Journal of Business - September 2021

CELEBRATING

September 2021 Volume 20 | Issue 9

YEARS

Pasco company supplies ingredients to bake Hanford waste into glass

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Inside

Parade of Homes Magazine

Local News

Spudnut remodels to meet ADA requirements after lawsuit Page A3

Real Estate & Construction

Faith-led investor wants to rehab downtown Kennewick, starting with old strip club Page B1

NOTEWORTHY “The next hurdle in retail that we have to overcome is inventory.”

- Scott Conrad, owner, Runners Soul in Kennewick

Page A35

A Pasco ag chemical firm is supplying the Hanford site with the ingredients it needs to bake radioactive and hazardous waste into borosilicate glass logs at the $17 billion Waste Treatment & Immobilization Plant.

Two Rivers Terminal delivered a 35,000-pound load of lithium carbonate to Hanford this summer, the first of what promises to be thousands of deliveries of the dozen or so chemicals that form the recipe to vitrify millions of gallons of waste, stabilizing it for millennia to come.

It is a striking moment for Hanford. The focus has long been on building the complex vitrification facility and the supporting infrastructure.

Now, attention is shifting to actual production, with vitrification currently set to begin in 2024.

Construction of the direct-feel low activity waste facility, or DFLAW, at the treatment plant wrapped in December 2020. That sets the stage for testing and, later this year, heating up the melters where waste and glass-forming chemicals will be superheated to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit, then poured into stainless steel containers to cool.

For Two Rivers Terminal, which imports powdered chemicals from around the world, providing ingredients to Hanford is an honor and good for business. The contract amount is confidential.

The company dedicated a warehouse and four employees to the Hanford contract, which helped it smooth out the seasonal nature of demand from its traditional ag clients, said Steve Peot, general manager.

That means the 85-person company with offices in Moses Lake and China can hire more full-time rather than part-time employees.

Peot said Hanford is an exacting customer that wants the materials it purchases tested at every step, from the original source through transport, storage and delivery.

“They are very good at knowing what they want and getting what they want,” he said.

Pasco-based Mukang Labs is working with Two Rivers Terminal to confirm all materials uGLASS, Page A4

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Leo Morales reopened Havana Café, 404 W. Lewis St., Pasco, on Aug. 26 after a three-month closure. He and other downtown business owners are pleading with the city to help them invest in the sprinklers old buildings need to open safely.

Old buildings pose costly challenges to downtown Pasco business owners

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Leo Morales was pleasantly surprised Aug. 26, the day his Havana Café reopened in downtown Pasco after a three-month closure.

A steady stream of customers came in for lunch, drawn by his post on social media. It was more traffic than he dared dream and validated his decision, for now, not to move Havana Café to Kennewick or Richland.

Morales, a Cuban American and U.S. citizen, has struggled to keep Havana Café open since it debuted in early 2019 at 404 W. Lewis St. Zoning issues, the Covid-19 pandemic and fire codes have prevented him from fully realizing his dream of a restaurant with a backroom bar for special events.

The most recent closure stemmed from what he calls an unfounded complaint about illegal construction and occupancy violations – supposedly happening on a day he said Havana Café was closed. He also has been hindered by sprinklers.

His building, constructed in 1940, doesn’t have them and without sprinklers, fire codes restrict what he can do.

Morales isn’t alone. Downtown Pasco has a small but vocal community of business owners who found the perfect spot to open businesses, only to run into sprinkler requirements and zoning rules that don’t always allow them to do what they want.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced closures and occupancy restrictions, cutting off revenue that might have paid for upgrades. But the pandemic just aggravated the challenge, said Morales, who frequently attends Pasco City Council meetings in search of zoning relief.

In his most recent visit, Sept. 7, he implored the city to find money for a loan program, saying that efforts such as the Peanuts

Park and Pasco Farmers Market updates will bear little fruit if there’s no place for visitors to grab coffee or a meal. If he vacates his building, it will stay empty.

Morales and other business owners struggling with the challenges of older buildings have found a friendly ear in Mike Gonzalez, the city’s new director of economic development.

“I know how frustrated business owners are because I’ve been there with them trying to work through this since the day I arrived,” he said.

He’s working to be more transparent about the limitations of operating in old buildings and how zoning and building codes determine what types of businesses can safely operate. He wants would-be entrepreneurs to know whether the buildings they’re looking at are suited for what they want to do.

A new business portal, being developed with the Pasco Chamber of Commerce, is set to debut in 2022 and aims to help new and existing businesses understand the rules.

But sprinklers are a thornier challenge.

They are required by the International Fire Code, and underscore the potential catastrophes that result when fires break out in old buildings.

A 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island, touched off by pyrotechnics detonated during a concert at the Station nightclub, killed 100 and injured more than 200 others. Its legacy changed fire code enforcement.

Gonzalez said the city is proactive about sprinklers, informing business owners of the requirements before they open. But it is interesting in helping too.

He confirmed the city is evaluating if federal rules allow it to use American Rescue Plan money – the millions in federal pandemic relief the city received – to offer low-cost loans or grants to help business owners with

uDOWNTOWN PASCO, Page A13

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Spudnut remodels to meet ADA requirements after suit “The first 10 violations were like the parking lot and coming up to the front door, but we said we’re not in charge of that, that’s the city of Richland,” she said.

Driver, who also owns the neighboring spaces occupied by a hair salon and barber shop, said customers who use wheelchairs are not uncommon.

“We have customers that come in in wheelchairs all the time, and there’s never been a problem,” she said.

By Robin Wojtanik

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Modern updates have come to Richland’s famed Spudnut Shop, but not from a voluntary desire to change the space that hadn’t been remodeled since 1965.

Valerie Driver, the second-generation owner of the iconic Richland restaurant, said she spent tens of thousands of dollars to update the shop after she and several neighbors in the Uptown Shopping Center were sued in federal court for allegations they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and its state-level counterpart, the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

Driver and her husband, along with six other businesses, were sued individually by a Benton County resident who uses a wheelchair. The man, who is described in the Driver suit as being a quadriplegic, visited the shopping center in January. He sued in March after encountering numerous barriers in businesses at the center.

The suit against the Drivers asserts they failed to comply with ADA requirements for parking, access, restrooms, doors, tables and counter heights.

Driver settled the case out of court in June for $6,000 and a commitment to bring

Photo by Robin Wojtanik Valerie Driver, owner of Richland’s Spudnut Shop, has worked for more than 50 years in the restaurant started by her father and uncle. She recently spent tens of thousands of dollars to update the doughnut shop after it and neighbors in the Uptown Shopping Center were sued in federal court for allegations they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

the building up to compliance. Four of the six other cases remain open, according to federal court records. Efforts to reach the plaintiff’s attorney were unsuccessful.

“I’m wondering if businesses shouldn’t

put on the front of the door, ‘no public restrooms,’ as sad as that is,” Driver said.

Driver said the suit alleged violations that, in some cases, were not on property she owned or controlled.

Other settlements Another business owner affected by the ADA lawsuits reached a settlement agreement at the end of August, a week after the plaintiff’s original attorney withdrew from the case and a new attorney from Enabled Law Group filed his notice of appearance.

Vikki Butler, owner of Real Deals, a tenant in the Uptown facing Jadwin Avenue, was one of the defendants, along with her landlord.

Butler said the terms of her settlement prevent her from discussing the final outcome reached with Martin William Judnich, a Montana attorney admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in February 2020. uSPUDNUT SHOP, Page A5

Leader of downtown Pasco group out as board assesses next steps

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Gustavo Gutierrez Gomez has left the Downtown Pasco Development Authority, the nonprofit group that operates the Pasco Specialty Kitchen, Pasco Farmers Market and puts on Cinco de Mayo, Pasco Fiery Foods Festival and more.

Gabriel Portugal, president of the board, said Gutierrez Gomez departed effective July 31. Portugal praised his work but said his vision did not line up with what the board of directors wanted for downtown.

“After some conferences, we came to a mutual agreement that it was best for him to leave,” Portugal said. “He did outstanding work for us.”

Gutierrez Gomez was appointed to the nonprofit position in 2019, succeeding interim leader Damien Davis who in turn

succeeded Luke Hallowell a year earlier.

Gutierrez Gomez, 46, countered that he was fired by Portugal and a representative of the city’s Gustavo Gutierrez human resources Gomez department on July 13 after he challenged the city over its involvement with the Main Street tax credit program, which is supposed to fund downtown upgrades by selling tax credits to investors.

Gutierrez Gomez acknowledged he had informed the board this spring that he would be seeking a new job that paid benefits, which his $88,000-a-year executive director position did not. Insurance and other benefits became an issue after

his daughter was injured.

He said he did not resign or sign any document indicating that he was leaving voluntarily. Gutierrez Gomez said he intended to remain at the helm of DPDA in a part-time capacity to help the nonprofit save money.

Portugal said Guiterrez Gomez is free to speak as he pleases, but his board stood behind its statement that the former director’s vision did not match where it

wanted to go.

Gutierrez Gomez brought nine years of experience working on downtown revitalization efforts in Oregon to the job. He said his charge was to seek outside funding for the organization so it wouldn’t rely on the city.

He succeeded in securing local and federal funding as well as grants from the Three Rivers Community FoundauDPDA, Page A16

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meet Hanford’s quality standards.

For Hanford managers, delivery of the first load of glass-forming materials together with the arrival of the metal containers to hold the glass mixture is yielding results.

“I was so excited to see those get here, I can’t tell you. It’s starting to be real,” said Ross Hamlett, melter heat up completion team manager for Bechtel National Inc., the U.S. Department of Energy contractor responsible for building the treatment plant and support facilities.

The glass emerging from the vit plant will be no ordinary formulation. Scientists spent years perfecting the recipe, which must be stable enough to last thousands of years while leading to the minimum amount of glass logs sent to storage.

Two Rivers Terminal’s first delivery was small and will not be used to treat actual waste. Hamlett said the initial delivery was needed for testing, to ensure the dry, powdery chemical compound flows from the storage silo through a hopper, pipes and into the treatment system the way engineers expect.

Like ordinary baking flour, powdered chemicals can be fluffed with air to flow like a liquid. Engineers are testing each ingredient in the formula to ensure it moves at the right rate and concentration through the system to ensure the final mix is perfect before it goes to the melter.

Hamlett said the team conducted a total of 10 transfers using about 12,000 pounds of lithium carbonate. The test was a success.

Hamlett expected to test magnesium silicate, another glass-forming chemical in the vitrification recipe, around Labor Day.

Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Hanford workers conduct a test run of delivery of the first of 13 chemicals that will form glass to immobilize hazardous and radioactive waste in preparation for the start of vitrification in 2024.

Other ingredients include silica, sucrose and various oxides – titanium, zinc, ferrous, zirconium, aluminum and more.

Hamlett likens the final product – borosilicate glass – to his wife’s beloved Pyrex measuring cups, another example of the borosilicate recipe. It is highly stable under extreme temperature changes. Pour boiling water into a frozen Pyrex container and it won’t shatter.

Treatment is expected to begin in 2024 after being delayed several months by the Covid-19 pandemic. Once it does, Hanford’s appetite for glass-forming chemicals will be significant, with five truckloads arriving per day to keep up with demand for 50,000 pounds of materials.

Each low activity waste, or LAW, container enters the melter system weighing about 13,000 pounds, including about

10,000 pounds of glass-forming materials.

The actual waste and the container represent the rest.

“We expect to keep Three Rivers Terminal pretty busy bringing truckloads of material out to us,” Hamlett said. As part of its contract, Two Rivers Terminal will always keep a three-month supply at the ready.

When operational, the Waste Treatment & Immobilization Treatment Plant will handle an estimated 56 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous wastes that were stored in 177 underground tanks. About a third are leaking, threatening the Columbia River.

Hanford’s tank waste is the result of weapons-related plutonium-production efforts during World War II and the Cold War eras.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 SPUDNUT SHOP, From page A3 Court papers say he is with Enabled Law Group, a practice located at the same address as Judnich Law Office in Missoula, where the company’s website biography lists him as president of the firm, and says he’s been “helping the injured for 17 years.”

Neither Judnich nor Enabled Law Group could be reached to comment.

Lawsuit expenses add up For Driver, the settlement was only part of the true cost of the suit against Spudnut.

She paid $4,000 to her attorney and another $4,000 for architectural renderings.

Her building needed water and electrical work, part of which was needed to add an automatic front door. Driver estimates total costs will run as high as $85,000 for her portion of the building.

Spudnut Shop has occupied the same space in the Uptown since 1950, when it moved from the Richland Wye spot where Driver’s father and uncle first opened in 1948.

Driver said she missed out on construction grants and low-interest loans she would have qualified for due to being ineligible while in the midst of active litigation.

Looking forward Driver is moving beyond the upheaval caused by the suit to focus on running the shop she’s worked at for 52 years and owned since 1999.

Closing in on nearly 75 years in business, Driver said the restaurant is thriving despite the impact of the pandemic.

Still, it is not selling as many spudnuts to office workers as it once did.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Pasco company is No. 12 on Inc.’s 5000 fastest-growing list

Solgen Power, a Pasco residential solar sales and installation company, ranked No. 12 on Inc. Magazine’s 5000 FastestGrowing Private Companies in America list, released in August.

Solgen reported 21,790% growth and was one of only 15 Washington newcomers to the list in 2021. Another 44 were return honorees.

The company was founded in 2017 and currently employs 370 at seven locations in three regions. It recently completed construction of its world headquarters at 5715 Bedford St. in Pasco.

“From inception, we knew we wanted to accomplish something special here at Solgen,” said Chris Lee, CEO and founder.

The Washington honorees reported 210% median growth and a $4.2 billion in combined revenue. Collectively, they added nearly 9,300 jobs in the past year.

Neighboring Idaho had two newcomers and 16 repeat honorees. The Idaho companies reported median growth of 155% and total combined revenue of $544 million.

They added 888 jobs.

Oregon had four newcomers, 20 repeat honorees and reported 138% median growth. The Oregon companies reported $2.6 billion in combined revenue and added nearly 3,000 jobs.

Overall, the list of 5,000 businesses included 529 newcomers and average median growth of 167%. The group had combined revenue of nearly $250 billion and added nearly 2.6 million jobs in the past year.

“When they’re all working from home now, they don’t need any refreshments,” she said. Spudnut is doing a quick business on many lunch items, like sandwiches, salads and burgers.

The price of a spudnut – which gets its name from potato flour – goes up every couple years.

Driver last raised prices in early 2020, charging $1 for a single spudnut and about $10 for a dozen.

“My baker’s dozen is $11,” she said.

“I’m not getting up at that time to give stuff away.”

Driver starts making the spudnuts around midnight six nights a week, with shop hours 4 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The shop produces 150 to 250 dozen spudnuts a day, with the highest demand coming on Fridays and Saturdays.

Driver said the shop was once open round the clock. “The (Uptown) movie theater would get out and all the kids would come down here and wait for their parents to pick them up.”

Driver isn’t sure how long she’ll keep running the Spudnut Shop or what the future holds, but she’s grateful for loyal customers and loyal employees, many of whom have been visiting or working at the shop for many years. She won’t venture to guess how many spudnuts she’s made in her lifetime.

“It would make my head hurt.”

Leaning on state lawmakers Butler, the owner of Real Deals, is looking to Olympia for relief from ADA lawsuits. She encourages other business owners to lean on state lawmakers to support House Bill 1574, expected to be taken up in

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the 2022 session.

Sponsored by local Reps. Matt Boehnke and Brad Klippert, both Kennewick Republicans, and 13 others, HB 1574 would give business owners a reasonable chance to make improvements prior to potential fines for ADA noncompliance.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was adopted in 1990 and allows businesses to be sued without warning for failing to accommodate those with disabilities, on the grounds of discrimination. The Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce also has voiced support for the bill, which came too late in the session to be heard in 2021.

The city of Richland was not sued, but design work is underway for improvements to the Uptown parking lot as part of the city’s 2020 capital improvement plan.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

DATEBOOK SEPTEMBER 15

SEPTEMBER 17-18

• PNNL seminar, “Synthetic Biology: Engineering a Sustainable 21st Century”: 5-6 p.m. via Zoom. Details at pnnl. gov/events.

SEPTEMBER 16

• Christ the King Sausage Fest Drive-thru: Friday, Sept. 17, 4-8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., 1111 Stevens Drive, Richland.

SEPTEMBER 21

• Columbia Basin Badger Club, “Achieving CIVIL Discourse”: Noon-1:15 p.m. via Zoom. Details at cbbc.clubexpress.com.

SEPTEMBER 17

• Coffee with Karl: 9-10 a.m., webinar with president and CEO of TRIDEC Karl Dye and guest.

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

SEPTEMBER 18

• Eastern / Edge Tri-Cities Community Forum, “Powering the Hispanic Workforce”: 8 a.m., HAPO Center, 600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Register at ewu.edu/ easternedge.

• 84th annual meeting, Benton REA, drive-in event: 10:30 a.m., Red Mountain Event Center, 8280 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland.

• Franklin County Commission: 9 a.m. Details at co.franklin.wa.us/ commissioners/meeting.php.

• Benton County Commission: 9 a.m. Details at co.benton.wa.us/ agenda.aspx.

SEPTEMBER 22

• Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon: Noon via Zoom.

Details at tricityregionalchamber. com/annualmeeting.

SEPTEMBER 23

• Port of Pasco Commission: 10:30 a.m. Details at portofpasco. org/about-us/port-commission.

SEPTEMBER 24

• Coffee with Karl: 9-10 a.m., webinar with president and CEO of TRIDEC Karl Dye and guest.

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

SEPTEMBER 28

• Friends of Scouting Leadership Breakfast, featuring Drew Bledsoe: 7:30 a.m., Pasco Red Lion, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco.

Details at bluemountainscouts.org/ breakfast.

• Department of Ecology, “Let’s Talk about Hanford”: 5:30 p.m. virtual event. Details at ecology. wa.gov.

• Port of Kennewick Commission: 2 p.m. Details at portofkennewick.org/commissionmeetings.

• Franklin County Commission: 9 a.m. Details at co.franklin.wa.us/ commissioners/meeting.php.

• Benton County Commission: 9 a.m. Details at co.benton.wa.us/ agenda.aspx.

OCTOBER 1

• Washington Policy Center’s Western Washington Annual Dinner, featuring John Mackey: 7 p.m., Hyatt Regency, 900 Bellevue Way N, Bellevue. Details at wpcdinner.com.

• Coffee with Karl: 9-10 a.m., webinar with president and CEO of TRIDEC Karl Dye and guest.

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

OCTOBER 5

• Franklin County Commission: 9 a.m. Details at co.franklin.wa.us/ commissioners/meeting.php.

• Benton County Commission: 9 a.m. Details at co.benton.wa.us/ agenda.aspx.

OCTOBER 6

• West Richland Area Chamber of Commerce Membership Luncheon: Noon-1 p.m. via Zoom. Details at westrichlandchamber.org.

OCTOBER 7

• Port of Pasco Commission: 10:30 a.m. Details at portofpasco. org/about-us/port-commission.

OCTOBER 8

• Coffee with Karl: 9-10 a.m., webinar with president and CEO of TRIDEC Karl Dye and guest.

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

OCTOBER 10

• Walk to End Alzheimer’s: Noon registration at Columbia Park, Kennewick. Ceremony starts at 1 p.m. Walk starts at 1:30 p.m.

Go to: alz.org.

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

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

OPINION OUR VIEW We’re heeding health officials’ advice for our fall expo

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

As the Tri-Cities grapples with rising Covid-19 cases again, we’re seeing more cancellations and postponements of community events.

We’ve got our own to add to this growing list.

We were hoping to announce that our Senior Times Fall 2021 Expo would again be indoors, but it won’t be.

For those of you who don’t know, the team behind the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business also produces a monthly senior-focused newspaper called the Senior Times, along with two popular community expos for seniors.

Instead of having it indoors, we’re back to holding a drive-thru expo. It is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Southridge Sports and Events Complex, 2901 Southridge Blvd., in Kennewick.

The Benton-Franklin Health District on Aug. 20 recommended canceling large events where attendees can’t safely socially distance. We take its advice seriously.

Our staff will be wearing gloves, masks and bright yellow vests with the community’s well-being in mind as we hand out goody bags. Those attending won’t have to leave the safety and comfort of their car.

We typically hold our expos indoors at

the Southridge complex in the spring and fall, but the state shutdowns at the beginning of the pandemic forced us to cancel our spring 2020 event. We pivoted to a drive-thru model in fall 2020 and spring 2021, and it proved to be very popular with our senior community.

Between the two events, we have distributed nearly 2,000 reusable bags filled with information about local seniorfocused products and services, as well as lots of goodies.

We’re proud to say we’ve got the best sponsors and business community supporting our expos. The past two drive-thru expo bags have featured some awesome goodies inside: seed packets, no-touch door openers, hand sanitizer, back scratchers, sunscreen, first aid kits, pill organizers, manicure kits, and, of course, lots of candy.

Expo attendees also will find all kinds of brochures and information about the terrific senior-related services offered in our community.

We are excited to see you there in October. We know it’s not the event we all were looking forward to having, but if we’ve learned anything in the past year, it’s that we know we can adapt to changing times.

Until then, stay safe out there.

- PRO -

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Remote work helps drive growth in rural Washington Back to school this year is, unfortunately, not a return to normal. As summer turns to fall, the Delta variant of the coronavirus means this remains a time of tremendous uncertainty for schools, teachers, students and families.

It’s still a time of great uncertainty and unpredictability for employers, too, who are well known for desiring certainty and predictability. Some are reevaluating their fall plans after the virus — in retreat at the start of the summer — surged back in July and August.

For some employers, this has meant delaying plans to bring employees back to the office.

Fortunately, the success of remote work throughout the pandemic means it’s possible for employers to make this decision. One bright spot amid this ongoing pandemic is the growing role that remote work is playing in the economy, and the opportunities it’s creating for employees and communities, particularly in rural parts of the state.

When the pandemic began and large portions of the economy went into lockdown, we discovered very clearly that not all work must be done from an office.

Some work can be done just as well remotely with a good broadband connection and some essential skills.

To help ensure residents in rural Washington are equipped with those skills, the AWB Institute and WSU Extension have launched the Washington Rural Initiative.

The initiative, with support from compa-

WA Cares Fund

nies like Avista and STCU, is modeled after a successful program in Utah called the Master Remote Work Professional Certification.

Kris Johnson Students go Association of through a monthWashington Business long course GUEST COLUMN where they learn how to improve time management, manage calendars and how best to use online communication tools. The course also covers how to execute a successful job search. At the end of the program, participants receive a Remote Worker Certificate that will help them compete for remote jobs in the postpandemic economy.

A pilot project was recently completed with Wenatchee’s NCW Tech Alliance, and now the initiative is being expanded throughout the state starting in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties.

Remote work isn’t unique to Washington, of course, but new Census data shows we’re well positioned to benefit from its growth.

Washington’s rural population grew 9.4% from 2010 to 2020, according to recently released Census data. That’s less uJOHNSON, Page A8

- CON -

New law will ease burden of future long-term care needs

Long-term care tax is the wrong answer to a good question

Many of us don’t think about or plan for long-term care until a crisis strikes or urgency forces our hand.

Thankfully, a new benefit to help Washington families pay for care during a long-term illness, injury or disability is on the horizon.

Seventy percent of Washingtonians 65 and older will require some assistance to live independently as they age. Yet, only 9% of people in Washington can afford private insurance, and that market has been shrinking even as the older adult population increases. Our long-term care system needs continual improvement, and affordability remains a significant issue.

Underwriting requirements for private long-term care insurance often penalize people with pre-existing

Starting Jan. 1, more of your paycheck will go missing if you are a W2 worker in Washington.

The state will take 58 cents of every $100 you make, while claiming it is for your own good. But it isn’t really, even if you one day qualify for the measly $36,500 lifetime long-term care benefit that allows you to recoup some or all of your money.

Long-term care is something many people use at some point in their lives, and it refers to non-medical care for patients needing assistance with basic daily activities such as dressing, bathing, cooking, medicine management and so on.

Long-term care can be provided at home, in nursing homes or assistedliving facilities. The best long-term care is private coverage that is affordable and

conditions or disabilities who may have to pay more or may not be able to get insurance at all.

Some mistakenly believe Cathy MacCaul that Medicare AARP will help pay GUEST COLUMN for costs. However, Medicare does not cover extended long-term care, which means most people must spend down their life savings. Once people are impoverished, Medicaid pays for long-term supports and services. uMACCAUL, Page A8

designed to fit people’s individual needs.

Some state lawmakers, though, have a different idea.

They don’t think you should be alElizabeth Hovde lowed to choose Washington how you plan Policy Center for your own GUEST COLUMN long-term-care needs and that you should instead be forced to pay into a single, socialized program created by them. They call the mandatory program, misleadingly, the WA Cares Fund.

That is why a new payroll tax will uHOVDE, Page A12

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

MACCAUL, From page A7 To help tackle this problem, as well as the risk of overwhelming the state’s Medicaid program, Washington passed legislation to create a first-in-the-nation public program in 2019 called WA Cares. The new program provides flexible and meaningful benefits ensuring families can choose the care setting and services that best meet their needs.

Beginning January 2022, Washington workers will contribute 58 cents per $100 of earnings from each paycheck, like contributions for Social Security. For a worker in Washington with a median salary of $107,023, the annual premium is $620.73. Employees only pay into the fund during their working years and will not have to

worry about losing coverage if they change employers, lose their job or retire.

Beginning January 2025, each person eligible to receive the benefit can access services and supports costing up to $36,500, adjusted with inflation, to help live independently, including help with personal care, medical assistance, transportation, meals, and more. More importantly, the benefit can be used to pay family caregivers.

For some families, the WA Cares benefit may be all the help they need.

The fund can offer them the time and resources to figure out a long-term plan for those who need extended care. It provides predictable coverage, regardless of pre-existing conditions, offering

consumers a way to pay for long-term services while easing the anxiety families may face in providing or receiving ongoing care.

Here’s what workers need to know about what comes next: • The new payroll deduction begins Jan. 1, 2022.

• No action is required for employees to be enrolled.

• Self-employed people have until Jan. 1, 2025, to opt-in or within three years of becoming self-employed.

The program does have an “opt-out” provision. If you own a qualifying private insurance policy before Nov. 1, you can inform your employer and provide evidence that you are eligible to opt-out of the new premium. How-

ever, if you opt out of the benefit, you cannot opt back in. Current retirees do not pay premiums into the fund and are not eligible to receive benefits.

The vast majority of older adults would like to live with independence in their homes and communities with the care they want and need for as long as possible. Crafting a viable and robust program like the WA Cares fund to help Washingtonians better prepare for their long-term care needs is critically important for our families and our state.

Learn more about the Fund at wacaresfund.wa.gov. Cathy MacCaul is the advocacy director for AARP Washington.

JOHNSON, From page A7 than the 14.7% growth in Washington’s urban areas, but a significant contrast with a national decline of 0.5% in rural population.

Rural Washington is growing already.

Expanding remote work will help fuel continued growth and ensure increased prosperity in these communities.

The Washington Rural Initiative is just one of the ways the AWB Institute, the nonprofit workforce and economic development arm of the Association of Washington Business, is working to increase opportunity throughout Washington.

Nearly a year ago, the AWB Institute launched “Washington in the Making” with the goal of creating the foundation for lasting prosperity and opportunity for all Washingtonians as we rebuild from the pandemic. The initiative includes a data dashboard that measures Washington’s vital signs across 34 indicators for all 39 counties.

And earlier this year, the AWB Institute launched the Washington Workforce Portal, an online matchmaking tool that’s helping to connect college-age students with real-world job experience in their local communities.

Now more than ever, it’s important we equip young people with the knowledge and skills they will need to find careers during and after the pandemic. In some cases, that might mean a remote work career.

Well over a year into the pandemic, most of us continue to face a large degree of uncertainty about what the future holds for us in everything from our kids’ schools and our jobs to how we travel and gather with family and friends.

One thing that seems certain, though, is that remote work is here to stay. That’s a big opportunity for rural Washington. Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturers association.

Send us your business news info@tcjournal.biz

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Retired federal employees group celebrates 50 years of advocacy and fellowship

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

The Tri-City chapter of the National Active & Retired Federal Employees Association launched its 50th year with a return to form and its first in-person event in more than a year.

The local chapter met Sept. 1 at the Red Lion Hotel Kennewick Columbia Center – its usual spot – in a return to business after holding its far-flung membership together in online gatherings.

Organizers were eager for Chapter 1192 to advance on its twin missions to offer fellowship to current and retired federal employees and to advocate for their benefits and health care in Washington, D.C., said Mary Alice Binder, public relations chairwoman.

“We’re not a union. We’re advocates for federal employees and retirees,” she explained.

Binder, who retired in 2005 as a spokeswoman for the Umatilla Weapons Depot in Oregon, said the chapter is trying to regroup after a year of shutdowns. Pre-Covid, it met 10 times a year in Kennewick, taking a few months off in the summer.

After, it met online, with mixed results.

Members who couldn’t normally make it to physical events logged in. But members who aren’t online were left out.

“We are very much looking forward to in-person,” she said.

Typically, members gather for lunch and a program, often updates on the lobbying efforts of the chapter’s parent, which is based in Washington, D.C. The national association marks its centenary in 2021. Its agenda for the 117th Congress (2021-23)

uBUSINESS BRIEF U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America are Tri-Cities’ biggest banks by deposits U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo Bank and Bank of America are the Tri-Cities’ largest banks by deposits, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s annual survey of branch office deposits, released in September and based on figures from June 30.

The report evaluated the 17 FDICinsured banks operating in Benton and Franklin counties. It does not include credit unions, which are separately insured by the National Credit Union Administration.

U.S. Bank, with eight local offices, held nearly $720 million in local deposits, representing 14.3% of the Tri-City market. Wells Fargo Bank, with one local office, was second with $667 million in deposits or 13.3% market share. Bank of America, with four local offices, held $577 million in local deposits, an 11.5% market share.

Rounding out the Top 5: Community First Bank, with five branches, $535 million in local deposits and a 10.66% market share, and Yakima Federal Savings and Loan Association, with five branches, $532 million in local deposits and a 10.6% market share.

Go to www7.fdic.gov/sod.

is sweeping. Key priorities include: • Opposing cuts to earned federal retirement and health benefits. NARFE will oppose proposals to reduce or eliminate costof-living adjustments and other measures it says breach the government’s commitment to its workers.

• Supporting market rate increases for pay rates and opposition to compensation cuts.

• Supporting an average wage increase of at least 2.7% for the 2022 calendar, providing parity with the expected military pay rates and in line with private sector wages.

• Supporting reform – or repeal – of the Windfall Elimination Provision, which reduces some Social Security benefits. It also supports the Social Security Fairness Act, which would fully repeal the WEP and Government Pension Offset plans.

Other initiatives include reforming federal hiring, more accurate cost-of-living adjustments and protecting the health benefits earned by Postal Service retirees.

As the Tri-City chapter looks beyond the pandemic – fingers crossed – it is sketching out an agenda for its 200-plus members representing a wide array of federal activities.

The chapter meets at 11:30 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month at the Red Lion, 1101 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick.

Upcoming gatherings include a presentation from Active 4 Life in October, an update on Alzheimer’s research in Novem-

ber, a holiday program in December, a youth mentoring program in January and its annual legislative update from Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center in February.

The Tri-City chapter first met on March 3, 1971, at Roy’s Chuck Wagon in Richland. Not surprising, its 34 original members were chiefly Hanford retirees from the U.S. Department of Energy. Also not surprising, the group is far more diverse now, according to Pat Turner, chapter president.

Today, it has more than 200 members who worked across the vast federal government – Department of Defense, Courtesy Mary Alice Binder Bonneville Power AdLayna Kinsman, left, and Ellen LeVee of the Tri-City ministration, Bureau of chapter of the National Active & Retired Federal Land Management, BuEmployees Association prepare gift baskets to hand out during the first in-person meeting in more than reau of Indian Affairs, a year.

Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers and and others have moved here for retiremore.

“As the Tri-Cities has grown and be- ment.”

The National Active & Retired Federal come more diverse, so has our NARFE Employees Association is open to current chapter,” Turner said. “We have members and retired employees and their spouses. who are still working and others who have Go to narfe.org. retired. Some are lifelong area residents

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 HOVDE, From page A7

Check out our house plant collection!

604 W. Kennewick Ave. • 509.582.5123

soon be showing up on a paycheck near you.

Washington workers recently saw their incomes lowered when they all started paying a payroll tax for the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program.

In 2022, they’ll see even more of their household budgets taken for this longterm-care fund.

This payroll tax has no salary minimum and no cap on income, so workers who earn $25,000 annually will pay $145 a year, a worker earning $100,000 will pay $580 each year and so on. Everyone who pays in for a required number of years (typically 10 or more) is vested and eligible for the same lifetime benefit, regardless of the amount of money they’re

forced to contribute and regardless of their individual needs.

Don’t buy the marketing campaign the state has recently and proudly implemented.

The long-term-care benefit of $36,500 isn’t enough for meaningful long-term care nor does it offer peace of mind, as advertised. Even a modest level of care can cost more than twice that.

Worse, unless you pay in for 10 years without a break of five or more years within those 10 years, typically, you get zero dollars toward your long-term care.

You get nothing if you don’t end up needing care for at least three daily needs. The benefit also is not portable, so if you leave the state in your retirement years you’re out of luck.

No Arizona sun awaits you in your golden years. If you live out of state and work in Washington, you, too, forfeit your money to others for their long-termcare needs.

Offering false security to taxpaying workers, while acting like this is the best thing for them, has a lot of people in the state frustrated and trying to find a way out of the tax. That’s possible for some workers, given a limited, one-time-only opt out.

Learn more about opting out in the many blogs I’ve written for Washington Policy Center, visit the WA Cares Fund website or contact a long-term-care insurance provider. Know, however, that the insurance market has been disrupted by this mess and options are severely limited. It might be too late.

Prompting a conversation about long-term care and encouraging people to make appropriate plans would have been an appropriate role for lawmakers. becoming a long-term-care insurer was not.

The state government is taking money from workers to fund a one-size-fits-all, long-term-care entitlement program that a lot of people don’t want or need — and that some people won’t use, even after paying into the program for years.

Legislators should repeal this unfair, costly and inappropriate law and its accompanying payroll tax when they meet again in Olympia. They also should open up more consumer choices, cutting insurance regulations that limit Washingtonians’ options. Elizabeth Hovde directs Washington Policy Center’s Worker Rights and Health Care Centers.

uBUSINESS BRIEF License plates in short supply due to pandemic

The Benton County Auditor will issue 60-day temporary paper plates to residents buying cars due to a shortage of aluminum license plates.

The state Department of Corrections slowed production in response to the Covid-19 pandemic but has outsourced production to catch up.

Truck, trailer and motorcycles will not be affected. Transactions from dealerships get the highest priorities for existing supplies.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 DOWNTOWN PASCO, From page A1 the expense.

Maria Mendoza, who opened Amor A Mexico at 528 W. Clark St. in August 2019, is waiting impatiently.

She knew she needed to install sprinklers when she bought the 5,000-square-foot building. Like Morales, she intends to operate a restaurant and side area for karaoke and special events – the latter requires sprinklers.

She wanted to use revenue from the business to install them – $90,400 is the quote she received. The pandemic forced shutdowns, limited her ability to reopen or to even offer to-go food. The revenue she counted on evaporated.

As of September, she was operating in the red, baffled that a prominent, well-placed building in the heart of downtown could be

such a challenge. She attempted to hold outdoor events, but complaints from neighbors forced her to stop.

“It’s a really nice building. I have a lot of parking. I own the whole block. It’s downtown Pasco. I invested a lot of money into fixing it up nice. That’s the only thing I would need, sprinklers, to get this place up,” she said.

Morales said his landlord at Havana Café is willing to install sprinklers, if the city will create a loan program for what is expected to cost $50,000.

“The back (room) will help us stay alive,” he said.

Lucy Gonzalez, who opened her business in the former Library tavern downtown, too hopes the city will help with the sprinkler costs.

She paid $59,000 for the 1940s-built

building in a deal that recorded Dec. 23, 2019, before Covid-19 was a known threat.

Lucy Gonzalez, who spent 16 years in health care, cleaned it up and opened it as Tipsy’s.

It is in the city’s C2 commercial zone, which is restrictive and together with the building’s lack of sprinklers has kept her from developing the business she sees as a safe, clean gathering spot where people can eat, decompress and go home.

She plowed her savings – $150,000 – into the venture but ran up against the limitations of the C2 zoning immediately. She learned she could not put a sandwich board to advertise on the sidewalk or put bistro tables outside. She has pleaded with the city to relax the rules or change the zone.

“We found out quickly we can’t do that because we were in a C2 zoning, which we were not aware of and we weren’t told. We

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never guessed that as new buyers that we had to investigate the zoning we were in. We thought when we purchased a building, we were free to move forward,” she said.

When Covid-19 shut down the business, she inquired about putting in a window for to-go orders. The zoning prevented that too.

“All these ideas that we were coming up with, that we were trying to reinvent, making it easier for the public to come to us, were all shut down because of the zoning we were in,” she said.

She created Tipsy’s as a family legacy, something she could leave to her children.

“I’ve put my retirement and my savings into it. I’ve left nothing for them if I end up closing because of all the little things I can’t do because of the zoning we’re in,” she said.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

2021 SAVE THE DATE!

FREE Drive-thru

Tuesday, October 19, 2021 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Southridge Sports & Events Complex 2901 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick

The 2021 Senior Times Fall Expo is a drive-thru-only event because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Get a goody bag filled with vendor products and information in our drive-thru lane.

We’ll be masked and glove up with your safety in mind.

Brought to you by:

Limited to first 800 people.

For more information, call (509) 737-8778.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Three Rivers takes over Tri-Cities Wine Festival

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Three Rivers Convention Center is taking over the Tri-Cities Wine Festival after its longtime co-producer pulled the plug on the event.

The convention center in Kennewick partnered with the Tri-Cities Wine Society to put on the annual event, which included wine judging, an auction, public tasting and a festival. The society announced in August it would permanently discontinue the festival, blaming the lingering effects of the pandemic.

The move caught the convention center by surprise. Staff decided to update

the event and keep it on its calendar, beginning in 2022.

“We know what Tri-Citians want,” said Heather Breymey, director of sale for the convention center. At its peak, the festival attracted about 1,200 people. By recasting the event to focus on young, sophisticated wine lovers who are interested in fun and not contest results, it hopes to boost attendance.

There will be no 2021 event. The next festival will be held in November 2022, though no date has been selected.

Breymey said Three Rivers wants to ensure its festival does not compete with fall release events in Walla Walla.

1304 E. Hillsboro St., Pasco, WA (509) 545-8420 • skoneirrigation.com

The Tri-Cities Wine Festival began in 1979 as a fundraiser for the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, now Visit Tri-Cities.

Tri-City attorney Coke Roth and colleague Maury Balcom organized the gathering to raise money to buy a copier for the visitor bureau. It ended up boosting the Tri-Cities as a destination for wine tourism and a tradition was launched.

The wine society took over hosting duties about 30 years ago. The convention center became its co-producer about 10 years ago.

It welcomed news that the convention

center staff would continue the event.

“The Tri-Cities Wine Society is proud to have hosted the annual TriCities Wine Festival for 31 years – an event that helped Northwest wineries and the wine industry to grow through strong community and regional support.

With the Three Rivers Convention Center’s announcement to ‘take the reins,’ a long-standing tradition can continue,” it said.

As the wine society steps back, it said it will seek new ways to showcase the mature industry, including the resumption of wine events for members and their guests.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

DPDA, From page A3 tion, Group Health Foundation, Seattle Foundation and the State of Washington as well as from local organizations.

But he clashed with the city about the Main Street program. He said he took over a broke organization with three employees and left one that had 11.

He said he was proud of DPDA’s work to distribute $1.3 million in partnership with the city in Covid-19 relief funds to small Pasco businesses, most led by people who speak Spanish as a first language.

“You have to have the cultural competency. The DPDA will always be a success to me,” he said.

Portugal said DPDA is reevaluating its options before it seeks a permanent

replacement for the post.

In the interim, the authority is focused on the Pasco Farmers Market, Pasco Specialty Kitchen and the cultural events it stages, such as Cinco de Mayo and Fiery Foods Festival. The board recently canceled the 2021 Fiery Foods Festival over concern about Covid-19 and the region’s low vaccination rates, Portugal said.

DPDA is a nonprofit with an annual budget of about $500,000, according to its 2019 report to the Internal Revenue Service, the most recent available. At the time, it relied chiefly on tax dollars and some earned revenue for programs, including rents, to sustain itself.

It also runs the Main Street tax credit program in Pasco, in which investors

purchase tax credits that support architectural, cultural and human events that strengthen Main Streets across the U.S. Washington state is awarding up to $5 million in Main Street tax credits beginning Oct. 1 with applications available at preservewa.org/taxcredit.

The Main Street program was responsible for bringing Gutierrez Gomez to the Tri-Cities from Woodburn, Oregon, south of Portland. He had met Pasco representatives at a Main Street conference. When his contract with Woodburn expired, he applied for the post in Pasco and eventually moved.

The organization has struggled to find its footing since 2016, when former director Michael Goines admitted to embezzling at least $90,000 and was sentenced to a year in prison.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher recalled

Benton County voters recalled Sheriff Jerry Hatcher in the Aug. 3 primary election, with 74% of voters in favor of the recall and 26% opposed.

Turnout for the primary was just shy of 34% of the county’s 126,436 registered voters.

The results became official when the election was certified on Aug. 17. Commander Jon Law will serve as acting sheriff until the county commission appoints a candidate to serve out the remainder of Hatcher’s term, which expires in 2022.

The sheriff’s position is partisan. Because Hatcher ran as a Republican, the commission will choose from a slate of candidates provided by the Benton County Republican Party.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Can’t find people to hire? It helps to understand complexity of labor market Despite the challenges with the Covid-19 Delta variant, companies continue to add jobs – a good sign of economic stabilization.

Unfortunately, we’re also facing the greatest disruption in the labor market in a century. Employers cannot find enough people to fill their open positions. One would think the math is easy when the number of open jobs is greater than the number of unemployed people. And yet, it’s not so simple. Nor is it as simple as stopping federal monies or increasing worker pay.

However, there is hope for employers through skills-based hiring and unique partnerships.

While enjoying a coffee with my husband over the weekend, we met a local farmer and enjoyed a long conversation primarily about the current challenges presented in agriculture in the West during the driest, hottest year on record. He said he’s grateful that his federal crop insurance will cover 85% of his yield, given the significant losses he will have.

He then asked what we did for a living.

I gave my quick spiel about WholeStory (See story on Page A37.) and how we help employers hire for soft skills. The farmer responded with a remark about how employers are struggling to hire because people are “sitting at home getting paycheck from the government.”

(Pause for irony.)

Most people are unaware of the macro forces at play in the current labor market.

This includes many perplexed employers,

especially those who are raising wages and still not seeing enough applicants to fill their roles.

Like the farmer, I used to see things as Erin Anacker black and white.

WholeStory I shared the perGUEST COLUMN spective, concern, and assumption about people’s work ethic.

Today, my understanding is much more nuanced.

Through my work with WholeStory, I’ve been steeped in labor market trends.

My education has deepened over the last year as the issues employers face nationwide have been exacerbated, accelerating and growing in complexity due to the pandemic.

First, the elephant(s) in the room.

Supplemental federal unemployment insurance benefits and federal stimulus checks have certainly played a role in labor market dynamics. It’s estimated that 25% of those on unemployment were making more money than at their previous job when considering the additional federal monies. By and large, the jobs that these folks had were low-wage and offered little to no health benefits. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist—or better yet, a social psychologist—to conclude that many folks would take this opportunity to hold back.

However, the data suggests there are big-

ger factors at play, which I’ll dig into.

We’re still in the midst of a global pandemic. People are rightly concerned about getting sick and/or transmitting Covid to others. Until it’s over everywhere, it’s not over anywhere. For workers, especially those barely scraping by in industries that require frequent engagement with others, such as in retail, restaurants, and hospitality, it’s no wonder people are hesitant.

They’re in a tough spot: work and risk their health/life and the health/lives of their loved ones, or wait and hope that they can figure out a new path before unemployment runs out.

Second, the workers have left the building.

The Great Resignation The stress and clarity that this crisis has brought about in many is leading to what some are calling “The Great Resignation.”

Millions of people are leaving their jobs every month. At a rate of 2.7% to be exact, the highest since 2000. This is especially true in health care, restaurants, hospitality and education but it reaches into nearly every sector.

As mentioned above, people are concerned about their health and switching to jobs that do not require as much engagement with others. Many are using this moment to more deeply align their work with their values, priorities and desires.

In industries where workers were able to work remotely but are now being forced back to the office, many are opting for more flexible, remote-friendly jobs. People

have realized that life is short – work is not worth sacrificing their health, family or values if they are able to go elsewhere.

Roughly 1.5 million people over the age of 55 have taken severance packages and retired early. Similar to other groups, many older workers have simply decided it’s no longer worth it. The gap left behind

by Baby Boomers in particular presents a huge risk to employers who do not have strong succession plans in place. There are not as many mid-level workers to fill the shoes of those retiring.

For women, the pandemic created an impossible situation. More than 2 million women permanently left the workforce in 2020 to care for sick or at-risk loved ones and/or their children who were out of school and day care. Women, especially those with children, were much more likely to leave than men.

That’s not to mention the overall shrinking workforce due to declining birth rates, a trend over the last decade. Between those retiring and women leaving, the overall labor market participation rate dropped 1.7%, which may not sound like much but represents 3.1 million workers.

All of these factors have created a cataclysmic shift in power dynamics between employers and employees. We’re in the midst of a labor market reckoning.

Job seekers and employees are now in the driver’s seat. And they’re not stopping without good reason – higher wages, improved benefits, better hours, flexible uANACKER, Page A18

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ANACKER, From page A17 schedules, transparent and effective health and safety policies, etc.

Raising wages and boosting benefits only helps to a degree. It’s not panacea and certainly comes with constraints for some small businesses. Several industries simply do not have enough skilled workers. This is especially acute in health care, manufacturing, construction and many of the trades. A decline in apprenticeships, lower interest in these jobs and advances in technology (namely automation) are some of the major factors. The effects of the pandemic accelerated what was a 10to 20-year projection, condensing it down to just a few months. In addition, some other industries are also less desirable, like retail, restaurants and hospitality. Higher wages don’t reduce health risks, improve shifts or ensure predicable schedules.

Along the lines of declining apprenticeships, the turn of the 21st century brought about the end of internal training and leadership development programs. Many companies stopped creating distinct career pathways to help people move up. Instead, they expected people to show up “work ready.” In some instances, this may be an effective model but in many, it’s created significant hurdles for recruitment to not just find people to do the job, but to do it well.

In the throes of the sharp, deep recession in mid-2020, many people separated from employers in layoffs, furloughs, quitting and business closures. There were 110,000 restaurants that permanently shut down in 2020 alone, resulting in 2.5

million jobs lost. What many employers are not fully aware of, is that when an employee relationship is severed, it is exponentially more difficult to reconnect it. Many people went out and found new jobs, went back to school or dropped out of the workforce altogether. The rest were left looking for jobs in new industries, struggling to match or translate their skill set.

A labor mismatch The last factor I’ve observed is not as obvious but no less important: most employers are too narrowly focused on “qualifications” that have little to no bearing on performance. Things like brand name schools, previous industry experience and, in some industries, level of education and degrees themselves. This tight aperture excludes 70 million people who’ve been skilled through alternative routes and have the potential to transform teams.

While the number of jobs listed exceeds the number of people unemployed (and maybe even including those underemployed), it’s not a one-to-one match. We don’t have the right people with the right skills. Rather than a labor shortage, what we have is a labor mismatch.

What’s an employer to do?

Thankfully, there are two simple yet strategic actions employers can take to mitigate their risk. First, employers must shift toward skills-based hiring, allowing for life experience as a job qualification.

Second, employers must connect with job training programs, which are growing in capacity yet historically underutilized.

In every crisis lies opportunity. For

employers, this is a moment to truly differentiate – in values, candidate experience and follow through.

Employers must signal to job seekers that they value them and their employees as people. And, here’s the real kicker, follow through with authentic actions. The impact this will have on employer branding cannot be overstated.

Skills-based hiring offers a win-win scenario. Employers can identify and hire the right people for the right jobs while expanding the aperture for who qualifies.

This is especially powerful for job seekers who are underrepresented or come from non-traditional backgrounds. Skills-based hiring focuses on the skills an individual already possesses rather than focusing on how they acquired them. These can be both technical and soft skills.

To understand what those skills are, employers must look at the broad experiences candidates gain through life. Learning about an individual’s life experiences is a powerful mechanism for both human connection and assessing soft skills. Before this is dismissed as some soft and fluffy kumbayah thing, know that life experience is the most effective and powerful way to understanding people and their soft skills.

For some companies, developing inhouse training, internships or apprenticeship programs may be a viable path to getting new hires up to speed. However, for most, it likely will be a long and costly road that cannot address acute needs.

Workforce development programs are strategically positioned to meet this moment and to meet employers where they are.

There are roughly 10,000 private and

nonprofit job training programs nationwide. In addition, we have an extensive, established public workforce development system at our fingertips here in the U.S. These programs and organizations provide training in every industry and represent millions of job seekers.

As part of our work, we partner with workforce development programs across the country to help prepare their job seekers for the interview.

These organizations have the capacity to come alongside employers and ensure a clear, consistent, diverse and outstanding talent pipeline. Given the difficulty in finding the private and nonprofit outfits, we’re building The National Database of Workforce Development and Job Training Programs. So far, we have over 340 organizations identified, and we’re adding to it every week.

Go to: bit.ly/WorkforceJobTrainingDatabase.

Like most macro-level problems, the challenges in the labor market today are not simple. They’re perhaps as complex as they’ve ever been.

While there is no quick fix to a multifaceted problem like this, there are simple yet impactful steps employers can take to ease the acute pain felt: shift the hiring practice to be inclusive of life experience, and partner with the many workforce development organizations out there who are ready and eager to connect. Erin Anacker is the cofounder and head of product at WholeStory, a technology platform that provides insight into diverse life experiences to power better hiring, based in the Tri-Cities.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Estate planning for retirees: changes to watch for and how to navigate them When it comes to estate planning, there are many variables for retirees to consider, with one of the biggest being the effect of taxes on how much of their wealth they get to pass on.

Between several years of accommodative monetary policy and massive federal spending to offset the economic damage of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government has borrowed a lot of money that it will eventually have to be paid back, which inevitably means higher taxes.

At this point, there have been numerous proposals, but no clear indication of what changes to the tax code will make it into law, but Americans should be preparing now for bigger tax bills later.

There are several sections of the federal tax code that have an impact on estate planning, but there are three in particular that retirees should be looking at now.

The first to consider is the federal estate tax exemption.

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 raised the exemption, which is $11.7 million per person, for 2021. However, among the early proposals floated by the Biden administration was to have the exemption revert to the pre-2018 level of around $5.5 million, and some Democrats in Congress have suggested going even further and cutting the exemption to as little as $3.5 million.

Even if Congress takes no action at this time on the exemption amount, that provision expires in 2026; and the exemption automatically drops down to around $6 million per person.

The reduction in estate tax exemption will mean many more people will be affected and by itself that change would be significant enough. It becomes much more onerous when you add in two additional proposed changes. The first is the increase in the capital gains tax. The second, which is closely related to the first, is the removal of the step up in basis provision for assets

that have realized more than $1 million in capital gains.

During the 2020 campaign, President Joe Biden repeatedly promised that Michelle Clary anyone makPiton Wealth ing less than GUEST COLUMN $400,000 a year would not see their taxes go up. But those with income in excess of that amount are likely to see their taxes go up considerably from the triple whammy I just outlined.

At this point, since these are all proposals, it’s hard to offer a concrete prescription for each situation, but there are some steps that can be taken today to lessen the potential blow from future changes to the estate tax laws.

The first thing to do is to re-engage with the estate planning process. A plan drawn up five years ago, or even last year, may no longer be relevant in light of the proposed changes. The first step is for the advisor and client to sit down and go through the existing plan and consider how changes to the exemption, step up in basis and capital gains could affect that plan.

Another way to preempt the tax man is to contemplate the value of “gifting,” either during lifetime or at death, to individuals or to charitable organizations.

This could be a direct charitable gift or through a donor-advised fund. Looking at it pragmatically, gifting also can help retirees protect their assets from changes to the step up in basis. If the asset is gifted during the holder’s lifetime, the recipient of the gift inherits the original basis. If they are in a lower tax bracket, they can sell that position and wind up with lower taxes on the gain than the grantor.

A third tactic would be to consider how

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wealth could be managed differently today given the possibility of these upcoming changes on the future estate.

Consider the holdings in brokerage accounts where capital gains have been produced over time. Right now, the maximum rate of capital gains is 20%, which, like it or not, most investors are willing to accept, but a return to the mid-70s rate of around 40% would dramatically reduce how much of those investment gains could be passed on to heirs.

Each client’s situation will be different based on how they are currently invested, but it presents an excellent opportunity for the advisor to add more value to the relationship. The key is to reevaluate everything and make sure that what was a good idea yesterday may not be so tomorrow.

So, you may have more individual stocks in the portfolio, and municipal bonds become more attractive.

One of the basic estate planning tools that many couples use is the funding of a marital trust on the death of the first spouse. Since such a trust needs to be set up in advance and drafted into legal documents, we suggest outlining in the estate planning documents the funding of that marital trust by a disclaimer. Depending on the estate tax at the time of the first spouse’s death, the surviving spouse has the option of disclaiming any assets above the exemption limit. Those assets would then transfer into the trust without being subject to estate taxes after the second passing.

Another planning tool that will become more attractive as estate tax burdens increase is the option of setting up an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, or ILITs, for their life insurance policies as a way to reduce the value of a taxable estate. It’s a good idea to buy well-priced term insurance “now” that can be converted to coverage that will last through a lifetime “later.”

Retirees also should encourage their

adult children to take their own financial planning to the next level. Encourage them to get their own estate planning documents in order, save for retirement and have adequate insurance and other protections.

Younger adults that have a history of managing their own money tend to make much better decisions with gifted and inherited dollars.

Keep open lines of communication with all the members of your team of advisors: financial planner, investment advisor, accountant, insurance agent and estate planning attorney. For large estates, this team should meet formally at least once a year to provide the client with the best value.

Retirees also should be keeping an eye on what’s happening with estate and other taxes at the state level which will also have an impact on retirees’ financial futures.

In Washington state, this includes the new state capital gains tax and the new state long-term care tax. The state of Washington also has one of the country’s most onerous estate tax structures. All these structures, combined with the federal rules, should together define your planning parameters.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty around the future tax picture, but that doesn’t mean we should wait for the other shoe to drop before we take action. The more steps we take to protect ourselves from future tax exposure now, the easier it will be to adjust when the laws actually change. Preparation and proactive navigation are the themes of the day when it comes to estate and tax planning. Michelle Clary, a certified financial planner, chartered financial consultant, chartered life underwriter and retirement income certified professional, is chief executive officer/senior wealth advisor with Piton Wealth in Kennewick and Kalispell, Montana. Piton Wealth is a part of Thrivent Advisor Network LLC, a registered investment adviser based in Minnesota.

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TOGETHER, WE CAN END ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Join the Tri-Cities and Prosser Edward Jones team as they walk to end Alzheimer’s!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2021 Registration: 12:00 p.m.

Ceremony: 1:00 p.m.

Walk: 1:30 p.m.

Join a Tri-Cities or Prosser Edward Jones team as they Walk to End Alzheimer’s!

To join by walking and/or contributing visit, www.alz.org/edwardjones Alzheimer’s impacts us all. At Edward Jones, our purpose is to partner for positive impact – to improve the lives of our clients and colleagues, and together, better our communities and society. Alzheimer’s impacts all groups, including the estimated 300,000 Edward Jones clients living with the disease.

In 2020, Edward Jones renewed our strategic alliance with the Alzheimer’s Association with a five-year, $25 million commitment. This matches the $25 million we’ve raised since signing on as the first-ever Walk to End Alzheimer’s® National Presenting Sponsor in 2016, and makes our total 10-year investment the largest ever pledged by a corporate partner to the Alzheimer’s Association.

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16% during the COVID-19 pandemic

Americans are living with Alzheimer’s

Between 2000 and 2019, deaths from heart disease have

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Local Edward Jones Financial Advisors and Branch Office Administrators participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Monica Allred Gracie Bartoldus Lori Baxter Joy Behen Chrystie Billow Ryan Brault, CFP® Merri Buck Melody Burchfield Melinda Burchfield

Alzheimer’s and dementia deaths have increased

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

EDUCATION & TRAINING

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Hanford Patrol officers complete grueling training to serve on elite team

By Robin Wojtanik

for Hanford Mission Integration Solutions

Following a grueling training and instruction regimen, five Hanford Patrol officers became a part of an elite law enforcement squad on the Hanford site, providing enhanced protection from potential security threats.

“These five graduates are at the tip of the spear for keeping our materials and our people protected, so that the cleanup mission can occur, and the nation’s assets are protected,” said Brian Stickney, deputy manager at the site.

Hanford Patrol is managed by Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, a prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy, the agency which oversees cleanup work at the 580-square-mile site north of Richland.

The officers joined Hanford Patrol’s Special Response Team, or SRT, the closest equivalency to a police SWAT team.

Still, SRT instructors would argue the comparison is far from equivalent.

“I would put this team up against any tactical team in the nation,” said Hanford Patrol Col. Kyle Hiller.

Course instruction lasts eight hours

Courtesy HMIS The newest members of Hanford Patrol’s Special Response Team are, from left, Jonathan Doncaster, Mathew Gray, Kyle James, Robert Pofahl and Derik Moe.

a day, five days a week, for six weeks.

That’s five times the amount of training compared to typical SWAT instruction in the state.

“There is a huge skill level difference between this and basic SWAT,” Hiller said. “If you are talking about who you

want to save you when things go sideways, it’s these guys.”

For most SWAT members, they’re called to duty only as needed. For the SRT, the position becomes their fulltime role, and the team stands watch 365 days a year.

Only the most physically fit consider applying for selection to the SRT. They also must have a demonstrated mastery of weapons.

Additionally, each officer submits a formal application and receives a supervisor’s recommendation prior to sitting for an interview or participating in a tryout designed to test physical strength.

While the application process itself is stringent, it’s even more difficult to complete the training, which often sees 25% attrition.

Of those who began the process in May, 60% made it to graduation, including Hanford Patrol Security Police Officer Robert Pofahl, a former Marine Corps scout sniper.

“I have always tried to go for the top tier programs wherever I’m at. I like the challenge,” he said. “It’s nice to work with other people who share those same qualities. We all want to be better. When it comes to operations, you know what kind of training the person to your right and left has had.”

That training often included wearing 40 pounds of gear and a helmet on many days when temperatures rose higher uHANFORD PATROL, Page A24

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Tri-Cities schools split $184K from Gesa

Gesa Credit Union awarded more than $266,000 to Washington school districts through its affinity debit card program.

Tri-City schools received $184,000 of the total, which is earmarked to support academics, technology, extracurricular programs and athletics. Card users support their schools when they use the branded card for purchases.

The Pasco School District received $57,700. The Richland School District received $57,500. The Kennewick School District received $56,800.

Go to gesa.com for more information.

Richland teacher earns state career and technical education award

Cheyenne LaViolette had only two years under her belt as Hanford High’s computer science and broadcast media teacher when her work in the classroom with students began getting noticed.

She recently received the Outstanding New Career & Technical Teacher award during the annual conference of the Washington Association for Skilled & Technical Sciences.

Fellow teachers, students and administrators nominated her for the award, noting her commitment to providing powerful learning experiences in the classroom that prepare students for their futures.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

LaViolette began working in the district’s high schools as a paraeducator before joining the office staff at Hanford High in the 2015-16 Cheyenne school year.

LaViolette She earned her teaching degree in 2019 and then took on the computer science and broadcast programs at the school.

Along with teaching the class that produces the daily Falcon Report broadcast for the school and various computer science classes, she advises

the Hanford CyberPatriot cybersecurity club and podcasting club. She frequently works to ensure her courses mirror industry standards and meet the needs of students and their potential future employers, even if that means creating experiences from scratch.

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken place during much of LaViolette’s teaching career. She and her students worked to plan, create, record and broadcast the 2020 virtual graduation.

During the 2020-21 school year, she started a sports and events course that led to increased broadcast of student sports events when in-person attendance was limited due to Covid-19 restrictions.

HANFORD PATROL, From page A23 than 100 degrees during the summer’s first extreme heat wave. Instructors adhered to strict government safety measures to protect trainees.

In addition, DOE’s National Training Certification team visited the Hanford site during the session as part of the program’s recertification requirement, which occurs every three years.

During their visit, instructors balanced the focus on teaching their students while demonstrating the program also complies with DOE standards.

“The level of training we get here is excellent; the instructors do a phenomenal job,” Pofahl said. Training is offered only when enough spots open on the SRT, which left a two-year gap since the last round of graduates.

A video montage played during the graduation ceremony, attended by HMIS and DOE executives, provided a glimpse into the intensity of the SRT training.

“What keeps you going through something like this is that you’re not the only one suffering – so is the guy next to you,” Hiller said.

As each officer’s name was called, Hanford Patrol Chief Casey de Groof pulled off the rank insignia patch and added a new one to their chest, signifying their role on the SRT. Some graduates also received additional awards, such as instructors’ choice or students’ choice.

New members of Hanford Patrol’s SRT include Jonathan Doncaster, Mathew Gray, Kyle James, Derik Moe and Robert Pofahl.

Described by Hiller as one of the highest-trained and most-capable protective forces with the Department of Energy, “this team is the sharpest and most potent arrow in your quiver of last resort.”

Support your community Support local business

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EDUCATION & TRAINING

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Q&A Number of employees you oversee: 41 Brief background of your organization: Nonprofit that provides early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays.

How did you land your current role?

A combination of things: community service, life experiences and professional background.

Giving my time and talent to local nonprofits is something that I have been actively doing for over a decade. The intrinsic reward of service is fulfilling for me. That is one of the reasons why I chose to serve on the board of the Children’s Developmental Center for five years.

Service to my community also has provided me the opportunity to create relationships with people in Tri-City nonprofits.

My professional career began years ago in special education classrooms with kiddos who have developmental delays and disabilities for years prior coming into this role. I also taught neurotypical high schoolers English in the Pasco School District.

Add the experience of motherhood with my profession as a teacher and my

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ZAHRA ROACH

Executive Director Children’s Developmental Center love for children, and aligning myself with the mission of the Children’s Developmental Center was a perfect match.

Amid a lot of organizational change and ongoing challenges of Covid-19, the board of directors at the Children’s Developmental Center wanted a local community member that had strong relationships, a trusted reputation of being mission oriented, and someone prepared to build long-term organizational resilience.

How long have you been in it?

Approximately five months.

Why should the Tri-Cities care about your nonprofit?

Because expanding our selflessness and awareness of others’ needs makes us better human beings.

Our children with disabilities and developmental delays have the best chance of success at life when they receive intervention as early as possible. The positive outcomes in their lives can be seen in their health, academics, social emotional intelligence and eventually maybe in their profession.

When parents know where to go and what resources to tap into to improve their child’s life, their hope for their child increases.

You serve on the Pasco City Council and are very active in civic life.

Why is that important to you?

I’ve always felt connected to my community and wanted to become more directly involved.

When I moved back here after graduate school, I decided to act on that calling and volunteered for the Pasco Planning Commission, where I served for eight years.

I actually loved the planning commission even though many people think those meetings are basically the most boring thing ever.

I loved being a part of helping shape the direction and growth of our community.

So when people started encouraging me to run for office, it was an easy jump for me to be able to extend that sense of service one step further.

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

Integrity.

Zahra Roach

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

I would make it so that insurance companies covered 100% of the costs of any services needed by anyone with developmental delays and/or disabilities.

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

I’m a big believer in the philosophy of servant leadership, so I would ask them to really take some time to connect with their “why” about taking on the leaderuROACH, Page A28

ROACH, From page A27 ship role.

Are they motivated primarily out of a desire for advancement or ambition, or are they drawn to the role out of a sense of commitment to the mission and a desire to create more leaders from within their teams?

What is the biggest challenge facing business owners/managers today?

The constant state and rate of change.

Who are your role models or mentors?

Geri Belle, my mentor when I was a student teacher in Boston was (and still is!) a huge influence on me. Matt Watkins, Pasco’s previous mayor, has been a

great guide for me in the public service sphere.

How do you keep your team members motivated?

I constantly ask myself how we’re making sure every team member feels deeply connected to the mission, to the people we serve every day. If people can’t make the connection between the work they’re doing and the impact on their clients, it becomes easy for apathy or burnout to occur.

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

My career in education started with me working with children with disabilities, and I’ve always felt deeply connected to that work.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

How do you measure success in your workplace?

I measure success based first on the impacts our services have on our clients and their families. Are they making progress toward their development goals? Do their families feel supported and informed? Of course as the executive director, I’m also focused on my own team – do they have what they need to do their jobs? Are they positioned to succeed? And of course, the financial health of our organization is crucial to be able to continue the mission, so we’ve got to track the important metrics there.

What do you consider your leadership style to be?

I am a big believer in the philosophy of servant leadership, but when it comes

to “style” I’m a situational leader. I don’t know that one style works for every person or situation, so I’ve learned to adapt my communications style especially to fit the environment I’m in.

How do you balance work and family life?

It can be a challenge at times with three kids, but my husband John and I have gotten into a pretty good rhythm with it. He works from home so is able to handle things in the morning and afternoons. We got a lot of practice being flexible with changing schedules during Covid!

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

Read books, work in my yard, organize for causes I believe in, relax with my husband and kids, and watch comedies on Netflix.

What’s your best time management strategy?

Get all the important stuff done before you go to bed!

Best tip to relieve stress?

Exercise!

What’s your most-used app?

Noom.

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

Do the job, get the job done!

uBUSINESS BRIEF Register now for Ready! for Kindergarten workshops

Help prepare your child for success in school and register now for the Ready! for Kindergarten fall session.

The e-learning parent workshops for families with children ages birth to 5 years old will be available starting Oct. 1.

They’re free to families within the Kennewick School District, and participants may take part via their smartphones, tablets or PCs. If you are a nonresident, the program fee is $110 for the first workshop, and $75 per additional workshop.

Families will learn simple activities that make learning at home fun and engaging, and they’ll receive free learning tools to play with purpose with their child, as well as free books to read with their child.

First-timers will complete an online introductory orientation before the workshop.

Sign up now at readyforkindergarten. org/kennewick or call 509-222-5035.

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EDUCATION & TRAINING

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Tri-City students step one foot forward, one foot back 80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

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rate for the combined counties.

For example, compare the 2018-19 fouryear graduation rate with the 2019-20 fiveyear rate.

D. Patrick Jones There are Eastern undoubtedly Washington many reasons University for this welcome GUEST COLUMN improvement among public high school students. Some might be: schools paying greater attention to unexcused absences, a greater awareness among students and parents of the importance of finishing high school, early intervention with students showing poor academic performance, and greater flexibility by schools in finding alternatives to the traditional graduation path.

Like most averages, these rates mask significant variation among the districts.

For example, the most recent fiveyear rates for the three largest school districts – Kennewick, Pasco and Richland – were 82%, 83% and 90%. Of the three districts, Pasco has demonstrated the most gains, moving from a fiveyear rate of 69% for those who graduated in 2011 to an 83% rate to those who graduated in 2020. All districts have shown improvement.

And yet many occupations require training beyond high school skills.

Some of these skills may be acquired on the on the job. But most will involve a more formal approach, one found at a technical school, community college or a four-year higher education institution.

Overall Postsecondary Enrollment Shares

By one key measure, public schools in Benton and Franklin counties have shown strong progress. By another, students in the counties’ public schools are not succeeding.

The positive conclusion stems from high school graduation rates, or specifically for this column, the five-year high school graduation rate.

Benton-Franklin Trends data reveals steady progress in raising the percentage to the most recent value, those graduating in 2020, of 85.5%.

Consider that a decade ago, the average rate for the public districts in the two counties stood at 74.1%. At that time, local districts lagged the state rate by nearly five percentage points. Now, the local average exceeds the state rate by 1.5 percentage points.

Graduation rates are measured on a cohort basis, defined as those entering ninth grade.

The denominator of the rate, the student count, stays the same through the high school years, except for transfers out and in.

The number of students who graduate in four years, expressed over the cohort number in the fourth year, determines the on-time graduation rate. In turn, the number of students who graduate in five years, expressed over the cohort number in the fourth year, yields the five-year, or extended, graduation rate.

Due to the large number of students in the two counties who start school as English language learners, a fiveyear rate seems the more appropriate measure.

It gives, in particular, these students a chance to catch up. In fact, the extra year has recently allowed for that graduation rate to climb by a few percentage points over the four-year

Benton & Franklin Counties - Share of HS Grads Enrolled at a WA Public 2 Year School Benton & Franklin Counties - Share of HS Grads Enrolled at a WA Public 4 Year School Washington State - Share of HS Grads Enrolled at a WA Public 2 Year School Washington State - Share of HS Grads Enrolled at a WA Public 4 Year School

Courtesy Benton-Franklin Trends

By this measure, Trends data shows not too many local students are acquiring the necessary skills. The indicator tracks the share of high school seniors who attend a higher educational institution within one year after graduation.

The graph displays two types of higher educational institutions: twoand four-year. The counts (and shares) include in- and out-of-state institutions.

Private institutions are part of the mix.

The latest graduating class is from 2018, as data compilation from higher educational institutions takes quite a bit of time.

It is easy to see that in recent years the share of public high school students who attend some form of post-secondary training and education has declined over time.

For the class of 2018, about 14% went on to a community or technical college while another 14% went on to a four-year institution.

Compared to the classes covered early in the graph, the share of high school grads who attended a two-year has shrunk considerably – from 23.7% in 2005, to 14.2% in 2018. The share

uJONES, Page A30

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EDUCATION & TRAINING JONES, From page A29

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of high school grads going on to a four-year higher educational institution has declined by about one percentage point.

The current rate among local community and technical college students closely matches the statewide experience. As the graph shows, it wasn’t always so. In 2005, the share of local public high school students who continued their education at a twoyear higher educational institution was much higher, about 24%.

The more perplexing current comparison with Washington lies with students attending a four-year institution.

That share is now seven percentage points lower than the statewide average. Over the same time period, the average of state public-school students who have continued their education at a four-year institution has increased by over 3 percentage points. Yet, the share here has declined.

Without a survey, it is difficult to say why this has happened. It is this columnist’s hunch that both family expectations and finances loom large.

Whatever the reasons, these and other barriers must be overcome. The Tri-Cities’ economy of the future will demand a workforce with at least some exposure to community college or technical schools that is greater than 14%.

And it will demand more bachelor’s degree-qualified jobs than the current 14% share of high school grads seeking that degree. D. Patrick Jones is the executive director for Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis. Benton-Franklin Trends, the institute’s project, uses local, state and federal data to measure the local economic, educational and civic life of Benton and Franklin counties.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Fran Rish Stadium moves closer to renovation

New turf, expanded restroom facilities, improved locker rooms and increased accessibility are one step closer at Richland High School’s Fran Rish Stadium.

The Richland School Board recently approved the schematic design for the renovation of the home side and main entrance for the stadium.

District leaders will now work with Chervenell Construction of Kennewick, the district’s general contractor and construction manager, so construction can begin in early 2022. The new facilities are scheduled to open in fall 2022.

The renovation is one of the projects paid for by the voter-approved bond in 2017. The project will cost roughly $10 million and includes new artificial turf; resurfaced track; improved home side grandstand bleachers with wheelchair access; renovated locker rooms and training spaces; and a new 3,500-square-foot ticketing and restroom building.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

EDUCATION & TRAINING

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Financial education starts with scarcity, perspective Recently someone very dear to me said they were in near physical pain listening to an investment presentation. They were probably exaggerating, but it was an understandable feeling. They went from starting a foundation with budgeting and a savings plan to a detailed review of portfolio theory and valuations.

This would be akin to someone starting their journey into pop culture by reading Joseph Campbell’s 400-page technical explanation of the “hero’s journey” instead of watching “Star Wars” or “Harry Potter.” The difference is very few people have a need to read “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” while all of us need a passing knowledge of personal finance.

Responsible citizens If there is an ur-narrative that unites all personal finance stories it might be the relationship between scarcity and perspective.

Scarcity is fundamental to our reality.

We have unlimited needs and desires, yet we have limited means and resources to satisfy them. Perspective, which can be taught, allows us to prioritize our needs and desires across time and space. Tools are in turn developed to help us improve our perspective and maximize the use of our scarce resources.

These tools can be as simple as dollarcost averaging or as academic as multifactor portfolios.

The underlying narrative of scarcity,

Nicholas Haberling Community First Bank & HFG Trust

perspective and the tools we build to maximize return might line the bookshelves of financial advisors, but they’re of little interest to the public at large.

Stories GUEST COLUMN people need Yet we all need to understand personal finance to be responsible citizens in the modern world. How do we bridge this gap? I can only speak from personal experience, but I think the solution lies in exploring the role financial planning plays in stories and encouraging people, especially children, to explore how the world around them works.

For story examples, we can examine the Bible. In the Old Testament we read about Joseph instructing Pharaoh to set aside grain during years of good harvest so the people of Egypt could survive a future famine. I’m not one to endorse centralized planning, but I think there are parallels here to dollar-cost averaging and retirement planning.

To encourage children as they explore the world, we can ask them whether they know how their favorite company makes money or produces a product; then ex-

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plain how they have the opportunity to own their favorite public companies.

It may sound surprising, but many kids are excited to learn how they can own a piece of Disney, for example.

A personal example of this is when my fourth-grade teacher informed my class of the option to buy companies on the internet.

I thought it would be funny to buy my father’s business, but Haberling Financial Group was not listed on the S&P 500 (the difference between public and private companies was a later lesson).

However, this leads to conversations on setting aside funds to buy company

shares that will generate a future return on investment.

We live in a world that requires a passing understanding of financial planning. It requires the use of personal finance tools to balance scarcity with present and future needs. There are many ways to learn about the tools of financial planning, but I think the best way is to build a foundation through compelling narratives and exploration. Nicholas Haberling is a partnership advisor at Community First Bank & HFG Trust in Kennewick.

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Help your kids and grandkids avoid college debt As higher education costs continue to rise, it is important to consider how best to fund your child’s or grandchild’s education.

I propose a multi-pronged approach to use tax-advantaged 529 plans, trusts and term life insurance.

The 529 plan offers great long-term savings capability, but in the event of a worst-case scenario, a trust with life insurance funding provides a safety net.

Let’s start with a young couple with young children.

Assume that couple has limited resources proportional to their age and new family support obligations. That young couple is also smart and wants to plan to take care of their children’s anticipated (and ever-increasing) college tuition.

Start with a 529 The 529 plan is a state-sponsored tax-advantaged investment account. The parents make contributions to the 529 plan that can both grow tax-free and be distributed from the account to pay qualified educational expenses free from federal income tax as well.

The 529 account contributions are generally invested in an investment account, a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds, mutual funds, or Exchange Traded Funds.

This is an excellent choice to begin saving for college for the children.

But, the young couple probably anticipates contributing a smaller amount over their children’s early life (think, for example, an 18-year funding plan). That means

that, at least early on, there will not be enough assets in the 529 plan to pay for college and the child may have to secure scholarships or loans to pay the Beau Ruff difference.

Cornerstone To plan for Wealth Strategies the worst-case GUEST COLUMN scenario of a premature death of the parents, the couple should consider a safety net that a trust combined with term life insurance can provide their children.

Add a trust The young couple would next want to update or establish their estate plan and get a new will.

The will provides that if the parents pass away, their assets will be held in a trust for the children. The terms of the trust will generally provide that the trust assets are used to provide educational opportunities to the children as well as providing basic housing, transportation, food expenses and other costs.

The difference here is that the 529 plan is funded using current contributions while the trust would be funded using any other assets the parents might have – assets like a house or car.

Of course, this trust would only come into existence and be funded with the proceeds from the sale of the house or

the couple’s car in the unfortunate event of their premature death. But, this would provide additional resources to help provide the funds necessary to pay for the children’s education where the 529 assets were insufficient.

In many circumstances, the total assets owned by the couple might still not be enough. Perhaps they just bought the house and have little equity. Perhaps the cars or other assets aren’t worth much either.

The couple could then consider using term life insurance to provide adequate funding for the trust.

Buy term life insurance To make sure that there are enough assets to properly fund the trust, the couple would shop for, and acquire, a term life insurance policy.

Like all life insurance policies, it pays out an amount of money upon the death of the insured person(s) – in this case, one or both parents.

Term life insurance is usually cheap to acquire, especially in this case where the proposed insured couple is young (and commensurately healthy). By way of example, perhaps the couple decides in the first step above that they can fully fund the 529 plan in 15 years.

Well, then maybe they decide to purchase a 10-year term life insurance policy to provide the funding shortfall if they don’t survive to be able to make all the contributions to the 529 plan.

Of course, the parents would want to

have life insurance to provide coverage not only for college education but also for the costs of raising the children and other costs outside of education should they suffer a premature death.

Those considerations are for another article. Suffice it to say that a larger term life insurance policy can go a long way in offering the funding to take care of the couple’s children in a variety of circumstances.

The grandparents This column has focused on the young couple so far, but grandparents have options as well.

They too can contribute to the same 529 plans. And they probably are in a better place financially.

The law allows them to contribute up to five years’ worth of annual gifting to each child’s 529 account ($75,000) and elect to report it proportionately on each of the subsequent five years ($15,000 per year in this example).

Grandparents too can divert some or all their assets into trusts for their grandchildren’s education, just like the parents can.

However, life insurance generally stops making as much sense for the grandparents as a funding tool for their grandchildren’s education so the grandparents would instead rely upon the current estate value. 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 | SEPTEMBER 2021

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Kennewick restaurant owner dies at age 84

Carmen “Carmine” Aitoro, retired owner of Carmine’s Italian Restaurant in Kennewick, died Aug. 20. He was 84.

In 2008, at 70 years old, he and his wife Joyce opened the restaurant. He also enjoyed tending his rock garden outside the restaurant, receiving recognition from the North American Rock Garden Society.

Carmine’s closed in 2019 when he and his wife of 60 years – they were high school sweethearts – decided to retire a second time.

Before opening the restaurant, he opened and operated three fence companies, two in New Jersey and one in California, after working after high school at his father’s fence company in New Jersey.

In the early 1990s, he and Joyce moved to Las Vegas, where he worked as a card dealer and then a pit boss for Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. The couple retired in 2004 and moved to Kennewick.

He is survived by his wife, four children, numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rosetta Assisted Living, 5291 Road 60, Pasco, WA 99301.

Bluewood ski resort manager dies at age 65 Kim Clark, a longtime ski industry leader and general manager of the Bluewood resort, died Aug. 31 of an apparent heart attack while working on the moun-

tain south of Dayton.

It’s the Tri-Cities’ closest ski resort and owned by seven Tri-Citians.

Clark joined Bluewood in 2014. He previously managed Mt. Ashland in southern Oregon and led the Arizona Snowbowl ski rental and school program.

In a statement sharing the news, Bluewood mourned an influential leader: “Kim passed away doing what he loved, with people he loved, on the mountain he loved.”

Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association president Jordan Elliott said told Ski Area Management Magazine: “Kim was a stalwart fixture at the Northwest ski areas that he led over his career, and also as a past board member of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association. His love for the ski industry and ability to lead his teams like a family can’t be replicated and he will be missed greatly.”

He is survived by his wife Tracy. Services have not been announced.

Another Hanford tank is getting emptied

Hanford’s tank operations contractor has begun work to move 104,000 gallons of solid and sludge-like material from Tank AX-103 as part of the nuclear reservation cleanup.

Washington River Protection Solutions, tank operations contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection, will transfer the tank waste to a double-shell tank for interim storage until it can be sent to the multibillion-dollar Waste Treatment and immobilization Plant

to be immobilized in glass, a process called vitrification.”

During the project, workers thread retrieval equipment through small openings in the top of the tank from a control trailer.

They will use pressurized water to dissolve the solid, or salt-cake, waste and flush it to the pump that transfers the waste to a double-shell tank.

Tank AX-03 is the third of four milliongallon waste tanks at the AX Tank Farm to be emptied so far. The final tank, AX 101, will be emptied in 2022.

Tank AX-103 is the third million-gallon tank to have its waste retrieved in a group of four called the AX Tank Farm. WRPS has already retrieved waste from tanks AX-102 and 104. Retrieval of the last tank, AX-101, is scheduled to begin next year.

To date, workers have completed retrieving the waste from 17 of Hanford’s 149 older single-shell tanks. Those tanks include the 16 tanks in the C Farm and a tank in the S Farm. Once tanks AX-102 and 104 go through a standard technical review for completion that can take several months, the list will grow to 19.

Travel writers delay Tri-Cities visit

An influential group of travel writers has delayed its Tri-Cities gathering until April over concerns around the Covid-19 Delta variant.

TBEX North America was to be held in September at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.

The event, now set for April 18-21, 2022, will bring hundreds of travel writers

to the area, where they will visit points of interest and write about the Mid-Columbia for a global audience.

Visit Tri-Cities spent more than a year coordinating the visit, which it sees as a way to put the area’s assets, including wine, outdoor tourism and science tourism, on the map.

Michael Novakovich, president and CEO, said he was disappointed, but put on a good face, noting that spring is a good to show off the area.

“We can now highlight even more of the Tri-Cities,” he said.

TBEX is expected to bring 350 to 400 bloggers, online journalists and others with a combined reach of 300 million followers.

STCU, Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union merging

Coulee Dam Federal Credit Union will merge into Spokane-based STCU on Oct. 1.

The merger brings the Coulee Dam union’s 14,400 members into the larger STCU system.

STCU will rebrand the CDFCU locations and is providing staff with remote training on its systems.

“Preparing for the merger has been a major project involving thousands of details,” said Colleen Manley, CEO of CDFCU. The merger maintains staffing and has been approved by state and federal regulatory agencies as well as by the boards of both credit unions. The five CDFCE branches will close Oct. 1 and reopen Oct. 4 under the STCU name.

BUSINESS PROFILE

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Runners Soul finds right shoe so your feet will thank you shoes. It brought tears to my eyes. One gentleman came in a bought a number of gift certificates for us to give away. Our community has stood by a lot of local retail businesses.”

By Jeff Morrow

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

On a recent Friday morning, customers were coming into Runners Soul at a steady flow.

Suddenly, a woman and her high school-aged son from Connell entered the store and walked right up to Scott Conrad, who owns the Kennewick establishment.

“My son is running cross country and he needs new shoes. I’ve been told you are the Shoe Whisperer,” she said.

Conrad got a little embarrassed, and he took a ribbing from store manager Carly Migas.

“We call him the Shoe Fairy,” she joked.

Conrad had the young man step up and down in place a number of times. Then, with his hands on his knees, he watched the youngster as he walked the length of the store back and forth two times.

The teen has a different step and needs a specific shoe, in a larger size.

Needless to say, Conrad sold the runner and his mother a pair of quality running shoes.

It’s a story that repeats itself every day.

Walkers and runners come in, seeking shoes that will keep up with their unique physiology.

It’s a scenario that Conrad thanks his lucky stars for every day, considering the pandemic that has hampered all local business the past 18 months.

In March 2020, when the world shut down, Runners Soul was considered “non-essential” and couldn’t open even on a limited basis.

With no revenue coming in and bills piling up, Conrad’s dream of owning a small business disappearing.

“I was scared,” Conrad said.

In May 2020, two months into the lockdown, Runners Soul offered curbside service available and very limited in-store

Photo by Jeff Morrow Owner Scott Conrad stands in front of his shoe inventory at Runners Soul at 5020 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick.

hours. But it was still struggling.

Fortune smiled when Shalom Powell posted a story on Supporting Tri-Cities Businesses, a Facebook group dedicated to steering customers to local businesses.

Powell recounted how the pandemic was battering the business: “His sales have taken a tremendous hit, not just from the lockdown, but also because of the cancellation of school sports (track) and local fun runs. He applied for the government small business loan himself, but not having a larger team, resources and banking relationships, he was declined over application errors and then the government money ran out. Scott is a valued member of our community that is doing his best to protect everyone AND put food on his table.”

And after reading the Facebook post, a customer got connected Conrad with a

banker who helped him reapply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, forgivable loans aimed at preserving jobs in the early days of the pandemic.

“I applied at the end of June again, and got a little money in July to help,” he said.

Powell’s post to Supporting Tri-Cities Businesses was the publicity Runners Soul needed.

“I got a huge response,” Conrad said.

“People came into the store and bought

Selling shoes is his avocation Conrad was part of the running crowd in Spokane. He competed in 31 Bloomsday events. At one point, he was the second seed in the race — getting his time down to 43 minutes, from an original finish of 65 minutes, in the 12-kilometer race.

At 59, he no longer runs.

“I used to be a runner a long, long time ago. Now I’m a waddler,” he says.

But he realized he needed to find something that brought out his passion in life.

“When I was 18, I knew (that selling shoes) was my calling,” he said. “I knew I needed to get an education, get a degree and make money.”

Conrad became a shoe guru in the Spokane area, working for the Athlete’s Foot, Kimmel Athletic and at one point being a New Balance shoe rep.

He also realized that to make it a career, he needed to own his own store.

On his last job, Conrad worked for Runners Soul in Spokane.

“I told the owner I’d like to buy one of his stores,” said Conrad. “He wouldn’t do that. But one day he asked me what I thought of the Tri-Cities.”

That was 2006, when a Runners Soul uRUNNERS SOUL, Page A36

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

RUNNERS SOUL, From page A35 store was opened on Clearwater Avenue in Kennewick.

Conrad moved here to manage the store, with the eventual chance to buy it.

“That happened in 2010,” Conrad said.

“In 2015, I paid off the bank loan.”

Customer service is key Runners Soul does not have the huge inventory that a box store might have.

“People come to seek our store out for customer service,” said Conrad.

The pandemic, he said, has forced many customers to shop online. But a shoe needs to fit well to work. Working with an expert fitter is the key to a good experience both in the store and out in the world.

“I think people enjoy talking to other

people,” he said.

Conrad employs between seven to nine on his staff. That staff as well does a great job of working with the customer, knowing the ins and outs of each shoe brand Runners Soul sells.

Conrad and Migas train the employees.

“It takes a couple of months to get them trained,” Conrad said. “I give them a journal, and talk a little each shift about the products.”

Like the Santa Claus who sends customers from Macy’s to Gimbel’s if the right product is available, Conrad and his staff have no qualms of sending a customer in the right direction if he knows of a better product.

On this day, Conrad didn’t have what a customer was looking for. But he sent them up the road to REI, which he knew

carried the product.

“Your customer service means a lot,” Conrad said. “I might send them to Dick’s or REI. When they’re ready, they’ll come back here.

“I believe in honesty and a good heart.

I truly believe in karma.”

Future outlook Even though Conrad said, “I got panicky,” he said Runners Soul will survive the pandemic.

“Sales are better than they were in 2020, but a little less than they were 2019,” he said. “You’ve got these rollercoaster rides.”

He’s not out of the woods.

“The next hurdle in retail that we have to overcome is inventory,” he said.

Or rather, lack of inventory.

The supply chain for numerous prod-

ucts — including athletic shoes — has been disrupted. Factories aren’t running near full capacity. Covid-19 is affecting production plants. There are not enough dock workers to unload ships sitting in harbor waters with plenty of product.

There aren’t enough truckers to transport the products.

“November, December and January could be tough,” Conrad said.

He’s not giving up While it’s a concern, Conrad is not giving up. He loves to come to work every day.

“I’m not looking to get rich,” he said.

“I want to make enough money to pay my bills and get my two kids through college.”

And he loves the customer interaction.

“To reach a customer who comes into the store with possible aches and pain from not having the right footwear, and then we get them a shoe that makes their body more comfortable, I love that,” he said.

“Or a mom or dad who come in wanting to change their lifestyle, and now they’re jogging two to three miles a day.

Being a part of your success story makes me feel good.”

The Shoe Whisperer wouldn’t want it any other way.

Runners Soul is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday.

Search Runners Soul: 5020 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick; 509-783-7463; runnerssoulwa.com.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Team with Tri-City ties advances in $2M XPRIZE contest

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A team with Tri-City ties has advanced to the semifinalist round of a months-long contest aimed at connecting workers to family-wage jobs through a training model that can be replicated across the country. It also puts the local team closer to a chance to win up to $2 million.

The 30-month contest, called XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling, is designed to incentivize teams to develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of rapid training and reskilling solutions for those most vulnerable to employment loss in the United States.

The team, called Dignity of Work, is made up of Career Path Services, a workforce development and human services nonprofit with offices in Kennewick; WholeStory, a technology platform that provides insight into diverse life experiences to power better hiring, based in the Tri-Cities; and ANEW, an apprenticeship-focused nonprofit working to improve access and advancement of women in nontraditional careers, based in Renton.

The Dignity of Work team is one of eight from four countries to advance to the next

uBUSINESS BRIEF Benton REA customers get $1.75 million rebate

The Benton Rural Electric Association will pay $1.75 million in ownership credits to its 17,400 active and inactive

round of the competition.

Launched in June 2020, XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling is sponsored by nonprofit venture philanthropy organization New Profit and in partnership with JFF, a national nonprofit.

The solutions developed in the competition aim to reduce training time by at least 50% for occupations with a living wage and will be provided at no cost to the individual.

“The United States is going through a historic reassessment of labor across all industries,” said XPRIZE CEO Anousheh Ansari in a news release. “More individuals are looking to change careers than ever before, and the technology being developed in XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling will empower individuals to find new pathways to better education, better training solutions, ultimately leading to a better career.”

The eight semifinalists were selected from a pool of 10 qualified teams. The teams were paired with workforce development boards across the U.S. to recruit new learners and deploy their respective training solutions.

The Dignity of Work team is paired with Hampton Roads Workforce Council in Normembers.

People and businesses that receive electricity from the REA are members and owners of the cooperatives.

Many members receive their payment as a credit against their power bills. Most members who receive a payment this year received a check in late August.

folk, Virginia.

“The technology from our semifinalist teams is already producing very promising results, and with another year left in the competition, I’m extremely encouraged to believe these teams will deliver on XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling’s original goal of quickly reskilling workers for the digital revolution,” said Monique Golden, social science lead for XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling.

The semifinalist teams are entering the large-scale field testing stage of the competition, in which each team must demonstrate how their proposed solutions will rapidly place trained workers in 60 days or less, and then support the workers to ensure job retention of at least 60 days.

The teams’ solutions are a mix of online learning management systems and digital apps to train for occupations such as community health worker, medical assistant, machinist, construction laborer, medical equipment preparer and sales representative.

After completion of the semifinalist round, a $1.5 million milestone award will be shared equally between up to five finalist teams whose solutions received the highest scores from the judging panel for successful implementation of their solution.

Winners will be selected in January 2023.

Go to rapidreskilling.xprize.org.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 RiverFest canceled for second year in row

The 2021 RiverFest Celebration Festival at Columbia Park has been canceled for the second year because of Covid-19.

The event, organized by the Pasco Chamber of Commerce and a regional coalition, celebrates the Columbia River system with a festival and educational experiences. It was to be held Oct. 9.

In lieu of the 2020 event, the chamber produced a documentary, “Our Rivers, Our Life,” which can be viewed at riverfestwa.com.

Courtesy WSU Tri-Cities James Mattis, a Richland native and former U.S. Secretary of Defense, left, chats with Bernadette “Bernie” Gagnier, a Washington State University Tri-Cities wine science alumna and current WSU graduate student, during the Sept. 8 dedication for his namesake library in the university’s Veterans Center. A ceremony preceded celebrating the school’s expanded Veterans Memorial. The library is a permanent installation featuring books that Mattis called influential to his career.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS SBDC offers free small business support

Small businesses in the Tri-City area can receive free and confidential support from the Small Business Development Center.

The SBDC can help develop solutions for small business problems. Certified advisors can assist businesses with areas such as human resources, financial statements and management, business plans,

expansion or growth, among others.

The program is sponsored by city of Richland.

The Washington Small Business Development Center is a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Washington State University and other Washington Institutions of higher education and economic development organizations.

For more information, contact John Morosco at 833-492-7232 or email washington@wsbdc.org.

Richland banker who focused on basics dies

Richard C. Emery, a longtime banker credited with steering banks away from trouble, died at his Richland home on July 22. He was 80.

Emery was born in Ontario, Oregon, but spent his childhood on the family farm in Otis Orchards, Washington.

He pursued a career in banking after earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington State University, beginning at Old National Bank of Washington in Spokane.

His rising career brought him to Kennewick in 1981, when he was hired to organize American National Bank, which was sold to First Hawaiian Corp. in 1996. After several more stops, he returned to the Tri-Cities as president and CEO of Community First.

Eric Pearson, his successor at Community First, called Emery a mentor who was devoted to banking basics and

who wouldn’t transfer reins until he was convinced Pearson understood both sides of the business – customer facing and administrative.

Pearson credited Emery with refocusing Community First on basic banking.

“During a time when the organization needed him most, Rich’s leadership steered the bank away from a sideline business that had led it down a perilous path and brought it back to its core roots,” he said in an Aug. 11 statement released on the bank’s website.

Emery is survived by his wife of 59 years, Kathy Emery, four children and by numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. Graveside services were held at Sunset Gardens in Richland.

Together with Community First Bank/HFG Trust, his family established the Richard C. Emery Business and Finance Scholarship through the Three Rivers Community Foundation. Donate at bit.ly/RichEmeryScholarship.

Christ the King Sausage Fest is on

Christ the King Catholic School is operating its annual Sausage Fest as a drive-thru event due to Covid-19 delta variant.

The annual event will offer food and T-shirts from 4-8 p.m. Sept. 17, and from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sept. 18.

The annual fundraiser was originally rescheduled as an in-person event after being canceled in 2020, It was retooled as a drive-thru because of low vaccination and high infection rates in Benton and Franklin counties.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 uNEW HIRES

• Prosser Memorial Health has hired Steve Peters, a licensed mental health therapist, at its Benton City Clinic. He received his master’s of Steve Peters science in clinical mental health counseling/forensic counseling specialization from Walden University and his bachelor’s in business studies in applied psychology from Regent University. He is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. He began his career at an inpatient state hospital in Oregon, eventually moving on to outpatient and school-based work. He made his way to the Tri-Cities in 2000 after taking a position as a mental health case manager.

• Cassidy Brown has been hired by Chaplaincy Health Care as its marketing supervisor.

Prior to joining Chaplaincy’s team, she was a marketing and Cassidy Brown communications coordinator at Seattle Children’s. She has a wide range of marketing experience, but is most specialized in content creation, strategy and community outreach.

• Dann Mead Smith is joining Project 42, a 501(c)4 nonprofit, after 21 years

leading the Washington Policy Center as president. Project 42’s goal is to change the course of Washington state to prioritize free markets, personal liberties and the rights of citizens to prosper.

Mead Smith leaves the policy center in October.

uAWARDS & HONORS

• Denver-based Eon, an industry leader in incidental findings software, has accredited Trios Health as an Eon Center of Excellence. Trios received bronze accreditation for its proven achievement in capturing patients with an incidentally identified pulmonary nodule that requires follow-up and adding each patient to a system for care management.

uPROMOTION • Amelia Kittson, a third-generation owner at KIE Supply Corporation in Kennewick, has been promoted to vice president after earning a master’s degree in business adminisAmelia Kittson tration in supply chain management from the University of WisconsinMadison. Kittson spent the past two years working for KIE Supply from Madison, Wisconsin, where she received a fellowship from The Grainger Foundation, including a full-ride scholarship to earn her MBA from the Grainger Center

for Supply Chain Management at the Wisconsin School of Business. Kittson has spent the past 10 years working for KIE Supply and will continue to work closely with her father, Gus Kittson, president, on their succession planning.

KIE Supply is a family-owned company selling irrigation, plumbing, electrical, decorative lighting and appliance products since 1955.

uDONATIONS • Washington River Protection Solutions, an Amentum-led company, has become the first area business to join the newly formed Kadlec Foundation Corporate Giving Society. WRPS is making a $10,000 gift to the Kadlec Foundation in support of its community health programs. The Corporate Giving Society is designed to build partnerships with area companies to support the Kadlec Foundation’s mission of “elevating community health.”

• Community Health Plan of Washington donated $50,000 each to Yakima Valley Farm Workers and Tri-Cities Community Health, two federally-qualified community health centers, to fund projects aimed at removing barriers and increasing access to health care services across the state. Fifteen community health centers across the state received a total of $750,000. Yakima Valley Farm Workers will use the money for enhanc-ing member experiences and access and Tri-Cities Community Health will use it for chronic conditions management.

• Gesa Credit Union has partnered with Food Lifeline and Second Harvest

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for Hunger Action Month. This September, the three organizations are working to raise awareness about food insecurity and mobilize the public to take action on the issue of hunger in the Northwest.

Gesa is the presenting sponsor for both organizations and will donate $25,000 to each. Gesa also will host food drives at each of its branch locations and offer team members volunteer opportunities.

• The Auction of Washington Wines raised more than $2.2 million to support Seattle Children’s, the WSU Viticulture and Enology program and its own industry grant program through a year-long series of fundraising events. The annual celebration of wine culminated it its 34th annual gala, a hybrid event held Aug. 14 with 375 guests in person and 700 participants online.

uBOARDS • The Energy Northwest Executive Board has elected new officers. Will Purser of Sequim was elected to serve as board chair; John Saven of Portland will serve as vice chair; Linda Gott of Shelton will continue to serve as board secretary; and Jim Moss of Edgewood will continue to serve as assistant secretary. All will serve two-year terms.

The executive board has 11 members; five elected from the agency’s board of directors, three appointed by the board of directors from outside Energy Northwest and the remaining three appointed by the governor. The executive board sets the policies that govern the operations of the organization.

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

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

YEARS N I

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CELEBRATING

Veterans Warehouse eyed Richland’s old Albertsons but seeks alternative spot

Page B3

YEARS

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s menu coming to Kennewick

Page B7

September 2021 Volume 20 | Issue 9 | B1

Faith-led investor wants to rehab downtown, starting with old strip club

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

A casino-turned-strip club in downtown Kennewick will reopen as a Mexican grocery following a remodel by a faith-led investment group that is eager to play a role in the neighborhood.

Jared Walther, a former nuclear industry executive and cybersecurity expert, is the driving force behind Walther CRE LLC and related investment entities.

The Christian nonprofit purchased two buildings in downtown, including the former City Stars Gentlemen’s Club at 101 S. Gum St. and the Bateman building, home to Sportspage Bar and Grill, at 307 W. Kennewick Ave. Walther would like to buy even more in his bid to support Kennewick’s vision of a vibrant downtown.

Walther’s company bought the building that housed the now-closed City Stars Gentlemen’s Club in August for $1.2 million. In June, it paid $2.5 million for the Bateman building to support its upstairs tenant, a 23-unit sober shelter for people who are homeless, disabled or in recovery.

Walther brings a varied background to

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Jared Walther, a former nuclear industry executive and cybersecurity expert, is converting a former strip club on South Gum Street into a Mexican grocery. It’s one of two investments in downtown Kennewick for Walther and his faith-led group of investors.

downtown. In addition to his nuclear and cybersecurity work, he develops businesses to support Christian ministries

and owns a business that flips about one home a month – buying homes in need of repair and then selling them for a profit.

He’s new to commercial investing, but he’s a big fan of Kennewick’s historic downtown and its pedestrian-friendly focus.

He shared his vision over a glass of water at a table outside the Sportspage in late August. A touch of fall was in the air as he surveyed Foodies Brick and Mortar across the street and its neighbors.

He had just visited Spectrum Center in Irvine, California, a popular destination for dining, shopping, entertainment and events.

He believes the vibe can and should be duplicated in the Tri-Cities in Kennewick. He cited recent arrivals such as an axe-throwing business, Red Mountain Commercial Kitchen and Layered Cake Artistry to make his point. The newcomers had to make significant upgrades to their old buildings.

“I’d like to buy all of it,” he said as he looked down Kennewick Avenue.

Transforming the controversial former casino and strip club on Gum Street into a grocery store will be the debut effort.

Walther’s team began gutting the building in August, with plans to leave uWALTHER, Page B2

‘For Sale’ signs coming to Columbia Gardens, Vista Field – at last

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Years after Columbia Gardens and its sister development, Vista Field, began taking shape in Kennewick, private developers will finally get a shot at buying sites in both developments this fall.

The Port of Kennewick expects to hang a “For Sale” sign at Columbia Gardens, its wine-themed urban village near the base of the cable bridge, in September, and at Vista Field, the former municipal airport, a few months later.

Selling land to private businesses sets the stage for both projects to fulfill their respective missions to spark private de-

velopment in Kennewick and to create unique places for visitors and residents.

For Columbia Gardens, next to Duffy’s Pond, that includes a mix of tenants who lease space in a pair of winery buildings and at the food truck plaza, as well as private owners who install restaurants and other businesses on sites around the property.

Land sales can’t come fast enough for Ron Swanby, owner of Swampy’s BBQ Sauce and Eatery. In early 2020, Swanby moved his barbecue truck and smoker to a pair of leased parking spots at the Columbia Gardens food truck plaza.

He covered his costs, but took no salary in the first year. Eager to expand, he

first asked the port to sell a sliver of land beside Columbia Drive in April.

“I need to grow. I need to be able to not only do caterings but have food sales at Columbia Gardens at the same time,” he said.

On a recent day, he was one of six trucks operating at the plaza, across from Zip’s Drive-In. He wants to build a permanent kitchen to support his growing business so that he doesn’t have to choose between operating from the truck or catering special events. The either-or model leaves money on the table. A permanent kitchen frees him to work regionally from a fixed base.

Swanby said he is thrilled the port is finally ready to sell the land.

He submitted a letter of intent to buy the site in late August and intends to break ground by the end of the year.

Moving into a 600- to 700-square-foot commercial kitchen will have another benefit. It will free up his two spots for additional food trucks, creating more opportunities for small businesses to be part of Columbia Gardens.

It has taken the port years to bring both Columbia Gardens and Vista Field to the point it is ready to sell land. The last steps include finalizing design uFOR SALE, Page B8

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

WALTHER, From page B1 just the kitchen and cooler. It will enter a lease-to-own arrangement with the operator of a Mexican grocery, which isn’t available in east Kennewick and Finley.

He shares a vision of a thriving Kennewick with the Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership, a nonprofit working to revitalize the downtown area.

Gum Street, which runs along the eastern side of the area, needs anchors and businesses to serve the area.

“We’re cheering him on,” said Stephanie Button, executive director.

The Bateman building is one of downtown’s most prominent buildings and was Walther’s first commercial investment. He credits a broker who brings houses to his flipping businesses for

flagging the opportunity.

“I felt called to beautify downtown Kennewick,” he said.

The Bateman is best known for the Sportspage, which has occupied much of the street-level space for more than 30 years. But it was the rehabilitation housing upstairs that convinced Walther to buy it.

His team wanted to support Community Action Coalition, which operates the sheltered housing on the upper floors. CAC has been in the building for 19 years. Walther and company wanted to ensure it continues.

“I came for CAC,” he said.

Walther said the Bateman building is in excellent shape and is fully fireproof, a nod to the Kennewick Hotel, which stood on the property until it burned in

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

1948.

Button, of HDKP, called the Bateman an important part of downtown, and said she’s thrilled to see an eager investor take over.

The building has two vacant storefronts. Walther intends to lease both to tenants who will attract visitors to downtown.

In the future, the building could get a facelift, but it is in decent shape, he said.

While the Sportspage won’t change much in the near term, the ex-strip club on Gum Street has a feisty history. Built in 1964, it has been a store, a restaurant, Lucky Bridge Casino and most recently a failed strip club.

City Stars owners Hector and Jennifer Salgado closed it in 2020, citing pandemic pressures. Benton County Auditor

records indicate it was deeded to an entity associated with the casino in lieu of foreclosure in 2020.

The 7,600-square-foot building was put up for sale for $1.4 million, according to LoopNet.com, a commercial listing service.

Walther was intrigued. The building sits on three quarters of an acre, has more than 70 parking spots and is zoned commercial, which allows for a wide variety of uses. But the six-figure price was beyond his reach.

Still, he joked to his board, wouldn’t it be funny if we bought a strip club and did something there?

In the end, the joke gave way to serious consideration. Creative financing brought the deal to a close.

Conventional financing was out, but with seller financing, six months of no payments and a five-year balloon payment, they bought it. By the time the five years tick off, they expect the grocery tenant to be able to buy it outright.

Walther, originally from Indiana, began working in the nuclear power industry in Arizona through his father-in-law.

At the same time, he conducted ministry trips to Africa, where he realized he needed profitable businesses to support his faith work. He and his wife established GROWTH Group as an international nonprofit to help pastors in developing countries. Collectively, they have launched more than 300 businesses.

The couple moved to Kennewick in 2014 to establish Ascend Apostolic Center. He created Walther Investment Housing Association LLC to flip homes in 2019.

uBUSINESS BRIEF

DGR Grant to cocoon K East Reactor

DGR Grant Construction Inc. of Richland has secured a $9.5 million contract to build a cocoon-type structure over the K East Reactor at the Hanford site.

The enclosure over the reactor will provide interim safe storage and protects the building while radioactivity in the reactor core decays over the coming decades, after which the reactor will be dismantled.

Central Plateau Cleanup Co., a U.S. Department of Energy contractor, awarded the contract in August.

“Awarding this contract is a major step toward completion of work in Hanford’s K Reactor Area,” said Bob Krebs, CPCCo project manager.

DGR is expected to begin work in September on the foundation for the storage enclosure. A steel structure will be installed in early 2022 and the project should be complete in 2023.

K East Reactor operated from 1955 to 1971. It is the seventh of Hanford’s nine former reactors to be placed in interim safe storage. K West Reactor will be the ninth.

B Reactor is preserved as a visitor facility and is part of the National Park Service’s Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

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Veterans Warehouse eyed Richland’s old Albertsons but seeks alternative spot

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Thelbert “Thadd” Lawson toured a former Albertsons in Richland as a possible new location for Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store, prompting speculation the long-empty grocery would finally come back to life.

Alas, there is no deal.

Lawson confirmed he was interested in the nearly 40,000-square-foot store.

He loves the location and even made a proposal to lease it.

But the $200,000 estimated cost to reopen the building prompted a hard “no” from the board of his Wenatcheebased nonprofit, Operations Veterans Assistance & Humanitarian Aid. The board looked over the numbers and delivered a clear message: “Find another building, please,” he said.

It would take $200,000 to open the doors to the public, including an estimated $50,000 to replace wiring that was stripped when Albertsons closed in February 2017. The only wiring left powers emergency lights, he said.

Refrigerators and freezers line the walls and would have to be removed.

Many contain hazardous gases that could require specialists to handle.

Despite it all, Lawson said he would open the second Tri-City edition of Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store in Richland in a heartbeat. The former grocery is at 1320 Lee Blvd., within walking

distance of at least three other thrift stores.

“I love the location,” he said. “It would be on the thrift store circuit.

But it would be Thelbert “Thadd” a lot of work.”

Lawson L a w s o n opened the first Tri-Cities outlet for Veterans Thrift in April, in the former Sports Authority at 908 N. Columbia St. in Kennewick.

The 40,000-square-foot retail spot is next to Lowe’s Home Improvement and had been empty for several years.

Lawson said he’s open to hearing about other locations that don’t require so much work.

“If you know of someone who has a building that’s a little more plug and play, I would go look at it,” he said.

Veterans Thrift sells furniture, clothing, household items and serves as a gathering spot, employment center and all-around support network for homeless and struggling veterans.

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business profiled Lawson and Veterans Thrift in February. Go to tricitiesbusinessnews.com/2021/02/veterans-thrift.

Lawson dedicated himself to serving his fellow veterans who struggled to return to civilian life. The first Veterans

Photo by TCAJOB Thelbert “Thadd” Lawson toured the former Albertsons in downtown Richland as a possible location for a new Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store, but the board of his nonprofit said it would cost too much money to rewire the building and make other improvements.

Warehouse Thrift Store opened in November 2013 in Wenatchee and soared in the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic as people stuck at home cleared out closets.

The thrift store’s flirtation with the old Albertsons building begs the question: What is happening with the old building?

The property is listed for rent through NAI Black, a Spokane-based commercial brokerage, which notes the property is held under a master lease through

May 31, 2036.

The building is offered for rent at $10 per square foot per year on a triple net basis, meaning the tenant pays taxes, upkeep and utilities. Lawson said he was offered a free year of rent to get started.

The listing broker could not be reached to comment on marketing efforts.

The Benton County Assessor values the property at $2.8 million for property tax purposes.

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Parade of Homes tickets on sale for Sept. 17-19 tours

Tickets are now on sale for the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities’ popular Parade of Homes event.

The Parade will look different this year because of pandemic-induced sup­ ply chain disruptions. It will feature two homes for in-person touring Sept. 17-19.

Addi­tional homes can be toured online at paradeofhomestricities.com starting Sept. 20.

The two builders participating in this year’s Parade are Prodigy Homes and Pahlisch Homes Inc. “The resilience and ingenuity these builders have displayed while preparing their homes to be showcased in a year full of permit delays, supply chain disruptions and overall uncertainty is truly impressive.

Now, they are thrilled to share these incredible homes with you,” HBA Tri-Cities posted on its Facebook page.

Parade of Homes tickets are on sale for $10 at area Circle K stores. Purchase includes entry to the two homes on Sept. 1719, a full color 56-page glossy magazine and admission to the Fall Home Show, set for Oct. 1-3 at the HAPO Center in Pasco.

Graze buys central Kennewick building

Graze LLC, the Walla Walla-based operator of the Graze A Place to Eat sandwich and salad shops, has bought the former China Café building at 131 N. Ely St. in Kennewick.

The 2,135-square-foot building, constructed in 1975, will be remodeled, although owner John Lastoskie said it was too early to discuss the plans.

Graze operates local stores at 8530 W. Gage Blvd., near Columbia Center in Kennewick, and at 610 George Washington Way in Richland’s new Park Place apartment-and-retail development.

Benton County property records indicate Graze LLC paid $1.23 million for the property in a deal that recorded July 27.

Physicians Immediate Care is now Nova Health

Nova Health, which operates primary and urgent care services in the western U.S., has acquired Richland’s Physicians Immediate Care & Medical Centers, or PICMC. The acquisition expands Nova’s growing footprint for urgent and primary care services into its fifth state of operations, consistent with its strategy to reach more markets in the Western United States, said Nova Health Chief Executive Officer Jim Ashby in a statement.

“We expect that the combined company will be even stronger, enhancing access and quality care for patient in the TriCities area,” he said.

Nova Health has urgent care offices at 310 Torbett St. and 550 Gage Blvd., and a primary care office at 1516 Jadwin Ave., all in Richland.

“Nova Health has demonstrated its dedication to quality health care and optimized operations, their reputation as a powerful healthcare network is wellearned. We want to assure patients of PICMC that they will continue to see the

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

same staff and receive the same great care, while enjoying the benefits of a large, interconnected healthcare organization,” said Dr. Douglas Crawford, owner of Physicians Immediate Care and Medical Centers, in a news release.

Sola Salon Studios to open at Columbia Center

Sola Salon Studios plans to open its first Tri-City location in November at Columbia Center mall, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 205A, in Kennewick.

It’s scheduled for completion in November 2021, The 6,200-square-foot salon includes space for 33 private studios in three sizes.

It’ll be located inside the mall near JCPenney.

Features of the new studios include private one-on-one spaces with storage, oversized sliding/locking doors, floor-toceiling walls for privacy, all utilities, Wi-Fi and full-spectrum lighting.

“We’re so proud to bring Sola Salon Studios to the Tri-Cities, and to offer local hairstylists, estheticians, nail technicians, massage therapists and makeup artists a beautiful, safe space to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams,” said Melissa Bertsch, co-owner of Sola Salon Studios in the Tri-Cities.

Sola stylists can customize their own fully-equipped studio and set their own hours. In addition, they set their own pricing and receive full commission on retail products.

Sola has more than 545 locations in the U.S., Canada and Brazil, offering more than 16,000 independent beauty profes-

sionals the freedom and benefits of salon ownership. Go to solasalonstudios.com.

Costa Vida opens pandemicdelayed Pasco location

Costa Vida opened its latest Tri-City restaurant Aug. 16 in Pasco.

The new fresh Mexican outlet is at 6627 Burden Blvd., Suite A. Russ Cazier is the franchisee for Costa Vida restaurants in the region, along with a string of Subway locations. He leased the Pasco spot, which is next to Proof Kitchen and The Sushi House, in early 2020 but wasn’t able to open it because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 2,912-square-foot space includes a commercial kitchen and dining area as well as restrooms.

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Mike Corbin of Wave Design Group was the project architect and W McKay Construction LLC was the contractor.

Incyte Diagnostics opens new patient collections lab

Incyte Diagnostics has opened a new patient collections lab to handle blood draws, urine collection and Covid-19 testing at 221 Wellsian Way in Richland.

Appointments are not needed but patients must have lab orders from their health care provider.

Founded in 1957 by a group of pathologists, Incyte Diagnostics provides pathology services across the Northwest with labs in Richland, Bellevue and Spokane Valley.

Go to incytediagnostics.com.

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uBUSINESS BRIEFS

North Franklin Visitor Center dedicated

A new visitor center serving north Franklin County was dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 23.

The North Franklin Visitor Center, 661 S. Columbia Ave., is a joint venture of the city of Connell, the Connell Chamber of Commerce and the Port of Pasco.

The small center welcomes visitors to town and serves as a rest break for travelers on Highway 395.

The building was previously a physician’s office. It is owned by the city and

was rehabilitated by the port to include a lobby, conference room, public restrooms, an office for the chamber and an outdoor deck. The Port of Pasco commission will hold meetings at the Connell location as well.

Lourdes Crisis Services moves to Richland

Lourdes Health Crisis Services has moved to the Lourdes Counseling Center, 1175 Carondelet Drive, Richland.

The move consolidates behavioral health services in a single location.

“We feel that we can best and better serve the needs of our community by having all of our services in one convenient location” said Gordon Cable,

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

director of behavioral health and related services for Lourdes Health.

Crisis services offers round-theclock behavioral health care for patients experiencing mental health as well as substance abuse crises.

Call 509-783-0500 or 800-783-0544.

EB-5 lapse puts jobs, investment at risk

Invest in the USA, a Washington, D.C., group that promotes EB-5 immigrant investment in capital projects, is pushing Congress to reauthorize the program, which expired on June 30.

Failing to do so could put $15.2 billion in capital investment and more than 485,000 American jobs at risk, it said.

EB-5, for Employment Benefit Five, allows immigrant investors to secure green cards in exchange for investing in capital projects that create American jobs. Locally, it has been used to fund several projects, most notably The Lodge Hotel at Richland’s Columbia Point.

It was first piloted in 1992 and lapsed at the end of June after several shortterm extensions.

The lapse affects the immigration status of nearly 32,600 current investors and their families who have immigration petitions, causing concern that they could withdraw funds from current projects.

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Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s menu coming to Kennewick MEMBER SPOTLIGHT CINDY SAMS AAA of Washington wa.aaa.com (509) 783-2141 Business insurance services, auto, home and 24-hour emergency road services.

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. will open a 2,333-square-foot fast-casual restaurant serving up New Orleans-style food, including spicy chicken, chicken tenders, fried shrimp and other regional items, at 240 N. Ely St. in Kennewick.

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. will build its first Tri-City location 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 in Kennewick.

The city issued a demolition permit for the dealership on July 6, saying the site would be redeveloped with a 2,333-square-foot fast-casual restaurant.

Fat Olives restaurant operated in the building until 2016, when the 3,000-square-foot building was repurposed into a car sales business.

A Popeyes spokesperson could not identify the local franchisee or confirm the company’s plans.

Popeyes is identified in Kennewick building permits and on a map that the city of Kennewick uses to identify key development projects.

Founded in 1972, Popeyes offers a New Orleans-style menu featuring fried chick-

en, chicken tenders, fried shrimp and other regional items. The Popeyes menu draws on the Louisiana culinary heritage.

The company operates 3,100 restaurants in the U.S. and around the world.

Menu staples include chicken tenders, nuggets, fried shrimp and family meal options, along with cajun fries, mashed potatoes with gravy, red beans and rice, coleslaw and biscuits.

The new restaurant will be next to Roaster’s Coffee and EconoLodge.

Panda Express, Walgreens and Starbucks Coffee are on the opposite corners.

It will have limited parking, and a double wishbone-style drive-thru, according to a site map.

Popeyes is part Restaurant Brands International, a Toronto-based company that owns Tim Hortons and Burger King.

It has Washington locations in the Puget Sound area, Spokane and Yakima.

ADDITIONAL MEMBERS Tim Rosenthal Perfection Glass Robert Burges Burges Carpet Cleaning Justin Dodd Dayco Heating and Air Michael McKinney Riverside Collision Jennie Oldham Kennewick Flower Shop Joe Klein McCurley Integrity Auto Dealerships

TIM METHER Kestrel Home Inspection Services kestrelhis.com (509) 987-4441 Accuracy, thoroughness and customer satisfaction in every inspection.

VICTORIA YOCUM Victoria Lynn’s

victorialynns.com (509) 551-9979 Screen printing, embroidery and boutique.

Jeff Sperline Sperline Raekes Law Tiffany Lundstrom Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business Dennis Miller Artmill James Atwood Churchill Mortgage Jon Dickman Estherbrook Troy Woody Mr. Electric Matt Sweezea Primerica Nicole Vigne AAA of Washington Brandon Andersen Bonsai Audi

MICHAEL THORN Cliff Thorn Construction

ctcbuilds.com (509) 416-2007 Residential, commercial renovation services and new construction.

ANDREW ZIEGLER Moon Security

moonsecurity.com (509) 545-1881 Residential, commercial security and court services.

Mike Duarte Paintmaster Marcia Spry Aloha Garage Door Company Frank Prior 1st Priority Detail Elsie Leman UPS Store in Pasco Ken Hatcher Accelerated Hypnosis Angelita Chavez CHUGH, LLP Dawn King Spectrum Reach Tonya Callies Windermere Group One George Hefter TCT Computer Solutions

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HIRING FOR ALL SHIFTS

Our caregiver jobs from Visiting Angels provide a sense of gratification, joy and purpose to home care providers in the area.

If you would like to be contacted for employment opportunities Go to visitingangels.com/kennewick/employment

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

FOR SALE, From page B1 guidelines for developers, establishing property owner associations to maintain shared areas and setting prices for the lots based on a market appraisal.

The port’s board of commissioners will discuss a property appraiser’s take on what it should charge at its Sept. 14 meeting.

“Port staff have been preparing for land sales at both Columbia Gardens and Vista Field,” said Tana Bader Inglima, the port’s deputy chief executive officer.

At 103 acres, Vista Field in central Kennewick is a larger and more complex undertaking and has a few more steps before it is cleared for sales.

The port spent more than $4 million on the first round of infrastructure between 2019-20. Next steps include turning the improvements over to the city of Kennewick, a process that includes more than 150 pages of technical drawings.

The commission will consider land prices in September and a survey to

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

New Covid-19 real estate guidance in place for brokers, firms

Brokers, clients and industry partners – such as appraisers, inspectors, photographers, etc. – must wear masks for listing appointments, showings, inspections, walk-throughs, open houses and other indoor interactions, according to Washington Realtors.

create 58 lots for the first phase. Some “lots” represent streets and alleys and will not be available for sale.

The project will develop in eight phases. At full build out, it is expected to include more than 750,000 square feet of commercial space and 1,100 residential units.

For Columbia Gardens, the port expects to advertise the lots – created more than 18 months ago – to would-be buyers. Go to portofkennewick.org/salelease/locations/columbia-gardens.

For Vista Field, it will use a request for proposal process.

Prospective buyers will submit detailed plans for their sites and the port will choose the one that best suits the overall goal of creating an urban, mixeduse village. The quality of the proposal rather than price will determine which gets selected.

Go to portofkennewick.org/projects/ vista-field.

The new guidance comes as the state reinstated mask requirement for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, in indoor settings, effective Aug. 23.

Real estate firms must require masks at their offices for all individuals, consumers and brokers, regardless of vaccination status, the state association said.

In addition, brokers and their clients must adhere to any additional requirements or restrictions imposed by the seller of a property, including required

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Courtesy Port of Kennewick The Port of Kennewick expects to hang a “For Sale” sign at Columbia Gardens, its wine-themed urban village near the base of the cable bridge, in September, and at Vista Field, the former municipal airport, a few months later.

appointments, capacity limitations or other instructions. Listing brokers should detail any requirements in the listing and post signs at the property regarding any specific instructions, the group advised.

Friends group needs $330K for Little Badger Preserve

Friends of Badger Mountain reports it still needs to raise $330,000 to buy the final 21 acres it needs to establish the Little Badger Mountain Preserve and

Trail, which will be the third in its string of hiking trails in the Tri-Cities.

The project includes acquisition of land and construction of a 2.2-mile trail, which traverses challenging terrain in some stretches.

The trail will rise from Queensgate Drive to the summit of Little Badger Mountain, toward a pair of water tanks.

Those who give $1,000 or more will have their name etched in stone on the trail, which will join the Badger Mountain and Candy Mountain trails.

Go to donatenow.networkforgood.org/ friendsofbadgermountain.

World Trade Center reopened. Starbucks didn’t.

Lawsuit ensues

When New York state allowed malls to reopen with limited occupancy in September 2020, a prominent Starbucks store remained dark.

Now the Seattle-based coffee giant is being sued for $5.2 million in back rent and future rent as its landlord alleges it violated its lease for its Westfield World Trade Center store in New York.

Unibail Rodamco Westfield filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, reports Chain Store Age, which tracks the retail industry.

Last spring, the Seattle Times reported that Starbucks demanded landlords lower its rent for the coming year because of the Covid-19 crisis.

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

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Construction industry dropped 3,000 jobs nationwide in August

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The construction industry nationwide lost 3,000 jobs between July and August as ongoing declines in nonresidential segments offset a pickup among residential building and remodeling firms, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released in early September.

Association officials said their newly released survey shows many contractors are eager to hire but are encountering a lack of qualified applicants and supply-chain delays that are holding back nonresidential employment gains.

The recent figures show that nonresidential building and infrastructure contractors are having a hard time recovering from the impact of the pandemic on demand for structures, said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “At the same time, our survey finds many contractors have job openings but are experiencing a lack of qualified applicants, shortages of materials and long delivery delays.”

Construction employment in August totaled 7,416,000, a drop of 3,000 from July.

Employment among nonresidential firms – comprising heavy and civil engineering construction firms, along with nonresidential building and specialty trade contractors – shrank for the fifth month in a row, by 20,300. In contrast, homebuilders and residential specialty trade contractors added 17,400 workers, the fourthstraight gain.

Photo by Kristina Lord Crews build homes at the Heights at Red Mountain Ranch development in West Richland as construction industry officials nationwide lament a lack of qualified workers and supply-chain delays

Despite the job losses for nonresidential construction firms, the association’s annual workforce survey, conducted with Autodesk, found many of its members – nonresidential and multifamily contractors – have unfilled job openings.

Of the 2,100 firms that responded, 90% had openings for hourly craft workers, while 62% had openings for salaried employees.

Overwhelming percentages of firms with openings reported having a hard time filling positions, including 89% of the companies seeking craft workers and

86% of those looking for salaried employees.

Contractors are facing multiple challenges. Seventy-two percent of survey respondents reported that available job candidates were not qualified. Threequarters of the firms reported projects were delayed due to longer lead times or shortages of materials, while 57% reported delivery delays.

Association officials called on federal officials to address both immediate and long-term needs for the construction industry. They urged lawmakers to finish

work on the Senate-passed infrastructure bill and provide more funding for career and technical education programs that will attract and prepare more people for high-paying careers in construction.

“Contractors are eager to hire more workers but they need Washington officials to make sure there is enough funding for vitally needed infrastructure to justify hiring,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “In addition, more federal money should be going into preparing workers to execute these projects.”

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Economists say nationwide job growth may fuel higher mortgage rates

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Nationwide mortgage rates remained below 3% for the eighth consecutive week in early September, but economists believe job growth may determine how much longer they’ll stay so low.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.87% during the week ending Sept.

3, Freddie Mac reported.

Freddie Mac is a government-controlled company that helps provide money for the U.S. housing market by buying residential mortgages and packaging pools of those loans for sale to investors. The company, whose name is short for Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., is overseen by the

Federal Housing Finance Agency.

“Job growth seems to be very critical for the following several months as it will indicate when the fed’s tapering will likely start,” Nadia Evangelou, a senior economist and director of forecasting for the National Association of Realtors, wrote for the association’s blog. “There is ample talk about the fed cutting its monthly bond purchases before the end of the year.”

The fed’s asset purchases have helped keep rates lower than they otherwise would be, Evangelou added. “Expect mortgage rates to rise further when the fed will raise interest rates since rising interest rates increase the cost of mortgages,” she noted. But “that won’t likely happen until

the economy hits full employment.”

Nearly 1.9 million jobs nationwide were added during June and July. However, only 235,000 jobs were added in August. About 17 million have been recovered since lockdown in April 2020, but another 5 million are still needed to reach the country’s prior peak before the pandemic, said Lawrence Yun, the association’s chief economist.

The latest unemployment rate was 5.2% with wages rising by 4.8% over the year, Yun said. However, the consumer price inflation of 5.2% is “eating away at those wage gains.”

Freddie Mac reported the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending Sept. 3:

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 2.87%, with an average 0.6 point, unchanged from previous week. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 2.93%.

• 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 2.18%, with an average 0.6 point, rising slightly from a 2.17% -average from previous week. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 2.42%.

• 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.43%, with an average 0.3 point, increasing from previous week’s 2.42% average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 2.93%.

Freddie Mac reports average commitment rates along with average points to better reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining a mortgage.

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Tenant, landlord groups wait on new resolution system

By Virginia Thomas

Spokane Journal of Business

New laws and a state-level eviction moratorium bridge have created confusion, and more funding for rental assistance is needed, according to regional landlord and tenant group leaders.

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee’s eviction moratorium bridge expires Sept. 30.

It orders landlords and tenants to seek out rental assistance and eviction resolution pilot programs established through state legislation – Senate Bill 5160, passed in April – to resolve any past-due rent incurred between Feb. 29, 2020, through July 31, 2021.

The resolution pilot program is intended to provide for certain tenant protections during and after public health emergencies, for legal representation in eviction cases, and authorizes landlord access to state rental assistance programs. Landlords can’t evict tenants for past-due rent during the 17-month period until their county has established operational rental assistance and eviction resolution programs.

Landlords Association of the Inland Northwest President Daniel Klemme said the legal requirement for resolution is reasonable.

“These dispute resolution centers, if they’re able to do their mission with the appropriate staff levels, I think are going to be a positive thing for landlords and tenants,” Klemme said.

As both landlords and tenants wait, rents

continue to climb quickly.

Terri Anderson, director of the Tenants Union of Washington in Spokane, said she’s hearing from many tenants that Terri Anderson their rent has increased significantly, pricing them out of their current unit in a tight rental market.

“We call those economic evictions,” Anderson said.

According to San Francisco-based Apartment List’s August Rent Report, rents in Richland increased 1.8% in July compared with June rents. Nationally, rent increased 2.5% in July compared to June.

Year-over-year, rents in Richland jumped 16.4%, according to Apartment List. Median rents in July were $1,312 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,483 for a twobedroom unit.

The Washington Center for Real Estate’s spring 2021 Washington State Apartment Market Report, released in late May, showed that the vacancy rate at the time in Benton and Franklin counties was 1% for a one-bedroom apartment and 1.4% for a two-bedroom unit.

Anderson said while the organization is largely pleased with state tenant protections imposed through recent legislation, she’s lobbying for inclusion of some tenants who aren’t provided for under the law.

Daniel Klemme

Anderson wants to make it easier for tenants to access legal services, to which they have a right under the new laws.

Klemme said he’s concerned that the eviction resolution system

will be overwhelmed.

“If a landlord was to serve a notice to a tenant for nonpayment, the landlord is going to send it to the dispute resolution center as well as the Northwest Justice Project, which are the free lawyers that tenants are going to have access to – except there’s not enough of them working.” Klemme said.

That’s going to create a backlog of cases that will slow down the entire system, he contends.

“I’m sure it’s hard to hire a bunch of lawyers,” he said. “But it leaves landlords on the hook, because we have no idea when this process is going to start or what that looks like.”

Anderson said another concern is in House Bill 1236, which created a just-cause eviction law for tenants with month-tomonth leases. Anderson said the legislation codified 17 causes – including nonpayment of rent, substantial breach of lease term, the owner selling the unit, illegal activity on the premises, or condemnation of the unit by a local agency – for which a landlord could evict a tenant, but the legislation doesn’t

apply to tenants on fixed-term leases.

The tenants union is lobbying to have fixed-term leases included in the law, she said.

Klemme said many tenants have continued paying their rent on time throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but he’s heard from some landlords at the Landlords Association of the Inland Northwest who say about half of their tenants are behind on rent.

Klemme said that with layers of legislation to understand, he doesn’t feel the moratorium is going away any time soon, and many landlords are feeling the pain.

“If you only have one rental unit, going 18 months without rent is a really hard position to be in,” Klemme said. “You could see how this leads to an obvious question, which is, should I sell my property?”

Klemme said he’s encouraging landlords not to sell their rental properties.

“Why are there so few rental homes – especially single-family homes? It’s because a lot of landlords are selling their single-family homes to owner-occupiers,” Klemme said. “That’s one less rental unit on the market. That’s definitely part of what’s going on. That does make prices go up.”

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration from extending a federal ban on evictions issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 6-3 ruling was issued in late August.

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business contributed to this report.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

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Kennewick Fire Station #3 6941 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick

The city of Kennewick has completed a $7 million fire station to serve the Vista Field area at 6941 W. Grandridge Blvd., near the Three Rivers Convention Center campus.

The 12,570-square-foot building houses six personnel, including firefighter medical technicians and firefighter paramedics, two engines and an EMS unit, with room to expand. It also has a display bay for a 1922 American La France Brockway Torpedo – Kennewick’s first motorized fire engine, known as Old No. 1.

It replaces a functionally obsolete station at 7400 W. Quinault Ave. Utility taxes paid for the new station.

Richland-based Total Site Services was the contractor.

TCA Architecture (DOT) Planning Inc. of Seattle designed the project.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Collaboration Hall Washington State University Tri-Cities 2780 Crimson Way, Richland

Washington State University TriCities completed Collaboration Hall, a 40,000-square-foot educational building with two stories plus a penthouse for utilities, at 2780 Crimson Way on the school’s Richland campus.

It is next to the Consolidated Information Center, or CIC. The $30 million project was funded through the state capital budget and houses classrooms, labs for physics, biology, chemistry, anatomy/physiology, geology and other disciplines, as well as collaborative space. The main entrance has a grand staircase and will host presentations and events.

It was completed over the summer and opened for fall 2021 classes in August. The university called the new building a crucial piece to prepare the region’s future workforce.

Hoffman Construction, which has offices in Seattle and Portland, was the general contractor, with Sonya Miller serving as superintendent.

ZGF Architects, with offices across the West Coast, was the designer.

WSU Tri-Cities Chancellor Sandra Haynes and Vice Chancellor Ray White oversaw the project for the school.

WSU Tri-Cities offers 20 bachelor’s and 33 graduate degree programs.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Kennewick High School 560 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick

The Kennewick School District completed a $109.5 million project to replace Kennewick High School with a modern, two-story building that can serve up to 2,000 students.

The project, funded from the district’s 2019 voter-approved bond and state funds, consolidates the school in a single 292,000-square-foot high school. The project incorporated the existing Lions’ Den Gym and remodeled auditorium into the new design while retiring the original school, built in the 1950s.

Ryan Jones, capital project manager for the school district, oversaw the work. The project team included Fowler Construction of Richland and manager Wenaha Group of Kennewick.

MMEC Architecture of Kennewick and DLR Group, which has offices in Seattle, served as architects.

The project was completed in August and the district held grand opening ceremonies on Aug. 28, just days before the start of the fall term.

Congratulations KSD-Kennewick High School!

Special thanks to Fowler Construction for the opportunity to be part of your construction team.

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B15

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Leo Center 3713 E. A St., Pasco

The Broetje Family Trust has completed a new office building for its three ministries, Vista Hermosa Foundation, the Center for Sharing and Jubilee Foundation, at 3713 E. A St. in Pasco, near the intersection of A Street and Highway 12.

The building contains office space, a chapel, Nueva Esperanza Leadership Academy (a trauma-informed K-8 school), guest suites and an auditorium. The building uses an energy and water saving design and includes a solar array to provide electricity.

Chervenell Construction Co. of Kennewick was the general contractor.

DLC Architecture of Vancouver, Washington, was the architect.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

B17

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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 Karen VanAllen, 700 N. Road 32, Lot 236, Pasco.

Sergio Fernandez & Ana Fierro, 65105 N. SR 225, Benton City.

Bryce E. Higley & Mary Charlotte Higley, 43506 S. Morton Road, Kennewick.

Trevor A. Nieforth & Megan Nieforth, 5011 Sinai Drive, Pasco.

Ana Castro, 709 S. Alder St., Kennewick.

Keith P. Dempsey & Debbie L. Dempsey, 85802 N. Wamba Road, Prosser.

James A. Stucke, 1401 Willow Way, Benton City.

Amber Pyle, 8709 Lasalle Drive, Pasco.

Rosa Lee Carroll, 36 Valleyview Circle, Richland.

Teddy A. Hill & Renee R. Hill, 5929 Bluewood St., West Richland.

Ariel Warner, 1611 W. 38th Kennewick Place, Kennewick.

Dimitri Allen Dow, 1327 Goethals Drive, Apt. 9, Richland.

Mariela Niebla, 6503 Wrigley Drive, Pasco.

Jenna Rae Rombokas, 425 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Apt. I107, Kennewick.

Christine Marie Tucker, 703 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

Bambang Setiawan, 6512 Enzian Falls Drive, Pasco.

Krystal A. Shockey, 2895 Pauling Ave., Apt. 140, Richland.

CHAPTER 13 Marlando Dupree Sparks, 2645 Scottsdale Place, Richland.

Patrick Thomas Maeder & Loretta Kathleen Maeder, 1108 Prosser Ave., Prosser.

Joseph Todd Glesener & Renee Su-

zanne Glesener, 515 N. Williams St., Kennewick.

uTOP PROPERTIES BENTON COUNTY 308 N. Arthur St., 4816, 4812 & 4808 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 4,547- and 860-square-foot commercial buildings.

Price: $1 million. Buyer: Martha J. De La Torre Lopez & Juan C. Gutierrez. Seller: Ulmer Family LLC. 131 N. Ely St., Kennewick, 2,135-squarefoot building. Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: Graze LLC. Seller: Highlands Center LLC. 2295 Skyview Loop, Richland, 3,305-square-foot home. Price: $739,000.

Buyer: Kumar Pavan Chundu & Anusha Mannava. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights LLC. 17333 Fairview Loop, Kennewick, 3,642-square-foot home. Price: $775,000.

Buyer: Daniel & Andrea Britton. Seller: Sirva Relocation Credit LLC. 7113 S. 1366 PR SW, Prosser, 2,798-square-foot home on 1.8 acres.

Price: $825,000. Buyer: Ward L. & Nancy S. Thompson. Seller: Bernard E. & Lynda C. Bielicki.

Wallula Gap area, 2,739 acres of irrigated ag land, dry pasture and rangeland, plus a 1,716-square-foot manufactured home at 143678 S. Finley Road SE. Price: $12.2 million. Buyer: Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Ranches Inc. & Easterday Farms.

Wallula Gap area, 5,551 acres of irrigated ag land and rangeland. Price: $17.1 million. Buyer: Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Farms.

Wallula Gap area, 213110 E. Brown Road SE, 126184 S. Finley Road, 2,464 acres of irrigated ag land, dry pasture and rangeland, 1,296- and 924-squarefoot manufactured homes, grain elevator, steel building. Price: $11.9 million. Buyer: Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Ranches Inc. & Easterday Farms.

133713 S. Nine Canyon Road, 343 acres of irrigated, dry ag land and rangeland, 3,391-square-foot manufacture home.

Price: $850,000. Buyer: Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Ranches Inc. & Easterday Farms.

Wallula Gap area, 2,119 acres of irrigated ag land, dry ag land and rangeland, includes truck scales, barn, steel and pole buildings. Price: $13 million. Buyer:

Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Ranches Inc. & Easterday Farms.

138105 S. Nine Canyon Road, 6,077 acres of irrigated, dry ag land, dry pasture and rangeland, includes potato and onion storage buildings. Price: $53 million.

Buyer: Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Farms.

133713 S. Nine Canyon Road, 143678 S. Finley Road, 7,922 acres of irrigated, dry ag land, dry pasture and rangeland, includes potato and onion storage buildings, 3,391- and 1,716-square-foot manufactured homes, pole barn, truck scales.

Price: $70 million. Buyer: Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Ranches Inc. & Easterday Farms.

158008 & 158012 S. 1826 PR SE Plymouth, 4,212 acres of irrigated, dry ag land, dry pasture and rangeland, including feedlot, truck scales, pole buildings, 924-, 1,716-, 1,620-square-foot manufactured homes, 2,560- and 836-squarefoot homes. Price: $62 million. Buyer:

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Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Ranches Inc. 144503, 148804 S. Nine Canyon Road, 182299 S. 1826 PR SE, 3,037 acres of irrigated, dry ag land, dry pasture and rangeland, including pole buildings, truck scales, 1,848- and 1,344-square-foot manufactured homes. Price: $16 million.

Buyer: Farmland Reserve LLC. Seller: Easterday Ranches Inc. 3756 Strawberry Lane, Richland, 2,446-square-foot home. Price: $820,000.

Buyer: Lisa Deann & Lee Samuel Guerrero. Seller: Thomas M. & Alisa D. Haller.

3003 Queensgate Drive, Richland, commercial apartments and clubhouse on 8 acres. Price: $44.3 million. Buyer: Regency Park ICG LLC. Seller: RPQ Delaware LLC. 76204 Canyon Meadow Drive, Kennewick, 3,930-square-foot home on 2 acres.

Price: $860,000. Buyer: Ted & Jennifer Treiber. Seller: John E. & Maria C. Blair.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B20

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B20

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

386 Columbia Point Drive, Unit 101, Richland, 3,626-square-foot home.

Price: $1.1. million. Buyer: Cheryl & Allen Olberding. Seller: Donald Gary Sampson Trustee.

533 N. Young St., Kennewick, 1.74 acres. Price: $900,000. Buyer: Tri-City Union Gospel Mission. Seller: Kennewick Liquidating Trust.

14806 S. Ridge View Lane, Kennewick, 2,777-square-foot home. Buyer: James Scott-McGreager Boyd & Lori Elizabeth Boyd. Seller: JK Monarch East LLC. 20206 & 19410 E. 583 PR NE, Benton City, 60 acres of irrigated ag land, 1,967-square-foot building, pole buildings. Price: $2.9 million. Buyer: TFV Holdings LLC. Seller: Lawrence R. Pearson.

7001 W. 20th Ave., Kennewick, 4,264-square-foot home. Price: $875,000.

Buyer: Steven Craig & Meghan Hillary Till.

Seller: Lon S. & Randi R. Welch.

7901 W. Quinault Ave., Kennewick, 64,881-square-foot hotel on 2.7 acres.

Price: $6.8 million. Buyer: CV the Q LLC. Seller: P& J Investors LLC. 1515 George Washington Way, Richland, hotel on 5.65 acres. Price: $14.5 million. Buyer: CV the Frankling LLC. Seller: Richland Investments Group LLC. 3636 W. 49th Ave., Kennewick, 2,871-square-foot home. Price: $926,000.

Buyer: Morrie & Ngoc Carter. Seller: TMT Homes NW LLC. 601 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, 6,728-square-foot office. Price: $772,583.

Buyer: 601 W. Kennewick LLC. Seller: 601 West Kennewick Avenue LLC. 14805 S. Ridge View Lane, 2,777-square-foot home. Price: $850,000.

Buyer: David & Brenda Locke. Seller: Dennis Sawby Construction LLC. 87930 Calico Road, Kennewick, 2,855-square-foot home. Price: $775,000.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Buyer: Jason & Amber Kirby. Seller: Muzzy Construction.

93121 E. Badger Road, Kennewick, 1,848-square-foot home and pole building on 4.6 acres. Price: $830,000. Buyer: Michael & Tayler Parmley. Seller: Christopher M. & Danielle C. Sharpe.

3180 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite L, Kennewick, 44,998-square-foot shopping center. Price: $4.2 million. Buyer: Haidar Family LLC. Seller: Smith Cove Partnership.

79103 E. Canyon Meadow Drive, Kennewick, 2,949-square-foot home on 2 acres. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Christopher N. & Jennifer Herrera. Seller: Mark A. & Patricia A. Jaeger.

7901 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 18.38-acre mobile home park. Price: $14 million. Buyer: Greenbrier Community LLC. Seller: Greenbrier Village LLC. 110, 100 & 113 Abby Ave., Benton City,

RV park on 5 acres. Price: $2.5 million.

Buyer: Beach RV Park LLC. Seller: Two Talents Enterprises LLC. 3910 W. 36th Ave., Kennewick, 4,537-square-foot home. Price: $917,000.

Buyer: Cathryn Joyce & Sherri Renee Vadala. Seller: Corazon Q. Villanueva.

89153 Calico Road, Kennewick, 3,006-square-foot home. Price: $800,000.

Buyer: Christopher & Juanita Lehr. Seller: JK Monarch LLC. 3903 W. 42nd Ave., Kennewick, 3,544-square-foot home. Price: $930,000.

Buyer: Jennifer N. & Joel K. Mitchell.

Seller: Francis Bales III. 209 Kristen Lane PR, Kennewick, 2,755-square-foot home. Price: $963,000.

Buyer: Benjamin G. & Kate E. Butcher.

Seller: Linda Russell.

2703 Meadow Hills Court, Richland, 2,777-square-foot home. Price: $950,000.

Buyer: Jonathan & Jenna Coddington.

Seller: Timothy E. & Debra H. Baldwin.

89454 Calico Road, Kennewick, 3,352-square-foot home. Price: $710,000.

Buyer: Curtis & Chelsea Watson. Seller: New Tradition Homes Inc. 96303 E. Holly Road, Kennewick, 3,025-square-foot home. Price: $710,000.

Buyer: Bryce A. & Chelsea K. Jackson.

Seller: Matthew Raymond & Sierra MacDougall.

2801 Karlee Drive, Richland, 2,158-square-foot home. Price: $750,000.

Buyer: Richard Alan & Lorna Loulse Maynard. Seller: Dale N. & Dee Ann Price Trustees.

85603 E. Sagebrush Road Kennewick, 2,760-square-foot home. Price: $705,000.

Buyer: Rafael & Alyssa Garcilazo. Seller: Brock Don Andersen & Darina Koltsova.

1236 Medley Drive, Richland, 2,167-square-foot home. Price: $747,000.

Buyer: Katie A. & Ross J. Wagner. Seller: Titan Homes LLC. 803 & 911 S. Washington St., Kennewick, 12,449-square-foot medical office.

Price: $2.8 million. Buyer: 911 Washington LLC. Seller: Couture Investment Group-K LLC. 5720 W. 29th Ave., Kennewick, 0.48acre home site. Price: $798,000. Buyer: Grace & Jose Suarez. Seller: Prodigy Homes.

15475 Furlong Lane, Kennewick, 1-acre home site. Price: $835,000. Buyer: Alan & Beverly Homestead. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc.

FRANKLIN COUNTY 5507 N. Railroad Ave., Pasco, 1,440-square-foot office building 120-square-foot restroom building, 4,840-square-foot service repair garage on 10 acres. Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: Pelican Fueling Inc. Seller: Perkins Living Trust.

11600 Seahawk Court, Pasco, 2,553-square-foot home. Price: $739,000.

Buyer: Michael A. & Deborah M. Miller.

Seller: Patrick Roberts.

401 Giesler Road, Pasco, 2,875-squarefoot home. Price: $830,000. Buyer: Ryan L. Whitten (et al.) Seller: John Samuel Jones & Lisa Smyser.

4409, 4413, 4417, 4505 Corinth Drive, 4505, 4509, 4701,4705, 4718, 4714, 4710, 4706, 4702, 4632, 4628, 4624,4620, 4616, 4612,4608, 4522, 4518, 4514, 4510, 4506 Philippi Drive, 6124 Nauvoo Lane, 6105, 6109, 6207, 6211, 6212, 6208, 6118, 6114, 6110, 6106,6102 Melita Lane, Pasco, multiple undeveloped home sites. Price: $5 million. Buyer: Hayden Homes LLC. Seller: EE Properties LLC. 7 Lavender Court, Pasco, 3,024-squarefoot home. Price: $739,000. Buyer:

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B21

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 Stephen A. & Bobbie Jo Brandli. Seller: James W. & Erin E. Gaston.

1520 N. Oregon Ave., Pasco, 10,108-square-foot hotel on 80,515-square-foot property. Price: $3.85 million. Buyer: CV The Alegre LLC. Seller: Nijjer Holdings Inc. Property near West Sagemore Road and Glade Road North, 166.3 acres of agriculture land. Price: $33 million. Buyer: Eltopia Properties LLC. Seller: Alford Farms Inc. 11300 W. Court St., Pasco, 1,917-square-foot single family home on 0.35 acres. Price: $959,900. Buyer: Pendleton Investments LLC. Seller: Stay Humble Trust.

uBUILDING PERMITS BENTON CITY King Beverage, 1601 Dale Ave., $1.1 million for new commercial. Contractor: Yost-Gallagher Construction.

BENTON COUNTY U.S. Cellular, 61506 Lenzie Road, $50,000 for tower. Contractor: Mastec Network Solutions.

Willard LLC, 5812 E. Jacobs Road, $546,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Peak Contractors.

Washington State University, 24106 N. Bunn Road, $206,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Burton Construction Inc. American Tower, 875 Badger View Drive, $20,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Qualtek.

American Tower, 50604 N. District Line Road, $20,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Legacy Telecommunications.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Connell Oil Inc., 22522 Glade North Road, Mesa, $280,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Pacific Environmental Services.

Roundy Farms East, 1277 Falls Road, Pasco, $90,000 for new commercial.

Contractor: Deko Builders LLC.

KENNEWICK DWP General Contracting, 7992 W. 10th Ave., three permits totaling $1.5 million for new commercial. Contractor: DWP General Contracting.

Hogback Columbia, 1659 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $175,000 for commercial remodel, $50,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $35,000 for plumbing. Contractors: One Way Development & Construction Co., Apollo Sheet Metal, Silverline Electric/ Plumbing/HVAC. Ted S. & Amy Wong, $65,000 for tenant improvements, $20,000 for mechanical, $10,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Market Contractors Ltd., Apex Plumbing & Mechanical Piping.

VHP Kennewick Investments, 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., $30,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Galaxie Enterprises LLC. Hutton Settlement, 4309 W. 27th Place, $6,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Douglass Kennewick Ltd. Ptnsp., 1020 N. Colorado St., $62,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Reeve-Knight Construction.

Jose Chavallo, 1048 N. Lincoln St., $5,000 for demolition. Contractor: owner.

Hungry Generation, 1120 N. Edison St., $9,000 for demolition. Contractor: Innovative Solutions Construction LLC. Kennewick Housing Authority, 6 W. Sixth Ave., $40,000 for commercial re-

model. Contractor: Capstone.

TTB Investments LLC, 5204 W. Okanogan Place, $600,000 for new commercial, $25,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Hummel Construction & Development, Columbia River Plumbing & Mechanical.

Amistad Elementary School, 123 S. Kent St., two permits totaling $35,500 for new commercial, two permits totaling $16,000 for mechanical. Contractor: Pacific Mobile Structures.

Legacy High School, 4624 W. 10th St., two permits totaling $35,500 for new commercial, two permits totaling $16,000 for mechanical. Contractor: Pacific Mobile Structures.

Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $608,000 for commercial remodel, $120,000 for plumbing, $123,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Banyan Construction Services, Black Diamond Services, Apollo Inc. PLG NW LLC, 1313 N. Young St., $12,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

P&L Land Company, 3131 W. Hood Ave., $12,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing.

SR McConnell LLC, 326 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $50,000 for sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication.

Brinkley Road LLC, 6624 W. Brinkley Road, $10,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: owner.

Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $105,000 for commercial remodel, $15,000 for heat pump/ HVAC, $5,000 for plumbing. Contractors: JC’s Construction, Apollo Inc., Precision Plumbing & Supply.

Sage Bay Company, 6512 W. Hood Place, $26,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Roberts Construction.

Glen-PAC Co., 8121 W. Quinault Ave.,

B21

$10,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Bosch II Construction Co. DWP General Contracting, 7992 W. 10th Ave., $515,000 for new commercial. Contractor: DWP General Contracting.

Bethlehem Lutheran, 2505 W. 27th Ave., $18,400 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner.

PASCO Ssharai She Phelps, 1932 W. Hopkins St., $20,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: owner.

James C. Simpson, 3330 W. Court St., $20,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Mastec Network Solutions.

Josa Meza, 1907 N. Ninth Ave., $32,000 for demolition. Contractor: Clean Image LLC. Golden Bell LLC, 700 Road 32, Space027, $8,000 for demolition. Contractor: owner.

Franklin County Historical Society, 423 W. Bonneville St., $587,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Romm Construction.

Walmart Real Estate, 4820 Road 68, $53,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: to be determined.

Columbia East LLC, 1351 S. Road 40 East, $14.1 million for new commercial.

Contractor: Ryan Companies US Inc. Port of Pasco, 3135 Rickenbacker Drive, $74,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: LCR Construction LLC. EPO LLC, Parcel 113 240 022, $6,000 for grading. Contractor: Big D’s Construction of Tri-Cities.

Port of Pasco, Parcel 119 210 023, $19,500 for commercial addition. Contractor: LCR Construction LLC. ST Properties LLC, 1865 N. Commercial Ave., $50,000 for commercial addition.

Contractor: CRF Metal Works.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

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Help grandkids prepare for the future expenses. If the grandchild for whom you’ve established the account ends up not using it, you can change the beneficiary to a qualified family member of the original beneficiary.

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When they’re children…

If you’re a grandparent, you don’t need Grandparents Day, observed on Sept. 12, to remind you of the joys of having grandchildren. Yet, you might want to use this day as an opportunity to think about ways to help provide for your grandchildren’s future.

The type of gift or support you provide will be different at various stages of your grandchildren’s lives.

Here are a few suggestions: When they’re born…

• Open a 529 plan. It’s never too early to start saving for college or other types of advanced education.

To help your grandchildren meet these costs, you could invest in a 529 education savings plan, which offers potential tax advantages if the money is used for qualified education

• Open a savings account. It’s important for your grandchildren to develop good financial habits – and one way you can help is to open a savings account for them and encourage them to contribute to it.

You might even offer an incentive, such as matching their contributions, either in whole or in part. Consider shopping around for a high-yield savings account that’s free to open and charges no monthly maintenance fees.

• Establish a custodial account.

You may want to introduce your grandchildren to the world of investing by starting a custodial account (known as UGMA or UTMA) in their name. You can put most types of investments, such as stocks and mutual funds, inside this account and track their progress along with your grandchildren. Children often enjoy learning about investing – and they

may like owning shares of companies that make familiar products and services. The earnings generated by these investments can have tax implications, so you’ll want to consult with your tax advisor before opening the custodial account. And you can’t hold onto this account forever – once your grandchildren reach the age of majority, they gain control of the account, so they can do what they please with the investments.

When they’re young adults…

• Help with the down payment on a home. Once your grandchildren are out in the world, they may well want to become homeowners. And, as you know, it can be challenging to come up with a down payment, so, if you can afford it, you may want to help in this area. You’ll be doing your grandchildren a big favor, because home ownership is a key element in building wealth.

• Provide financial guidance. As your grandchildren join the working world, they could benefit from advice and guidance on various issues, such as setting short- and long-term goals, managing their 401(k) plans and choosing an appropriate investment mix. So, consider making an appointment for them with a financial professional.

By helping your grandchildren at different points on their road through life, you can make their journey more pleasant – and, in the process, you’ll gain a lot of satisfaction.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2120 28th Ave., $37,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Arrow Roofing & Construction.

Pasco Associates LLC, 4905 Road 68, $55,000 for sign. Contractor: Yesco LLC. Columbia East LLC, 1351 S. Road 40 East, $506,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Ryan Companies US Inc. Pasco School District, 1023 N. 24th Ave., $142,500 for commercial construction. Contractor: Quantum Construction.

Equipmentshare.com, 1125 E. Spokane St., $45,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: LCR Construction LLC. Pasco School District, 1102 N. 10th Ave., $18,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: to be determined.

City of Pasco, 5427 Road 76, $75,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Mastec Network Solutions.

PROSSER KRC Land Investments, 250 Chardonnay Ave., $50,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: DJ Turner Construction.

Desert Wind Vineyard, 2258 Wine Country Road, $126,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: M. Campbell & Co. John & Shell Dixon, 1215 Meade Ave., $20,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner.

RICHLAND Frost Me Sweet, 710 The Parkway, $40,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Booth & Sons Construction.

Lambert Properties, 114 Keene Road, $20,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: KPR Construction LLC. Tagaris Winery, 844 Tulip Lane, $125,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: Apollo Sheet Metal.

Bookwalter Winery, 894 Tulip Lane, $61,254 for commercial reroof. Contractor: A&A Roofing.

Liberty Christian School, 2200 Williams Blvd., $15,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Siefken & Sons Construction.

Port of Benton, 2579 Stevens Drive, $69,558 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Wine Country Construction & Landscaping.

Kadlec Regional Medical Center, 888 Swift Blvd., $260,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Bouten Construction Co. Kadlec Regional Medical Center, 780 Swift Blvd., $335,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Bouten Construction Co. Store Master Funding, 624 Wellsian Way, $65,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Tri-Cities Roofing LLC. 948 Stevens LLC, 948 Stevens Drive, Suite A, $160,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: CI Construction & Consulting LLC. Life Church, 1110 Stevens Drive, $40,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Leslie & Campbell Inc.

WEST RICHLAND Urban Range, 3985 E & F W. Van Giesen St., two permits for $435,366 multifamily homes. Contractor: owner.

uBUSINESS LICENSES RICHLAND Sol Engineers Ltd, 55 E. Monroe St., Chicago, Illinois.

E Source Companies LLC, 1745 38th St., Boulder, Colorado.

Michels Pacific Energy Inc., 2200 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, California.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B23

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 Michels Pipeline Inc., 817 Main St., Brownsville, Wisconsin.

AVI-SPL LLC, 6301 Benjamin Road, Suite 101 Tampa, Florida.

Kootenai Health Staffing LLC, 2003 Kootenai Health Way, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

James Fisher Technologies, 5821 Langley Ave., Loveland, Colorado.

CTR Spokane, 905 Diagonal Blvd., Hermiston, Oregon.

Faith Technologies Inc., 201 Main St., Menasha, Wisconsin.

Red House Motion Imaging, 1401 Sunset St. McGrath Method LLC, 275 Gage Blvd.

Core Concepts PLLC, 1776 Fowler St. Brandon’s Carpet, 98603 E. Christine Drive, Kennewick.

Day’s Inn, 615 Jadwin Ave. NW TEL LLC, 544 S. Spruce St. Burlington.

Prairie Dog Construction LLC, 4616 60th Ave., W. University Place.

Trudeau’s Northwest Roofing & Construction Co. LLC, 1351 Upland Drive, Sunnyside.

Culbert Construction Inc., 3905 E. A St., Pasco.

Viktor’s Finish & Flooring, 1505 S. Coulee Vista Drive, Kennewick.

R&R Heating & Air Conditioning Inc., 5202 N. Florida St., Spokane.

Huizar Landscaping and Painting, 1712 N. 15th Ave., Pasco.

Fish Bay Resources LLC, 2473 Tiger Lane.

Maria Floricel Magana, 640 Jadwin Ave. Eddie’s Construction, 200802 E. Game Farm Road, Kennewick.

Burlesque Co., 1073 Cayuse Drive.

Shana Stewart Grooming LLC, 122B Wellsian Way. KB Heritage II LLC, 1386 Baywood Ave. Palouse Power LLC, 4745 State Route 281 N., Quincy.

Tayseer Khalil, 2860 Sawgrass Loop.

Northwest Health and Safety Network Corp., 315 Ferncrest Road, Longview.

Harrington Investigations PC, 7016 Tahoe Drive SE, Tumwater.

Bob’s Mobile Detailing, 506 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

Struxure Outdoor of Washington, 9116 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley.

JSC Agricultural Supply, 2746 Kingsgate Way. Blue Mountain Technologies, 1340 Fuji Way. Horn Rapids Master Homeowners Association, 2600 Clubhouse Lane.

Dermaspa LLC, 1295 Fowler St. Bales Construction Inc., 5620 E. Desmet Ave., Spokane Valley.

Corum Homes, 1846 Terminal Drive.

Boujee Fresh, 2112 Tinkle St. Mbased LLC, 409 Abbot St. Family First Dental—Richland, 1908 George Washington Way. Cavazos Construction LLC, 1730 W. 14th Ave., Kennewick.

Paragon Remodeling, 1233 Carson St. LJH Services LLC, 1444 Westgate Way. BMI Const. LLC, 1248 Riesling St. Perspective Counseling Services LLC, 34115 Cantera St., Kennewick.

Rangel Lawn Care LLC, 1425 Riche Ct. Wood & Works, 200814 E. Bernath Road, Kennewick.

New Heights Church, 390 Thayer Drive.

Power Up Electric, Alezra Pools, 105507 E. Tripple Vista Drive, Kennewick.

Jeskitas Munchkys, 1208 Potter Ave. Climate Pros LLC, 1627 45th St., E., Sumner.

Raw Construction, 69 Jadwin Ave. Federal Way 26 LLC, 723 The Parkway.

Grooming Tales LLC, 2165 Van Giesen St. Ro.Ma Visionaries, 2370 Cottontail Lane.

Unitary Apparel, 1143 Tomich Ave. Bond Wild, 2408 Mark Ave. Arrow Point Roofing LLC, 4326 N. Maringo Drive, Spokane.

Lopez Lawn Care, 6511 W. Kennewick Court, Kennewick.

L&M Construction, 3512 Estrella Drive, Pasco.

Midtown Dental, 750 George Washington Way. Raptor Concrete Coatings LLC, 4004 W. 47th Court, Kennewick.

Lickety-splits Treat Bar, 40 Park St. John K. Johnson, 4572 Cowlitz Blvd.

Better Than Naked Skin Studio, 615 The Parkway.

The Beveled Angle, 6151 Teak Lane, West Richland.

Shed Happens, 1209 Potter Ave. Empire Trucking LLC, 2975 Bruce Lee Lane.

Doug Does That Contracting, 2329 W. 15th Place, Kennewick.

RQ and Associates LLC, 2848 Sawgrass Loop.

Atomwise Inc., 575 Columbia Point Drive.

Javelina 6 Enterprises, 1544 Manchester St. Van Giesen Car Wash, 311 Van Giesen St. Tammy Lutes, 2560 Queensgate Drive.

Pacific Shorz Power Sports, 535 Lodi Loop.

Maria Margaret Heineman, 750 George Washington Way. Suds N Sun, 725 N. Center Pkwy., Kennewick.

American Property Preservation LLC, 1320 Birch Ave. The Healing Place Counseling LLC, 167 Englewood Drive.

Audio Proz LLC, 1924 Butler Loop.

Amendment XXI Bar and Grill, 2525 N.

Columbia Center Blvd.

Roma Design Service, 2370 Cottontail Lane.

Swagelok Northwest/Alaska, 18858 72nd Ave. S., Kent.

CD Landscaping & Construction LLC, 2011 E. Helena St., Pasco.

Pasco Barrel Bros LLC, 9407 NE Vancouver Mall Drive, Vancouver.

Rick Ralston, 3223 W. 22nd Ave., Ken-

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newick.

Duong’s General Construction, 6501 E. Jacobs Road NE, Benton City.

Fa Enterprises, 116 S. Cascade St., Kennewick.

Ochoa Transportation, 4321 W. Hood Ave., Kennewick.

Heidi’s Hauling, 913 S. Arthur Place,

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

Kennewick.

Sugar N Sage Esthetics, 719 Jadwin Ave. Tony The Driver, 612 S Garfield St., Kennewick.

Haugen Realty LLC, 2012 Austin Place.

David Quality Cleaning, 2434 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Ziranda Roofing LLC, 4008 Joshua Drive, Pasco.

Amusingful, 1834 Marshall Ave. First Response Counseling PLLC, 723 The Parkway.

Teresa Torres Interpreting Services, 4501 Finnhorse Lane, Pasco.

The Bubble Mobile Detailing, 5903 Robert Wayne Drive, Pasco.

Desert Moon Backyard Movie Parties LLC, 723 The Parkway.

Homepro, 4855 E. Comish Drive, Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Bjorn Johnson Construction LLC, 410 Expressway Missoula, Montana.

Solo Promotions LLC, 2327 Skyview Loop.

Critical Insight Inc., 245 Fourth St., Bremerton.

Fast Construction, 522 S. Anderson St., Kennewick.

Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions Inc., 1075 Big Shanty Road NW, Kennesaw, Georgia.

Russell Landscaping LLC, 1414 Pierce St., Union Gap. Freshco 2 LLC, 504 S. Jurupa St., Kennewick.

La Placita Mexican Restaurant, 5011 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite C, Kennewick.

Serene Counseling, 1626 Gaillard Place.

Her For A Reason, 156 Mountain View Lane.

Country Construction/Masonry Inc., 10267 W. 17th Place, Kennewick.

Complete Healthcare for Women PLLC,

1045 Jadwin Ave. KAS Construction LLP, 4203 Monterey Drive, Pasco.

Rocio House Cleaning, 6108 Pimlico Drive, Pasco.

Warren Admin Solution, 1639 Meadow Hills Drive.

Tri-City Construction Co., 2917 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

The Wild Taco, 2 72 Wellsian Way. Three Rivers Psychiatry, 1355 Columbia Park Trail.

Olsson Industrial Electric Inc., 284 Wellsian Way. Northwest Lawn and Landscape LLC, 2555 Bella Coola Lane.

Woodspring Suites Tri-Cities, 1370 Tapteal Drive.

J & N Plastering LLC, 1114 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick.

VIP Electric LLC, 661 Marysville Way, Richland.

Double K Blooms, 96205 E. Holly Road, Kennewick.

The Braiding Boutique, 1846 Terminal Drive.

Apex Drone Services, 1302 Perkins Ave. B & T Ventures LLC, 508 Wishkah Drive.

Pampas Landcare And More LLC, 1835 W. Park St., Pasco.

J&A’s Flooring LLC, 320 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick.

Elite, 1730 W. 14th Ave., Kennewick.

TM Creative LLC, 1325 Aaron Drive.

Smoovies, 6520 Homerun Road, Pasco.

BG Interior Construction LLC, 318 Goethals Drive.

Neuman Electric Inc., 4414 Muris Lane, Pasco.

C&J Quality Construction, 1114 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick.

The Rustic Tin, 1011 Marshall Ave. Sprinkler Plus LLC, 1711 W. 51st Ave., Kennewick.

The Cookie Bar, 1681 April Loop.

JB Construction, 1233 Columbia Park Trail.

Mixer Roofing LLC, 420 Wright Ave. Pibble Street Designs, 2104 Davison Ave. GA Pilot Services LLC, 1940 Hetrick St. Tera Pettit Photographer, 1948 Cypress Place.

XOR Bits, 2000 Stevens Drive.

Rimrock Arms LLC, 1463 Rimrock Ave. Soniq, 1431 Jadwin Ave. Hey Sugar LLC, 513 Lee Blvd.

Apex Real Estate Investments LLC, 348 Satus St. Chiara Skin, 1621 George Washington Way. Vemoji, 2021 Mahan Ave Invictus Gymnastics, 2478 Henderson Loop.

Connor Roberts, 480 Keene Road.

CS Edgewater LLC, 3100 George Washington Way. Get Well Telehealth PLLC, 943 Stevens Drive.

ELF Mobile Notary, 115 Canyon St. Future Samples, 1489 Desert Springs Ave. Resilience Construction LLC, 2220 Road 52, Pasco.

Emmanuel Siding Construction LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Morrison Management Specialist #56278, 888 Swift Blvd.

Tacoma 109 LLC, 723 The Parkway.

Non Compliant Media, 6008 Klickitat Lane, Pasco.

Andy’s Distributing LLC, 2956 Canterbury Court, Kennewick.

M And G Functional Fitness, 5515 Coolidge Court, Pasco.

Whole Body Wellness- Massage and Weight Loss, 601 Knight St. Peony & Mod, 1367 George Washington

Way. Link Whisper, 1006 Country Court.

Salon Bellarosa LLC, 1950 Keene Road.

Inland Northwest Life Safety Consultants, 5920 W. Hallett Road, Spokane.

Shaday’s Spa Party, 5501 W. Hildebrand Blvd., Kennewick.

Lim Lifeizmemoriez, 240 Skyline Drive.

TK Machine, 1893 Airport Way. Columbia Square Capital LLC, 451 Westcliffe Blvd.

Allegiant RV and Trailer, 20407 S. 2060 PR SE, Kennewick.

D & D Distributors LLC, 45012 E. Red Mountain Road, Benton City.

Motel 6 #9409, 1751 Fowler St. Horse Sense Vet, 3803 S. Terwilliger Road SE, Benton City.

Rinse ’N Clean LLC, 6002 Nauvoo Lane, Pasco.

White Bluffs Watersports LLC, 1306 S. Rosena Ct., Kennewick.

Lee’s Unlimited, 739 Hanford St. Tri-Cities Fallout Comic, 2550 Duportail St. Phone Shop Tri-Cities, 140 Gage Blvd.

Inland Biomedical Engineering, 2300 Cottontail Lane.

Buck’s Junk Hauling LLC, 1510 Wilson St. Fireflight Studios LLC, 5500 Oasis St. West Richland.

Kyles Fine Line LLC, 58404 N. Evert Road, Benton City.

Samantha Dustin, 511 Wilson St. AC Strategic Events LLC, 1052 Lethbridge Ave. Yamila’s Cleaning Services, 445 N. Volland St., Kennewick.

First Choice Lawn Care Services LLC, 701 Ellensburg Ave., Toppenish.

The Powder Room, 521 Agier Drive.

Strandz, 480 Keene Road.

Westerner Products of Yuma Inc., 8691 S. Frontage Road, Yuma, Arizona.

Security Signs, 2424 SE Holgate Blvd., Portland, Oregon.

Three D Heating and Air, 77596 S. Edwards Road, Stanfield, Oregon.

509 Builders LLC, 9595 Snake River Road, Pasco.

Ledesma Contractors LLC, 1813 W. Octave St., Pasco.

Conley Engineering Inc., 1104 Maple St., Sumner.

Daniel Avila, 230 Riverwood St. Puget Sound Services Inc., 244 Sydney Ave. N., North Bend.

SE&C WA, LLC, 6100 George Washington Way. Mr. Green General Construction, 4215 S. Yew St., Kennewick.

Central Paving LLC, 1410 W. Dolarway Road, Ellensburg.

Matson Capital Management, 114 Columbia Point Drive.

Modern Construction, 5702 N. Market St., Spokane.

Fidelitas Wines, 318 Wellhouse Loop.

Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects Inc., 1505 Fifth Ave., Seattle.

Anderson Environmental Consulting LLC, 14234 N. Tormey Road, Nine Mile Fall.

MCM Advisory LLC, 114 Columbia Point Drive.

Hicks Creek Fur Company, 4007 Cascade Drive, West Richland.

Gabby’s Kettle Corn, 529 Old Naches Highway, Yakima.

Shiny Girl Cleaning, 2105 N. Steptoe St., Kennewick.

PNW Installs LLC, 4602 N. 12th St., Tacoma.

Morris Enological, 1307 Goethals Drive.

Xteriors Plus LLC, 707 Sixth Ave., Granger.

D8 Interiors, 2640 Kingsgate Way.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B25

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 Transient Coffee Company, 408 N. Georgia St., Kennewick.

Noble HVAC Services, 920 N. Road 44 Pasco.

Sagebrush Montessori, 304 Thayer Drive.

Bayou Some Cajun, 98109 E. Brandon Drive, Kennewick.

Virtual Reality Construction LLC, 12104 Rock Creek Drive, Pasco.

Columbia River Oncology Physicians PLLC, 2500 Falconcrest Loop.

Healthfirst Urgent Care, 37 Columbia Point Drive.

Alonso’s Painting LLC, 42 Argon Lane.

Soda Bomb, 4819 W. 20th Ct., Kennewick.

Leah’s Lashbar, 1311 Mansfield St. JLB 1 Construction LLC, 623 Hanson Loop, Burbank.

Idlers Carpet, 8804 W. Clearwater Place, Kennewick.

Shed Crafters TC, 2912 Road 48, Pasco.

Mojica Construction, 223 S. Etiwanda Ct., Kennewick.

G&G Quality Construction LLC, 3308 W. Hood Ave., Kennewick.

Quality Roofing, 331 E. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

Mendoza’s Construction, 104 E. 11th Ave., Kennewick.

First Choice Communications LLC, 5705 38th Court SE, Lacey.

Drywall Tech, 601 S. Kent St., Kennewick.

War Room Ministries, 950 Aaron Drive.

Framer For You LLC, 23802 N. Willard Benton City.

Fialka Construction Specialists, 828 W. Grand Ronde Ave., Kennewick.

G & B Construction, 1700 S. Kellogg St., Kennewick.

Taste of Wok LLC, 500 Amon Park Drive.

Graze, 610 George Washington Way. Pasha’s Construction LLC, 189325 E.

36th Ave., Kennewick.

M&J General Construction LLC, 218036 E. Highway 397 Kennewick.

Habit Restaurants LLC, 2831 Duportail St., Richland.

Jean Claude’s Transport, 1464 Larkspur Drive.

Rewster’s Craft Bar and Grill, 2800 Clubhouse Lane.

All American Barns LLC, 65310 N. Highway 225 Benton City.

Salas Masonry, 1505 S. Road 40 E., Pasco.

Logan Properties LLC, 2554 Robertson Drive.

Artesanos Iron Works, 308 Ninth St., Benton City.

Waggin’ Tails Dog Training, 4611 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick.

Interpath Laboratory Inc., 945 Goethals Drive.

Kay’s Workshop, 1701 Van Giesen St., Richland.

Clever Construction, 905 N. Cedar Ave., Pasco.

Magnolia Flooring LLC, 90 S. Verbena St., Kennewick.

Bricker Construction LLC, 5408 Fern Loop, West Richland.

Columbia River Parasailing, 962 Allenwhite Drive.

Tri-Cities Home Improvement Services LLC, 1219 Oxford Ave. Swagelok Northwest (US) / Alaska, 1934 Butler Loop.

Desert Blossom Montessori, 2726 Hyde Road.

Moreno Greenscape Lawn Care, 29 N. Mayfield St., Kennewick.

Lansing Builders, 8808 Landon Court, Pasco.

Shanno’s Place, 5902 Velonia Drive, West

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Richland.

Ransom, Brent, 8808 W. Fifth Ave., Kennewick.

Land S Property & Restoration, 1521 Johnston Ave. E&S Painting and Renovations LLC, 1724 W. 45th Ave., Kennewick.

Black Apron, 2011 Torbett St. Quality Auto Detail LLC, 33 E. B Circle, Pasco.

LD Zone Control, 2019 Butler Loop.

A-R Construction & Fabrication LLC, 3324 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

PNP Controls, 9818 Coho Court, Pasco.

EMW Northwest LLC, 2440 Allison Way. Talentmerger, 2651 Torrey Pines Way. DG (Dupill Group) Services LLC, 3095 Kingsgate Way. GTC Construction LLC, 621 Road 38 Pasco.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B26

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

Solstice Heating & Air Inc., 202 E. 16th Ave., Kennewick.

Antojitos Las Gueritas, 3887 W. Seventh Ave., Kennewick.

Evergreen Heating & Cooling, 213 Fortaleza Lane, Pasco.

Velasco Construction, 60 Compton Lane.

Abbys Interpreting, 670 Hamilton Drive, Sunnyside.

Annakat Designs, 148 Orchard Way. Matson Holdings LLC, 2554 Robertson Drive.

Rhonda Muto, 87 Keene Road.

Ponzini Photography, 2550 Duportail St. Theory Technology LLC, 1933 Marshall Ave. KTM Home Designs LLC, 1690 Brittlebush Lane.

Farther Farms Inc., 343 Westmoreland Drive.

Lancer Lawn Care, 1019 E. Seventh

Ave., Kennewick.

Cultivate Connection Counseling 2 PLLC, 1201 Jadwin Ave. The Salubrious Home, 224 Goethals Drive.

Tri-Cities Sexual Health PLLC, 138 Keene Road.

Dazzling Life Designs, 188 Riverwood St. 707 Parkway LLC, 1681 April Loop.

Sunflower Daycare, 336 Satus St. Mas Taco, 15 George Washington Way. Kingdom Care, 4526 Barbera St. Davis Investments Associated LLC, 701 Winslow Ave. Ink It, 1215 Birch Ave. Wolly’s Window Washing, 3014 Duval Loop.

Holguin, Katie Nicole, 140 Gage Blvd.

Glacier Northstar LLC, 723 The Parkway.

Tidy Home Cleaning Service, 605 Symons St.

Teddi Von S Coaching LLC, 33904 S. Gerards Road, Kennewick.

509 Fit, 711 Coast St. Supreme Lawn Care, 4234 W. 32nd Ave., Kennewick.

The Partners in Grime, 506 Sanford Ave. Vl Construction, 2406 Camden St., 509 Construction, 504 W. Wagon Wheel PR NW, Benton City.

Chromatic Art Studio, 2513 Allegheny Court.

Total Body Healing LLC, 511 Shaw St. Evertegrity, 2640 Kingsgate Way. Good Oman Insurance, 718 Jadwin Ave. City Heart Hair, 303 Casey Ave. Brighley and Clean, 1620 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick.

New Creations Face Painting LLC, 2303 W. 12th Place, Kennewick.

Zepeda, Jose Manuel, 3809 W. Wernett Road, Pasco.

Lopez Cleaning Services, 736 W. Leola St., Pasco.

Columbia River Investing, LLC, 7 George Washington Way. Puppy Ventures, 2018 Greenbrook Blvd.

Mankind Barbers, 1009 Wright Ave. Nega, Enyewu, 612 The Parkway.

Family Silvas Godinez Construction, 644 S. Wagon Road, Othello.

Amador S Home Remodeling, 500 N. 24th Ave., Pasco.

Graystone Design & Development LLC, 740 Graystone Lane, Pasco.

KENNEWICK Irwin Seating Company, 3251 Fruit Ridge NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Reeve-Knight Construction Inc., 128 Ascot Drive, Roseville, California.

N.A. Chavez, 1735 NE Sixth St., Hermiston, Oregon.

LG Contractors Inc., 644 Ironwood Terrace Woodburn, Oregon.

One Way Development & Construction Company Inc., 4588 Caterpillar Road, Redding, California.

City Facilities Management (Fl) LLC, 8120 Nations Way, Suite 104, Jacksonville, Florida.

SHS Paper Hanging and Painting LLC, 8744 SW Lodi Lane, Tigard, Oregon.

509 Builders LLC, 9595 Snake River Road, Pasco.

Northwest Striping & Sealing LLC, 839 N. Corriedale Road, Yakima.

Garrett Sign Co. Inc., 811 Harney St., Vancouver.

Bass Spray Services LLC, 6904 Franklin Road, Pasco.

Bonnie J Kendall, 8524 W. Gage Blvd, Ste. A-111.

Riviera Electric LLC, 20420 NE 116th Circle Brush Prairie.

JRT Mechanical Inc., 2211 SE Grace Ave., Battle Ground.

Mr. Green General Construction, 4215 S. Yew St. Team Construction LLC, 6701 NE 42nd St., Vancouver.

Murphey Brothers General Excavating LLC, 144001 W. Johnson Road, Prosser.

Hicks Creek Fur Company, 4007 Cascade Drive, West Richland.

Quality Comfort, 8701 Garden Ave., Yakima.

Legacy Air HVAC LLC, 19030 72nd Ave S., Kent.

Kennewick CDC, 16 N. Huntington.

Shiny Girl Cleaning, 2105 N. Steptoe St. Perfection Built, 720 E. Fifth Ave. Hernandez & Family Transportation LLC, 423 S. Fir St. Xteriors Plus LLC, 707 Sixth Ave., Granger.

Agape Nutrition, 116 Vista Way. 2 Naked Ladies LLC, 101 S. Washington

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B27

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 St. Magic Painting, 1070 N. 61st Ave., West Richland.

Northwest Lawn and Landscape LLC, 2555 Bella Coola Lane, Richland.

Athenascope Inc., 725 N. Center Pkwy.

Three Rivers Painting, 3131 W. Hood Ave. Vip Electric LLC, 661 Marysville Way Richland.

Shed Crafters TC, 2912 Road 48 Pasco C&R concrete LLC, 516 Liberty St., Walla Walla.

Good Hands Lawn and Tree, 246 W. 23rd Place.

Advance Plastering LLC, 835 W. Ainsworth Ave., Pasco.

Hamm-err Down Construction LLC, 6203 Three Rivers Drive, Pasco.

Anthony’s Auto Recycling, 214 E. Albany Ave. Aerie By American Eagle #2529, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Miguel Molina, 2917 W. 19th Ave. New Generation Roofing LLC, 2112 Landon Ave., Union Gap. All American Barns LLC, 65310 N. SR 225, Benton City.

De La Cruz Construction, 5405 W. 24th Ave. DSJ, 1009 W. Park Hills Drive.

Lawn And Order Landscaping, 601 New Gate Drive, Prosser.

Vemoji, 2021 Mahan Ave., Richland.

New Image Painting & Powerwash LLC, 2403 S. Vancouver St. Waggin’ Tails Dog Training, 4611 W. Sixth Ave. Galaxie Enterprises LLC, 6912 W. Umatilla Ave. Asap Services LLC, 5908 W. 16th Ave. Kyles Fine Line LLC, 58404 N. Evert Road, Benton City.

Moreno Greenscape Lawn Care, 29 N.

Mayfield St. Lansing Builders, 8808 Landon Court, Pasco.

Sun Market #45, 1400 W. 27th Ave. E&S Painting and Renovations LLC, 1724 W. 45th Ave. Ready Roofing LLC, 30 Proton Lane, Richland.

LD Zone Control, 2019 Butler Loop, Richland.

A-R Construction & Fabrication LLC, 3324 W. 19th Ave. GTC Construction LLC, 621 Road 38 Pasco.

Solstice Heating & Air Inc., 202 E. 16th Ave. Antojitos Las Gueritas, 3887 W. Seventh Ave. Bright Line Pavement Markings LLC, 5608 Westminster Lane, Pasco.

Evergreen Heating & Cooling, 213 Fortaleza Lane, Pasco.

Parientes Painting LLC, 720 N. 24th Ave., Pasco.

Hands Of Time Wellness LLC, 5601 W. Clearwater Ave. Vitality Wellness LLC, 2805 W. Canal Drive.

Vintage Textile Design, 3814 S. Buntin Loop.

West Falls Trading Company, 9000 W. Falls Ave. The 45 Group LLC, 501 W. Canal Drive.

Argo Kennewick LLC, 1232 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Lancer Lawn Care, 1019 E. Seventh Ave. Sola, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Edge Construction Supply Inc., 501 N. Quay St. JFK Drywall Solutions, 1117 W. Court St., Pasco.

Rinehart Realty Group LLC, 427 N. Jefferson St. As You Wish Drone Photography LLC,

1327 W. 26th Ave. Garibaldi, 707 W. Court St., Pasco.

Safety Solutions LLC, 1315 S. Cascade St. Chinook Health and Wellness LLC, 100 N. Morain St. Sasquatch Tactical, 7509 W. Deschutes Ave. Patriots Vault, 3012 S. Neel Place.

Sushi Mori, 1350 N. Louisiana St.

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Gomez Rios, Martin, 8612 W. Arrowhead Ave. Neat N Clean, 3030 W. Fourth Ave. JCV Trucking LLC, 2219 N. Rhode Island Court.

Valdovinos, Belisario, 507 N. Arthur St. Izzymoni Trucking LLC, 1828 W. 19th Ave. Fowler Piano Studio, 4502 S. Rainier

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

Court.

Valdovinos Avila, Griselda Florita, 507 N. Arthur St. MLC Transportation LLC, 1005 S. Belfair St. Cortez Cuts LLC, 1826 Highland Drive, Prosser.

Supreme Lawn Care, 4234 W. 32nd Ave. Orion Painting, 6756 Nelson St., West Richland.

Big Dogs Towing LLC, 5908 W. 20th Ave. Sparkle Services LLC, 8180 W. Fourth Ave. Care From Anywhere, 1350 N. Grant St. National Seating & Mobility Inc., 5628 Clearwater Ave. 509 Construction, 504 W. Wagon Wheel PR NW, Benton City.

3H Trucking LLC, 506 S. Juniper St. Big T’s Barbershop, 116 W. First Ave. Mindful Psychiatry PLLC, 1030 N. Cen-

ter Pkwy.

Desert Rose Vintage, 5213 W. 28th Ave. Laboratory Corporation of America, 6351 W. Rio Grande Ave. 509 Wood Builds, 34 N. Lyle St. Badger Excavating LLC, 3202 S. Dennis St. All Flooring Contractor, 930 E. Fourth Place.

Revitalize Spine & Sports Care PLLC, 4309 W. 27th Place.

Safeguards3 LLC, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd.

JM Auto Body LLC, 214 E. Albany Ave. Wild Fox Nature Academy, 9352 W. Ninth Place.

Mind Soul Body Coaching, 10251 Ridgeline Drive.

Supplynservice LLC, 2718 S. Jean St. Brighley and Clean, 1620 W. Sixth Ave. New Creations Face Painting LLC, 2303 W. 12th Place.

DRG Roofing LLC, 8014 Canyon Drive, Pasco.

Hair Design by Trixy Reed, 5009 W. Clearwater Ave. American Medical Consulting, 5203 S. Tacoma Court.

Jose Manuel Zepeda, 3809 W. Wernett Road, Pasco.

Lopez Cleaning Services, 736 W. Leola St., Pasco.

Linda’s Clothing, 4415 W. Clearwater Ave. Etera Energy LLC, 8524 W. 12th Ave. Rattlesnake Mountain Home Photos, 2456 N. Rhode Island Court.

R Mendoza Construction LLC, 3301 Semilla Court, Pasco.

Top Notch, 1453 Carson St., Richland.

AMB Templates, 4806 W. 19th Ave. 5823 W Arrowhead LLC, 101304 N. Billings Court, West Richland.

Maria Bejar Gallardo, 1001 W. Fourth

Ave. Suzanne Damstedt, 10505 W. Clearwater Ave. Kennewick Vision Care, 3700 W. Clearwater Ave. Family Silvas Godinez Construction, 644 S. Wagon Road, Othello.

Excel Mechanical LLC, 2404 Mark Ave., Richland.

Colortexturephototours LLC, 516 N. Ione St. MB Delivery, 1935 W. Yakima St., Pasco.

Boys Mobile Auto Paint LLC, 219 N. Underwood St. Garcia’s Mobile, 5628 W. Clearwater Ave. Dr. Rogers Home Care LLC, 404 N. Conway St. Kennewick Laser, 720 S. Buntin St. Amy Green, 9 W. Kennewick Ave. MG Interpreting, 3807 W. 46th Ave. Columbia River Warehouse, 10 E Bruneau Ave. Atlas Cabinets & Design LLC, 2483 Robertson Drive, Richland.

Whitman Acres, 1827 W. Whitman Drive, Walla Walla.

Just Blades, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Columbia River Dental, 1310 N. Grant St. Speedy Mobile Service LLC, 90 S. Verbena St. Flo’s Bros LLC, 6994 W. 31st Ave. FNS Collision, 310 W. Columbia Drive.

Badger Mountain Labradoodles LLC, 1527 W. 44th Place.

Homebridge Financial Services Inc., 8121 W. Quinault Avenue.

Maverick Property Management LLC, 5926 W. Fourth Place.

JLS Lead Associate, 1338 W. Third Ave.

PASCO KR Construction and Excavation Inc., 56504 N. 31 PR NE, Benton City.

Stems & Strings Design, 8512 Stutz Drive.

Lake City Powerwash & Cart Services LLC, 3642 Covington Ave., Post Falls, Idaho.

B Lawn Services, 832 W. Brown St. G & H Cleaning Services, 2504 E. Alvina St. L D G Logistics LLC, 2311 Wade Ct. JF Holdings LLC, 8200 W. Argent Road.

Callies Welding and Fabrication LLC, 5817 Burlington Loop.

Tru - Shine Cleaning, 803 N. 26th Ave. Simplot Frozen Vegetables LLC, 3411 N. Capitol Ave., Unit A-B. Prime Auto Glass, 6011 Woodbine Drive.

Extreme Landscaping LLC, 5402 Raleigh Drive.

EZ Mail In LLC, 522 W. Clark St. Tlachi Diesel Repair LLC, 1512 E. Columbia St., B. Armored Transport LLC, 6220 Melita Lane.

Fresh Start Auto Detailing LLC, 4815 Antigua Drive.

Noble Construction USA LLC, 1805 E. Spokane St. Michelle Elizabeth Ochoa, 4210 Finnhorse Lane.

Salas Masonry LLC, 1505 S. Road 40 E, #003.

Blue Rain Auto Detail, 310 W. Columbia St. Sun Willows Golf Course, 1825 Sun Willows Blvd.

Financial Corporation of America, 12515 Research Blvd., Bldg. 2, Austin, Texas.

Pampas Landcare And More LLC, 1835 W. Park St. M R Family Transport LLC, 6215 Cowlitz Lane.

Reliable Books LLC, 8007 Salmon Drive.

Amy’s Virtual Essentials, 4522 Muris

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 Lane.

Brussels Sprouts Personal Training LLC, 2300 Road 40.

FML Trucking LLC, 3719 Estrella Drive.

Shidalowitz LLC, 2019 Butler Loop, Richland.

360 General Construction, 919 W. Marie St. Kathryn Mendoza Photography, 600 N. Hawaii St. A-R Construction & Fabrication LLC, 3324 W. 19th Ave., #81.

O’Bunco Engineering International Inc., 1042 W. James St., Suite 201.

The Vibe Dance Academy LLC, 5220 Outlet Drive.

Northwest Sealcoating and Striping Inc., 1904 Brian Lane, Billings, Montana.

Mixer Roofing LLC, 420 Wright Ave., Richland.

Thornworks LLC, 830 S. Chestnut Ave. Aguilar Quality Drywall LLC, 6504 W. Umatilla Ave. Nicholassanchez, 1625 W. A St., B. Vista Pools Construction LLC, 4406 Chilcotin Lane.

CR Woodworks LLC, 1500a Jefferson Place, Kennewick.

Galvan General Contractor LLC, 330 Gulden Road, Mabton.

Magic Painting, 1070 N. 61st Ave., West Richland.

Lancer Lawn Care, 1019 E. Seventh Ave., Kennewick.

Confound Entertainment Inc., 56 Bonanza Drive.

Read By Amma LLC, 1220 S. Third Ave. Tri-City Sno-balls, 6305 Sand Dune Lane.

Ginieis Unlimited, 310 W. Columbia St. Northwest Code Professionals, 3835 W. Court St., Suite 2.

Shanno’s Place, 5902 Velonia Drive, West Richland.

Elena’s Interpreting, 4612 Saguaro Drive.

Kathleen C. Freeman, 5309 Remington Drive.

Evergreen Heating & Cooling LLC, 213 Fortaleza Lane.

Sant Lines, 4709 Cathedral Drive.

The Nail Place, 6600 Burden Blvd.

Desert Moon Backyard Movie Parties LLC, 723 The Parkway, Richland.

Kingdom Care, 4526 Barbera St., Richland.

The Little Plant Shop, 3315 W. Court St. Ready Roofing LLC, 30 Proton Lane, Richland.

Supreme Lawn Care, 4234 W. 32nd Ave., Kennewick.

The Partners in Grime, 506 Sanford Ave., Richland.

Moreno Greenscape Lawn Care, 29 N. Mayfield St., Kennewick.

Stelter Repair Inc., 224 Main Ave., New Leipzig, North Dakota.

Yamila’s Cleaning Services, 445 N. Volland St., #E205, Kennewick.

Shed Crafters TC, 2912 Road 48.

Jewelsbyjlie143, 4607 W. Ivy Road.

Nanda Ravinder S., 8102 Naches Court.

New Image Painting & Powerwash LLC, 2403 S. Vancouver St., Kennewick.

Jean Jones - Via, 6224 W. Yellow Stone, Kennewick.

Utilities One Inc., 4015 E. B St. E&S Painting and Renovations LLC, 1724 W. 45th Ave., #E50, Kennewick.

Elevate Barber Studio, 226 W. Lewis St. Mendoza’s Construction, 104 E. 11th Ave., Kennewick.

Don Jordan Energy Systems Inc., 1501 Madison Ave., Yakima.

Shiny Girl Cleaning, 2105 N. Steptoe St., #8, Kennewick.

J.B Hauling LLC, 1325 W. Sheldy St., Moses Lake

American Concrete & Construction, 2002 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

Brighley and Clean, 1620 W. Sixth Ave. Unit A, Kennewick.

New Creations Face Painting LLC, 2303 W. 12th Place, Suite A, Kennewick.

CM Plaza, 310 W. Columbia St. Badger Excavating LLC, 3202 S. Dennis St., Kennewick.

Quality Auto Detail LLC, 5724 W. Hood Ave., Kennewick.

Galaxie Enterprises LLC, 6912 W. Umatilla Ave., Kennewick.

Frank’s Towing, 2726 E. Providence Ave., Spokane.

Inland Towing, 2802 E. Providence Ave., Spokane.

Abby’s Interpreting, 670 Hamilton Drive, Sunnyside.

Bejar Gallardo Maria, 1001 W. Fourth Ave., Apt. J103, Kennewick.

Aub’s Bananza Bread LLC, 110 S. Fourth Ave. Mermazing ISR Tri-Cities, 12305 Clark Fork Road.

Digium, 3525 Industrial Drive, Suite D, Neehah, Wisconsin.

Ramsay Construction LLC, 385 Hanford St., Richland.

Mcnamara Pools LLC, 7027 Scenic Drive, Yakima.

Graystone Design & Development LLC, 740 Graystone Lane.

Family Home Projects LLC, 81 S. 42nd Place, West Richland.

Hicks Creek Fur Company, 4007 Cascade Drive, West Richland.

C&R Concrete LLC, 516 Liberty St., Walla Walla.

S & R Elite Roofing LLC, 1307 W. Fifth St., Grandview.

City Facilities Management (Fl) LLC, 8120 Nations Way, Suite 104, Jacksonville, Florida.

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WEST RICHLAND Islands to Highlands LLC, 4801 W. Van Giesen St. R. Mendoza Construction LLC, 3301 Semilla Court, Pasco.

Atlas Cabinets & Design LLC, 2483 Robertson Drive, Richland.

Fine Feather Business Services LLC, 4570 Rosencrans Road.

Medina Brothers Construction LLC, 1524 W. Seventh Place, Kennewick.

RWT Enterprises LLC, 1010 S. 101st Ave., Yakima.

Benton Builders LLC, 203212 E. SR 397, Kennewick.

Bales Custom Homes LLC, 3903 W. 42nd Ave., Kennewick.

Backflow Tri-Cities, 3303 Luna Drive, Pasco.

Smoke City for Less, 4096 W. Van Giesen St. Ground Piercing Inc., 3504 Emma Lane, Yakima.

PNW Installs LLC, 4602 N. 12th St., Tacoma.

Emmanuel Flooring LLC, 245 Sage Road, Burbank Tri-City Dump Trailer Rentals, 4095 Maple Lane.

Richards Fire Protection, 6755 Shale St. Greg’s Septic Service & Blackwater Sanitation, 26504 S. Dague Road, Kennewick.

Fab & Deb Concrete LLC, 6026 Gray St. Diaz, Irene, 1407 N. 15th Ave., Pasco.

Incas Plastering LLC, 2105 N. Steptoe St., Kennewick.

Custom Concrete LLC, 421 Alan Road, Pasco.

Cascade General Construction LLC,

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021

420 E. Fourth Ave., Kennewick.

The High Heel Housewife, 8968 W. Quinault Ave., Kennewick.

UC Home Improvement, 1624 S. Nelson St., Kennewick.

Mount Zion Construction LLC, 2917 W. 19th Ave., #13 Kennewick.

American Concrete & Construction, 2002 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

GTC Construction LLC, 621 Road 38 Pasco.

Larson Transportation, 531 S. 38th Ave. DRG Roofing LLC, 8014 Canyon Drive, Pasco.

Family Silvas Godinez Construction, 644 S. Wagon Road, Othello.

Renovation 360 LLC, 632 S. Owen Ave., Pasco.

Guardian Security Systems Inc., 1743 First Ave. S., Seattle.

Wonderlust Designs LLC, 1388 Jadwin Ave., Richland.

Heart-felt Home Care, 2809 S. Zillah Court, Kennewick.

Gates Underground LLC, 39710 23rd Ave. S., Roy. J. Villegas General Construction LLC, 7 W. A St., Pasco.

All Pro Roofing Technologies, 1108 S. Kellogg St., Kennewick.

MB Delivery, 1935 W. Yakima St., Pasco.

Business Communication Support LLC, 6735 Collins Road.

Jerry Pierce Bell, 4805 Blue Heron Blvd.

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.

Panchos Heating & Cooling, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 2.

Speedy Angeles Concrete, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 3.

Maricela Garcia et al., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 17.

Edd Anso General Contractor, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 17.

Barajas Auto Body LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 17.

Jorge Riveral LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 18.

Paul Charles Gravelle Jr., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 24.

Kenneth G. Mindt et al., unpaid Department of Licensing taxes, filed Aug. 26.

Rendon Construction LLC, unpaid De-

partment of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 26.

Norma Diaz et al., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Aug. 30.

J R Construction Inc., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 31.

Ramon R. Mendoza et al., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 31.

Pro KPR Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Aug. 31.

uLIQUOR LICENSES BENTON COUNTY NEW Thurston Wolfe, 3100 Lee Road, Suite

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021 A, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new.

Hae Ha Thai, 1407 N. Young St., Suite D, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

Circle K #9662, 22 S. Gum St., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/ wine. Application type: assumption.

V-5 Market, 1009 Dale Ave., Suite C, Benton City. License type: grocery store – beer/wine; snack bar. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

APPROVED

Club 69, 218 S. Fourth Ave., Pasco.

License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: discontinued.

El Patron Night Club, 101 W. Columbia St., Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type:

Soi 705 Thai Restaurant, 705 The Parkway, Richland. License type: spirits/beer/ wine restaurant lounge+. Application type: new.

Southern Cross Winery, 2470 Henderson Loop, Suite A, Richland. License type: domestic winery < 250,000 additional location. Application type: new.

Iconic Brewing, 2470 Henderson Loop Richland. License type: new application.

Application type: new.

Columbia Sun RV Resort, 103907 Wiser Parkway, Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new.

The Palm Bar and Grill, 603 Ninth St., Benton City. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: assumption.

Gamache Vintners, 200 Broadmoor St., Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000. Application type: change of location.

Willow Run Vineyard, 5714 E. Tilstra Road, Benton City. License type: domestic winery <250,000. Application type: new.

NEW GoPuff, 723 N. Third Ave., Pasco. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new.

APPROVED Club 69, 218 S. Fourth Ave., Pasco.

License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED

discontinued.

WALLA WALLA COUNTY NEW Friend’s Corner, 773 Kohler Road, Burbank. License type: grocery store – beer/ wine. Application type: assumption.

APPROVED Dollar General Store #22595, 379 Fifth Ave., Burbank. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new.

uMARIJUANA LICENSES

fees.

Five Leaves, 234805 E. Straightbank Road, Suite B, Kennewick. License type: marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: change of corporate officer.

SOG LLC, 15505 N. Webber Canyon Road, Suite A, Benton City. License type: marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: change of location.

Highland Nursery Inc., 15505 N. Webber Canyon Road, Suite G, Benton City.

License type: marijuana producer tier 3.

Application type: change of location.

Wamsterdam Farms, 43001 N. Griffin Road, Suite C, Grandview. License type: marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: added fees.

uBUSINESS UPDATES

B31

also offers a filtered water refilling station, snacks, deli food, ice and beverages, including coffee, wine and beer. Contact: 509-943-6715; Facebook.

Wisdom Books, 6501 Crosswind Blvd., Suite A, Kennewick, is open. Wisdom Books sells Bibles, Christian books for all ages, gifts, cards, apparel and offers laser engraving. Contact: 509-396-7292; Facebook.

NAME CHANGE Physicians Immediate Care & Medical Centers is now Nova Health. Nova Health has urgent care offices at 310 Torbett St. and 550 Gage Blvd., and a primary care office at 1516 Jadwin Ave., all are in Richland. Contact: novahealth.com/ washington.

MOVES

NEW Kitchen and Spice Market, 1440 Jadwin Ave., Richland, is open. Kitchen and Spice Market is an Indian grocery store, serving customer favorites from the Pasco-based restaurant, Love Curry, including butter chicken, vegetable curry of the day and samosa, as well as chicken tenders, wings and spices. The market

Lourdes Health Crisis Services has moved to the Lourdes Counseling Center, 1175 Carondelet Drive, Richland. Call 509-783-0500 or 800-783-0544.

CLOSED Three Flames Mongolian Grill at 1440 Jadwin Ave. in Richland has closed.

LET’S BE SOCIAL!

BENTON COUNTY APPROVED Sunnyside Northwest, 41305 N. Griffin Road, Grandview. License type: marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: added

/tcajob

/tcajob

/company/tcajob

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | SEPTEMBER 2021