will allow us to be more competitive in our pricing.”

Ensuring future success

The changes are necessary to secure Golf Universe’s future success.

“The cost to run an outdoor driving range is extremely high,” Franson said. “The driving range is getting old, and it’s a high expense to run it. There are costs for gasoline, mowers, staffing. The netting and the poles are expensive.”

New range balls each year can run $35,000 to $40,000.

The loss of the outdoor driving range will leave just one dedicated outdoor driving range in Eastern Washington: Tour Fairways Golf Range in Walla Walla.

Of course, almost all golf courses in the Tri-City region have outdoor driving ranges. And there are a handful of simulator golf shops in the Tri-Cities, like Divots Golf in Richland and X-Golf and Zintel Creek Golf Club in Kennewick.

What’s the fate of Golf Universe’s two 18-hole mini golf courses?

They may be going away unless someone comes in and buys them, Franson said. “We’re sad about the miniature golf courses,” he said.

But regular golf is Golf Universe’s main revenue stream, and sometimes change is necessary.

“We’re excited and nervous at the same time. It’s the way of the future for golf. And it provides the needs for our customers,” Franson said.

Search Golf Universe: 6311 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick; 509-735-2900; golfuniversetc.com.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Benton City currently is home to more than 3,700 people.

The plan envisions development in the subarea of a “new and unique neighborhood that will maintain ties with the existing community.” The subarea presents “a unique opportunity to attract a wide range of new residents, including young first-time homebuyers and aging adults alike by providing housing that could be walkable to nearby future amenities and services,” the plan says.

The approach could also bring jobs and recreation opportunities.

The firm AHBL and subcontractor Michael Mahaffey helped create the plan, with the city paying about $80,000 for their consulting services.

The plan was developed with input from the community, including through a survey and charette workshop. The city still is working on design standards for the subarea.

A building moratorium is in place in the subarea until the design standards take effect.

Full realization of the plan is likely years out. But the adoption marks a milestone for the property that’s remained largely undeveloped since it was annexed into the city nearly two decades ago.

The subarea sits near the southeastern edge of Benton City, south of the interstate and Jacobs Road and east of Webber Canyon Road. The subarea is home to a gas station and convenience store, but otherwise it’s open and undeveloped. The land was annexed into the city in 2005.

Most of it is owned by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

“DNR has initiated a disposition process, which is expected to include either sale, land exchange or long-term lease of the property for development. Anticipation of these changes has spurred local interest in the land and prompted city leaders to initiate this planning effort,” the plan says.

The plan covers goals and policies for future land uses; economic development; roads, sidewalks and other transportation and mobility elements; recreation and open space; utilities; and more.

It also lays out steps for implementing the subarea plan over time.

The plan was reviewed by the city’s planning commission and recommended for approval.

It also was reviewed by state agencies including the Washington State Department of Commerce, and it went through the State Environmental Policy Act, or SEPA, review process.

Part of Benton City falls within the Port of Kennewick, and Lehman recently presented information about the plan to port commissioners and raised the idea of the port providing recruitment help or other assistance. Commissioners asked the port CEO to work with Lehman on a proposal.

Watch for the subarea plan to be posted on the Benton City’s website soon.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Wallula mill idling, employees will be laid off

Workers at the Packaging Corporation of America-owned mill in Wallula are being laid off and the plant will temporarily idle due to “economic conditions,” the company said in a statement.

The Illinois-based company expects to resume operations at the mill later this year. Its corrugated products facilities in Richland and Wallula aren’t affected and are operating with normal staffing.

The company didn’t confirm how many employees are affected by the layoffs, but it’s one of Walla Walla County’s largest employers with more than 450 workers.

Nationwide, PCA has 15,100 employ- ees – 4,400 salaried and 10,700 hourly.

The company noted in its 2022 annual securities filing that demand for its products has declined nationwide as general economic conditions deteriorated. It said it continued to face inflation in several areas, including labor and benefits, chemical, energy, repairs, materials, supplies and transportation.

PCA is a leading producer of containerboard products and uncoated freesheet paper. It operates eight mills and 89 corrugated products manufacturing plants.

Deadline approaches for small business grants

Applications are open for $1,000 grants through the Small Business Incentive Program.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of

Commerce and Washington River Protection Solutions, or WRPS, are partnering to offer the grants to 30 small businesses through the program.

The application window closes at 5 p.m. June 2.

To apply, visit tricityregionalchamber. com/small-business-incentive-program.

A panel of judges will evaluate the applications and pick the recipients. The grants can be used on expenses including, but not limited to, marketing materials, IT equipment, website upgrades, staff training and development, furniture, point of sales upgrades, A/V equipment and other technology.

Since the program launched in 2011, it’s awarded $380,000 to small businesses.

MAY 16

• Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce luncheon: 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.

• Richland Chamber luncheon: noon-1 p.m., La Bella Vita Kitchen, 1515 George Washington Way, Richland.

• PNNL lecture, “The Washing Machine said that the Toaster Needs the Wi-Fi Password: Cyber Security Risks and Benefits of an Interconnected World”: 5 p.m. via Zoom. Details at pnnl.gov/events.

MAY 18

• Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities membership meeting: 11:30 a.m., Courtyard by Marriott at Columbia Point, 480 Columbia Point Drive, Richland. Cost: $25 per person. RSVP by calling 509-7352745 or email sarah@hbatc.com.

• “Plan Your Communications

Like a Jedi Master” : noon-1 via Zoom p.m. Free for Public Relations Society of America Mid-Columbia members, $5 for PRSA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at