Journal of Business - September 2023

September 2023

Volume 22 | Issue 9

Bitter legal battle forces Roasters ownership change

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

The former Roasters coffee shops in the Tri-Cities have changed hands twice in a little more than two years — going first to the Black Rock Coffee Bar chain and then to Wake Up Call Coffee.

Customers may only have noticed the changing signs and menus, but a complicated, costly and at times tense legal battle was brewing behind the scenes. Hundreds of pages of court documents reveal the tumultuous backstory to Roasters’ final chapter and the ownership turnover that followed.

It started in 2020, when leaders of the Spokane-based Wake Up Call worked out a deal with Roasters founder Wes Heyden to buy the local shops. An agreement went out for signatures that December.

But Heyden didn’t sign, and by January he’d opted to sell to Black Rock instead.

By spring 2021, news of the sale to Black Rock had broken and the transition was underway.

So was a lawsuit, which led to an arbitration award that forced Heyden to follow through with the original multimillion-dollar deal with Wake Up Call and prompted the latest switch in ownership.

Attorneys for Wake Up Call and Black Rock declined to comment on the case, which has played out in Spokane and Benton counties. Heyden said he regrets his naivety, and he wishes Wake Up Call well as it takes the Roasters mantle.

A deal to sell

NOTEWORTHY

Wake Up Call started in 2004 and now has more than two-dozen coffee shops in Washington and Idaho. The shops have sleek decor, and some have large, London-style red telephone booths out front.

The company’s philosophy centers around community.

“Our coffee shops are more than just a place to grab a cup of coffee,” Wake Up Call President Christopher Arkoosh said in a May 22 statement announcing his company as the new

uROASTERS, Page A5

officials and other community leaders tour ATI Inc.’s plant in Richland, which is undergoing an expansion that will increase capacity and double the workforce.

Demand for titanium drives

Richland plant expansion

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

It’s been described as a “well-kept secret.”

But the ATI Inc. plant in the Horn Rapids Industrial Park that specializes in melting titanium and titanium alloys for aerospace, defense and industrial markets may not stay that way for long.

It’s kicking off an expansion that will increase its capacity and double its workforce.

“As ATI says, they deliver products that fly higher, burn hotter, dive deeper, stand stronger and last longer. I’m delighted that this is all happening right here in the TriCities,” said U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-

Washington. He called the Richland plant a “very well-kept secret” during a visit on Aug. 23, noting that while people in the region may not know much about the work, it’s important.

Newhouse was one of dozens of elected officials and community leaders who toured ATI’s Richland operation, donning hard hats, safety glasses and heavy boots to get a closer look at the melting process that involves a powerful electron beam hearth furnace. As part of the expansion of the plant, ATI is adding a second furnace, as well as vacuum arc remelting capability, which is a

uATI, Page A4

Historically low unemployment rates provide opportunities and challenges

By Laura Kostad for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

With high inflation, high interest rates and an overall higher cost of living, one key market figure has been trending with record lows since the Covid-19 pandemic ended: the unemployment rate.

At 3.6%, the rate for the Tri-Cities area is well under the area’s typical historic range of 5% to 6%.

These rates, the most recently available, are down from the previous month’s 3.5% and a full percentage point lower compared to the same time last year when unemployment reached 4.5%.

The last time the area hit 4.5% was 16 years ago in July 2007, said Ajsa Suljic, a

regional labor economist with the Employment Security Department (ESD) based in Kennewick.

Statewide, unemployment is 3.6%, trailing the nation’s 3.5%. It’s been 54 years since the national unemployment rate hit 3.4%, which happened earlier this year.

Low unemployment rates can be a catch-22, Suljic said.

“It’s a good sign that there’s less people on unemployment, but it’s a tough situation for many businesses looking to hire,” she said.

For employers, fewer workers seeking jobs means a smaller applicant pool and the pressure to offer more incentives.

“The key for startups is to have access to money to make it work. The more money you have, the faster you get to market, the sooner you can start making a profit.”

- Dennis Walters, STARS Technology Corp.

Courtesy ATI

Dozens of elected

These ‘angels’ aim to help Tri-Cities startups

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

It looked like a typical business seminar, held over lunch.

Attendees sat around tables, munching on sandwiches and other light fare, while presenters took turns flipping through informational slides projected onto a large screen.

But the presenters weren’t lecturing or offering tips and tricks; they were making pitches.

And audience members weren’t there for professional development; they were there to take in information on potential investment opportunities.

It was the first meeting of the newly formed Tri-Cities Angel Alliance, a networking group aimed at connecting entrepreneurs and investors. Three companies made pitches during the session on Sept. 6.

“There’s an active startup community in the Tri-Cities,” said Phil Ohl, managing director of the Tri-Cities Angel Alliance. “This becomes a place where people looking for capital know, ‘Go see the alliance, because there are people here looking to put money into startups.’”

Ohl previously organized similar meetings, called Shark Lunches. Those sessions evolved into the alliance, which is registered as a nonprofit corporation in the state.

Ohl said he hopes to form an affiliate

Hanford Advisory Board seeks new members

The Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) is seeking new members to advise federal and state agencies on the ongoing cleanup of the Hanford site in southeast Washington.

The Tri-Party Agreement agencies – the U.S. Department of Energy, state Department of Ecology and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – are accepting applications through Oct. 31 for several vacant seats on the board.

The vacant seats are for members that represent the public-at-large and organizations from communities near the Hanford site and the region.

relationship with organizations such as the Seattle Alliance of Angels, Spokane Angel Alliance and North Central Washington Tech Alliance.

“The purpose of this evolution is ultimately to identify more deal flow and attract more accredited investors to join our lunches and grow the Tri-Cities local startup community,” he wrote in an invitation to the alliance’s first meeting. About 30 people attended the session, which lasted an hour.

One of the pitches came from STARS Technology Corporation, which grew out of science done at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. Bob Wegeng, president and chief technology officer, handled the pitch, explaining the company’s mission and answering questions.

Afterward, Dennis Walters, the company’s chief of staff, told the Journal of Business that the alliance helps fill a need.

“The key for startups is to have access to money to make it work. The more money you have, the faster you get to market, the sooner you can start making a profit,” he said.

The HAB is a nonpartisan representative body that strives to have board members that represent a broad and balanced mix of diverse interests affected by Hanford cleanup issues. As set forth in its charter, the primary mission of the board is to provide informed recommendations and advice to the Tri-Party Agreement agencies on selected major policy issues related to Hanford Site cleanup.

Members are expected to attend quarterly full board meetings and have the option to join topic-specific committees that also meet on a quarterly basis. HAB members are not paid but do receive reimbursement for travel expenses while attending meetings.

Applications for membership at: hanford.gov/page.cfm/hab.

“By creating this kind of a forum, they’re really helping. What they’re doing by providing this is putting people together. That means creating value in our community. If you’re investing and the funds pay off, you have more funds to invest in the community. It’s really an amplification,” Walters said.

STARS previously secured some funding after pitching at a Shark Lunch. While the alliance is generally focused on Tri-Cities startups, regional

startups also may submit pitches, and traditional business opportunities such as expansions and real estate deals are welcome, Ohl said. Having a healthy startup community is good for all – and the Tri-Cities is ripe for it, he said.

“Our community is growing enough to facilitate some real startup growth,” Ohl said.

Learn more about the Tri-Cities Angel Alliance and submit a pitch at tc-angels. com.

Photo by Sara Schilling Bob Wegeng, president and chief technology officer of STARS Technology Corporation, makes a pitch during the first meeting of the Tri-Cities Angel Alliance.

Phil Ohl

509-737-8778

Mailing address: 8524 W. Gage Blvd., #A1-300 Kennewick, WA 99336 tcjournal.biz

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– UPCOMING –

OCTOBER

Taxes

Focus magazine: Construction + Real Estate in the Tri-Cities

NOVEMBER

Nonprofits | Labor & Construction

ATI

secondary melting process. That additional capability will improve the process flow, the company said.

Adding jobs and capacity

With the expansion, the Dallas-based ATI plans to add about 100 jobs at the Richland plant, which was commissioned in 1998 at 3101 Kingsgate Way. The expansion will help the company support $1.2 billion in new sales commitments at a time when demand for titanium is soaring.

“It’s probably the highest level of titanium demand most of us have seen in our careers, and maybe the highest level of titanium demand we’ll ever see. And we’re taking advantage of that,” said Daniel Fletcher, president of ATI Specialty Materials, the business unit that includes Richland. “(The expansion) is enabling that and is really going to be a key lever that doubles our titanium capacity within ATI.”

The first melt is expected by the end of the year, with product qualification in 2025.

ATI is a $3.8 billion company with 6,000-plus employees across more than 30 locations in the United States and nearly 20 in Europe and Asia. It makes materials used in everything from airplanes to nuclear reactors, turbines, medical equipment, electronics and more.

Here’s how the process works in Rich-

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Commerce director makes Tri-Cities stop

Mike Fong, the new director of the Washington State Department of Commerce, paid a visit to the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 23 during a stop in the Tri-Cities.

He spoke with chamber leaders and small business owners for about an hour, in a wide-ranging conversation that touched on everything from Covid-19 impacts, to the need for more bilingual resources, to

land: the “input materials” – the titanium and titanium alloys – are formulated to exact specifications, then they’re mixed and fed into the furnace, where they’re liquefied using electron beams. That mixture then flows into hearths, where defects are removed.

The finished products are long, rounded or rectangular units weighing up to 44,000 pounds.

A first in the state

ATI confirmed it would be expanding the Richland plant earlier this summer, after the Richland City Council approved the company’s application for a Targeted Urban Area tax exemption. The TUA program aims to help communities bring in living-wage jobs by enticing manufacturers to urban areas.

It was adopted by the state Legislature last year, and Richland became the first city in the state to use it when it moved ahead with the ATI exemption.

Under the program, companies that build or expand within a targeted area get a break on city property taxes on new improvements for 10 years. Their projects must be valued at $800,000 or more and create at least 25 family living wage jobs.

Richland’s TUA includes the Horn Rapids Industrial Park and land around the Richland Airport.

The city has estimated that it’ll waive

the chamber’s participation in the department’s Small Business Resiliency Network.

Tony Lozano, a local small business owner who works in early learning, asked about funding opportunities, noting that child care is a top concern for workers and employers alike.

$2.6 million in property tax revenue from ATI.

The company declined to provide a price tag for the expansion project, although a city document said it was valued at $111 million. Richland Mayor Terry Christensen was among the officials who toured the Richland plant.

“We value the 25-year relationship the city has had with ATI, and we look forward to continuing this long-standing partnership for many years to come,” he said during the event.

‘The next chapter’

The event also featured some personal touches, including when longtime employees and officials – such as Newhouse, Christensen and others – placed their handprints in concrete to mark the kickoff of construction. The company also collected items for a time capsule and shared a special cake made for the occasion shaped like the letters A, T and I.

Kim Fields, president and chief operating officer of ATI, praised the employees who’ve work hard to fulfill ATI’s mission. “We’re getting ready to build the next chapter of the legacy here,” she said. “You earned this investment and the right to grow.”

Learn more about careers with ATI at atimaterials.com/careers.

Lozano operates Fun to Learn and Lolita’s Little Ones with partner Elodia Gutierrez.

“The early education field has been underserved,” Lozano said. “It’s a domino effect for everybody. We hope that the Department of Commerce focuses on that because early education is essential for the future and for the economy. I think injecting more money benefits everybody.”

Fong agreed that child care is a critical issue in business.

“Right now, one of the top questions and concerns we get from small business and medium-sized businesses is workforce. It’s hard to find workers. A lot of that stems from child care,” he said, adding that his department “has a growing responsibility in this space.”

Fong thanked the small business owners for sharing their ideas.

“There’s a lot more to talk about,” he said. “We just started to touch on education, future opportunities, pathways to jobs. There is a bigger conversation for the Tri-Cities, this area, what the future looks like. We want to make sure that communities of color are part of this prosperity that is coming.”

Tri-City Herald announces plans to cut print editions

The Mid-Columbia’s daily newspaper is cutting back its print edition to twice a week.

Opinions expressed in guest columns and by advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, other columnists or other advertisers, nor do they imply endorsement by staff, columnists or advertisers. Every effort will be made to assure information published is correct; however, we are not liable for any errors or omissions made despite these efforts.

The Tri-City Herald said the editions would print Wednesdays and Sundays starting Oct. 23. It will continue to be delivered by mail, with the Sunday edition arriving on Saturday.

The Herald stopped printing its Saturday edition in November 2019.

The paper’s eEdition will continue to publish seven days a week.

Mike Fong

Roasters owner.

“We believe that our commitment to quality and community will resonate with the people of the greater Columbia Basin area just as it has in Spokane, and we can’t wait to become a part of the fabric of the community there,” Arkoosh said in the statement.

Wake Up Call began working with Heyden at some point in 2020 on a deal to buy Roasters.

By then, Roasters was a local success story — a Tri-Cities-based chain that continued to win devotees as it expanded. But Heyden came under fire in 2020 over controversial social media posts and more, and that June he announced that he’d no longer lead the company, though he remained an owner.

On Sept. 1, 2020, Heyden and Wake Up Call signed a pact that set the basic terms and conditions of a sale, according to the lawsuit later filed by Wake Up Call in Spokane County Superior Court.

That pact, called a “term sheet,” required both parties to work in good faith toward an agreement and said neither could reveal the ongoing negotiations to third parties.

On Dec. 18, 2020, a final purchase agreement was reached to sell the Roasters shops and Resilient Coffee Roasters to Wake Up Call and Dillanos Coffee Roasters for about $8 million.

But, according to the lawsuit, Heyden delayed signing the agreement.

Less than three weeks later, on Jan. 6, 2021, he gave notice that he was exploring a deal with Black Rock, which started in Oregon in 2008 and has grown to more than 100 locations in several states. Heyden said the larger chain was a better fit and ended negotiations with Wake Up Call, the lawsuit said.

That violated the term sheet, Wake Up Call’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit, which was filed on Jan. 20, 2021. “Mr. Heyden’s putative termination notice and his acknowledgement that he had been communicating with Black Rock were admissions against interest that he had violated the provisions of the term sheet,” the lawsuit said, pointing to the exclusivity, confidentiality and good faith language.

Wake Up Call’s attorneys asked that the term sheet be enforced and the purchase agreement signed.

Binding arbitration

The matter went to binding arbitration, which resulted in Heyden in October 2022 being ordered to sign the original deal with Wake Up Call, according to court documents.

Black Rock also was found to have “tortiously interfered.”

In a statement provided through his attorney, Heyden said Black Rock’s CEO visited him in the Tri-Cities.

The statement pointed to a court filing from earlier this year that described Heyden and his wife, Shannon, as blindly trusting the word of the CEO to “take care of them out of brotherly love.”

They didn’t read or understand the term sheet or purchase agreement, which ended up leaving them financially responsible for most of the costly liti-

gation and losses, said the filing, which was written by Wake Up Call attorneys and dealt with debt repayment.

The statement from Heyden went on to say, “Mr. Heyden was ignorant of Black Rock’s intent or the ensuing implication of negotiating a deal with Black Rock. While not an excuse, this occurred a few days after Mr. Heyden left the hospital for mental health treatment. Mr. Heyden regrets that he was so naive and wishes Wake Up well now that it has obtained control of the former Roasters stores.”

A new start

Wake Up Call now has 14 locations in the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla.

Three of the Tri-Cities shops sit on land that’s owned by the Heydens. The properties are listed for sale by

Stricker CRE, with Wake Up Call leasing the buildings.

In the months since the May 22 announcement, Black Rock signs have been replaced with Wake Up Call signs. On a recent day, the shop on West Okanogan Avenue in Kennewick was buzzing with people buying drinks, from specialty creations to traditional coffees and teas.

In the May 22 statement, Arkoosh, the Wake Up Call president, said the company looked forward to welcoming new customers in its newest locations.

“We hope that they will continue to visit us for their daily coffee treat, and that we can provide them with the legendary experience that Wake Up Call customers have grown to know and love,” he said.

DATEBOOK

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

SEPT. 16

• 15th annual Wishes & Wine: 6-10 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Cost: $135 general admission, $1,500 for a table of eight. Proceeds benefit local children through the Wishing Star Foundation. Go to: wishingstar.org.

SEPT. 19

• Richland Chamber of Commerce Luncheon: noon, La Bella Vita, 1515 George Washington Way, Richland. Go to: richlandchamber.org.

Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pasco Red Lion, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Go to: tchispanicchamber.com.

SEPT. 20

• TC Lunch & Learn: Conflict Resolution: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors, 3321 W. Kennewick Ave., Suite 110, Kennewick. Cost: $25 for

members, $35 for nonmembers. Go to: nwagc.org/events or email joelb@nwagc.org

• Yes You Can! Contracts With the Government: 3-4 p.m. English, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Spanish, Bechtel Board Room, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Free. Registration required. Go to: WashingtonApex.org.

SEPT. 26

• Help Minimize Risk: Condition Your Workforce for Safety: 1-5 p.m., HBA Office, 10001 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Cost: free to ROII participants, $25 for members, $50 for nonmembers. Go to: biaw.com/classes.

• Ask the Experts: “Hiring: It’s a Two-Sided Equation!”: 3-4:30 p.m., Bechtel Board Room, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick and on Zoom. Free. Go to: tricityregionalchamber.com.

SEPT. 27

• Tri-Cities Women in Business Conference: 8 a.m. to

5:15 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Cost: $149 for members, $179 for nonmembers. Go to: tricityregionalchamber.com/ women-in-business.

SEPT. 29-30

• Tri-Cities Women’s Expo: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Hapo Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Contact: TriCitiesWE@gmail.com, 509-947-2136.

OCT. 2

• Benton City Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon: noon at Palm Bar & Grill, 603 Ninth St., Benton City. Contact: 509-5884984 or info@bentoncitychamber. org

OCT. 3

• Prosser Chamber Membership Luncheon: noon-1 p.m. at Brewminatti, 713 Sixth St., Prosser. Go to: prosserchamber. org.

OCT. 4

• West Richland Chamber of Commerce Membership Luncheon: noon to 1:30 p.m., location to be determined. Go to: westrichlandchamber.org.

OCT. 5

• Elected Leaders Reception: 4-6 p.m., Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, Richland. Cost: $30. Go to: tricityregionalchamber.com.

OCT. 6

• Historic Kennewick Network Breakfast: 8-9 a.m., Clover Island Inn, 435 Clover Island Drive, Kennewick. Go to: historickennewick.org.

OCT. 7

• Oktoberfeast 5K run/walk: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2588 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Richland. Contact: admin@seniorlifesources. org, 509-735-1911.

OPINION OUR VIEW

Our new business-focused lists will be a valuable resource

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, staying informed and connected is key to success.

We’re excited to launch a new feature this month that we know will become a valuable resource to the TriCities business community – businessfocused lists.

Each month the Journal will run at least two business-focused lists to showcase top companies or institutions in a particular industry or category, ranked by criteria appropriate to their sector. The lists will be keyed to topics ranging from professional services to real estate and construction, to health care and business and industry.

This month’s featured lists are timely: state-certified women-owned businesses – to complement the popular Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business Conference on Sept. 27 and the TriCities Women’s Expo on Sept. 29-30 – and the top colleges and universities within a 150-mile radius of the Tri-

In times like these, employers crave

stability and predictability

Cities – to coincide with the start of fall classes.

Lists coming later this year include the Tri-Cities’ largest accounting firms, leading contractors, top social service nonprofits, biggest commercial real estate firms and more.

What can these lists do for our readers? They can help companies prospect for new customers, enhance marketing databases, research the competition and identify new partners. Discover who’s doing business and who to do business with.

Each list is compiled and produced by the Journal’s editorial team and edited and checked for accuracy.

At the end of next year, we’ll compile all the lists into an annual publication that we think will be a powerful reference tool.

Business journals across the country publish similar lists featuring the latest market data, and they’re quite popular. Over the years we’ve fielded many inquiries asking for Tri-Cities lists highlighting our business community. Today, we’re excited to offer them to you.

Inflation is cooling but gas prices are spiking. Mortgage rates rose above 7% in August for the first time in 22 years, and they might not be done going up. Fears of an imminent recession have diminished, but not disappeared. The labor market remains tight. And for certain sectors, especially manufacturing, supply chain disruption is still a huge challenge.

If you’re a business owner, all of this adds up to uncertainty and anxiety.

And if you’re a policymaker, it all should be a reminder that the state and national outlook is still mixed. Employers need leaders who will be champions for the economy, and work to provide stability and predictability, especially regarding taxes and regulation.

Two new reports help shed light on what employers are facing and what they see ahead for their own businesses and beyond.

The first is a new survey of Washington employers. The most recent quarterly survey of nearly 500 businesses found that while there is good news, employers still face major challenges with inflation and a shortage of workers.

Employers were a bit more optimistic than they were in the spring, with 31% saying our state’s economy is doing

well, and only 17% saying it’s weak. Still, more than half say the state is somewhere in the middle – a lukewarm economy, you might say. When it comes to asking how their own business is doing, 36% say their business is growing, while 18% are beginning to experience a downturn and 5% say they are truly struggling. Most, 42%, say business is flat. Again, employers are swimming in tepid waters. Diving deeper into the data, we see that some industry sectors continue to face major challenges. More than one in three Washington manufacturers (37%) say that supply chain issues continue to be a major disruption. Half of the state’s manufacturers continue to see doubledigit inflation, with one in five manufacturers facing major price increases of more than 20%.

To understand the impacts of these

Serving America in uniform is one way to avoid student debt

With students returning to college campuses, it is time to consider other ways for them to pay for tuition, books and living expenses. Too often, they resort to borrowing.

Student loan forgiveness today is highlighted as the solution when it is only part of the answer. There are other options.

Student debt is mounting. It is exacerbated by rising “cost of attendance” (COA). The growth rate exceeds inflation and interest rates on student loans are often higher than on homes. It needs fixing.

In the 1963-64 academic year, the average annual published cost of in-state tuition and fees was $243 at public four-year institutions, and $1,011 private institutions, according to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

NCES reports if the cost of college remained in line with inflation, annual tuition and fees would have been $2,076 at four-year public universities and $8,624 at private colleges for the 2020-21 academic year.

However, in that academic year, the average price for in-state tuition and fees at a four-year public institution was $9,400 and the COA was $33,000.

Adding room, board, books and other expenses to tuition and fees and the COA at some Washington private universities exceeded $70,000.

Massive student loan debt is a massive national problem. As of the first quarter of 2023, it exceeded $1.7 trillion.

President Joe Biden’s $400 billion approach to buy down some student loans is problematic. It would cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers; however, it is unfair to those who paid off their loans or are repaying private notes.

About 92% of student loan debt is borrowed money from the feds with interest rates ranging from 5% to 7.5%. Average private student loan interest rates range from 4.9% to almost 15%.

The U.S. Supreme Court declared the president did not have the authority to forgive student loan debt, saying that it was an unlawful act of presidential power lacking explicit congressional

approval.

There are ways to reduce debt which do not require new congressional authorization or Supreme Court approval. One emerged after World War II and has served our nation well.

The GI Bill for veterans who have completed their enlistments works. So does the assistance to college students serving in ROTC and the National Guard or Reserve. Today, with the armed forces missing their recruitment targets, it is also a way to serve our nation, beef up our depleted military ranks and improve defense readiness.

Sign up to serve America in uniform, whether it be in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force or U.S. Public Health Service, and qualify for GI Bill benefits. Those serving can reap the benefits from tuition assistance while performing their duties in uniform, including reservists or National Guard members.

Students planning to become officers can earn over $12,000 a year from monthly stipends, summer training and reimbursement for subsistence and books. The Government Accounting Office reports ROTC produced more than 94,000 officers in the decade beginning in 2011.

There are also opportunities to attend the world’s best military academies courtesy of Uncle Sam at West Point, Annapolis, Colorado Springs or New London with a job guaranteed after commissioning. Since their respective foundings, the academies have commissioned more than 150,000 officers.

The rising student loan trend is unsustainable for our nation and graduates completing their schooling. In the 2020-21 academic year, 54% of bachelor’s degree students graduated with student loans of $30,000, according to the College Board.

Rather than finding ways to circumvent the court, the president and Congress should be working together to pass legislation that is fair and will withstand high court scrutiny. Until that happens, they should focus on what is working.

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

Kris Johnson Association of Washington Business GUEST COLUMN

Don C. Brunell Business analyst GUEST COLUMN

“Employers compete for those people looking, which increases the wages, so the upward increase in wages is also at a historic high,” said Doug Tweedy, an ESD regional labor economist based out of Spokane.

Those receiving unemployment benefits are finding it doesn’t take as long to find their next job. Suljic said most people receive benefits for less than four weeks on average currently, compared to the norm of 27 weeks in the past.

Over the same one-year period, the number of jobs has continued to increase with 52,000 jobs added across the state.

About 5,500 people in Benton and Franklin counties are seeking jobs, when historically it typically hovers between 8,000 to 9,000. This time last year, as the

unemployment rate began to fall, there were about 7,000 people looking for work.

When unemployment is higher, “employers get to pick a quality workforce and seek those workers with the skills and abilities for the jobs they’re hiring for,” Suljic said.

Baby Boomers retire

Labor force officials say the biggest contributing factor to low unemployment is the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, which accelerated during the pandemic when many opted to leave the workforce and never returned.

The entry of new workers into the workforce continues to lag behind those leaving.

The Tri-Cities saw a rapid recovery from the pandemic. Over the past year, about 2,800 jobs were added, an increase

of 2.3%.

The age of the workforce in the Tri-Cities also helps.

“We still stand as one of the leading labor supplies in the state because of our younger labor population. We have around 32% of all people 18 years and under who are in schools and possibly looking for jobs. The low unemployment rate is a good opportunity for them to get into internships and on-the-job training,” Suljic said.

When unemployment rates trend higher, first-time job seekers and those with less experience have a harder time finding a position.

“Our community benefited from good population growth, in-migration and natural changes, so we’ll see how both population growth and labor force growth and implementation of technology plays a role

going down the road,” Suljic said.

An increasingly diversified economy with a robust agricultural sector boasting some of the biggest food processing facilities in the country, a strong STEM presence and a burgeoning warehousing and wholesale/retail trade sector, also insulates the Tri-Cities’ economy.

Evolving job market

As the younger generations enter the workforce, it’s clear they aren’t as interested in the same jobs their parents and grandparents worked.

Tweedy said a lot of young workers are more interested in information technology jobs.

“A lot of people are shifting away from hard labor and long hours. Even if they’re paid a lot, they’re looking for different options that offer short hours, light labor and make good money,” Suljic said. “The retail, the trades, food and hospitality sectors are still hard labor, long hours and unpredictable schedules and they’re struggling because of that.”

This is leading to labor shortages in these and other areas like health care, construction and other trades, Tweedy said.

“The challenges to employers in those industries is how do they attract workers to careers that may not be on the radar of that generation. So, what happens is they increase wages; the fastest wage increase that we’re seeing is in those trades and semi-skilled jobs,” he said, adding that it’s important to develop a diversified labor pipeline from colleges and high schools.

Suljic said the labor market may continue to tighten through the second quarter of next year before it begins to ease off.

JOHNSON, From page A7

ongoing challenges, AWB has pulled together a panel of experienced economists. The AWB Council of Economic Advisors includes former top state financial leaders and economists from some of our state’s leading private businesses.

Their latest report, called the Washington Business Outlook, was just released. As with the employer survey, the overall picture is cloudy.

Arun Raha, the state’s former chief economist, said “the overall economic picture is mixed. Risks remain elevated.”

Agricultural economist Desmond O’Rourke notes that prices are up for some key Washington products, like potatoes and apples, but are down for wheat and sweet cherries.

“Looking ahead, the surge in the cost of major inputs appears to have abated but the average costs of production have continued to rise across the board,” O’Rourke wrote.

As always, businesses will adapt and work to support their communities and employees. Legislators and policymakers should remember that in these uncertain times, employers need all the support they can get.

Copies of the summer AWB employer survey and the Washington Business Outlook are available at awb.org.

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

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Growing safety training company moves headquarters to Pasco

By Laura Kostad for Tri-Cities

Journal of

If you’re signed up for an upcoming first aid/CPR or EMT training course through Columbia Safety, make sure you check the address – the business has moved.

After outgrowing a roughly 7,500-square-foot office at 418 N. Kellogg St. in Kennewick, owner Nathan Kennedy sought out a larger, more centrally located home for Columbia Safety, which provides a variety of emergency medical training courses.

He bought a building at 9530 Bedford St. in Pasco for $2.4 million. Constructed in 2007, the building was most recently home to Orano, and before that, Northwest Farm Credit Services.

The Pasco building also will house Kennedy’s other three businesses: Columbia Safety Medical, AED Wholesale and Badger Tactical.

The new headquarters features 10,242 square feet and a much larger parking lot, which Kennedy said was becoming an issue at its former location as Columbia Safety Medical’s fleet of vehicles competed for space with customers attending trainings.

The new space offers more rooms for conducting classes.

“As the area grows, so do the fire departments and the community, and they have more of a need for EMTs and first responders and a lot of volunteers,” Kennedy said.

Columbia Safety was founded in 2016 by Kennedy – a certified EMT and nurse – and a fellow nurse who saw a need in the Tri-City community for more American Heart Association-approved CPR and first aid training classes.

They started holding classes in rented conference rooms and quickly realized just how much demand and need there was for more specialized courses. So they pivoted to their own dedicated storefront in mid-2017.

Columbia Safety now offers a full slate of classes, some of which can be brought on-site for businesses and organizations looking to train their workforce.

Courses offered include first aid and CPR, multiple levels of wilderness first aid, advanced cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support, pre-hospital trauma life support, basic and advanced emergency medical technician training and a nursing assistant certified course.

Columbia Safety also offers on-site mask fit testing through a contract with the Washington State Department of Health.

Teaching life-saving training classes created an opportunity for a new business venture, AED Wholesale. Kennedy said that after taking part in courses, client businesses often wonder where to buy automatic external defibrillators.

“We try to provide them the best deal on their AED. We can also provide service plans and education for it,” he said.

Another offshoot business that came

about similarly is Badger Tactical, which supplies rugged high-quality first aid kits and medical supplies for use in the field. Along the way, Kennedy bought out his former business partner.

The Covid effect

In 2019, business was growing steadily, and Kennedy seized an opportunity to move a couple of doors down and double his square footage.

“Then Covid hit and I pretty much had to lay everybody off and almost shut our doors,” he said.

He was able to pivot some courses to an online platform, but it was difficult to get traction and provide the same quality of training without the hands-on components which instill in participants the confidence to reliably use their new skills.

Just when it seemed his successful business run was at a premature end, an unexpected opportunity presented itself.

“The Washington state Department of Health started to reach out to another aid company, Health Commons, and they worked with Pasco Fire to accommodate all the (Covid) testing,” he said.

Fortunately, Columbia Safety already had a relationship with the department and chiefs in the area through its EMT program.

Once again, the company needed to expand its business – this time to help facili-

Photo by Laura Kostad

Nathan Kennedy, owner of Columbia Safety LLC, stands in front of the new headquarters for his businesses at 9530 Bedford St. in Pasco. Columbia Safety offers a full slate of medical training courses from basic first aid and CPR to advanced emergency medical technician (EMT) and nursing courses. Kennedy also owns Columbia Safety Medical, AED Wholesale and Badger Tactical.

New massage school to open next year in Richland

A new massage school is opening in Richland.

Advanced Bodywork Education (ABE) will begin offering evening courses in March 2024 and a day class option starting in September 2024 at 1901 George Washington Way.

ABE also will sponsor a student clinic beginning March 2024 for the benefit of both students and the public. It will give students the opportunity to work in real life situations with supervision from instructors and it allows the public to receive massage at a discounted rate. Evening student clinic operates from

September to March. Daytime student clinic operates from March to June.

ABE’s owners are Brenda Wiesner, director of education and curriculum, and Rebekah Norman, director of operations and logistics.

Go to: abemassageschool.com

Pasco High’s new library offers unique check-outs

Pasco High School’s new Library of Things allows students to check out a diverse range of items beyond books to explore new interests, hobbies and careers.

The program, spearheaded by Pasco High School Librarian Elizabeth LeCompte, aims to enrich the educational experience of students.

Thanks to a $2,500 donation from Amazon, the Pasco School District put together a collection of more than 50 items from various categories, including arts and crafts, games, musical instruments, science and technology equipment, and outdoor sports and recreation gear.

Each item in the library is cataloged and barcoded, ensuring easy access for students eager to explore new interests.

For high school students unsure about their future career paths, the Library of Things can serve as a valuable resource by exposing students to various tools and equipment to help them discover a career they are passionate about.

“I think it’s pretty cool to check out a DJ set from school, especially the library,” said student Ismael, in a release

from the district. “The library doesn’t always have to be just books.”

The Library of Things is designed to bridge the gap for students who may lack the means to explore their interests or potential career paths due to financial constraints.

CBC wins grant to help relieve student hunger

Columbia Basin College has been picked to participate in a new free and reduced-price meal pilot program aimed at helping college students stay in college and graduate.

The Pasco college is one of four community colleges in the state chosen for the program, along with Walla Walla Community College, Everett Community College and Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen.

The schools will receive up to $240,000 per year for three years to provide free and low-cost meal plans or food vouchers to eligible low-income students. The state Legislature established the pilot under House Bill 1559; the state Board for Community and Technical Colleges chose the recipients.

“It’s almost impossible to concentrate on studies when you’re worried about whether you’ll be able to eat that day,” said Jennifer Dellinger, student services policy associate for the state board, in a statement. “This pilot project will help students stay focused and graduate. We are grateful to the Legislature for recognizing that food and other living expenses are also educational expenses.”

CWU to help develop earthquake research center

Central Washington University is among a consortium of U.S. institutions involved in the development of a new earthquake research center that will be funded by a $15 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation.

The University of Oregon is leading the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) initiative, which will study the Cascadia subduction zone and bolster earthquake preparedness in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

CRESCENT will be the first center of its kind in the nation focused on earthquakes at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate slides beneath another.

The center will unite scientists studying the possible impacts of a major earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone, an offshore tectonic plate boundary that stretches more than 620 miles from southern British Columbia to northern California.

Among its key pillars, CRESCENT will advance earthquake research, foster community partnerships, and diversify and train the next generation geosciences workforce.

Additional institutions involved in the project include University of Washington, Western Washington University, Cal Poly Humboldt, Purdue University, Smith College, Stanford University, University of North Carolina – Wilmington, University of California, San Diego, Virginia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Richland schools’ special needs program seeks business partners

By Jamie Council for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

They say good work – and good workers – are hard to find, but a new program in the Richland School District is helping businesses find employees while changing students’ lives in the process.

The Community Based Transition Center (CBTC) within the Richland School District assists special needs students 18 to 21 years old develop skills to become independent and transition into the workplace. The center is located at the Teaching & Learning Administration Center on Keene Road in West Richland. Most students graduate high school and then go on to college, trade school or into the workforce. For some special needs students, the gap in cognitive learning or social skills presents special challenges after graduation.

CBTC wants to bridge that gap with help from community partners through special internships.

“I want the community to know that we need their help,” said Scott Piippo, a work-based learning coordinator for CBTC. “This would not be possible without them.”

CBTC matches students’ passions with area businesses and provides a hands-on approach to both the students and the business as the students develop functional living skills with communitybased learning.

These internships provide opportuni-

ties not always available to special needs students, which is critical as jobs can provide purpose, produce social connections and create a sense of accomplishment that contributes to a better overall quality of life.

“These students are looking for the place that they fit in within our community, and it’s really hard when they’re not given at-bats to score runs,” Piippo said.

Preston’s story

Preston Morris has been interested in physical fitness since he was 14 years old and dreamed of becoming a fitness trainer.

CBTC matched him with Planet Fitness to help him reach his goal.

“I enjoy working out and I am passionate about that,” said 20-year-old Preston. “I clean machines and equipment, greet customers and sometimes

help (personal trainer) Jay train people. I want to learn how to do all the workouts correctly and how to help people and stuff, but I’m still learning about that.”

After graduating high school, Preston wasn’t sure how to approach the workforce given his disability. Xavier Johnson, a CBTC program partner and mentor for Morris, works out at Planet Fitness on George Washington Way in Richland. He approached the staff with the idea of getting involved with the program.

“The epitome of Planet Fitness is judgment free and a place for all, no matter what their struggles are,” said Amani Wilburn, club manager at the Richland Planet Fitness, “so when Xavier pitched this idea, we were excited to find a place for Preston even though none of our other clubs have participated in this before.”

Preston has been with the club for three years. It was an opportunity he could not have found on his own.

“I’m like a family with those people,” said Preston of his Planet Fitness coworkers.

Wilburn said the toughest part of incorporating Preston into the team was figuring out his schedule and creating some structure. To help him be successful, they gave him things to work on outside of internship hours that he could complete with CBTC resources.

Given the opportunity and training,

uCBTC, Page A19

Photo by Jamie Council

Preston Morris, center, has been working as an intern for three years at Richland’s Planet Fitness through a placement program with Richland School District’s Community Based Transition Center. Scott Piippo, left, is a work-based learning coordinator for CBTC, and Amani Wilburn, right, is club manager at the Richland Planet Fitness.

Colleges & Universities

*Ranked by FTE undergraduate enrollment

Central Washington University

400 E. University Way Ellensburg, WA 98926 509-963-1111, cwu.edu

Teacher education, music performance and music education, aviation, business (accounting, marketing, finance, business administration), law and justice, health sciences, applied engineering, STEM. Eastern

Regional comprehensive, STEM, education, professional programs, liberal arts. Columbia

Business, career and technical education (CTE), computer science, math science and engineering, health sciences.

Academic and workforce training programs. Major areas of study include arts and sciences transfer, workforce education, pre-college, and basic skills. In addition, WWCC offers courses through extended learning; dual-credit and alternative high school programs; workplace learning centers; outreach learning programs; and lifelong learning opportunities.

Nursing, education, engineering, business, technical and liberal arts in a Christian setting.

One of six campuses in the WSU system known for its strengths in STEM programs, with a focus on energy, environment and agriculture. Career-connected learning and innovative research in a personalized smallschool setting.

Agricultural and diesel equipment, automotive, business and accounting, construction and carpentry, electrical, HVAC and refrigeration, information technology, instrumentation, automation and robotics, medical assistant, medical office administration and coding, plumbing, precision machining and manufacturing,truck driving and welding.

Social work, education, criminal justice, psychology, accounting, business.

Heritage opened a Tri-Cities regional site at 333 W. Canal Drive in Kennewick this fall.

To equip college age students for Christcentered service in the

community.

Notes: *Ranked by FTE undergraduate enrollment. If number of FTE undergraduate students is the same, institutions are ranked by number of FTE graduate students. If that number is the same, institutions are ranked alphabetically. 1Approximate. 22023-24 annual operating budget. 3Non-faculty employees. 4Unable to determine between full time and part time. 5Fall 2022 enrollment. 6Programs vary in length and cost. Estimate based on one year (four quarters) of the highest cost program. DND means did not disclose. FT mean full time. FTE means full-time equivalent. HVAC means heating, ventilation and air conditioning. NA means not applicable. STEM means science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Big Bend Community College, Charter College, Eastern Oregon University, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences and Yakima Valley College didn’t provide information for this list. Colleges within a 150-mile radius of the Tri-Cities were contacted to participate.

Sources: Representatives and websites of the institutions listed. Information current as of Aug. 30, 2023. List compiled by Rachel Visick. Copyright 2023 by Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Covid-19 has infected college-going behavior in the Tri-Cities

The Covid-19 pandemic ushered in a skepticism of medicine and science among certain segments of society. It appears that it also has introduced a wariness of the value of post-secondary education.

A reluctance to pursue post-secondary education is more pronounced in the greater Tri-Cities than throughout the state.

Benton-Franklin Trends compiles a measure produced by the Washington State Education and Research and Data Center (ERDC) on college-going behavior among high school seniors. The accompanying graph tracks this. Specifically, the measure arrives at the share of seniors who attend a two- or four-year institution of higher learning within one year of graduation. Those institutions can be in- or out-of-state and may be private or public.

The ERDC data reveals a startling fall-off in recent higher education attendance. The share of local high school seniors attending some form of higher education within a year of graduation was nearly 50% in 2019. Three years later, the share stood at 44%.

The drop here occurred exclusively in students attending two-year institutions. The share of those students declined from 27% to 20% between 2019-22. The share attending four-year institutions actually rose by 1.5 percentage points. A significant fraction of community college students, of course, continue their education at four-year schools.

Further, shares for both categories are lower here than Washington averages. For 2021, the share of local students attending two-year institutions was 1 percentage point lower than the Washington average. The contrast for high school seniors matriculating into four-year institutions was more dramatic: 31% across the state, versus 24% in Benton and Franklin counties.

The decline in college-going at the community college and trade school level is undoubtedly tied to the robust labor market. Average unemployment in the greater Tri-Cities, observable in Trends data, stood at 5.4% last year, versus 6.0% in 2019. Just as important, average annual earnings climbed a cumulative 14% between 2022 and 2019, faster than the 9% pace over the preceding four years.

As is often the case, differences lurk within the averages. Nationally, wage increases during and immediately following the pandemic in 2022 have been greater for occupations requiring modest training and education than for those requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher. The same is true here, as a look at wage gains by sector reveals.

Retail trade annual earnings jumped by 25% between 2019 and 2022, as Trends data reveals. Average annual earnings in hospitality (accommodations and food services) in Benton and Franklin counties climbed 23% and 19%, respectively. In contrast, average annual earnings in the high-paying sector professional and technical services

rose 9% and 7%, respectively, in Benton and Franklin counties over the same period.

It is not surprising, then, that young people here have been drawn to jobs that offer the immediate gratification of a rapidly rising paycheck. But why has the fall-off in college-going been more pronounced here than throughout the state?

GUEST COLUMN

One answer lies in the composition of the area’s high school graduates. Increasingly, they are made up of students of color, more so than statewide. And these students may be responding to real-world signals about the premium for attending college.

In some startling new research, economists at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank have produced national estimates of the college wage premium by race and ethnicity. Their measure is the ratio of average annual earnings of those with a four-year college degree to those whose highest degree is a high school diploma. (One can also calculate an analogous premium for holders of associate degrees.)

It won’t surprise anyone that the pre-

mium is substantial. According to the study, it was about 75% in 2022.

That average, however, masks substantial variation by race and ethnicity. For Asian Americans, the most recent college premium was over 110%. On the other hand, the most recent college premium for Hispanics was slightly below 70%. The premia for Whites and Blacks lay close to the overall average.

The reasons for the disparities could be many, including the choice of academic major and the attainment of a post-graduate degree. If, for example,

the share of Hispanic students choosing STEM fields of study is much lower than the share of Asian-American students, then earnings between the two college-educated groups will differ.

Another reason could lie in recent increases in wages in industries that have traditionally been populated by Hispanics. Everything else equal, those higher earnings will lower the premium ratio.

Recent declines in college-going,

D. Patrick Jones Eastern Washington University

EDUCATION & TRAINING

here and throughout the state, are actually a continuation of a multiyear trend. As the graph illustrates, collegegoing in the greater Tri-Cities peaked with the graduating class of 2008. Then, nearly 64% of all seniors were in a two- or four-year school within a year. The decline has affected both categories but two-year institutions harder, with a drop of the latter from 35% to 20%.

Let us hope that the recent allure of certain customer-facing jobs gives way to an appreciation of the longer-term

benefits of acquiring some post-secondary education. That will be good for the Tri-Cities economy. It will also provide firmer footing to young people populating that economy.

 D. Patrick Jones is the executive director for Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis. BentonFranklin 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.

tate mass Covid-19 test sites in the area.

Soon after, Columbia Safety began working with the Yakima and Walla Walla county health districts, then Grant County, then the Newport area and Wenatchee.

Kennedy mass hired about 200 people to do the work, giving rise to yet another sister company, Columbia Safety Medical.

Then came the mass vaccine sites which brought Columbia Safety Medical as far west as parts of Seattle. It also found them piloting the first mobile vaccine clinic in the state in Yakima.

When he was asked to administer the mass vaccine site in Yakima, Kennedy said, “I got a call on a Friday asking if I could have people and equipment there by Monday. That was a very large Costco run. I went to Costco and bought them out of all their jackets, all their gloves, iPads – over 100 iPads.”

Columbia Safety Medical was set up with multiple school districts, including Seattle Public Schools, across the state to help with contact tracing and virus tracking.

“At one point, we were close to covering half the state, having either clinics, testing sites or providing some kind of Covid-related services,” Kennedy said.

The unexpected opportunity to expand his repertoire and offerings saved the company.

Now that the Covid-19 pandemic is over, Columbia Safety Medical employs 30 to 40 and continues to operate mobile vaccine units in partnership with medical centers and other organizations to offer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended vaccines.

In August, it was focused on back-toschool vaccine popup events.

Columbia Safety also has about 40 employees.

Kennedy said he and his team enjoy giving back to the emergency medical services community. He helped set up the Tri-Tech Foundation and Columbia Safety partners with Tri-Tech Skills Center’s emergency medical response program to staff standby events like the Benton Franklin Fair and Tri-City Dust Devils games. Tri-Tech students also help out with first aid courses.

Though classes are already underway at the new location, Kennedy said to look for a grand opening for Columbia Safety’s new digs in October.

Search Columbia Safety LLC: 9530 Bedford St., Pasco; 509-820-3883; columbiasafety.net.

JONES, From page A13

COLUMBIA SAFETY, From page A9

Number of employees you oversee: Educational Service District (ESD 123) currently employs 255 individuals.

Brief background about ESD 123 and its role:

The nine educational service districts in the state of Washington are educational organizations that serve schools and communities in a specific region. ESD 123 serves 23 school districts across seven counties in southeast Washington. Our main goal is to provide services that support schools in meeting their educational mission and goals. ESD 123 offers various services ranging from providing early childhood programs, to educator professional development, to supporting school functions such as special education services or school nursing. By doing these things, ESD 123 contributes to making education better for everyone in the region. A small portion of our funding comes from the state (3%), while the rest of our funding comes from grants and fee-for-service contracts.

How did you land your current role? How long have you been in it?

In March of 2022, ESD 123 conducted a search for a new superintendent with

STEVE MCCULLOUGH

Superintendent Educational Service District 123

the pending retirement of then superintendent, Darcy Weisner. ESD 123 conducted a candidate search and several rounds of interviews. I was fortunate enough to be chosen by the ESD Board of Directors to fill this position. My contract started on July 1, 2022, so I have served in this position for a little over a year.

What do you wish the Tri-Cities knew about ESD 123?

Our ESD 123 team prides itself in working in the background to support the great work of our regional school districts. Our focus is not to be known by the community, but to support our communities by working through the schools to help them be successful. Given that, the most important thing for the general community to know is that if you want to support our regional schools in any way, ESD 123 might be the partner most suited to help you achieve your goals.

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

Leaders need a wide range of characteristics to be successful, but one of the most important is to be more concerned with the right answer than with being

right. Successful leaders surround themselves with the most skilled people possible and are not afraid to have their thoughts and ideas challenged as the team works to solve problems and build the organization. Only by creating a culture where there is a high level of trust can leaders build the teams needed to achieve and sustain success, and a leader with an ego who does not allow dissent will never build this team.

What is the biggest challenge facing educators and administrators today?

The biggest challenge facing educators and administrators today is time. Over the past 100 years, more and more responsibilities have been added to schools, and the needs of students and families have increased as well. While these dynamics have increased, very little has changed in the structure of schools. This has created a situation where there is not the time in the work day of an educator or administrator to

YOUR COMFORT, OUR COMMITMENT

Compassionate Approach

adequately meet the challenges in front of them.

If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your industry?

Our school system was not designed for the challenges of today; the structure of school has not changed significantly since its inception in the mid-19th century. If I had a magic wand, I would remove the many barriers to educational innovation so we could better create schools focused on the needs of students and families.

uMCCULLOUGH, Page A16

Learn

At Tri-Cities Chaplaincy, we are honored to serve our community with compassion, empathy and dignity.

:

Our experienced team of chaplains and caregivers understands the emotional and spiritual aspects of endof-life care.

We provide a supportive environment for patients and families to find comfort and solace.

Family-Centered: We recognize the importance of involving families in the care process. Our team collaborates with families to create personalized care plans that respect individual wishes and cultural beliefs.

Steve McCullough

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

Leadership is about creating and guiding teams to achieve the organization’s goals. To be an effective leader, you must focus on positively supporting and developing those around you. It’s important to gather a strong team and establish an environment where they can succeed. Keep in mind that without the right team culture, reaching your goals becomes extremely difficult.

Who are your role models or mentors?

I do not have any specific mentors and consider many of my superintendent colleagues as role models. The network created by our regional ESDs and our state superintendent association WASA (Washington Association of School Administrators) has provided many important opportunities for me as a growing administrator to learn from others and hone my skills as an educational leader.

How do you keep your employees motivated?

Keeping employees motivated is first accomplished by hiring people who are already motivated individuals. Second, leaders need to build and sustain a work culture where employees feel valued and trusted as professionals. Third, employees need opportunities to grow their skills and advance in the organization. Finally, one specific practice will not motivate every employee. A leader needs

to be flexible enough to find and deliver opportunities and activities that motivate employees with differing needs.

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

After earning a degree in economics, I started my professional life after college in the private sector with an employee benefits consulting company. After working there for a couple of years it was clear that to be fulfilled in my work, I needed to find a profession that afforded more opportunities to serve in a way that supported the growth and development of youth. I moved into the teaching profession and through the years moved up into the leadership ranks. Working at the ESD is my dream job, combining my passion for helping students with my background in business.

How do you measure success in your workplace?

For ESD 123, success in the workplace is primarily measured by how successful we are in supporting the work of our regional school districts. If we are offering high quality services that help school districts reach their goals, then we are fulfilling our mission as an organization. To achieve this goal, we must have a work culture that supports great work, so the health of our work culture is another primary measure of our success.

What do you consider your leadership style to be?

I strive to be a collaborative leader, to build the culture and organizational

systems that allow employees to do their best work in a supportive work environment. I also am a firm believer in “management by walking around,” meaning that a leader has to be where the work is happening in order to have the information to make the right decisions. You cannot lead from staying behind the doors of your office, and knowing and appreciating those in the organization and those you serve is vital if you are going to lead an organization in the right direction.

How do you balance work and family life?

Most of the leaders I know struggle with balance of home and work. I have struggled with this balance all my professional career and have not given my family as much time and attention as I should have at times. My current practice is much better, and I encourage this balance in those I lead by making sure that the organization supports family life in our policies, procedures and communication with staff. I also make a point to discuss this balance on a periodic basis with those I directly supervise. I want it to be crystal clear that I support this balance, and encouraging it in others helps me to change my own behavior in a positive manner. I also have an incredibly supportive wife who helps me keep a good balance.

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

Before becoming an empty nester, much of my time at home was spent following the activities of our four children. Now, as I wait patiently for grandchildren to do the same with, I spend free time reading, gardening, visiting family, and taking daily walks or bike rides with my wife.

We also greatly enjoy the many opportunities to dine out and sample the local wines in the Tri-City region.

What’s your best time management strategy?

My best time management strategy is to use a calendar system like Outlook to schedule each day. This allows me to make short- and long-term plans, schedule reminders, and keep easy-to-access notes in one system. It also allows my administrative assistant to have immediate access to my schedule, which makes it easier for the assistant to provide the support I need to be more efficient.

Best tip to relieve stress?

I have struggled with stress all my work life and one of the best strategies I have ever found to relieve stress and keep a proper perspective in life is to start each day thinking about or writing down at least three things for which I am grateful. Focusing on gratitude each day helps me to put the things in my life that cause me stress in a proper perspective and provides relief. Even though life can be very difficult, I have so much to be grateful for with my job, family, friends, community and country.

What’s your favorite book?

My favorite book series of all time is “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien. I read it for the first time as a young teen and have read the books many times over. I love the world Tolkien has created, the depth of the characters, the incredible use of language, a compelling story and powerful moral themes. I still remember the first time reading the series and staying up to 3 in the morning several days in a row because the story was so captivating!

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

One of my favorite quotes is from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” I love how it so strongly emphasizes how important it is to have your actions match your words.

Wanted: Mentors ready to invest in young people

I think we can all agree that the experiences we had growing up built us into the adults we became. To ensure a positive future for our community, we need to provide young people with positive experiences that encourage, empower and equip them to dream and grow to their full potential, as well as to give back to their communities as adults.

It’s easy for us to assume that kids are getting all the experiences they need from their family and school. Some of us may expect them to be driven with the same personality type as our own – one where they find their own opportunities, regardless of their situation. We must recognize that society has changed dramatically, especially in the past couple of decades.

While young people have access to a world of information, they are spending significantly less time with adults – the positive role models who offer teachable moments, adventures that challenge them to think bigger, and experiences that help them discover and pursue their potential path to success. The internet can never replace the powerful influence of real relationships.

Before we place the blame on the younger generation, thinking they are pushing us away, we need to ask ourselves some questions: Are we intentional in reaching out to them by simply starting a conversation or developing a friendship? Do we step out of our comfort zones with our minds set on understanding their perspectives? How well do we tangibly

or practically encourage them in their pursuits?

Many of us believe that young people lack the skills and maturity at age 18 that older generations possessed. Let’s think about that. Where did we learn social and communication skills? At what point in our lives did we learn about the career fields we pursued? Who showed us the value of respecting others and working hard?

Partners program provides an opportunity for businesses and individuals to bridge this generational disconnect and offer youth a chance to get their feet on the ground in places they may have never thought possible.

Todd Kleppin FORGE Youth Mentoring GUEST COLUMN

Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child recently conducted a study on building resilient young people. Its conclusion was profound: “Children who do well despite serious hardship have had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult.” Research confirms what I’ve witnessed over the past 30 years working in the youth development field. Youth need adults to walk alongside and enable them to experience new worlds, to discover their interests, talents, skills and purpose. While the solution is simple, there are so many young people missing out on this critical need. Every one of us can make a meaningful difference, even if it’s just with one child.

FORGE Youth Mentoring’s Experience

We can help them overcome myths and fears as they are exposed to all types of hands-on, mind stretching opportunities and activities. Each middle or high school student in our program is accompanied by their mentor who can watch them discover their interests or potential career paths and then provide ongoing support and encouragement to keep learning and growing.

If your business would like to be an experience partner, your commitment is to share your company history and what it accomplishes, needs being met, careers within, how a young person could pursue those careers, as well as any advice or guidance.

Activities or tours can be included. Individual Experience Partners simply share what they love, their expertise, or the hobbies that bring them joy. These 30to 60-minute opportunities take place two or three times per year.

Creating a healthier and stronger community begins with each of us investing

uKLEPPIN, Page A19

Alzheimer's disease is a growing concern, impacting an ever-increasing number of families. The Edward Jones Strategic Alliance with the Alzheimer's Association® is one way the firm helps protect and preserve our clients' health, relationships, and financial goals.

The relationship is focused on providing full-mission support to the Alzheimer's Association that broadens awareness, funds research and increases education opportunities to advance care and support for those families impacted by Alzheimer's disease. Together, we will positively impact society by building communities, advancing treatment and deepening knowledge to improve early detection.

In July of 2020, Edward Jones announced the renewal of its $25 million, five-year strategic alliance with the Alzheimer's Association. Continuing the partnership that began in 2016, Edward Jones, its associates and clients have raised more than $25 million to date. The continued investment will enhance the Alzheimer's Association’s care and support programs, provide educational materials for Edward Jones clients and associates and fund critical Alzheimer’s research.

Local Edward Jones Financial

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Between 2000 and 2019, deaths from hear t disease have

In 2023, Alzheimer's and other dementias will cost the United States

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WSU study: Preschoolers show cultural differences in generosity

In a set of sharing experiments, Spanish-speaking Latino preschoolers were more likely to choose options that would be more generous to others, even over a more equal sharing choice.

Their English-speaking peers in the Washington State University study more often chose the most competitive option, one that advantaged themselves over others. The most competitive among that group were

English-speaking Latino children, a finding that the researchers believe may reflect their desire to transition to the more individualistic American culture.

The WSU study not only adds evidence that children from collectivist cultures, which prioritize the good of the group over the individual, show those values early, but also helps distinguish their motivations.

“We knew that Spanish-speaking kids tended to be more cooperative, but we didn’t know whether that had to do with generosity or wanting things to be equal. Our work shows that they’re not more driven by equal-

ity. They’re just flat out more generous,” said Paul Strand, a WSU Tri-Cities psychologist and senior author of the study published in The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.

Strand, along with WSU graduate students Erinn Savage and Arianna Gonzales, ran a set of game-based experiments with 265 children ranging in age from 3 to 5 who were all enrolled in a Head Start preschool program. They used three “economic dictator games,” originally developed by Swiss and German researchers, which give children choices on keeping and giving items they liked.

time in the younger generation. Go out today and intentionally connect with a young person and begin a supportive relationship that will empower them to reach their great potential. To learn more and sign-up as a FORGE Experience Partner, go to: forgeyouthmentoring.org/ experience-partners.

Search Todd Kleppin is the co-founder and national director of FORGE Youth Mentoring, headquartered in the Tri-Cities. Teamed with a strong national board and a skilled staff since its start in 2018, FORGE has expanded into more than 20 cities throughout Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and Arizona.

he’s thriving in his role and even helps train groups on Saturdays alongside a personal trainer.

“It’s opened up a lot for Preston,” Wilburn said. “The time invested into making sure an intern is trained properly in their role might be more than an average employee, but the outcome is much greater. We’re part of something bigger than ourselves in the community.”

Wilburn said Preston has improved the culture of the gym for both the employees and the members and plans to hire him as a paid employee.

“I can’t say enough good things about Preston,” Wilburn said. “He’s a shining light and motivates our team and improves the culture at Planet Fitness.

People that come into our gym are looking to change their lives and Preston reminds them of that because he is looking to do the same.”

About CBTC

CBTC is a new program within the Richland district. It was created a year and a half ago and currently serves 23 students, though Piippo said he hopes to grow the program.

“As stories like Preston’s come out, I think we’ll get more students and community partners,” he said.

Integrating students into the workplace is only one facet of the program.

The transitional program offers a curriculum that includes mobility and travel training, connections to adult service agencies, meal planning and cooking,

shopping, budgeting, recreation access, work skills and community involvement.

A few factors for student eligibility include being age 18-21 and currently accessing instructional placement within the district, eligible for state Developmental Disabilities Administration services and being able to demonstrate safe and independent behavior.

“Underserved students are getting opportunities and skill sets for post-secondary success,” Piippo said.

Community partners

Just like every student has different needs, CBTC understands that every business has different needs, so the internships aren’t wrapped as one-sizefits-all.

They offer a few different models to best fit the needs of students and the employer. The 1:1 student internships have one student at a job site with support fading as students learn skills and develop independence. The other option is having two to three students working with a job coach to focus on a specific task. Repetition is built while additional tasks can be added.

“We don’t want a transactional relationship,” Piippo said. “We want a transformational relationship.”

Search To learn more about the program, go to rsd.edu/departments/special-education/cbtc.

Search Businesses interested in learning how to become a community partner can reach out to Piippo by email: scott. piippo@rsd.edu

CBTC, From page A11

KLEPPIN, From page A17

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Underground LLC dba Adventures Underground

George Washington Way, Richland, WA 99354

Bradley Blvd., Suite 103, Richland, WA 99352

Foods LLC dba JoJo’s Freeze Dried Goodies

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7815 W. River Blvd., Pasco, WA 99301 Devi Tate

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Energy Incentives Inc.

3517 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick, WA 99336

Gemini Corps LLC

8210 W. Bruneau Place, Kennewick, WA 99336

Gunderson Contracting LLC

1126 Meade Ave., Prosser, WA 99350

Hadron Intrinsic Consulting LLC dba Hadron Consulting

3121 W. 30th Ave., Suite 101, Kennewick, WA 99337

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Traffic Management Inc. of

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(storefront and online) seller of new and used books, comics, graphic novels, board games, card games, gaming supplies, records, hobby supplies, toys and more.

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licensed food processing kitchen offering over 50 different options of freeze dried goodies to clients and wholesale pricing. Internet retail sales.

Provides support and systems to enterprises, including custom workflow and application development; specializes in development utilizing Claris Software.

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Commercial/residential architect.

Pamela Pickett 509-554-9659 Electrical engineering services, including design and maintenance for commercial and industrial building electrical systems. WBE

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Julie Valdez 509-452-1993 Provides office, janitorial, industrial and safety supplies to businesses and government. WBE

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State certification may offer new revenue for women-owned businesses

By Robin Wojtanik for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

More than 30 businesses across Benton and Franklin counties took the extra step of becoming state certified as a small business owned by a woman or minority woman, adding their names to an online directory and putting them in position to bid for a share of government contracts.

Lynn Carlson, owner of Gemini Corps LLC in Kennewick, said the certification makes it simpler to contract with her company, which specializes in organizational development and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, providing services in cultural competency, assessment, strategy and training.

“I originally did it as a competitive advantage since that’s sort of the point, to be able to lift up small businesses and woman-owned businesses so they can compete against larger firms,” said Carlson, whose business is a state-certified woman business enterprise (WBE).

“For some of my current clients, it was ease of contracting. Because I’m on the roster, it makes it easy to contract with me, especially with the higher limits, without having to go out to bid or a major request for proposal.”

Based in Olympia, the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE) offers certification to small businesses owned and controlled by minorities, women and socially and economically disadvantaged persons.

Government contractors or municipalities often must meet federal requirements for giving a share of subcontracted work to historically disadvantaged groups, allowing them to achieve supplier diversity goals.

Carlson said the certification provides a platform to find subcontractors who otherwise would not be able to participate in these business opportunities. “Even if I’m not personally available and someone reaches out from a state or municipal entity, I can partner with someone to fill the need,” she said.

Tri-City certifications

Currently, the OWMBE has certified 32 women-owned business across Benton and Franklin counties, including those that are state certified as a WBE, minority and women’s business enterprises (MWBE), or federally certified as an airport concessionaire disadvantaged business enterprise (ACDBE), disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) or small business enterprise (SBE).

Across the state, there are just over 2,000 women-owned businesses certified with the OWMBE.

Business loans

Federal contracting isn’t the only reason a business would seek this certification with the state, said Tim Kenney, OMWBE director of communications.

“Our services make sure there’s additional benefits for businesses as well. Cities and counties and such use our di-

rectory when they have contracting needs, and we also offer the Linked Deposit Program (LDP) for those eligible for a business loan. We have programs that focus on business development and certification which also helps increase visibility, so people come to us even if they’re not doing government contracting.”

State lawmakers created the LDP in the early 90s after determining minority- and women-owned businesses had been historically denied access to capital – a key barrier to the development of these types of businesses.

The program links state fund deposits to loans offered by participating financial institutions to qualified minority and women-owned businesses. The deposits are made below market rates with the savings passed on to borrowers through an interest rate reduction of up to 2%.

Carlson wasn’t aware of the LDP and hadn’t taken advantage of it.

“Lucky for me, I haven’t had a need for capital,” she said. “But I do a lot of small business venturing and support and access to capital is usually the first or second question so it’s nice to know that vehicle exists.”

Requirements to participate in the LDP include certification as a WBE, MBE, MWBE or combination business enterprise with a loan not exceeding $1 million for a term under 10 years. There’s also a lifetime cap of $5 million per eligible individual.

Set asides

Priscilla Martinez, owner of Del Sol Inc., a state certified MWBE based in West Richland providing janitorial services, has been an MWBE-certified business for 10 years and holds work contracts mostly outside of the Tri-Cities, including the west side of the state, Oregon and Idaho.

At one point, about half of her business came from contracts known as “set asides,” which are designated by the federal government for historically disadvantaged businesses.

Currently, she has just one contract as an MWBE.

“When we found out about (certification), the government had a lot more set asides for minority and women-owned businesses, and now we just always get recertified. Now, there’s a lot more set asides for disabled veterans and veteranowned businesses. It changes with the election cycle,” she said.

Despite having a single contract, Martinez said it provides enough value to make it worth her while. “We’re always looking for new contracts and this helps find out if some might be set aside for us and it would give us an opportunity to bid. One contract may not seem like a lot but it’s worth it for us and we’re happy with it,” she said.

Challenges

Salina Savage, co-owner of Apogee Group, and a previously certified WBE, no longer holds this designation due to growth in her business.

To qualify, companies must have gross receipts of under $30.4 million over three years and a personal net worth below $1.32 million. The most recent winner of the Association of Washington Business’

New U Women’s Clinic and Aesthetics is the vision of CEO and founder Dr. Rachel Fidino whose mission is to be the premier women’s clinic and med- spa facility in Eastern Washington. New U Women’s Clinic and Aesthetics is a one- stop solution to handle virtually every aspect of a patient’s life by treating the whole person with exceptional, consistent care through education and evidenced-based medicine. The highly trained medical team is focused on proven, safe, and effective treatment outcomes which have distinguished New U Women’s Clinic and Aesthetics as one of the top leaders in the industry.

SERVICES

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For more a comprehensive list and details on all services go to: www. newuwomensclinic.com.

Dr. Rachel M. Fidino CEO, MSN, ARNP, WHNP-BC, AGN-BC, DNP

Lynn Carlson

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

3 Tri-City companies named to Inc.’s fastest growing list

Three Richland companies were included in Inc. business magazine’s annual list of the 5,000 fastest growing companies in the country.

The financial services firm Epic Trust Financial Group of Richland ranked No. 1,295 with 452% annual growth over three years.

Gravis Law in Richland ranked No. 2,705 with 198% annual growth over three years.

Christensen of Richland ranked No. 4,586 with 90% annual growth over three years.

The Inc. list ranks companies according to percentage revenue growth from

2019-22. To qualify, companies must have 2019 revenue of at least $100,000 and $2 million in 2022. They also must have been founded and generating revenue by March 2019 and be U.S. based, privately held, for-profit and independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.

TRIDEC forms Energy Forward Alliance

TRIDEC has formed an Energy Forward Alliance focusing on the “transition to a reliable and resilient clean energy future in the Mid-Columbia region,” the organization said in an announcement.

The alliance is in search of an executive director.

The advertised salary range for the

position is $100,000-$125,000.

The alliance will use the clean energy leadership, skills and knowledge of the region to “leverage existing clean energy technologies and develop and deploy new and additional technologies to deliver a clean energy community model that will inspire communities across the state, nation and world to participate in a sustainable future,” the announcement said.

The Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC, is leading the alliance and is establishing a separate 501(c)3 whose “mission will be to provide dedicated, inspiring leadership and governance to marshal the leadership, assets, funding, partnerships and collaborations needed to deliver on the vision.”

Radius Recycling announces ticker symbol change

Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., doing business as Radius Recycling, announced that the company’s common stock began trading on NASDAQ under the symbol “RDUS” at the open of market trading on Sept. 1, which coincides with the start of the company’s fiscal year.

“RDUS” replaces the company’s current ticker symbol “SCHN,” which has been used since its initial public offering in 1993. The new ticker symbol aligns with the company’s rebranding from Schnitzer Steel to Radius Recycling, announced on July 26.

Radius Recycling has a facility in Burbank.

Go to: radiusrecycling.com.

Vintners Village to welcome $1M tasting room in 2024

By Robin Wojtanik for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A Washington state transplant who pursued a love of winemaking plans to front the latest winery to set up shop in Prosser’s Vintners Village. It’s a step forward in its journey to become an all-estate grown wine label.

Enodav Wine Co. is co-owned by David Rodriguez and two family members and named for the combination of the prefix for wine, “eno,” with a shortening of his first name, “David.” Rodriguez is the winemaker and self-described face of the company. He got into the business after pursuing an education in enology about 10 years ago in Argentina. Originally from the San DiegoTijuana region, he returned there with his degree and was introduced to Washington wines at an event held by a wine commission.

“First of all, I didn’t know Washington made wine,” Rodriguez said. “I was completely, completely out of the loop and here Washington was No. 2 (for volume) in the whole country.”

Rodriguez found, in his experience, Washington didn’t get the notoriety it deserved because most of what was produced locally was also purchased locally.

“Up until 2017, 2018 was when things started to change, and the market started to become more saturated with wine from the state of Washington and there became more reminders of the significantly more volume produced inside the state,” he said.

Seeing this interest growing, Rodriguez

came for a visit in 2017, which also happened to be a harsh winter, especially for a southern California native.

“There was snow on the ground in May, so I thought I wasn’t even going to last a year. I said, ‘This is not my plan. This is too much.’ But I fell in love with the wine industry and the people here.”

Part of that included the experience he got working with growers in Zillah, including Patrick Dineen of Dineen Vineyards, and Matthew and Patrick Rawn of Two Mountain Winery.

Six years later, he’s laid down roots beyond the vineyard and wants to keep cultivating that success. Rodriguez served as

winemaker for Dineen Vineyard from 2020 through early 2023, while also working on his own label.

Rodriguez, his father and stepmother, whom he calls his second mom, recently closed on a deal to buy two acres in the Port of Benton’s Vintners Village, valued at $138,000.

It’s part of an overall expected investment of just over $1 million to build a tasting room in the business park visible from Interstate 82 that’s home to wineries, restaurants and shops, including Thurston Wolfe, Wine O’Clock Bar & Bistro and Sister to Sister boutique.

Rodriguez had eyed the property prior

to the pandemic when his own wine label was just a couple years old and growing but had no money coming in due to the delay between bottling and selling.

He began making wine under Enodav in 2018 with 50 cases, growing to an expected 3,000 this year. It’s a rapid jump and double the production from just last year.

“The demand has been great and now we’re at that point where we are able to start thinking about building something,” Rodriguez said. “We started exploring in 2019, but then we had to put it on hold because we didn’t know what was going to happen. During the pandemic, we said, ‘If it is still there when we come back, we’ll be ready to buy.’ And now in 2023, we’re definitely ready to start building a chip into the community.”

The Port of Benton is just as excited to continue to grow this hub for local and regional tourism.

“It confirms for us that Prosser is a great location for these types of expansions to occur,” said Diahann Howard, executive director for the Port of Benton. “It adds to a mix that’s already there and thriving, and we want to continue to see Enodav and others develop and continue to be a destination.”

The port is actively in talks with the cruise lines that service the Columbia River to create excursion opportunities that take visitors to Prosser while a boat is docked in the Tri-Cities.

To capture some of that potential new

Courtesy Enodav Wine Co.

Winemaker David Rodriguez cut his teeth on farming and winemaking in the Yakima Valley and now plans to open a tasting room for Enodav Wine Co. in Prosser’s Vintners Village after buying land from the Port of Benton.

Employer of the Year, Savage said she didn’t find the kind of support she sought from the OWMBE at the time she qualified for certification and described the effort as “painful.”

She felt the OWMBE “hindered” her from getting additional North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, a prerequisite to bidding on state work. Conversely, NAICS codes aren’t a prerequisite for bidding on federal contracts, allowing businesses to partner with others offering previous experience in an

industry.

Savage said she found it challenging to get work on the west side of the state and felt the agency was “detrimental to us on the east side,” describing it as “reverse discrimination,” based on geography.

Kenney acknowledged OMWBE needs more staff on the east side of the state.

“While OMWBE serves the entire state of Washington, historically we have not had the funding required to expand our team of certification analysts to eastern and central Washington. We identified this as a barrier for businesses, and we secured funding in the past few years to address this concern and expand our statewide presence. OMWBE now employs three full-time employees in eastern/central Washington, and we plan to add two more full-time employees in these areas as well,” he said.

Savage said she did have a great experience with the contract she landed for the Seattle Tunnel Partners Project to haul concrete segments for highway infrastructure, but eventually looked elsewhere to build her business. Apogee Group no longer performs state work and mostly contracts on the federal level or out of state, including with the National Nuclear Security Administration, a contract worth hundreds of millions.

Cost of certification

Certification by the OWBME costs between $25 and $100, depending on type, and takes about 60 to 90 days. Kenney said an effort is underway to eliminate certification costs entirely.

To qualify, businesses must have assigned NAICS codes based on the goods or services provided, meet the limit on gross

receipts, and have a primary owner who is socially and economically disadvantaged.

Extensive documentation is required for certification, including tax returns, citizenship papers, a personal net worth statement, organizational chart, and more.

“I don’t actively seek out state contracts because the administrative burden isn’t worth it, and there usually aren’t a lot of opportunities on the east side,” Carlson said.

But overall, she feels the effort for certification has been worth it.

“I’ve gotten one or two paid clients a year, so it has paid for itself in the time to do it initially and recertification. Even if I don’t take a contract or win their business, it’s nice to know what’s going on and have those contacts for the future,” she said. Search Go to: omwbe.wa.gov.

Salina Savage

business, Rodriguez hopes to break ground by the end of this year to be open by the beginning of summer 2024, but permitting and construction timelines could always push the project into the fall.

Enodav Wine hopes to capitalize on the canopy offered by a neighboring nursery to provide additional landscaping outside for people to sit and kids to run around. The tasting room will be within the same building as Enodav’s production facility with a capacity to put out 7,000 cases of wine.

“My thought process on making wine is a very European one; I probably am guilty as charged on that,” Rodriguez said. “I make my wines to pair them with food. I don’t make my wines to be enjoyed by themselves. I mean you can, sure, but my vision is to always pair them with food, whether it’s a sandwich, oysters, lamb or pasta. They’re very versatile wines.”

The current lineup of eight wines includes reds, whites and rosé, ranging in price from $22 to $55.

“I focus mostly on varietals, especially from the Yakima Valley. I don’t do a lot of blends, so I just want to portray the varietals and on some special wines, the more expensive ones, I do single vineyard,” he said.

Rodriguez expects to offer small plates of food for purchase, like charcuterie boards, but also will encourage people to tote food from neighboring restaurants to his tasting room to pair with his wines.

“The better my neighbor does in business, the better I do also,” he said. Wine mentoring

Looking to the future, Rodriguez hopes to one day offer the kind of assistance to an up-and-coming winemaker in the same way he was treated so generously by the Rawn brothers of Zillah’s Two Mountain Winery, who offered a mentorship and much more.

“I am eternally grateful to them. They always encouraged me to start my own company. When I came in and talked to them about making some wine, they were just like, ‘Let’s do it. You can do it here. You don’t have to pay for crushing. You don’t have to pay for anything. Just buy your fruit and we will crush it for you, and you’ll be here working and use whatever barrels you’re bringing,’” he said.

The Rawns allowed him to age the wine in their facility as well.

But the generosity didn’t end there. Rodriguez recalled when he arranged to buy his first ton of Syrah grapes from a vineyard owned by Two Mountain.

“I came into the office with Patrick Rawn, and I said, “What do I owe you for that ton?’ And he said, ‘You don’t owe anything, don’t worry about it.’ And so they literally gifted me the whole first ton. It kickstarted the company. So, then and there, I pledged that if I ever became successful enough, I would definitely do the same thing.”

For him, that success would include being 100% estate grown, making wine exclusively with grapes on land owned by the wine company. Right now, he’s at 25% and expects it to take five to seven years to reach this goal, with wines produced and sold out of the building he and his family look forward to opening in 2024.

Search Enodav Wines: 114 Grandridge Road, Grandview; www.enodav.wine.

Become the public speaker audiences will remember

Did you know a vast majority of people list fear of public speaking as their No. 1 phobia? In fact, some people fear it more than death. How about you? What is your least favorite part about speaking in front of a crowd?

This is a vital skill to be a competent leader, and it’s essential to developing executive presence. Let’s unpack some tips to help you give a great speech with confidence.

When speaking to a group, the audience comes first. Your top question should always be: Who is my potential audience?

A key rule of speaking is giving up the love of knowledge or the love of your material and replacing it with a love for people. And then ask yourself: How does this change my approach?

I promise it’ll increase empathy and your ability to relate. Remember, your audience is on your side.

Regardless of the topic, customize your words to connect with your audience. As soon as you’re asked to speak at an event, do your homework. Don’t begin selecting material until you have reviewed what you know about the situation and your audience.

Do you know 90% of a good presentation revolves around planning?

As author Stephen Covey would say, you must begin with the end in mind. Some key planning questions to consider as you prepare: What does my audience need to know? Why do they need to know it? What do they need to do? How can I help them remember it? That’s the STAR approach, “something they’ll always remember.”

To answer the first three questions, start by writing a one-sentence goal for the speech.

What do you want to happen? Be a train, not a Ferris wheel, and take your audience somewhere. You are trying to make a difference in their lives.

For example, a speech goal might be: “To build confidence in leaders, showing them that through excellent preparation, they can grow to be proficient in public speaking.”

Next, write a one-sentence theme for your speech: the main idea that leads to your goal. Craft an epic talk which engages and informs the audience.

Now, list three to four important points that support your theme.

Finally, help them identify their STAR. Give them a chance to complete this statement with their audience neighbor: “Yesterday, (your name) spoke to us about___.” “We all left never to forget his/ her main point, which was ___.”

As you begin your speech, accomplish three things from the start:

• Grab their attention: Make them laugh within 30 seconds (a funny joke or story) or applaud within 10 seconds. Attention-grabbers can be startling statements; statistics or quick quizzes; rhetorical questions or bold claims; quotations or poems; stories; humorous anecdotes; or engaging the senses.

• Review the agenda: Briefly share what you are going to discuss, the purpose of your topic, or where you are taking them, so they’ll know, do or feel some-

thing by the end of the lesson.

• Share the benefit: What is the benefit of listening to you? Make it about them. Make them the hero. You’ve now captured your audience’s attention, and now it’s time to move into the body of your speech. What does that look like? Keep the main points to a minimum.

Three is a good number to shoot for. Rank them by impact. Develop a smooth transition between them with intentionality. Then organize the information based on your goal.

Be sure to select material that focuses on benefits for your audience and is easy for them to apply in their lives.

Enhance your points with slides, numbers, examples, stories or metaphors. Be sure to use only one slide per concept. Remember people can’t listen to you and read the slides at the same time.

Throughout your speech you’ll need to mix it up every 8-10 minutes to regain audience attention. To do this, consider these ideas: make them move, use props,

make them laugh (share a funny cartoon), watch a video clip, take an assessment or write on a flipchart.

Vocal delivery

Be sure to vary your vocal delivery with the rate and pace of speech, including dramatic pauses. Enunciate clearly and pronounce the words. Vary your volume to emphasize key points or to dramatize a story. Consider “what is it like to be the person listening to me? What do I like about other speakers?”

Visual delivery

Be sure to make eye contact. Spend 3-5 seconds on a person and move on, and

Paul Casey Growing Forward Services

GUEST COLUMN

uCASEY, Page A31

EMILY MCKEE

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Specializing in new construction and luxury properties.

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Smooth Moves, LLC gosmoothmoves.com

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Commercial and residential moving services.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business tcjournal.biz

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Business news and Senior Times publications.

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Frank Prior

1st Priority Detail

Mark Monteith

AAA of Washington

Angela Dryden

Action 2 Awareness

Dennis Miller

Artmil

Greg & Sandy Brown

Brown Bear Construction

Omar Garcia

Chem-Dry of Tri-Cities

Angelita Chavez CHUGH, LLP

Michael Thorn Cliff Thorn Construction

Jason Simonis

Columbia Basin Plumbing

James Atwood

Cornerstone First Mortgage

Debbie Thornington Cornerstone First Mortgage

Justin Dodd

Dayco Heating and Air

Lisa Goodwin

Elijah Family Homes

Al Thiemens

Gesa Credit Union

ANDREW ZIEGLER

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Marcie Torres Gutter Girl

Greg Hammer

Inline Computers and Communications

Jennie Oldham

Kennewick Flower Shop

Tim Mether Kestrel Home Inspection Services

Westin Mick Minuteman Press of Kennewick

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Mr. Electric

Jeffery Prause Northwest Injury Clinics

Door Company alohagaragedoorcompany.com

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Mike Duarte Paintmaster Services Inc.

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Larry Duran

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Dawn King

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Sperline Raekes Law

Jacob Mesner

The Truss Company

Victoria Yocom

Victoria Lynn’s

Steve McPeak

We Know Medicare

Kara Vogt

The Village Bistro

TIFFANY LUNDSTROM

50 GUNNERS is a networking group of local, trusted industry leaders who provide outstanding services and quality products.

Exhibit featuring farmworkers comes to WSU Tri-Cities

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month in September and October, Washington State University Tri-Cities is showing an exhibit featuring Yakima Valley farmworkers.

“Rooted: Irwin Nash Photographs of Yakima Valley Farmworkers” is on display at the Art Center in the Consolidated Information Center building through Oct. 20.

Though Nash’s project started as a freelance magazine piece, it led to 9,400 photographs captured between 1967-76, more than 40 of which will be displayed at this exhibit, documenting Chicano

livelihood. Nash’s photographs, largely unknown before now, show scenes from the daily lives of the farmworkers, helping to document their histories and inspiring the community to share their stories and memories.

Soroptimists celebrate 75th anniversary

Soroptimist International of PascoKennewick celebrates its 75th anniversary on Sept. 16.

The club was chartered by Soroptimist International of Spokane on Aug. 19, 1948, and has continued to grow over the years.

Today, it has 70 members and hosts two major fundraising activities each year: Dream Builders Breakfast in the

spring, which has raised $40,000 in the past, and Bunco in the fall.

The club, along with its sibling, Soroptimist International of Three Rivers, works on the Tri-Cities Soroptimist Against Trafficking and the Dream It Be It programs.

Soroptimist International focuses on helping and empowering women and girls with an emphasis on education, and SIPK channels $40,000 of its funds to scholarships and awards.

New name signals launch of PTAC workshops

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce and Washington Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) launched the first installment of the “Yes

You Can! Contracts with the Government” program on Aug. 30. The program used to be known as “Procurement Power Hour,” and is designed to provide insight into the world of procurement by bringing local business owners together in interactive, knowledge-sharing sessions.

The goal is to help businesses find, bid, win and perform on federal, state and local government contracts. With a new PTAC counselor on board since the sessions last ran, the program’s new name signals a fresh start, said Austin Regimbal, marketing and communications director for the chamber.

The workshops will cover a variety of topics. Chamber membership isn’t required – but online registration is due to limited space. Go to: washingtonptac. ecenterdirect.com/events.

don’t talk to your Power Point.

Use facial expressions when appropriate and hand gestures to emphasize points.

Practice good posture (not rounded shoulders or slouching). Roll your shoulder blades back to relax them.

Use movement. Walk into the audience.

Give some thought to your dress and appearance. It should usually be a step up from a typical audience member.

Show enthusiasm (or not) – you’ll be contagious either way. Your audience mirrors your emotional output.

Conclusions

As you conclude your talk, don’t lose the retention value of this key wrap-up segment. You are trying to leave a lasting impression. Consider these tips:

• Summary, recap, reinforcement of the essence of the main points or the steps.

• Call to action or challenge: How it will make their life better or achieve our mission together. Does the action step in your conclusion reflect the purpose of your speech?

• Concise final statement: the lasting verbal or visual impression you want to make.

• Emotional punch to the gut is often a story. Communicate a belief in the audience that they will apply what you said and will be successful in their efforts. People love to be praised and empowered if you are sincere. Make the audience the hero.

I always have the audience write down their takeaways or share them with the person next to them. Remind them they must do something with the information within 72 hours or there’s the likelihood of forgetting the important information to apply.

These tips move you through the preparation and execution of great public speaking. They bring you back to the first and most important question: Who is my audience?

Adequately answering that question will add value and make your speech relatable and memorable, and then everyone walks away a hero.

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. He also is the executive director of Leadership Tri-Cities.

CASEY, From page A29

Pasco baker serves up variety of sweet comfort food

By Jeff Morrow for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Aubrieann Johnson had always wanted to own her own business.

It was just that, for the longest time, the 32-year-old Pasco woman never could figure out what that would be.

It took going through some rough times before she found her answer: banana bread.

It happens to be a food that she herself couldn’t even stomach.

“No, not in a million years. It was not even on my radar,” she said. “I’m not even a fan of bananas.”

But here she is, two years into Aub’s Bananza Bread, with a storefront at the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and stalls at the Public Market at Columbia River Warehouse in Kennewick and Pasco Farmers Market to satisfy her ever-growing fan base.

“Banana bread is comfort food, and it makes people think about what grandma or mom made them,” Johnson said. “It becomes personal at that point.”

What’s she’s built has been impressive, but so is her journey and how she got there. A start of something big Johnson was working at Charter College as an admission representative when the pandemic hit.

She got sick, but it wasn’t Covid-19.

It took her six months of tests before she received a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

During this time, like many others during the pandemic, she lost her job.

Trying to find something to do as she

started to get better, she became a caregiver to a friend who had suffered a few strokes.

Part of her routine was to go to a local Starbucks each day to get her friend banana bread.

One day, though, Starbucks was out, so Johnson bought lemon loaf cake.

The friend rejected it and wanted her to make banana bread instead.

Never having made banana bread before – remember, Johnson doesn’t really like bananas – she found a recipe online and made a loaf.

Her friend loved it, and suddenly her banana bread would be the only one that would do.

Her friends and family tasted it, too.

“Honestly, my dad was the one who told me I could sell it,” she said.

That got her thinking: Maybe she could do it.

“I was raised by a single father (Aubrey Johnson Sr.), and for my entire life he never worked for anyone else,” she said. “He’s an entrepreneur, and he’s had a lot of different businesses. Among other things he was

a cosmetologist, and he owned a barbecue restaurant.

She started slow, posting on Facebook that she was taking orders. Each week she got more and more.

The best part was working with her mom and dad.

“Feb. 15, 2021, was the first day I made it,” she said. “I’ll always remember that date. That became a normal routine. And I get to share this with my dad.”

Her father is in his late 70s but he does most of the baking in the Pasco Specialty Kitchen.

Magical banana bread

Johnson said the key to her banana bread is texture. “It’s moist. It’s really flavorful,” she said.

But she is also a bit of a daredevil in the kitchen.

“I enjoy the experimental process of baking,” she said. “Everything is the same texture. It’s all chemistry. It’s just science. My passion is cooking. And that’s about chemical reactions. Add a little salt here, maybe some lemon juice there.”

And the friend who she cared for challenged her to experiment.

“She said, ‘What else can you do?’ So I added walnuts. I did extracts,” Johnson said.

There were failures along the way.

“Absolutely there are misses. But we’re actually up to 30 flavors now,” she said. “There is an ongoing list that I add to all of

uAUB’S, Page A35

Photo by Jeff Morrow Aubrieann Johnson, owner of Aub’s Bananza Bread, stands behind a display of her homemade banana breads. She has a storefront at the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and stalls at the Public Market at Columbia River Warehouse in Kennewick and Pasco Farmers Market to satisfy her ever-growing fan base.

Richland family business gears up for busiest time of year

By Jeff Morrow for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Jason Jarrett will be the first to tell customers that his products might not be the cheapest.

But no one will give them better service than the people at Central Industrial Sales Inc. (CIS) in Richland because “we kill it with service and cleanliness,” he said.

On the day of the interview for this story, Jarrett – the president of the company – was driving to Walla Walla, then to MiltonFreewater, and finally to Hermiston to help customers with parts needed for machinery and needed fast.

What is it exactly that CIS does?

CIS provides industrial supplies and equipment for the dairy, food processing and wine industry and specializes in custom fabrication, industrial cleaning equipment, sanitary fittings, valves, pumps, winery chemicals and winery supplies.

Jarrett said CIS prides itself in responding quickly to a customer’s needs.

“People need their stuff and they need it tonight,” he said.

A family business

CIS launched May 20, 1997, when family patriarch Jim “JJ” Jarrett felt there was a need for a complete stainless steel sanitary wholesale supply company in the foodgrade business.

“Dad started the company with the encouragement of my mom (Marlene),” said Jason Jarrett. “Dad was working for an industrial supply company. He was calling on

Be a safe, responsible driver

food processors. Mom says, ‘Jim, I think we can do this.’”

Marlene Jarrett was a registered nurse at Kennewick Family Medicine at the time. She ended up retiring and did the books for the new business. JJ Jarrett concentrated on sales, especially for food processors who needed small parts and hoses to make their machinery work.

“They worked out of the house in Richland,” their son said. “I turned 16 and was going to Richland High School at the time, and I picked up parts and made deliveries around town.”

From that point on, CIS grew by leaps and bounds.

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

TIPS for driving distraction free:

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

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

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

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

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

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

• WATCH OUT: Keep a special eye out this school year for little pedestrians.

“We just started growing,” Jason Jarrett said. “We finally moved everything out of the house and into a suite on Lewis Street in Pasco in 1999.”

JJ Jarrett continued to call on food processors around the region.

But Jason Jarrett began to take notice of the growing wine industry at the time.

His father had Jason put together a cover letter, and they sent it to every winery within 100 miles of the Tri-Cities, offering CIS’s services.

“We started getting calls from them, telling us they wanted to try us out,” Jason Jarrett said.

In 2002 there was a massive push with

the wineries continuing to expand.

Meanwhile, Jason Jarrett went off to school, graduating from Corban University in 2005 with a degree in pastoral ministry.

“I wasn’t sure that I wanted to get into that, so dad asked me to come work for him on strictly commission,” Jason Jarrett said. His father continued to work with the food processors while his son handled the winery side of the business.

The younger Jarrett was hooked. He put together a schedule where he spent two days each week in the Walla Walla Valley, and another two days a week in the Yakima Valley.

Success meant growth. Clients could get the parts they needed immediately from CIS, rather than having to send away for them and wait a few days.

“By 2005, that one suite on Lewis Street turned into three suites,” Jason Jarrett said. “And we had to rent out two storage units to store our inventory.”

Later that year, they needed more space and moved into a building near Oregon Street in Pasco.

“By 2008 another massive boom hit the industry,” said Jason Jarrett. “We hired additional staff, started doing our own custom fabrication. We kept growing and growing.”

Within 10 years, Jason Jarrett had earned majority control of the company and became president.

“We restructured everything, with the intention of me buying out my parents,” said Jason Jarrett, who adds there is no solid

uINDUSTRIAL SALES, Page A35

Photo by Jeff Morrow

The Central Industrial Sales Inc. team includes, from left, Shae Testerman, sales/ technical repairs; Bookkeeper Codi Jarrett; Justin Jarrett, inside sales; Jason Jarrett: president/sales; Jim Jarrett, founder/sales; James Mott, fabrication/ outside sales; and Jerry Jackson, inside sales.

the time. People come for the flavor. And (those flavors are) ever changing. The possibilities of what you can do with banana bread are endless.”

Johnson said the most popular is the OG Classic, which is her take on the traditional banana bread loaf.

But other popular loaves are Nutty Buddy, Oreo, Reese’s, Death by Chocolate, Pina Colada and Pumpkin Cheesecake.

“The OG Classic is the base recipe for everything,” she said.

From there, she takes off. Just like her business.

The Johnsons average anywhere from 15 to 20 hours a week baking in the Pasco Specialty Kitchen. They bake two sizes: a mini

timeline and he declined to reveal the asking price. “I own 53% of the business right now.”

Meanwhile, the growth hasn’t stopped.

“By 2017 we knew we needed a new location, and we moved to the current Richland location,” said Jason Jarrett. “We knew we needed something of our own.”

It was a 4,000-square-foot building on Henderson Loop, but it was still not enough.

In 2019, Jason Jarrett knew they needed more room, so they expanded to 7,500 square feet.

One side of the building holds thousands of products, while the fabrication department has moved to the other building.

With his mother retired, Jason Jarrett’s wife, Codi, does the books now.

His father is still around but has scaled

loaf and a smaller bite-sized version.

“A regular week in the kitchen means anywhere from 250 to 450 bite size loaves; and 100 to 150 mini loaves,” Johnson said.

In a business that started with herself, her mom and dad, Johnson already has added another employee to help sell the merchandise.

Right now, her banana bread is sold in the Caterpillar Cafe at the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland, as well as Bubbly Boba in Kennewick.

The breads can be ordered for delivery via Tri-City Food Force delivery service, and she has approval to accept state food assistance cards.

It’s all about getting more people to eat Aub’s signature breads.

“I get excited seeing people’s reactions,”

back his workload.

His brothers, Josh and Justin, have worked on and off in the company over the years. Justin Jarrett is currently back with the company.

The family even has the kids around.

Jason Jarrett is the head coach at Tri-Cities Prep, which won the 2B state championship back in May. He has a batting cage in part of his warehouse for his kids.

Altogether, including family, there are eight employees on the payroll.

“I want that number to grow over time,” Jason Jarrett said.

Jason Jarrett is clear that agriculture is the main draw in the region.

“Harvest started around Sept. 1,” he said. “Grapes are ready to be picked. People call us and say, ‘I’ve got to get this today.’ It’s an emergency. We offer that service to get

she said. “We have free samples. And I love it when someone says they don’t like banana bread. I tell them to just try it, and then I look at their faces.

“One customer walked away with a sample. When he tasted it, he turned his head around and looked at me.”

She’s got bigger dreams on the horizon.

“I’m thinking about expanding possibly into specialty snacks, like maybe make an ice cream sandwich with Bananza Bread,” Johnson said. “Now we’re looking at wholesaling, get it into stores. Ultimately, I’d love to be in grocery stores, like Yoke’s, so more people see the product.”

That would help her get to her goal.

“I want to be a household name,” said Johnson, who still doesn’t care for bananas or banana bread herself.

them their product.”

He expects more growth over the next five years. CIS is selling more products to companies from all over the country, thanks to its website.

Typically, the busiest time of the year is September, when it’s harvest time.

“Everything gets picked, and then the processing starts,” he said. “At the end of the year, companies then have to spend money on things that need to be fixed.”

The biggest part of CIS’s business depends on the time of year.

“It’s a shifting tide. Right now, the wine industry is shaking up,” Jason Jarrett said. “In the food sector, a new jerky plant is going in around here. So is a new Darigold plant. Reser’s just built a plant. So food plants are starting to go up.”

Jason Jarrett also said people are started

Then she stops herself.

“Well, I like mine,” she said.

She’s not the only one.

Search Aub’s Bananza Bread: 509-7012969; Aubsbananzabread.com; Aubsbananzabread@gmail.com; Facebook; Instagram.

• 110 S. Fourth Ave., Pasco. Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Closed Sunday through Tuesday.

• Public Market at Columbia River Warehouse, 10 E. Bruneau Ave., Stall 66, Kennewick. Winter hours: 1-7 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday-Wednesday.

• Pasco Farmers Market, Peanuts Park, 109 S. Fourth Ave., Pasco. Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday through October.

to create spirits around the region, and dairy farm production is growing too. The company has also been seeing an increase in business with local breweries.

“So it all depends on the day and time of year,” he said. “For example, today it was mostly wine situations I’ve been dealing with. Two months from now, it’ll be mostly food.”

Jason Jarrett is excited about the wave CIS is riding, and at the same time helping his parents to step away and start enjoying retirement.

“We’re blessed. We work hard. What you put into it is what you get out of it,” he said. “I love the challenges. Honestly, literally, it’s the challenges.”

Search Central Industrial Sales Inc.: 2235 Henderson Loop in Richland; centralindustrialsales.com; 509-375-4032.

uPROMOTIONS

• Jorge Magana has been promoted to store manager at the Kennewick UScellular store. Magana has nine years of wireless sales experience and five years of leadership experience. Most recently, he worked as store manager for UScellular in Pasco. In his new role, Magana will lead a team of wireless technology experts to help customers make choices of electronics that best meet their needs.

labor shortage. Kirby, who plans to graduate in October, has experience working in a variety of trades, including insulation installation and working as a vessel engineer in Alaska, and he hopes to become a commercial or residential HVAC service technician.

uELECTION

• The Richland School District has received a $5,000 grant from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle, to further STEM education for elementary students. The district used grant funds to buy Sphero education robots for classrooms. The robots are designed to help teach the basic principles of computer science and computational thinking through playbased learning and open-ended scenarios. This technology was used during summer elementary STEM camps and will be used in elementary schools during the 2023-24 school year.

• The Wildhorse Foundation, established by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, has announced its grant awards for the second quarter of 2023. The foundation awarded $346,205 to various organizations for projects in public health, public safety, arts, education, historic preservation and cultural activities. Three Tri-City organizations were awarded grant funding: Grace Clinic in Kennewick received $13,500 for its hypertension management program, United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties in Kennewick received $10,000 for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and The Rude Mechanicals in Richland received $3,475 for free Shakespeare in the Park.

& GRANTS

• Abby Mattson is the new director of career and college readiness for the Kennewick School District. Mattson has 20 years of experience in career and technical education. She received a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from Arizona State University, a master’s degree in teaching from Grand Canyon University and a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences from Central Washington University. Mattson previously served as the assistant director of career and technical education for the Kennewick School District, the assistant director of Tri-Tech Skills Center, an assistant principal at Sandstone Middle School in the Hermiston School District and as a family and consumer science teacher at Kennewick High School. uSCHOLARSHIPS

• Aaron Kirby, an HVAC student at Charter College in Pasco, has received The Home Depot Foundation’s Path to Pro scholarship, totaling $2,000. The scholarship is meant to help train the next generation of skilled tradespeople by alleviating the financial burden and ultimately helping to fill the

• Fred Brink, mayor pro tem of West Richland, has been elected as secretary of the Association of Washington Cities, an organization that represents Washington’s cities and towns before the state legislature, executive branch and with regulatory agencies. Brink has been active in the association for several years and has served on its board since 2022. He serves on the Education and Training Advisory Committee and has received the AWC’s Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership. Brink has served on the West Richland City Council since January 2018 and as mayor pro tem since January 2020, and he is a commissioner for Benton Fire District 4 and is on the Benton County Law and Justice Council. His professional experience includes six years as an officer in the Navy, 25 years as a special agent of the FBI and 10 years as a national security program manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. As the secretary of AWC, Brink will serve on the association’s board of directors, a governing body comprised of 25 directors. The secretary also serves on the AWC’s executive committee and is second in line to become president.

uCERTIFICATIONS

• Seventeen custodial leaders with the Richland School District are now internationally certified in their roles. The mainte-

nance foremen and forewomen completed basic and advanced training with the Cleaning Management Institute of the International Sanitary Supply Association over the summer. The certification process is a part of the district’s effort to ensure staff have the best tools at their disposal for their roles. Miguel Palencia, the school district’s custodial supervisor, said, “Understanding how cleaning chemicals interact, the properties of the different surfaces and spaces that need to be cleaned, and doing it all within the confines of a school day, require dedicated staff and we want them to be prepared and set up for success.”

• Zachary Fisher has become a certified financial planner, a certification requiring successful completion of financial planning coursework at an accredited college or university and passing a six-hour comprehensive exam. Fisher is a financial advisor at RBC Wealth Management in Kennewick, where he has worked since 2021.

uAPPOINTMENTS

• Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed several state board and commission members from the Tri-Cities area. Nichole Banegas of Kennewick has joined the Environmental Justice Council, Fred Brink of West Richland has joined the Forensic Investigations Council and Taylor Brummett of Connell has joined the Traumatic Brain Injury Council.

Presented by

Jorge Magana

Aaron Kirby

Abby Mattson

Fred Brink

Zachary Fisher

uNEW HIRES

• David Rosenau is STCU’s new director of business banking.

Rosenau received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, and is a graduate of the Executive Development Program at the Washington Bankers Association. Previously, he was the senior vice president of Banner Bank and the retail division manager of its Spokane branches. In his new role, Rosenau and his team serve businesses with up to $2 million in annual revenue and those with basic needs for services such as banking, payroll, lending and more.

• The Support, Advocacy and Resource Center has hired three new employees.

Nuur Khuranna joined the center as a human trafficking and child exploitation advocate. Khuranna received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington State University Tri-Cities. She is passionate about working with and empowering survivors and creating safe and positive environments.

Howard Hunt was hired as an engagement specialist. Hunt has a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice and is working toward a master’s degree in social work. He has 20-plus years of experience in crime prevention and self-defense, and he is committed to working with victims of crime and those marginalized in society.

Morgan Robinson joined SARC as a prevention specialist. Robinson has experience in social services, having previ-

ously worked as a crisis advocate and a prevention specialist. She cares about advocating for and supporting survivors, violence prevention education and serving her community.

• Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner

Samantha Pedersen has joined Prosser Memorial Health, where she will provide podiatry services at the Prosser Orthopedic Center and wound care at Prosser Memorial Hospital. Pedersen received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Seattle University and her Doctor in Nursing from Washington State University. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Columbia River Nurse Practitioner Association, in addition to holding basic life support certification. Pedersen has worked as a registered nurse at medical facilities including Kadlec Wound Healing Center, and she has experience in specialty fields such as urgent care, dermatology and oncology.

• Alana Berdiyev has joined the health care team at New U Women’s Clinc. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Seattle University and graduated from Washington State University as a family nurse practitioner with a doctorate in nursing practice. Berdiyev began her nursing career at Kadlec Regional Medical Center on the resource team as well as in various units throughout the hospital, including the clinical decision unit. Her expertise is in women’s health and gynecology and hormone management.

• Lori Katterhagen is the new chief

nursing officer for Trios Health. Katterhagen has more than 30 years of experience, including 10 years in executive leadership management. She most recently worked as the chief operating officer/chief nurse executive officer at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in Grass Valley, California. Katterhagen earned her bachelor’s in nursing as well as her master’s in nursing from San Jose State University and received her doctorate in nursing practice – health care leadership from the University of San Francisco.

• Dr. Jillian Thayer has joined Trios Health as a general surgeon. Dr. Thayer will see patients for broad general surgery, breast surgery, cancer surgery, complex hernias, peritoneal dialysis catheters and chemo ports, minimally invasive surgery and more. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Washington and received her medical degree from Drexel College of Medicine. Dr. Thayer went to Swedish Medical Center in Seattle for a general surgery residency.

• Dr. Ashlea McManus has joined Lourdes Surgical Services as a general surgeon. Starting this September, McManus will see patients for hernia repairs; gallbladder, appendix and soft tissue issues; colorectal issues; stomach, duodenal and liver issues; peritoneal dialysis; cancer and cancer-related issues; endocrine and breast diseases; and more. She completed her undergraduate education at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, received her medical degree at Ross University School of Medicine in Portsmouth, Dominica, and completed

her residency at The Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• Jack Janezic is the new assistant administrator for Trios Health.

Janezic received his bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology and his master’s in health care administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Before joining Trios Health, he served as the assistant administrator of Havasu Regional Medical Center in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Janezic is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has volunteered for several community organizations.

uFUNDRAISER

• The Bubbles & Brunch event held by Chaplaincy Health Care on Aug. 4 raised $56,000 to benefit the organization’s services, including hospice and palliative care, spiritual support, bereavement care and the Cork’s Place Kids Grief Center.

uDONATIONS

• Numerica Credit Union distributed more than $315,000 in grants to 19 regional nonprofits through the 2023 Numerica Charitable Fund. The Numerica Charitable Fund is made possible by the Skip a Pay voluntary program available on certain loans. Tri-Cities Numerica Charitable Fund recipients include Communities in Schools Benton & Franklin Counties, Mirror Ministries and B5. Numerica also pledged $100,000 each through multiyear grants to the following nonprofits: Communities in Schools of Benton-Franklin, Tri-Cities; Women’s Resource Center, Wenatchee; Family Promise, Spokane; and Safe Passage, North Idaho. These grants are in alignment with Numerica CARES for Kids, a new philanthropic initiative that aims to build brighter futures for local youth.

• Gesa Credit Union plans to donate $25,000 to Second Harvest in support of Hunger Action Month. Throughout the month of September, Gesa will host food drives at each of its branch locations and will offer volunteer opportunities to both its team and members.

David Rosenau

Nuur Khuranna

Howard Hunt

Morgan Robinson

Alana Berdiyev

Samantha Pedersen

Dr. Jillian Thayer

Lori Katterhagen

Dr. Ashlea McManus

Jack Janezic

uAWARDS & HONORS

• The American Heart Association has nationally recognized both Richland Fire & Emergency Services and Kadlec Regional Medical Center. Richland Fire & Emergency Services received the Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver achievement award for its excellence in heart attack and stroke care, including offering rapid, research-based care. Kadlec Regional Medical Center received Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus achievement award for treating stroke patients in accordance with nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. Kadlec received this distinction for the second time.

• Noel Schulz is the inaugural recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Women in Technology and Leadership Award. The award recognizes women technologists for their contributions to engineering and technology, as well as their empowerment of diverse populations. Schulz, Edmund O. Schweitzer III Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was selected for her work “advancing power systems research while educating the next generation of power engineering and working tirelessly to provide support for the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in IEEE, STEM and beyond,” according to the IEEE Women in Engineering Website. Shulz is also the inaugural director of WSU’s Institute for Northwest Energy Futures.

• A recruiter for Pasco School District’s migrant program has earned a prestigious state honor. Juana Melo has been named Washington State Migrant

Education Program’s Recruiter of the Year for the 2022-23. She was presented with the award on Aug. 17 during a conference in Yakima. This coming school year will be Melo’s third as a migrant program recruiter, and she was chosen for the state award because of her creativity in engaging and forming relationships with families. She’s worked for Pasco schools for 18 years in all, including as a bilingual paraeducator, nutrition services helper, social worker and home visitor, according to a statement from the district.

• Stephanie Schirm, career center specialist and work site learning coordinator at Richland High School, has received the Washington Association for Career Counseling & Employment Readiness’ Counseling and Career Development Professional award. The award is given to educators who are committed to helping students find opportunities for success, are innovative in career development and advocate for career and technical education, or CTE, as a viable option for all students. Schirm has worked at Richland High as a CTE teacher for 23 years and has encouraged inclusion and supported all students in planning for their career goals.

•Ben Franklin Transit received the statewide Washington ACTE Business-Education Partnership Award in recognition of its work with the Richland School District’s Community Based Transition Center. Ben Franklin Transit

has been a partner of the district’s CTE Work Site Learning Transition class, providing safe transportation for students to access community job sites. The Business-Education Partnership Awards honor business and education leaders who understand that economic livelihood is linked to the success of career and technical education programs.

•Steve Norberg received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agriculture Agents during its annual meeting and professional improvement conference on Aug. 16. This award is given to members who have worked in Extension programs for over 10 years and have helped put an outstanding program into effect. Norberg has served for 27 years and is currently a professor with Washington State University. He received his bachelor’s degree in agriculture and his master’s in agronomy from the University of Nebraska and earned his doctorate from Oregon State University. Norberg has several research projects with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, runs the alfalfa variety trials and quality results, and is working to put on the NW Hay Expo in Kennewick.

• The Kiwanis Club of Kennewick, present at the Benton Franklin Fair’s inception 75 years ago, was recognized as the 2023 Fair Booster of the Year. This

year, club members helped by volunteering at the entrance to the fair and also built a motorized Ferris wheel made of corks, led by Rick Corson and Brian Bergum. The wheel won several awards, including best of show, superintendent’s choice, first place, a special award, people’s choice and best fair theme. Co-chairs Vickie Bergum and Michelle DeGooyer challenged club members to design the wheel’s cars to represent various community service projects performed by the club.

• Kadlec Regional Medical Center received the COAP 2023

Performance Recognition Award from the Foundation for Health Care Quality and Cardiac Care Outcomes Assessment Program. The award recognizes Kadlec for its care of patients experiencing chest pain or heart attacks through the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) program, which involves a non-surgical procedure that helps open blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup. Not only can a patient quickly undergo this procedure in an emergency, but the program has low rates of complications. Kadlec first offered PCI procedures in 2001 when it opened its first nationally accredited chest pain center in the region.

Noel Schulz

Stephanie Schirm

Steve Norberg

Kevin Davis and Tom McCormick

Drs. Nagarjuna Gujjula and Marwan Qattan

Page B3

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Page B4

September 2023

Volume 22 | Issue 9 | B1

New extended stay hotel breaks ground in Richland

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

New extended stay hotel brand LivAway Suites has begun work on a $12 million hotel at 1289 Tapteal Drive in Richland.

The 59,712-square-foot hotel is expected to open in 2024.

Its suites feature complete in-room kitchens.

The hotel has partnered with hospitality management platform HotelKey to handle guest check-ins and check-outs, manage room availability and rates, and process reservations from multiple channels, all of which can be tracked with dashboard analytics.

Richland LA Hotel Holdings LLC recently paid $1.25 million for 5.5 acres across from Macy’s Columbia Furniture and Mattress Gallery and Ashley Store, just down the road from Kohl’s.

The new hotel will be located near the future Center Parkway extension, which is expected to be completed and open to traffic in October.

Center Parkway is being extended across a Port of Benton-owned railroad track near Columbia Center mall. When the two sides connect, motorists will be able to drive from Gage Boulevard in Kennewick to Tapteal Drive in Richland.

The planned extension has been touted

by officials as a way to ease traffic in the Kennewick-Richland border zone west of Columbia Center mall and unused land on Tapteal Drive for development.

LivAway Suites, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is in the midst of a building spree. It recently broke ground on a hotel in Missoula, Montana, and has more than 25 hotels in various stages of development across the country.

Richland and Missoula are the third

and fourth groundbreakings so far this year in the brand’s growing portfolio.

“Notwithstanding the latest tightening in the credit markets, our plan is to continue developing LivAway Suites across the country over the next few years either through our own development or via strategic partnerships with other developers,” said Mike Nielson, chief executive officer of LivAway Suites, in a statement.

“A combination of the Federal Re-

serve’s interest rate hike campaign and the regional banking crisis has forced some hotel developers to cancel or postpone projects. Real estate development is tougher today than it was two years ago, and LivAway’s goal is to make the process easier for ourselves and our development partners via a low fee structure and support programs that streamline the development process,” Nielson said.

Keystone National Group, based in Salt Lake City, provided the construction financing for the project.

“The economy extended-stay segment performed incredibly well during the pandemic and the great financial crisis,” said Taylor Jackson, partner at Keystone National Group, in a statement. “LivAway Suites capitalizes on that recession-resilient operating model with better aesthetics, smart technology, and a developercentric platform. As a capital provider, we also appreciate the low fee structure of LivAway Suites compared with the higher fees typically charged by other brands.”

Keystone is currently underwriting other LivAway Suites projects expected to break ground later this year and into 2024.

Go to: livawaysuites.com.

Pasco begins building new $185M high school

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

Work has started at the site of Pasco School District’s third comprehensive high school.

The nearly 300,000-square-foot school at 6091 Burns Road is scheduled to open in fall 2025. Fowler General Construction is the contractor and MMEC Architecture & Interiors handled the design.

The new school will help ease overcrowding in a district that’s experienced more than a decade of transformational growth and that already boasts the firstand sixth-largest high schools in the state in terms of enrollment: Chiawana and Pasco high schools. Pasco has more than 19,200 students total across all its schools and programs, making it the largest district in the Tri-Cities.

The new school will cost about $185 million, with nearly $140 million com-

ing from a bond measure approved by district voters in February. About $45 million will come from state matching dollars.

Pasco was the only district in Washington to pass a bond during the February or April elections.

“It’s an extraordinary testament to this community’s commitment and investment in our youth,” said Superintendent Michelle Whitney during a groundbreaking for the new high school on Aug. 17.

“This (event) symbolizes our investment in the future of schools and our commitment to providing an equitable education experience for all students. Together, we build bright futures.”

The new school will sit on 65 acres and have 82 classrooms, plus other features.

It will be similar to Chiawana and Pasco high schools in size, programming and extracurricular activities, and it will offer a full continuum of career and

technical education (CTE) classes, with a focus on agriculture, said Mira Gobel, assistant superintendent of schools and social emotional learning.

“This dedication is preparing our students for practical and real-world skills in this vital industry (and) emphasizes our dedication to their growth and success in their future,” she said.

Raquel Martinez has been selected as the planning principal of the new high school.

She’s been with the district since 2006, when she became a biology teacher at Pasco High School. Her role eventually expanded to bilingual facilitator and science department chair, and then she moved to Stevens Middle School, where she was an assistant principal and then principal.

The new high school doesn’t have a name yet, but district officials solicited suggestions from the public and a naming committee will narrow the field and

submit choices to the school board this fall.

Second new high school

The district also sought name ideas for another new high school: a smaller college and career academy that’s set to be built on Salt Lake Street in east Pasco, near Curie STEM Elementary School.

That 65,000-square-foot school will serve 600 students. The idea is that they’ll graduate with a credential or industry certification and the hands-on experience to move into post-secondary education or a career path after high school, according to information from the district. Construction is expected to start next spring and wrap up in time for the new school to open in fall 2025.

The college and career academy also is part of the $195.5 million voter-approved bond, along with athletic field and facility improvements, CTE en-

Heritage University celebrates new Tri-Cities regional site

$1.8 million remodel underway at Benton County Justice Center

Courtesy LivAway Suites

LivAway Suites, a new extended stay hotel brand, has begun work on a $12 million hotel at 1289 Tapteal Drive in Richland. The company has more than 25 hotels in various stages of development across the country.

CUSTOM LABELED BOTTLED WATER

hancements and modernizations, and land purchases.

As construction starts on the new comprehensive high school, the district also is thinking about how it will adjust boundaries. It’s seeking feedback from the public through Oct. 1.

Digital Learning Center debut

While the two new high schools are in the works, the district celebrated the completion of another capital project: a new home for the digital learning programs and health services.

District and community leaders celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Aug. 24.

The 9,900-square-foot facility at 4403 W. Court St. has two buildings, separated by a breezeway. The Health Services Center occupies the 2,500-square-foot Building A. The Digital Learning Center, which includes the district’s four virtual learning programs under the Digital Learning Academy umbrella, is housed in the 7,400-square-foot Building B.

Contractors were Nelson Construction for Building A and G2 Construction for Building B.

Design West Architects handled the design for both buildings.

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The district bought the West Court Street building in March 2022 and began remodeling it shortly thereafter. The project cost $4.1 million, including the property purchase, with the money coming from the district’s capital projects fund and federal dollars for Covid-19 relief.

The Digital Learning Academy serves

about 600 students.

“This remarkable facility stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to fostering a future where education seamlessly intertwines with technology to meet the needs of (our) students,” said Megan Hockaday, director of virtual learning, during the ribbon cutting. “As we open these doors for the 2023-24 school year, we usher in an era of learning where students will have access to a dynamic and interactive educational environment that transcends traditional boundaries.”

Hockaday said the building will be a “hub of creativity, knowledge sharing and skill development.”

Superintendent Whitney said the district is “proud to be able to offer an innovative space that matches the quality of the program that’s delivered within.”

The Health Services Center also will be a hub for important services, she said. It’s a “dedicated space where our committed staff members focus on nurturing students’ social-emotional well-being and acts as a central hub for a variety of services, including hosting training and conducting immunization clinics, Covid testing, and hearing and vision screenings,” Whitney said during the ribbon cutting event.

The two buildings have about 29 classrooms between them.

Before the district bought the facility, it was home to a medical office and a dental office.

PASCO HIGH SCHOOL, From page B1

Courtesy Pasco School District

Pasco School District students and staff at the groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 17 for the district’s third comprehensive high school.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Heritage University celebrates new Tri-Cities regional site

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

A building with a storied past has a new tenant – one with its eyes on the future.

Heritage University has opened its TriCities regional site at 333 W. Canal Drive in downtown Kennewick, on the second floor of a building that used to be home to the Tri-City Herald.

The Toppenish-based university celebrated with a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 15 that drew scores of elected officials and other community leaders.

“All those obstacles that prevent people from succeeding in higher education –our mission is to eliminate them so people can complete their degree and fulfill their dreams,” Andrew Sund, Heritage’s president, told the crowd during the event. “We hope our presence here is one that will allow more people to choose the path (of higher education).”

Heritage has a long history in the TriCities community.

It’s had a presence at the Columbia Basin College campus in Pasco for years,

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Parade of Homes tour set for Sept. 13 and 16-17

The 2023 Parade of Homes will showcase eight new Tri-City homes and runs from 1-7 p.m. Sept. 13 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 16-17.

The Home Builders Association of TriCities event presents the latest in construction, architectural trends, design and decor. Four of the homes are in Richland, three are in Kennewick and one is in West Richland.

This year’s builders are Titan Homes LLC, North Custom Homes, Riverwood Homes Washington LLC, Prodigy Homes Inc., Hayden Homes and JK Monarch LLC.

Last year the Parade event featured four homes.

Tickets for the home tours are available at local Circle K stores for $10 and include admission to each of the homes.

The Parade of Homes magazine is inserted into the September edition of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and offers detailed information about the tour, including home locations.

A virtual tour of a home built by Lexar Homes starts Sept. 18 at paradeofhomestricities.com.

Go to: hbatc.com.

Mortgage rates nationwide continue to remain above 7%

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.12% nationwide on Sept. 7, marking the fourth consecutive week they’ve hovered over 7%.

A year ago at the same time, the 30-year rate averaged 5.89%.

“The economy remains buoyant, which is encouraging for consumers. Though while inflation has decelerated, firmer economic data have put upward pressure on mortgage rates which, in the face of affordability challenges, are straining potential

offering classes to transfer students completing bachelor’s degrees in education, social work, criminal justice, psychology and accounting. Students also can pursue a master’s degree in teaching.

With the new location in Kennewick, Heritage is expanding its local offerings to freshmen and sophomores and adding a bachelor’s in business administration as an option.

Tri-Cities also will have access to the degree programs offered in Toppenish.

The fall semester started Aug. 21.

Yamilca Coria Zaragoza, a freshman, plans to study education or perhaps criminology. She’ll be the first in her family to attend and graduate college, she told the crowd during the grand opening. Having the university as an option in the Tri-Cities made higher education more accessible to her, she said, noting she’s receiving a full-ride scholarship.

“I’ll be able to study and work in my hometown without having to say goodbye to my family and friends,” she said. “I intend to do my best to make my family and Heritage proud.”

Laurie Williams, executive editor of

homebuyers,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, in a statement.

Pain management clinic closes abruptly

A Tri-Cities-based pain management clinic’s abruptly closed its Kennewick and

the Tri-City Herald, spent years working at the West Canal Drive building before the paper moved to its new home in the Southridge area of Kennewick in 2020.

“For 75 years, the Herald has been called, ‘The Voice of the Mid-Colum-

Spokane Valley offices, affecting about 2,000 patients, the majority of whom receive treatment for chronic pain management and a smaller number who are treated for opioid addiction.

Lynx Healthcare closed Sept. 8. State agencies are working with health

bia,’” she told the crowd, shortly before Coria Zaragoza stepped up to share her excitement for the school year, “and now it’s nice to know that the future voices of the Mid-Columbia will be coming out of here.”

plans and community organizations to ensure the clinic’s patients do not experience disruption in care, but said due to the suddenness of the closure, some may have trouble finding new providers.

Lynx Healthcare could not be reached for comment about the closure.

Photo by Sara Schilling Heritage University has opened its Tri-Cities regional site at 333 W. Canal Drive in downtown Kennewick.

$1.8 million remodel underway at Benton County Justice Center

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

A $1.8 million construction project is underway at the Benton County Justice Center, but the work won’t disrupt court proceedings or other business at the building on the county’s Kennewick campus.

The project will revamp the clerk’s office, the prosecuting attorney’s office and the jury assembly room, and it’s expected to wrap up by January or February of next year.

“This project is a good one for both the community and the county. It will be a nice facelift for the clerk’s office and the jury meeting room. We’re excited at the county

to continue to press on in meeting those needs and complete this project,” said Riley Ollero, the county’s construction manager.

The work is being done in three phases and will involve swapping some department spaces.

The first phase, which kicked off this summer, involves renovating part of the second floor to create a new home for the clerk’s office. The clerk’s office manages documents for Superior Court, collects legal financial obligations, processes passports and administers the jury system for Superior and District courts, among other duties. It’s currently housed on the first floor, near the Superior Court courtrooms, and it’s led by Josie Delvin, the elected county clerk.

The staff numbers about 38 people.

The move upstairs will have many benefits, including more space and privacy for the public, Delvin said.

The existing clerk’s office has five public windows, and they’re close together with limited privacy and challenging acoustics. There’s no lobby area; instead, the public forms a line along a wall.

The new clerk’s office will have a designated lobby and seven public windows with more space and separation. They’ll be equipped with microphones to make it easier to communicate.

Upstairs, “it will be almost like the public steps into a cubicle to talk to a clerk. We’re growing too much to continue having the

tiny window areas that we do,” Delvin said, adding that, “there are times now when we have all five windows manned and still have a line down to the sheriff’s office.”

The second-floor space the clerk’s office is moving into used to hold county commissioners and the human resources department before the Benton County Administration Building opened in 2021.

The administration building is part of the county’s campus at 7211 W. Okanogan Place, along with the justice center, jail, coroner’s office and county maintenance shop.

The second phase of the justice center project will transform the former clerk’s of-

uJUSTICE CENTER, Page B10

New investor revives intermodal ramp in Wallula

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

A long-planned intermodal ramp in Wallula is once again on track thanks to a new investor.

The investor, who isn’t yet ready to be named publicly, has breathed new life into the project that at one point was set to finish this fall but then was thrown into question after its parent company shut down. Now, it appears the ramp – which has been billed as the region’s only privatized, state-of-the-art intermodal ramp – should open in early 2024, said Ted Prince, chief executive officer of Tri-Cities Intermodal LLC,

Richland School District buys land north of Tapteal Elementary

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Richland School District is growing by 10 acres.

The district is buying a parcel of state trust land in West Richland, directly north of Tapteal Elementary School on North 62nd Avenue. The price tag is $961,000.

District officials haven’t yet settled on a specific use for the property but are playing around with several ideas, said Shawna Dinh, spokeswoman for the district.

“We are excited for the future development opportunities this parcel of land provides the (district), allowing us to continue to build spaces for our students to grow academically,” added Richard Krasner, the district’s executive director of operations, in a statement.

The Washington State Board of Natural Resources approved the land transfer during a meeting on Sept. 5 in Olympia. The property was among millions of acres granted to Washington by Congress at statehood to provide revenue for K-12 school construction.

The state Department of Natural Resources managed it for agriculture, with revenue going to the Common School Trust. However, the property lacked water rights, and it was determined that agriculture was no longer its best use, state officials said.

Money from the transfer to the Richland School District will be used to buy replacement land elsewhere in the state that’s better suited to support the trust, the state officials said.

“This transaction demonstrates that the Department of Natural Resources supports public education in Washington state in many ways, and I am proud that this transaction will have an impact locally and allow us to purchase lands that will better serve our schools across the state,” said Hilary Franz, commissioner of public lands, in a statement.

which is the new company formed to bring the project to reality.

“The facility at Wallula has been a game of chutes and ladders, but we are very grateful for our new investor’s support and the patience of the local stakeholders, which we believe will finally be rewarded early next year,” Prince told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Prince was co-founder of Tiger Cool Express, the Kansas-based logistics company behind the intermodal ramp project planned for property on Railex Road off Highway 12 in Wallula. Once it’s finished, the facility will position

the area to become a major transportation hub, Prince has said.

The project will open up routes to Seattle and Tacoma docks and as far east as Chicago, and service could eventually expand to the I-5 corridor and Mexico, Prince has said.

The intermodal ramp isn’t like a freeway off-ramp; instead, it’s a place where agricultural and manufactured goods are transferred between trucks and trains. The site also has cold storage.

Tiger Cool Express officials this past spring opened up the site to stakeholders and media as they worked to finish

the intermodal ramp and bring it online. They forecasted a September opening. But then in June, Tiger Cool Express abruptly shut down amid a sharp decline in business as shipping volumes dropped. The move led to layoffs and questions about whether the intermodal ramp in Wallula would ever happen, though there was hope a new investor would swoop in.

Prince said he’s glad the new investor materialized. The investor recently visited the Wallula site.

“I’ve been working on this for two years, so it’s gratifying to see it take the next step,” Prince said.

Planning underway for apartments, road work, warehouse space

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Documents filed under Washington’s environmental review process reveal a list of projects in the works for the Mid-Columbia.

The State Environmental Policy 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.

Haffner short plat

Kennewick

Sally Haffner submitted plans to divide a 21.74-acre parcel at 110107 E. 196 PR SE into two lots.

Cannabis retail sales

West Richland

K&B Weaver LLC applied for a text amendment to the West Richland Zoning Code to allow cannabis retail sales in commercial general, commercial light industrial and light industrial districts.

Leslie Road Richland Flex Space

Richland

Knutzen Engineering submitted plans to build three flex-use pre-engineered metal buildings in three phases at 4101 Leslie Road. The buildings are 57,700 to 78,400 square feet.

Kennewick BSP

Kennewick

Dan Maldonado applied to develop a 12-

lot binding site plan at 4003 Southridge Blvd. The site has a land use designation of industrial and commercial and is zoned industrial, light and commercial, community.

Southridge Apartments

Kennewick

Cordillera Southridge LLC submitted plans for a 182-unit mixed-use development totaling 220,000 square feet and 314 parking stalls at 3700 Southridge Blvd. The site has a commercial land use designation and is zoned commercial, community.

Schaefer Property Leveling

Benton County

The Kennewick Irrigation District submitted plans for land leveling of the Schaefer property near 506 PR SE in unincorporated Benton County. The project will result in the excavation of about 71,000 cubic yards of excess fill material that will be used in canal lining projects in parts of the adjacent KID canal.

Surf Thru Car Wash

Kennewick

SynTier Engineering Inc. submitted plans to build a 5,800-square-foot car wash with associated site improvements at 610 and 624 S. Ely St.

Dinah Lane

Realignment-Water Sewer

Benton City

Benton City submitted plans to extend water and sewer along the new alignment of Dinah Lane at the intersection of Seventh Street and Dale Avenue.

KID road grading

Kennewick

Kennewick Irrigation District submitted plans to expand an existing uphill canal maintenance road and include excavation and stockpiling of materials and installation of a gravel surface road along about 1 mile of canal starting east of the street crossing at South Olympia Street.

Red Mountain tower

Benton City

Benton County submitted plans for a 200-foot public safety communication tower and access road.

The project will be in unincorporated Benton County on the north side of Red Mountain.

Creason Ridge subdivision

Prosser

John Fetterolf submitted plans to modify part of the Creason Subdivision south of Highway 22 and east of Market Street in Prosser from 74 lots to 56 single-family home lots.

School agricultural facilities

West Richland

West Richland has issued a determination of non-significance as part of the SEPA checklist process for a proposed amendment to city code to allow public school agricultural facilities in the commercial limited zoning district as a conditional use.

Highway 240 improvements

Richland

The Washington State Department of Transportation submitted plans for several improvements to State Route 240 in

Richland to improve efficiency and safety, including widening the road between Stevens Drive-Jadwin Avenue and Hagen

Road-Robertson Drive, building a compact roundabout at Hagen Road and Robertson Drive, installing a 900-foot noise wall along Moon River RV Park and removing a 25foot portion of noise wall at Airport Way to allow access to the Green Belt Trail. A new, 200-foot section of noise wall will be placed on the other side of the trail.

RV and mini storage

Richland

DJCD Properties submitted plans to build an RV and mini-warehouse storage facility at 2557 Logan St.

Quinault Village apartments

Kennewick

Charles Morgan & Associates LLC submitted plans for a 266-unit apartment complex with associated site improvements at 5927 W. Quinault Ave.

Title 24 rewrite

Richland

Richland submitted plans to amend the Richland Municipal Code by rewriting Title 24, which deals with how land is divided within city limits.

Tapteal booster pump station upgrade

Richland

Richland submitted plans to upgrade the pump station at 630 Truman Ave., including replacing aging infrastructure and expanding pumping capacity, among other work.

Out-of-state property requires special attention in estate plans

Commonly called “probate,” the laws that dictate the handling of a person’s assets after their death usually depend on which state they live in.

However, when it comes to real property, the laws regarding its administration are determined by the state in which the property is located.

This distinction can result in unexpected complications when managing assets after death. Fortunately, there are strategies available in the estate planning toolkit to tackle this matter and ensure a smoother administration process for your beneficiaries.

To clarify the issue, let’s consider a scenario where you live in Washington state and own a condo in Arizona. In this situation, it is probable that your estate would be subject to probate proceedings in both Washington and Arizona.

The idea of undergoing the probate process in a single state often evokes feelings of disappointment, frustration or fear. Now, envision the additional challenge of having to navigate two or more probates across multiple states. This is the issue at hand.

Additional complexity

The complexity is only due to out-ofstate real property ownership. This category of property includes land, condos, houses and any other ownership rights in land (for example, oil and mineral rights and certain timeshares.).

Without using one of the solution techniques below, dealing with out-of-

state property can lead to added expense and time for the administration after death.

Each of the 50 states is different in terms of added expense and time, but just to ballpark the order of magnitude, let’s assume an additional probate might cost $5,000 and add six months of administration after death.

Keep in mind, this applies even to spouses upon the death of the first spouse to pass. Further, owning real property in multiple states increases the number of probates required.

Strategies to help

What are the techniques to address real property ownership in another state? While there may be other potential solutions, here are the five primary ways individuals can address out-of-state real property in their estate plan.

• Keep it simple and do nothing special. A basic will is effective in all 50 states. A couple planning for outof-state real property might choose this route and not do any specific planning for strategic reasons. For example, they might plan to sell or gift the property soon, removing the need to do any plan-

ning specific to that asset. This plan has some risk: the additional cost and time in the event one or both pass before divesting of the property.

• Living trust for all assets. The estate plan governing all assets could be switched from a will to a living trust. Though a living trust has limited benefits for most folks in Washington, one specific area where it outshines a will is with out-of-state real property because it allows for the packaging of all property (in and out of the state) into the trust for one singular administration under the laws of the state of residency.

• Living trust only for out-of-state

real property. Sometimes the out-ofstate property shouldn’t wag the tail of the dog. That is, perhaps the ownership of a condo in Arizona shouldn’t drive the rest of the estate plan. Instead, you could choose to solve the Arizona condo issue by putting just that Arizona condo into its own trust, allowing the rest of your estate plan to utilize a simpler will.

• Limited liability company. An LLC is a great solution technique when dealing with income-producing or business property located out of the state. Not only does it provide a level of liability protection, but it transforms owner-

Beau Ruff Cornerstone Wealth Strategies GUEST COLUMN

Yost short plat

Kennewick

Michael Davidson submitted plans to divide 1229 N. Yost St. in the skyline addition the nearly 2-acre parcel is proposed to be divided into two lots.

Title 16 bonding update

West Richland

West Richland submitted plans to amend Title 16 of the West Richland Municipal code dealing with performance bonds.

The Trails

Kennewick

JF Engineering PLLC submitted plans for a residential development on 152 acres with 1,333 multifamily dwelling units, 445 townhomes, 100 large lot single-family homes and commercial buildings. The project is south of Wheat Road and Bob Olson Parkway.

Hogback Caddis – Davita

Pasco

Chris Waddle with Hogback Three Rivers LLC submitted plans for an 11,600-square-foot medical office/kidney treatment center and a 6,200-square-foot office/retail building with parking on Road 76.

Project Hawk

Pasco

Cody Garrison, on behalf of AMS 2023 BTS - Pasco, WA LLC, submitted plans for an 87,750-square-foot warehouse building to be used as a delivery station at 5700 N. Capitol Ave.

Brantingham Industrial ParkPhase 15

Pasco

Jay Brantingham submitted plans for a 12,000-square-foot warehouse with a 1,422 square-foot office at 3106 N. Rainier Ave.

Brantingham Industrial ParkPhase 16

Pasco

Jay Brantingham submitted plans for a 10,000-square-foot warehouse building with a 1,370-square-foot office at 3210 N. Rainier Ave.

Code amendment Connell

Connell submitted plans to amend its code to remove multifamily from the residential, high density zoning district and create a new high-density multifamily district, among other changes.

Brantingham Industrial ParkPhase 14

Pasco

Brantingham submitted plans for a 12,000-square-foot warehouse with a 1,567-square-foot office at 3002 N. Rainier Ave.

Tierra Vida III apartments

Pasco

Jubilee Foundation submitted plans for a 120-unit apartment complex at the northeast corner of Spokane Street and East A Street.

Trilogy MedWaste West LLC

Pasco

Chad Plata, on behalf of Trilogy Med-

Waste West LLC, submitted plans to collect and transport medical waste to a trailer at 1620 E. Salt Lake St., Suite B.

Glacier Park rezone

Pasco

Peter Harpster of Aqtera Engineering, on behalf of Big Sky Developers LLC, submitted plans to rezone a 10.2-acre site north of the intersection of Burns Road and Ochoco Lane from retail business to medium-density residential.

Helena subdivision

Pasco

Steve Bauman, on behalf of B4 Development, submitted plans for a 15-lot subdivision on about 2.16 acres along Helena Street at Sprague Avenue.

Development regulations

Connell

Connell submitted plans to amend the zoning code dealing with regulations for large-scale solar energy facilities.

Proposed amendment

Connell

Connell submitted plans to amend city code to remove industrial uses from the conditional uses in the commercial, downtown district.

Pacific Steel

Pasco

Knutzen Engineering submitted plans for a 19,200-square-foot steel storage warehouse building addition and a 6,000-square-foot attached office building at 925 N. Oregon Ave.

The Plateau at River Ranch

Franklin County

Peter Harpster of Aqtera Engineering

submitted plans to subdivide about 34 acres into 26 residential lots east of the Columbia River, west of Fraser Drive, north of Fanning Road, south of Alta Lane and south of Selph Landing Road.

Cartmell multifamily

Pasco

Robert McCleod with Knutzen Engineering submitted plans for two two-story triplexes and frontage improvements at 1629 W. Cartmell St.

West Truck parking

Pasco

John Fetterolf with JF Engineering

PLLC submitted plans behalf of West Enterprises to grade and gravel property at 2501 E. Lewis St. The proposed use for the site is to park truck trailers.

Old Dominion Freight Line

Pasco

Old Dominion Freight Line submitted plans for a 63-door freight transfer terminal and drop yard on the 5800 block of North Capitol Avenue.

I-182, Broadmoor interchange

Pasco

Nelson Construction Corp, on behalf of the city of Pasco, submitted plans to build a new Interstate 182 off-ramp onto Broadmoor Boulevard. The plan is to build a round-a-bout in place of the existing signal-controlled intersection.

C-1 to R-1 rezone

Pasco

Maoqi Mark Feng submitted plans to rezone several lots at 1028 W. Nixon St. from retail business to low-density residential.

Kevin McClure

Store Manager

Hometown | Richland

ship from direct real property ownership to the ownership of an LLC itself. The result is that the LLC owner no longer owns out-of-state real property.

• Transfer on death deed. A transfer on death deed is a deed that can be recorded during life that serves to transfer ownership to another person only upon death. Because each state has its own laws, it’s important to understand whether the state where the property is located allows Transfer on Death Deeds. As of this writing, there are 19 states that do.

Ultimately, the solution technique employed is driven by several factors.

First, how is the property used? Is it a business (income-producing) property

like a farm or rental property?

Second, what are your personal plans for the property? Do you plan to keep the property long term or is it an asset you plan to gift or sell in the near future?

Third, what is the rest of the estate plan and how can the out-of-state property fit into that plan?

To determine which solution works best for you and your situation, please consult your attorney.

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.

fice space on the first floor into a revamped jury assembly room, expanding the capacity to 200 people.

The existing jury room can hold 110 people, which isn’t enough to accommodate larger jury pools and means the clerk’s office sometimes must bring in potential jurors in two groups. Having the courtrooms and the jury assembly room on separate floors also creates a chokepoint at the elevators and poses a challenge for those with mobility issues. The third phase will expand the prosecuting attorney’s office on the second floor into space that used to hold the jury room, before the Phase 2 work.

The project’s price tag totals about $1,865,000, with the money coming from the county’s capital fund.

CKJT is the designer and Banlin Construction is the contractor.

Ollero said the clerk’s office and prosecuting attorney’s office will carry on with business as usual during construction, and the public will be notified and signs posted when the office locations change.

Glenn Vaagen, communications coordinator for the county, said the justice center work is about putting improvements in place for the public and “making sure everybody has what they need to do their job, whether it’s a member of the prosecuting attorney’s office, or a juror, or anybody in between.”

Apart from the construction project, two other departments at the justice center recently swapped spaces: the Office of Public Defense now is on the second floor and Therapeutic Courts is on the first.

Ford Group LLC has built a modern building designed with single slope roofs and floor-toceiling windows with 4,653 square feet of space at 1663 Fowler St., Richland.

It is built to grey shell condition with the intent of offering as vanilla shell once a tenant has been selected. The asking rate is $28 per square foot, plus triple net.

The Fowler Medical/Professional Office is at the corner of Fowler and Columbia Center Boulevard, with “great visibility from Highway 240,” according to Ford Group.

The shell, landscaping and parking lot were completed in July 2023.

Hummel Construction and Development of Richland is the general contractor.

Terence L. Thornhill Architect of Pasco did the design.

“It adds Class A office space in a section of the Tri-Cities that is in need of more office options. This area is highly desirable because of its central location in our market and this site specifically has excellent access to and from highways and major arterials,” Ford Group said in a statement.

RUFF, From page B7

JUSTICE CENTER, From page B4

Builders urge group to reject energy code requirements

The Building Industry Association of Washington urges the State Building Code Council to reject high-priced energy code requirements, to adopt a more flexible approach and to preserve energy choice in advance of the council’s Sept. 15 meeting.

“The code proposals before the council continue to make it too cost-prohibitive for homeowners and businesses to have the natural gas appliances many prefer and need,” said Greg Lane, BIAW executive vice president.

The council will consider modifying codes adopted earlier this year restricting natural gas in new construction. Those codes limit access to natural gas for cook-

ing and heating, resulting in higher prices for new homes in Washington.

After the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated the city of Berkeley’s natural gas ban, the council voted to delay code implementation to Oct. 29. The delay allowed it to consider revisions to better align with federal laws.

Go to: biaw.com.

Coyote Ridge to open up 256 beds for inmates

Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell plans to open a residential unit with 256 beds for higher-custody level inmates later this year.

It’s part of the state Department of Corrections’ “best beds project” to ensure all inmates get appropriate housing assignments when the Larch Corrections Center

in Yacolt, located outside of Vancouver, closes in October.

The department decided to close Larch because of changes in sentencing laws. Projections also showed the minimumsecurity beds there were not needed for the foreseeable future.

Nordstrom Rack opens Sept. 14 in Union Gap

Nordstrom Inc. will open Nordstrom Rack, its discount arm, at Valley Mall in Union Gap on Sept. 14.

The 28,000-square-foot store at 1740 E. Washington Ave. will be the only Nordstrom-branded location in the region. The closest store is currently in Spokane Valley.

The first 500 customers will receive a complimentary tote bag. For details, go

to nordstromrack.com/promo/new-storeopenings.

About 90% of the same brands available at Nordstrom (Levi’s, Madewell, Topshop, Dr. Martens, On Running, New Balance, Sam Edelman and more) are available at Nordstrom Rack at a discount.

A new rack store opened Sept. 7 in Olympia. A Salem, Oregon, store opens Sept. 21. Seven more stores will open in Texas, California and Kansas locations by November.

At Union Gap, Nordstrom Rack will be a neighbor to Cabela’s, Bath & Body Works and Guitar Center.

With the new stores, Nordstrom will operate 12 Nordstrom Rack stores and six Nordstrom stores in Washington and seven Nordstrom Rack stores and two Nordstrom stores in Oregon.

Columbia Basin College recently completed a remodel of its library at 2600 N. 20th Ave. in Pasco.

The library, originally built in 1964, was last remodeled in 1992.

The newly remodeled library offers about 22,000 square feet of space designed to accommodate community college students’ diverse study needs.

The library serves as a hub for student community and learning. The renovation features student support services like the student-centered information technology help desk and the college’s Writing Center, where students can receive help specific to their individual needs all in one place.

It also includes a 30-seat library instruction classroom/flex space for library events and a computer lab space.

It was substantially completed in June 2023.

Since then, library staff have been unboxing

2600 N. 20th Ave., Pasco

and organizing the roughly 30,000 books in its collection to get the space ready for a fall 2023 grand reopening. The first day of the fall quarter is Sept. 18.

The project’s total cost, including design, construction and furnishings, is about $3 million in state and local funding.

The contractor for the project is DGR Grant Construction of Richland. The project manager is Noah Wagner, and the project superintendent is Heath Brown.

The project was designed by Integrus Architecture of Spokane. The principal is Becky Barnhart, and the construction manager is Brian Piippo.

The revamped library will cater to the 21st century community college student who is juggling school, work and family. It will feature the college’s first designated family study area, and a newly created History of the College Archive.

Quake – The Epicenter of Family Fun

106904 E. Detrick PR SE, Kennewick

Quake – The Epicenter of Family Fun is a 40,000-squarefoot, family entertainment center in Kennewick.

The park includes trampoline attractions, a ninja warrior course, tactical laser tag, toddler play area, golf simulator, large redemption arcade, laser maze cafe, bar, public and private party areas and more.

The venue is designed with parents in mind and many of the attractions are designed to appeal to adults just as much, if not more, than children, the owners said.

“Quake will be a huge benefit to Tri-City families. Unlike many corporate or chain amusement centers, Quake is built, owned and operated by local families with the Tri-Cities community in mind,” the owners said.

Quake is located at 106904 E. Detrick PR SE in Kennewick, off the Interstate 82 Badger Road exit at the corner of Wiser Parkway, across from Cottonwood Elementary School.

The target opening date is mid-September.

D9 Contractors is the general contractor and designer. For updates, go to: quakefamilyfun.com, Facebook.

The Hangar Suites offers 15,000 square feet of multi-tenant space at 3074 Rickenbacker Drive in Pasco.

The large, high bay area is suitable for retail, office, warehouse/office or flex space.

Scott and Teresa Musser of Musser Bros Auction own the west building and Trucks & Auto owns the east building.

The east building will house the details vendor that works with Trucks & Auto. The building has three available 1,500-square-foot spaces available for lease. Asking rent is $18 per square foot annually, plus triple net.

The west building houses Estate Details, a sister company to Musser Bros.

The west building was completed in midAugust. The east building should be complete at

the end of September.

The auction complex is near the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco.

LCR Construction is the general contractor. Zack McLeod did the initial design and concept planning for the building.

Devin Geisler completed the architectural work.

This is the fifth and sixth building that the Musser family has built in the Port of Pasco business park.

“We’ve attempted to set a high standard for unique and attractive architecture and create a vibrant, high-end business park. The Port of Pasco has been a great partner in developing this vision,” the Musser Bros. said in a statement.

PUBLIC RECORD

uBANKRUPTCIES

Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings:

Chapter 7 – Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up non-exempt property and debt is discharged. Chapter 11 – Allows companies and individuals to restructure debts to repay them.

Chapter 12 – Allows family farmers or fishermen to restructure finances to avoid liquidation for foreclosure.

Chapter 13 – Plan is devised by the individual to pay a percentage of debt based on ability to pay. All disposable income must be used to pay debts.

Information provided by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Spokane.

CHAPTER 7

Ryan Joseph Julian & Dayl Jean Julian, 1824 Crab Apple Circle, West Richland.

Yolanda Gutierrez, 12690 N. Glade Road, Eltopia.

Marcus Antonio De La Mora, 626 Snow Ave., Richland.

Scott Allen Aho, 213 N. Palouse St., Kennewick.

Francisco Chavez Jr., 210605 E. Perkins St., Kennewick.

Ryan W. Higgins, 3703 W. Kennewick Ave., #13316, Kennewick.

Kandace Kristine Espinoza, 303 Gage Blvd., #229, Richland.

Adam Wesley Woolever, 4616 W. Klamath Ave., Kennewick.

Johnny Colton, 9103 W. Yellowstone Ave., Kennewick.

Nichole Raylene Hutchinson, PO Box 257 PMB 09625, Olympia.

Carlos Garza Jr. & Jennifer Christine

Wofford, 5205 Tigue Court, Pasco.

Patricia Elaine Lang, 5706 Wrigley Drive, Pasco.

Andrea Marie Rodriguez, 6305 Chapel Hill Blvd., #S101, Pasco.

John Aubrey Sullins & Michelle Renae

Sullins, 93006 E. Chelsea Road, Kennewick.

Jennifer Lynn Downing, 207 George Washington Way, Richland.

Patricia Ortega, 2184 Clearview Ave., Richland.

Mark William Wilson, 2315 Harris Ave., Richland.

Bernard McFadden Boykin & Kaylie

Jeanette Boykin, 10219 W. Argent Road, Pasco.

Jody Lee Darden & Kimberly Star Darden, 5106 S. Desert Dove Loop, West Richland.

Jo Ann Bell, 2102 W. Windy Lane, Benton City.

Gregory Ciszak, 1312 Potter Ave., Richland.

Clint Edward Ennen, 1252 N. Neel Loop, Kennewick.

CHAPTER 13

Ronnie Dean Shields, 3821 W. Marie St., Pasco.

Ambrosio Camacho Quinonez & Maria Del

Carmen Espinoza Lopez, PO Box 2924, Pasco.

Dillon Morris Smith, 6255 Teak Lane, West Richland.

Gabriela Preciado, 109 N. Douglas Ave., Pasco.

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

2469 Falconcrest Loop, Richland,

3,283-square-foot home. Price: $1.39 million.

Buyer: Shabnam Shatabdi & Rahman

Mohammad Ridwanur. Seller: Prodigy Homes Inc.

356 Falconridge St., Richland,

2,191-square-foot home. Price: $900,000.

Buyer: Scott & Hillary Sellars. Seller: Richard M. & Katrina Y. Millikin.

67809 W. Island View PR NW, Prosser, 2,505-square-foot home on 5 acres. Price: $825,000. Buyer: Michael Joseph & Teresa Ann Deverna. Seller: Chris M. & Tara Leaverton.

90544 W. Hess Road, Prosser,

2,880-square-foot home and 2,400-squarefoot pole building on 15.9 acres. Price: $998,500. Buyer: Christopher Michael & Tara Lee Leaverton. Seller: Russell & Jennifer Smithyman.

405 S. 54th Ave., West Richland, 2,935-square-foot home, a 2,000-square-foot pole building and a 4,080-square-foot pole building on 1.14 acres. Price: $1.2 million.

Buyer: Mark E. Panisko. Seller: Jerod Osbourne Shelby.

6321 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick, 35,267-square-foot commercial building on 7 acres and a 5,470-square-foot commercial building on 5 acres. Price: $14.5 million.

Buyer: Chung Properties LLC. Seller: Marquart Investments LLC. 3112 Bluffs Drive, Richland, 3,787-squarefoot home on 1.11 acres. Price: $975,000.

Buyer: Robert M. & Teresa L. Taylor. Seller: Gina M. Richey.

3505 Hanstead St., Richland, 2,025-squarefoot home. Price: $755,000. Buyer: Ryan & Britney Faubert. Seller: Brian Michael Young.

3701 Northlake Drive, West Richland, 4,044-square-foot home on 1.14 acres. Price:

$840,000. Buyer: Brian M. & Melind M. Young. Seller: Michael & Melissa Lehrschall.

102518 E. Tatum Blvd., Kennewick,

2,957-square-foot home on 1 acre. Price:

$953,000. Buyer: Philippus Marthinus & Isabella Johanna Van Rooyen. Seller:

Signature Homes LLC.

470 Cherry Blossom Loop, Richland,

2,396-square-foot home. Price: $750,000.

Buyer: Melvin L. & Christina L. McElroy.

Seller: David A. & Kara D. Rohrig.

8138, 8184, 8261, 8249, 8227, 8193, 8147, 8125, 8181, 8169 Albion St. and 8152 Paradise Way, West Richland, commercial/ industrial land totaling 9.1 acres. Price: $1.25

million. Buyer: Mitchell Creer LLC. Seller: Frank Tiegs LLC.

8230 W. 9th Ave., Kennewick, 3,005-squarefoot home. Price: $850,000. Buyer: Antonio John & Shannon Sarti. Seller: Gail A. Barness.

1201 Plateau Drive, Richland, 3,032-squarefoot home. Price: $734,000. Buyer: Mitchell & Kristen Barron. Seller: Darrell Gordon & Joleen Diane Stewart.

4911 S. Olson Court, Kennewick,

2,957-square-foot home. Price: $760,000.

Buyer: Abel & Berenice Ceniseros. Seller: McKey Construction LLC.

1285 Country Ridge Drive, Richland,

3,595-square-foot home. Price: $939,000.

Buyer: David L. & Ann M. Tomblin. Seller:

Stephen R. & Wendy J. Gosselin.

73105 E. Grand Bluff Loop, Kennewick,

3,024-square-foot home on 1.47 acres. Price: $1.1 million. Buyer: Richard Bradley & Deborah Toner. Seller: Paul & Marquel Dodson.

4102 Wenview Court, West Richland, 3,064-square-foot home. Price: $750,000.

Buyer: Janet Marie Hensley. Seller: Olive Gayle Robinson.

1067 Meadow Hills Drive, Richland,

2,899-square-foot home on 1 acre. Price: $1.8 million. Buyer: Paul & Marquel Dodson.

Seller: Jon & Elizabeth Cohen.

2822 Bella Court, Richland, 1,767-squarefoot home. Price: $735,000. Buyer: Aaron & Jaimi M. Ramos. Seller: Timothy & Sherri

Dawn Krantz.

7347 Bob Olson Parkway, Kennewick; 6987

W. 25th Ave., Kennewick, 3.13-acre homesite, 10-acre homesite. Price: $1.007 million.

Buyer: HHIF VI LLC. Seller: Jacob L. & Laura Roth.

5102 S. Coulee Vista Drive, Kennewick,

2,824-square-foot home. Price: $790,000.

Buyer: Ryan M. & Melissa L. Kelly. Seller: Daryl C. & Joanna D. Kelly.

76704 E. Canyon Meadow Drive, Kennewick, 3,930-square-foot home on 2.02 acres. Price: $978,700. Buyer: Steven & Danika Goulet. Seller: Ted & Jennifer Treiber.

702 S. 48th West Richland, 1,999-squarefoot home on 2.1 acres. Price: $725,700.

Buyer: Purchasing Fund 2023-1 LLC. Seller: Clarence D. & Joanne C. Becker.

3061, 2921, 2781 N. County Line Road, Grandview and 39110 Hanks Road, 408.6 total acres irrigated ag land, 10.8 total acres dry pasture, 816-square-foot home on 1 acre, 720-square-foot home on 1 acre, 1,248-square-foot home on 2 acres, 1,534-square-foot home on 1 acre. Price: $10.84 million. Buyer: Agreserves Inc. Seller: Cascades View Farm LLC.

Undisclosed location, West Richland, 40.01-acre homesite. Price: $720,000. Buyer: Friends of Badger Mountain. Seller: Ramer B. Holtan Jr. 1805 W. 52nd Ave., Kennewick, 2,411-square-foot home. Price: $750,000.

Buyer: Alan J. Kowalski & Tamara B. Werner. Seller: Matthew G. & Alyssa C. Nesbit. 720, 723, 736, 739, 752, 755, 768, 771, 784, 787, 800, 803, 816, 819, 835, 851 S. Zeelar St., Kennewick, homesites totaling 1.32 acres. Price: $1.17 million. Buyer: D R Horton Inc. Seller: Crimson Hills Development Inc. 2553 Rinas Road, Richland, 3,479-squarefoot home. Price: $732,900. Buyer: Andrew James & Maria Gabriela Miller. Seller: New Tradition Homes Inc.

4906 Smitty Drive, Richland, 3,426-squarefoot home. Price: $715,000. Buyer: Jason O. & Amanda C. Will. Seller: Charles & Marling Hardman.

5810 Oasis St., West Richland,

2,810-square-foot home. Price: $740,000.

Buyer: Bradley Alec & Marcia P. Ross. Seller: Arlon J. Bold.

2353 Eagle Ridge Court, Richland,

2,969-square-foot home. Price: $820,000.

Buyer: Robert C. & Julie M. Dikeman. Seller: James C. & Kelly L. Cach.

1388 Tuscany Place, Richland,

3,107-square-foot home. Price: $715,000.

Buyer: James L. & Dorothy D. London. Seller: Qin Zhang & Weiqun Zhong.

4018 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick

10,400-square-foot commercial building on

0.7 acres. Price: $1.98 million. Buyer: New Lion LLC. Seller: Ritchie Properties LLC.

975 Rieve Court, Richland, 3,737-squarefoot home. Price: $1.47 million. Buyer: 7H

Holdings LLC. Seller: Titan Homes LLC.

13507 S. Grandview Lane, Kennewick,

3,006-square-foot home. Price: $860,000.

Buyer: Joseph & Michelle Pauley. Seller: Don C. & Vicki J. Atwood.

Undisclosed location, Tapteal Drive, Richland, 5.54 acres commercial/industrial land. Price: $1.25 million. Buyer: Richland LA

Hotel Holdings LLC. Seller: Tapteal II LLC.

1534 Meadow Hills Drive, Richland,

2,186-square-foot home. Price: $900,000.

Buyer: Kevin J. Husted & Anthony J. Hadeed. Seller: Richard W. & Amy L. Justice.

8808 W. Fifth Ave., Kennewick,

3,395-square-foot home. Price: $705,000.

Buyer: Calvin & Ashton Winder. Seller: Gary Ransom & Patricia Loertscher.

4961 Village View St., Richland,

3,507-square-foot home. Price: $717,600.

Buyer: Allen & Julie Dannels. Seller: Tradition Homes Inc.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Undisclosed location north of Interstate 182 and west of Highway 395, 40.77 acres of resource agricultural land. Price: $3 million.

Buyer: GS Cattle Ranch LLC. Seller: J-12 LLC. 6600, 6602,

6606,

6608,

6708, 6709, 6710, 6711, 6712, 6713, 6714, 6715, 6716, 6717, 6718 Dradie Place, Pasco; 6604, 6607, 6608, 6609, 6610, 6611, 6612, 6613, 6614, 6615, 6701, 6702, 6704, 6705, 6706 W. Argent Court, Pasco; 3802, 2803, 2805, 2807, 2809, 2811, 2901, 2903, 2905, 2907, 2909, 2911, 2913, 2915, 2917 66th Place, Pasco, undeveloped land totaling 4.98 acres. Price: $4.41 million. Buyer: SG Land Management. Seller: D & D Enterprises LLC. 513, 830, 1420 Bellflower Road, Mesa; 460 Columbia Road, 2,492-square-foot home, 6,916-square-foot home, 1,024-square-foot office building, 1,480 home and miscellaneous ag buildings on ag land totaling 802 acres. Price: $8.15 million. Buyer: Unit 1

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B18

B18 TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2023

Lands LLC. Seller: Gale & Karen Easterday. 11213 Hoyt Court, Pasco, 2,901-square-foot home. Price: $770,000. Buyer: Arnoldo Moreno Espinoza (et al.). Seller: Anthony M. & Chrissy Langdon. 2017 Road 72, Pasco, 1,738-square-foot home and 720-square-foot pole building on 4.81 acres. Price: $728,000. Buyer: Castle Makers LLC. Seller: Tyler & Danielle

foot home. Price: $700,000. Buyer: Ryan K. Willoughby (et al.). Seller: Muzzy Construction LLC.

1911 and 2431 Selph Landing Road, Pasco; 100,080-square-foot potato storage building, utility buildings and other potato storage buildings on 63.82 acres industrial/agricultural land. Price: $22.85 million. Buyer: Desert River Storage LLC. Seller: North American Potato Co. Inc.

3445 Selph Landing Road, Pasco, potato storage buildings on 13.76 acres industrial/ agricultural land. Price: $11 million. Buyer: Premier Seed LLC. Seller: North American Potato Company Inc.

Undisclosed location north of Interstate 182 and west of Highway 395, 2.89 acres industrial land. Price: $1 million. Buyer: Unverferth Manufacturing Company Inc. Seller: Willow Plaza Properties.

uBUILDING PERMITS

BENTON COUNTY

Washington Department of Wildlife, 93315

an antenna/tower. Contractor: Tool Tech LLC. HF Storage LLC, 8106 S. Yew St., $262,000 for an accessory building, $587,998 for an accessory building. Contractor: owner.

Agwest Farm Credit, 150030 W. Richards Road, $45,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: Stans General Construction.

Charter Spectrum, 1300 Block Edith Ave., $15,000 for comm lines. Contractor: Charter Spectrum.

CONNELL

Connell Heritage Museum, 307 Columbia Ave. North, $40,000 for a commercial reroof.

Contractor: 509 Builders LLC.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Diamondback Farms, PO Box 3200, $354,500 for an accessory building.

Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

Herrman Farms LLC, 5000 W. Highway 260, $28,800 for a pole building. Contractor: 509 Builders LLC.

Contractor: Campbell Cooling Electrical Plumbing. NWP Build LLC, 406 S. Ely St., $10,000 for demolition. Contractor: NWP Build LLC. 10th Avenue Square, 3001 W. 10th Ave., $5,000 for a sign. Contractor: Eagle Signs LLC.

Roy Kintzley Trustee, 9115 W. Clearwater Ave., $7,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

The Archibald Co. I, LLC Danny, 555 N. Edison St., Suite B, $35,900 for a commercial addition, $15,000 for plumbing. Contractor: Pischel Construction LLC for the plumbing, to be determined for the commercial addition. Haworth Investments LLC, 5952 W. Brinkley Road, $150,000 for a commercial addition.

Contractor: W McKay Construction LLC. Richard Williams, 111 N. McKinley St., $550,000 for a commercial addition.

Contractor: to be determined.

Gregory Markel, 8551 W. Gage Blvd., Suite J, $13,500 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs.

Bilingual Learning, 1110 N. Edison St., Suites D, E, F, $12,165 each for mechanical.

11328 Mathews Road, Pasco, 2,223-squarefoot home. Price: $800,000. Buyer: Maria Perez (et vir). Seller: Gerald P. & Stephanie Regalado.

171 Gemini Drive, 2,953-square-foot home on 4.78 acres. Price: $869,000. Buyer: James

C. & Melissa J. Wegner. Seller: Lambert & Lois Hanses.

6700 Eltopia West Road, Eltopia, 1,294-square-foot home and two

2,000-square-foot labor dormitories, 122.4 acres of ag land. Price: $2.37 million. Buyer:

Tamim S. Hauter. Seller: 1516 LLC.

Property west of Highway 395, 7,500-square-foot hay shed on 259 acres ag land. Price: $4.82 million. Buyer: Theodore S. & Merideth K. Tschirky. Seller: 1516 LLC.

11602 Blackhawk Court, Pasco, 2,838-square-foot home. Price: $980,000.

Buyer: Richard L. & Lori D. Olsen. Seller: Greg Senger Construction, Inc.

5202 W. Henry Court, Pasco, 2,549-square-

N. State Route 225, $360,000 for a public building. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

Judkins Family Farm, 62412 N. Hysler Road, $44,000 for an accessory building.

Contractor: O’Brien Construction

Judkins Family Farm, 62404 N. Hysler Road, $616,000 for an ag building. Contractor: O’Brien Construction.

In Step Baptist Church, 201512 E. Finley Road, $12,800 for heat pump/HVAC.

Contractor: M. Campbell & Company.

Washington State Patrol DO, Off Interstate 182, $425,000 for a public building.

Contractor: owner.

Agrium US Inc., 227515 E. Bowles Road, $12,800 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: M. Campbell & Company.

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Highway 221 Columbia Crest Drive, $300,600 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: M. Campbell & Company.

American Tower, 3358 PR 210, $20,000 for

DT Warehouse LLC, 110 Taylor Flats Road, $11,900 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: DT Warehouse LLC. City of Pasco, 981 E. Foster Wells Road, $8.175 million for an industrial building, $48,000 for a temporary industrial building. Contractor: Swinerton Builders. Swinerton Energy, 981 E. Foster Wells Road, $31,000, $22,300 and $164,400 for industrial buildings. Contractor: Swinerton Builders. Burnham Sec Pasco, 981 E. Foster Wells Road, $3.55 million for an accessory building. Contractor: Swinerton Builders.

KENNEWICK

Kennewick School District, 123 S. Kent St. P7, $20,500 for new commercial. Contractor: Pacific Mobile Structures Inc. Jerry & Brit Han, 5000 W. Clearwater Ave., $400,000 for a commercial addition, $24,000 for plumbing. Contractor: to be determined for the commercial addition, BNB Mechanical for the plumbing.

Kennewick Hospital, 701 N. Young St., $23,800 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Noble HVAC Services.

Elfega Guzman & Adriana Bautista, 6824 W. First Ave., #2, $7,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Brothers Heating & Air. Mark & Pam Walker, 231 Vista Way, $15,400 for mechanical. Contractor: IV Rivers Inc. Basin Investment Group, 7605 W. Deschutes Ave., $8,000 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs.

TMG Northwest/DWP General, 814 S. Columbia Center Blvd., $1.74 million for new multifamily, $320,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $210,000 for plumbing. Contractor: to be determined for the multifamily, Americool Heating and Air Conditioning for the heat pump/HVAC and Mullins Enterprises LLC for the plumbing.

Campbell Cooling Electrical Plumbing, 7 W. 27th Ave., $10,100 for mechanical.

Contractor: A-One Refrigeration.

Plaza One LLC, 320 N. Johnson St., $122,300 for mechanical. Contractor: to be determined.

Juan Carlos Gutierrez, 4812 W. Clearwater Ave., $232,300 for new commercial.

Contractor: Juanito’s Grill.

Kennewick Hospitality LLC, 701 N. Young St., $18,000 for mechanical. Contractor: to be determined.

Heyden Properties LLC, 22 S. Carmichael Drive, $100,000 for a commercial addition, $30,000 for plumbing. Contractor: MH

Construction Inc. for the addition, Alden Plumbing LLC for the plumbing.

FC4 LLC, 2909 S. Quillan St., Suite 140, $5,000 for a commercial remodel. Contractor: W McKay Construction LLC.

Anchorage Corporation, 8508 W. Gage Blvd., $29,100 for a commercial reroof.

Contractor: Palmer Roofing Company.

Kishore S H M-Madhur Varada, 4 N. Cascade St., $9,200 for mechanical.

Contractor: RH&R.

On the Boulevard, 9202 W. Gage Blvd., Unit W202. $11,000 for heat pump/HVAC.

Contractor: Campbell Cool Electrical

Plumbing.

Attorneys at Law Leavy, Shultz & Davis, 4621 Southridge Blvd., Buildings A, B, C, D, E and F, $180,600, $575,500, $663,000, $509,000, $671,100, $406,300 respectively for new commercial construction. Contractor: Teton West of WA LLC.

XSOS LLC, 2431 Quillian Place, $11,000 for a sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication. Alvarez Holdings LLC, 3809 Plaza Way, $10,000 for a sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication.

Alexis Montgomery, 1109 S. Olympia Place, $185,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: Top Tier Contracting.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B19

T & M Beck Properties, 8801 W. Gage Blvd.,

$75,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: KTS Construction Services.

Kissinger Properties, 1221 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $335,000 for mechanical.

Contractor: CoolSys Commercial & Industrial Solutions Inc.

Robert Blain, 7122 W. Okanogan Place, $350,000 for a commercial remodel, $25,000 for mechanical, $5,000 for plumbing.

Contractor: Banlin Construction Co. LLC for the commercial remodel and the mechanical, BNB Mechanical LLC for the plumbing.

Walkers Furniture, 205 N. Morain St., $19,400 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor:

Campbell Cooling Electrical Plumbing.

PM2 Limited Partners, 8551 W. Gage Blvd., Suite K, $125,000 for a commercial remodel.

Contractor: W. McKay Construction LLC.

Kennewick Hospitality LLC, 701 N. Young St., $5,700 for mechanical. Contractor: to be determined.

PASCO

Jose L. Mercado-Duran, 112 031 015, $5,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor:

owner.

Lawrence B. Stone Properties, 216 S. Sixth Ave., $180,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: to be determined.

Hogback BWO LLC, 5818 Road 68, $8,000 for a sign. Contractor: Eagle Signs LLC.

CFT NV Developments LLC, 1525 W. Court St., $50,000 for a concrete foundation.

Contractor: to be determined.

Apostolic Lutheran Church Tri-Cities, 1207 W. Court St., $5,000 for demolition.

Contractor: Kustom US Inc.

Extreme Diesel LLC, 2060 N. Commercial

Ave., $312,600 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Clearspan Steel LLC.

Desert Sagebrush, 1925 W. A St., $7,300 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell

Cooling Electrical Plumbing.

Department of Natural Resources, 3501 Road 68, $10,000 for demolition. Contractor:

Ryan Ray Construction.

Reklaw Investments LLC, 140 Willow Circle, $9,700 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor:

Apollo Sheet Metal.

The Vine Church Tri-Cities, 9915 W. Argent Road, $55,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor:

Mastec Network Solutions Inc.

Mor-Stor Mini Storage LLC/Puckett, 1416 Road 68, $65,000 for an accessory building.

Contractor: Mastec Network Solutions Inc.

Three Bairs LLC, 2266 Dent Road, $38,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Strata Inc.

K & S Family Enterprises LLC, 1935 E. Superior St., $1.53 million for new commercial. Contractor: Clearspan Steal LLC.

Port of Pasco, 3070 Rickenbacker Drive, $33,000 for a sign, $24,000 for heat pump/ HVAC. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group for the sign, LCR Construction LLC for the heat pump/HVAC.

Lewis Street Laundry LLC, 1719 W. Lewis St., $8,200 to replace asphalt. Contractor: Empire Asphalt Service LLC.

Highland Meadows LTD Partnership, 1915 E. Parkview Blvd., $10,000 for demolition.

Contractor: Tom & Jerry Services.

CFT NV Developments LLC, 1525 W. Court St., $539,400 for new commercial, $144,400 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Johansen

Interiors LLC for the new commercial, Bruce Mechanical Inc. for the heat pump/HVAC. City of Pasco, 3624 Road 100, $100,000 for solar misc. Contractor: G2 Commercial Construction Inc.

TTB Investments LLC, 3810 W. Court St., $28,000 for an accessory building.

Contractor: to be determined.

Crossings at Chapel Hill, 6626 Chapel Hill Blvd., $5,500 for heat pump/HVAC.

Contractor: Dayco Inc.

CSP Pasco LLC, 1320 N. 20th Ave., $11,700 for miscellaneous. Contractor: owner.

Pacific Properties, 6005 Chapel Hill Blvd., buildings C and F, $771,300 each for multifamily construction. Contractor: Booth & Sons

Construction.

Agri-Service LLC, 1620 E. James St., $17,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign

Group.

Lakeshore Investments, 1123 W. Court St.,

$8,600 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign

Group.

BDP Properties LLC, 6311 Burden Blvd., $8,700 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign

Group. TMA Holdings LLC, 6115 Burden Blvd., Suite A, $13,500 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Knerr Construction Inc.

Elite Investment Group, 5804 Road 90, $5,000 for a sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication.

Crossings at Chapel Hill, 6626 Chapel Hill Blvd., #H101, $5,500 for heat pump/HVAC.

Contractor: Dayco Heating & Air.

Christian Church of Pasco, 1524 W. Marie St., $10,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Delta Heating & Cooling.

PROSSER

SMWE Propco Bute, 660 Frontier Road, $11,100 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor:

owner.

Feast Properties LLC, 701 Wine Country Road, $25,000 for a sign. Contractor: Quality

Signs.

CDS Prosser LLC, 2131 Wine Country Road, $43,700 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor:

Campbell Cooling Electrical Plumbing.

Red Blend Villages, 208 Claret Drive, $16,800 for solar misc. Contractor: Solar Power NW LLC. Methodist Church, 824 Sixth St., $22,500 for a commercial reroof. Contractor: TAB Enterprises LLC.

RICHLAND

Aaron & Emily Sullivan, 2487 Robertson Drive, $25,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Titan Homes LLC. Washington State University, 2770 Crimson Way, $115,725 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Babcock Services Inc.

Kennewick Irrigation District, 3151 Duportail St., $1.35 million for new commercial. Contractor: Gretl Crawford Homes. Browman Development Co., 2935 Queensgate Drive, $250,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: DeJager Construction Inc. 42nd St. Properties, 965 Goethals Drive, $150,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: 42nd St. Properties.

City of Richland, 4307 Trowbridge Blvd., $5.2 million for new commercial. Contractor: DGR Grant Construction.

City of Richland, 500 Amon Park Drive, $400,000 for an accessory building.

Contractor: City of Richland.

Comfortability Homes LLC, 1031 Cedar Ave., $5,700 for heat pump/HVAC.

Contractor: Right Now Heating, Cooling, Plumbing and Electrical.

First Baptist Church, 1107 Wright Ave., $25,900 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Bruce Mechanical Inc.

Illahee Holdings LLC, 50 Jadwin Ave., Apartment 32, $6,800 for heat pump/HVAC.

Contractor: Bruce Mechanical Inc.

Illahee Holdings LLC, 50 Jadwin Ave., Apartment 12, $5,800 for heat pump/HVAC.

Contractor: Bruce Mechanical Inc.

Cocoro Properties, 245 Torbett St., $50,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: McKey Construction LLC.

City of Richland, 555 Lacy Road, $125,700

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B20

B20 TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2023

for plumbing. Contractor: McKinstry Co. LLC.

Illahee Holdings LLC, 50 Jadwin Ave., Apartment 17, $9,300 for heat pump/HVAC.

Contractor: Bruce Mechanical Inc.

Luther Senior Center Inc, 1910 Jadwin Ave., Suite B, $38,000 for mechanical. Contractor: Delta Heating & Cooling.

Chuck Stack, 1769 Leslie Road, $7,000 for plumbing. Contractor: Bosch II Construction Co.

Kambash LLC, 3240 Richardson Road, $5,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Northwind Solutions LLC.

Lamb Weston Corp., 2013 Saint St., $10,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Campbell

Cooling Electrical Plumbing. Independence LLC, 1936 Saint St., $5,400 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Delta Heating & Cooling.

W-5 Investments LLC, 101 Reata Road, buildings A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, $350,000, $1.7 million, $639,600, $639,600, $614,000, $562,800, $537,300, $486,100 respectively for new commercial. Contractor: W-5 Investments LLC.

Tapteal II LLC, 1289 Tapteal Drive, $12.04 million for new commercial. Contractor: Wasatch DC Builders NW.

Theodore Properties, 2509 and 2513 Logan St., $3.6 million and $2.2 million respectively for new commercial. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

The Southland Corp, 2411 George Washington Way, $100,000 for demolition.

Contractor: Bergeson Boese & Associates. Government Properties Income Trust LLC, 2420 Stevens Center Place, $11,000 for plumbing. Contractor: Riggle Plumbing Inc. Lucky Seven Food Mart, 22 Goethals Drive, $11,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor:

Noble HVAC Services.

James Go, 1420 Jadwin Ave., $42,000 for mechanical. Contractor: Integrity Three Heating & Air Conditioning.

WEST RICHLAND

Richland School District, 2820 S. Highlands Blvd., $35,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Signs.

Richland School District, 5200 Paradise Way, $35,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Bruce Mechanical Inc., 4240 Laurel Drive, $15,500 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor:

Bruce Mechanical Inc. MWIC Southwest LLC, 8000 Paradise Way, $10,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign

Group. Silara LLC, 4900 Paradise Way, $70,000 for a commercial remodel. Contractor: Saddle Mountain Homes.

uBUSINESS LICENSES

KENNEWICK

Cold-Tech Refrigeration LLC, 12669 S. 125 East, Draper, Utah.

/Saj/ Architecture, 721 SW Industrial Way, Bend, Oregon.

Builder Services Group Inc. 475 N. Williamson Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida. FTSI, 406 E. Huntington Drive, Suite 100, Monrovia, California.

Pacific Coast Construction Group Inc., 106213 E. 297 PR SE.

Peach State Roofing Inc., 1655 Spectrum Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Systems & Technology Research LLC, 600 W. Cummings Park, Woburn, Massachusetts.

Powerhouse Retail Services LLC, 812 S. Crowley Road, Crowley, Texas. ST Concessions LLC, 3458 E. Illini St., Phoenix, Arizona.

The Southwestern Company, 2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, Tennessee.

Violeta’s Housekeeping, 5000 S. Dayton

Place.

Western Ag Services Inc., 3713 S. Johnson

St. Jackie Sharpe Images LLC, 1878 W. 25th

Court.

YFC Framing, 211010 E. Terril Road.

Sonshine Services LLC, 719 Jadwin Ave., Richland.

Freshco 2 LLC, 504 S. Jurupa St.

Trudeau’s Northwest Roofing & Construction Co. LLC, 1351 Upland Drive, Sunnyside.

Pur Clean LLC, 200409 E. 73rd Ave.

Tri Construction LLC, 3821 W. Havstad St., Pasco.

Hydro-Tech Fire Protection Inc., 15218 NE

Caples Road, Brush Prairie.

Frameright Construction LLC, 5519 W. Umatilla Ave.

Blue Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America, 8478 W. Gage Blvd.

Flattop Roofing & Construction Inc., 3004

N. Sullivan Road #304, Spokane Valley.

Paint Pros, 5011 Antigua Drive, Pasco.

New Beginnings Thrift Store LLC, 1010 Lee Blvd., Richland.

Prairie Electric Inc., 27050 NE 10th Ave., Ridgefield.

Standup Wellness, 8927 W. Tucannon Ave.

Stratum Concrete LLC, 412 N. Nineth Ave., Pasco.

VW Quality Roofing LLC, 1215 E. Alder St., Walla Walla.

J L General LLC, 4326 S. Anderson Place.

Ilennis Martinez, 669 E. 32nd Court.

L&S Painting Services LLC, 1426 S. Date Place.

All About Hygiene LLC, 1603 S. Vancouver St.

D. Lynne’s, 702 George Washington Way, Richland.

8k Electric, 31402 S. Clodfelter Road.

Traveling Paws LLC, 908 W. 27th Ave.

Confound Entertainment Inc., 1030 N. Center Parkway.

Hessthetics, 411 W. First Ave.

Pineda Construction LLC, 411 S. Quillan St.

Cascade Plumbing LLC, 15146 Fisk Road, Yakima.

Bravo’s Welding & Fabrication, 1219 Meade Ave., Prosser.

Vue Home Health LLC, 2300 W. 21st Ave.

OneNorth Integrated Facility Solutions 10102 E. Knox Ave., Spokane Valley.

Drake Civil LLC, 8204 Quatsino Drive, Pasco.

Dcee Management LLC, 3710 W. Canyon Lakes Drive.

Respectfully Clean, 1207 E. Rockwell Ave., Spokane.

Maharaja Taste of India, 8110 W. Gage Blvd.

Vintage Motors, 1116 W. Columbia Drive.

Glow Again LLC, 428 S. Dennis St.

Elevate Excavation and Development, 371 Keene Court, Richland.

Greasemonkey’s Auto Repair Inc., 1030 N. Center Parkway.

Romero’s Pruning & Landscaping LLC

2702 W. Seventh Ave.

Vick Construction LLC, 4504 Campolina

Lane, Pasco.

Network Connex, 1414 E Columbia St., Pasco.

That’s Me Salon, 5011 W. Clearwater Ave.

Columbia Food Trucks, 2001 W. Lewis St.,

(509)

Pasco.

Cleaning Services Cartagenas, 905 S. Neel

Court.

CR United Contracting LLC, 8208 Wrigley

Drive, Pasco.

Surfline Flooring LLC, 2406 W. 19th Ave.

Door-to-Door Dog Grooming LLC, 5114

Point Fosdick Drive, Gig Harbor.

Los Compy’s LLC, 1110 N. Edison St.

Acosta Remodeling LLC, 3131 W. Hood

Ave.

KP Floor Covering LLC, 3921 Bismarck

Lane, Pasco.

Very Best Electric LLC, 510 Wolfe Lane, Grandview.

Sunshine Foot Spa LLC, 1611 W. Kennewick

Ave.

Enjoy Paradise LLC, 4218 W. Clearwater

Ave.

Supreme Auto Detailing, 5889 W. 28th Ave.

Antojos 509 LLC, 10 E. Bruneau Ave.

The Busy Bee Diner LLC, 1505 W.

Kennewick Ave.

Pandora, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Samuel Magana-Vazquez, 2706 W. Hopkins

St., Pasco.

Sweet Bar, 602 N. Conway Place.

K.West Concrete & Construction, 8640 W.

Klamath Ave.

Floor & Home Tri-Cities, 1330 Tapteal Drive, Richland.

Patrick Munson, 7809 124th Street Court

East, Puyallup.

Haider Ibrahim Photography, 1810 W. 21st

Ave.

MD.Harper Painting LLC, 1500 W. 14th Ave.

Let’s Glow Mini Golf LLC, 731 N. Columbia

Center Blvd.

Cynthia Varadan LMT, 8797 W. Gage Blvd.

Grimmblendz, 2523 W. Kennewick Ave.

Executive Logistics, 3313 S. Auburn St.

Afterglow Esti 777, 2306 S. Dennis St.

Josh Hyrkas, 416 S. Olympia St.

Jay Tuiala, 3511 W. Clearwater Ave.

Homeschool Life LLC, 5312 S. Cascade

Place.

AI Ambitions LLC, 2424 W. Grand Ronde

Place.

Theragenics Corp, 1045 N. Nevada St.

V Gurung Services LLC, 402 W. Canyon

Lakes Drive.

Rowlette Services LLC, 440 N. Volland St.

Hippie La La Massage, Reiki & More, 19 S.

Cascade St. Clearance 509 Liquidation LLC, 20 N. Date St.

Tara Symons, 8350 W Grandridge Blvd.

Alex Fun Store, 33 S. Vancouver St.

Sidney Poudel Insurance and Financial Services Inc., 10121 W. Clearwater Ave. uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B21

Lulu’s Cleaning Services, 611 W. 13th Ave.

Hollenberg Law PLLC, 716 E. Edison Ave.,

Sunnyside.

Sippin Fresh LLC, 720 George Washington

Way, Richland.

Clark Rentals, 1407 N. Young St.

Alamerie, 2601 W. Entiat Ave.

Columbia Covenant Electric, 1717 W. Eighth

Place.

Atomic Construction and Remodel LLC,

3112 S. Cascade St.

White Z Detail LLC, 2274 S. Zillah Place.

Biome Forestry, 28 E. 41st Place.

Starcycle Kennewick, 910 S. Columbia

Center Blvd.

Caffrey Mobile Notary Services, 1913 S.

Newport St.

Deana Lansing, 8180 W. Fourth Ave.

River Vista Apts LLC, 1013 N. Neel St.

Kali’s Kreation’s LLC, 4805 W. Canal Drive.

Erick EC eMoney, 2523 W. Kennewick Ave.

Avila Massage, 920 W. Canal Drive.

Squeaky Duckies Cleaning, 2200 S. Dennis

St.

Tri-City Home Inspections, 402 N. Georgia St.

Everyday Deals LLP, 388 E. 16th Ave.

Riverside Rags, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Sia Benefit Consulting LLC, 3627 W. 48th

Ave.

Pineriver Holdings LLC, 922 E. Eastlake

Drive.

Sky High Lash Lounge, 8121 W. Grandridge

Blvd.

Heavyweight Haulers, 1732 N. 18th Drive, Pasco.

Only Techs LLC, 1005 N. Cleveland St.

Jammin2Freedom, 425 N. Columbia Center

Blvd.

Electrify America LLC, 2811 W. 10th Ave.

In The Books, 3407 S. Conway Drive.

Martha Alicia Rodriguez, 1537 W. Ella St.,

Pasco.

U & A Scrubs LLC, 125 S. Tweedt Place.

Fidino Enterprises, 35 S. Louisiana St.

Brenda L Parish, 7511 W. Arrowhead Ave.

Tyson Beck DDS, PLLC, 8801 W. Gage Blvd.

Armadura Transport LLC, 702 S. Ione St.

Sosa’s Interpreting, 1317 N. Edison Place.

Julio Luis Perez Delgado, 455 S. Morain St.

Three Rivers Painting, 1624 S. Jean St.

Morris Lands LLC, 802 N. Volland St.

Herrera Health LLC, 206 S. Kellogg St.

Cloe’s Enterprise LLC, 7611 Cordero Drive, Pasco.

High Violet Coffee Bar, 8121 W. Hood Ave.

Justwright, 1564 W. 44th Ave.

A1 Tinting LLC, 619 S. Young Place.

337 Fillmore LLC, 337 N. Fillmore St.

Aces Heating & Cooling, 6223 W. Deschutes Ave.

Q Home Lending, 8202 W. Quinault Ave.

Garcia’s Cleaning Services, 306 S. Johnson St.

Chug Soda, 218 Sitka Court, Richland.

Alta Entertainment, 914 S. Huntington St.

PASCO

Synergy Logistics Services LLC, 3121 N.

Commercial Ave.

Wake Up Inc., 7204 Burden Blvd.

Wake Up Inc., 2525 N. 20th Ave., Building B.

S & S Quality Concrete LLC, 5103 Marlin

Lane.

Sound Audiology and Hearing Aids LLC, 9425 Sandifur Parkway.

Fatboys Fleet&Auto, 720 N. California Ave.

My Lawn Service LLC, 716 S. Beech Ave.

B4 Development and Consulting LLC, 3130

Varney Lane, Suite 102.

Graymar Environmental Services Inc., 602

N. California Ave.

Enterprise Rent-A-Truck, 4302 Swallow Ave., #1-81.

Navarrete Services LLC, 4706 W. Court St.

T2 Contracting, 1009 W. 14th Place, Kennewick.

Athletic Mindset LLC, 9416 Percheron Drive.

A&Y Auto Alarms and Keys, 931 W. Court St.

Sammy’s Dustless Mobile Blasting LLC, 1007 Road 37.

Tri Cities Masonry Landscaping & Concrete, 124 W. Shoshone St., Suite G.

Lucy’s Daycare, 127 S. Hugo Ave.

Studio41, 306 W. Lewis St.

Blue Sky Construction #1 LLC, 2910 13th St. SE, Puyallup.

J Eugenio Swimming Pools & Remodeling, 1505 S. Road 40 East, #811.

Jonathan.Training LLC, 4501 Carthage St.

Intentional Healing PNW, 6414 Sockeye

Lane.

Achieve Center, 1200 N. 14th Ave., Suite 295.

Wichos Landscaping, 916 Madrona Ave.

Affordable Taxes LLC, 1318 N. Fourth Ave.

Mobile Red Repair, 5215 Truman Lane.

Tacos El Socio LLC, 1202 W. Lewis St.

Bravo Realty LLC, 5404 Koufax Lane.

Vander Sys, Michael, 7105 W. Hood Place, Suite A101, Kennewick.

B and RT Transport LLC, 1221 Road 37.

Network Connex, 1414 E. Columbia St., Suite B.

Sunrise Child Care, 2622 Spruce St.

Hilker Farms, 8617 Zepher Court.

Salgado Transport LLC, 6413 Mission Ridge

Drive.

Happy Faces Child Care, 4515 Laredo Drive.

DL LLC, 4403 Meadow View Drive.

NW Hydro Solutions LLC, 4807 Lobelia

Court.

Car Doctor Auto and Marine Repair LLC,

821 S. 13th Lane, Building 821.

Taqueria La Taptia, 306 W. Lewis St.

Complete Facilities Maintenance LLC, 3130

Varney Lane, Suite 106.

Black Bull Trucking LLC, 5903 Robert Wayne Drive.

International Promotions LLC, 411 W. Clark

St., Suite F.

La Voz Hispanic Newspaper, 411 W. Clark

St.

Red Sea Painting & Construction LLC, 6501

Springer Lane.

Christina’s Flower Shop, 417 W. Lewis St.

Shield Transport LLC, 4812 Bighorn Drive.

JennCoPhotography LLC, 12019 Norfolk

Drive.

Slainte Massage LLC, 6919 W. Argent Road, Suite B.

Bodywork by Holly, 6916 W. Argent Road, Suite B.

Studio 23, 6421 W. Court St.

El Habanero Mexican Taqueria, 1803 W. Court St.

Quick Pro Cleaning Services, 4420 W.

Brown St.

Pao’s Sales, 310 W. Columbia St., Unit 4.

Happy Angels Daycare LLC, 8707 Packard

Drive.

Little Dreamers LLC, 3205 Semilla Court.

Arnolds Drywall, Taping & More LLC, 1220 S. Second Ave.

Little Dreamers Daycare, 2604 Spruce St.

Baja Seafood, 931 W. Court St.

Too Much Tre LLC, 5302 Reagan Way.

Kustom Pools & Landscaping LLC, 6906

Three Rivers Drive.

Lino’s Drywall Repairs LLC, 902 S. Sixth Ave.

Dancing Tree Rehabilitative Dog Training, 1930 Dogwood Place, Richland.

Brothers Cheese Steaks, 8524 W. Gage Blvd., Building A, Suite 4, Kennewick.

Solano, Peter J C, 6311 Burden Blvd., Suite

C.

Suga Mama Printing, 1810 Sylvester St. Construction Services of Washington LLC, 3130 Varney Lane, Unit 106.

Beyoute by Rosa, 104 S. Oregon Ave., Suite

C.

Masisi LLC, 2120 W. A St., #A114.

Lord Kutz Barbershop, 524 W. Clark St., Building 524.

AG Solution Colima, 936 N. Elm Ave.

Emanuel Lawn Care LLC, 506 N. Seventh Ave.

Violeta’s Daycare, 8105 Cariboo Drive.

Kenzie Lynn Esthetician LLC, 4525 Road

68, Suite D.

Giant Stars, 7910 Squamish Court.

Hernandez Trucking LLC, 824 N. Cedar Ave.

Kassen Chamberlain, 5238 Outlet Drive.

Charlotte’s Clay Shoppe, 6713 Butternut

Circle.

U-Pull-It Auto Parts, Inc., 723 N. Third Ave.

PROSSER

Western Hybrids, 25181 Lon Davis Road, Parma, Idaho.

Harris Rebar Columbia Basin Inc., 577 Second Ave., Burbank.

Family Resource Home Care, 1013 Bridge St., Suite A, Clarkston.

Traveling Paws LLC, 908 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

The Pizza Box, 6481 W. Skagit Ave., Kennewick.

JP & Sons LLC, 490 Wine Country Road. Sol’s Cleaning Service, 325 Canyon Drive.

RICHLAND

Cozy Home Renovations LLC, 5619 Washougal Lane, Pasco.

JRA Construction & Development, 642 E.

Lester St., Tucson, Arizona.

Guardian Fire Protection Inc., 4025 E. Commercial Way SE, Albany, Oregon.

Wixted & Company, 4401 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, Iowa.

Contact Lens King Inc., 30 Lawrence

Paquette Drive, Champlain, New York.

33 Roofing Construction LLC, 431 NE Quail Court, Hermiston, Oregon.

Calem Medical, 14210 Fir St., Oregon City, Oregon.

Cochran Inc., 12500 Aurora Ave. North, Seattle.

Pelican Fueling Inc., 5507 N. Railroad Ave., Pasco.

Heidi Glasen’s Designs, 1127 Kensington Way.

Mattison Martinoli Inc., 12530 227th Ave. SE, Monroe.

Prostat Electric, 1721 NE 64th Ave., Vancouver.

Babcock Services Inc., 8113 W. Quinault Ave., Suite 201, Kennewick.

The Center for Child & Family Counseling, 5219 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Central Paving LLC, 1410 W. Dolarway Road, Ellensburg.

Scott M. Wangsgaard, Ph.D., LMFT, Ltd

404 Bradley Blvd. North Wind Services LLC, 3240 Richardson Road.

Mayor Construction LLC, 7721 E. Trent Ave., Spokane Valley.

Absolute Fencing LLC, 421 Blaine Road, Granger.

The Educated Cigar, 624 Wellsian Way.

Radiation Safety & Control Services Inc., 76 North Power Plant Loop.

Eagle Eye Video Surveillance LLC, 147 S. 329th Place, Federal Way.

Bensway Pest, 15320 E. Marietta Ave., Spokane Valley.

Ready Set Tan, 1868 Birch Ave.

Advisor Health Benefits Group, 5101 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Traveling Paws LLC, 908 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

Quality Roofing, 331 E. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

Ground Support Coffee Company LLC, 9910 Gamay Drive, Pasco.

Pink Flamingo Tattoo LLC, 417 W. First Ave., Kennewick.

Badger Mountain Construction, 8703 Cord Drive, Pasco.

Pathways Consulting Services LLC, 2488

Maggio Loop.

Mo Quality Construction LLC, 3013 S. Underwood St., Kennewick.

Castaneda Lawn Care, 1001 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick.

Vargas Pro Construction LLC, 837 S. Wyoming St., Kennewick.

Ari Insulation LLC, 701 N. Oregon Ave., Pasco.

Perez Construction, 109 N. Ione St.,

Kennewick.

Triple A Locksmith LLC, 3603 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick. Brothers Heating & Air, 1940 W. Hopkins St., Pasco.

Modern Construction-HVAC LLC, 313 Canyon Drive, Prosser.

Memo’s Flooring and Carpet LLC, 432

Madrona Ave., Pasco.

Sierra Lawn Care LLC, 823 N. Wehe Ave., Pasco.

Duo Cleaning Company LLC, 222 Columbia Road, Burbank.

Beautiful View Landscaping LLC, 2603 E. Adelia St., Pasco.

H.Razzo Flooring & More LLC, 324 N. 11th Ave., Pasco.

Eco-Pro General Contractor LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Bees Landscaping LLC, 1719 W. Yakima St., Pasco.

Alcaraz Landscaping and Cleaning Services LLC, 616 N. Beech Ave., Pasco. Gradient Electric, 3908 Estrella Drive, Pasco. uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B22

B22 TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2023

Farrell Homes, 5621 Westport Lane, Pasco.

OneNorth Integrated Facility Solutions, 10102 E. Knox Ave., Spokane Valley.

JR General Concrete, 1534 E. Spokane St., Pasco.

Genesis Flooring LLC, 4315 Sahara Drive, Pasco.

Apollo Earthworks LLC, 2487 Robertson

Drive.

Perfection Painting and Pressure Washing

LLC, 5808 Three Rivers Drive, Pasco.

Apex Construction & Exteriors LLC, 1531

W. Clark St., Pasco.

Quality Tree Service, 1505 S. Road 40 East, Pasco.

Chavez Roofing LLC, 1505 S. Road 40 East, Pasco.

Jovi Concrete LLC, 6305 Chapel Hill Blvd.,

Pasco.

List Ready LLC, 3019 Duportail St.

PCH Framing LLC, 8711 Studebaker Drive, Pasco.

M3 Security Inc., 4400 S. 47th Ave., West Richland.

Rock Lion Concrete LLC, 419 Madrona Ave., Pasco.

AllHorror365 LLC, 181 Boyer Drive, Walla

Walla.

The Homing Pigeon: Transaction

Coordination Services, 2312 Whitetail Drive.

E.L. Builds LLC, 7212 Courtney Court, Pasco.

USBs, 202 Pinetree Lane.

13 Bones Urban BBQ, 706 Williams Blvd.

Metbrand LLC, 4185 W. Grand Ronde Ave., Kennewick.

AI Signature Pool Solutions, 1592

Manchester St.

J Eugenio Swimming Pools & Remodeling,

1505 S. Road 40 East, Pasco.

DHV Construction LLC, 713 W. Nixon St., Pasco.

Cleaning Services Cartagenas, 905 S. Neel Court, Kennewick.

Blue Moon Flooring LLC, 5930 Rockrose

Lane, Pasco.

KP Floor Covering LLC, 3921 Bismarck

Lane, Pasco.

Tina’s Tasty Treats, 1325 George

Washington Way.

Cierra Jun Li Photography, 257 Brookwood

Loop.

Shiggy LLC, 812 Cottonwood Loop.

A&H Boutique, 2835 Copperstone St.

Oatis Outdoor Rentals/Adventures LLC,

500 Amon Park Drive.

Shakey Shug, 1205 Thayer Drive.

Striping, 584 Riverstone Drive.

The Ikigai Institute, 3125 Deserthawk Loop.

Strengthening Families Consulting, 1900

Fowler St.

Serena Merkle, 1706 Silverwood Drive.

Paradise Travel Group LLC, 1650 Cactus Loop.

J&A Plastering LLC, 5007 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Leslie Nance, 2009 Trippe St.

Dynamic Dental Service, 1086 Chinook Drive.

Twin Rivers Community Facility – DCYF

605 McMurray St.

A Plus Contracting LLC, 517 Castle Drive, Moses Lake.

PNW Occupational Medicine PLLC, 1445

Spaulding Ave.

Cold Pieces, 1094 Waylon Drive, West Richland.

Novus Aesthetics LLC, 2565 Brodie Lane.

Art By Anna Britton LLC, 1889 Birch Ave.

New Life Wellness PLLC, 3155 Willow

Pointe Drive.

Happy Hire LLC, 13327 SE 263rd Place, Kent.

MD Rock Construction LLC, 727 S. Kellogg St., Kennewick.

Eliana Noel Ushakova, 206 Davenport St. Gonzalez FJ Landscaping LLC, 218912 E. 403 PR SE, Kennewick.

Dawson Richards Tux Shop, 1356 Jadwin Ave.

Leadership Tri-Cities, 723 The Parkway.

Ronum Fine Art LLC, 6417 Pacific Pines Drive, Pasco. Lanscaper LLC, 318 Canyon St.

Columbia Shores Comprehensive

Obstetrics and Gynecology, 138 Keene Road.

Mark Novak, 614 The Parkway.

Chelsia Berry Designs, 1002 E. F St.,

Tacoma.

Thompson’s Appliance, 414 N. 22nd Ave.,

Pasco.

Paul Crowley, 1613 W. 38th Place, Kennewick. Servpro of Yakima, 700 W. Valley Mall Blvd., Union Gap.

Bell Auto Garage, 3060 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Pristine Lawn Services LLC, 3312 S. Quincy

Place, Kennewick.

Infinity Event Rentals LLC, 2212 N. Rhode Island Court, Kennewick.

Professional Energy Solutions LLC, 3041

Brian Lane, Kennewick.

Trout Properties Inc., 2369 Island View Road, Burbank.

Joshua H. Barthuly, 1000 W. Fifth Ave., Kennewick.

Cerulean Design, 657 Cottonwood Drive.

Napoli’s, 3280 George Washington Way.

Rosa Pulido, 1724 N. Sixth Ave., Pasco.

Frances Raquel Farias, 921 W. 15th Place, Kennewick.

Slidewayz Tuned, 2469 Robertson Drive.

Tim’s Elite Auto Detailing LLC, 4104

Wenview Court, West Richland.

Juan Humberto Chavez, 821 S. Grey Ave., Pasco.

9-1-Juan Pest Control, 4205 Des Moines Lane, Pasco.

Lino’s Drywall Repairs LLC, 902 S. Sixth Ave., Pasco.

WEST RICHLAND

Statewide Well Drilling Inc., 6816 Road 76, Pasco.

The Drain Surgeon, 89758 E. Calico Road, Kennewick.

Aria Construction Company, 1805 W. 24th Ave., Kennewick.

241 Builds LLC, 106 Canyon St., Richland.

Columbia River Nanny Connection, 59202

N. River Road, Benton City.

Saddle Mountain Homes LLC, 6001 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick.

DDB LLC, 6103 Balsam Court.

Midnight Electric LLC, 763 Franks Road, Sunnyside.

EG Beauty LLC, 2601 N. Harrington Road. General Engineer and Contractor LLC, 2885 Bombing Range Road.

Hooked Up Kennewick Inc., 1615 E. Chemical Drive, Kennewick.

Statewide Construction, Restoration and General Service LLC, 1845 Leslie Road, Richland.

SG Drywall & Paint LLC, 508 N. Green Place, Kennewick.

Martha’s Cleaning, 6711 W. Victoria Ave., Kennewick.

PB Pro LLC, 8 Royal Crest Loop PR.

Ocean Dreamers, 5193 Pinehurst St. A S Contractors, 722 N. 32nd Ave., Yakima. Bluescapes LLC, 732 W. Leola St., Pasco.

FHK Tools LLC, 2206 S. 69th Ave., Yakima.

Detail Guyz, 8524 W. Gage Blvd., Suite A-1, Kennewick.

R&R Pavement Maintenance LLC, 7401 Courtney Drive, Pasco. Inspiration Builders Inc., 70 Bull Pen Lane, Pasco.

R&L Painting, 5906 Robert Wayne Drive, Pasco.

Mike’s Construction, 7608 Savary Drive, Pasco.

Advanter Home Solutions LLC, 2105 N. Steptoe St., Kennewick. Pacific Traders Coffee, 518 N. 20th Ave., Yakima.

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.

JUDGMENTS

Creation Home Services LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 4. Corona Custom Homes LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 4.

R&H Perez Inc., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 4.

Life Vest Health Inc., unpaid Department of

Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 4.

Alejandro del Hoyo, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 4.

Trustwave Holdings Inc., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 4.

Leonardo Lopez et al., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 8.

Essential Planning Incorporated, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 8.

Marcus Derome Fellows et al., unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 8.

Proficiency Construction LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 8.

Barajas Auto Body LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 8.

Torres Virrueta Group Inc., unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 8.

Affordable Custom Concrete LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 8.

1000 Stitches LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 8.

All Grace Construction LLC, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 8.

Creggers Food & Espressos, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 11.

Chivas Construction LLC, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 11.

Oscar’s Lawn Care Services, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 11.

OT Pro Painting LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 11.

Alex B. Najera MD, PS, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 11.

Columbia Basin Garage Doors LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 16.

Pro-Duct HVAC LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 16.

S and S Auto Detail Resources LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 16.

JS Diesel Repair Shop LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 16.

Orlando Keith Sherrell Jr., unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 16.

Edwin Balderas, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 16.

Stucco & Stone Contractors LLC, unpaid

Employment Security Department taxes, filed

Aug. 16.

Pasco Xpress Mart LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 21.

Vinicio Marin Gomez, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 21.

MKW Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 21.

Chivas Construction LLC, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 21.

Formagrid Inc., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 21.

Explore & Learn Childcare, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 21.

Abraham Dominguez Antonio, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 24.

Sunrise Tree Services LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 24.

Torres Virrueta Group Inc., unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 24.

North Town Mall Realty Holdings, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 24.

IMG General Construction LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 25.

Garibaldi LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 25.

Sunnyside Hills Property Management LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 28.

Ofelia S. Valdez, unpaid Department of Licensing taxes, filed Aug. 28.

Michael Aaron Howard, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 28.

SGS General Contracting LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 28.

uLIQUOR LICENSES

BENTON COUNTY NEW

Willow Run Vineyard Tasting Room, 2000 Logston Blvd., Suite 134, Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters, additional location. Application type: new.

Market Pub, 10 E. Bruneau Ave., Suite D, Kennewick. License type: tavern - beer/wine.

Application type: new.

Blackthorne Neighbourhood Pub, 201 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver-in/out WA; premixed cocktails/wine to-go; spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge+; off-premises sale wine.

Application type: new.

One Stop Mart #12, 2201 Stevens Drive, Richland. License type: grocery store - beer/ wine. Application type: assumption.

One Stop Mart #10, 780 Stevens Drive, Richland. License type: grocery store - beer/ wine. Application type: assumption.

Big Smoke and Convenience, 207 W. Columbia Drive, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine specialty shop; spirits retailer; beer/ wine specialty shop growlers; keg sales.

Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

APPROVED

Eld Inlet Beverage Company, 844 Tulip Lane, Unit VC-5, Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new.

Goose Ridge Winery, 63615 E. Jacobs Road NE, Benton City. License type: domestic winery >249,999 liters. Application type: added/ change of class/in lieu.

Elk Haven Winery, 1200 Corral Creek Road, Suite B, Benton City. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new. Big Smoke and Convenience, 207 W. Columbia Drive, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine specialty shop. Application type: new.

Salud Bar & Kitchen, 50 Comstock St., Richland. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge+. Application type: added/ change of class/in lieu.

Ray’s Golden Lion, 1353 George Washington Way, Richland. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge-. Application type: new. Napoli’s, 3280 George Washington Way, Richland. License type: beer/wine restaurantbeer/wine w/taproom. Application type: new. Las Palomas II LLC, 364 Chardonnay Ave., Suite 3, Prosser. License type: spirits/beer/ wine restaurant service bar. Application type: new.

Longrock Creek, 101 Benitz Road, Suite C2 & F2, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new.

4 Whistles Winery, 10 E. Bruneau Ave., Units 61 & 62, Building C, Kennewick. License type: domestic winery <250,000 additional location. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

Maharaja Taste of India, 8110 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: assumption.

Wild Spirits Distilling, 590 Merlot Drive, Suite 1, Prosser. License type: craft distillery. Application type: new. Alexander the Grape, 4636 W. Canal Drive, West Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: change of corporate officer.

Laliik, 11198 E. RR 388 NE, Benton City. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new.

Quake Epicenter of Family Fun, 106904 E. Detrick PR SE, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine. Application type: new.

Coyote Canyon Winery, 80 McKinley Springs Road, Suite A, Prosser. License type: winery warehouse. Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, 10 E. Bruneau Ave., Suite 1, Kennewick. License type: domestic winery >249,999 liters. Application type: discontinued.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

NEW

D&A Servicios Latinos, 810 S. 10th Ave., Pasco. License type: grocery store - beer/ wine; beer/cider grocery growlers; snack bar. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

APPROVED

Birreria Colima Y Michoacan, 404 W. Lewis

St., Pasco. License type: beer/wine restbeer. Application type: new.

Ruben’s Pupuseria & Restaurante, 3330 W. Court St., Unit A, Pasco. License type: spirits/ beer/wine restaurant service bar. Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED

Birreria Colima Y Michoacan, 404 W. Lewis St., Pasco. License type: beer/wine rest –beer. Application type: discontinued.

uMARIJUANA LICENSES

BENTON COUNTY NEW

Canyon Flower Farm, 15505 N. Webber Canyon Road, Suite A, Benton City. License type: cannabis producer tier 2; cannabis processor. Application type: assumption.

APPROVED

T in T Elements, 43001 N. Griffin Road, Unit D, Grandview. License type: cannabis producer tier 2. Application type: added fees.

FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW

The Lucky Leaf, 3501 Road 68, Suite 104, Pasco. License type: cannabis retailer; medical cannabis endorsement. Application type: new.

uBUSINESS UPDATES

NEW BUSINESS

The B Spot, a bubble tea shop, has opened at 1523 Bombing Range Road, Suite B, West Richland. Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Contact: 509-969-9776; thebspot.wr@gmail. com; Facebook.

Heron Bluff Vineyard & Winery has opened at 27938 W. Old Inland Empire Highway,

Benton City. Heron Bluff specializes in red wines, including Rhone/Rotie Valley, Italian and Bordeaux varietals. Hours: noon to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday.

NAME CHANGE

PayneWest Insurance has changed its name to Marsh McLennan Agency, or MMA. The companies merged in 2021. Go to: mmanorthwest.com.

MOVED

Lourdes Internal Medicine & Primary Care has moved to the Lourdes West Pasco campus at 7425 Wrigley Drive, Suite 101, Pasco.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact: 509-416-8880; YourLourdes. com/Find-A-Doctor.

Steve’s Tire & Auto Repair has moved to 6509 W. Rio Grande Ave., Suite 140, Kennewick. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact: 509-783-3120; stevestireandautorepair.com; Facebook. BestMed has moved to 1215 George Washington Way, Richland. Go to: bestmedclinics.com.

Zach Garland, advance registered nurse practitioner with Prosser Memorial Health, has moved to the Benton City clinic. He provides family medicine services including wellness and well-child exams, preventative care and wound care. The Benton City clinic offers family and pediatric medicine, behavioral health and laboratory and X-ray services. Contact: 509-588-4075; prosserhealth.org.

NEW LOCATION

Daily Deals has opened a location in the TriCities at 2799 W. Lewis St., Pasco. The liquidation store is open from Friday through Wednesday, with items starting at $12 and dropping to $1 by Wednesday before restocking on Thursday. Contact: 509-515-2111; Facebook.

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