Journal of Business - May 2022 by Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business/Senior Times

May 2022 Volume 21 | Issue 5

Jerky plant could bring 100+ jobs to Richland By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Environment

What is the state of recycling in the Tri-Cities? Page A15

Transportation

Demand for truckers keeps CDL schools ‘busier than ever’ Page A33

Real Estate & Construction

Unique food park opening this fall in Kennewick Page B1

NOTEWORTHY “I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to be an entrepreneur.” - Todd Brix, CEO of OCOchem

Page A19

Old Trapper Smoked Products Inc., a key player in the $4 billon meat snack industry, plans to build a large food processing plant in Richland. The company, based in the Portland suburb of Forest Grove, intends to build a 50,000-square-foot facility employing 100 to start at Horn Rapids Industrial Park. The payroll could grow to 300 with future expansions. The city of Richland is expected to finalize a $1.3 million property sale to Beef Expansion LLC, aka Old Trapper, for a 20-acre site on the west side of Kingsgate Way north of 4 Paws DogWorks and across the street from the Washington National Guard’s new Readiness Center. The matter is expected to be on the city council’s May 17 agenda. The city’s economic development committee reviewed the project in April and recommended council approval. The sale price translates to $65,000 per acre. Old Trapper will begin with a 50,000-square-foot facility and could add up to 150,000 square feet of additional space in future phases, according to the offering documents. No barns or cattle processing is planned, said Robert Leary, chief marketing officer of Old Trapper. Leary characterized the deal as an expansion. “We are investigating a facility there and we are really excited about it,” he said. The city will retain the right to repurchase the land if the company does not submit an application for approval of its building plans within 18 months of the sale closing, and if construction has not commenced within 30 months. Charles Laird of Tippett Co. represented Old Trapper, which submitted a letter of intent to buy the city-owned site in February. In the past decade, the family-led company expanded to more than 110,000 uOLD TRAPPER, Page A3

Photo by Kristina Lord Ryan Daley, president of ABC Mini Storage, stands in front of his self-storage business on 701 Aaron Drive in Richland. Construction is underway on his second Tri-City storage store on Wellsian Way in Richland. Record occupancy and a rosy outlook for the industry nationwide have prompted several prominent Tri-City developers to build more mini storage.

Demand for self-storage soars with more projects on horizon By Kristina Lord

publisher@tcjournal.biz

Several million dollars’ worth of selfstorage projects will be under construction this year in the Tri-Cities as demand for places to stash stuff soars. “This industry is just going crazy. The secret’s out,” said Ryan Daley, president of ABC Mini Storage. He’s building a new mini-storage facility on Richland’s Wellsian Way, on a strip of land between Goethals Park and Harbor Freight Tools and Tri-County Partners

Habitat for Humanity’s store. More self-storage projects are in development near Dallas Road and Interstate 82 at Badger Mountain South, and at Leslie and Reata roads. Daley’s Spokane-based company bought the 1.8-acre Richland property for $595,000 in 2017. He’s been trying to get the facility open for years, but it’s been a challenge working through the site requirements, he said. ABC Mini Storage plans to build five

uMINI STORAGE, Page A40

Urgent care clinic anchors new development in West Richland By Wendy Culverwell & Kristina Lord

editor@tcjournal.biz | publisher@tcjournal.biz

An urgent care-anchored strip mall is coming to West Richland alongside a pizza shop, a dog grooming salon and more. Three Rivers Family Medicine, a Richland primary care office, will open a walkin urgent care center serving patients in West Richland and points west in early 2023. The Three Rivers clinic will anchor Bombing Range Plaza, a new $2.7 million development coming to 1605 Bombing Range Road near Yoke’s Fresh Market, at Paradise Way. The clinic will be the first satellite clinic

for Three Rivers, a privately-owned family physicians’ office that has operated at 945 Goethals Drive in Richland for more than 20 years. The urgent care clinic will offer true walk-in service, said Sue Chilcoat, practice manager. Chilcoat said she’s been frustrated when other urgent care clinics can’t offer same-day appointments. “When I’ve worked in urgent care, it’s walk-in and you take everybody until the door closes,” she said. “That’s our premise, to give people opportunities for better health.” The clinic is owned by the same group uURGENT CARE, Page A4

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

Richland, Pasco ready to make the case for a third high school By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

The Richland and Pasco school districts each are preparing to make the case for a third high school. It will be the first new full-service high school for the Richland district since Hanford High opened in 1972 and for the Pasco district since Chiawana High School opened in 2009. Both plan to ask voters to approve new bonds to pay not only for new high schools, but smaller facilities as well. Richland will seek $300 million or more, depending on which of three sets of projects its board chooses. Pasco will seek nearly $200 million. Both are targeting the Feb. 14, 2023 election day. If approved, the districts will assess new property taxes to pay for them starting in 2024. Low-income seniors and those with disabilities may be eligible for some exemptions from some voter-approved property taxes in Washington. Pasco has confirmed its bond plan. Richland is reviewing three potential scenarios. But with a starting price of $300 million, it will be the biggest ask it has ever submitted to voters. The most expensive version is more than $380 million and would put Richland at the top of its capacity to borrow money. “We know it’s a big number,” said Ty Beaver, the district’s spokesperson. “Costs aren’t going down any time soon.” Superintendent Shelley Redinger said that once the board settles on a package of projects to fund, the campaign will shift into high gear, though the district itself is limited to sharing information without openly advocating for passage. Bonds typically are repaid over 20 years from revenue generated by new

property taxes, which must be approved by voters. The proposed bond amounts do not include additional matching funds the state provides to build new schools and other capital projects.

Richland School District • Option A builds a new comprehensive high school in West Richland, a new River’s Edge High School and a new maintenance and operations facility. Relocating the facility from central Richland would free space at Richland High, which is landlocked. The $303 million bond would cost property owners an estimated $1.04 per $1,000 of assess value in new property taxes, or $520 a year for a home with a tax value of $500,000 home. • Option B includes the features of the first package and adds amenities at Hanford and Richland high schools, expands options at Three Rivers HomeLink and makes safety and security updates throughout the district. The $336 million bond would cost property owners an estimated $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed value on their property tax bills, or $670 a year for a home with a tax value of $500,000. • Option C includes the projects in the first two packages and funds an additional elementary school at a location to be determined. The $383 million bond would cost property owners an estimated $1.94 per $1,000, or $970 a year for a home with a taxable value of $500,000. Option C would push the district to the top of its debt limit, precluding it from borrowing more money for a decade or longer, said Clinton Sherman, the district’s executive director for financial services. Pasco School District The district will ask its voters to supuBONDS, Page A38

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Courtesy city of Richland Old Trapper Smoked Products, a beef jerky manufacturer based in the Portland suburb of Forest Grove, is preparing to buy 20 acres in Richland’s Horn Rapids Industrial Park for a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing plant that will employ 100 to start. The $1.3 million sale goes to the Richland City Council for approval on May 17.

OLD TRAPPER, From page A1 square feet of manufacturing space at its home base west of Portland. It employs 600. “Old Trapper is a community focused organization that will be a valuable addition to the city of Richland,” it said in its Feb. 9 offer. That same month, the company reported its third year of sales growth, noting that revenue grew more than 30% in 2021 despite supply chain issues that added 30% to its logistics costs. The company said it added two packaging lines in 2021, which expanded production capacity by more than 40%. It also said it would add additional smokehouses in 2022 to increase smokehouse capacity by a further 40%, a possible sign of its plans for Richland. “In 2022, our focus is on increasing our packaging and production capacity

to continue our growth momentum and lead the beef jerky with innovation and a superior product,” it said in a press release. Grandview Research, a market analyst, calculated the jerky snack market was worth $3.9 billion in 2019 in the U.S. with demand for protein snacks expected to keep growing. Key competitors include Jack Link’s LLC, Oberto Snacks Inc., The Hershey Company and General Mills Inc. Old Trapper said sales grew across all retail channels, including grocery and convenience stores. Melinda and Dennis Evenson established Old Trapper in Tillamook, Oregon in 1969, naming their company for the trappers who once visited the coastal community. Today, it is led by their children. Son Ole Evenson is president.

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/tcajob /tcajob /company/tcajob The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, a publication of TriComp Inc., is published monthly and delivered at no charge to identifiable businesses in Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Kennewick, Prosser and Benton City. Subscriptions are $27.10 per year, including tax, prepayment required, no refunds. Contents of this publication are the sole property of TriComp Inc. and can not be reproduced in any form without expressed written consent. Opinions expressed 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.

that operates Three Rivers but is its own limited liability company. It will open with a staff of about six, including a provider, Chilcoat said. The team will expand as the clinic picks up business. Chilcoat said the location not only fills a need in West Richland but for the rural areas to the west as well, including Benton City and Prosser. It will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will take all major insurance as well as Medicaid. It will have a radiology department and the ability to provide care and perform some procedures, such as sutures and splints. Three Rivers offers a walk-in immunization clinic in Richland and does not plan to replicate it at the urgent care center, which will have six exam rooms, a laboratory and X-ray and procedure rooms in its 3,284-square-foot leased space. Its neighbors at Bombing Range Plaza will be Shannon’s Grooming, a dog grooming boutique, and the neighborhood’s first Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n’ Bake Pizza shop. Croskrey Ventures LLC is the developer behind the project, which will consist of two 6,000-square-foot strip malls on the 1.22-acre site. Each building will have three suites. Papa Murphy’s will move into space in the second strip mall on the site. The Vancouver, Washington-based take-and-bake pizza chain specializes in fresh-made pizzas and does not have ovens or freezers, giving it flexibility to occupy space that isn’t suitable for traditional restaurants. Shannon’s Grooming of West Richland will move into a 1,800-square-foot suite next door to Three Rivers Family Medicine. In fact, Shannon’s is the business that inspired Croskrey Ventures to develop the plaza in the first place. The salon is co-owned by Matthew Croskrey and his wife, Shannon. His dad is Nathan Croskrey. When the

Photo by Kristina Lord Shannon and Matthew Croskrey of Richland stand with their newborn daughter Birdie and standard poodle Doug in the empty lot that will be home to their growing pet grooming business, Shannon’s Grooming. The site at 1605 Bombing Range Road in West Richland also will be home to Three Rivers Family Medicine’s new urgent care center and Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n’ Bake Pizza shop.

grooming business needed room to expand, the father and son formed the LLC and bought the property from Gesa Credit Union last year. Matthew said the grooming business outgrew its space at 4900 Paradise Way in a strip mall just down the street from the development site. The corner at Bombing Range beckoned. “It looked like a good piece of land on the corner,” Matthew said. Shannon and Matthew credit the dog grooming with bringing them together. Shannon was working at a grooming salon when Matthew brought in his standard poodle, Doug. The rest is history. The couple bought a Pasco dog grooming business in 2018 and moved it to West Richland in 2019. They are excited about designing their own space for the business. It will feature a grooming room, blow dry room and space to expand their retail offerings. The business employs seven. “Eventually, fingers crossed, we’ll

have a grooming shop people will travel to with enough space to allow the business to grow,” Matthew said. The couple’s plan includes creating a school to train dog groomers. Nathan hopes to break ground on the project within weeks with completion in spring 2023. The general contractor for the project is George Booth and Sons. The architect is Ed Luebben of WHL Architecture. “It’s a great location, especially with Paradise (Way) punched through and with so much growth there. There’s not a lot of interior commercial development. It’s a captive location there,” Nathan said. And across the street from this future development plans are underway for another. JLW Asset Management LLC – Lori and Jeff Wenner of Richland are the principals – recently paid $1.3 million for the 2 acres between Smitty’s Paradise Gas and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. “We’re just in the planning stages now. It’s going to be commercial – food service and a coffee shop,” said Lori Wenner. The Wenners planned to meet with their architect and engineer on May 4. The couple intend to build one or two strip mall buildings on the property. “Building costs are so high right now. We may do it in phases,” she said, adding that finding an anchor tenant is a priority. The couple recently sold their Queensgate Storage and RV business at 2373 Jericho Road in Richland. They expanded it in August 2019. They weren’t planning to sell, but when a California-based brokerage firm approached them about listing the property, they had a buyer within 12 hours offering them full price. “Cap rates are so good right now,” Lori Wenner said. The deal with BuxBear Storage closed March 30. They’re investing proceeds from the business sale into the Bombing Range Road project. They also hope to close on 7 acres off Belmont Boulevard, also in West Richland. Lori Wenner said one potential use for that property could be a gas station.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

Tri-City tourism Columbia Industries names new CEO, president acumen running both nonprofit and CI funds its mission to serve people expected to for-profit businesses, along with his with special needs by operating a seOne of the Tri-Cities’ biggest cheer- penchant for innovation, team devel- ries of for-profit businesses. It owns leaders is going to lead a Kennewick- opment, business building, inclusive- and operates four Round Table Pizza set new record based nonprofit focused on empow- ness, collaboration and a commitment restaurants, Paradise Bottled Water ering and supporting people with to culture are sure to lead Columbia In- and a FedEx business in the Clarkstonin 2022 disabilities. dustries and our subsidiaries to greater Lewiston area on the Washington-IdaBy Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

The Tri-City tourism market returned to prepandemic levels and is poised to beat 2019 levels this year, courtesy athletic events and leisure travelers. Visitor spending exceeded $489.3 million in 2021, a figure based on federal and state data as well as tax receipts and lodging industry surveys. It is Read more about 41.8% more Visit Tri-Cities’ than 2020 and just shy efforts to promote of the rethe area. cord set in Page A7 2019, before Covid-19 brought travel and related spending to a standstill. Visitor spending translated into $51.2 million for local and state tax coffers and supported about 4,700 local jobs. After a strong first quarter, Visit TriCities expects 2022 will set a new record. The trend puts the Tri-Cities well ahead of the rest of Washington, which is still struggling to recover. Visit Tri-Cities expects to get an even bigger bump after it successfully hosted the 2022 Travel Bloggers Exchange North American convention in April. The socalled TBEX gathering brought 300 travel writers to the community to tour wineries and visit local restaurants and visitor destinations. Several requested photos and scheduled follow-up visits, a sign they’re preparing stories and videos for their media outlets, exactly the payoff Visit Tri-Cities hoped for. Local businesses used #TBEXTriCities on social media posts throughout the gathering, a campaign that led to a welcome flurry of interactions. When it was all over, Visit Tri-Cities turned its attention to fostering positive coverage in its own community. It took local journalists on a tour designed to give them a glimpse of what the community looks like through a visitor’s eyes. The idea is to encourage area residents to bring their friends and family to the TriCities for gatherings. Journalists checked out electric bikes from Pedego in Richland and tooled along the Columbia River waterfront, crossing along the Interstate 182 bridge to explore west Pasco, all in less than an hour. They dined at LU LU Craft Bar + Kitchen at Columbia Point and took lessons on the growing sport of axe throwing from Landon Lawson, who launched AXE KPR at 8425 Chapel Hill Blvd. in Pasco shortly before the pandemic took hold. All are valuable assets that visitors want, tourism officials said. “Don’t meet folks in Seattle. Meet uTOURISM, Page A13

Michael Novakovich is leaving his post as the head of Visit Tri-Cities to join Columbia Industries as its new CEO and president. CI announced the news May 9. “Michael is a recognized community leader with a demonstrated passion for the Tri-Cities,” said Joel Ockey, chair of Columbia Industries’ board of directors, in a news release. “His business

outcomes and increased community impact.” Novakovich has served as the president and CEO of Visit Tri-Cities since April 2018 and will remain in his role through July 1. He starts at CI on July 5. Longtime CI board member and former board chairman Eric Van Winkle has been leading Columbia Industries as interim CEO since December 2021.

ho border. CI also offers document shredding services. It recently sold its document record keeping business. Founded in 1963, Columbia Industries provides critical services that enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities and other life barriers. It uNEW CEO, Page A13

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

DATEBOOK

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

MAY 14

• Dine Out Road Trip: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Take a road trip around the Tri-Cities to sample local restaurants’ foods. Then vote for your favorite. Proceeds benefit the Tri-Cities Cancer Center. Cost: $100. Tickets: cancercrushingdineout.com.

MAY 17

• General HBA Membership meeting: 11:30 a.m., Tri-Tech Skills Center Event Room, 5929 W. Metaline Ave., Kennewick. Cost: $25 per person. RSVP by calling 509735-2745 or email sarah@hbatc. com. • Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce May luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pasco Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave. Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers. Register at tchispanicchamber.com.

MAY 17-22

• Junior Achievement, Back to the 90s Bowling Classic: Various times, Atomic Bowl, 624 Wellsian Way, Richland. Register at jawashington.org/ja-bowlingclassic-2.

MAY 19

• Foundation for the Future Breakfast, Boys & Girls Club Benefit Breakfast: 7:30 a.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Details at greatclubs.org. • Virtual PTAC Workshop, “SE Washington PTAC/SBDC Small Business Roundtable”: 9-10 a.m. Learn from Procurement Technical Assistance Centers about government contracting and from the Small Business Development Center about how to grow your business. Register at washingtonptac.ecenterdirect.com/ events. • Lamb Weston hiring event: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., TC Futures, 6816 W. Rio Grand Ave., Kennewick.

MAY 21

• Heart of Healing, a benefit and auction to support Cork’s Place: 5:30-9 p.m., Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Social hour, dinner and auction. Tickets are $100, or $775 for a table for eight. Go to: bit.ly/CorksPlaceEvent.

MAY 25

• Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Register at web. tricityregionalchamber.com/events.

MAY 26

• Virtual Ask the Experts: Leading Through Distraction: 10:30 a.m. Register at web. tricityregionalchamber.com/events. • United Way, Breakfast of Champions Campaign Celebration: 7:30-9 a.m., 401 N. Young St., Kennewick. Buy tickets at uwbfco.org/celebration. • Find Your Vibe with Bethany Lee: Noon-1 p.m., Zoom. MidColumbia Public Relations Society of America webinar to learn how to hype and promote your organization on social media. Tickets are $10. Register at prsamidcolumbia.org.

JUNE 1

• West Richland Area Chamber of Commerce Membership Luncheon: noon-1:30 p.m., The Mayfield Gathering Place, 331 S. 41st Ave., West Richland. Details at

westrichlandchamber.org.

JUNE 3

• Historic Downtown Kennewick network zoom breakfast: 8-9 a.m. Details at historickennewick.org/networkbreakfasts.

JUNE 4

• TROT Therapeutic Riding of Tri-Cities Mane Event, Trail Blazin’ BBQ: 5-10 p.m., 104 E. 41st Place, Kennewick. Barbecue dinner, silent auction and entertainment by Jamie Buckley. Proceeds benefit TROT. Tickets go to: trot3cities.org.

JUNE 9

• The Future of Energy in the Tri-Cities: What Does It Look Like?: 6-8 p.m., Anelare Winery, 19205 N. McBee Road., Benton City. Washington Policy Center event to engage with a panel of experts, moderated by Karl Dye, that will touch on issues from nuclear power to dams on the Snake River. Go to: washingtonpolicy.org/events.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

OPINION OUR VIEW Tri-Cities finally gets an aquatics center, thanks to Pasco voters By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

It’s thrilling to see Pasco residents come together to make big things happen for the community, particularly a project that puts the “family” into “family-friendly.” Pasco voters agreed to a modest increase in the local sales tax to pay for an aquatics center in the April 26 special election. We know Tri-City children (and adults too!) will love swooshing down the slides, diving through the lazy river and frolicking in the wave pool. Officially, the city’s voters authorized the Pasco Public Facilities District to collect 2 cents on a $10 purchase on most but not all sales, with proceeds dedicated to repaying a bond (or bonds) that will be issued to build the $40 million center. For their money, Pasco residents will get a recreation center with indoor and outdoor water features. It will be unlike anything seen elsewhere in the TriCities. The city’s residents likely will get breaks on user fees, thanks to their generosity in approving plans for the project. Pasco leaders began dreaming of an aquatics center some 20 years ago and even put the issue before Tri-City voters in 2013. It failed when voters in

Richland and Kennewick said no to supporting something that wasn’t in their respective city. Nearly a decade later, Pasco convinced the Legislature to amend the law to allow it to pursue the project on its own. It reckoned that its fast-growing population was ready to proceed without the help of its neighbors. Instead of asking the region to approve the project, it confined the request to Pasco. As in 2013, its voters said yes, 55% to 45%, or 4,166 yes votes to 3,399 no ones. Voter turnout was 22.5%. The Pasco Public Facilities District hasn’t announced a site for the aquatics center – the 2013 site was sold when the project appeared dead. Too, it has been reluctant to publicize images of what it could look like. It fears complaints if the actual complex doesn’t mirror the renderings. It should choose a site and share images from its longtime aquatics consultant, Ballard*King & Associates. They look terrific and likely will generate enthusiasm for the project – and encourage daydreams about summertime pool fun. It’s a project long overdue. We expect the development to become a regional draw, further bolstering the Tri-Cities’ efforts to become a tourism destination.

Survey shows inflation tops a long list of employer challenges in 2022 The soaring inflation rate has turned trips to the gas station, grocery store, shopping mall and restaurants into nerve-wracking experiences. Not to mention buying a used car or a sheet of plywood. But it isn’t just wreaking havoc on family budgets — inflation is setting off alarm bells for businesses, too. In a recent survey of Association of Washington Business members, inflation emerged as the No. 1 challenge facing Washington employers, edging out other concerns such as finding enough workers, supply chain disruptions and overly burdensome government regulation. That’s not to say those other concerns have gone away. The survey of nearly 600 employers found all of those issues remain major challenges, but inflation has leapfrogged to the front of the line. It’s easy to see why employers are concerned. After years of restrained inflation, inflation began growing during the pandemic and has escalated in recent months. Consumer prices rose 8.5% in March, the fastest pace since December 1981. The spiraling prices are due to a combination of factors, including supply chain snarls that began during the pandemic and have yet to be resolved. Strong consumer demand for goods and services is another factor, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has disrupted food and energy markets around the world. With no end in sight, economists

are warning that inflation is not only a serious threat to economic recovery, but also could lead to a recession. They worry the FedKris Johnson eral Reserve’s Association of Washington attempt to cool Business the overheated GUEST COLUMN market by raising interest rates will push the economy into a downturn. In April, Deutsche Bank was the first major bank to forecast a U.S. recession in late 2023 and into 2024. According to the AWB survey, no employer is immune from the rising inflation. Virtually every respondent – 94% – said inflation has increased their costs to do business. And for most employers, costs have gone up by a large amount. Thirty-five percent said their costs have risen 6%-10% while almost as many (33%) said costs have risen 11%-20%. Another 12% said their costs have gone up between 21%-30% and 8% said their cost of doing business has gone up more than 30%. At the same time employers are managing the record inflation, the survey found they’re continuing to struggle with a multitude of other issues, too. uJOHNSON, Page A8

America needs more diverse fuel sources

Become an explorer in your own town

The news that President Joe Biden plans to resume leasing federal land for oil exploration maybe good five years from now, but that action alone won’t bring down record gas prices at the pump in the months ahead. According to American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.24 on May 5, up from $4.17 a gallon a month ago. In the Tri-Cities, the average was $4.49 a gallon, up from $3.24 a year ago. The Interior Department announced it would put 144,000 acres of government land up for auction. In exchange, Biden wants higher royalties on federal land oil production. It increases by six points – to 18.75% from 12:75% US Oil & Gas Association president Tim Stewart told Fox News the new policy will compound the problem. We have a short-term production shortfall right now. Additional leasing will push

National Travel & Tourism Week may have wrapped in early May, but here at Visit Tri-Cities we have reason to celebrate tourism every day. From our rich history steeped in science to the amazing rivers and outdoor recreation that is only enhanced by our climate to the unique gathering places, our world-class wine, brews and other craft beverages to the farm-to-table dining experiences—the Tri-Cities has so much to offer visitors and residents. We know that for a fact because it is in the numbers. The State of Washington Tourism, in partnership with Tourism Economics, recently released the 2021 statewide economic impacts of tourism, with all indicators pointing toward economic recovery. Visitors spending reached $17.7 billion, employing more than 205,000 people throughout Washington. A little closer to home, visitor spending in the Tri-Cities reached $489.3

this problem out for three, five, seven, 10 years. The president continues to avoid more immediate remedies. Don C. Brunell Business analyst One is reversGUEST COLUMN ing his order which killed the Keystone XL pipeline. It alone would dramatically increase deliveries of crude from Canada and the Bakken fields in North Dakota and Montana to Midwest and Gulf of Mexico refineries. The unfinished pipeline would be 875 miles and have the capacity to transport 830,000 barrels per day. Another solution closer to home is to increase Alaska oil and natural gas prouBRUNELL, Page A8

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million during 2021, a 41.8% growth over 2020, another sign of economic recovery in the Tri-Cities. Visitors also generated $51.2 Michael million in state Novakovich and local taxes. Visit Tri-Cities The tax revenue GUEST COLUMN generated by visitors helps fund police and fire, teachers and schools, the maintenance of our roadways and the beautification of our parks and reduces individual Tri-Citians’ household tax burden by over $500. Not only do we benefit from the economic impact of the industry in dollars and cents, but we also benefit from the quality of life to which it contributes. uNOVAKOVICH, Page A10

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

BRUNELL, From page A7 duction and send more domestic crude to west coast refineries. According to Sightline Institute, the five oil refineries on Puget Sound provide almost all of Oregon and Washington gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. In 2021, before Russia invaded Ukraine, our state’s refineries imported 10 million barrels of Russian crude. Last June, Biden suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). It is one of America’s single greatest prospects for future domestic oil production. In 2002, estimates were it contained from 10 billion to 17 billion barrels of recoverable oil, enough to replace 58 years of Iraqi oil imports.

ANWR is 19.6 million acres of frozen tundra – larger than the states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut and Delaware combined. Oil exploration would occur on less than 2,000 acres of land, comparable to a small dot on an 8-by-10-inch sheet of paper. On Alaska’s North Slope, drilling takes place during the winter over roads built on sheets of ice. When the ice melts, the roads disappear. The production pads are different from traditional oil derricks spread across Oklahoma, Texas and southern California. Prudhoe Bay is proof that we can safely produce Alaskan oil. In the intervening years, drilling technology has greatly improved, with environmentally

friendly units able to drill dozens of underground wells for miles from one small pad only a few acres in size. Admittedly, the nation’s largest oil spill was in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in March 1989 when the Exxon Valdez strayed off course and struck a reef. America must ensure that accidents, whether they be oil spills from domestic or foreign tankers or fires from overheated lithium batteries, do not happen. The bottom line is our country requires lots of energy and needs diversity which includes carbon fuels. All sources must have the best proven pollution control and safety technology. Biden needs to lower the cost of gas for transportation and natural gas for

heating, cooking and industrial production. He needs to act in ways that make a difference in the months ahead. Simple drawing down our strategic oil reserves or pandering to foreign oil producers who are unfriendly, creates a bigger problem rather than a practical domestic solution. For Washington, looking north to Alaska and Canada is a much better solution than buying from Russia. 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. JOHNSON, From page A7 When asked to identify their biggest challenges, it was nearly a dead heat between inflation (63%), a lack of qualified workers (62%) and supply chain disruption (61%). Government regulation (57%) and overall tax burden (51%) followed close behind, making this the first AWB employer survey where five different issues topped 50%. This highlights what a challenging time it is right now for employers. Other issues generating concern include the cost of health care (44% said it’s a major issue), affordable housing (34%) and the cost of energy (33%). For the moment, the pandemic has faded as a top concern with just 15% of respondents saying it was a major challenge. Many of these challenges are the result of complicated global forces and don’t have easy answers. Still, it’s hard not look at the Legislature’s failure to give back more of the state’s historic $14 billion-plus budget surplus during this year’s legislative session as a missed opportunity. The Legislature alone can’t solve inflation or fix the broken global supply chain, but lawmakers could have done something about taxes. They could have champions for the economy. For employers facing a myriad of challenges, it could have been one less thing to keep them up at night. Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturers association.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

NOVAKOVICH, From page A7 Tourism is the gateway for enhancing what we love about the Tri-Cities— meaning tourism sustains attractions and amenities we currently have, but also provides opportunities for economic development. In short, tourism matters, and it matters to the Tri-Cities. The visitor economy enhances quality of life that touches every single Tri-Citian. Additionally, tourism is more than out of town guests enjoying the TriCities, it’s residents supporting our own community. That’s right – when you’re dining at your favorite local restaurant, enjoying a museum, recreating outdoors, attending special events or having a blast at a local attraction – you’re supporting tourism in the Tri-Cities. We encourage the community to

always be explorers in your amazing hometown. Even better, get friends and family in on the action and invite them to visit the Tri-Cities. Act as a local expert and show them your favorite spots around town. There are plenty of amazing upcoming events that can only be enjoyed in the Tri-Cities: the Speedfest Show and Shine, Art in the Park, TriCities Geocoin Challenge, Tri-City Water Follies and Over the River Airshow, just to name a few. If you’re ever at a loss for what to do, we offer exploration inspiration at VisitTri-Cities.com or swing by the Visitor Center at 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite B, in Kennewick to chat with our knowledgeable staff or pick up a free copy of the Tri-Cities Official Visitor Guide.

The attractions and amenities are certainly an important component of tourism. However, the creative and passionate people behind those attractions and amenities who go that extra mile in creating memorable visitor experiences are what sustains the Tri-Cities’ tourism economy. The local business owners, servers, winemakers, restaurateurs, baristas and everyone in the hospitality industry create a Tri-Cities visitor experience worth sharing. Excellent customer service is more important than ever as we anticipate 2022 being the best year for leisure tourism in the Tri-Cities. Customer service will be just as important to visitors as the attractions and amenities available in our community. To celebrate amazing customer ser-

vice, Visit Tri-Cities recently launched the 2022 Excellence in Service program. The annual program recognizes outstanding individuals or businesses who have outstanding customer service and know how to create memorable visitor experiences. One outstanding individual or tourism-related business will receive the Excellence in Service Award, a prestigious acknowledgement that celebrates members of the Tri-Cities tourism and service industry for their ongoing commitment to go above and beyond in providing outstanding customer service. Kathy Nutt, wine club concierge of Frichette Winery, earned the honor in 2021. Previous winners include The Lodge at Columbia Point, Red Mountain Trails, the Tri-City Dust Devils, Frost Me Sweet and other local tourism-related businesses. If you’ve ever visited any of these businesses, you know that their commitment to providing an enhanced visitor experience is worth celebrating.

Nominations welcome While you’re out and about in the Tri-Cities this summer, keep an eye out for those standout people and businesses. We look forward to recognizing those individuals and businesses that give the Tri-Cities a competitive edge by providing amazing experiences not just for leisure travel, but for conventions, meetings and sports events. Nominations will be accepted until Sept. 1 and the recipient will be honored at the Visit Tri-Cities Annual Meeting on Nov. 1. The program is proudly sponsored by Battelle, one of the many businesses in the region championing tourism in the Tri-Cities. To learn more about the Excellence in Service award or to nominate a deserving individual or business, go to: VisitTriCities.com/TCexcellence. As we continue down the path of economic recovery, we’re excited and energized to see huge impacts of tourism in the Tri-Cities. We have a wonderful destination, and we look forward to seeing the community rediscover everything we have to offer. Michael Novakovich is president and CEO of Visit Tri-Cities. He recently announced he is leaving to join Columbia Industries. A search for his replacement has started.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

Grace Clinic CEO named 2022 Tri-Citian of the Year By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Mark Brault, CEO of Grace Clinic, was honored as the 2022 Tri-Citian of the year at a May 3 event at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick. Tri-Citian of the Year is the community’s highest civic honor and recognizes honorees for “service above self.” Brault, a Richland resident, is a retired CPA whose civic resume includes supporting almost every major nonprofit in the TriCities. He leads Grace Clinic, the nonprofit clinic in Kennewick that provides health care services to people without insurance in Benton and Franklin counties. It is the second-largest free clinic in Washington. He was nominated by Bill Moffitt and introduced by Dave Retter, the real estate executive who was the 2019 Tri-Citian of the Year. Retter called him the perfect candidate. “If I didn’t know better, I would conclude that ‘Community’ is his middle name,” Retter said, according to a news release. Brault joined the Grace Clinic board in 2006 and is credited with leading its transition from an all-volunteer organization to a medical clinic that provides medical, dental and mental health care. He serves as its unpaid chief executive. Grace Clinic has served more than 100,000 patients since its inception and raises about $600,000 annually to support operations. Brault collaborated with Trios Health and Kadlec Regional Medical Center to have third-year medical residents work at the clinic, which allowed it to open an additional day a week. His other commitments include serving as an advisor and volunteer for the TriCity Union Gospel Mission, working with

the Blue Mountain Council Boy Scouts during a “difficult” financial time and a 10-year stint on the board of United Way of Benton & Franklin CounMark Brault ties. He belongs to the boards of Columbia Industries, Benton Franklin Community health Alliance, the Healthcare Alliance and the Public Market. He is commissioner and vice president of the Two Rivers Health District of the Kennewick Public Hospital District. Bob Rosselli, past chair of the Columbia Industries board, said Brault’s skills have served it and other organizations well in a letter of support for his nomination. “Since he joined the board of Columbia Industries, I have gained an even greater appreciation for his capabilities and concerns for the welfare of persons in need and with disabilities who reside in the community,” he wrote. “He has a big heart and special skills.” Brault and his wife, Kathy, have four children and are longtime members of Hillspring Church, where he is involved with efforts to provide Christmas gifts to local prisoners each year. Tri-Citian of the Year was on hiatus in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. By design, the honoree is kept in the dark until his or her name is announced during the banquet. Jim Hall, chief of philanthropy at Kadlec, emceed the 2022 event. The awards program is conducted by the TriCities Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs after being initiated by the Tri-City Herald in 1972. Go to: tricitianoftheyear.org.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Hanford lab manager retires, successor named

Don Hardy, manager for the Hanford contractor overseeing laboratory services, has retired after 37 years working on the site. Hardy was succeeded at Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration by Ray Geimer, who most recently served as project manager for the 100K Closure Operations for another Hanford contractor, Central Plateau Cleanup Co. Hardy joined the Hanford cleanup in 1985 at the 222-S Laboratory, which provides sampling and confirmation services. His career path took him to the Plutonium Uranium Extraction Plant (PUREX), the Plutonium Finishing

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Plant (PFP), the Waste Sampling and Characterization Facility and the Tank Farms. He departed where he started – overseeing 222-S Lab. His successor brings nearly 40 years of working within the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management complex in nuclear operations. Geimer earned a master’s in chemical engineering from the University of Idaho and a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Clarkson University. HLMI supports the 222-S Lab in its work related to vitrification of Hanford’s radioactive and chemical tank waste. It is a joint venture of Navarro Research and Engineering Inc. and Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 TOURISM, From page A5 them here,” said Michael Novakovich, president and CEO of Visit Tri-Cities. “We’re making ambassadors out of residents.” Novakovich isn’t surprised the TriCities is leading the rebound. It has all the right ingredients to attract pandemicwary travelers who want to stay close to home – it is within driving distance of Seattle, Portland, Boise and other cities and has pleasant weather and plenty of outdoor activities. “The Tri-Cities is well positioned,” he said. NEW CEO, From page A5 offers employment services, emergency resources and life skills development services under its nonprofit structure. Columbia Industries said it is poised for rapid growth and strategic expansion of its mission programs and business lines over the next five years. Under Novakovich’s leadership, the organization said it plans to launch a housing program and expand its Opportunity Kitchen food service training program. The Visit Tri-Cities Board of Directors will conduct a nationwide search for Novakovich’s replacement, with a hiring announcement expected sometime this summer, the agency said in a news release. Novakovich was paid $179,665 in 2020, according to Visit Tri-Cities’ most recent report to the Internal Revenue Service. The organization reported $2.5 million in revenue, chiefly from contributions and grants, and $2 million in expenses. It employed 16 people. Columbia industries reported $1.8 million in revenue and $2.1 mil-

Science tourism is about to get a boost with the anticipated opening of the LIGO Exploration Center, a visitor center attached to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory at the Hanford site. It is expected to open this summer. Construction of the wave-shaped center wrapped earlier this year. The center will host up to 10,000 students a year and others interested in learning about the gravitational wave research effort that won its principals the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics. Go to visittri-cities.com for information about events and destinations in the Tri-Cities. lion in expenses in the year that concluded June 30, 2019, its most recent publicly available tax filing. Then-CEO Brian McDermott received $152,873 in total compensation. Prior to Visit Tri-Cities, Novakovich served on the executive team at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center and earlier in his career he helped lead his family’s Kennewick-based graphic communications business, Esprit Graphic Communications. Novakovich has taught leadership development and marketing for Heritage University. Additionally, he and his wife Shannon own a business consultancy called NovaWerx, which focuses on leadership development, human resources and strategy. They have called the Tri-Cities home for many years. Novakovich holds a master’s in business administration from Washington State University where he also graduated with a degree in business administration. Additionally, he holds a graduate certificate in marketing from WSU.

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uBUSINESS BRIEF State launches free business academy for creatives The state Department of Commerce has launched its new Creatives Academy, the third in a series of self-directed educational academies for small business owners. Designed to teach the essential skills needed to turn a creative pursuit into a successful small business, the academy contains 11 tracks. Lessons range from developing a business mindset and accessing capital, to finding customers, creating winning pitches and negotiating terms. All of the training materials are free and do not require registration.

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The lessons are available at MyStartup365.com. The academy joins two others on the state’s small business resource site, the Entrepreneur Academy and Restart Academy. A smaller series covers Mastering Financials. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are more than 250 specific creative occupations, including artists, performers, musicians, technicians, video game designers, 3D designers and modelers, projection mapping artists and sound designers. To ensure that the sector is appropriately resourced, the state is hiring someone to oversee development of a comprehensive strategic plan that will open new opportunities in the industry, especially in rural and underserved parts of the state.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 uBUSINESS BRIEFS Businesses team up to celebrate young new hires

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors and Educational Service District 123 are piloting a regional Career Signing Day for the graduating classes of 2022. Several local companies, primarily in the trade and sales sectors, are participating in the inaugural event, identifying and subsequently hiring candidates from area high schools and other non-traditional school settings. A celebration ceremony is set for June 16 to recognize graduating students who have successfully interviewed and accepted job offers from these employers. Participating businesses include: Tire Factory, Bruce Inc., Meyers Auto Tech, McCurley Integrity Dealerships, O’Brien Construction Co. Inc. and RDO Equipment. If interested in participating, call Brooke Myrland, workforce & education manager, at 509-491-3242.

Bundt Cake bakery to open in Richland

JOY BEHEN

RYAN BRAULT CFP®

DUSTIN CLONTZ

JAY FREEMAN AAMS

SHELLEY KENNEDY CFP®

Construction is underway to transform a former Thai restaurant into a cake production facility in Richland. Nothing Bundt Cake plans $245,000 in tenant improvements at the former Mezzo Thai restaurant at 110 Gage Blvd., Suite 200. A June opening is planned. The new bakery is part of a Las Vegasbased franchise with more than 410 bakeries across the U.S., including eight in Washington, according to its website. The closest one to the Tri-Cities is in Spokane. The bakery offers decorated and frosted Bundt cakes in a variety of sizes. A wide selection of cakes, including a gluten-free option and a rotating feature flavor, will be available in the bakery daily with no preorder needed. Franchise owners are Julie Dawes and Julie Zirker. The sisters-in-law are lifelong Tri-Citians.

Washington state burger chain icon dies at age 78 6115 Burden Blvd., Ste. A, Pasco

3616 W. Court St., Ste. I, Pasco

1060 Jadwin Ave., Ste. 325, Richland

16 W. Kennewick Ave., Ste. 101, Kennewick

767 Williams Blvd. Richland

(509) 542-1626

(509) 545-8121

(509) 943-1441

(509) 783-2041

(509) 946-7626

www.edwardjones.com TERRY SLIGER

HARRY VAN DYKEN

CARSON WILLINGHAM

T.J. WILLINGHAM

TARA WISWALL

1329 Aaron Dr. Richland

2735 Queensgate Dr. Richland

1020 N. Center Parkway, Suite F, Kennewick

6855 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite C, Kennewick

(509) 943-2920

(509) 627-6537

(509) 735-1497

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Bob Kildall, founder of Lynden-based Bob’s Burgers & Brew, died April 20 of natural causes. He was 78. The company announced his death on its Facebook page. Kildall was raised on a farm outside Lynden, Washington, and joined a burger restaurant after serving in the military. He would buy the location, then buy and sell others during the 1970s. He founded Bob’s Burgers & Brews in 1982 with a simple menu featuring gourmet burgers and a lounge for adult dining – a popular offering from one of his prior operations. The company he founded is led by the second generation and includes a dozen family-owned and franchised locations. Bob’s has locations at Southridge in Kennewick and at Queensgate in Richland. Kildall is survived by his wife, Judy, three children and numerous grandchildren. Services were held in April in Lynden.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

ENVIRONMENT

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What is the state of recycling in the Tri-Cities? By Laura Kostad

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Though each of the Tri-Cities offers curbside garbage service, each handles recycling differently. Pasco, West Richland and greater Benton County (including Finley, Burbank and other Tri-City burbs) are serviced by Basin Disposal Inc. (BDI) of Pasco. Richland facilitates its own solid waste disposal program and sends its recyclables to Clayton Ward Recycling (CWR) in Richland Kennewick uses Waste Management (WM). What’s happening at the local level reflects the state of the recycling industry. And understanding recycling as a global industry can offer explanations about why some items are recyclable while others aren’t, dispel misconceptions and address solutions.

4 cities, 3 service providers BDI doesn’t offer curbside recycling, but instead accepts certain “streams,” or types of recyclables at drop-off sites around its service area at no additional charge. Some items, such as #1 and #2 plastics, also are accepted but customers must bring these directly to the transfer station. The city of Richland offers optional comingled (all recyclables go into one 96-gallon tote) curbside service at an additional charge of $7.70 per month for biweekly collection. The city also offers recycling drop-off locations, which accept a more limited selection. Curbside compost collection in a 96-gallon tote is included in Richland’s base cost of $17.50 per month for garbage service. Additional recycling or compost totes cost $2 each per month. WM offers weekly curbside collection in comingled bins as an included part of its garbage service: $14.87 monthly for a 35-gallon tote, or $18.12 for a 96-gallon tote, with no additional charge for extra

Courtesy Waste Management Plastic bags get tangled in the sorting equipment and can shut down an entire facility, posing safety hazards to workers who have to remove them from the machinery.

recyclables that don’t fit in the first bin. Each collection strategy presents pros and cons, but how each program is administered and what’s accepted has more to do with economics than may be apparent.

Supply and demand In 2021, over 1,115 tons were collected through Richland’s curbside program and 1,306 tons were collected in Kennewick. Figures for BDI were not available at press time. Unlike garbage, which is typically landfilled at regional sites, recyclables are sorted (including the different types of plastic) by hand and machine at a material recovery facility (MRF), then baled and sold to processors domestically and abroad. Previously, over 60% of Washington’s recyclables were shipped to China, according to the state Department of Ecology. “In 2018, China, the world’s largest importer of recycled material, effectively banned the import of most plastics and

mixed paper. This caused a large drop in commodity prices, an increase in transportation costs and significant increases in processing,” said Tami Haggerty, Waste Management’s senior associate of education and outreach for Kennewick. It was shortly after this that residents started seeing changes to what items were accepted for recycling, as waste haulers scrambled to pivot to domestic buyers. Accepted items common to all three local programs are aluminum cans, cardboard and plastic bottles and jugs with a neck (those marked with a #1 or #2), which, according to the Washington State

Recycling Association, are still in demand by domestic processors. In a perfect world, everything manufactured would be made with recycling in mind and ultimately sent back to a recycling facility. However, the current system is limited by the individual MRF capabilities of each government-granted company managing waste. Company size is a major factor in the equation – on one end is a hyper local service provider, city of Richland, and on the other is one of the largest waste collection companies in the U.S., Waste Management. Gail Everett, communications and marketing specialist and former environmental coordinator for city of Richland, said that Waste Management has more economic resources behind it as a large private company, which enables it to service areawide recycling programs. It’s more difficult for a public works department-run collector to afford the upfront costs of hiring more workers, buying bins and collection equipment and more to launch a citywide recycling program. Unlike solid waste disposal, recycling services are limited by how much the hauler can earn from the sale of the recyclables. If there’s no market for materials, then it doesn’t make economic sense for a hauler to collect and process it. Take glass for example – one of the sustainability movement’s greatest packaging conundrums – the inert material is, like aluminum, infinitely recyclable. Unlike aluminum though, “melting it down uRECYCLING, Page A16

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 RECYCLING, From page A15 takes more energy than it does to create (new) glass from sand,” Everett said. Hence, most recyclers don’t collect it anymore. The city of Richland still does and Clayton Ward crushes it to sell, but WM and BDI do not. Meanwhile, there’s a market for certain plastics and cardboard, but not endlessly, as the quality of the material diminishes with each reconstitution until it cannot be recycled any further and is inevitably landfilled.

Courtesy Waste Management Waste Management’s sorting line works to separate recyclables.

Courtesy Waste Management Bales of recyclables are ready to be shipped to end markets.

Solutions Ignorance and “wish-cycling” are two of the biggest issues that confront recycling programs. Both translate to contamination and higher costs for recycling processors, with the latter eventually passed on to customers through rate increases. Ongoing contamination may lead to a halt on the collection of some waste streams if customers won’t follow the rules. Wish-cycling is when a person puts items in a recycling receptacle that either they think should be accepted or they aren’t sure fits within what’s accepted. If items aren’t accepted, they will be sorted out and sent to a landfill or be missed and contaminate bales of recyclables. Non-accepted contaminants such as garbage, plastic bags, plastic foam, packing peanuts and plastic lids/caps frequently jam sorting equipment, wasting time and increasing operations costs. When in doubt, check your waste hauler’s website for guidance.

Recycling resources

Basin Disposal Inc.: 509-547-2476; basindisposal.com City of Richland: 509-942-7700; bit.ly/ RichlandRecycling Clayton Ward Recycling: 509-375-4086 (Richland); 509-582-8277 (Kennewick); claytonwardrecycling.com Waste Management: 509-586-7555; wmnorthwest.com/ kennewick E-Cycle Washington: ecyclewa.org (for broken, obsolete, or worn-out electronics) State recycling resources: ecology.wa.gov/ Waste-Toxics/Reducingrecycling-waste Terracycle.com and 1800recycle.wa.gov (800732-9253) offer a by-item search tool for additional recycling outlets. Jason Markee, director of operations at BDI, said change is coming to Washington in the form of legislation that might pave the way for mandatory curbside recycling services statewide. “There are more and more people coming from Seattle, Portland and California, and that’s what’s driving a lot of those discussions,” he said. Change on the systems level will make recycling easier and more accessible to all, but it’s not just companies and unincorporated municipalities or even the manufacturers of product packaging that need to be mandated to adapt. “We have to reprogram ourselves,” Everett said. “Not about recycling, but changing how we generate waste – looking for less packaging, considering whether it can be reused or recycled, or can I buy it in bulk, etc.” She continued, “Just one example: a woman will spend $40 to get her nails done, but won’t take the responsibility and spend the money to dispose of items she invested in. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It’s the last resort, that’s why it’s listed last.”

Please recycle your publication when you are finished reading it, or pass it on to a coworker, family member or friend.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

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Company transforms garbage bins from dirty to disinfected By Kristina Lord

publisher@tcjournal.biz

Hector Rodriguez smelled an opportunity while pressure washing garbage cans to earn extra money. He realized he could launch a business offering the service, as he knew just how stinky and filthy garbage bins could be. They also can be a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria, especially on hot days. He launched Teto Eco Wash about two years ago, knowing the service filled a niche. He acquired a specially designed truck to dispatch to homes or businesses. It lifts bins like a garbage truck and then blasts the insides with hot water and an environmentally-friendly soap. “Seeing people’s expressions was a game changer. When they’d say, ‘I haven’t seen my bin so clean in years,’ it was really rewarding,” Rodriguez said. Kennewick-based Teto Eco Wash offers a variety of payment plans for the service in Benton and Franklin counties.

Eco-friendly He said the business is eco-friendly. When people flip garbage cans over after hosing them out, the residue that leaks onto the ground can attract pests. He said the cans can become breeding grounds for not only smells but salmonella, E. coli, listeria and other bacteria, and pests like rodents, flies and wasps. Waste and residue can build up in bigger, commercial dumpsters multiplying the

Courtesy Teto Eco Wash Hector Rodriguez, owner of Teto Eco Wash in Kennewick, makes it his mission to keep the community’s garbage bins clean and sanitized with an eco-friendly process.

smell and gross factor, he said. Rodriguez, 32, said the products his company uses to clean dumpsters and garbage cans are 100% environmentally friendly. “It doesn’t do any damage to any person or any animal. We’ve done a lot of research that these chemicals don’t affect anybody and are 100% eco-friendly. That’s why we wanted to call ourselves Eco Wash,” he said. The name Teto comes from the nickname he had growing up in Walla Walla. He also likes that it stands for “trust, eco, time and optimism,” which he considers the cornerstone values of his business.

Getting started To finance his new business, Rodriguez got creative. He sold all his “trucks and

toys” and plowed the money into his new venture. He didn’t require any financing. “We started doing it by hand as a side job. It was basically for tips until we had enough funds to license it. Everything we’ve done has been pushed back into the business,” he said. Rodriguez said he’s been able to expand the business, mostly through word of mouth. Teto Eco Wash employs three people, and Rodriguez recently quit his day job to focus on promoting and growing it. Today he uses a modified truck, which can lift up to 10 tons. Water heated to 250 degrees shoots into the bins and dumpsters with a hopper catching the runoff. He disposes of the gray water at RV dump sites. He says this is better for the environ-

ment than any do-it-yourself method that runs into storm drains. The bins are hand-dried so no water is left behind. Teto Eco Wash also offers the application of an additional fresh scent deodorizer – it’s $1.50 extra – to ensure “it smells nice and clean.” The business’ truck can handle up to 100 loads per day, and Rodriguez planned to add another truck to his fleet by the end of the year. “As we’re taking on more projects, we need to bring in more equipment,” he said.

Necessary service? Rodriguez has his elevator speech down to promote his business because he knows people are skeptical: What’s the point of it? Do I really need my garbage cans cleaned if they’re going to get dirty again? “What’s the point of sanitizing your hands?” Rodriguez said. “Why are people sweeping floors if it’s dusty? It’s the same concept.” He brings up the Apple Watch. Fifteen years ago when it was first introduced, people were skeptical. They said they didn’t need it when they already had a smartphone, Rodriguez said. “Fast forward to now. We can’t go without knowing how many calories we burn in a day. Or not getting a message on your wrist,” he said, saying regularly servicing dumpsters also should become a part of our daily routine. EverStar Realty in Kennewick signed uECO WASH, Page A18

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

uBUSINESS BRIEFS New paint recycling tops 581,000 gallons

PaintCare, Washington’s new paint recycling program, reports it collected more than 581,000 gallons of surplus paint in its first nine months. The program operates 210 year-round drop-off sites, mostly at paint stores, and recycled 88% of the latex paint collected back into usable paint. Of the paint collected, 89% was latex and 11% was oil-based. PaintCare is a nonprofit that ensures unneeded paint is either recycled or disposed of properly. Most Washington residents live within 15 miles of a dropoff site. The program was enabled by legislation and launched April 1, 2021. Tri-Citians can recycle paint at local Rodda Paint, Sherwin-Williams and other locations. Go to paintcare.org for more information, including a list of items that are and are not accepted. Users should contact drop-off sites prior to visiting to confirm hours and availability.

Trios’ recycling efforts help fund scholarships

Trios Health’s birth center construction project helped to fund $200,000 in scholarships through metal recycling with the John William Jackson Fund and the Idaho Youth Education Recycling Partnership (iYERP). As metal was removed during the Kennewick construction project, it was moved

to recycling containers on site. Pacific Recycling recycled the metal and then paid proceeds to iYERP. “This really has a two-fold purpose to actively be involved with general contractors to advance environmental stewardship and to partner with construction companies, hospitals, and others to offer the opportunity to capture some of their investments through this recycling,” said Bill “Action” Jackson, founder of the John William Jackson Fund. The fund partners with construction companies for its metal recycling program, including Layton Construction, lead project manager for the Trios Birth Center construction. Jackson and his wife Jackie started their foundation after their youngest son, John William, died in a climbing accident. They wanted a way to honor his memory and to make a difference. The $200,000 in scholarships the foundation was able to award for its 2021 cycle year through its partnerships is the most it has ever been able to award and was generated through various construction partnerships, as well as donations to the John William Jackson Fund. Of those funds, $8,000 went to local nursing students at Columbia Basin College. The scholarships are given directly to schools, which then decide on the scholarship recipients. The new $22 million Trios Birth Center opened at Trios Southridge Hospital at 3810 Plaza Way in Kennewick on March 29.

ENVIRONMENT DOE sets new light bulb rules to curb emissions

The U.S. Department of Energy has set new rules for light bulbs it says will curb energy costs and save customers money. The new rules revise the definition of what constitutes a light bulb and the second sets the minimum standard of 45 lumens per watt for bulbs. The changes should cut nearly $3 billion per year on utility bulbs, or about $100 per household. The energy savings will cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years, akin to the emissions generated by 28 million homes in a single year.

Steer clear of algae blooms, state advises

Stay away from algae blooms is the timely message from the Washington Department of Ecology. Blooms of harmful algae, or cyanobacteria, are common in Washington lakes in the spring through late fall, depending on climate conditions, runoff and the nutrients in runoff. While it’s impossible to know for sure which bodies of water will sprout toxic blooms – or even if they are toxic – the state agency said it is safest to stay away. Keep children and pets away and wash thoroughly if exposed, it said. Locally, stretches of the Columbia River shoreline were closed in fall 2021 over potentially toxic algae blooms. Several dogs were sickened and died after being exposed to the water.

ECO WASH, From page A17 up for Teto Eco Wash’s service in December 2021 after seeing a demonstration on how the process worked. Vera Owens, EverStar’s portfolio manager for multifamily properties, was impressed that there was no mess and it was so self-contained. She signed up 13 of her multifamily properties for the quarterly service, saying the rates and customer service have been amazing. Four of EverStar’s commercial properties also use Eco Wash. “You don’t think there’s a need for it until it’s done. It’s kind of like a haircut,” Owens said.

Cost Just how much does the service cost? Regular household bins ranging in size from 96 to 98 gallons run $14.99 a month, $28.99 quarterly or $38.99 biannually. Commercial dumpster service (1 to 10 cubic yard dumpsters) is offered monthly ($200) or quarterly ($350). Rodriguez said he used to offer commercial service biannually but to maintain good dumpster hygiene it required more frequency. “It was just killing us with labor. Some of the dumpsters, after a week or two, are back to being really nasty,” he said. He’s optimistic the business will grow as more people learn about it. “It’s been all about taking risks and having faith that the next big thing is going to happen,” he said. Search Teto Eco Wash: tetoecowash.com; 509-438-9515; Facebook; Instagram; TikTok.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

ENVIRONMENT

Q&A Number of employees you oversee? 5 What is OCOchem? OCOchem is a clean-tech startup that is developing and commercializing technology to convert carbon dioxide, water and renewable electricity into an energy-dense, non-flammable liquid hydrogen carrier and chemical known as formic acid. What is formic acid? A simple naturally occurring molecule made by ants and plants to kill bacteria. Industrially, it is made today from fossil fuels and used to preserve animal feed, make textiles and rubber, and is used to carry hydrogen in a liquid form. With our process, we make formic from carbon dioxide (CO2), water and renewable electricity in a more sustainable and lower cost way. Why did you co-found OCOchem? We founded OCOchem to solve the core problem with CO2, which is how do you convert it into something useful, rather than emit it into the atmosphere. If you can economically use CO2 to make useful chemicals, fuels and materials, you don’t need to extract the carbon from the earth in the form of fossil fuels. Every plant and tree converts CO2 into something useful every day; we built a machine to do the same thing. What does it do? OCOchem is building the world’s first industrial-scale device that we call the Carbon Flux Electrolyzer that converts CO2, water and renewable electricity directly into a liquid hydrogen carrier chemical – formic acid. Why did you choose Richland? We chose to locate our R&D laboratory and fabrication equipment in Richland to be in the heart of the Mid-Columbia region near the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with access to a large labor pool of researchers, engineers and technicians, a low-cost, low-carbon electricity mix, abundant water and land for expansion, and to provide a high quality of life for employees. I also was born in Richland and raised in Kennewick, so I know and like the area. What does “OCOchem” signify? OCOchem combines the actual structure of the carbon dioxide molecules O=C=O and “chem,” which is short for chemical or chemistry, which is what we do: CO2 conversion chemistry, and look at CO2 the way it really is, an essential resource. You bring backgrounds in both science and entrepreneurship to the role. How do you translate between those worlds? Today, entrepreneurship is the way scientific insights inform technology that is commercialized into products. Big organizations don’t really invent or innovate anymore – that’s now up to entrepreneurs. Small, focused companies solving customer problems is where the breakthroughs in clean technology will occur.

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TODD BRIX

CEO and Co-founder OCOchem

What do ordinary nonscientists know about your technology and why does it matter? A simple, but essentially accurate way to describe our technology is that we do electrochemically what plants and trees do biologically: We convert CO2, water and energy into a useful product. We’re a lot less sophisticated than what plants do and right now are just focused on making one simple molecule this way. Like a lot of new technologies, ours is built on recent advances in materials, machinery and the abundance of raw materials (feedstock), which are converging to make this technically and economically viable. You recently secured funding for a green energy project involving the Port of Tacoma. How does that advance your mission? Are you establishing a base there? Yes. OCOchem and our partners were recently awarded a $1.5 million Clean Energy Fund Research, Development and Demonstration grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. We will use the grant to build and demonstrate an industrial-scale Carbon Flux Electrolyzer to make a liquid hydrogen carrier and to use it to fuel a generator to power, with non-fossil fuels, refrigerated containers to keep our state’s fruit cool at the Port of Ta-

coma with Tacoma Power. This project is significant as it will demonstrate the utility and benefits of the technology using full-size industrial scale cells. What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess? It really depends on who you’re leading and what you’re trying to do. As a hard-tech entrepreneur I’ve found persistence (patience, determination, creativity and hard work) to be the most valuable characteristic.

Todd Brix

What is the biggest challenge facing entrepreneurs today? I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to be an entrepreneur. Software exists to automate many business processes. You can access almost all information and communicate with anyone in the world quickly, and there are all kinds of ways to raise capital. If you had a magic wand, what would you change about your industry/field? Government policy and programs have a notable multifaceted and com-

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plex influence on the clean-tech industry, which results in some technologies being favored over others and over uncertain time periods, which creates unsustainable successes. It would be better if we just had a single technology-neutral policy enacted over a long period of time on a bipartisan basis that said companies that emit CO2 to make or deliver a product pay a tax, and those tax proceeds go to companies that consume, convert or sequester CO2. Pretty quickly the price of CO2-positive goods would go up, the price of CO2 negative or neutral goods would go down, and this would solve greenhouse gas emissions very quickly at the lowest cost to society

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ENVIRONMENT

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

ENVIRONMENT 100%

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Tri-Cities’ greenhouse gas footprint better than most metro areas Over the next few years, we’ll be hearing a lot about Scope 1, 2 and 3. No, it’s not a revisit of a famous trial in Tennessee about a hundred years ago. The terms invoke science, however. Instead of a reflection on human ancestry, they look ahead to the future of the planet and, in particular, to emissions from economic activities. The U.S. Security & Exchange Commission (SEC) is using the concept of scopes 1-3 of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to draft mandatory disclosure requirements by publicly-held companies. This characterization of GHG emissions is an outgrowth of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a group of environmental organizations and businesses. Essentially, Scope 1 covers the GHG emissions of an enterprise’s operations, Scope 2 emissions of purchased power and electricity, and Scope 3 emissions incurred by suppliers, including transportation services, to an enterprise. As you might imagine, it is somewhat straightforward to calculate Scope 1. It becomes increasingly difficult to tally the GHG footprint of scopes 2 and 3. This is not a technical column on the intricacies GHG accounting. And the greater Tri-Cities doesn’t host a headquartered company subject to SEC rules, to the best of my knowledge. Furthermore, environmental accounting is still in its infancy. Yet, the framework will ultimately impact companies here, since branches of national, publicly-held companies are present in the two counties. When the counting starts, however, negative environmental balance sheets likely will be uncommon. Businesses in the greater Tri-Cities enjoy and likely will continue to enjoy a major advantage, as Benton-Franklin Trends graph, “Share of Electricity Consumption by Type,” makes clear. The tallest segment of the bar depicts the share of electricity from hydropower. Most recently, this was 80%. Over the past decade, hydro’s share of electricity has averaged a bit more than 80%. In a state where hydropower has pushed more electrons through our grid than any other source, the results for the two counties are notable. They are much higher than

those of Washington, with the most recent year showing a 55% hydro share in the state. The (small) segment of the 2020 bar that is D. Patrick Jones third from the Eastern bottom refers to Washington renewables. In University the two counties, GUEST COLUMN wind makes up the bulk of this segment, coming in with a 3% share in 2020. Over the dozen years tracked by the indicator, renewables have increased the fastest, largely due to their very low base in 2008. Still, their share is less than of the current Washington value of 6.4%. The remainder of the electricity mix in the two counties is unique. First, no coal can be found. It has been absent from the mix since 2017. Even then, its share was less than 1%. The larger departure from the state profile, however, is due to nuclear. In 2020, the state’s overall share of nuclear-provided electricity was 4.3%. Its counterpart in the greater Tri-Cities? 10.2%. That share has been as high as a little over 11%. Depending on your classification of nuclear as a green source, electricity consumers here can point to a green total share currently at 93%. That is far greater than the same green electricity sources in the state, which sum to about two-thirds of the area’s. Even without putting nuclear on the green side of the ledger, the Tri-Cities is far ahead of the state in scopes 1 and 2 emissions in electricity consumption. Of course, electricity consumption isn’t the only source of GHG emissions. We need to consider the footprint of natural gas. Census most recently reported that 19% of area homes are heated with natural gas – from a utility or portable use. Then there is the transportation component. Recent national estimates by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 2019 assigned a share of 29% to the transportauJONES, Page A22

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BRIX, From page 19 with the most appropriate technologies. What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time? I don’t give or take unsolicited advice unless 1) I know you and your circumstances, 2) you ask me, and 3) I know you’ve thought about it already based on how you phrase the question. How do you keep your employees (or team members) motivated? We have a goal, which no one has achieved before, and which if we are successful at achieving will change our children’s world for the better. That goal is to create the first manmade process that does

what plants do (convert CO2, water and energy into something useful) AND do it at a lower cost than the current fossil-fueled based process. Who are your role models or mentors? I admire Benjamin Franklin – what he did and what he wrote. He was a fullspectrum human being who had time to write down and share his thinking and life with us. How did you decide to pursue this career? This is my third career. My first career was what I was trained to do: I was a hydroprocessing engineer at Chevron (loved it). Second career was what I wanted to do – lead teams at Microsoft to develop software to load into smart connected

ENVIRONMENT devices (loved it). Third was what I needed to do because I and our team can solve this problem (loving it). What do you consider your leadership style to be? As my wife will tell you, I’m not into style and am not the self-reflective type.

learn and repeat rapidly. Technology development, when you work with molecules and not bits and bytes, is mostly about learning what doesn’t work that should have worked, and figuring out why.

How do you balance work and family life? I just do what needs to get done, but I try not to work on Sundays or after 6 p.m.

What do you like to do when you are not at work? Anything the opposite of what I do when I’m at work. So, low structure, outdoors, non-digital, physical work with immediate tangible results that family members appreciate, like barbecue or mowing the lawn.

How do you measure success in your workplace? I look at how fast we fail and learn. You want to try lots of things, fail quickly and learn what works. I want us to think, do,

What’s your best time management strategy? Do most urgent/important things first and then the important things that aren’t as urgent. Best tip to relieve stress? Be grateful. We live in the best time ever to be alive and what’s the worst case anyway? Do something you like, work hard to do it well and live simply. Be grateful every day. What’s your favorite podcast? Most-used app? Or favorite website? Favorite book? I’m more of a print than a digital media guy. You can consume information 3-4 times faster by reading than other media and do so with no ads. What a deal. I end up reading about one nonfiction book a week or so. I have read the print edition Wall Street Journal cover to cover every day for the last 30 years. That’s about it. Do you have a personal mantra, phrase or quote you like to use? It’s a weird hybrid of things Spock and Jesse Jackson said: “Keep hope alive, live long and prosper.” It just kind of formed in my head some years ago and is still there. JONES, From page A21 tion sector for all GHG emissions in the country. This is the largest share, followed by electricity production at 25%. Like other metro areas, the transportation profile of the greater Tri-Cities is decidedly not green. In fact, it may be browner than most on a per capita basis. Why? The urban footprint here is large. Equivalently, population density is low. Benton-Franklin Trends shows 3,064 people per square mile in 2021. Kennewick is the most densely populated of the Tri-Cities. Richland’s density is by far the lowest, at 1,518, while Pasco’s density lies neatly between the two. These are among the lowest in Eastern Washington metros. Getting to and from work then involves significant travel, mostly privately owned vehicles, as Trends data reveals. If EVs, however, make a significant penetration in the next decade here, the greening of the Tri-Cities will jump. Tri-City drivers will have the right kind of juice for those battery packs. D. Patrick Jones is the executive director for Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

ENVIRONMENT uBUSINESS BRIEFS Pasco contractor secures $4.8M job at Hanford

Elite Construction and Development of Pasco will install a protective barrier at the Hanford site under a $4.8 million groundwater protection program subcontract. Washington River Protection Solutions, a Hanford contractor, selected Elite for the work in April. Elite will excavate about 8,500 cubic yards of soil and install a liner and piping system to collect runoff at a site the size of a football field. The barrier will prevent rain and snowmelt from pushing existing soil contaminants closer to the groundwater at one of Hanford’s underground tank waste storage farms.

for communities across Washington.” Energy Northwest is collaborating with Lewis County Public Utility District and Twin Transit, with support from the White Pass Scenic Byway organization, Benton REA and other community groups. White Pass Byway, or Highway 12, links Yakima counties to Lewis and Pierce. It is currently an underserved corridor for EV drivers. Energy Northwest is financing the project with a $1.15 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Clean Energy Fund and with $667,000 from TransAlta Coal Transition Fund. Stations will include at least one DC fast charger and one Level 2 charger. The stations will include signs highlighting nearby attractions. Energy Northwest operates the North-

west’s only nuclear power plant north of Richland and a portfolio of generating projects, including hydro, solar, battery storage and wind. It is comprised of 27 public power utilities serving more than 1.5 million customers.

Sila chooses Moses Lake for battery tech plant

A Silicon Valley battery tech firm will produce materials to support up to 500,000 electric vehicles and 500 million mobile phones in Moses Lake. Sila announced it purchased the former Xyleco property and will covert the 600,000-square-foot plant to manufacture lithium-ion anode materials to support rechargeable batteries used in automobiles and consumer electronics. It chose the site for its access to hydro-

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power as its proximity to rail lines that offer convenient shipping. Production will begin in the second half of 2024. Future expansions could extend its production reach to power up to 10 million electric vehicles. Sila said its technology is the result of 10 years of research and development and 55,000 iterations. The tech is currently used in the WHOOP 4.0 fitness tracker. Its investors include 8VC, Bessemer Venture Partners, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Coatue, Mercedes-Benz, In-Q-Tel, Matrix Partners, Sutter Hill Ventures and clients advised by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. The Columbia Basin Herald reported that Sila’s new home had been empty for many years.

OCOchem team secures $2.93M green energy grant

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a $2.93 million grant to a team that includes Richland-based OCOchem to design and build a plant to convert industrial waste at a Kennewick fertilizer plant into formic acid, a green electro-fuel. OCOchem develops carbon dioxide conversion technology while its partner, Berkeley, California-based AirCapture, has developed technology that uses waste heat from industrial operations to capture CO2, reducing their carbon emissions. The proposed plant will be located at the Kennewick facility of Nutrien, a Canadian fertilizer giant that has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. “We are converting common industrial waste streams into product streams,” said Todd Brix, co-founder and CEO of OCOchem, which converts the captured CO2 into useful chemicals. Formic acid can be stored, transported and used in numerous applications, including industrial, consumer, transportation and agriculture. It also can be used to transport green hydrogen safely and efficiently. Results from the system design will be used to quantify how deployment of the proposed technology could help develop a local clean energy economy. The Benton Public Utility District, University of Alabama, Sacre-Davey Engineering and Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) are partners in the effort.

EV stations coming to White Pass

Energy Northwest will begin construction on a series of eight charging stations for electric vehicles along White Pass Scenic Bypass in the spring. The Richland-based energy cooperative previously oversaw installation of 10 EV stations throughout the region dating to 2016. The eight new stations will bridge the gap between eastern and western parts of the state. “Energy Northwest is striving to help Washington state meet its climate goals and looking to ways we can make an impact in both the energy and transportation sectors,” said Greg Cullen, vice president for energy services and development, in a news release. “As transportation evolves, getting the infrastructure in place is vital

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Ben Franklin Transit aims to attract ‘choice’ riders By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Ben Franklin Transit’s director of planning and service development does not own a car. Keith Hall gets around the Tri-Cities by bike, scooter and by bus, something he says is becoming a realistic option as the transit agency invests in initiatives to make riding the bus more convenient to all residents. Ben Franklin Transit is intent on building a transit system that will allow more Tri-Citians to follow his lead, he said. The regional transit agency is developing more and faster routes that fit with everyday activities and make taking the bus a viable option to driving. “We want to make it so anybody can live here without a car,” Hall said. “I think we’re not far away from that. If people use the (Ben Franklin) system, they can do that.” Ben Franklin is amid an initiative to establish service every 15 minutes along key roots and to install hubs to facilitate service and its Connect program, which ferries prospective riders to bus stops. It is also upgrading its 1,000-plus bus stops to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards in a bid to not only serve people with disabilities, but to offer a friendly entry point to everyone who needs easy access to the system. Executing on its long-range plan to expand ridership comes at a time when the transit system’s 0.6% sales tax is under scrutiny. The transit board shelved a proposal to trim it when it met in April, but it isn’t done talking about it. Without the taxing authority, the district would lose out on an estimated $7 million in state grants under the Move Ahead Washington package, which sets aside $3 billion for transit systems. Will McKay, chair of the board as well as a member of the Benton County Commission, acknowledged the Move

Courtesy Ben Franklin Transit Ben Franklin Transit wants to be the go-to choice when it comes to getting around the Tri-Cities.

Ahead package complicates the discussion. He said the district would still be functional without the money, but he would like to see voters weigh in. He expected the board to revisit the discussion at its May 12 meeting, after the deadline for this publication. McKay said he understands complaints that buses seem empty to nonriders. Boosting ridership is key, he agreed.

Buying land to build new hubs The most visible sign of the effort to bolster ridership is occurring on a sliver of land next to the Southwest Richland Park & Ride at Columbia Park Trail near the Queensgate Drive roundabout. That’s where Ben Franklin Transit is installing the first of a series of new hubs to link riders with frequent bus service and the Connect program. The private property owner is completing site work before the transit agency steps in to construct it, along with a new driveway onto Columbia Park Trail.

The second hub will serve downtown Pasco. In March, Ben Franklin closed a $500,000 deal to buy the former Bank of the West building at 1115 W. Clark St. It has identified but not yet purchased property for a hub in western Pasco. It is searching for a suitable location in Kennewick’s Southridge area. The final hub will serve Benton City and Prosser. It all adds up to offering riders the option to choose transit over cars. “It’s around making the service more attractive and reliable relative to people’s actual activities. If service runs every 12 to 15 minutes, it’s easier to manage the wait,” Hall said.

Riding by choice Marie Cummins, communications director for Ben Franklin Transit, acknowledged the system caters to people who are considered “transit dependent” and lack other options for physical, financial or other means. It wants to deepen its ridership by at-

tracting people who ride by choice, she said. Riders-by-choice will use the system if it fits their needs, she said. Upgrading bus stops is another priority that has the secondary benefit of making the system friendlier to all. The ADA upgrades require public amenities be accessible to people with disabilities. Only 16% of BFT’s 1,000-plus bus stops meet ADA requirements. The $1.3 million contract will update about 40 bus stops per year. The goal is to raise the number of ADA complaint stops to 22% or better over the course of the contract, which is for one year with a one-year extension. In April, it approved a two-year agreement with ESF Development LLC to add concrete pads, shelters, seats and garbage cans at Ben Franklin bus stops. There are many reasons a stop may not be compliant. If people who use wheelchairs can’t access the bus because of gravel or grass, that’s not ADA compliant. The new Pasco hub will mirror the Queensgate one when it opens in about two years. It will feature pickup and drop-off bays, charging stations and possible office space for the transit agency. It will operate in tandem with Pasco’s existing 22nd Street Transit Center, near Isaac Stevens Middle School Hall said the 22nd Street center is only walkable to people at nearby apartment complexes and stores. The newish Connect program is another strategy to bring more potential riders into the system. Connect, operated by a third party, provides on-demand rides to transit stops for people who are outside of walking range. Since it launched in April 2020, Connect has grown to more than 8,500 users per month, according to transit monthly ridership figures. Users are limited to rides to bus stops in their zones – a rule implemented to keep the system from uBFT, Page A30

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 Kennewick launching fix at Steptoe-Gage intersection

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Drivers may see I-90 construction delays this summer

Cross-state travelers will need to add extra travel time to their trips this summer and fall. The Washington State Department of Transportation and construction crews will be busy improving sections of Interstate 90 from North Bend to Ellensburg. About seven construction projects through multiple construction areas are set for 2022 through this 75-mile corridor. Delays will primarily occur on weekdays. During summer weekends, there also are delays due to increased traffic. Highway users can learn more about the construction and how it will affect cross-state travel through May 31 at bit.ly/I-90roadwork.

15th Annual

TRANSPORTATION

The city of Kennewick will begin work on safety updates for the North Steptoe Street and Gage Boulevard intersection at its border with Richland. The project will add double left-turn lanes and single right-turn lanes on all approaches where they don’t currently exist. Additional work will improve the signals and turning operations. Ramps will be updated and the lighting upgraded. Grants from the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments and the Federal Highway Administration helped pay to buy right of way, design and construction. Construction begins in summer or fall of 2022 and will be complete by spring 2023. Follow city transportation projects at go2kennewick.com/597/Projects.

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Courtesy DJ Sonsteng Photography / Airlift Northwest The new Davenport base will employ an Airbus helicopter that has a range of 340 miles. An Airlift Northwest map shows the Tri-Cities is within a 60-minute flight from the base.

Airlift Northwest to open new Eastern Washington base By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Airlift Northwest, the not-for-profit air medical transport service of UW Medicine, recently opened a new helicopter base at Davenport Municipal Airport in Davenport to serve Central and Eastern Washington. The base will begin operations this summer with a specially configured Airbus H-135 helicopter. It has a range of 340 miles, a cruising speed of 156 mph and the ability to operate in adverse weather conditions. Davenport is more than 100 miles north of Pasco and west of Spokane. An Airlift Northwest map shows the Tri-Cities is within a 60-minute flight from the base. The aircraft can hold patients who weigh up to 350 pounds and has instrument flight rules (IFR) capability, which allows pilots to fly in challenging weather conditions. It is one of only a few such equipped emergency helicopters operating in Eastern Washington. “The updated interior and avionics make it an ideal aircraft for transport-

ing critically ill or injured patients,” said Jeff Richey, executive director of Airlift Northwest, in a news release. “It is a flying ICU, that can quickly and safely get patients where they need to go for comprehensive care while also caring for them in flight.” In September 2021, Airlift Northwest opened a new base in Pasco with a Swissengineered Pilatus PC-12 turboprop airplane. With a range of 1,000 miles and a cruising speed of 328 MPH, the airplane can transport patients to receive critical care during emergency or hospital transfers. Airlift Northwest operates 24 hours a day, every day. Each flight is conducted with two flight nurses certified to provide the highest level of critical care. The air medical transport service also has two units of blood and plasma at every base to treat trauma patients. In 2021, 228 patients received blood or blood products en route to emergency facilities. Go to: airliftnw.org.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

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Interest in flight training soars after pandemic lockdowns And in 1983, it added a charter flight service. Karl passed away six years ago “but I think he’d be proud of how we were doing. Honestly, this place hasn’t changed dramatically,” Malin said. “It’s still about helping the customer out.” It remains a family business. Elenor is still an owner, as are Malin and her brother Daniel, who also works in the maintenance shop. Daniel’s wife, Christina, is the general manager of the company. “My parents never pushed Daniel or I to get into the business,” Malin said.

By Jeff Morrow

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Malin Bergstrom had never really planned on working in the family business. “I was going to be a veterinarian,” she said. But things quickly changed, said the president of Bergstrom Aircraft Inc. “Growing up, I worked summers and weekends to help out,” she said. “The summer after my senior year, I was approached to work full time. I liked being at the airport. Honestly, it’s such a great group of people — the customers and the co-workers.” That was in the 1980s, and Bergstrom has been there ever since. She fell in love with the people, and aviation too. She’s the volunteer president for the Pasco Aviation Museum, which recently reopened after being shut down for the past two years because of the pandemic.

Bergstrom’s beginnings Her father, Karl Bergstrom, had been a mechanic for Trans Air in Sweden in the 1960s. But Karl’s wife, Elenor, convinced her husband to immigrate to the United States in 1965. “My parents wanted to chase the American dream,” she said. “If you work hard, you’ll be rewarded. Sweden is a beautiful country, but it has a lot of taxes there. This is the land of the free.” It took her dad some time to re-quali-

Photo by Jeff Morrow Malin Bergstrom, president of Bergstrom Aircraft Inc. in Pasco, said more people are signing up for flight lessons than ever. Her company also offers maintenance services and aircraft and hangar rental. She is pictured in the Pasco Aviation Museum.

fy as a mechanic in the U.S., but he got it done at Big Bend Community College and became the chief mechanic for Tri-City Airways at the Pasco airport in 1968. By 1971, Karl and Elenor decided to open their own aircraft maintenance shop, which eventually incorporated into Bergstrom Aircraft by 1975, ac-

cording to the company’s website. The company continued to grow over the years. In 1976, it started servicing planes by fueling them. In 1981, it became a Beech Aero Center, which allowed it to give flight instruction, and started renting and selling planes.

Surviving the pandemic The company seems to have survived the pandemic — even though it was touch and go for awhile. “We saw close to a 75% drop in our business,” she said. “We didn’t lose a lot of people. Thankfully, our part-time people were able to do other things. And our full-time people offered to do things such as cleaning and painting. We asked everybody to tighten their belts.” The pain, she said, lasted a good 18 months “Then as travel restarted and things lifted slowly but surely, the airlines here needed fuel for their planes,” she said. “Some new airlines came in. Corporate customer business, which went away completely during that time period, started coming back. We just started fo-

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BERGSTROM, From page A29 cusing on doing the best job possible.” The company has 32 employees. That’s an all-time high. And Bergstrom said she’s looking for more. “We’re looking for positions of flight instructors and line service jobs,” she said. “And mechanics. We’re swamped. We need more mechanics for our private planes. Our little Cessnas, our King Airs.” The mechanics are so busy that any maintenance on private planes is being booked out about 2 ½ months out. Most private planes need an inspection every 100 hours. “For many private pilots, that might be done in one year,” said Malin. For Bergstrom’s fleet, most of them get 100 hours of flight time every month. Line service workers are the employees who refuel planes, de-ice them in the winter and rent out hangar space. Bergstrom also handles hospitality and concierge services — which includes giving discounts on rental cars and hotel reservations, as well as catering.

Flight school But the biggest part of the Bergstrom company business is the flight training. The company has 12 airplanes and a flight simulator ready for its instructors. “We’re always getting new flight students,” Malin said. “Everybody wants to be a pilot. The number of people who want to learn to fly has probably jumped 50% over the last 10 years.”

And more now than ever. “People are wanting to follow their dreams, and the last six months they’ve been seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (from the pandemic),” she said. “People are walking in all of the time. They’ve been cooped up.” Some of those customers come over from the Seattle area because the region can be too busy to handle all the pilotsin-training. It all keeps her flight instructors hopping. “We might have seven or eight of our airplanes up in the air each day, doing roughly 20 lessons a day,” Malin said. “Some of our instructors might do three or four lessons a day, but we have a limitation on how much an instructor can fly in a 24-hour period.” A pilot’s license can cost about $14,000, and the company offers a payment plan. “We compare it to the cost of a college education. You have to invest in yourself,” she said. She said many of their customers are recreational flyers, who might want to take a trip to the coast. “But a fair number of customers are career-minded,” she added. There are different avenues in becoming a commercial pilot. One is joining the military and going that avenue. Or they can take the stepping stones offered at Bergstrom: getting a pilot’s license, then a commercial pilot’s license. “It’s equivalent to getting a CDL,” she said. The idea is for someone to build up

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TRANSPORTATION their flight hours. When they get enough, they can get their flight instructor’s license, which allows the pilot to be a teacher — and get paid to fly. The double-edged sword, though, is that some of those flight instructors will eventually move on. “We’ve been losing some of them to airlines,” Malin said. But Malin wouldn’t want to be in any other business, including veterinary work. “We’re a full-service aviation company,” she said. “What keeps me coming every day? It’s the people. Our customers. Our longtime employees, people who have been with us the entire time. It is a big family.”

Pasco Aviation Museum As if Malin doesn’t have enough to do, she’s also the volunteer president for the SaveTheOldTower group, a nonprofit working to restore the old Naval Air Station tower, located next door to the current Bergstrom Aircraft building. Back in the 1940s, the Navy built the airport to train its pilots, with the tower at the east end of the facility. But the Navy handed over the airport to the city of Pasco in the 1950s. That’s where the terminal was until the new Pasco airport — current day airport — was built in 1966. Bergstrom Aircraft moved into the old terminal and tower in 1971 and stayed through 2001, before moving into the current facility. For years after 2001, the building was empty and starting to get run down.

– ADDITIONAL MEMBERS – Allyson Rawlings Kim Palmer Rawlings Flooring Perfection Tire America James Atwood & Design PCL Financial Group Trevor Lang Mike Duarte Fidelis Digial Media Paintmaster Michael Thorn Services Inc. Cliff Thorn Tiffany Lundstrom Construction Tri-Cities Area Journal Elsie Leman of Business UPS Store in Pasco Dennis Miller Tonya Callies Artmill Windermere Group One Zane Lane Smooth Moves Amy Truscott Ideal Dentistry Frank Prior Tim Mether 1st Priority Detail Kestrel Home Aaron Jorgensen Inspection Services Northwest Injury Michael McKinney Clinics Riverside Collision Robert Burges Justin Dodd Burges Carpet Dayco Heating and Air Cleaning Jennie Oldham Joe Klein Kennewick McCurley Integrity Flower Shop Auto Dealerships Matt Sweezea Marcia Spry Primerica Aloha Garage Noe Madrigal Door Company A&A Roofing Katie Colby AAA of Washington Troy Woody Mr. Electric George Hefter TCT Computer Solutions

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“There were a lot of birds in here,” she said. “In 2011, there was talk of tearing the old tower down.” After the group formed, it was given the clearance to save the facility. It raised enough money to restore the building through donations and state grants. The first two floors of the tower are completed, and work is underway on the third and fourth. When those are done, Malin says they’ll start to work on the fifth and final floor. “We still need more (money) to get the remaining floors restored,” she said. The museum, which was opened before the pandemic, was shuttered for the past two years. It reopened April 23. “Over 800 people came through the doors that day,” she said. The facility is only open on Saturdays until the group can get more volunteers. “We have a sturdy base of 20 volunteers,” she said. “But we could use some more tour guides.” Search Bergstrom Aircraft Inc.: 4102 N. Stearman Ave., Pasco; 509-547-6271; bergstromaircraft.com; Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Search Pasco Aviation Museum: Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays only; enter through Bergstrom Aircraft. Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and youth. Veterans and members of the museum are admitted free. BFT, From page A27 being turned into an accidental taxi service. By comparison, about 145,000 people rode transit buses in March and the system reports ridership is rebounding from the Covid-19 pandemic, with service up 62% on buses and 40% on paratransit, the safety net services that serve individuals with disabilities. Hall, the development director who doesn’t have a private vehicle, said technology is another way to boost ridership. When he first arrived about four years ago, he opened a popular transit app and was shocked to find Ben Franklin wasn’t on it. The Transit App (Transit: Bus & Subway Times, featuring a green icon on app sites) serves transit systems around the world, from New York to London to Tokyo. Now it works in the Tri-Cities too. A recent survey indicated 90% of Ben Franklin Transit passengers have smart phones. “People will get a phone before a car,” he said.

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Peninsula Truck Lines invests in Tri-City growth By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Peninsula Truck Lines is based in western Washington, but the Northwest carrier is making inroads in the Tri-Cities. In 2021, Peninsula marked its 70th anniversary as a company. It expanded its Kennewick terminal on East Bruneau Street when it paid nearly $500,000 for a one-acre site next door. It demolished several residential structures and installed a shop to support its own operations. In 2022, it celebrated again when it was ranked the top carrier in its class in a prestigious survey of 1,700 shippers by Mastio and Co. and reported in the American Journal of Transportation. It has won the award two out of three years, a point of pride for the company, according to Craig Testerman, Kennewick terminal manager. Federal Way-based Peninsula employs about 700, with 24 in Kennewick. That’s up from 17 four years ago, Testerman said. Peninsula is classified as a LTL, or “Less Than Load” carrier, which means it consolidates shipments from various customers into a single load and specializes in next day delivery. It hauls bags of cement mix, construction materials, agricultural products, wine, consumer products and anything else that travels by road.

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Craig Testerman, manager of the Peninsula Truck Lines Kennewick terminal, 900 E. Bruneau St., stands outside a loading dock.

It also operates a last-mile delivery service for oversized consumer products that flood the delivery market when they go on sale online – televisions, treadmills, patio furniture and so forth. Testerman calls it the “Amazon effect,” and it is a growing part of the Peninsula business, representing about 15% of its total volume. Testerman is a Yakima Valley native who drove for 18 years. He first came to the Tri-Cities to attend Columbia Basin College on a baseball scholarship, working his way through school on loading docks and stayed in the business.

He returned to lead the Kennewick terminal about four years ago. As a manager, he no longer drives – one of the rules of being a union shop. Teamsters Local Union No. 839 represents its drivers. His background gives him a leg up on one of the thorniest challenges facing the industry, finding drivers. Testerman said it helps to be able to walk the walk and offer a family-friendly atmosphere. While it advertises on Indeed, he said the best recruits come from drivers and from the union. “It’s a struggle,” he said. “Freight is a

hard job.” He said Peninsula competes against national and global freight carriers by retaining a laser-like focus on its niche: Overnight deliveries across the Northwest. Drivers leave Kennewick at about 8 p.m. to haul loads to Seattle, Portland, Spokane and elsewhere. They bring products headed to the Tri-Cities on the return trip. If a product is sold in the region, Peninsula and its drivers have hauled it. While Testerman said he couldn’t identify clients by name, construction materials and hardware are an important business. So is agriculture and viticulture. “We have a lot of wine and agriculture too,” he said. The last-mile delivery service offers a unique insight into what people are buying and when. If something goes on sale on Amazon or at Costco or some other retailer, the numbers tick up. At New Year’s, when treadmills are marketed to people resolving to get fit, its trucks are full of them. At Christmas, it is TV sets. “It’s never a dull day in freight,” he said. Testerman said supply chain issues are real and have changed the way customers ship, including leading to smaller orders. That said, the space in its trailers is at a premium, he said, crediting a booming construction industry for filling its trucks.

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Demand for truckers keeps CDL schools ‘busier than ever’ By Robin Wojtanik

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Truck drivers are in demand for jobs based in the Tri-Cities. Teresa Maki, who has been in business for more than 30 years as owner of T Enterprises, a Pasco private trucking school certified in Commercial Driving License (CDL) training by the state Department of Licensing, said her enrollment has almost doubled since 2020. “The trucking industry has just exploded. I’m busier than I’ve ever been,” Maki said. The most recent listing from the state Employment Security Department shows more than 200 job openings in transportation and material moving occupations. “I usually have around 15 or 20 fliers in my break room from recruiters and now I have like 50,” Maki said. She’s seeing more offers of full tuition reimbursement and sign-on bonuses for those who successfully complete their CDL training. “Employers hiring new drivers have increased significantly. Before, they could easily find someone with a little bit more experience, but now they just can’t find enough drivers,” she said. It’s a similar scenario at H&R Elite Trucking Academy in Prosser, which is also certified by the DOL to train CDL students. “We’ve been seeing a lot more recruiters sent out to meet students and try to sweeten the pot by offering better benefits and better pay for the graduates,” said Juan Rojas Jr., an instructor’s assistant for H&R. “Some recruiters are even hiring right off the bat – hiring people with no experience and offering to train them – which is good, because we can only train them so much at school and they need to get a bit of orientation outside.” The most recent figures from the ESD came out in spring of 2020 and found about 2,000 people working as heavy/tractor-trailer truck drivers and light truck drivers in the Tri-City area. Statewide, demand has increased for the profession and so have the wages. “Just off the top of my head, the pay has increased 30%,” Maki said. The current average salary for 2020 was listed at around $50,000 yearly, according to the most recent state figures, though the Indeed job site said the state’s average truck

driver salary is $73,131 a year. Maki said she used to see starting hourly wages around $18 and those are now often $24 for drivers right out of school. “Many are just desperate to hire,” she said. Rojas has seen starting salaries up to $60,000, but with inflation, the take-home pay isn’t as significant as it would have been a few years ago. For those looking to jump into the profession and start making money quickly, Rojas cautioned people to better understand the job. “People think the trucking industry is Monday to Friday, an eight-hour day job and it’s not at all. This is a productivitybased kind of job where they pay you based off how much you work and how much time you’re on the road. You’re not going to be able to come home every night. You’ll be working 10- to 12-hour days. It’s tiring psychologically, it’s hot, and it’s truly very difficult.” Rojas said these challenges can often result in a retention issue for companies, either due to not paying workers enough or employees finding the industry too challenging. “A lot of people have their CDL Class A or B, but they just don’t use it,” he said. The Biden Administration is taking an active role in trying to alleviate the “high turnover and low job quality” in the trucking industry. “Turnover in trucking routinely averages 90% for some carriers and drivers spend about 40% of their workday waiting to load and unload goods – hours that are typically unpaid. Many truckers are not directly employed and operate as independent small businesses, bearing the burden of leasing, gas, insurance, and maintenance costs themselves, causing many to leave the profession,” according to a White House statement. The industry also skews older and is dominated by men, though there’s a push to appeal to women. Biden’s office said trucking jobs had been on the decline for years before historic job growth in 2021 which resulted in employment exceeding pre-pandemic levels, with industry growth above 8% in the state of Washington, not far off the highest demand found in California with growth north of 10%.

Photo by Robin Wojtanik Sergey Oleynik, instructor at Pasco’s T Enterprises, trains students to receive their commercial driver’s license. LEFT: Teresa Maki, owner of T Enterprises, a Pasco private trucking school, said enrollment at her CDL school has almost doubled since 2020. (Courtesy T Enterprises)

Obtaining a CDL can cost $3,200 to $5,000 around the Tri-Cities and Yakima Valley. This includes 160 hours of training for drivers, usually done full time for about a month. Maki’s school offers a night class for students in the evenings and can be completed in eight weeks. She used to see about half a dozen new students starting every Monday, but now that number has doubled, turning out about 45 graduates each month. She’s had to hire additional instructors to meet the demand and raise prices to cover fuel costs. She’s currently employing 15 instructors using 15 semis and recently ran up a bill of $8,000 on

fuel in a single week of instructing students. The quick return on the training investment will still bring people to the profession, especially as companies like Walmart announce drivers working directly for Walmart’s private fleet can expect to make up to $110,000 in their first year of employment. “You can get the cost of your CDL paid back 100% in most instances when you’re hired,” Maki said. “You’re making good money and you owe nothing, whereas you go to college for two to three years and come out with $30,000 to $50,000 in debt and you’re not making more than a truck driver.”

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Roundabout to alleviate Hanford traffic delayed until next year Kennewick’s 395Ridgeline project to wrap by October By Robin Wojtanik

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A roundabout planned to alleviate Hanford traffic in north Richland is now delayed until next spring. A traffic circle is planned at the intersection of Highways 240 and 225 and Route 10 adjacent to the Hanford nuclear site. “There’s been a lot of near misses in the area and also a lot of congestion, especially during the morning and afternoon hours,” said Jackie Ramirez with the Washington State Department of Transportation, or WSDOT. The state agency is working through environmental impacts regulations related to the roundabout and now expects construction to begin in April 2023 instead of this summer. A portion of the roundabout will be on the Hanford site and requires collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy to complete. “That intersection is on SR 240 and part of it is SR 225, which leads people toward West Richland,” Ramirez said. “The other side is Route 10 where people who work for Hanford go in, and so you have a whole line of traffic entering Hanford

Courtesy WSDOT Construction to add a lane on Highway 395 in Kennewick and an underpass in the Southridge area is expected to shift cars back onto the roadway this summer before wrapping up work this fall.

in the morning, and in the afternoon, you have a line of traffic trying to take a left onto 240 where the speed limit it 55 mph, and they often have to take their chances when taking that left. We’re trying to get drivers to slow down in that area so there aren’t any collisions and get people in and out as efficiently as possible.” The project is funded by the Connecting Washington infrastructure investment package passed in 2015 and expected to include $16 billion in investments through an 11.9 cent gas tax that went into effect in 2016.

Ridgeline Drive-Highway 395 The package is also paying for im-

provements at Ridgeline Drive and Highway 395 in Kennewick near Trios Hospital in the Southridge area. The interchange includes an underpass for Ridgeline traffic to travel east and west under the highway without crossing it. WSDOT had determined a traffic signal was impractical at the location mostly due to truck traffic using the route combined with a steep grade. The work will add on- and off-ramps as well as an additional northbound lane on Highway 395 north from Ridgeline to Hildebrand Road, plus turning lanes at the Highway 395 and Hildebrand inter-

section. Work began in spring 2021 and by this July traffic is expected to be moved back onto the Highway 395 route instead of diverting it to the east of the highway on a detour bypass. The city of Kennewick said northbound and southbound on- and off-ramps, an additional 395 northbound lane and a roundabout at Zintel and Ridgeline will all be constructed by the end of July. Work also will include an intersection expansion and signal work at 395 and Hildebrand. The $22 million project is on schedule to be completed by October.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

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Renovated railroad trestle connects east, west By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Fierce wind raked the Beverly Bridge but the challenging weather didn’t deter crowds who turned out to dedicate the Beverly Bridge, the newest link in the Washington State Park system’s Palouse to Cascades State Trail. Gov. Jay Inslee joined a crowd of more than 300 to officially open the former railroad trestle near Vantage to hikers, cyclists and horseback riders on April 8. A $6 million facelift transformed the abandoned railroad trestle into a friendly crossing with new decking and protective rails high enough to accommodate people atop horses. It links the two sides of the east-west trail and ends the need to trek north to the Interstate 90 bridge to get across the Columbia River. State engineers noted the freeway bridge lacks any semblance of facilities for non-motorists, making it a “dicey” proposition for trail users crossing from one side to the other. Beverly Bridge is more than a convenient bridge. It is a worthy destination on its own, offering sweeping views of a stretch of the Columbia that has hosted Indigenous tribes for millennia. The children of the late Rex Buck, the leader of the Priest Rapids band of the Wanapum, spoke about a landscape that has nurtured – and been nurtured by – native people since long before a railroad came through.

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Horseback riders, pedestrians and a dog cross the Columbia River on the newly opened Beverly Bridge, which carries the Palouse to Cascades State Trail between eastern and western Washington near Vantage, Washington. Gov. Jay Inslee and a crowd of some 300 dedicated the bridge on April 8.

Johnny Buck said it was home to an 18mile village and gathering spot. His sister, Lelah Buck, invited future users to experience the sacredness of the setting. The governor touted the renovation as a commitment to the state’s clean energy future and a symbol of “one Washington,” reflecting its position between the two sides of the state. He tossed off a dig at California, noting that Washington has the Beverly Bridge,

and “California has the Beverly Hillbillies.” More seriously, the bridge is the culmination of decades of work to complete the state trail along the former Milwaukie Road rail corridor, which extends from Cedar Falls, an unincorporated community in King County, to the Idaho border. It carries the Washington state segment of the Great American Rail-Trail, a work in progress that will eventually connect

Washington state and Washington, D.C. A Toppenish man working on the rehabilitation fell to his death during construction. The Department of Labor and Industries fined the Bellingham contractor, Boss Construction Inc., $284,000 for safety violations leading to the death of Gabriel Zelaya, 39. Speakers honored his sacrifice and welcomed his family to the ceremony. The railroad bridge was built in 1909 as part of the Milwaukie Road Pacific Extension, an electric railway that failed in the early 1970s. By 1980, the bridge was abandoned. The wheels of a railcar that tumbled to the island below are still visible. What happened next is a testament to the vision of hikers, cyclists and backcountry equestrians who wanted the old rail corridor for public use, said Ralph Munro, who was elected secretary of state in 1981. Munro, 78, said the railroad corridor presented a rare opportunity. Visionaries spied a statewide public access corridor. Agricultural interests resisted the idea. As recently as a year ago, critics were calling it a waste of money for a project that would get just a few hundred users a year. There were a lot of ideas about what to do, Munro recalled. “If the bicycle people and the horse people and the trail people keep at it, it will happen,” Munro recalled. uBEVERLY BRIDGE, Page A39

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Happy 100th birthday to the old green bridge By Gale Metcalf

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A century ago, the automobile had not yet completely replaced the horse and buggy as the main way of getting around in the United States. But, it was getting there. Yet getting to where you wanted to be – even with an automobile and the many more horses of power it had in its engine compared to the four-legged working machine out in the pasture – was another matter. Good roads were limited and many had natural obstacles. If you wanted to drive from Massachusetts to Puget Sound on the Yellowstone Trail Highway, you had better be prepared to hop on a ferry between Pasco and Kennewick to complete your journey by car. Until 1922. The last road link on the Yellowstone Trail connecting the eastern seaboard of the United States with Washington state was completed with the opening of a 3,300-foot long, 185-foot high steel cantilever truss bridge across the Columbia River between Pasco and Kennewick. This year marks the 100th year since the span we once called the green bridge debuted. The bridge opened Oct. 7, 1922. Right at this moment a century ago, bridge construction was underway. It would take one year to build from beginning to end before opening the Yellowstone Trail to automobiles. The Yellowstone Trail was the “first transcontinental automobile highway through the upper tier of the United States.” It was established on May 23, 1912, some 10 years before the Pasco-Kennewick bridge was built. It ran from the Atlantic Ocean at Plymouth, Massachusetts, to Seattle, passing through Yellowstone National Park. A slogan of the day identified the Yellowstone Trail as “a good road from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound.” Plans for an automobile bridge linking Pasco and Kennewick were in the minds of some even before considerations of a Yellowstone Trail link.

Courtesy East Benton County Historic Society and Museum The familiar cable bridge spans the Columbia River beside “old green bridge,” which was torn down in 1990. A single bridge support extending from the water was left near the Kennewick shoreline, leading to the creation of a pier for scenic viewing.

B.B. Horrigan, a young attorney who arrived in Pasco 1904, began thinking about a bridge in 1913. Horrigan was a state legislator and would be appointed a Superior Court judge for the Benton-Franklin-Adams County Judicial District by Washington Gov. Mon C. Wallgren in 1945. Alas, Horrigan did not have funding at his vision. But it came in 1919 when a representative of the Union Bridge Company, Charles G. Huber, sold $49,000 worth of stock to finance building the bridge, the first of its size paid entirely by stock sales. Its dedication brought dignitaries and visitors from throughout the state and brought significant optimism to what the new span might mean to the state’s economy and to the two towns that now truly became the “Twin Cities.” The Kennewick Courier-Reporter wrote then: “The day the bridge was opened to traffic, a new era dawned for each community.” The Columbia River crossing wasn’t cheap. On its first day tolls were 75 cents a car, 20 cents for bicycles. Drivers of trucks weighing less than 1 ton paid $2. Tolls were removed in 1931 after initial construction costs were paid

and travel was free between Pasco and Kennewick for the next 47 years until the span was replaced by today’s cable bridge, with its much-need four lanes. The cable bridge is west of the spot where the green bridge crossed. Vestiges of the old bridge remain on the shoreline. By the time the cable bridge was built, the old, narrow two-lane bridge was straining to accommodate up to 18,000 cars a day. Three cantilever bridges were built over the Columbia River in the 1920s. The Pasco-Kennewick span was the first. In 1931, it was purchased by the state of Washington. In 1933, it was added to the state highway system. Two decades later, in 1954, Benton and Franklin counties became owners, and in 1968 the bridge was sold by the counties to Pasco and Kennewick. The cities paid just $1. In 1926, the bridge became part of the newly formed Highway 410, and when the highway was decommissioned in 1967, the bridge carried traffic on Highway 12. The bridge had formal and informal names through the years, like the PascoKennewick Bridge, and the BentonFranklin Inter-County Bridge, but its

lime-green luster seemed to forever mark it in local language as the “old green bridge.” The morning of Sept. 16, 1978, the old green bridge was still used by traffic. It closed to motor traffic forever when the new cable bridge was dedicated that day by Washington Gov. Dixie Lee Ray. Local bridge preservationists, led by Virginia Devine as chairwoman of the Save Our Bridge Committee, sought for years to prevent its removal for historical reasons and for uses other than traffic. In the end, those favoring its removal for navigation reasons prevailed and it was demolished in 1990, some 68 years after it opened. A bridge support extending from the water was left near the Kennewick shoreline, leading to the creation of a pier for scenic viewing. The old Pasco-Kennewick green bridge was placed in the National Registry of Historic Places on July 16, 1982. Search East Benton County History Museum: 205 W. Keewaydin Drive in Kennewick; 509-582-7704; ebchs.org. Gale Metcalf, a lifelong Tri-Citian and retired Tri-City Herald employee, as well as a volunteer for the East Benton County Historical Society, writes the monthly history column.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

port a bond totaling $198.5 million, a figure that excludes matching funds from the state. The breakdown includes $140 million for a full-service, 2,000-student school on district-owned land off Burns Road, $38 million for a small “innovative” high school with capacity for 600, $2 million for athletic fields, $11 million to modernize Pasco and Chiawana high schools and $7.5 million to purchase land. The cost to taxpayers: 47 cents per $1,000, or $235 for a home with a tax value of $500,000. The figure could be lowered if the district leverages other resources, including proceeds from a 2017 bond and impact fees levied on new de-

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high school in West Richland. It planned to submit a bond to voters in February 2021 but delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since its last bond passed in 2017, Richland and West Richland – the cities that share a border with the school district – authorized a combined 2,537 singlefamily homes. That figure excludes townhomes, apartments and other residential developments that contribute students to local schools. Over the same period, enrollment was mostly unchanged, dropping to 14,027 from 14,069 in 2017-18, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Since Pasco’s last bond passed in 2017, the city of Pasco and Franklin County – the entities that share borders with the school district – authorized a combined 2,876 new single-family homes, excluding townhomes, condos, apartments and so forth. Over the same period, enrollment grew to 18,749, from 18,401 in the 2017-18 school year. Both districts say their primary high schools are crowded. Richland and Hanford, designed for about 1,600, have more than 2,000 students each. Pasco High School serves 2,466 students and Chiawana clocks in at a stateleading 3,150 students. Over-enrollment reduces opportunities for students. “There are only a certain number of players on a basketball court,” Redinger said. Leadership opportunities, spaces in music, band, drama and other activities are under pressure too.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Richland holds hearings on two apartment projects

The Richland Hearings Examiner will hold two hearings on apartment projects in sensitive areas on June 13 in the council chambers of Richland City Hall. The first concerns Willowbrook Place Apartments, Big Creek Land Co.’s plans for a 108-unit apartment complex on a 14acre site west of Richland’s Claybell Park, near Broadmoor Street and John Court. The second concerns Cedar and Sage Apartments 1 LLC’s plan for a 32-unit complex with underground parking at 470 Bradley Blvd., next to Hampton Inn Richland. Submit written comments for both projects no later than 5 p.m. May 25 to mstevens@ci.richland.wa.us.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 uBUSINESS BRIEFS Army Corps updating McNary management plan

The Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public input on how it manages Lake Wallula, the stretch of the Columbia River behind the McNary Dam, including along the Tri-Cities. The Walla Walla District is updating the McNary Master Plan for the first time since 1982. Public comment is being accepted through June 2. The corps is preparing an environmental assessment to address possible environmental impacts associated with revisions to the master plan. The plan guides how the corps manages land and serves as a high-level, strategic document that describes how it approaches recreational, natural and cultural resources. It does not address dam operations such as spill, fish passage or dam breaching. Send written comments to McNaryMP@usace.army.mil or send written comments to: Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, ATTN: McNary Master Plan, 201 N. Third Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362-1876. For information or to submit comments online, go to: bit.ly/McNaryMasterPlan.

Tourism amenities coming to Mount St. Helens?

The Mount St. Helens Institute will begin planning expanded education, recreation and tourism facilities at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument after securing a 30-year operating permit from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The agreement coincides with the 42nd anniversary of the May 18, 1981, eruption of the Cascade Mountains stratovolcano. A visitor center constructed in 1993 closed in 2007 and the site remained dormant until 2011, when the institute began offering modest youth education programs and public events. The institute said it wants to develop the Coldwater Ridge site into a lodge an education center with cabins, campgrounds and upgraded facilities. The program could host up to 6,000 youth annually for outdoor school experiences, it said. Hennebery Eddy Architects is working with the institute on the vision. The nonprofit institute is based in Amboy, Washington, and has an annual budget of about $1.1 million in 2020, according to its most recent 990 report to the IRS. Its stated mission is to advance understanding and stewardship of the earth through science, education and exploration of volcanic landscapes. To donate, go to: vcea.wsu.edu/give/ building-success-campaign.

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BEVERLY BRIDGE, From page A35 endangered properties” list. That alone In the end, the state paid $4.3 million for the Milwaukie Road and called it the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, after making a concession to a fan of the late western icon. “One House member wouldn’t vote for it unless it was named for John Wayne, so that’s where ‘John Wayne’ came from,” Munro explained. The John Wayne Pioneer Trail was renamed in 2018. While the trail took shape on either side of the river, the bridge itself languished. A fire destroyed some of its components. In 2017, it came to the attention of historic preservationists, said Chris Moore, executive director of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. The trust added the span to its “most

would not have been enough to save it. But opportunity smiled in the form of BNSF Railway. The railroad needed to remove three historic railroad bridges that crossed Columbia. Moore said the trust couldn’t block their removal, but it could mitigate the impact. The Beverly Bridge, a steel truss structure regarded as a feat of early 20th century engineering, was the ideal candidate. Repurposing it would save the bridge and support the trail vision. BNSF provided $125,000 for a feasibility study that sussed out the cost associated with repurposing it. The project was put in the state capital projects budget and won support from the governor. The Legislature included it in the capital budget and work took off.

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In addition to Boss, the project team included Exeltech Consulting, the structural engineer, and project manager Adam Fulton of Washington State Parks. Moore said the Beverly Bridge highlights the powerful impact of dedicated advocates. “What I wanted to get across is advocacy is tremendously important,” he said. The bridge is about 90 minutes from the Tri-Cities via the Vantage Highway. Users can access it from the town of Beverly on the east, or travel around via I-90 to Vantage and drive seven miles south on Wanapum/Hunzinger Road to the trailhead. Learn more about the Palouse to Cascades Trail at parks.wa.gov/521/Palouseto-Cascades.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

MINI STORAGE, From page A1 buildings, a project totaling $7.5 million, according to building permits filed with the city of Richland. The project includes vacating Davenport Street and extending Comstock Street. The end result will offer 63,000 square feet of rentable space between 385 units. It’s scheduled to open in September.

Record performance Self-storage properties have delivered record performance over the past two years as lifestyles adapted to the pandemic by renting storage when people turned their spare rooms and garages into home classrooms, offices and gyms. “Because units are generally rented on a monthly basis and operators can respond quickly to changing market conditions, the property type is considered one of the strongest inflation hedge options in commercial real estate,” according to a recent self-storage investment report from Marcus & Millichap, a Californiabased company providing real estate and mortgage brokerage and research. Daley has spent 18 years in the selfstorage business and serves on the board of the Washington Self-Storage Association, so he’s seen the trends over the years. He followed his dad, Joe, into the industry. “He built a couple stores when I was born, and I’ve been building and buying these stores since then,” he said. Daley said the Richland project will be his eighth in the state, with most in the Spokane area. Another is under construction in Big Bear, California. ABC Mini

Storage employs 15 people. “It’s one real estate sector that hasn’t taken a dip when other ones do. Fifteen years ago you had to fight to get construction loans, but now banks are clamoring for these loans,” Daley said. Wheatland Bank is financing his project. Mini-storage occupancy tends to go hand in hand with tight housing markets, according to the investment report. Multiple indicators show a clear connection between competitive residential markets and places with abundant self-storage needs. And it holds true for Daley’s business in the Tri-Cities. “We saw record occupancy,” he said. “It’s been a good couple of years for us.” ABC Storage bought the mini-storage business on 701 Aaron Drive in 2012 and added a two-story building in 2014. “It’s more full than I like it – I like it at 93%. It’s 97.5%. It’s full,” Daley said. His new Richland site will be fully fenced, with two automated gates at the entrance and exit, and will have 40 security cameras. The Wellsian Way property will be an unmanned facility featuring an automated kiosk system, though it will be staffed a few times a week on busy days, Daley said. The kiosk will work like an ATM and dispense a unit and a lock like a vending machine. MH Construction is the general contractor.

Badger South The growing Badger South development on the west side of Badger Mountain off Dallas Road soon will see its first

self-storage facility in the growing neighborhood, a $4 million project expected to unlock more land for commercial development. “Geographically there’s no other storage project over in this area. With all the rooftops going in on Badger Mountain South and some in the county – Steeplechase and Badger Canyon – there’s no other storage project in this area. People are looking and needing one and asking when there’s going to be storage here for homeowners,” said Darrin Sweeney, a developer with Badger Developers. Site work has started at South Richland Storage at 2325 Dallas Road, near the Interstate 82 interchange. The project involves building a private street and extending infrastructure across Dallas Road to the six-acre site. Sweeney said the first phase of the project will have 10 buildings, two of which will be climate controlled, with 298 units of varying sizes, from 3-by-4 to 10-by-15. A second phase could see 10 more buildings. Sweeney said once the building permits are approved, which he expects within the next month, construction will begin, with a spring 2023 opening planned. “If we’re really lucky, we’ll see pavement this year on the project,” he said. The site’s private road, which will be built to city standards, will loop through the area west of the Dallas property owned by Nor Am Investment, opening up lots for destination retail, Sweeney said. Sweeney said his company has submitted plans to the city for 23 commercial lots on the east side of Dallas. “A lot of

those spoken for,” he said. Sweeney’s development group plans to move 890,000 cubic yards of dirt for 473 residential lots on the west flank of Badger Mountain. Up to 5,000 residential units are planned at full buildout. About 950 homes are there now. “As rooftops continue to grow, the interest in commercial continues to grow,” Sweeney said. Goodman & Mehlenbacher Enterprises is the contractor. Heritage Bank of Tacoma is financing the project.

A stable investment Developer Nathan Croskrey and his twin brother David plan to build a selfstorage facility on 20 acres near Leslie and Reata roads in Richland. The brothers behind Croskrey Properties LLC hope to start construction this summer. This will be their fourth mini-storage project. “They’ve just been proven over time to be a real stable financial investment,” Nathan Croskrey said. He said if you’ve got a three-tenant strip mall and one tenant moves out, a third of the income is gone. “With storage units, you’re diversified over 500 units, so you don’t see that kind of volatility if something changes. It’s a real stable longterm type of investment,” he said. Over the years mini-storage facilities have improved their appearances so they don’t detract from their surroundings and there’s not as much theft with improved security features, Croskrey said. “They used to be looked at as so negative and an eyesore and everything, but now I think that the value of them increased because of the improvements,” he said. With building costs going up, housing sizes have to go down, so mini storage offers cheaper square footage for storage. “Instead of having storage in the house, you have it in a storage unit,” he said. Not here, says West Richland But not everyone is a fan of this kind of development. The city of West Richland currently doesn’t allow any mini storage. The city is focused on providing prime commercial lands first to businesses that will generate daytime jobs and retail sales tax, said Community Development Director Eric Mendenhall, pointing out that self-storage facilities fail to provide either. “When you’ve got an opportunity where so much growth is happening, you don’t want those prime commercial land” gobbled up by mini storage, he said.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Captain Gray elementary playground gets spruce up

The outdoor play area at Pasco’s Captain Gray STEM Elementary is getting a spruce-up, courtesy a partnership between the school district and local contractors. Elite Construction + Development in partnership with A Sharp Painter, Stripe Rite and Martinez Artes beautified the basketball court with public art. The project was initiated by school staff. The art project wrapped up in late April.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

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How do blended families structure their wills? When people vow to spend the rest of their lives together in wedded bliss, they sometimes bring a child or children from a previous relationship. Maybe after the union, the couple shares a child of their own in addition to the children from previous relationships. This is the typical “his, hers, theirs” family scenario. This column looks at some planning issues to consider when structuring a will for a blended family. The threshold question is really this: how much should you give to your spouse versus your children? The three options below showcase the potential results and are arranged from simpler to more complex. For ease of explanation and consistency, I will assume the wife dies before the husband and each husband and wife have an estate valued at $500,000, or $1 million together.

Option 1: All to spouse The simplest option is to say that all assets of the first to die go to the surviving spouse at 100%. The necessary result then is that the surviving spouse can then direct what happens with the total assets (the total $1 million). Of course, the couple could have had a will prepared that provides all assets to the surviving spouse and then, when the surviving spouse passes, all assets split between all the kids (his, hers and

theirs). But, the reality is that the survivor can always change that disposition after death. Perhaps he has a falling out with Beau Ruff her kids. Cornerstone Perhaps he Wealth Strategies remarries. PerGUEST COLUMN haps he suffers financial ruin for one reason or another. In any case, there is the potential that her children ultimately receive nothing.

Option 2: Split gifts Another option is for the will to provide a split of the assets. For example, wife could say that she wants $100,000 going to each of her two children from the previous relationship and the remaining $300,000 going to her husband. This technique would guarantee that her children from a previous relationship are able to inherit. The wife might feel some amount of confidence in the fact that her surviving husband will take care of his own biological children (including the child from their relationship). Option 3: Trusts In its simplest form, a trust is a restriction on the use of an asset. In this case, the wife might say she wants all

her assets ($500,000) going into trust for the benefit of her husband. This allows the husband to use the money during a specified time (usually lifetime) but keeps the later distribution at his death to her chosen beneficiaries – perhaps again her children from the previous relationship or perhaps all her biological children or even all the children collectively. A trust adds complexity to the plan and some amount of oversight – usually from the children who will later benefit from the trust. This can be a situation that families should think through: do you want your children from a previous relationship having oversight over your spouse’s use and enjoyment of trust assets? The options can be mixed, too. For example, the wife could say that she wants $100,000 to each of her two children from the previous relationship and the remaining $300,000 going to trust for the benefit of her husband. Based on my own anecdotal experience, the decision often hinges on two main factors: the amount (value) of assets; and how young the children from the previous relationship were when the couple got married. On the first issue of the amount of assets, the smaller the amount, the less practical the trust becomes. Conversely, the larger the amount of assets, the more practical it is to utilize a trust.

As an aside, a trust for a spouse also might help to mitigate estate tax, making the proposition even more compelling for those with a higher net worth. On the second issue, the younger the children you bring into the marriage, the more likely that you might feel that your spouse will ultimately take care of your child. For example, a second spouse might have a harder time connecting and creating a relationship with your 17-yearold than your 1-year-old. This is not true in every case or every time, but it might provide a helpful paradigm as a person works through the complex emotions that can arise when working through the estate plan and trying to both take care of a beloved spouse and also ensure that the same person doesn’t feel like they have neglected his or her own children. Which one works best? It depends on what the couple is trying to accomplish as well as the level of conviction the individual has that his or her wishes will ultimately be carried out by the surviving spouse. Beau Ruff, a licensed attorney, is the director of planning at Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a full-service independent investment management and financial planning firm in Kennewick.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

BUSINESS PROFILE

Paw’s aims to keep pets healthy from the inside out By Jeff Morrow

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Photo by Jeff Morrow Steve Carroll of Paw’s Natural Pet Emporium vets all the food sold at his Kennewick store. The store’s mission is to sell American-made high quality pet food free of corn, soy, wheat, artificial flavors and color.

Quality food is priority Carroll was brought on board about five years after the Richland store opened, and he became an owner with

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the Hunters — who have stepped away from the business to pursue other interests. Carroll now runs it. “We’ve been very well received by the community,” Carroll said. After opening a store in Richland, a

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Job growth fuel continues to nd housing dema editor@tcjour

February 2022 Volume 21 | Issue 2

Community rallies aroun Culverwell d downtown Kennewick fire victims

By Wendy

editor@tcjou

rnal.biz

covered with a layer day, was unknown, of ash the following A dramatic early morning The building said Kennewick Chief Chad fire destroyed a at 304 W. Kennewick Fire at Michael. downtown Kennewickon Feb. 4 Cascade Street Ave. The city confirmed that contained building six the building Lady Bug Shoppe, was also home to The and five street-levelsecond-floor apartments have a sprinkler system did not or an alarm Agency, Squeaky Neal Wilson Insurance businesses. Eight adults The cause of and two children system. Clean Janitorial, the Ashiatliving in su Massage Tri-Cities into the darkened fire, which sent flames the apartments escaped, and The Social with at least taken to a hospital sky and left Club one hair salon. downtown for burns and halation. smoke inThe fire also forced neighboring busiuFIRE, Page A4

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the paneconomics of The upside-down Tri-Cities into something the demic are driving a of a quandary. coupled with development for sale Record job Health supply of homes As pandemic Care a pushes people severely constrained to be difficult to buy to be healthier, continue pharmacy the situation means it will is ready impossible, and Wojtanik to help home. But it isn’t Photo by Robin Page A29 industry leaders. according to but managisn’t a crisis, ongoing demand said Ron Almberg, of TriClinic have "A crisis? No,” Realty challenge. Health & Wellness has been a Keller Williams the Tri-City lessons at CBRC and other staff ing broker for of Swimming 2022 president certified lifeguards By Wendy Cities and the finding enough Culverwell Realtors. editor@tcjou rosy, is rnal.biz Association of mean everything to dog That does not The Tri-Cities prices will continue and fewer Union Gospel though. Rising paring to move Mission is prebuyers as fewer its shelter serving first-time home less. children to new $350,000 or could ease quarters in central women and Clinic in Kennewick homes sell for about three years. new development Kennewick in while The Pacific has grown since reAlmberg said will make it Business Profiles Business Profile feeds Rising wages The Christian said its membership Tri-Cities’ first pandemic pets Demand for Robin Wojtanik the supply crunch. meet new prices, which hit dedicated By rebranding. shop’s success Business and pet the of electric 20,000-square-foot ministry will build of bike spread to Richland opening opens in Richland Area Journal Page A43 the most the rapid shop a easier for buyers shelter just for Tri-Cities Field to replace It’s unclear how west of Vista $425,000 in November, will affect Page A42 Trithe an average of centers in the variant of Covid-19 Ave. in east Pasco. current one at 110 N. Second The largest fitness results on mem- omicron weeks but improved recent available. said. “We have he coming the in mixed optimistic” Andrew Porter, gyms a priority. “I really am Cities are seeing the green association here. measures remain $6 million project executive director, said since getting homebuilders d safety the New West Richland a really great will have many bership numbers effort to get homes Clinic Police Station features as the of work and of the same Club after initial Covid-relate REA The Pacific mission’s shelter There is a lot Future Benton light to reopen Tri-City Court s center St. Fourth for a men on South Avenue in administration en Kennewick’ Clinic after well to boost on the market.” Gies tend to shutdowns. The Pacific and better amenitiesPasco – classrooms, a chapel to Olympia as midVan Kee reopened as year when gyms He’s looking housing packW. beginning in ne At a time of while participating for residents who live Roa Gov. Jay Inslee’s from those with five-month shutdown laws to there d development. in its recovery a boom of interest to loosen zoning denser CBRC see The program. efforts 2020. mission paid March A4 age includes new me” mentality, $900,000 for housing” by allowing home of the uGYMS, Page a “new year, the future dwelling women’s shelter, Clinic in Richland promote “middle Real Estate a 1.74-acre site 533 N. Young including auxiliary Health & Wellness Real Estate membership, n St., in 2021. at development, to rebuild its & Constructioadmin trying Artist Heidi & Its Constructio still neighbors don’t is “I moving Elkington and units. include the Three n Benton REA Pasco Haven he reiterated. themed mural vention Center her dog, Carmen to Photo by Wendy Rivers Conto West Richland Columbia River rise near “I am optimistic,” behind Real off the cart.” to Page B1 Electra, pose Culverwell waterfront the Alley is Deals in the are going to fall Clinic and the the north, a Trios Urgent by her an Care think the wheels Tri-Cities Cancer housing and job Page B1 lizard riding emerging art destination Uptown Shopping Centerskateboardafoot, but the south and the a in the heart alley. Gallery A crisis isn’t Port of Kennewick’Center to the on housing. skateboard board – is a nod to Elkington’s of Richland. ing at the shopping redevelopme add up to a strain The subject in s Vista Field NOTEWORTHY youth, growing available, nt project to trends clearly center. starts weren’t the east. up in Richland – a s that Several hotels NOTEWORTHY Year-end housing were running even with and the circumstance and “This starts be a indigent by, as is a never-openeretirement homes are nearword to describe on will Tri-Cities to handle but new home with a total of “Interest in the to sign d 16-bed behavioral phenomenmatters man- hospital. level in November, led attorneys health is at the highest nearly 2020 and 2019 local building various civil al By Wendy Culverwell authorized by in my nal.biz defense and the opportunity to Porter said the I have seen editor@tcjour 1,526 homes in Tri-Cities Union “Luck.” publicsion has long de- dated by law:highlight by Gospel recruit 30 years of working to criminal the followed to Misarea." wanted agencies. struggled counsel to expand beyond in with 387 permits, that market.” Hsu said he’s- Kathy Providing legal people facof his 16 years in east Pasco, where its base Richland led with 232 and Lampson apartment entirety it operated other low-income - Tim Ufkes, onthe a defenders for West Richland campaign shelters for neighboring fendants and & Millichap to replace permit data men, and women Pasco with 346, has always been broker, Marcus By Wendy 200. (Kennewick buildings that and children Culverwell the position. cable bridge lights ing court proceedings in Seattle. 7,000 criminal about Kennewick with conversion to a new comboth in editor@tcjou Page B1 are more than Tri-Cities. rnal.biz to a to priHis office handles civilPage each yearThe ministry a challenge in the Gallery in the ones A11 is lagging due A14 low pay relative serves the homelesscentury old. some Alley is a city-suppor with mental health DEMAND, Page Heavy caseloads, of a local law school cases as well as and about initiative of and people The Uptown uHOUSING ted and substance of five attorneys the Uptown the lack annual budget issues. It has and has a staff vate practice, Business Imland’s quirky Shopping Center, Rich- provement District contracts. not made it easier. on of an has about $6 million and midcentury recruiting and now Covid-19 now in full swing, the 40 attorneys working bring in professionato clean up alleys and retail hub, being transformed provides struggled with is Benton l artists to paint into a living But with 2022 “We’ve always said. uMISSION courtesy local rals. Defense for both mu, Page A5 to the area,” he artists and businessgallery Offices of Public celebrating new people to come lacks the amenities and ers. The district owncounties are has a $19,000 and Franklin The Tri-Cities idealists interbudget to Coun- culture that woo the young hires. nearest uALLEY ART, of the Benton the poor. The – Page A26 Eric Hsu, manager new intern in early ested in representing a Seattle and SpokaneinCounty OPD, welcomed of schools are in out of reach Zeigler, his Franklinattorney law the community January. Larry brought a contract first in placing ty counterpart, – the ternship programs. a young lawyer who is the same time is intern hires. onto staff at new His new will be many Page A18 what he hopes uPUBLIC DEFENSE, luck By Kristina Lord Recruiting takes both used the same publisher@tc journal.biz Prosser will Hsu and Zeigler close when the new one and eventually Prosser Memorial will be demolished. opens Health plans ground this spring A $57.5 million to break U.S. Department on a $78 million complex on hospital riculture loan (40 of Ag33 acres north years at 2.2% of Interstate and to begin interest) 82 will offset much of the seeing patients cost, with about there in 2024. coming from Its aging hospital 20% PMH and $2 at 723 Memorial million from St. in the uPMH, Page A32 Architecture & Engineering

the spotlight Architects put work on their best Page A27

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Union Gospe l Mission plans to move women’s shelter to Kenne wick

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Alley art gall ery adds to Uptown’s quirky charm

Prosser Mem orial to brea on $78 millio k ground n hospital complex

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It might be easy to think of Steve Carroll as the protector of pets once you hear his story. After all, his research of dog and cat food helps keep those pets healthy. The co-owner of Kennewick’s Paw’s Natural Pet Emporium says it’s all about the animals and the customers. “I’m essentially paid to pet puppies,” he said. That’s not true. He admits he hasn’t taken a day off in 2 ½ years. Paw’s, located in Kennewick near Costco, is similar to many other pet stores in that it sells dog and cat food and treats, toys, reptiles and supplies. But a major portion of the store’s business is the food, and it always has been. “The store was started with the idea of never selling any corn and wheat byproducts, and anything from China,” Carroll said. Doyle and Dorothy Hunter opened the store in 2008. “The company started after the 2007 recall of cat and dog food made in China,” Carroll said. There was a contamination with melamine and cyanuric acid, which was causing kidney failure and death in dogs and cats. Pet owners were scared they were

second store opened in Kennewick in 2013. Two years later, they were consolidated at 8551 W. Gage Blvd. “In 2015, we combined it all into the store here on Gage,” Carroll said. “It was a challenge to move an 8,000-squarefoot store and a 2,200-square-foot store into a 14,000-square-foot store. And we continue to grow. We’re trying to carry a number of different foods.” But it has to be the right food. The store’s mission is to sell American-made high quality pet food free of corn, soy, wheat, artificial flavors and color. It all starts with research. “All companies that we deal with, we want to know where their food comes from,” Carroll said. “Second, we look at recalls. I’m looking at their ethical behavior, or if they’re cutting corners.” Carroll spends five to 10 hours a week, usually in bed at the end of another long day, online doing research. “I want to see the quality of testing, and the marketing,” he said. He wants to ensure that the pet food is not sourced from China or Mexico, where there is a lack of oversight. He also watches for meat byproducts and fillers. Fillers are wasteful with no nutritional values. Corn, wheat and soybean meal are examples, but there are more

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Modern-day alchemist helps customers find their signature scent By Laura Kostad

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A small shop in the Uptown Shopping Center helps customers create their own signature scent. Shannon Franklin is a fragrance alchemist who offers custom fragrances as a way to “help our customers to express their uniqueness while indulging in a bit of luxury,” she said. She opened Atomic Alchemy at 226 Williams Blvd. in December. The Richland shop offers custom perfume blending, as well as a signature line of pre-mixed and bottled eau de toilettes, lotions and diffuser oils she formulates herself. Franklin’s services begin with a oneon-one interview. “Even something as simple as saying they want a summer fragrance, which tells me they’re looking for something fruity, sweet and bright,” can be a first step in zeroing in on the scents that may comprise the final product, she said. Once Franklin has an idea of preferred smells, she begins selecting from roughly 250 different fragrance oils, aroma chemicals and essential oils, placing them on blotter strips for the client to smell. “I’ve definitely noticed a lot of interest in earthier scents (in Tri-Cities),” she said. When the client identifies a scent that resonates, “we hold onto that strip and start to build the fragrance.” The goal is to collect strips that will translate into base, mid and top notes. Once enough strips come together, the task is to blend the perfect combination that hits on all three to produce a lasting fragrance that makes an impression. “Then we work in ratios with droppers and tiny beakers. I use my own intuition on what I think would be a good

combination,” she said. “One of the benefits of perfume blending is there is no right or wrong blend. If a customer loves what we make together, then it is a win.” Once the perfect formula is found, Franklin dilutes it in perfumer’s alcohol and bottles it on the spot. “I do have the option to use sweet almond oil for people who are sensitive to alcohol,” she said. Ali McCartney, owner of The Lavender Rooster in Eltopia, is a fan. “My personal experience was incredible, and Shannon created a dream scent of my own that I proudly wear,” she said. “This is a once in a lifetime experience that only her store provides. You will walk out of Atomic Alchemy with not just wonderful product, but with an extra pep in your step for the rest of the day,” she said. The process to design a 2-ounce personalized perfume takes about an hour and costs the same as many popular fragrances at department stores – $100. Customers can get refills by bringing their empty bottles. The cost to refill your fragrance runs $65. Franklin also hosts blending parties for groups starting at $300. Those interested in a custom blending session can call or book online.

Clean oils The difference between Franklin’s formulations and mass-produced fragrances is the latter likely won’t disclose what’s in their proprietary formulas. Franklin sources her fragrance oils from Vancouver, Washington-based Wholesale Botanics, which are Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) certified, as well as phthalate- paraben- and sulfate-free. “So, the cleanest oils you can get, though that doesn’t mean you might not still have a sensitivity,” Franklin said.

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Photo by Laura Kostad Shannon Franklin, owner of Atomic Alchemy, helps clients create custom signature fragrances made from pure ingredients at her shop at 226 Williams Blvd. in Richland’s Uptown Shopping Center.

She’s proud none of her products carry the California Proposition 65 statement, which alerts consumers about ingredients known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Though consumers may find security in tried-and-true off-the-shelf fragrances, Franklin stands by her blends. “I spend plenty of time with each client to ensure they love their blend. I won’t send them home with a scent they

don’t love. It gives the customers a lot of control over the product,” she said.

Bloodhound by birth A self-described bloodhound, Franklin began her journey into fragrance several years ago while living in Seattle and later Los Angeles, where she dabbled in custom fragrances in workshops and through private blending sessions like uATOMIC ALCHEMY, Page A45

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PET EMPORIUM, From page A42 listed on the store’s website. Other items that are red-flagged by Carroll, a noted label reader, are: gluten, butylatid hydroxytoluene, ethoxyquin, and propelene glycol. In other words, if anything is sold in the store, it’s been vetted by Carroll.

Store growth The company made it through the pandemic and has seen some solid growth — there are now 15 employees. When Carroll started with the company, there were four. “The pandemic was tough,” he said. “Things were uncertain, and we didn’t know what was going to happen. Some employees were furloughed and had to go find jobs.”

But one thing Paw’s had been offering is a delivery service for the past eight years. “I’ll deliver anywhere in the TriCities on the same night it’s ordered,” Carroll said. “It was kind of our saving grace.” Deliveries happened when the store closed at 7 p.m. each night. “Sometimes I’d be out delivering until 2 a.m.,” he said. The reaction from customers has been great. “I’ve had dog owners come in and say, ‘Thank you. Our dog is not gassing us out of our bed anymore,’ ” said Carroll. “They’ve got to have a proper diet. And that starts with nutrition.” Sometimes the job can be painful. “It’s a hard, emotional job,” Carroll

said. He spoke of a recent time where a loyal customer’s dog was dying. The dog loved Carroll and he loved him back. The woman brought the dog to the store to see Carroll before it died. “He literally spent his last hours with me,” Carroll said. “It can be physically and emotionally draining.” But he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I want to see a happy, healthy puppy,” he said. “But you better bring your dog by. I have a rule in which a dog owner has to bring their dog by within three visits.” Carroll teaches his staff his research techniques, so they know what’s right for pets.

“I’m only as strong as the people who work for me,” he said. “I love my people. I’ve been blessed. I haven’t had a bad employee.” He just needs more. “We’re having a hard time finding more employees,” he said. And then, maybe he’ll take a day off. “When I do, my wife has a honey-do list a mile long,” Carroll said. “But then I think, if I ever close for a day, how many animals will go without food? Everything done here is about helping the customer, and helping the animals.” Search Paw’s Natural Pet Emporium: 8551 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick; 509783-7387; pawsnaturalpetemporium. com; Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Nationwide construction employment stalls

Nationwide construction employment edged up by 2,000 jobs between March and April as contractors scrambled to find workers in an increasingly tight labor market, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government data. Association leaders urged officials in Washington, D.C., to address both short- and long-term worker shortages with expanded permits for foreign-born workers and support for career training and education to enable more workers to acquire the skills for high-paying construction careers. “The pause in employment gains last month most likely signifies a shortage of qualified workers, rather than any slowdown in demand for projects,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “In fact, job openings in construction hit an all-time high at the end of March, while the industry’s unemployment rate was the lowest ever recorded for April.” The unemployment rate among jobseekers with construction experience tumbled from 7.7% in April 2021 to 4.6% last month, the lowest April rate since the series began in 2000. The number of unemployed construction workers fell by 304,000, or 40% to 464,000, a 22-year low for April. Total construction employment nationwide inched up by 2,000 employees to 7.6 million in April. Employment in residential construction rose by 3,800 workers, including 2,500 employed by homebuilders and multifamily general contractors and 1,300 at residential specialty trade contractors.

Support your community Support local business

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 ATOMIC ALCHEMY, From page A43 those she now offers. “My first interest was in creating and being a maker … There was this store in Seattle that I just loved where everything was local and consigned and very artsy and I thought, ‘Gosh, I just really want to do something like this someday,’ ” she said. Two years ago, Franklin made the move to Tri-Cities with her now 2 1/2-year-old daughter to escape the high cost of living as a single parent. Her parents already lived in the area; her mother Lana Franklin co-owns Encore Realty. “I was working remotely here, but I wasn’t able to keep the job because I couldn’t find child care. So, I decided I needed to do something and that this was the time,” she said. Using savings and credit, Franklin made the investments in her fragrance oils and other upfront costs to launch the business. Her mom offered up unused office space at Encore as an incubator. Cubicle walls came down and chic display racks went up.

Focus on local In addition to perfume blending, Atomic Alchemy is a gift shop focused on Tri-City-made goods and others produced by Pacific Northwest companies. “I just like to see the character of the local spirit and something that’s important to me is having an inclusive space. I want to have people from all walks feel comfortable here … I just love promoting people’s creativity,” Franklin said. Rather than take on the overhead risk

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of buying merchandise wholesale, she mostly operates on consignment, working with companies who offer the option to return items that don’t sell within 60 days. “I’m always looking for new vendors, as I rotate merchandise all the time,” Franklin said, adding she has begun periodically hosting pop-up events for additional vendors. “Her products are hilarious, sweet, loving, and fun. If you want to find the perfect gift for someone, including yourself, this is your store,” McCartney said.

Future plans Franklin has been experimenting with creating her own herbal tea blends, which are available in the shop. She said the second phase of Atomic Alchemy is to expand her space and offerings to accommodate a one-stop shop apothecary for herbs, lye, beeswax, soy wax, fragrance oils and other DIY ingredients. In the near-term, on the perfume blending side, she is looking to begin offering options for add-on fragrance sizes and lotions. She also is preparing her signature scent products to present for wholesale to gift shops and luxury hotel and resort purveyors around Washington. Search Atomic Alchemy: 226 Williams Blvd., Uptown Shopping Center, Richland; 509-519-3724; atomicalchemyllc. com; Facebook, Instagram. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Photos by Laura Kostad ABOVE: Atomic Alchemy offers an assortment of gifts for children and adults, but with a local spin as almost everything is made either in TriCities or the greater Pacific Northwest region. LEFT: In addition to custom fragrance blending, Atomic Alchemy sells pre-mixed and bottled fragrances, lotions and diffuser oils formulated by owner Shannon Franklin.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

uPROMOTIONS • The Board of Directors of Tri-Cities Community Health (TCCH) has selected Jim Merrill as the organization’s new chief executive Jim Merrill officer. Merrill has served as chief financial officer for TCCH since 2019 and brings with him over 18 years of experience in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) setting. He received a master of public administration degree from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in business administration/accounting and a minor in economics from Oregon State University. • Gesa Credit Union has promoted Traci Bouslaugh to vice president of member fulfillment. She brings more than 25 years of finanTraci Bouslaugh cial experience to her new role. Bouslaugh will provide direct executive support and strategic oversight of Gesa’s Member Contact Center, inbound and outbound sales, and the virtual sales and service teams. Bouslaugh, a Richland native, has been with Gesa for 10 years. Prior to her promotion, she served as a branch manager and then later as the assistant vice president of sales and service. She is pursuing a bachelor of arts in project management at Columbia Basin College. • Heartlinks Hospice & Palliative Care has hired Tanya Gutierrez as the new Heartlinks clinical director for administration and oversight of all clinical operations throughout the Heartlinks service area. She has spent the last three years serving as the clinical supervisor for Heartlinks. She received training as a registered nurse from Yakima Valley Community College, earned her bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Wisconsin – Greenbay, and earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and human resource management. She has over 20 years of progressive

management experience. Heartlinks also hired Monica Thielen as a clinical supervisor to supervise and deliver all clinical programs to patients and their families. She received training as a registered nurse from Columbia Basin College and has over 14 years of clinical hospice experience. Additionally, she has over 28 years of nursing and management experience. Thielen has spent the last three years serving as the clinical educator for Heartlinks. • Alyssa St. Hilaire has been hired as Kennewick School District’s new assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. She Alyssa St. Hilaire replaces Matt Scott, who’s set to become the assistant superintendent of K-12, starting July 1. As assistant superintendent, St. Hilaire will lead the teaching and learning team to oversee curriculum, professional development, assessment, Career & Technical Education (CTE), and federal programs. St. Hilaire has been the district’s director of federal programs since 2019. • Port of Benton has named Summers Miya as its public information officer. She will serve as the official spokesperson for the port and Summers Miya lead collaborative and comprehensive communications strategies as chief consultant to all port departments. She started with the port in March 2020 as executive administrator, primarily facilitating administrative processes of the port commission while assisting several port departments in day-to-day accounting and operational functions. She formerly worked for Visit Tri-Cities and has more than a decade of experience in communications and marketing.

uNEW HIRES • Distinctive Properties, an independent and locally owned real estate brokerage in Kennewick, has hired Hunter

NETWORKING Shipman as a residential real estate broker. Shipman is a lifelong Tri-City native, graduating from Hanford High School and earning an asHunter Shipman sociate degree at Columbia Basin College. • Family Nurse Practitioner Amma Ababio joined Astria Health Center in Prosser. Her services include primary care and Amma Ababio family medicine; annual exams; treatment of general health problems and minor emergencies; chronic disease management; immunizations and school physicals. She completed a bachelor of science degree in nursing at Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania and a master of science degree in nursing at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio. • The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia has hired Leanne Purcell as its next executive director. Purcell has more than 20 Leanne Purcell years of experience in the field of education and has served for five years on the board for The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a bilingual endorsement and a master of education degree with a focus on reading from Central Washington University. She taught in a Spanish/English dual language program in California, educated future teachers as a student teacher supervisor at Washington State University and worked as a language development coach and English as a second language teacher with the Kennewick School District. She also has instructed CRFMC READY! For Kindergarten classes through the district. She succeeds Elizabeth Barnes who led the organization for three years.

• Hayden Pitman has joined Numerica Credit Union as a financial advisor for CUSO Financial Services LP (CFS). Numerica’s Financial Hayden Pitman Services team offers comprehensive financial planning, retirement and insurance services. Pitman specializes in creating financial plans, portfolio review and retirement planning. He was previously a senior private client advisor with KeyBank. • Prosser Memorial Health has hired psychiatricmental health nurse practitioner Juliet Dennis to its team of providers at the Grandview clinic. Juliet Dennis Originally from Southern California, Dennis moved to Washington to attend Washington State University, where she received her bachelor of science in psychology. She later went on to receive her bachelor’s in nursing from Western Governor’s University and recently graduated from Frontier Nursing University with her master’s in nursing. She will be providing a variety of psychiatric services at the Grandview clinic, including medication management, referrals and counseling for mental disorders like anxiety and depression.

uELECTIONS • Energy Northwest’s Board of Directors elected five inside directors and one outside director to the agency’s 11-member executive board April 27 during its regularly scheduled meeting. Each of the directors will serve a four-year term on the executive board, beginning July 1. The executive board sets the policies that govern the operations of Energy Northwest. The board of directors elected the following utility commissioners from its 27 members to serve as inside directors: Arie Callaghan, Grays Harbor County PUD 1; Jack Janda, Mason County PUD 1; Curt Knapp, Pend Oreille PUD; Jim Malinowski, Clark Public Utilities; and Will Purser, Clallam County PUD.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

NETWORKING uAWARDS & HONORS

• Melanie Hoefer Hair, president and founder of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The recognition acknowledges individuals who make significant contributions to The Rotary Foundation. • Prosser Memorial Hospital received the state’s No. 1 ranking for nurse-patient communication from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Hospital Compare website, a national standardized survey of hospital patients about their experiences during a recent inpatient hospital stay. Prosser Memorial Health scores exceeded those of healthcare organizations in cities such as Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver. • Visiting Angels, the nation’s leading provider of senior home care, named Jose De La Torre Gonzalez of Kennewick as one of the 11 semiJose De La Torre finalists for its Gonzalez National Caregiver of the Year award. He was selected for his kindness and joy and ability to connect to his clients and their family members, said Christine Rose-Van Wormer, owner of Visiting Angels. The honor recognizes Visiting Angels caregivers for their overall contribution and commitment to delivering quality care to the clients and families they serve as well as how they embody the company’s compassionate values and demonstrate excellence. The semifinalists were selected from entries throughout the 600 Visiting Angels franchise locations across the country. The winner will be announced July 5. The grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 prize. Two finalists will each receive $2,500. • The Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco has earned the GBAC Star Facility Accreditation through Global Biorisk Advisory Council, a division of the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA). The program was developed by the worldwide cleaning industry association and is the industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation for facilities. To achieve accreditation, the airport was required to demonstrate compliance with 20 different health and safety

elements, which range from standard operating procedures and risk assessment strategies to personal protective equipment and emergency preparedness and response measures. • Kay Lehmann of Kennewick is the recipient of the 2022 Clacey McNary Volunteer of the Year Award. This honor recognizes one volunteer each year whose contributions have made a significant impact on the mission and vision of the Alzheimer’s Association Washington state chapter. Lehmann started volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association in 2014 after she lost her father to the disease. She has been involved ever since, taking on leadership roles for the Tri-Cities Walk to End Alzheimer’s and as a board officer for the state chapter. She also has been involved with Alzheimer’s advocacy at the state and federal levels, and most recently, as a community educator. She will be presenting a session for dementia caregivers at the Tri-Cities Alzheimer’s & Dementia Conference in May. • Leslie Jimenez, an X-ray/CT technologist with Trios Health, has been recognized by the Tri-Cities League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council with an award for her commitment to the Latino community. She was nominated for the honor by a former professor, who detailed her leadership and service to the community. She continues to work with students at Columbia Basin College as a mentor and was honored during the “Noches de Leonas” (Night of the Lionness) event of the TriCities LULAC Council on March 26. Leslie Jimenez • Matthew Riesenweber of Cornerstone Wealth Strategies was recently ranked No. 10 in Washington in Forbes’ 2022 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list. According to Forbes, the annual ranking spotlights the nation’s top-performing advisors, evaluated based on criteria that includes industry experience, client retention and assets under management. • Eight local seniors are the recipients of $52,000 from Benton REA. Three recipients of the cooperative’s $4,000 Trade Technical scholarship are from West Richland: Coral Bears, daughter of Jim and Jennifer Bears; Ethan Hen-

ning, son of Jake and Diana Henning; and Garrett Collins, son of Jason and Lori Collins. Five recipients of the $8,000 academic scholarships live in West Richland: Shreya Mehta, daughter of Sunil Mehta and Priya Sabharwal; Madison Slade, daughter of Roscoe and Shawna Slade; Ella Stam, daughter of Erik and Jaqueline Stam; Brookelyn Peterson, daughter of Kirk and D’anna Peterson; and Sydney Smith, daughter of Blake and Sheri Smith. • KT Ranch of Connell has been recognized as the 2021 AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year. This award is open to AQHA ranching heritage breeders who exemplify the ranching lifestyle. These breeders are working cattle ranches that produce five or more registered American quarter horses each year for ranch work. Nominees for the award are chosen by their peers, with final voting done by the AQHA Ranching Committee. The ranch is operated by Donald and Pamela Pierson and their family, daughter Toni Meacham and her husband Kicker Meacham, and daughter Kellie PiersonGeddes and her husband Ben Geddes. • The Pacific Clinic in Kennewick received the Pasco-Kennewick Rotary 2022 Company of the Year award. The clinic has an extensive list of its community contributions, among them are countless volunteer hours and thousands of dollars donated to other organizations; free special needs Zumba classes; supporting Teen Challenge, assisting in drug recovery and the close working relationship with The Arc. The Arc of Tri-Cities promotes the rights of all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by actively supporting full inclusion and participation in all aspects of the community throughout their lives. Additionally, the clinic supports the Care from Anywhere program, community outreach, and assists in fighting and beating diseases including dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and concussions. • Numerica Credit Union received the Raddon 2021 Crystal Performance Award for its growth, financial ratios and

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efficiencies for a second consecutive year. With more than 500 credit unions evaluated nationwide, Numerica ranked among the top 11 for organizations larger than $1 billion in assets. To receive this datadriven award, credit unions are analyzed on financials, product performance and member household relationships. Numerica was a top performer in deposit balances, return on assets and other categories.

uGRANTS • Teachers received $100 classroom grants as part of STCU’s efforts to support area educators at schools in Eastern Washington, Central Washington and north Idaho. The not-for-profit credit union, which was founded by teachers, honored its roots by awarding grants to 100 educators, including several in the Tri-City area, with a total of $10,000 to winners drawn at random. Winners can spend their $100 grant on anything that will enhance students’ classroom experience, whether a basic need or something special. Tri-City area winners are: Kennewick School District: Megan Hagihara, Amon Creek Elementary School; Heidi Weisert-Peatow, Hawthorne Elementary School; Doug Reppe, Kamiakin High School; Johnna Reavis, Washington Elementary School. Pasco School District: Kati Flannery, James McGee Elementary School; Paula Bazinet, New Horizons High School; Alexis Deleon, Pasco Early Learning Center; Olivia Valle, Whittier Elementary School Prosser School District; Bertha Montano, Housel Middle School. Richland School District: Melissa MacDonald, Chief Joseph Middle School; Sidney Bowen, Jefferson Elementary School; Amy Bearden, Jefferson Elementary School; Jennifer Smith, Marcus Whitman Elementary School. Finley School District: Mickey Middleton, Finley Elementary School.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION Vista Field is ready for its public debut

Page B2

Kennewick public market opening delayed, ‘not ready’

Page B3

May 2022 Volume 21 | Issue 5 | B1

Unique food park opening this fall in Kennewick By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

A unique food park is coming to a spot near Lawrence Scott Park in Kennewick’s Columbia Center area. 1derful Food Park – pronounced “wonderful” – is the brainchild of Joo Seok Baek of Richland. It will have seven kitchens and dining space at 6494 W. Skagit Ave., Kennewick. The 30,000-square-foot complex will have seven 400-square-foot kitchens with outdoor seating as well as an indoor court to accommodate diners during the winter season and restrooms. The total indoor area will be about 4,200 square feet. The site is off Canal Drive between McDonald’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse, near the Port of Kennewick’s Vista Field redevelopment site, which will bring a blend of business, retail and residential development – and prospective customers – to the area. It joins a neighborhood that is becoming a destination for out-of-the-box food offerings. Summer’s Hub, a $3.5 million food truck pavilion being developed by Chris Corbin, is to open this spring on

Courtesy Joo Seok Baek Joo Seok Baek of Richland is building 1derful Food Park near Lawrence Scott Park in Kennewick. The project will have seven kitchens serving diners through windows and outdoor seating as well as an indoor court and bathrooms. Baek will open a Korean barbecue kitchen and lease the remaining kitchens to other chefs.

a site next to the Corbin family’s other business, Chuck E. Cheese. Baek will open a Korean barbecue business in one of the kitchens, where he will serve Korean BBQ fried chicken and marinated meat-rice bowls as well as side dishes. The rest are being mar-

keted to restaurants, wine bars, tasting rooms, coffee shops, soft serve ice cream and yogurt shops, and bakery and pastry shop owners who want to serve the public in an outdoor setting. Customers will order and receive their food outside the kitchen and eat at out-

door tables nearby. The property is listed with Jazmine Murillo of NAI Tri-Cities with asking rents of $2,500 per month. “This place will be open to the public as a gathering place where people come and eat. Families and friends come and celebrate a loved one’s birthday, graduation or promotion. Parents bring their children and let them play with other kids,” he said. Baek said 1derful Food Park was inspired by the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. While lockdown and other restrictions have been lifted, he notes many hesitate to dine in restaurants because of the continuing threat posed by emerging variants. The park offers a way to satisfy those who still want to find a way to go out. “An excellent way to satisfy people’s appetite is to provide food outside the building,” he said. Seok, who bought the property for $288,400 in April 2020, said 1derful Food Park will open by November. Cliff Thorn Construction is the contractor. Terence Thornhill Architect designed the project.

Richland redevelopment gets tricky as Panda Express eyes waterfront By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Panda Express will open a ChineseAmerican fast-food restaurant next to the Columbia River in the heart of Richland. It is the latest in a series of big moves in Richland’s central business district, where the city is fostering business and residential development along the Columbia River. The Panda Express site, 924 George Washington Way, is the former City Buffet, across the busy arterial from the former Richland City Hall campus, itself a

redevelopment site. That puts it in the middle of the action, making it part of a strategy that involves a series of chess-like moves to repurpose key public and private properties along the city’s primary north-south artery. Panda Express, based in Rosemead, California, confirmed it will open the restaurant in the spring, one of two new restaurants set to open in the Tri-Cities in 2023. The other is in Pasco. Together, they will bring the local footprint to five restaurants. A Las Vegas-based trust paid $1.8 million in April for the George

Washington property, consisting of a 7,732-square-foot building and a 1.4-acre lot. Mandy Wallner, the city’s economic development manager, confirmed the city has seen a permit request for Panda Express that could see the existing restaurant building, constructed in 1954, torn down. The building has been empty for about eight years, even as the neighboring Sterling’s Restaurant was rebuilt at the back of the property, closer to the river. “To see this is getting off the ground, we’re excited to see redevelopment of any time at that spot,” she said. That said,

Panda Express will need a special-use permit to install a drive-thru, which is not automatically allowed in the central business district. While Wallner is pleased to see a vacant property come to life, she envisions more than fast food on the high-value property, which borders Howard Amon Park on one side and faces the former City Hall property on the other. Wallner would like to see the developer pursue higher-density use or even a multi-story building that takes advantage uPANDA EXPRESS, Page B2

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Vista Field is ready for its public debut By Wendy Culverwell

If you go

editor@tcjournal.biz

Developers, start your engines. The Port of Kennewick will begin accepting proposals from developers who want to build homes, offices, restaurants and other structures at its Vista Field urban development starting on June 16. The port will announce it is ready for ideas at the former municipal airport during grand opening festivities that will highlight the fountains, water feature, streets and other amenities installed at the site in central Kennewick. The first phase involves 21 parcels on 20 acres at the heart of the site, which is east of the Columbia Center retail area. Four parcels are earmarked for single-family development, seven for livework development and the remainder for mixed-use. PANDA EXPRESS, From page B1 of the Columbia River views to the east. The city launched its downtown improvement project prior to the pandemic when it opened its new City Hall in 2019 and made updates to Swift Boulevard. It razed the old administration building and put the 2.8-acre site on the market as it sought a developer willing to turn it into something worthy of the location. Wallner said it received some offers

What: Vista Field Grand Opening Time: 2:30 p.m. June 16 Where: 6600 W. Deschutes Ave., Bldg. B, Kennewick. Enter from Deschutes Avenue. RSVP: Attendees are asked to RSVP to POK@portofkennewick.org.

Courtesy Port of Kennewick Vista Field, a 103-acre former municipal airport in Kennewick, is ready for visitors with fountains, a water feature and eventually, mixed-use development. The Port of Kennewick will celebrate its redevelopment with an open house at 2:30 p.m. June 16.

Each individual parcel has a list of potential best uses. Prospective bidders are encouraged to tailor their offers to the vi-

sion for Vista Field – an urbane, mixed-use neighborhood that focuses on pedestrians and atmosphere more than motor vehicles.

but nothing “exciting.” It took the property off the market in 2021 to assess its own land requirements, she said. That includes a larger police station than the one sitting between the former City Hall property and John Dam Plaza. Everything is on the table, from expanding the current building to building elsewhere, she said. The city council is expected to discuss facilities needs when it meets May 17. For the time being at least, it is unclear

how much of the 2.8 acres at the old City Hall site will be available for economic development purposes. As it ponders its requirements, Richland is moving ahead with another key central business district initiative. It will finalize its purchase of the now-closed Economy Inn, 515 George Washington Way, in June. Once it owns the property, it will assess the building and demolish it. The one-acre site likely will be the new home

Amber Hanchette, the port’s real estate director, will serve as the sales contact. The port will pay buyers’ brokers a 4% commission. Hanchette said the port is finalizing the legal details associated with the project, such as creating an owners’ uVISTA FIELD, Page B9 for the fire station at George Washington Way and Swift, freeing up that property for a more river-focused use. Along with the Richland location, Panda Express will open a new Pasco location at 1525 W. Court St. The developer intends to demolish the former credit union on the site and build a 2,668-square-foot structure with drive-thru, according to environmental documents. The original Pasco location is on Road 68.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

Kennewick public market opening delayed, ‘not ready’ By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

A much-anticipated public market in the heart of Kennewick is putting off its opening date, citing construction delays. “We’re not ready,” said Kelsey Bitton, project manager for The Public Market @ Columbia River Warehouse, the market that is taking over the former Welch’s juice plant and later, J. Lieb, 20 E. Bruneau St. It was supposed to open in May and has about 80 tenants lined up for stalls. Bitton hopes to have a better idea of when it will open by mid- to late May. The city of Kennewick confirmed it is working with the market to ensure the warehouse is safe for the public when it opens. That includes confirming a plan and permits that include relocating a fire hydrant and installing new bathrooms. Tony Ostoja, the city’s building official, said converting a warehouse that held up to about 150 people into a market that could

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Physicians group to transform former bank into medical office

A group of physicians at Benton Franklin Orthopedic Associates, operating as 8200 Gage LLC, plan to remodel the old Banner Bank building at 8200 W. Gage Blvd. in Kennewick, across from Olive Garden, and turn it into a medical office. The work includes the demolition of interior walls, drywall and ceilings for a new medical office to include exam rooms, waiting rooms, X-ray room and restrooms – a $585,000 project, according to plans filed with the city. The LLC bought the 5,380-squarefoot building from First Federal Savings & Loan Association in December 2021 for $1.5 million. The Banner Bank branch closed in December 2020. Contractors for the project are W McKay Construction LLC, Bruce Mechanical Inc. and REV1 Mechanical LLP. Benton Franklin Orthopedic Associates has offices at 711 S. Auburn St. and 3730 Plaza Way, both in Kennewick, and

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see as many as 500 people requires a heightened level of safety. Everyone is working well and communicating, he confirmed. “When that building opens, it will be safe for the public,” he said. Ice Harbor Brewery said its move to the market is also delayed. The brewery is moving from its longtime home at 206 N. Benton St., a few blocks away, into renovated space in the old warehouse. Its 15,000-square-foot future home in the building’s west end includes a former employee break room. Adam Crane, head brewer, said permit delays and undelivered kitchen gear are behind the delay. Ice Harbor is committed to the move, though he noted it is currently paying rent on two buildings. Its lease on Benton Street has been extended to July. Its gritty home is being marketed to new tenants. NAI Tri-Cities is marketing the 12,700-square-foot collection of retail, warehouse, showroom and office space

at $7 a square foot on LoopNet, an online commercial listing service. Kenny Teasdale, the listing broker, said there is modest interest in the space, which he doesn’t expect to stay dark for long. It is zoned light industrial, a sector where there is limited availability. Teasdale and the owner hope a brewery or distillery will take it over. While construction and other delays have pushed back the public market’s opening date, it continues to attract an array of vendors eager to be part of the community’s first-ever public market, which will be open daily and offer a mix of retail, food and other options as well as event space. The Lady Bug Shoppe, owned by Cindy Mosley-Cleary, is among the latest to commit. Mosley-Cleary operated the gift and home décor shop in downtown Kennewick until a two-alarm fire tore through the Cascade building in downtown Kennewick in February, destroying the apartments up-

stairs and the businesses at street level. It’s been a challenging time for MosleyCleary who also lost her husband shortly after the fire. She did not initially intend to reopen the business. But she had a change of heart and is selling bags at Bergan’s Timeless Treasures, 317 W. Kennewick Ave., and will move into the market when it opens, she said. She said friends and supporters were able to salvage merchandise from her store after the fire. The public market is the brainstorm of Corey Bitton, a Pasco investor who bought the property in 2021 for $2.7 million with the intent to lease it for industrial use. The pandemic upended those plans, and the market idea offered an option to put a sprawling property with ample power and space to good use. Vendors can lease 12-by12 stalls. Follow its progress on Facebook @PublicMarketCRW.

at 9915 Sandifur Parkway in Pasco.

“We are pleased to announce that China Café owners are relocating to Marineland Village. Customers will be thrilled to know that the restaurant should open within the next six months,” it said. China Café operated for about 40 years in a former Pizza Hut on North Ely Street, perched on Highway 395. The restaurant closed and the building sold to the owners of Graze – A Place to Eat who are turning it into their newest location.

chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp and other regional items, will be built north of the Hogback Development shopping area at Road 68 and Sandifur Parkway. Grocery Outlet, Wendy’s, Planet Fitness and Dollar Tree are among the current tenants in the development. The 2,304-square-foot Popeyes will be the fast-foot franchise’s second TriCity location. A Kennewick restaurant is under construction at 240 N. Ely St., the site of a now-closed used car business at the intersection of Highway 395 and Vista Way/Clearwater Avenue. The building contractor is Everettbased 2812 Architecture. Hogback Three Rivers LLC owns the property.

Kennewick Starbucks to get updated look

The Starbucks coffee shop at 7600 Clearwater Ave., Suite 110, in Kennewick, across from the flashcube building, will undergo a $123,450 remodel. The interior work includes a minor remodel of the backbar area, including new casework, equipment and finishes. Minimal exterior work includes shifting some existing drive-thru equipment, according to plans filed with the city. Contractors for the project include Associated Construction Inc. of Spokane and Apex Plumbing and Mechanical Piping of Yakima.

China Café to reopen at Marineland Village

China Café, a Kennewick dining fixture until it closed in November 2021, will reopen at Marineland Village, 201 S. Edison St., in suites 236 and 239. NAI Tri-Cities, which represented both landlord and tenant in the lease negotiations, announced that Ming Tam, who took over the business in 1984, intends to reopen.

Popeyes Chicken plans to open Pasco restaurant

Popeyes Louisiana Chicken plans to open a Pasco restaurant with a drive-thru at 5814 Road 68. The restaurant, which offers a New Orleans-style menu featuring spicy

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

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PSD buys building for offices, Covid-19 testing

The Pasco School District purchased a Court Street professional office building to house its online programs. Raul Sital, assistant superintendent for operations, said it could also be used as a Covid-19 testing site. The district paid $1.1 million for Riverview Professional Center, 4403 W. Court St. in a deal that recorded on March 10. The 10,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1983 and contained 7,400 square feet of medical office space and 2,500 square feet of dental office space. It occupies a 1.4-acre site. Prior to being sold to a tax-exempt public agency, it was assessed for roughly $6,000 in property taxes.

Yakama Reservation border dispute settled after a century

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a legal challenge involving the disputed boundary of the Yakama Reservation. The nation’s highest court’s move settles the argument over 121,465 acres in the southwestern corner of the reservation, an area that includes the eastern half of Mt. Adams and the Glenwood Valley. Klickitat County argued that ambiguous language in a treaty excluded the land from the reservation, The tribe said the court’s move settles

a dispute that has been raging for more than a century. “The Supreme Court’s decision once again validates the continuing strength of our Treaty rights under the United States Constitution. The Yakama Nation will never compromise when our Treaty is at stake,” said Delano Saluskin, Yakama Nation Tribal Council chairman. The dispute centered around language in the Treaty of 1855. A draft written by Territorial Gov. Isaac Stevens incorrectly referenced the reservation border as “passing south and east of Mount Adams, to the spur whence flows the waters of the Klickitat and Pisco rivers.” There is no such spur. The tribe’s interpretation was reaffirmed several times, by the Indian Claims Commission in 1966, by President Richard Nixon in a 1972 Executive Order and by federal surveyors in 1982. Before the case reached the Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington disagreed with the county’s interpretation. The Supreme Court declined to review the lower court’s decision in April.

New day care, school coming to West Richland

A day care and future elementary school is coming to West Richland. Construction begins this summer on Bombing Range Daycare, according to environmental documents filed with the state. It should be complete by the end of the year.

Sonya Y Arnold, MBA, NHA-RC Executive Director

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION The project near Holly Way and Bombing Range Road will add a drop-in day care and private elementary school in future phases. The three-acre property is next to Kid’s World Childcare and across Bombing Range from the Islamic Center of Tri-Cities. In April, the city of West Richland is mitigated determination of non-significance that requires the builder to adhere to area design standards, use landscaping to screen the parcel and minimize noise from air conditioning units and other equipment. The owner, Amir Syed, is based in Apex, North Carolina, according to county property records. The phased project includes a new child care facility on the southeast portion of the property, with parking lot. The northern portion will remain undeveloped, pending development of a drop-in day care facility and a future elementary. The West Richland Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for the site, which is zoned mediumdensity residential. Knutzen Engineering is the designer.

Crepe Haus plans to open in Kennewick

A new restaurant offering crepes and Mexican food announced plans to open in Kennewick. Crepe Haus at 2100 N. Belfair St. is in the former restaurant once home to Cinco de Mayo and Casa Chapala. The building is near the Columbia Center Boulevard

and Highway 240 interchange, near Furniture Row and Planned Parenthood. The Crepe Haus’ Facebook page said it promises to serve unique crepes for every craving beginning in June. The restaurant said it has partnered with El Compadre Mexican Restaurant, with locations in Castle Rock, Long Beach and Warrenton, Oregon, to also offer authentic Mexican dishes. Adalberto Avelar bought the 5,649-square-foot restaurant for $675,000 in November 2021. Adalberto and Jacklyn Avelar of Benton City are listed as the owners of Crepe Haus.

Pasco awards contract for future fire station work

C&E Trenching LLC will install streets and utilities associated with Pasco’s future Fire Station No. 85 under a $1 million contract awarded May 2. The station will be constructed on city-owned property at Road 100 and Maple Drive, purchased for that purpose three years ago. The fire station will be built in two phases. To prepare for the future fire station, Road 100 is being widened to align with sections to the north and south that were previously updated by private developers. Maple Drive will be extended to the back side of the fire station property and a utility vault is being relocated and overhead power lines are being buried along the front of the property.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

Infill apartments will feature three-bedroom configuration

uBUSINESS BRIEF

PNNL breaks ground on $75M Grid Storage Launchpad

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory broke ground on its $75 million Grid Storage Launchpad on April 21, with a ceremony featuring U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington. The U.S. Department of Energy Office

South Ely Street borders the property to the west. W McKay Construction, the general contractor, planned to break ground in early May. It is expected to be ready for tenants in summer 2023. It will be man-

aged by a property management firm

of Electricity selected PNNL to host the launchpad in August 2019, acknowledging the lab’s extensive work in grid energy storage and to modernize the power grid. The 86,000-square-foot facility will have space for 35 research laboratories and offices for about 105 staff representing a cross section of disciplines. It will have testing chambers to assess prototypes and new storage technologies up to 100 kilowatts under realistic operating

conditions. Flexible work stations and collaborative spaces as well as dedicated work spaces will offer researchers a mix of ways to work. The project is funded with a combination of federal funding and $8.3 million in state funds from Washington’s Clean Energy Fund. PNNL purchased two stateof-the-art Thermo Fisher electron microscopes and a Thermo Fisher spectrometer to allow researchers to view changes

to battery materials as they charge and discharge. Harvey-Cleary Builders and Kirksey Architecture, both of Houston, are partnering to design and build the project in Richland. The partners previously served as the design-build team for the $90 million Energy Sciences Center that opened on the PNNL campus in late 2021. The GSL will be ready for researchers in 2023.

S. Conway St.

St .

An infill apartment project will bring a complex of all three-bedroom units to western Kennewick. Ely Apartments is a venture of Suebug Enterprises LLC’s Will McKay and Kyle Beauchamp. McKay purchased the four-acre site, 2652 W. 15th Ave., Kennewick, from his father, Bill McKay in 2020. The elder McKay purchased it in 2017 with the intent to build a ministorage project to match his existing one on 27th Avenue. Bill McKay, a member of the Kennewick City Council, shelved the ministorage plan because so many similar projects are being built around town. Will McKay, who is a member of the Benton County Commission, in addition to running W McKay Construction, said

the project will have 56 units, all with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. With demand for housing at an alltime high and employers such as Amazon and Darigold bringing many new jobs to the market, it made sense to build a residential project, he said. The three-bedroom configuration is unusual. Apartment complexes typically offer a mix of unit types. But McKay said the team wanted to cater to renters who need a more homelike atmosphere, such as families that need extra rooms for kids and offices. The location, near the Kennewick Fred Meyer and Benton Public Utility District offices, offers easy access to Highway 395, shopping and employment centers. The street, West 15th Avenue, dips into the Zintel Canyon Greenway to the east of the development site, putting it close to one of the major trailheads for the Spirit of America Trail.

El y

editor@tcjournal.biz

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Future site of Ely Apartments in Kennewick

W. 15th Ave

that has not yet been selected.

The project has a construction value

of $4.5 million. McKay declined to disclose the total budget.

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uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Winery opens tasting room at Columbia Gardens

Muret-Gaston Winery is taking over the former Cave B tasting room at Columbia Gardens Urban Wine & Artisan Village in Kennewick. The tasting room is at 313 E. Columbia Gardens Way, #120, near the cable bridge. Owners Amy and Kyle Johnson will serve Muret-Gaston’s red and white wines as well as wines from their Purple Star label by the glass. “We’ve been behind the vision of Columbia Gardens from the start,” said Amy Johnson, proprietor, director and fellow winemaker of the Benton City winery. “The waterfront and downtown Kennewick are exploding with potential, and we

are excited to be a part of it.” The Port of Kennewick established Columbia Gardens as a wine-anchored tourism destination designed to transform the Columbia River waterfront into a visitor destination. Cave B Estate Winery opened in the space two weeks before pandemic-related lockdowns and decided to vacate the leased space in February. The newest addition joins Bartholomew Winery, Monarcha Winery and Gordon Estate Winery.

Pasco sports fields: If you bid it, maybe you can build it

The city of Pasco is seeking bid proposals for excavation, road construction, utility extension and other work related to its A Street Sports Complex.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION Bid documents are available in the city’s plan room. The bid deadline is 2 p.m. May 26 and will be opened shortly after that. The sports complex is a multiuse sports field at A and Elm streets and is partly funded by a state recreation grant to support youth athletics facilities. The project is extending Elm Street to give access to the site as well as a parking lot and walking path. When constructed, it will have a drinking foundation, a shelter for portable toilets and a grass field large enough to hold three full-sized 210-by-330-foot sports fields. SPVV Landscape Architects is the designer. Go to cityofpascoplanroom.com/jobs/ public. Users must register to access the page.

Realtors choose community partner, seek nominees

The Tri-City Association of Realtors has chosen Rebuilding Mid-Columbia as its 2022 community partner. The association chooses a nonprofit each year to support. Rebuilding Mid-Columbia helps lowincome, disabled and veteran homeowners with no-cost home repairs. Nominations for its June 25 community revitalization project are underway. More than 100 volunteers will team up to revitalize older neighborhoods in need of help with painting, landscaping and more. Benton and Franklin county residents are asked to identify potential neighborhoods to include. Go to rebuildingmc.org or call 509-4204854 for information.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

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WSU grad gives $20M gift for engineering building Washington State University’s next engineering building will be named Schweitzer Engineering Hall following a $20 million gift from Edmund and Beatriz Schweitzer and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. It is one of the largest financial contributions in the history of WSU. WSU is raising half the $80 million cost from donors and will ask the Legislature for the remaining $40 million through the capital budget process. The new building will support growing enrollment in WSU’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture,

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which currently serves nearly 6,000 students. Its oldest building dates to World War II. The Schweitzers and SEL will each donate $10 million. Edmund Schweitzer completed his doctorate at WSU in 1977 and founded a successful company that makes parts used by utilities. He is a longtime supporter of Cougar programs. He is a recipient of the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus award, the highest honor for Cougar grads. The building will be constructed on the main Pullman campus and will house flexible classrooms, space for students to collaborate and accommodate club activities, tutoring and offices. WSU intends to break ground in 2024.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION Mortgage delinquencies decrease in first quarter

The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one- to four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.11% of all loans outstanding at the end of the first quarter of 2022, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey. For the purposes of the survey, MBA asks servicers to report loans in forbearance as delinquent if the payment was not made based on the original terms of the mortgage. The delinquency rate decreased 54 basis points from the fourth quarter of 2021 and was down 227 basis points from one year ago. “The mortgage delinquency rate dropped for the seventh consecutive quarter, reach-

ing its lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2019,” said Marina Walsh, vice president of industry analysis. “The decrease in delinquency rates was apparent across all loan types, and especially for FHA loans. The delinquency rate for FHA loans declined 118 basis points from fourth-quarter 2021 and was down 509 basis points from one year ago.” According to Walsh, most of the improvement in loan performance can be attributed to the movement of loans that were 90 days or more delinquent. The majority of these aged delinquencies were either cured or entered post-forbearance loan workouts. The expiration of pandemic-related foreclosure moratoriums led to a modest increase in foreclosure starts from the record lows maintained over the past two years.

SunMarket and Firehouse Subs 6255 Keene Road, West Richland

Sun Pacific Energy has completed the latest of its Firehouse Subs-anchored Sun Market convenience stores and gas stations at 6255 Keene Road at Belmont Boulevard in West Richland. The new Sun Market is a twin to the company’s business at Horn Rapids in Richland. The 4,000-square-foot building features a drive-thru and was constructed by LCR Construction of Richland. Sun Pacific aims to replicate the business with two locations in each of the local cities. In addition to Horn Rapids, it has locations at Badger Canyon in Kennewick and Road 100 in Pasco as well as off Highway 12 in Burbank. It opened a gas station at Benton City without a subway shop in 2021.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION VISTA FIELD, From page B2 association to manage future maintenance, legal descriptions, design standards and securing a formal address for each parcel. “We’ve been working on those docs. Those are 99% done,” she said. The documents will be recorded before the first parcel is sold. The port expects to take about four weeks to evaluate proposals. Buyers still will have to go through the traditional closing process and submit building plans to the city for permits. Information, including prices, will be posted at vistafield.com, a standalone website that will launch about the same time the port formally celebrates the project. The port closed Vista Field at the end

of 2013 and developed the mixed-use vision in concert with the public. In 2019, it awarded a $4.9 million contract to Richland-based Total Site Services LLC for a four-part project that included building streets and utilities, and an 850-foot linear water feature complete with fountains, walkways and bridges. TSS wrapped up during the Covid-19 pandemic. Jersey barriers keep motor vehicles away from the property, but it regularly attracts pedestrians and bicyclists who want to explore. The June 16 celebration is an opportunity for the public to begin enjoying the property even in its undeveloped condition. There will be food trucks, a band, acknowledgement of the financial and other

support from the city of Kennewick, Benton County and area tribes. Instead of cutting a ribbon, the port will remove the jersey barrier and open Crosswind Boulevard, offering Tri-City drivers a new route between West Grandridge Boulevard and West Deschutes Avenue. The event also will feature public tours of Kennewick’s newest fire station, which opened at 6941 W. Grandridge Blvd. in the midst of the pandemic. Visa Field is expected to develop in eight phases and generate an estimated $500 million in private investment. At full buildout, it will add an about 740,000 square feet of retail, office, service and entertainment space, 1,000 homes, condos and apartments and a central plaza with public space.

uBUSINESS BRIEF

Kettle corn shop to pop into Park Place

A kettle corn store is planning to open in the new strip mall already home to Graze – A Place to Eat, a sandwich shop at 624 George Washington Way in Richland. KC Brand Kettle Corn plans $250,000 in tenant improvements in the 960-square-foot suite in the Park Place strip mall, according to building permits approved May 4 by the city. Jeramy and Catilin Schultz own the business, which has been serving up sweet and salty popcorn since 2014, according to their website.

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Washington Army National Guard Tri-Cities Readiness Center 2655 First St., Richland

The Washington Army National Guard has completed a $15 million, 40,000-square-foot readiness center at Horn Rapids Industrial Park to serve a 150-member Stryker Infantry Unit. The Tri-Cities Readiness Center includes classrooms and conference rooms available to the public. The guard recognized the need for a new facility in the Tri-Cities in 2011 and began working to secure a site and funding. The Richland project was approved for funding in 2012, with the cost split 75%-25% between the U.S. and

state governments. The city of Richland sold it the site in 2017 for $1.7 million, and the Washington Legislature approved its share in of the cost 2019. It is expected to serve as home base for a Stryker unit associated with the National Guard’s 81st Brigade Combat Team, with members traveling to Richland to fulfill their Guard commitments. Richland-based Fowler General Construction Inc. was the design-build contractor.

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Vertisee Heights Apartments 1148 Columbia Park Trail, Richland

World Builder LLC, co-founded by ex-Tri-City Heat players Lionel Singleton and Houston Lillard, has competed Vertisee Heights, a 24-unit upscale apartment complex on the Columbia River waterfront at the Richland Wye. The complex offers a mix of one- and two-bedroom loft-style units, with those on the upper floor offering airy second-floor lofts. Paragon Group is the property manager. Elite Construction + Development partnered with World Builders on the first phase of the complex. Second and third phases are planned on property controlled by World Builder. Portland-based Ankrom Moisan Architecture designed the project. Broadmark Realty Capital provided construction financing.

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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

Keith Brown, 410 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. Michael Ray Johnson, 2728 Fleming Lane, Pasco. Cody Dean Skendzel, 388 E. 16th Ave., Kennewick. Brooke Adelle Young, 5422 Fern Loop, West Richland. Jeffery Sanchez, 1114 W. 10th Ave., #EE203, Kennewick. Jessica Nicole Sregzinski, 2113 Trippe St., Richland. Maria Guadalupe Mendez, 804 W. Park St., Pasco. Tyler James Linville, 1329 McPherson Ave., Richland. Salvador Vera & Catalina Vera, 925 N. Elm Ave., #71, Pasco. Dana Anthony Bankemper & Taylor R. Bankemper, 1916 W. 21st Place, Kennewick. Matthew Reid Campbell, 71506 N. Zwicker Road, Benton City. Stephen A. Foster & Patricia J. Foster, 5957 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland. Debora Dorothy Thomas, 917 N. Union St., Kennewick. Mohammad Hossein Sadooghi, 828 N. Beech Ave., Pasco. Alex Adrian Acevedo, 1221 S. 13th Lane, Pasco.

CHAPTER 13

Jack Wesley Burger & Tracie Sue Burger, 15203 N. Albro Road, Prosser. Joshua Bahr, 6114 Basalt Falls, Pasco. Estanislada Mila Echeverria, 1832 W. Brown St., Pasco. Joshua Cole Morgan & Julie Ann Morgan, 3400 S. Jean St., Kennewick. Hortencia Hermosillo Luna, 10302 S. Missimer Road, Prosser.

uTOP PROPERTIES BENTON COUNTY 113716 N. Harrington PR NE, Richland,

3,003-square-foot home on 5 acres. Price: $1 million. Buyer: Amy Renee & Rick Alan Nixon. Seller: D. Keith & Betty Jo Hughes Trustees. 2313 Whitetail Drive, Richland, 3,260-square-foot home. Price: $850,000. Buyer: Yefei Gao & Gou Lang. Seller: Tao Liu. 5221 Hershey Lane, West Richland, 0.34-acre home site. Price: $812,000. Buyer: Jacqueline Fields & Lawrence D. Fitts. Seller: Paul & Anita Ivanov. 1220 Meadow Hills Drive, Richland, 0.39-acre home site. Price: $970,000. Buyer: Dustin Ghoreishi & Shyanne Fraga. Seller: Tri-City Remodel LLC. 465 N. Arthur St., Kennewick, apartment complex on 3.3 acres. Price: $9.7 million. Buyer: CRE Kennewick Partners LLC. Seller: Tanglewood Apartments LLC. Property off Locust Grove Road, shed, quonset building, barn, grain bin on 760 acres of dry ag land. Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: Horse Heaven Hills Properties LLC. Seller: Glenn B. Miller Ranch LLC. 4856 Highview St., Richland, 3,163-square-foot home. Price: $800,000. Buyer: Brendan Michael & Anissa Lynn Siefken. Seller: Dean Vande Kamp Trustee. 4415 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 10,245-square-foot commercial building. Price: $700,000. Buyer: Juju Investments LLC. Seller: Tippett Land & Mortgage Co. 925, 947, 939, 938 Heidel Court, Richland, 0.39-, 0.39-, 0.54-, 0.42-acre home sites. Price: $875,000. Buyer: Titan Homes LLC. Seller: Rieve Realty LLC. 35204 S. Hawks Tree PR SE, Kennewick, 2,541-square-foot home on 5 acres. Price: $850,000. Buyer: Damon M. & Icel R. Sullivan. Seller: Teresa M. & Kenneth E. Raymond. 14855 S. Furlong Lane, Kennewick, 1-acre home site. Price: $702,000. Buyer: Stephanie Rae Ling. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc. 1876 Somers Lane, Richland, 0.29-acre home site. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Billy & Maria L. Zamudio-Mares. Seller: Peake Contractors LLC. 5511 Hershey Lane, West Richland, 0.34-acre home site. Price: $915,000. Buyer: Elena & Juan C. Manzo. Seller: Brad Beauchamp. 2776 Ketch Road, Richland, 0.2-acre home site. Price: $730,000. Buyer: Richard C. & Michelle I. Duncan. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Horn Rapids Limited Partnership. Property off Wamba Road, 13.23-acre home site. Price: $1.8 million. Buyer: CWMerlot LLC. Seller: North 44 West LLC. 86511 E. Haven View PR SE, Kennewick, 2,897-square-foot home. Price:

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$770,000. Buyer: Steven M. & Laurel B. Jackson. Seller: Austin Loftus. 855 Rand Drive, Richland, 1,760-squarefoot home. Price: $813,000. Buyer: Thomas & Thoa Pham. Seller: David M. Gardner. 3500 S. Morain St., Kennewick, 2,745-square-foot home. Price: $975,000. Buyer: Loana Perez. Seller: Ezequiel Perez. 924 George Washington Way, Richland, 7,732-square-foot commercial building. Price: $1.8 million. Buyer: CFT NV Developments LLC. Seller: Danny & Kris Houston. 808 S. 54th Ave. West, Richland, 2,009-square-foot home on 2.5 acres. Price: $780,000. Buyer: Joseph Scott & Stacy A. Lorenz. Seller: Brandon & Kindra Reed. 88746 E. Calico Road, Kennewick, 1-acre home site. Price: $858,000. Buyer: Daniel & Michelle Bickford. Seller: New Tradition Homes Inc. 7439 W. 23rd Ave., Kennewick, 0.31-acre home site. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Jon Michael Wilson & Victoria Devan. Seller: P & R Construction LLC. 105903 N. Harrington Road, Richland, 1,874-square-foot home on 1.8 acres. Price: $875,000. Buyer: Shidalowitz LLC. Seller: Gary Scott & Mary K. Barney. 1642 Lucca Lane, Richland, 2,218-square-foot home. Price: $956,000. Buyer: Nitin V. & Divya N. Sajnani. Seller: Suresh & Koshila Piryani. 3420 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, 10,495-square-foot commercial building on 1.7 acres. Price: $1.6 million. Buyer: Shamsher Singh & Anita Rami. Seller: Arthur E. & Susan M. Jennings. 2525 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Richland, 3,024-square-foot commercial building. Price: $750,000. Buyer: JW-AXXI-RE LLC. Seller: Michael J. Davidson. Property off Bombing Range Road near Paradise Way, 2 acres of commercial land. Price: $1.3 million. Buyer: JLW Asset Management LLC. Seller: West Richland Group LLC. 2648 Tiger Lane, Richland, 2,565-squarefoot home. Price: $705,000. Buyer: Hugo C. & Marisela Valencia. Seller: Gordon R. & Linnea G. Benningfield. Property off Horne Road and Ida Avenue in Benton City, six parcels totaling 9.13 acres. Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: Maple Landing LLC. Seller: Brad Beauchamp. 4766 W. Lattin Road, West Richland, 2,396-square-foot home on 2.24 acres. Price: $700,000. Buyer: William R. Dixon. Seller: Audrey Lynn Grube. 7461 W. 23rd Ave., Kennewick, 0.31-acre

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home site. Price: $730,000. Buyer: Dennis L. Kubie & Donnice G. Scrimsher. Seller: P & R Construction LLC. 2811 W. Second Ave., Kennewick, 45,074-square-foot hotel. Price: $5.9 million. Buyer: CV the Kenn LLC. Seller: Columbia Trading LLC. 2014 S. 38th Ave., Richland, 3,105-square-foot home on 2.5 acres. Price: $980,000. Buyer: Matthew & Jordan Paige Goulet. Seller: Steve & Margaret Sanders. 3200 W. 24nd Place, Kennewick, 2,319-square-foot home. Price: $1.3 million. Buyer: George & Kellie Anderson. Seller: Oran D. & Robin D. Denton. 208 Kranichwood Court, Richland, 3,731-square-foot home. Price: $820,000. Buyer: Jae Won Lee. Seller: Jami G. Prigge. 3809 Plaza Way, Kennewick, 3.76 acres of commercial land. Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: Alvarez Holdings LLC. Seller: Erwin L & I LLC. 4453 Lolo Way, Richland, 0.34-acre home site. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Ryan Nicholas & Courtney Marie Smiley. Seller: Tanninen Custom Homes Inc. 4175 Queen St., West, Richland, 3,220-square-foot home. Price: $705,000. Buyer: George & Rebeka Muller. Seller: Matthew J. Bailey & Michele L. Bruce. 7387 W. 22nd Ave., Kennewick, 0.54acre home site. Price: $794,000. Buyer: Todd M & Denise K. Kinsfather. Seller: P & R Construction LLC. 20218 S. Haney Road, Kennewick, 1,915-square-foot home on 2 acres. Price: $720,000. Buyer: Alberto & Nunila Munguia & Reyes Rangel. 3904 King Drive, West Richland, 0.41acre home site. Price: $790,000. Buyer: Matthew James Bailey & Michele Bruce. 1455 S. 54th Ave., West Richland, 2,952-square-foot home. Price: $840,000. Buyer: Michael J. & Cynthia A. Kohlman. Seller: William R. Dixon. 325 Rockwood Drive, Richland, 0.32acre home site. Price: $845,000. Buyer: Kelly & Erik Hansen. Seller: GIS Construction LLC.

FRANKLIN COUNTY 4502 Stearman Ave., 32,496-square-foot commercial building. Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: Washington Grit LLC. Seller: Donaldson LLC. 1131 E. Spokane St., Pasco, 6,000-square-foot storage warehouse. Price: $1.1 million. Buyer: Bradley Maxwell Rozema. Seller: Great Basin Land Company II LLC.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

Property off King Avenue, 4 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: Jesus Higareda Diaz. Seller: Ricardo & Rosa Maria Cantu. 7423 Sandy Ridge Road, Pasco, 3,361-square-foot home. Price: $849,000. Buyer: Gonzalo C. Palomino. Seller: Brian W. & Candy J. Clemmons. 4804 Road 68, Pasco, 1,294-square-foot commercial building. Price: $1.6 million. Buyer: SSA Properties LLC. Seller: ARSFresno LLC. 9527 Sandifur Parkway, Pasco, 8,608-square-foot commercial building. Price: $2 million. Buyer: Peter 567 LLC. Seller: Lape Living Trust. 3580 Auburn Road, Pasco, 1,134-squarefoot home on 73 acres. Price: $770,000. Buyer: Chad & Jande McGary. Seller: Lane B. & Jan McGary. 3108 Tuscany Drive, 2,359-square-foot home. Price: $765,000. Buyer: Ricki D. & Dawn Carter. Seller: Kent & Jane McMullen. Property at Burns and Dent roads, 47.36 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $5.4 million. Buyer: Big Sky Development LLC. Seller: Broadmoor Properties LLC. 6705 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco, 29,128-square-foot commercial building on 3 acres. Price: $4.3 million. Buyer: Wilco Farmers. Seller: Bleyhl Farm Service Inc.

uBUILDING PERMITS BENTON CITY Ellison Earthwork, 1310 Chris Ave., $20,000 for new commercial. Contractor: owner.

BENTON COUNTY Bruce Pratt, 12509 S. Wiser Loop, $519,000 for new commercial. Contractor: owner. Jamie Martinez, 35327 N. Shumacher

PR, Benton City, new commercial. Contractor: Jackson Dean Construction. Lumen, 89303 Sellards Road, Prosser, $125,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: owner. PNW Metal Recycling, 139406 W. Johnson Road, Prosser, $14,000 for new commercial. Contractor: New Beginning NW Inc. US Cellular, 3331 210 PR, Richland, $50,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: GBS Wireless.

FRANKLIN COUNTY CW-1 LP, Coleman Oil, 13060 Glade Road North, Eltopia, $48,000 for demolition. Contractor: owner.

KENNEWICK ABS WA-O LLC, 5204 W. Clearwater Ave., $70,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $160,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Bruce Mechanical Inc., Riggle Plumbing Inc. CWS Holdings LLC, 8905 W. Gage Blvd., $30,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Ashley Bertsch Group. Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $174,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Elite Construction and Development. Starbucks, 7600 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 110, $106,000 for commercial remodel, $18,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Associated Construction, Apex Plumbing and Mechanical. 8200 Gage LLC, 8200 W. Gage Blvd., $500,000 for commercial remodel, $35,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $50,000 for plumbing. Contractors: W McKay Construction LLC, Bruce Mechanical Inc., REV1 Mechanical LLP. Walmart Stores Inc., 2707 Quillan St., $16,000 for demolition. Contractor: Able Clean-up Technology. Suebug Enterprises LLC, 2652 W. 15th Ave., $4.5 million for multifamily housing, $425,000 for plumbing, $420,000 for

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heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: W McKay Construction LLC, REV1Mechanical LLC, Bruce Mechanical Inc. Northwest OSR RE Owner II LLC, 240 N. Ely St., $35,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. DJLS Center LLC, 1360 N. Louisiana St., $8,500 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. TTB Investments LLC, 5204 W. Okanogan Place, #150, $65,000 for commercial remodel, $20,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Hummel Construction and Development, Total Energy Management. DJS Heerron Lake LLC, 51 N. Edison St., #D101, #E101, #G101, #H101, $72,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing. 1derful Korean BBQ Inc., 6494 W. Skagit Ave., $750,000 for new commercial, $42,000 for plumbing, $30,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Cliff Thorn Construction, Columbia Basin Plumbing, Dayco Heating & Air. Starbucks, 7600 Clearwater Ave., $10,000 for sign. Contractor: Quality Signs. Benton-Franklin Health District, 800 W. Canal Drive, $58,250 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Palmer Roofing Co. TriCity Remodel LLC, 5604 W. Metaline Ave., $200,000 for demolition. Contractor: 47 North Custom Homes.

PASCO Bobby & Mary Gilbert, 411 N. Oregon Ave., $614,000 for new commercial. Contractor: W McKay Construction LLC. Rigo Ibarra Chavez, 808 S. 10th Ave., $48,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner. Zepgon Investments LLC, 2120 W. A St., $12,000 for carport. Contractor: Columbia River Walk Development LLC. JKJ Group LLC, 2307 E. Lewis St., $15,000 for sign. Contractor: Eagle Signs LLC. New Dream Investor LLC, 2805 E. A St., $120,000 for new commercial. Contractor: owner. AP Properties LLC, 725 N. 26th Ave., $266,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Osborn Construction and Design LLC. Numerica Credit Union, 2307 W. Court St., $40,000 for demolition. Contractor: Leone & Keeble Inc. Zepgon Investment, 2120 W. A St., $5.6 million for multifamily. Contractor: Columbia River Walk Development. Hogback Three Rivers LLC, 5814 Road

68, $353,000 for new commercial. Contractor: 2812 Architecture. Ambrosia QSR Chicken Real Estate, 5814 Road 68, $20,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. Reser’s Fine Foods, 5526 N. Capitol Ave., $150,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Reser’s Construction. UPI Property LLC, 904 S. Oregon Ave., $55,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: owner. Project Pearl Pasco, 1202 S. Road 40 East, $377,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Cissell-Mueller Construction. Project Oyster Pasco, 1351 S. Road 40 East, $377,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Cissell-Mueller Construction. Patterson Family 2, 5224 Outlet Drive, $24,000 for sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication. Zepgon Investments LLC, 2120 W. A St., $80,000 for pool. Contractor: Columbia River Walk Development LLC. Broetje Orchards, Parcel 113 720 037, $200,000 for grading. Contractor: to be determined. Sparrow Investments, 8921 Sandifur Parkway, $188,000 for new commercial. Contractor: StoneCrest Builders. Port of Pasco, 3405 E. Ainsworth Ave., $68,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: TKO Construction General. Jodh’s Development, 2525 N. 20th Ave., $12,000 for sign. Contractor: Ramsay Signs. Project Pearl Pasco, 1202 S. Road 40 East, $14 million for commercial addition. Contractor: Wize Solutions Inc. Patterson Family 2, 5238 Outlet Drive, $9,500 for commercial addition. Contractor: owner. Columbia Basin College, 2600 N. 20th Ave., $50,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: to be determined. World Life Christian Center, 3315 W. Court St., $222,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Inland Asphalt Company. CJM Investments LLC, 720 W. Lewis St., $7,000 for demolition. Contractor: owner. Patterson Family 2, 5238 Outlet Drive, $55,000 for demolition. Contractor: owner.

RICHLAND Central Washington Corn Processors, 3334 Logston Blvd., $252,000 for new commercial. Contractor: owner. ADSG LLC, 1363 Columbia Park Trail,

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B15

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 $293,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Siefken & Sons Construction. Monson Development, 3910 Highview St., $80,000 for grading. Contractor: Big D’s Construction of Tri-Cities. Sahota Invesment, 1903 Jadwin Ave., $12,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: M Campbell & Company. Nor Am Investment, 2700 Allison Way, $1.4 million for grading. Contractor: Goodman & Mehlenbacher Enterprises Inc. Grigsby Properties, 110 Gage Blvd., Suite 200, $245,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Breton Avenir Construction Services. Starmark Real Estate, 460 Williams Blvd., Suite B, $25,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Straight Edge Construction. Kadlec Regional Medical Center, 888 Swift Blvd., $205,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Bouten Construction Co. B1 1100 Jadwin LLC, 1100 Jadwin Ave., #110, $150,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Booth & Sons Construction. 7-Eleven, 1540 Jadwin Ave., $75,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Bergeson Boese & Associates. Verna Hughes, 1300 Columbia Park Trail, $24,000 for grading. Contractor: Apollo Inc.

WEST RICHLAND Belmont Group LLC, 6255 Keene Road, $50,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

uBUSINESS LICENSES KENNEWICK Paramount Mechanical LLC, 1104 E. Spokane Ave., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Apex Industrial Construction Company LLC, 3700 Fifth Court North, Birmingham, Alabama.

Greater Purpose Heating and Cooling LLC, 27528 Highway 730, Umatilla, Oregon. Cornerstone Pro Roofing LLC, 3858 N. Tupiza Ave., Meridian, Idaho. Lakeland Restoration, 6736 Highway 2, Priest River, Idaho. Southland Industries, 12131 Western Ave., Garden Grove, California. Hawthorn Construction Group LLC, 2260 McGilchrist St. SE, Salem, Oregon. Effectual Construction LLC, 363 NE Marshall Loop, Boardman, Oregon. AES Mechanical Services, 2171 Al Highway 229 South, Tallassee, Alabama. Northwest Tower LLC dba Northwest Tower of Washington, 9760 Summit Drive, Missoula, Montana. Great Western Installations Inc., 975 S. State Highway 89, Logan, Utah. Michels Pacific Energy Inc., 2200 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, California. Electrical Professional Services Inc., 2130 NE Airport Road, Roseburg, Oregon. Intermountain Cleaning Service Inc., 515 N. 20th Ave., Yakima. Ravens Shire, 1411 Dudley Ave., Prosser. Bowen Painting Inc., 1111 W. Poplar St., Walla Walla. Wyatt Refrigeration Company, 12432 Highway 99 South, #75, Everett. Creekstone Care Homes LLC, 3321 W. 10th Ave. SMS Construction LLC, 3324 W. 19th Ave. Columbia Basin Striping LLC, 11969 Debonair Road NE, Moses Lake. Wingate Inn, 2600 S. Quillan Place. Associated Construction Inc., 2904 N. Madelia St., Spokane. Sierra Santa Fe Corp., 6110 N. 20th St., Ridgefield. Blueelement Electric LLC, 4426 W. 10th Ave. Metro Air Inc., 715 Eighth St., Kirkland. Aston Carter Inc., 11000 NE 33rd Place Suite 200, Bellevue. Solid Structures LLC, 6724 N. Pittsburg

St., Spokane. Danideff Hair, 10121 W. Clearwater Ave. Fawcett Plumbing Inc., 5022 84th St. East, Tacoma. Culbert Construction Inc., 3905 E. A St., Pasco. Joe Winters, 1430 S. Garfield Place. Quality Dental Studio, 131 Vista Way, Suite D. Traffic Management Inc., 1846 Terminal Drive, Richland. Top Shelf Closets Inc., 21600 NE 87th Ave., Battle Ground. Wendy L. Mcadie, 731 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Sunny Waves, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Ste 4. Ferguson Construction, 13810 SE Eastgate Way, Suite 110, Bellevue. The Tip Pit Bar-b-que, 4033 W Van Giesen St., Suite C, West Richland. Am Cleaning, 3616 W. Court St., Pasco. C. Watts Trucking LLC, 693 S. Idaho St. Cindy’s Ventures LLC, 8 N. Washington St. Speck Hyundai Of Tri-Cities, 1002 N. 28th, Pasco. A TO Z Landscaping & Maintenance, 803 E. 13th Ave. The Lady Bug Shoppe, 10 E. Bruneau Ave. All Stiles Contracting LLC, 7803 Galiano Drive, Pasco. All Things Drywall & Const. LLC, 6010 Pimlico Drive, Pasco. Project Pros, 1709 W. 10th Ave. Ron White All American Arborist, 6217 W. First Ave. Miranda Construction, 451 Green Road, Pasco. C&M Contracting LLC, 3119 W. Seventh Ave. Curve Shark Productions LLC, 722 W. 45th Ave. Karvid Partners, 34263 Hood Canal Drive NE, Kingston. The Painting Bees LLC, 2627 W. Clearwater Ave.

B15

Lockboxstand, 3121 W. Hood Ave. Amber Lilly Event Rentals, 1333 Stevens Drive, Richland. Ridgeline Comfort Home LLC, 5955 W. 37th Place. Sexton Construction Services LLC, 1526 Thayer Drive, Richland. Knights Welding, 4432 W. Clearwater Ave. O.C. Detail, 460 N. Arthur St. Sierra’s Landscaping, 1709 S. Gum St. Harvest Plus LLC, 3902 W. Clearwater Ave. Phoenix Homes, 5321 W. 10th Ave. SAA Investments, 9803 Nottingham Drive, Pasco. Monkey Bug Farms, 3103 W. 24th Ave. Pinetree Painting LLC, 5013 W. Richardson Road, Pasco. Manny’s Taping, 3004 W. Wilcox Drive, Pasco. Beth Beauty, 4018 W. Clearwater. Butterflyfxreading LLC, 10 E. Bruneau Ave. Garden Geeks Landscaping Company, 10 Green Road, Pasco. Mike’s Plumbing Service LLC, 1905 W. 37th Ave. CCB Exteriors & Maintenance LLC, 50 Apollo Blvd., Richland. Greg’s Septic Service, 26504 S. Dague Road. Cohen Home Services, 8801 W. Sixth Ave. Legend Plumbing and Mechanical, 1507 Butternut Ave., Richland. VZ Precise LLC, 33812 Cantera St. Kurb Appeal LLC, 2720 W. 45th Ave. Ohmco Electrical Inc., 73303 E. Grand Bluff Loop. M&J Painting and Drywall Repair LLC, 1019 Elm Ave., Richland. R&L Painting, 7803 W. Deschutes Ave. Letras & Scribbles Day Care LLC, 4501 W. Fourth Place. Clutchdiscounts, 2214 W. 13th Ave.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B16

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

Empire Electric USA, 218 W. Kennewick Ave. Frank Meyer Construction, 107105 N. Harrington Road, West Richland. Virtel Flooring Services, 1114 W. 10th Ave. Tri-City Rock & Landscaping LLC, 415 N. Jefferson St. Perfect Line Painting LLC, 5014 W. Seventh Ave. Tri-City Flooring & Custom Trim LLC, 8115 Wenatchee Drive, Pasco. Comida Flores, 320 E. Second Ave. Best Choice Pro Painting, 5303 W. Skagit Ave. Rick Scott’s HVAC/R LLC, 579 N. 61st Ave., West Richland. Trenow Construction LLC, 1114 W. 10th Ave. Pipo’s Landscaping, 46 Gallant Road, Burbank. KD’s Remodeling, 210 S. Olson St. Victory Boutique, 2406 W. 19th Ave.

Damar Towing Corporation II, 313 E. First Ave. S&J Construction Services LLC, 3701 Artesia Drive, Pasco. Lendmark Financial Services LLC, 4285 Meridian St., Bellingham. Allied Investments, 400 S. Wilson St. Dirks & Halka, 1339 S. Washington St. Lendmark Financial Services LLC, 8902 NE Fifth Ave., Vancouver. Expandim Home Flooring & Remodeling LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave. Peak Physical Therapy Specialists LLC, 3807 W. Court St., Pasco. Red Leaf Massage Therapy, 121 Vista Way. Oatis Counseling & Therapeutic Services, 1030 N. Center Parkway. Twin Rivers Paper Company LLC, 3800 W. 42nd Ave. G B Interiors LLC, 1724 W. 45th Ave. The Rubiclown, 305 E. First Place. Luxe Design and Supply LLP, 105609 E.

Wiser Parkway. Sunrise Awakenings Counseling PLLC, 709 Tanglewood Drive, Richland. Fernandez Drywall LLC, 812 S. Everett St. Pacific Northwest Labor Services LLC, 1114 W. 10th Ave. NJA Trucking LLC, 2802 S. Zimmerman St. Slavics Housekeeping, 3131 W. Hood Ave. Art By Shantel, 3911 W. 27th Ave. Triple Blessigs LLC, 4002 S. Ledbetter Court. Comfort Inn Kennewick Richland, 7801 W. Quinault Ave. Elevated Credit Consulting, 1209 W. Entiat Ave. Moving By Jason Farmer, 5410 W. First Place. Indigo Blue Esthetics, 8121 W. Grandridge Blvd. Enlighten Candles, 10 E. Bruneau Ave.

Porter & Co LLC, 204 S. Louisiana St. Juanitos Prime Meats LLC, 4812 W. Clearwater Ave. Fashion Boutique, 10 E. Bruneau Ave. Energy Pro Insulation Inc., 180 Moore Road, Pasco. JPI Insurance Solutions, 8927 W. Tucannon Ave., Suite 2. D & H Bling Party, 4803 W. Canal Drive. Somnum Magnus LLC, 3722 S. Taft St. Compton Financial Group LLC, 602 N. Colorado St. Gilberto’s Tile LLC, 1609 W. 25th Place. Dove Clean and Shine, 1114 W. 10th Ave. Royal Mart, 104 4212 W. 27th Ave. Dee’s Gems, 2839 W. Kennewick Ave. Carly Malic-Ingram, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Rm 13. Deadworm Fishing LLC, 210 E. Fifth Ave. Liberty Fire Inspection Services LLC, 207405 E. Finley Road. David Leon Enlow, 205504 E. Perkins Road. SM Logistics, 4116 S. Auburn St. Noiseaware Inc., 3381 S. Roosevelt Place. Rise Crystal Jewerly Design, 1208 N. Pittsburg St. Whimsy Love, 609 Torbett St., Richland. The Human Bean Kennewick, 4305 W. Clearwater Ave. Atomic Junk Commission, 1509 Judson Ave., Richland. Summit Up To Hair, 731 N. Columbia Center Blvd. Foodies On The Go, 701 The Parkway, Richland. Patito’s Cleaning LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave. TFS Logistics LLC, 29 S. Volland St. Rancho Storage Center, 1703 S. Union St. Davis Mechanics LLC, 4721 W. 10th Ave. Sprayed Out Painting & Construction LLC, 33904 S. Finley Road. Pct Gear, 5861 W. Clearwater Ave. Fairy Godmothers Dog Grooming, 3321 W. Kennewick Ave. Busy Bees Daycare, 612 E. Ninth Place. Antojitos Cuernavaca LLC, 10 E. Bruneau Ave. Tropical Express, 342 W. Columbia Drive. Cleaning and Maintenance Solutions CD, 1030 N. Center Parkway. James Youssef, 6408 W. Victoria Ave. Sammy & Sons Lawn Care LLC, 3815 S. Date St. New Dae Supported Living, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd. Alison Crews, 8390 W. Gage Blvd. Tina’s Beauty, 10 E. Bruneau Ave. Fabian Ubay Fotografia Y Video, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Garden Dance Nursery, 1003 W. Kennewick Ave. VP Realty LLC, 8836 W. Gage Blvd. Hanan Counseling Services, 3121 W. Hood Ave. Northwest Ag, 5630 W. 31st Ave. Horse Sense Vet, 943 Stevens Drive, Richland. Lifekiss, 105 N. Ione St. Onyx Car Rentals of Tri-Cities, 2514 W. 35th Ave. Gigis Drywall LLC, 826 S. Fourth Lane, Pasco. Flores Trucking LLC, 1103 S. Newport St. Significant Senior Advisors LLC, 4302 S. Ione St. Yet Lovely, 10 E. Bruneau Ave. Equip Construction & Remodeling LLC, 8019 W. Quinault Ave. Jeromy Roach, 517 N. Hartford St. Kindred Spirits, 10 E. Bruneau Ave. Luxury Modern Home Construction LLC, 4108 Kechika Lane, Pasco. Madrigal Cleaning Services, 1026 W. 10th Ave. Madrigal Abarca Cleaning Services, 425 S. Olympia St., Apt. F205. South Hill Developers Inc., 7045 W. 31st Place. Mano A Mano Boxing Club LLC, 5601 W. Clearwater Ave.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B17

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 Credit Pros TriCities, LLC, 402 N. Ely St. Magdalena Afh LLC, 1207 N. Quebec St. G.C. Mowing, 412 N. Hartford St. Beckett Pierre Deranleau, 7709 W. Sixth Ave. Polished By Kelly, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Monique Angel, 312 N. Neel St. Kylucious, 312 N. Neel St. Auburn Studio Network LLC, 15 N. Auburn St. Gabriel Lewis Medina LLC, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd. Beauty By Yuliana, 101 N. Union St. The Merriman’s Axolotl, 4004 W. Deschutes Ave. Levno CPA PLLC, 810 W. 25th Ave. DMK Repair LLC, 1110 W. 15th Place. James’ Handyman & Landscaping LLC, 4225 W. John Day Place. Harp Commercial Cleaning LLC, 2105 N. Steptoe St. MS Professional Flooring LLC, 5714 Rio Grande Lane, Pasco. Mathnasium, 1408 N. Louisiana St. Trading Cards Grading Company LLC, 3180 W. Clearwater Ave. Radiant Builders LLC, 26812 S. 875 PR SE. Virginia Sliman Counseling, 8929 W. Canyon Place. L Stueckle OD PD, 5426 Road 68, Pasco. Casa Fresca House Cleaning Services, 4607 W. John Day Ave. J&S Property Management LLC, 3920 S. Olson Place. Blessed Hands, 573 N. Harrison Place. WGD, 5204 W. Okanogan Place. Emily A. Pearce, 918 N. Cleveland St. Ava Janae Photography, 1702 W. Sixth Ave. Firststep Communications, 2414 S. Tacoma St.

PASCO Infinity Transportation LLC, 3004 Wilcox Drive. Raan Coffee, 9425 Sandifur Parkway. Refinery Trift, 430 W. Columbia St. Silvia E. Ramirez - Via, 930 W. Nixon St. Family Dollar #32785, 920 N. 20th Ave. F & E Transport LLC, 3013 W. Agate St. Pelvqueria Las Nenas, 801 W. Nixon St. Kenyon Zero Storage Inc., 5812 Burlington Loop. Whitee Smiles, 6209 Road 90. Kiss Of Death Clothing, 1832 W. Court St., Suite B. JJ’s Professional Cleaning Services LLC, 3510 Cook Lane. New York Hair Academy, 2508 W. Sylvester St. East. Honey Drop, 3315 W. Court St., Suite 101. Ground Support Coffee, 6600 Burden Blvd. Paty’s Creations, 6203 Maryhill Lane. RRH Transport LLC, 1807 W. Jay St. Vida Saludable, 1108 W. Sylvester St. Quetzal Gt, 507 N. Fourth Ave. BYM Productions, 220 N. 18th Ave. Zaefamilyservices LLC, 604 N. Waldemar

Ave. Capitol Custom Construction LLC, 4512 Cheland Drive. Morales Cruz Farm, 240 Orchard Road. Elite Environmental Services LLC, 1702 Englewood Ave., Yakima. Zaga Construction and Landscaping LLC, 670 Fourth Ave. S, Okanogan. Badlands Construction Company LLC, 4701 Arena Road, Richland. Powerstroke Siding, 1224 N. Union St, Kennewick. Leo Trucking, 2112 E. Sycamore Court. 10/Zero5 General Contractor LLC, 5524 Cleveland Lane. PPC Solutions Inc., 18303 E. Appleway Ave., Spokane Valley. Benchmark Oasis PT Partners LLC, 6825 Burden Blvd., Suite D. The Silver Stitchery, 931 N. 25th Place. Alliance Women’s Health LLC, 9613 Sandifur Parkway. AAA Concrete Inc., 16004 E. Field Road, Benton City. Renaissance, 38221 W. Metaline Ave., Suite B, Kennewick. The Metal Surgeons LLC, 1312 Williams Blvd., Richland. Alpine Alarm Communications and Construction, 10200 W. First Blvd., Building 1, Island City, Oregon. Maya’s Trucking LLC, 4804 Cleveland Lane. Veronica’s Fresh Produce, 3407 W. Court St., Suite 3423. Mojica Trucking, 3121 Wilcox Drive. Anata Construction LLC, 617 N. Ione St, Unit B, Kennewick. Landscaping Solutions, 425 S. Olympia St., #G208, Kennewick. Legend Plumbing and Mechanical LLC, 1507 Butternut Ave., Richland. Liberty Electrical Company LLC, 33503 319 PR NE, Benton City. Brady’s Custom Concrete LLC, 22002 E. Sandstone Drive, Benton City. Chavez Concrete Pumping LLC, 4825 Jefferson St. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cissell-Mueller Construction Inc., 5530 Salt River Road, Saint Peters, Missouri. Growing Forward Services LLC, 5602 Mulberry Drive, West Richland. Hinshaw Investments LLC, 4415 Montgomery Lane. M&J Painting and Drywall Repair, 1019 Elm Ave., Richland. Final Step Home Inspection, 4203 Phoenix Lane. Tanya Logston LLC, 4106 Road 104. Tri-City Flooring & Custom Trim LLC, 8115 Wenatchee Drive. Gentges Transportation, 6502 Pimlico Drive. Code 4 Auto Detailing, 3520 El Paso Drive. B3E Cleaning Services LLC, 230 W. Lewis St., Suite D. Southland Industries, 1213 Western Ave., Garden Grove, California. Fernandez Drywall LLC, 812 S. Everett St., Kennewick.

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Spe Racing Engines LLC, 627 W. Columbia St. Evolution Landscaping LLC, 1505 S. Road 40 East, #809. Energy Pro Insulation Inc., 180 Moore Road. The New Era Barber Studio, 3616 W. Court St., Suite F. Street Vibez, 620 N. 20th Ave. Premier Roofing and Exteriors LLC, 3019 Duportail St., Suite 310, Richland. Greg’s Septic Service, 26504 S. Dague Road, Kennewick. Craftybombcreations, 7823 Rush Creek Drive. Ohmco Electrical Inc., 73303 E. Grand Bluff Loop. Dove Clean and Shine, 1114 W. 10th Ave., #EE205, Kennewick. CMC Rebar, 2306 B St. NW, Auburn. Setco Inc., 1803 NW Seminole Ave., Idabel, Oklahoma. Schmitt Electric Inc., 1114 Walla Walla Ave., Wenatchee. American Tree Trimmers LLC, 89213 W. Old Inland Empire Highway, Prosser. Garden Geeks Landscaping, 10 Green Road. Hair By Genesis, 2420 W. Court St. KD’s Remodeling, 210 S. Olson St., Kennewick. Empire Electric USA, 218 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. Come Nzibarega - Via, 2894 Salk Ave., Richland. Richard W. Woods- Via, 1721 S. Dennis St., Kennewick.

RICHLAND Michels Pacific Energy Inc., 2200 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, California. Clarity Communication Advisors Inc., 2 Corporate Drive, Southfield, Missouri. Beynon Sports Surfaces Inc., 19600 SW 129th Ave., Tualatin, Oregon. King Directional Drilling, 2462 Emmie Lane, Tetonia, Idaho.

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Galloway Artisans, 1385 Tutuilla Road, Pendleton, Oregon. Greater Purpose Heating and Cooling LLC, 27528 Highway 730, Umatilla, Oregon. Cornerstone Pro Roofing LLC, 3858 N. Tupiza Ave., Meridian, Idaho. Effectual Construction LLC, 363 NE Marshall Loop, Boardman, Oregon. Richard Tucker Urdahl Agency, 110 Gage Blvd. Benaco Ltd., 483 Green Lanes, London, England. Rivers Edge Designs, 1208 Swift Blvd. David L. Greytak, 2009 S. Ione St., Kennewick. Hiline Homes of Tri-Cities, 105503 E. Badger Road, Kennewick. Chapala Express, 1028 Lee Blvd. A Stroke of Genius, 620 S. Highland Drive, Kennewick. NW Residential Design & Assocs., 520 N. Edison St., Kennewick. Blueelement Electric LLC, 4426 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick. Specialty Engineering Inc., 10020 NE 72nd Ave., Vancouver. Baldwin Sign Co., 6409 N. Pittsburg St., Spokane. Bath Builders LLC, 13504 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley. Tri-City Family Expo, 44 Ridgecliff Drive. Architectural Arts LLC, 3082 Duval Loop. Safway Services LLC, 1523 E. Hillsboro St., Pasco. Solid Structures LLC, 6724 N. Pittsburg St., Spokane. RPE Security, 2329 S. M St., Tacoma. Nationwide Security Solutions Inc., 6407 NE, 117th Ave., Suite. B, Vancouver. Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau, 2101 Fourth Ave., Suite 300, Seattle. American Tree Trimmers LLC, 9213 W. Old Inland Empire Highway, Prosser. DDB LLC, 6103 Balsam Court, West Richland. Comfort Footcare, 1405 Tunis Ave.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022

Am Cleaning, 3616 W. Court St., Pasco. R. Peterman Construction Inc., 4321 Mount Everest Court, West Richland. C. Watts Trucking LLC, 693 S. Idaho St., Kennewick. Little Vintage Cottage, 1445 Alice St. RD Construction, 620 Ringhoff Road, Burbank. All Stiles Contracting LLC, 7803 Galiano Drive, Pasco. Standup Wellness, 601 Knight St. Project Pros, 1709 W. 10th, Kennewick. TJ’s General Contractor LLC, 1707 W. Brown St., Pasco. Flourish Mid-Columbia, 1312 Sacramento Blvd. CSI of Yakima, 111 N. Pierce Ave., Yakima. Stratum Concrete LLC, 412 N. Ninth Ave., Pasco. D-BAT Columbia Basin, 6416 W. Hood Place, Kennewick. Alex and Heather Burden, 2288 Firerock Ave. Chelsea Blair, 1659 Foxglove Ave. Castle Contracting NW, 9903 NE 173rd St., Battle Ground. Sartain Tree Removal, 912 S. 30th Ave., Yakima. Straight Edge Construction, 1419 Meade Ave., Prosser. Pindare Films LLC, 1013 Lethbridge Ave. Brady’s Custom Concrete LLC, 22002 E. Sandstone Drive, Benton City. Zippys Cleaning and Home Services, 2100 Bellerive Drive. JLB Construction, 2400 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick. Manny’s Taping, 3004 W. Wilcox Drive, Pasco. Amor Ala Mexicana LLC, 1308 Lee Blvd. Smart Dental, 3200 Duportail St. Fab & Deb Concrete LLC, 6026 Gray St., West Richland. Top Tier Contracting, 509 4315 Messara Lane, Pasco. Lemberg Homes LLC, 2405 E. Ainsworth Ave., Pasco.

Mobile Modular Management Corp., 2699 First St. Garden Geeks Landscaping Co., 10 Green Road, Pasco. Tailar Hattie Shreve, 1315 George Washington Way. SPI Richland LLC, 1370 Tapteal Drive. CCB Exteriors & Maintenance LLC, 50 Apollo Blvd. The Wright Place, 1019 Wright Ave. Renaissance, 3721 W. Metaline Ave., Kennewick. Anata Construction LLC, 617 N. Ione St., Kennewick. ASCI Washington LLC, 1212 Covina Court. Liberty Electrical Company LLC, 33503 319 PR NE, Benton City. Watch Your Step Flooring LLC, 24807 S. Sunset Meadow Loop, Kennewick. Getchell Handyman Services, 6851 Pioneer Drive, Cashmere. Greg’s Septic Service, 26504 S. Dague Road, Kennewick. Tri-Cities Contractors Brothers, 623 N. Arbutus Ave., Pasco. Pina’s Roofing LLC, 898 W. Whitman Drive, Walla Walla. Legend Plumbing and Mechanical, 1507 Butternut Ave. Doctor’s Pharmacy, 1446 Spaulding Ave. VZ Precise LLC, 33812 Cantera St., Kennewick. Expert Sales Group LLC, 2746 Kingsgate Way. Thatebikefamily, 1973 Forest Ave. Columbia Basin Windows, 1310 Marshall Ave. IMG General Construction LLC, 1913 N. 11th Ave., Pasco. Ohmco Electrical Inc., 73303 E. Grand Bluff Loop, Kennewick. Kids On The Go LLC, 503 George Washington Way. M&J Painting and Drywall Repair LLC, 1019 Elm Ave. Relentless Custom Homes LLC, 2714 Hyde Road.

Acme Handy Man Services, 97808 E. Kase Blvd. Kennewick. Emily Ruth Bass, 1126 Bridle Drive. 123 Express Transport, 508 Newcomer St. Cooley Anesthesia LLC, 4764 Smitty Drive. Runners of the Sage, 1523 Naches Ave. Innovation Chix LLC, 343 Westmoreland Drive. Nicoles Anesthesia LLC, 4764 Smitty Drive. Nam Logistics LLC, 713 Jadwin Ave. Janimar Purses, 1876 Fowler St. Elsie Anne Creative, 2550 Duportail St. Columbia Basin Truck Driving School, 1846 Terminal Drive. Manifest Building Solutions, 425 Lakerose Loop Sedale Art LLC, 214 Torbett St. Virtel Flooring Services, 1114 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick. Bella Master Suite, 2914 Karlee Drive. Tri-City Flooring & Custom Trim LLC, 8115 Wenatchee Drive, Pasco. Sniper Dart Supplies, 2007 Tinkle St. Best Choice Pro Painting, 5303 W. Skagit Ave., Kennewick. Youth Workers United, 614 Meadows Drive East. Benchmark Oasis PT Partners LLC, 1020 Queensgate Drive. Trenow Construction LLC, 1114 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick. Pipo’s Landscaping, 46 Gallant Road, Burbank. KD’s Remodeling, 210 S. Olson St., Kennewick. Mid-Columbia Realty LLC, 1209 Country Ridge Drive. S&J Construction Services LLC, 3701 Artesia Drive, Pasco. Apogee Pae Services LLC, 1440 Battelle Blvd. Hairbycaleylively, 1950 Keene Road. Gardner Craftworks, 242 Saint Court. Lil’ Orbits WC, 8033 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. WL Architects, 2749 Chelan Loop. Murri Wernett LLC, 1245 Gage Blvd. Murri Johnson LLC, 1245 Gage Blvd. Viking Studios LLC, 4270 Norris St. I.C. Logistics LLC, 2021 Mahan Ave. Expandim Home Flooring & Remodeling LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. The JJF Group LLC, 212 Odessa St., Richland. Knockout Pavement Services, 71515 N. Highway 225, Benton City. West Fork Anesthesia PLLC, 1206 Comstock St. Core Cabinet Production, 2465 Stevens Drive. Rose Petal Cottage, 1401 Geothals Drive. Pro Auto Glass, 1351 Wyman St. Rad Towing of Richland, 4771 W. Lattin Road, West Richland. Veronica’s Fruit Stand, 1345 Lee Blvd. James Safety Consulting, 4820 Chukar Drive, West Richland. Local Null, 2100 Bellerive Drive. Pacific Spotlight Studio, 1302 Van Giesen St. Gilberto’s Tile LLC, 1609 W. 25th Place, Kennewick. Dove Clean and Shine, 1114 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick. Queensgate Food Mart, 999 Queensgate Drive. Whimsy Love, 609 Torbett St. Ryman Development Group LLC, 306 Armistead Ave. Columbia River PDR, 6316 Camden Drive, Pasco. 24/7 Transportation LLC, 2649 Jason Loop. Sammy & Sons Lawn Care LLC, 3815 S. Date St., Kennewick. Amandabobbett.com, 1022 Lee Blvd. Detailing Etc., 6331 Meyers St., West Richland. Prestige Championship Wrestling LLC, 1300 Jadwin Ave. Gigis Drywall LLC, 826 S. Four Lane, Pasco. Josie & Co Photography LLC, 190 Oak-

land St. SR3 Landscaping, 1845 Leslie Road. Beauty in the Dark Publishing, 319 Rossell Ave. A & One Septic Service LLC, 103 W. California St., Union Gap Beckett Pierre Deranleau, 7709 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick. Jilly Bead Designs, 2658 Eaglewatch Loop Buxbear Storage Richland, 2373 Jericho Road. James’ Handyman & Landscaping LLC, 4225 W. John Day Place, Kennewick. Radiant Builders LLC, 26812 S. 875 PR SE, Kennewick. Natural Serenity, 227 Symons St. Creative Solutions Media, 6604 W. Old Inland Empire Hwy., Benton City. El Agave 4 LLC, 1301 Aaron Drive.

WEST RICHLAND

Fowler LLC, 5206 Spirea Drive. Lindsay Clark, 6070 Juneberry Drive. Kelly M. Aliulis, 629 Pikes Peak Drive. Thumbs Up Painting LLC, 8208 Fernow St. Hernandez Masonry LLC, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Columbia Basin Drywall LLC, 2408 S. Oak St., Kennewick. BR Building Co., 73 S. Gose St., Walla Walla. All American Barns LLC, 65310 N. Highway 225, Benton City. Quality Landscaping LLC, 1402 S. Gum St., Kennewick. Excellity Mobile Detail & Carwash, 805 S. Gum St., Kennewick. Hough Construction Inc., 1690 Brittlebush Lane, Richland. J & J Kelly Construction Inc., 1802 Road 76, Pasco. Mitchells Restoration, 6218 W. First Ave., Kennewick. A & One Septic Service LLC, 103 W. California St., Union Gap. Superior Image Painting LLC, 6001 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick. Hot Tamales, 2521 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. Pipo’s Landscaping, 46 Gallant Road, Burbank. Prime Dental Partners LLC, 4476 W. Van Giesen St. Paul Madsen LLC, 4476 W. Van Giesen St. Paradise Food Mart, 1400 Bombing Range Road. Ledesma Contractors LLC, 1813 W. Octave St., Pasco. Doggie-style Gourmet, 3209 W. 21st Ave., Kennewick. Evens Enterprises, 97303 E. Sagebrush Road, Kennewick. American Homecare Distributing, 3104 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. Neighborhood Services LLC, 129002 W. Old Inland Empire Highway, Prosser. Shed Crafters TC, 2912 Road 48 Pasco. Gilberto’s Tile LLC, 1609 W. 25th Place, Kennewick. Arias Pro Remodel, 217 N. First Ave., Pasco. DNK Tile Work LLC, 620 S. Douglas Ave., Pasco. Atomic Junk Commission, 1509 Judson Ave., Richland. B&E Construction LLC, 1607 W. 35th Ave., Kennewick Brokerage, 1722 Sunshine Ave. Elena Fuller, 4900 Paradise Way. NBHB Stormwater, 11214 N. Whitehouse St., Spokane. Razor Blades LLC, 20904 S. Williams PR SE, Kennewick. Nationwide Solar, 6407 NE 117th Ave., Vancouver. Energy Pro Insulation Inc., 180 Moore Road, Pasco.

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.

Escamilla & Co. LLC, unpaid Department

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022 of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 4. Gman Delivery Services LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 4. Fidel Valencia, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 4. Vinicio Marin Gomez, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 4. D&L Roofing, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 4. Tracey Michelle Kosmos, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 4. City Maintenance, et al., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 4. Garcia’s Rock LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 4. Glowing Smiles LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 4. Evergreen Coffee Co. West, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 4. SML & Associates LLC, et al., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 4. Vaka Negra LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 4. Raciel Lopez, unpaid Department of Licensing taxes, filed April 18. Vinicio Marin Gomez, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 18. Marcus Derome Fellows, et al., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 18. 509 Coffee Company LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 18. Jesus Israel Mencias, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 18. Manson Bay Suites LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 18. Superior Clean Services LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 18. Clark D. Clark, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 18. Eastern WA Construction Inc., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 18. ABC Multiple LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 18. HDZ Construction Services, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 20. EZ Mail In LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 20. Efrain Cuevas Rivera, et al., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 20. Christina Marie Martin-Seg, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 20. HDZ Construction Services LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 20. Kingdom Property Improvements LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed

April 20. Proficiency Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 20. David Perez, et al., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 21. Edd Anso General Contractor LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 27. Rendon Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 27. Platte River Sales LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 27. J Villegas General Construction, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 27. Panchos Heating & Cooling, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed April 27. The Coffee Crush LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed April 29.

uLIQUOR LICENSES BENTON COUNTY NEW

Wit Cellars, 505 Cabernet Court, Suite A, Prosser. License type: beer/wine on premises endorsement; domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: added/ change of class/in lieu. Sushiya, 731 N. Columbia Center Blvd., #120, Kennewick. License type: spirits/ beer/wine, restaurant, service bar. Application type: assumption. Divots Golf Richland, 2450 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Richland. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine. Application type: new. Brady’s Brats and Burgers WA LLC, 6481 W. Skagit Ave., Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge+. Bougie Brunch, 3320 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement; cocktails/wine to-go; spirits/beer/wine, restaurant lounge+. Application type: new. Wine Social, 702 The Parkway, Suite B, Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only; curbside/delivery endorsement; growlers curbside/delivery; spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge-, offpremises sale wine. 3Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only; spirits/beer/wine restaurant convention center, catering. Application type: added/ change of class/in lieu.

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Juanitos Prime Meats, 4812 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new. Cafe’nated, 507 Ninth St., Benton City. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/ wine. Application type: new. El Agave 4 LLC, 1301 Aaron Drive, Richland. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement; cocktails/wine to-go; growlers curbside/delivery; spirits/beer/wine restaurant service bar. Application type: new.

type: new. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 4525 Convention Place, Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only; hotel. Application type: new. Old Highway Tavern, 237 N. Columbia Ave., Connell. License type: spirits/beer/ wine restaurant lounge-. Application type: new.

APPROVED

Susie’s Saloon, 135 E. Weston St., Kahlotus. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new. Royal Mart 103, 4804 N. Road 68, Pasco. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. License type: assumption. Wines of Sagemoor, 8930 W. Sagemoor Road, Pasco. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: change of corporate officer.

Avennia, 20206 E. 583 PR NE, Benton City. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: assumption. Royal Mart 104, 4212 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine/ Application type: assumption. Dovetail Joint Restaurant, 1368 Jadwin Ave., Richland. Application type: added/ change of class/in lieu. Chandler Reach Vineyards, 9506 W. Chandler Road, Benton City. Application type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: added/change of class/ in lieu. Wautoma Springs Winery, 2258 Wine Country Road, Suite A, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: change of location. Columbian Club, 2500 Chester Road, Richland. License type: private club – spirits/beer/wine. Application type: new. Washington State Wine Company, 3090 W. Wittkopf Loop, Prosser. License type: domestic winery >249,999 liters. Application type: change of corporate officer.

FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW Don Rubios, 1515 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement; cocktails/wine to-go; spirits/beer/ wine restaurant service bar. Application

APPROVED

uBUSINESS UPDATES NEW Peacock Coffee Roasting Co., 707 The Parkway, Richland. A zero emissions sustainable coffee roaster offering gourmet coffee and cocoa, iced drinks and pastries. Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Contact: 509-940-0014; tastepeacock.coffee; Facebook; Instagram.

NEW LOCATION Taco Super Uno, 2417 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. Locally-owned, independent taco restaurant serving authentic Mexican recipes with fresh ingredients. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Contact: 509-3963120; tacossuperuno.com.

Newly remodeled event space for people looking to host meetings and banquets. • The dining room can accommodate 130 people. • The newly remodeled 19th Hole Event Center has 130 person capacity. • Heritage room can host up to 25 guests. • Legends room can accommodate 12 people.

509-783-6131 • zintelcreek.com 314 N. Underwood, Kennewick

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | MAY 2022