Journal of Business - April 2023

Local company helping with NASA moonshot

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

A Richland company is helping NASA reach for the moon and beyond.

Fluid Controls and Components Inc., or FCCI, has been awarded a $4.6 million contract from Bechtel to help with Mobile Launcher 2, a key part of NASA’s Artemis program.

Bechtel is designing, building, testing and commissioning the launcher, which is a ground platform used to support the Space Launch System rocket. Bechtel tapped FCCI to manage the design and fabrication of cryogenic and pressure relief valves for the project.

The Richland company is responsible for ensuring the valves meet their intended technical and performance functions.

It’s a time- and labor-intensive process, said Russ Watson, vice president for FCCI. It’s also a thrilling one for the company, which is a division of the Pennsylvania-based Dupill Group.

“To have a role in the Artemis program is incredible. Our entire staff is very, very excited about the project,” Watson said. “To have Bechtel and their client, NASA, put their full faith and trust in our company out here in Richland is humbling to say the least.”

Through the Artemis program, named for the Greek goddess of the moon, NASA says it will “land the first woman and first person of color on the moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.” The space agency will “collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first longterm presence on the moon,” using what it learns to send the first-ever astronauts to Mars.

NASA has assembled a team of Artemis astronauts, including Richland High School graduate Kayla Barron, to take part in the missions.

Earlier this month, the space agency named the crew of Artemis II, which is expected to fly

uFCCI, Page A10

Meet the new owners of the iconic Spudnut Shop

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

Mike Bishop and Ryan Pierson know the Spudnut Shop is something special. They’ve known it for years.

Both men – who have long histories and deep ties in the community – spent time there growing up.

Pierson is the son of teachers, and when his family ate out, they ate at local spots like the Spudnut Shop, which serves as an anchor of the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland.

And Bishop has sweet memories of grabbing a spudnut or two on the way to

school or on a Saturday morning as a kid – a tradition he’s continued with his own children.

So now that the longtime friends are buying the business from the family that started it all, they aren’t planning to make big changes. Instead, they’re aiming to preserve the charm and the feeling of community that’s made the shop a local icon and an unqualified success for the last 75 years.

And, of course, they’re learning the ins and outs of creating the famed spudnuts, which are pastries made from potato flour.

“We’re observing the baking process.

uSPUDNUTS, Page A4

McCurley Dealerships plans $31 million expansion

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

McCurley Dealerships aims to be the best auto group in the market it serves, and it’s planning a significant facility expansion across multiple properties to support that vision.

The roughly $31 million expansion includes adding about 50,000 square feet at the Chevrolet and Cadillac dealership in the Pasco Autoplex, plus expanding the McCurley Subaru dealership off Sandifur Parkway in Pasco and building a new home for the Yakima dealership.

“It’s exciting,” said John Inman, Mc-

Curley’s chief executive officer. “When you’re in our business, when your purpose is to serve the client, and you’re handicapped in any way to do that in terms of capacity, it’s frustrating. When we’re able to actually have the ability to serve a client in the way they want to be served, it’s really exciting.”

All the projects are expected to start this summer and finish in about 18 to 24 months. Mountain States Construction Co. is the general contractor and Real Centric Solutions LLC is the project manager.

- Julianne Wright, owner of

Photo by Sara Schilling

Mike Bishop, left, and Ryan Pierson are taking over the iconic Spudnut Shop in Richland’s Uptown Shopping Center. They pledge to maintain the charm and feeling of community that’s help the shop thrive for 75 years.

Plan to build $1 billion Richland plant hits 2 key milestones

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

The proposal to build a $1 billion zerocarbon fertilizer plant in Richland has reached two key milestones that together signal “strong project viability,” the company behind the proposal recently announced.

The first is a purchase and sale agreement between the company — Atlas Agro — and the Port of Benton, which owns the 150 acres in the North Horn Rapids Industrial Park where the plant would be built. The second is the start of a front-end engineering and design study that will “advance the engineering to inform a final investment decision,” Atlas Agro said in a statement.

“(The) announcements reflect major mo-

mentum toward Atlas Agro’s goal of supplying locally produced, green fertilizers that can support farmers and help decarbonize the Pacific Northwest’s agriculture economy," said Dan Holmes, Atlas Agro’s North American executive director, in the statement.

Atlas Agro signed the agreement with the port in March, but it doesn’t mean the plant is a done deal. Instead, it kicks off a period where Atlas Agro determines whether it will be feasible to build the first-of-its-kind plant, which would produce green fertilizer from air, water and renewable energy.

That question of feasibility is where the engineering and design study comes in. Técnicas Reunidas, an engineering, procurement and construction contractor, is work-

ing with Atlas Agro on the study. Economic boon to region

Under the purchase and sale agreement, the 150 acres cost $1.39 per square foot, or about $9 million. If Atlas Agro ends up wanting more land, the price would be $2.09 per square foot.

Atlas Agro was to put down $400,000 in earnest money. It has a year to assess whether the land will work for the plant and give notice that it wants to move ahead with the purchase.

Diahann Howard, port executive director, said her agency fully supports the proposal.

“Atlas Agro’s vision aligns with the port’s commitment to sustainable growth and decarbonizing the economy,” she said in a statement. In an interview, she described

the proposed plant as an exciting opportunity for the Tri-Cities region and the state.

It could be an economic boon.

The plant is expected to create up to 235 full-time jobs, plus hundreds more during construction and more than 1,000 indirect and induced jobs.

It also would drive regional contracting opportunities, the company said.

How Atlas Argo will power the plant remains a question, and company officials say they’re working on an answer.

“The Pacific Northwest attracted Atlas Agro due to its competitive landscape for renewables development, and the company is pursuing an all-of-the-above strategy that considers the significant number of existing

Heritage University expanding to Kennewick

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

Heritage University is expanding its presence and reach in the Tri-Cities, opening a new location in downtown Kennewick and offering classes to freshmen.

The new site is in the former Tri-City Herald building at 333 W. Canal Drive.

Heritage will use about 10,000 to 12,000 square feet on the second floor of the building, with classrooms, offices, a reception lobby, study spaces and a break area.

The Toppenish-based university has operated a regional site on the Columbia Basin College campus in Pasco for 20 years, offering classes to juniors and seniors completing bachelor’s degrees in education, social work, criminal justice, psychology and accounting.

With the new Kennewick location, Heritage will expand those offerings to freshmen and sophomores and add business administration as a degree option.

Martin Valadez, director of the regional site, said he expects the first freshman class to number about 50 students. They’ll come on board for the fall 2023 academic year, which starts Aug. 21.

Heritage’s total enrollment is about 800 students.

Students in the Tri-Cities will not only have access to the six degree programs offered locally, but also to the nearly 40 offered in total by the university, officials said.

“Students will have the opportunity to transfer seamlessly between the Tri-Cities and Toppenish, and some classes may be offered in a hybrid format where classes are delivered both in-class and online between both locations. The linkage between Toppenish and Tri-Cities will present a tremendous range of possibilities for students to study in their field of interest,” said Andrew Sund, Heritage president, in a statement.

Meanwhile, the university plans to continue its partnership with CBC.

While Heritage likely won’t need the roughly five-office suite it’s been using at the Pasco college, officials want to continue offering classes to transfer students on campus and may have a transfer specialist on site, Valadez said.

In a statement, Sund said Heritage and CBC’s relationship has been mutually beneficial for 20 years and that will continue – and grow and strengthen.

“We can work together to serve the people in the Tri-Cities who come from many backgrounds. Providing more choices for students is always better in higher education,” he said. “Our goal is to increase the total number of students who graduate from college. Together we can increase the total college-going student population to benefit the entire community.”

The expansion is a continuation of Heritage’s mission to make college accessible, Valadez said.

“We want individuals to be able to pur-

sue their higher education dreams, despite background, geography, zip code, family situation and all that. There are students for whom we’re a really good fit. We want to make sure they know about us,” he said.

Stephanie Button, executive director of the Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership, said she’s thrilled about Heritage’s expansion into downtown.

“This is an incredibly good thing for downtown Kennewick. (The downtown group’s) mission is to strengthen and enrich the downtown experience by fostering economic and creative opportunities with our partners. We work towards building a diverse, inclusive, and vibrant community rooted in the rich heritage of downtown Kennewick. Heritage University’s pedagogical embrace of transformational student-centered education that cultivates leadership in its students compliments our mission,” she said.

She said she hopes students and faculty take advantage of the downtown amenities.

“They are within short walking distance of delicious and unique food spots. They will have various trendy coffee shops to choose from for caffeine and collaborative places to meet for study groups. We also hope they find inspiration for projectbased learning opportunities with the small businesses and local organizations that call downtown Kennewick home,” she said.

Building sold in 2019

Pasco investors Mike Detrick Sr., his son Mike Detrick Jr. and their wives bought the former Herald building for $3.9 million in October 2019 with plans to transform it into multi-tenant office space.

The McClatchy Co., the Herald’s California-based parent company, invested more than $9 million to build the new building and renovate the production facilities in 2004. The Tri-City Herald, which has downsized its staff significantly since the building opened, now leases an office in the Southridge area of Kennewick.

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Environment | Transportation JUNE Manufacturing Focus magazine: Agriculture + Viticulture

uBUSINESS BRIEF

WSU regents approve two new degree programs

The Washington State University Board of Regents has approved two new degree programs: bachelors of science in cybersecurity, and in pharmaceutical and medical sciences.

The approval came during a recent board meeting at WSU Tri-Cities in Richland.

The cybersecurity degree, offered through the Voiland College of Engineer-

SPUDNUTS, From page A1

We’re frosting,” Bishop told the Journal. “We’re getting pretty darn good!”

Selling the shop

The deal with Spudnut Shop owners Val and Douglas Driver is expected to close soon. It includes the Spudnut Shop, plus neighboring space holding a barber shop and a beauty salon.

The exact terms aren’t being disclosed, but Bishop and Pierson are using Small Business Administration financing.

The spudnut pastries that can draw long lines at the Richland shop were developed in 1940 by two brothers in Utah. The brothers franchised spudnuts after perfecting a dry mix.

Val Driver’s father, Barlow Ghirardo, and her uncle, Jerry Bell, opened the local Spudnut Shop in 1948. It started out in the Richland Wye, then moved to the Uptown one-and-a-half years later, where it’s been ever since – and where it’s grown a loyal following.

Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, former secretary of defense and a Richland native, is among its avowed fans.

Val Driver started at the shop when she was 15, eventually taking over the business. It’s the only place she’s ever worked.

And, boy, does she work.

She logs long days at the shop, doing everything from baking to stocking to greeting customers. At age 69, she’s looking forward to retiring, traveling and leaving her shop in the hands of locals who care about its legacy.

“It took me a couple of years to find good people, who want to work it, who don’t want to make a lot of changes. I think they’re both good guys and both being from Richland – born and raised here,

ing and Architecture, will be available to students on the WSU Everett, Pullman and Tri-Cities campuses.

“The program will help meet projected demand in Washington for professionals capable of protecting against modern cybersecurity threats, and was endorsed by state lawmakers with a $2 million commitment in the 2022 state supplemental budget,” a statement from WSU said.

The cybersecurity program will be offered beginning in the fall.

The bachelor of science in pharmaceutical and medical sciences is the result of a collaboration between the College of

like me – that’s pretty exciting,” she said.

As she talked, she didn’t take a break from working. She prepped hamburger patties for the next day.

The new owners

Bishop and Pierson have that same kind of work ethic. They’re spending this time as the deal closes working long hours at the shop themselves, learning every aspect of its operations.

They’re soaking up all the knowledge they can from Driver and they’re introducing themselves to customers.

Of course, some customers are already familiar faces – Bishop and Pierson are local guys, after all. They’re Tri-City natives who graduated from Richland High a year apart, in the late 1990s.

They chuckled as they told how an old P.E. teacher of theirs came into the shop the other day.

“I said, ‘You were one of my teachers!’” Pierson recalled. “Then one of the other staff members goes, ‘You were my teacher, too!’ And then Val goes, ‘You were my teacher, too!”

For all its growth, “when you’re talking to each other, having those conversations, you realize that the Tri-Cities isn’t all that big” and connections run deep, Bishop said.

After Bishop graduated from Richland High, he attended Northwest University in Kirkland and earned a business degree. He went onto work in management at Safeway and Target stores. He and his wife, Ronica, have nine children.

Pierson attended Columbia Basin College and also has extensive business experience, ranging from Costco to the auto industry to a previous stint in the restaurant world.

He and his wife, Bethany, have three

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, the statement said.

“It’s really rare for a student to be able to take courses across those two disciplines – there’s only a few places where one can do that – so it’s a really innovative proposal, and really a springboard for undergraduate students to then enter the health professions and attend professional schools as well,” Elizabeth Chilton, provost and executive vice president, told the board, according to the statement.

kids.

The men are looking forward to continuing the shop’s family business tradition by having their own children frequent the place.

“My (youngest) are official taste testers. They are disappointed if dad doesn’t come home with spudnuts,” Bishop said.

“Basically, we’re captains of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory,” Pierson added with a laugh.

They envision sponsoring sports teams and finding other ways to support and involve the shop in the community.

Learning the business

The shop has nine employees, who are staying on as Bishop and Pierson take over. The spudnut memorabilia on the walls is staying put, and so are the colorful decorations that Driver and her crew put up around holidays, such as the bunnies, flowers and Easter eggs that recently brightened the shop.

They’ll still be owned by Driver, but Bishop and Pierson will be able to use them as part of the deal for the shop.

The men say they see opportunities for optimization and for modernization, such as updating the point-of-sale system to allow for options like Apple Pay. They may also bring the Spudnut Shop to social media, as another example.

But, for now, their top priority is learning the business – from the processes, to the vendors, to who to call when a piece of machinery breaks, to the art of spudnut-making itself.

“Mike has the best (explanation),” Pierson said. “He says, ‘I want to get to a point where I can make a set just like my bakers can make. If I can make a full dough all the way to a spudnut and nobody can recognize the difference, then we’ve got ahold of this area of the business. We’re both invested in knowing every part of this business.”

Another 75 years

Bishop and Pierson recently sat in a back booth at the Spudnut Shop, talking about the past and the future. A banner hung on the wall, celebrating the recent 75th anniversary.

The weight of that history – that legacy – isn’t lost on them. They embrace it and cherish it as they look ahead.

endorsement by staff, columnists or advertisers. Every effort will be made to assure information published is correct; however, we are not liable for any errors or omissions made despite these efforts.

“We’re excited about the opportunity and grateful for the opportunity. We’re hopeful for continued community support and growth with this business,” Bishop said.

“Now,” Pierson added, “there’s a whole other generation, a whole other couple of families, that are able to carry this

Steptoe-Gage intersection construction is underway

Construction is underway on improvements to the Steptoe Street-Gage Boulevard intersection in Kennewick.

Work will occur between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and will require temporary single lane and sidewalk closures northbound between Tucannon Avenue and Gage. Drivers can expect delays and using an alternative route is recommended.

The project will add double left turn lanes, double through lanes and right turn lanes in all directions of the intersection.

The project will consist of widening on all corners of the intersection, new curb, gutter and wider sidewalks, retaining walls, landscape revisions, a new traffic signal, an asphalt overlay and lane striping revisions.

The estimated completion date is January 2024.

For updates, go to: bit.ly/SteptoeWork.

State Supreme Court upholds capital gains tax

The Washington State Supreme Court upheld the state’s capital gains tax on March 24.

The court decided in a 7-2 decision that a tax on the sale of stocks and certain other capital assets is an excise tax, not an income or property tax.

The ruling allows the new state law to take effect that applies a 7% tax on gains over $250,000 on the sale or exchange of such assets.

The tax does not apply to real estate, retirement savings, business operations, or assets held under one year, among other exceptions, said Gov. Jay Inslee in a release.

The tax will only apply to the state’s very highest earners. It is estimated to generate about $500 million annually, providing funding for child care, early learning, K-12 education and other programs that help Washington kids and families.

Not everyone is happy about the ruling.

Kris Johnson, president of the Association of Washington Business, said he was disappointed in the court’s decision, saying it hurts Washington’s competitiveness and takes a step toward a state income tax, something voters have repeatedly rejected.

“Proponents argue the capital gains tax makes Washington’s tax system more progressive, but we have not seen an equivalent reduction in sales tax or business and occupation tax. It is simply a new tax at a time when it’s not needed. In the last five years, the Legislature has raised 22 other taxes, which will collectively raise $40 billion over 10 years. Instead of constantly looking for ways to raise more taxes, we encourage lawmakers to consider ways to invest in the economy.”

Inslee counters that the ruling creates a fairer tax system.

“Washington’s capital gains tax helps right an upside-down tax structure

where low-income Washingtonians ultimately expend a much larger share of their income in taxes than our wealthiest residents,” he said in a statement.

The Legislature passed the capital gains tax in 2021 and legal challenges followed. Chris Quinn v. State of Washington was filed in Douglas County Superior Court in 2022.

Science is Beautiful exhibit on display at Pasco airport

A Science is Beautiful art exhibit offering an artistic view of scientific research done at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland is on display at the Tri-Cities Airport.

The pieces highlight everything from microscopic plants to water molecules.

They’ll be on display at the airport in Pasco throughout the year.

The airport offers local artists the chance to display their work in the terminal each year.

Each wall installation includes an explanation, website information and a scannable QR code.

Report shows state’s economy continuing to recover

A recent Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast shows that the economy continues to recover, although high inflation threatens to slow economic growth.

The state economy continued to expand through the end of 2022.

The March report shows lower personal income and housing construction but higher inflation than in the November forecast. Job growth is stronger in the near term but slightly weaker after this year.

A slowdown in taxable activity is expected to start during the current biennium, the report said. However, forecasted revenue for the current biennium has been increased despite the expected slowdown due to surplus collections.

The report expects the state to see a decline in real estate excise tax, which has come in below the November forecast and is expected to decrease further due to higher mortgage rates.

To read the full report, go to bit.ly/40RebL8.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

APRIL 15

• Heart of Healing Benefit and Auction: 5:30-9:30 p.m., Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Tickets at chaplaincyhealthcare. org.

APRIL 17

• Tri-Cities Influencer Meet & Greet: 4:30-6:30 p.m., The Fuse Coworking Space, 723 The Parkway, Richland. As the TriCities influencer podcast comes to an end, celebrate the podcast guests and the many people who lead their organizations and industries with passion. Details at growingforwardservices.net.

APRIL 18

• Spring Senior Times Expo: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Numerica Pavilion at Southridge Sports & Events Complex, 2901 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick. Free.

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

• Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce April luncheon:

DATEBOOK

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pasco Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave. Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers. Register at tchispanicchamber. com.

APRIL 22

• Heartlinks seventh annual Spring Celebration: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Winemakers Loft, 357 Port Ave., Prosser. Tickets at HeartlinksHospice.org/ SpringCelebration.

APRIL 25

• Spring Career & Internship Fair: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Columbia Basin College, 2600 N. 20th Ave, Gjerde Center, Pasco.

• PNNL lecture, “A Tale of Fires and Rivers: How do Wildfires Influence Water Quality?”: 5 p.m. via Zoom. Details at pnnl. gov/events.

• Ask the Experts: “Constructive Techniques for Difficult Team Conversations”: 3-4:30 p.m., Bechtel Board Room, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Details at web. tricityregionalchamber.com/events.

APRIL 27

• Columbia Basin Badger Club, “All Aboard Washington”: noon via Zoom. Register at columbiabasinbadgers.com. Cost is $5 for nonmembers.

• Tri-Citian of the Year: 6 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Details at tricitianoftheyear.com.

APRIL 29

• Franklin County Historical Society ribbon cutting: 11 a.m., 305 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco. Ribboncutting event for the new annex building.

• Washington Policy Center’s Conservation Technology 101: How You Can Innovate for the Planet: noon-3 p.m. Details at washingtonpolicy.org/events.

MAY 3

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

westrichlandchamber.org.

• Virtual Procurement Technical Assistance Center workshop, “Contracting Coffee Hour”: 8-10 a.m. Free forum with three retired contracting officers, a large business, small business liaison and a PTAC counselor. Information at washingtonptac. ecenterdirect.com/events.

MAY 10

• Washington Policy Center’s Tri-Cities Regional Reception: 4-6 p.m., Anelare Winery, 19205 N. McBee Road, Benton City. Details at washingtonpolicy.org/events.

MAY 11

• Pasco School District Transportation Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: noon, 3412 N. Stearman Ave., Pasco.

MAY 19

• Project of the Year Awards Gala: 5:30-8:30 p.m., The Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, Richland. Tickets at pmicrb.org.

OPINION OUR VIEW

If ever there was a time for building up Washington’s rainy-day reserves, this is it.

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

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Skilled worker shortage could derail plans to ‘electrify everything’

In the race to “electrify everything,” there are glitches that may derail the plan over the next 20 years. One is a shortage of skilled electrical workers needed to rewire homes, make grid modifications, and install new electrical capacity.

President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, signed in August, contains billions of dollars to help Americans electrify their homes, buy electric vehicles, replace natural gas stoves and install solar panels.

“The problem is most houses aren’t wired to handle the load from electric heating, cooking and clothes dryers, along with solar panels and vehicle chargers,” Emily Pontecorvo of Berkeleyside wrote in January.

Rewiring America, a nonprofit that conducts research and advocacy on electrification, estimates that some 60% to 70% of single-family homes will need to upgrade to bigger or more modern electrical panels to accommodate a fully electrified house.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that about 21% of electricians will have hit retirement age in the next 10 years. The agency estimates that annual demand for electricians will grow by 7% over the same span and that between retirements and new demand, there will be nearly 80,000 job openings, Pontecorvo reported. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated retirement timelines for Baby Boomers in both 2020 and 2021.

BorderStates.com found one potential reason for a trained worker shortage is that younger generations aren’t as interested

in skilled labor. Only 17% of high school and college students say they want to work in construction.

Wall Street Journal writer Doug Belkin noted there has been the acceleration of a shift away from the nation’s half-century “college-for-all” model toward a choice of either college or vocational programs, including apprenticeships.

According to federal data and Robert Lerman, a labor economist at the Urban Institute and co-founder of Apprenticeships for America: “In the past decade, college enrollment has declined by about 15%, while the number of apprentices has increased by more than 50%. Some (apprenticeship) programs have boomed in popularity, with admission rates as competitive as those at some Ivy League universities,” Belkin wrote.

Part of the solution is apprentice electricians are not saddled with stifling college loans.

ZipRecruiter reports students graduating college in 2020 were averaging just over $37,000 in student debt. The average starting salary for an electrical engineer out of school was just over $66,000. Meanwhile,

Warning signs continue to flash on an economy that has endured unprecedented stress during the last three years. Inflation remains stubbornly high after months of interest rate hikes. Concern about a potential recession is growing stronger in the wake of the California bank failure and continuing layoffs.

Employers of all sizes and all industry sectors are nervous, and with good reason.

All of this should weigh on the minds of lawmakers in Olympia as they turn their attention to the state budget during the final weeks of the legislative session.

The latest state revenue forecast, released March 20, underscored the importance of fiscal responsibility at this moment. The forecast predicts a slight increase in revenue during the current two-year budget, and then drops in the predicted revenue in the next two budget cycles of $483 million and $541 million.

Lower real estate and sales tax collections account for most of the drop in expected revenue, according to the state Office of Financial Management.

The predicted drop in expected revenue doesn’t mean the state will take in less money. Total revenues are expected to continue growing, just not at the incredible rates we have seen the last few years. Forecasters are now expecting collections to grow 2.4% between the 2021-23 and 2023-25 budget cycles, down from the 20.7% growth between

the 2019-21 and 2021-23 budget cycles.

In other words, the budget explosion we witnessed during the pandemic years is reverting to something more closely resembling normal.

Steve Lerch, executive director of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, said a cooling economy is driving the projected revenue drop. Real estate excise tax collections have come in under forecast and rising interest rates have curtailed construction and spending. The red-hot job market shows signs of slowing and inflation has decreased but remains high.

The challenge for lawmakers is to adjust accordingly. That means they should be cautious about new programs and new spending, avoid using one-time funding to pay for ongoing programs, and be aggressive about building up reserves.

These are all things that families and business owners do when it appears a downturn is coming, but they are not things lawmakers have had much experience doing in recent years. Last year, lawmakers missed the opportunity to slow the pace of growth in the state

jobs

What keeps business owners up at night?

It’s probably no surprise that inflation tops the list for Washington employers. That’s according to an Association of Washington Business members survey conducted in late December and early January. Sixty-nine percent of survey participants saw it as a major challenge.

But a close second, at 62%, was concern for the lack of qualified workers. It’s not a new worry, but one that has been elevated during the postpandemic period. Service workers to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals –all are in demand.

And, while worker shortages eventually may ease in some occupations, the need for technically skilled employees is only expected to grow.

The international Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development recently estimated that almost onethird of all jobs worldwide will be transformed by technology by 2030. In the United States, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics show STEM jobs growing by nearly 11% between 2021-31, more than doubling the projected 4.9% rate for all other occupations.

What’s true globally and nationally is certainly true here in our backyard. To maintain and expand the Tri-Cities’ national and regional leadership in environmental, agricultural and health

We’re listening, and it’s your turn to share (Pssst ... you can even win a prize!)

Now is the time for lawmakers to batten the hatches

Career-connected learning is key to tomorrow’s

Kris Johnson Association of Washington Business GUEST COLUMN

Don C. Brunell Business analyst GUEST COLUMN

Matt Hammer STEM Foundation GUEST COLUMN

care services, for example, will require developing and broadening the local talent pool.

Career-connected learning (CCL), an educational model for better connecting what happens in school classrooms with what’s needed in the workplace, offers an approach to growing more home-grown talent, both STEM and non-STEM-related.

CCL brings together schools, postsecondary institutions and employers to expand potential career pathways, including those beyond the traditional route of a four-year university.

That’s why it’s exciting to see organizations across the region partnering to create career-focused programs and

activities that prepare students for today’s and tomorrow’s workplace. Here are just three examples:

• At Columbia Basin College, the Pathways to Hanford program is designed to support students exploring career choices at Hanford while also gaining insights of company values, types of careers, internship programs, desired skills and the hiring process. Through the program, students have the opportunity to develop a professional network with Hanford contractors by attending networking events, workshops and drop-in hours. (See story on page C3.)

• Building on in-classroom STEM Like ME! activities provided by The STEM Foundation, CBC hosted New Horizons High School and Kiona-

Benton City High School seniors in a daylong experience where students met with instructors and students and participated in career exploration sessions on agriculture, cybersecurity, nuclear technology and manufacturing technology.

• Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) has established a unique internship cooperative employment program with WSU Tri-Cities. The organizations will work together to recruit and select up to 10 students per year for the program. The students will work full time for one summer and a flexible part-time schedule during the school year. WRPS intends to offer successful co-op interns full-time employment opportunities after graduation.

Collaborations such as these throughout our community will be critical in developing the skilled workforce of tomorrow. Not only will individual students benefit, but CCL can create sustained economic growth and more equitable career access, according to a three-year research study released in 2022 by global consulting firm Bain & Company.

And, maybe business owners can sleep a little easier knowing qualified workers won’t always be in short supply.

Go to: washingtonSTEMeducation. org.

 Matt Hammer is the president of the STEM Foundation board of directors.

budget by choosing to spend most of the extraordinary $15 billion surplus rather than using it to shore up reserves or provide significant tax relief for families or employers, which many other states did.

Building up a solid rainy-day fund isn’t just a good idea because it sounds like financial advice your grandmother would give. It’s a good idea because when the next downturn hits the economy, having a solid reserve fund could be the difference between covering a revenue shortfall with savings versus raising taxes.

There is no doubt that lawmakers are tackling a variety of big and important issues this legislative session, from the housing crisis and energy to climate issues and workplace law. But nothing is more important than making smart choices with taxpayers money, especially when it appears a downturn is on the way.

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

uBUSINESS BRIEF

Former Journal reporter dies at age 69

Loretto Hulse of Pasco, a former Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business reporter, died March 12.

She was 69.

She lived in the Tri-Cities for 54 years and was a retired reporter for the Tri-City Herald, where she worked for a total of 38 years.

She worked at the Senior Times and Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business from 2014-16.

Mueller’s Tri-Cities Funeral Home, Kennewick, is in charge of arrangements.

HAMMER

JOHNSON, From page A7

Loretto Hulse

Tri-Cities’ last stop for collectible car parts is for sale

By Laura Kostad for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A sturdy man, long of beard and hair walked before a lineup of American metal, wearing an insulated plaid flannel, reinforced work pants secured by a GMC belt buckle and dusty engineer’s boots.

A late model Audi pulled up and a man leaned across the console to call out the window, “Are you Dan?”

“I am,” he replied, and they began talking cars and parts.

“I have to keep a low profile,” said Dan Stafford after the car pulled away. “That happens a lot.”

Stafford is the longtime owner of Dan’s Garage in Kennewick. It’s tucked in alongside Twin City Metals and between two sets of railroad tracks in an old Union 76 Gas Station, fronted by a row of aging muscle cars spanning the decades.

After over 40 years of collecting an extensive repository of automobile history from around the Northwest and more than 4,000 vehicles passing through his yard, Stafford said it’s time to pass the labor of love on to someone new. He’s ready to sell the business.

Broken rides

Behind the unassuming old gas station stretches stacked antique and vintage car bodies and parts, some outside, some in outbuildings, all meticulously labeled and identified with wax pencil and organized by type of part.

Once upon a time, there were homes on

the property. Their long-ago tree plantings now tower over, dropping leaves on the vehicles preserved by the dry climate.

It’s a 2.5-acre car restorer’s paradise, especially for General Motors enthusiasts.

“It’s kind of like an amusement park, except all the rides are broken,” Stafford quipped.

The 71-year-old said wrecking yards devoted to restoration are a vanishing

species.

“Sometimes the property gets too valuable to stay in business. They sell off and the buyer usually has the cars crushed up and the ground cleaned up and that’s the end of it. Sometimes I don’t hear about it until it’s too late. A lot of great stuff has been lost that way,” he said somberly.

“If you want a wrecking yard, it’s easier to buy an existing one than to start a new

one. Zoning has to be heavy industrial and there’s a lot of environmental regulation.”

He said a lot of specialty places move their parts indoors and break down cars in a warehouse.

He’s had a number of people interested in the property, but they aren’t interested in the wrecking side.

Stafford’s not in a rush to sell.

“The right person will see the value in this organized chaos,” he said. “It will have to be someone with a pretty broad knowledge of older GM vehicles, but I’m a pretty good teacher. For the right deal, I’ll stick around and help advise.”

Staying on might be necessary as the inventory system for Dan’s Garage currently exists only on Stafford’s mental hard drive.

“If you can identify what you have, you can sell it. If you’re buying someone’s barn full of car parts, you’ve got to be able to spot the nuggets in the gravel.

“It’s not a gold mine, you have to work at it, but you can make a pretty good living doing this. It’s a bit of an antiquated business model and that’s why I like it.”

The asking price for the property, buildings, inventory (cars and parts) and equipment (forklift, ramp truck, truck scale, functional antique crane) is $950,000. ‘Plans to own a junk yard’

A fascination with old cars and their parts runs in Stafford’s blood.

“My dad was an antique car guy, one uDAN’S GARAGE, Page A10

Photo by Laura Kostad

After more than 40 years in business, Dan Stafford, owner of Dan’s Garage at 508 E. Bruneau Ave. in Kennewick, is looking to sell. The 2.5-acre property has become Eastern Washington’s destination for finding vintage and antique General Motors vehicle parts, as well as whole cars.

around the moon in 2024, in advance of a moon landing mission.

Those Artemis II astronauts are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch from NASA, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Mobile Launcher 2 is at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Bechtel was

DAN’S GARAGE, From page A9

of the founders of the local antique car club,” he said.

For Stafford, it started with an obsession for collecting license plates as a kid growing up in Kennewick.

“Back in the ’20s and ’30s, there was no city dump, so I used to go with my dad and find these old dumps scattered around the sagebrush.”

What gave Stafford his start in parts was an unexpected opportunity that arose while visiting his dad’s hometown of Whitehall, Montana, for his grandfather’s funeral.

He was still in high school and had recently walked away from a crash that totaled his ’41 Chevy.

“The Chevrolet dealer there my dad had worked for during the war driving a wrecker had closed. Used to be an auto parts store,” Stafford said.

Peering inside, he saw all the inventory still on the shelves. He got in touch with the owner, and, using his insurance money, bought the contents of the build-

awarded a $383 million contract in 2019 for its design, construction, testing and commissioning.

“We are pleased to engage members of our supply chain to support new and expanding opportunities across multiple project sites spanning the country. The complex work we do demands capable and experienced suppliers like FCCI to meet the precise requirements for custom and dynamic materials needed to

ing for $700.

“There were new parts on the shelves clear back into the ’20s. Kind of a fluke,” he said.

Stafford said he’s proud to be one of the few in his Kennewick High class of 1969 to realize the career goal listed under his name in the yearbook: “Plans to own a junk yard.”

“A lot of what I’m dealing with now were new cars when I was in high school,” he said with a laugh.

His plans didn’t materialize right away, but after being laid off from a pipe company related to Hanford and restoring Camaros in his backyard, he realized it would be quicker money to part out cars.

A friend moved the 1954 Union 76 gas station building from Washington Street in Kennewick to its present location at 508 E. Bruneau Ave.

It had been where Stafford pumped up his bike tires before he had four wheels of his own.

Last Chance Wrecking, which had been located at the site since the 1950s, rented it out, then later let it go and

build Mobile Launcher 2 (ML2),” said Bechtel spokesperson Ashley Accardo.

This isn’t the first time Bechtel has worked with FCCI to help with the launcher. FCCI also previously helped design a specialized valve for the project, under a roughly $300,000 contract.

The two companies have a long history of collaboration. In fact, Bechtel in 2021 recognized FCCI with one of four 2020-21 Global Supplier Awards for

moved to East Lewis Street in Pasco, which gave Stafford the opportunity to step in in 1981.

In 1983, Stafford bought the property and he’s been there ever since, with a few business evolutions along the way.

A big gamechanger was the advent of eBay in the early 2000s.

“I have an eBay store with 600 items,” he said. “A lot of it is stuff that no one ever comes in looking for, but it is valuable. You have to get it out there.”

Stafford acquires his inventory through word of mouth, visiting people with cars and parts to sell, buying old parts from auto part dealers ready to clear them out. He used to make the swap meet rounds.

He also sells whole cars. Current listings can be found on his website: dansgarage.net.

Until recently, he sold a lot overseas, from Europe to the United Arab Emirates, to Australia and New Zealand. High shipping rates have put a damper on the market.

Man cave decor

A popular trend that he said has

its contributions to the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization plant, known as the vit plant.

The honor recognized FCCI for its expertise in certifying that valves, piping and related components meet nuclear standards and also for sourcing 108,000 pounds of “frit,” a mixture of chemicals for use when Bechtel heats up the plant’s high-temperature melters.

cropped up in the last 10 years or so is decorating man caves or garages with old car parts like truck grills, hub caps and the license plates he used to collect as a kid.

“Even the crappy stuff that no one would want for a reconstruction project, they’ll take it for decor,” he said. “So now I’m a decorator.”

Though he’s looking to retire, Stafford has an antique booth at Skye’s Finds in Richland he’s planning to keep up, as well as his long-term retirement investment: several of the best cars from among the many that populate two other lots he owns down the street and uses for overflow.

These he’ll work to sell over time. “I like buying and selling cars. It’s fun,” he said.

Back out front, another car pulled up and a man got out.

“How much for the Camaro?” he asked.

search Dan’s Garage: 508 E. Bruneau Ave., Kennewick. Contact: 509-586-2579; dansgarage.net: Facebook.

BRUNELL, From page A7

Service Titan added that electricians often attend trade school and avoid most, if not all, student loan debt.

The average salary for an industrial electrician in Kennewick is about $67,692 per year, and for an electrical cable-splicer it’s $84,791, according to Indeed.com.

Wages are only part of total compensation. When adding in overtime pay and employer-paid benefits, electrical workers could easily earn an additional 40% in compensation annually.

Finally, a key to finding enough electricians is recruiting more student diversity. Nearly 90% of electricians are white, compared with 78% of the country’s workforce, and less than 2% are women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Borin Reyes, who’s 28, moved to California from Guatemala when he was 16 and got introduced to electrical work in high school. After graduating, he saw electrical work as a path to moving out of his parents’ house, so he enrolled in a training program at a technical college.

When Berkelyside’s Emily Pontecorvo asked Reyes what the secret is to finding more electricians, he didn’t skip a beat: “Showing them how much money they can make. That is the key.”

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

Local Bounti secures more funding, shores plans to complete Pasco greenhouse

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The owner of Pasco’s new multimillion indoor greenhouse has secured additional funding to support its growth plans as lack of capital threatened delays.

Local Bounti reported a net loss of $111.1 million in 2022, compared to a net loss of $56.1 million the prior year.

The Montana-based company recently filed its 2022 annual report, which includes a detailed overview of the company’s business and financial condition.

It paints a picture of a young company aware of its risks but excited and confident about its potential.

The report notes that “the early-stage company with a history of losses” expects to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for the foreseeable future, as it only recently started to generate revenue. Additional financing also may be required, the report said.

Richland store among luckiest places to buy winning lottery ticket

Where’s the luckiest place in the TriCities to buy a lottery ticket?

Washington’s Lottery recently released its list of the Luckiest Retailers of 2022 showcasing retailers that sold the most winning tickets valued at

Local Bounti secured the additional funding March 28 through Cargill Financial, from $170 million up to $280 million, which includes capital to pay for the construction for the Pasco greenhouse at 950 S. Elm Ave., as well as new facilities in Georgia and Texas.

Local Bounti also received term sheets from a licensed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lender for its Washington and Texas facilities, which is expected to reduce its use of construction financing by about $80 million and lower its cost of capital.

The five-year-old company said in the annual report that it plans to complete construction of the 244,101-square-foot Pasco facility, which will include 3 acres of greenhouse and multiple “stack zones,” in the first quarter of 2024.

Its proprietary stack process uses vertical farming in early plant growth, followed by greenhouse farming for final grow out.

$1,000 or more.

Safeway at 1803 George Washington Way in Richland tops the Tri-City list with seven wins. Of the top 10 retailers in the region, Circle K was featured the most with three of its stores making the list, totaling 13 wins altogether.

The top 10 luckiest retailers in the region are:

• Seven wins: Safeway at 1803 George Washington Way, Richland.

• Six wins: Yoke’s Fresh Market at

Local Bounti said the Pasco project continues to progress but has pushed back the completion date to first quarter 2024, reflecting the company’s decision to stagger construction to accommodate the commissioning of the Texas facility in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Construction is underway on Local Bounti greenhouses in Byron, Georgia, and Mount Pleasant, Texas. Both are expected to open later this year.

The company said it wants to maximize its national distribution footprint and key considerations for future developments include meeting known demand from key existing customers within the network, as well as optimizing freight routes to ensure that transportation is optimized to limit cost while enhancing customer service with consistent delivery schedules.

Local Bounti has four operating facilities (one Montana, one in Georgia and two in California).

4905 N. Road 68, Pasco. Finished first in 2021 with 12 wins.

• Five wins: Fred Meyer at 2811 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick. Made the Top 10 list in both 2021 and 2020.

• Five wins: WinCo Foods at 101 Columbia Point Drive, Richland.

• Five wins: Circle K at 4823 Broadmoor Blvd., Pasco. Made the Top 10 list in both 2021 and 2020.

• Five wins: Yoke’s Fresh Market at 454 Keene Road, Richland.

It acquired commercial greenhouse rival Hollandia Produce Group Inc., which operated under the name Pete’s, in 2022 in a $123 million cash-and-stock deal.

Local Bounti focuses on “controlled environment agriculture,” or CEA, to produce sustainably-grown produce, focusing on living and loose leaf lettuce.

It distributes its greens to more than 10,000 retail locations across 35 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, primarily through direct relationships with blue-chip retail customers, including Albertsons, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods and AmazonFresh.

Its primary products include living butter lettuce – for which it is a leading provider with an approximate 80% share of the CEA market within the western U.S. – as well as packaged salads and cress.

It plans to expand its offerings to include spinach, kale and arugula.

• Five wins: 7-Eleven at 4313 W. Court St., Pasco.

• Four wins: Circle K at 1401 George Washington Way, Richland.

• Four wins: Circle K at 2105 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick.

• Four wins: Mid-Columbia Grocery at 6409 W. Court St. in Pasco.

The luckiest retail location in the state? The Safeway store in Milton with 16 wins.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Longtime DJ, audio services business spins into new hands

By Kristina Lord kristina@tcjournal.biz

The new owner of Sight and Sound Services already has mapped out his succession plan, even though he only bought the business a few months ago.

Marty Mielke purchased the longtime DJ and entertainment services business based in Kennewick from Bob Kreider at the beginning of the year.

Kreider, 71, launched Sight and Sound in 1984. It offers a variety of services, DJing for weddings, school dances and other events, photo booth rentals, video production, and film and photo transfer services. It also does video depositions for attorneys.

“I had a passion for it and still do, that’s why it was hard to sell it because it was kind of like giving up one of your children, you know?” Kreider said.

That’s why Mielke, 57, of West Richland, is letting Kreider stay on as long as he’d like.

“He still has a key to the office. He has access to everything he has acquired for his whole life. And I’m not about to take that away from him until he’s ready to walk away,” Mielke said. “It’s his happy place.”

Future successor

Another fixture at the Kennewick shop is Mielke’s son, Freddy.

The 9-year-old, who attends Wiley Elementary School in West Richland, likely will be ready to take over the business when he’s grown up, judging from his enthusiasm for entertaining an audience –he recently sang a Backstreet Boys song for his school’s talent show.

“He loves video editing, he loves DJing, he just loves music and dance. And he is in third grade now, so by the time I’m ready to retire, he’s going to be old enough, and he’s going to already know how to do this stuff. So the goal is for now to be around for the next 70 or 80

years,” Mielke said.

On the same beat

Mielke hired Kreider for his daughter’s wedding in 2015. The two chatted and Kreider learned Mielke also knew his way around a microphone.

Mielke was a DJ in Yakima for years. Soon after, he began DJing for Kreider. He also opened Marty’s Mobile Music in 2016. But, he said, as the new guy in town, he only got a handful of jobs.

At first, Mielke wasn’t sure he wanted to take on the responsibility of Kreider’s bigger operation, but he saw the potential and wanted to preserve the business’ legacy.

“All these people, wherever we went, we’d walk in, and everybody’d go, ‘Hey Bob.’ Everybody knows him by name. They know him by reputation, and I thought, you know, I’d hate to see that business just fold up and be gone,” Mielke said.

Mielke took out a small loan from HAPO Community Credit Union and tapped into his savings to buy the business. Terms weren’t disclosed but he said the investment has already paid off.

“I’ve actually been the owner now for about three months, and I have actually already recouped my total investment as far as my funds that I put out of my pocket. That’s how busy this business is,” Mielke said.

He wants to turn Sight and Sound into an inclusive shop for weddings. The one service missing from its offerings is photography, which Mielke plans to rectify soon.

“Then it becomes a one-stop shop for all your needs for a wedding, as far as audio-visual goes,” he said. Sound

Kreider, 71, said selling the business allows him to spend more time with his wife and family. He said working as a DJ

MARCIA SPRY

Photo by Kristina Lord

Mielke, 9, of West Richland, center, is comfortable with a microphone and on a stage. His dad, Marty Mielke, right, hopes his son will take over the family business someday. He recently bought Sight and Sound Services in Kennewick from Bob Kreider, left.

WSU Tri-Cities to guide development of sustainable aviation fuel R&D center

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Washington State University Tri-Cities and Snohomish County have teamed up to develop a proposed research and development center for sustainable aviation fuels.

Snohomish County officials announced plans for the $6.5 million Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Applied Research and Development Center at Paine Field on March 28.

The first-of-its-kind center will offer fuel testing, fuel finishing and the world’s first fuel repository.

Joshua Heyne, a leading expert in sustainable aviation fuels and director of the Bioproducts Science and Engineering

Laboratory (BSEL) at WSU Tri-Cities, will lead the SAF center at Paine Field.

“Washington state’s leadership in aviation and the environment was one of the reasons I moved across the country to join WSU. Here, the state is supporting efforts to meet global challenges while complementing existing strengths,” Heyne said in a statement. “WSU research has enabled the inception of global policies and new technologies to benefit state agricultural and industrial activities from Pullman to Everett. We are proud to partner with Snohomish County, our state Legislature and industry partners to once again meet a global need with local interests.”

Currently, BSEL is developing the next

generation of SAF with research, partnerships and as the official FAA SAF prescreening lab.

Officials say the development of the center is an important step toward addressing global climate change and for the continued success of commercial aviation.

Hundreds of samples from North America and Europe have been tested and its researchers have developed novel experimental and computational tools to evaluate SAF candidates at very low volumes. BSEL will continue to develop additional low-volume (<20 gallons) tests at WSU Tri-Cities.

In addition, the lab has worked with more than three dozen institutions from

across academia, national labs, and industry to align their technologies for commercialization.

The center will support the following SAF components:

• Repository: SAF samples will be received, tested at small scales, indexed, distributed around the U.S. and world. This meets an immediate community need as a repository of this type does not currently exist.

• Finishing: SAF samples and production methods could be investigated to reduce costs and the impact on human health and the environment.

• Large-Scale Testing: SAF samples could be tested at large scales (by the thousands of gallons) needed to ensure safety and bring new fuels and products to market.

The center would allow for sustainable fuel samples to be more thoroughly tested by researchers and give them opportunities to find more efficient production methods that are less impactful on human health and the environment.

Project leaders are seeking additional state funding to make the center a reality.

State Sen. Marko Liias has proposed $6.5 million in start-up funding for the project in the proposed Senate Transportation Budget, with state Rep. Brandy Donaghy taking up the effort in the state House of Representatives.

The Legislature is expected to vote on a compromise transportation budget in the coming weeks. Concurrently, the county, WSU and the AFA are releasing a Request for Qualifications to identify a contractor to develop a business plan for the center.

The plan should be complete in September 2023.

for weddings and high school dances kept him young.

“I keep up with all the current popular songs and still rock a school dance like I’m a teenager,” he said.

Kreider said the pandemic hurt the business with all the event and venue shutdowns. “I probably had no income for almost 18 months,” but he was able to get a forgivable loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, which he said helped immensely.

Kreider didn’t intend or plan to have such a long career in the entertainment business. He DJed on the weekends while working full time in construction, but after five years, he launched the business full time.

“I just thought it’d be kind of a cool thing and didn’t realize where it would lead me or anything else. And, after I got into it for a few years, why it just seemed to continue to work out well and so consequently, I just never stopped,” Kreider said.

Mielke plans to continue Sight and Sound’s legacy. “This is a business that’s worthy of sticking around for a long time,” he said.

search Sight and Sound Services: 6201 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite D, Kennewick; 509-735-8433; videoanddj.com.

SIGHT & SOUND, From page A13

New owners buy, rename and improve Columbia Park challenge course

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

Jennifer Dorsett spent years taking young people to the gravity-defying challenge course in Columbia Park to help them build teamwork, communication and other social-emotional skills as they climbed, leaped and puzzled their way through tasks.

Dorsett, a substance abuse counselor and certified prevention specialist, watched as their confidence grew and their relationships deepened with each challenge completed.

So, when she learned that the facility near the Edison Street exit wasn’t going to reopen in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, she didn’t want to let that stand.

Instead, Dorsett took over the course herself, giving it a facelift, adding new elements and renaming it Challenge TriCities.

It reopened last fall.

Challenge Tri-Cities plays host to school, sports and other youth-oriented groups, plus businesses, community organizations and the like. It can accommodate groups of varying sizes and with different abilities and needs.

Dorsett loves watching participants come together and build trust as they work on challenges throughout the day.

When groups first arrive, they “may be disorganized or not sure what they’re doing, and maybe not even friendly with everyone in the group. And then by the end of the day, we get rid of those barri-

ers, and they walk away more of a team, as better friends, more willing to speak up,” Dorsett said. “To me, that’s one of the special things. It’s nice to make those connections.”

Challenge Tri-Cities has a total of 12 high-low elements spread out on the site, which is tucked back off the road between the Edison ramp and the Kiwanis Building. The elements range from the seesawlike Whale Watcher that sits on the ground to the Giants Ladder that soars 50 feet in the air.

Challenge Tri-Cities also has a 600-foot zipline, which can be used by groups going through the course or booked separately by private parties or used during special zipline-only days.

Despite some of the lofty elements, groups start their day at the course on the ground, tackling challenges that begin to build teamwork and communication. One example is Warp Speed, in which the group must find a way for each member to lay hands on a rubber chicken in as little time as possible.

As the day goes on, groups find themselves facing bigger and bigger challenges, such as the Giants Ladder, which is a massive ladder that participants ascend in pairs, or the Squirrel, in which one participant – attached to a rope and wearing a harness – is hoisted into the air by other group members.

Different elements seem to resonate with different participants. David Dorsett, Jennifer’s husband, said his favorite is a tightrope element – he appreciates the dif-

ficulty of it.

For Jennifer Dorsett, the Giants Ladder is a personal favorite. She’s small in stature and the ladder – with its rungs that get farther and farther apart – forces her to ask for help.

That’s the idea of the challenge course: you find success in communicating, trusting and working together.

Melyssa Wandling, coach of the cheer team at Southridge High School in Kennewick, found that to be the case. She brought members of the team last year and plans to do so again.

“In cheerleading, you obviously have to trust each other. You have to trust and communicate. It’s the perfect team bonding activity for us, and it would be good for any team,” she said.

Wandling said the Leap of Faith element, which involves taking a “leap of faith” from 25 feet in the air, was particularly meaningful. “So many girls conquered their fears,” she said.

The course has a long history at Columbia Park. It first opened in 1992 and has been operated by a few different groups over the years. It was most recently known as the Reach Beyond Ropes Course, run by a group of former facilitators.

Dorsett said that group decided not to reopen the course after Covid-19, and, in-

stead, passed along the equipment to her. She and David invested $20,000 in sprucing it up, replacing equipment and adding new elements.

The city of Kennewick owns the land. Challenge Tri-Cities has a staff of about 10 people.

All the staff members complete a fiveday certification course through the international Association for Challenge Course Technology. Some also earn additional certifications.

In addition to the on-site course, Challenge Tri-Cities also offers off-site ground and low-element challenges to groups. It’s open to youth and adult groups, and scholarships are available.

Go to: challengetc.com.

Photo by Sara Schilling

David and Jennifer Dorsett recently bought, improved and renamed the challenge course in Kennewick's Columbia Park.

DIVERSITY

At this Kennewick bakery, a taste of home – and a dream realized

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

When Adnan Al Hayyawi moved to the Tri-Cities from his native Iraq nearly eight years ago, he missed the tastes of home.

The sweet, flavorful pistachio baklava.

The fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth samoon bread.

The zesty meat and vegetable pizzas and the shish kebabs.

He doesn’t have to miss them anymore.

Al Hayyawi and his wife, Thekra Jasmin, opened Somer Bakery at 5601 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 111, in Kennewick last summer.

The bakery – offering breads, sweets, dips, pizzas and other fare from Iraq and the Mediterranean – fills a hole in the local market. And it helps Al Hayyawi and Jasmin feel connected to their past and to their home country as they build a new life and chase their dreams in the Tri-Cities.

“We’re trying to produce something good for the Tri-Cities,” Al Hayyawi said. “Many customers, they try our bread (once) and then every day they come back. Every morning, I make it fresh. Everything here is fresh. We’re trying to do something for our community. We hope we will suc-

ceed.”

They certainly have the culinary chops.

Al Hayyawi worked in his cousin’s bakery for many years before moving onto other jobs and Jasmin “has the magic

touch” in the kitchen, in the words of her husband.

They’ve been married for 19 years.

In Baghdad, Jasmin was a middle school history teacher and Al Hayyawi worked

for the Ministry of Education and helped the American military as an interpreter. That latter job eventually meant it wasn’t safe for him or his family to stay in Iraq.

In 2015, Al Hayyawi, Jasmin and their three kids, who are now in middle and high school, began their refugee journey to the United States and, ultimately, the Tri-Cities. It was difficult to start over in a new place, so far from home, they said.

Al Hayyawi worked small jobs at first and then was hired by Lamb Weston. As he and Jasmin and their kids began to settle into their new home, a dream started to take root.

Al Hayyawi and Jasmin noticed that while there were many bakeries in the TriCities, there wasn’t one selling the kind of food they could offer. They decided to take the leap.

Somer Bakery opened last August. Its name is a nod to one of the world’s first civilizations, in what’s now Iraq.

Al Hayyawi and Jasmin are at the bakery every day, making their bread, baklava, cakes, hummus, baba ganoush, tabouleh, pizza and other sweet and savory items. Their children, Dalia, 18, Daniah, 16, and Hussein, 12, also sometimes help out.

Photo by Sara Schilling

Adnan Al Hayyawi holds a tray of pistachio baklava in his Somer Bakery at 5601 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 111, in Kennewick. The bakery offers a taste of home for Al Hayyawi.

uSOMER BAKERY, Page A20

Pasco school playground named one of the best in America

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Three Rivers Elementary School playground in Pasco earned national recognition as one of the 10 best inclusive playgrounds in the country.

The playground, at 3901 Road 84 in Pasco, opened in 2019 and was designed specifically to address the physical and social inclusion of people of all ages and abilities.

Soliant, a Georgia-based school and health care staffing company, assessed

playgrounds across the U.S., considering use of inclusive playground design, quality and quantity of accessible play features and unique stories behind the playground’s origin.

Three Rivers Elementary School playground remains the only inclusive playground at a K-6 elementary school in Washington state, according to a PlayCore national demonstration site map, which lists certified inclusive playgrounds that use seven major principles of inclusive playground design.

The bakery also offers strong, rich Turkish coffee, and it has some grocery store items, from spices to nuts and more.

Somer Bakery has a loyal following, and it’s not uncommon to see Al Hayyawi or Jasmin warmly chatting with customersturned-regulars as they serve up treats or otherwise attend to the customers’ needs.

At the bakery, they make and serve their food with love and “we focus on quality,” Al Hayyawi said. “There are a lot of bakeries in the U.S., but our bread, our sweets – they’re different because of our quality.”

Al Hayyawi and Jasmin seem excited about the future they’re building in the Tri-

Cities. Almost eight years after they first landed here, they’ve managed to create a place that offers a taste of their old home in their new one.

Their children are doing well in school and thriving, with Dalia applying to college, Al Hayyawi said with obvious pride.

“It wasn’t easy (to leave Iraq), but we were thinking about our kids. We (left) for them and we are working to help our kids have a better life,” Al Hayyawi said. “We are very, very proud of our kids. We are very proud of ourselves. We started here from zero and now we have this business.”

search Somer Bakery: 5601 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 111, Kennewick; 509-8202146; somerbakerywa.com.

Courtesy Pasco School District

The Three Rivers Elementary School playground in Pasco was named one of the top 10 most inclusive playgrounds in the country. The school is at 3901 Road 84.

SOMER BAKERY, From page A19

Photo by Sara Schilling Somer Bakery 5601 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite 111, in Kennewick serves a variety of food from Iraq and the Mediterranean, including fresh hummus and baba ganoush.

Number of employees you oversee: 2

Brief background about the business: Heritage University was founded 40 years ago to serve the needs of residents of the Yakima Valley. Currently about 70% of the students are of Hispanic heritage and another 15% are Native American. Heritage University, based in Toppenish, is an accredited, private institution offering a wide variety of academic programs and degrees. The university will open a new location in downtown Kennewick this summer and begin offering freshman classes to students. The new site will admit its first freshman cohort at the new location for the fall 2023 academic year, which begins on Aug. 21. At Heritage, we believe that a college education should be accessible to anyone with the talent and drive to pursue a degree – regardless of economics, culture or geographic locations.

How did you land your current role?

How long have you been in it?

I came to work at Heritage University in March 2019. I started off as the first director of their new Workforce Training and Education program. I was then asked to lead the Tri-Cities regional site in January 2020. I have spent most of my career in higher education with the exception of four years at Tri-Cities Community Health.

MARTIN VALADEZ Regional Director, Tri-Cities Heritage University

You were honored with the 2023 MLK Spirit Award this year. What did this mean to you and what message would you like to get out as a result?

Receiving this award is very humbling and truly an honor. For over 10 years, I’ve been volunteering in the community on many boards and committees to help in any way I can. My particular focus is helping the poor, underserved, immigrants, first-generation college students and others who have been historically marginalized and disenfranchised. I have been very blessed in my life, and I want to help others as much as I can.

Can you offer any suggestions or advice to other business leaders on how to understand the perspective of a coworker whose background differs from their own?

The most important thing is to ask questions, listen and not judge.

How would you describe your current thinking about diversity, and how has your thinking changed over time?

I want to make sure that individuals from different backgrounds (particularly, racial, ethnic, gender, economic status, LGBTQ+, etc.) are helped and represented in all areas. It is particularly important for organizations to reflect those they serve.

It is important not just for those individuals to be at the table but also to have a voice.

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

Self-awareness, empathy, patience, hard work, perseverance and a commitment to pass it on.

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

Learning how to work with individuals from different backgrounds and generations. We now live in a more diverse and global world so we must learn to understand and work well with individuals from different backgrounds and generations.

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

I would make higher education free for all.

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

Listen and learn from others as much as

you can. And remember that we don’t accomplish anything alone. We need others for everything with do. It’s a team effort.

Who are your role models or mentors?

Al Cordova, the former CEO at TriCities Community Health.

Former State Representative Phyllis Gutierrez-Kenney.

How do you keep your employees motivated?

Encourage them to stay focused on our students so that they can achieve their educational goals.

Help us get to Target Zero

You can MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our community by committing to ALWAYS DRIVE DISTRACTION FREE. In Washington it is our goal to have ZERO people in your household be involved in a serious or fatal crash.

TIPS for driving distraction free:

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

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

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

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

• OUT OF REACH, OUT OF MIND: Put your phone physically out of reach.

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

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

Martin Valadez

uVALADEZ, Page A22

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

I originally wanted to study business but ended up in higher education because I like learning and teaching. I was a professor for many years and kind of “fell into” administration. It was not a plan. But I do like administration because this is another way to support students and help them succeed.

How do you measure success in your workplace?

By how much we are able to help students grow and graduate and also by how much those who work with me are growing in their careers, even when it means they have to go elsewhere to grow.

What do you consider your leadership style to be?

I try to lead through example and collaboration. I know I don’t have the answers and I ask others for advice. I also know that I am not perfect, and I admit my mistakes, hopefully learn from them, and move on.

How do you balance work and family life?

I am not as successful at this as I would like to be but I try to set aside specific time for family, whether it’s getting up early to make breakfast for my son George, or going on an occasional date with my wife, Tanya. I definitely need to be better about spending quality, focused, uninterrupted time with my family. I’m a work in progress in this area, but I think

if I set aside specific days and times, it will hopefully get better.

What’s your best time management strategy?

Hire people you trust. I don’t like to micromanage employees, so I need to have people working with me who I trust to do what they are supposed to. Give them responsibilities and goals and let them figure out how to do it. I also like to acknowledge and thank employees for their work.

Best tip to relieve stress?

I like running, particularly in the morning. I find that when I exercise on a regular basis, I find that I am able to handle the challenges of work and life much better.

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

I read, go to the gym, watch European soccer on TV, spend time with Tanya and George, and visit family in LA, NYC, and Mexico.

What’s your favorite podcasts? Favorite books?

Podcasts: “Revisionist History” by Malcom Gladwell, and “Hidden Brain” by Shankar Vedantam.

Books: “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee, “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” as told to Alex Haley.

VALADEZ From page A23

2 menus, 1 roof: Kennewick restaurant caters to diverse dietary needs and palates

By Laura Kostad for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

It’s not often that a vegan, a meat eater, a keto dieter and someone with celiac disease or a peanut allergy can all order from the same menu.

Especially a menu that’s a mash-up of French and Mexican food.

Al Avelar, co-owner of Crepe Haus + El Compadre, knew he wanted his Kennewick restaurant – the fourth he’s owned – to not only accommodate the full spectrum of dietary needs, but really cater to them and make customers feel at home. The restaurant is at 2100 North Belfair St. in Kennewick.

“When you’re going out to eat, it shouldn’t be out of the way of how you normally eat. Here, I want the experience to be: ‘this is how I would cook if I had the time to make this dish at home,’ ” Avelar said.

This means stocking his kitchen with top-quality ingredients Aand maintaining prep and cooking spaces safe from crosscontamination for those with food allergies or celiac.

Diners with special dietary needs won’t be left with only the option of asking for half the ingredients to be held to accommodate them.

“Just the other day, a vegetarian came in and ordered one of our more meat-heavy dishes. So, for her I did three kinds of mushrooms from Columbia Basin Shroomery and jackfruit,” he said.

Whether it’s gluten-free graham crackers, the full lineup of synthetic meats or veg-friendly sour cream, Crepe Haus + El Compadre’s got it.

“I want this restaurant to be a huge educational piece because food is complex and I want to simplify that for people,” Avelar said.

Avelar wants to offer “super clean, whole food from scratch.” He only cooks with avocado oil and evaluates and vets all ingredient lists before putting a product on his prep line.

“Everything that I’m feeding people here is what I would feed my family,” he said.

The restaurant offers Pepsi products and cane-sugar sodas, but in the bar, it doesn’t use anything with high fructose corn syrup.

When asked how he manages to do it while other establishments decry higherquality ingredients as prohibitively expensive, he countered that customers want high-quality food.

“There’s no cap at the top. If you keep bringing in high-quality food, it can always go higher, you can always provide better. But there’s a cap at the bottom because if your focus is on what’s the cheapest, there’s a point at which you can’t go lower, you can’t get cheaper. It limits you,” he said. 2 menus, 1 roof

Crepe Haus + El Compadre’s tagline is “Come for the Mexican, stay for the crepes.”

It’s at the crossroads where spicy meets sweet.

“Half the people that come in know crepes, the other half don’t know crepes and

think it’s just a Mexican restaurant or that a savory crepe is unorthodox,” Avelar said.

It turns out 75% of the crepes Crepe Haus sells are savory.

Sales are split roughly 50-50 between the two menus, he said.

Some people come in for breakfast, then come back later for dinner, picking one cuisine for each meal.

“The bar is just a bonus,” he said.

One popular dish on the El Compadre menu is Aquachile, which is shrimp marinated in chile water made up of lime juice, jalapenos, salt and seasonings, served on a bed of cucumbers, onions, cilantro and avocado and served with either saltine crackers or tostadas.

Another is the Molcajete which consists of carne asada, pollo asada, camarones al mojo de ajo, whole beans, chorizo, bacon and one nopal served in a molcajete.

On the crepe side, Avelar said the Big Kahuna is a hit, featuring pulled pork, pineapple, pepperjack cheese, jalapenos and barbecue sauce, as well as the Greek Myth, a crepe loaded with spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta, onion, balsamic vinegar, hummus and choice of meat

(or not!).

As for sweet crepes, the Smoreo is popular and comes with the option of vegan marshmallows. The Raspberry Delight and Berry Blitz feature fresh fruit.

Entrepreneurial spirit

Avelar’s idea for the restaurant blends three aspirations: his, which was to provide a place where inclusive food was the focus; his wife Jackie’s, which was to have a creperie; and business partner Marvin Figueroa’s, which was to open his own Mexican restaurant.

The Avelars had served crepes at their previous restaurants in Bellingham and Camano Island, but expanded on the idea at Crepe Haus.

“I actually didn’t want to do restaurants at all … then when I was 17 or 18, I just started loving being around the people and the difference I could make in that one hour of interaction,” Avelar said.

His wife grew up in Tri-Cities and Avelar said his father-in-law told him that the TriCity market was ripe for the kind of restaurant he envisioned.

Four years ago, the couple and their two

kids moved back to the Tri-City area to be closer to her family. Jackie worked full time and Avelar worked for three years keeping the books for their three restaurants while a stay-at-home dad.

“I’m the kind of person that I just trust it will all fall into place. My philosophy is no rush. It’s what I tell my customers all the time – ‘No rush, we don’t close until 8 p.m.’ I feel like that’s how I’ve done my life. Every time that I have rushed, I end up just giving up on the rush, and then it happens,” Avelar said.

His parents have owned “dozens” of Mexican-style restaurants – buying convenience stores and converting them into restaurants, then selling them.

“My dad is always looking for a new spot. His realtor has looked at properties in every city I’ve lived in and seen vacant places and asked if I wanted to do something with it,” he said.

The 5,700-square-foot Belfair Street building that once was home to other Mexican restaurants over the years had been vacant for a couple years.

The Avelars made an offer and then sold their other three restaurants.

After the property sale went through, Avelar’s dad suggested he take longtime employee Figueroa under his wing to realize his ambition of owning his own restaurant.

“I’m just here to kind of bridge it,” Avelar said. “I’m the one with the business experience, I’m the anchor. I crunch the numbers on ingredient cost and portioning to help bring to life what Jackie and Marvin envision.”

He said Crepe Haus + El Compadre is his 10-year plan. He hopes the food philosophies the team brings to the table will help open the door for others who champion similar values to gain a foothold in the Tri-City food scene.

Those looking for entertainment with their meal can drop in from 8-11 p.m. Fridays for family-friendly karaoke. search Crepe Haus + El Compadre: 2100 N. Belfair St., Kennewick. Contact: 509-3969526; Crepehauswa.com; Facebook; Instagram.

Photo by Laura Kostad

Al Avelar stands in the open concept crepe kitchen at his new restaurant, Crepe Haus + El Compadre at 2100 N. Belfair St. in Kennewick. The restaurant features two diverse menus, crepes and Mexican.

Without people of color, there is no Tri-Cities economy

Viewed from the perspective of one year to another, very little changes in a community’s demographics. Viewed from the perch of a decade or two, demographic change is usually easy to spot. So it is with race and ethnicity in the greater Tri-Cities.

Consider the size of population of people of color in the two counties. In 2021, Census estimated it to be nearly 42% of all residents. In 2020, it was 43%. Statistically, that means no change.

A comparison of the present to the start of the series tracked in the BentonFranklin Trends indicator comes to a different conclusion. In 2007, people of color claimed about 32% of total population. In the intervening 15 years, their share climbed by a full 10 percentage points. For 2021, Census estimates put the total non-white population in the greater Tri-Cities at slightly over 123,000.

A quick takeaway: Without the participation of people of color, the economy of the greater Tri-Cities simply wouldn’t move.

This changing face of the area should be obvious to residents or visitors. And at least every resident knows that the distribution of people of color among the three cities here is hardly uniform.

As the same indicator reveals, Richland’s 2021 population of people of color amounted to about 21% of its total. Across the river, Pasco’s share of people of color was nearly three times as high. The mix in Kennewick? About 41% of the total population.

As the Trends graph shows, the share of people of color in the area population is now about equal to its share nationwide. With the exception of Yakima County, this is a unique position for a Washington metro area. To no surprise, it is due to the outsized presence of the Hispanic/Latino population.

A consequence of such a strong presence of Hispanics/Latinos here is the overall age profile. In short, the greater Tri-Cities are very young. The area’s overall median age, estimated by Census at 34.6 years for 2021, is considerably lower than both Washington’s and the nation’s. This is nearly entirely due to Hispanics/Latinos.

For the two counties, their median age was estimated to be 23.5 years in 2021,

a result nearly off the charts for the state’s metro areas.

Economic dividends –only for some?

If the TriCities can keep most of its young people, this demographic uniqueness should pay dividends down the road. Hispanic/Latino entrants to the workforce should power further growth of an already strong local economy.

Nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the current labor force participation rate by Hispanic/Latinos at several percentage points higher than by the entire population, especially for men. While the BLS projects that all 2031 participation rates will be lower than today, Hispanic/Latinos will still be overrepresented in the workforce.

But will the area’s people of color be able to reap the rewards of their larger presence in the workforce? If current employment patterns hold, likely not. The share of people of color in high-paying sectors is much lower than its overall average share in the workforce, about 41%.

For example, the sector “Professional, Scientific & Professional Services,” one of the area’s largest, reveals that only 25% of the jobs w–ere claimed by people of color in mid-year 2022. The sector’s average annual earnings in 2021: about $101,800.

Consider, too, the sector “Administrative and Waste Services.” Here, people of color claimed about 31% of its jobs at mid-year 2022. Average annual earnings for this sector in the two counties in 2021: $85,725.

On the other hand, 58% of all agriculture jobs in the two counties were held by people of color at mid-year 2022. Average annual earnings in 2021 for this sector: $35,275.

And consider that 46% of all jobs in the hospitality sector at mid-year 2022 in the greater Tri-Cities were claimed by people of color. Average annual earnings for this

sector: a bit more than $24,560.

The overall average annual wage in the two counties in 2021? About $58,800.

Generally, local people of color earn much less than the average largely because of where they work.

The education challenge

For people of color in the greater Tri-Cities to participate fully in their own demographic dividend, they will need to find their way out of low-paying and into high-paying industries.

In most cases, that step up will only occur with greater training and education. At the moment, their march through institutions of post-secondary education is faltering.

A Trends indicator follows enrollment by all graduating high school seniors into higher education institutions, either twoor four-year.

The overall trajectory is not promising. It peaked in 2008, with 65% of area high school graduating seniors registered within a year at a four- or two-year college somewhere in the U.S. The latest data, from the class of 2021, show a sharp decline, even worse for students of color.

Consider college-going students from the area’s three largest school districts, using the largest group of students of color, Hispanics/Latinos.

For the Kennewick School District, the current (2021) overall share was 47%. For its Hispanic students, 43%.

For the Richland School District, the current overall share was 51%. Contrast that to the share of its Hispanic students, at 37%.

The table is a bit turned in the Pasco School District. Its college-going students in total amounted to a share of 35%, while that of its Hispanic students was 38%.

The 2021 results – for all seniors and for those of color – represent substantial declines from five years ago and certainly from the 2008 peak.

Undoubtedly, the full force of the pandemic was still reverberating for the class of 2021.

Let us hope that the decline is not permanent. Without further education, students of color will not be able to participate in what is likely a promising future for the greater Tri-Cities economy.

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.

D. Patrick Jones Eastern Washington University

Benton-Franklin Trends

Would a special needs trust benefit your disabled child?

Diversity comes in many forms and many related ways of accommodating different needs. When parents are planning for the needs of children with disabilities, a product that should be considered in the parent’s will is the so-called special needs trust.

What kind of disability?

A disability can be defined in different ways for different programs, but to get a flavor for a “disability” relevant to estate planning for children who might benefit from a special needs trust (SNT), the Social Security Administration provides a starting point in the Code of Federal Regulations.

The applicable section defines a disability as the “inability to do any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.” Code of Federal Regulation § 404.1505.

The term “substantial gainful activity” is further defined as work that both involves “doing significant and productive physical or mental duties” and is “done (or intended) for pay or profit.”

Federal, state program benefits

If a person meets the definition of “disability,” he or she may be eligible to receive various state and federal benefits.

Social Security can provide supplemental security income (SSI) for those individuals who have income and resources

below prescribed limits (generally the resource limitation is less than $2,000).

SSI programs are often supplemented by state programs. In Washington, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) supplements the benefits provided by SSI with additional benefits (including things like residential services). Also, an SSI recipient will qualify for Medicaid (health care) coverage which can be crucial to getting adequate and affordable healthcare for those with disabilities.

Taken together, the state and federal benefits can be quite robust and essential for the disabled child to maintain adequate services. Accordingly, the parent is welladvised to not create anything in his or her estate plan that might jeopardize the child’s receipt of those benefits.

Direct gifts to disabled children

Because of the strict restrictions on assets and income, if a parent were to create a will that gives assets directly to a disabled child at the parent’s death, that gift could well disqualify the child from state and federal aid programs.

So, direct giving to disabled children is usually quickly dismissed as a planning

tool.

Standard trusts are inadequate

In a typical will, parents often establish trusts for their children. The typical trust is implemented to recognize that the child is too young or inexperienced to manage the inheritance all at once. So, the trust is established to provide basic support to the child (usually defined as basic health care, education, basic living and basic support).

The key here is that this trust for children is established for the purpose of providing basic support.

Often times, this trust ends at the age the parents have determined is appropriate for their child (maybe between 25-35 years old).

The problem with this kind of trust for a disabled child is that the “basic” support can become part of the countable assets/income for the disabled child just like direct gifts and thus can jeopardize or disqualify the disabled child from the means-tested programs identified above.

Plus, the typical timeframe is too short to accommodate disabled people. How then can a parent provide additional support to their disabled child above and beyond that offered by state and federal programs?

How SNTs can help

In contrast to the basic support trust for children discussed above, the special needs trust has several notable differences.

First, the SNT is customarily set up to exist for the lifetime of the beneficiary. The length of the trust reflects the reality

that the disability is expected to continue indefinitely.

Second, the SNT is set up specifically to preserve the child’s access to the state and federal benefits. This means that the trustee is usually granted complete discretion as to the distributions from the trust to the beneficiary.

This also means that the trust is not generally able to provide basic support. Instead, it provides supplemental support in addition to the support already available through the state and federal programs.

The kind of support envisioned by the SNT is that which enriches the disabled beneficiary’s life not otherwise provided by state and federal programs (think TVs, trips, salon visits, clothes shopping, etc.).

By establishing the SNT with these kinds of restrictions, it takes the money in the SNT out of the so-called “countable” resources available to the child according to the Social Security rules, thus preserving eligibility for the applicable state and federal programs.

Of course, there is no “one size fits all” approach.

Special needs planning is more nuanced than covered in this column. Be sure to work with a qualified attorney in planning for your disabled child.

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

Beau Ruff Cornerstone Wealth Strategies GUEST COLUMN

This veteran-owned business provides final resting place ‘in the winds aloft’

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

Jonathan Ray knows what it’s like to lose someone.

He spent 22 years as a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps, and “I lost a lot of friends in aviation and in war,” he said.

He also knows the power of a final goodbye. His new business, Rest on High, aims to use his aviation expertise to help families give their loved ones a dignified and peaceful final send-off.

Rest on High offers aerial ash scatterings from Ray’s vintage 1963 Cessna 172. Ray designed and made a specialized chute for the aircraft, which he is considering patenting.

The business is licensed in Richland, and Ray – an FFA-certified commercial and airline transfer pilot – has a state permit allowing him to handle the disposition of remains.

“We care about people and we understand the significance of loss,” Ray said. “We will provide that dignity and respect that someone would hope for when it comes to their loved ones.”

Ray runs Rest on High with his wife, Eileen Griffin, and his father-in-law, Harold Griffin. He serves as the pilot, and they help with the business end of the venture.

Ray’s aviation resume is lengthy. During his more than two decades in the Marine Corps, he did everything from serving as a maintenance pilot to flying combat missions.

He was a pilot on the Marine One Presidential Flight Detachment during the Reagan administration, and he managed the presidential fleet of aircraft during Bill Clinton’s time in the White House. He also served as the commanding officer of a Marine squadron based in California.

He retired in 2000 as a lieutenant colonel.

Ray has continued working in the skies in the civilian world. He currently

manages aviation and flies for a major corporation.

He decided to start Rest on High as he looks toward retirement, saying he wanted to find a way to keep flying while also doing meaningful work that fulfills a mission.

Rest on High offers that.

In times past, families often lived and died in the same community, so there was always someone around to pay respects, tend to graves and so on, he said.

“Now, with families spreading out, your brother might be on one side of the U.S., your sister on another and your parents down south– it becomes increasingly difficult,” Ray said.

Aerial ash scattering provides another option for families – one that can be freeing, Ray said.

“People say that (it provides) a feeling of great relief,” he said. “They feel like they’re setting their loved one free into the winds aloft. They’re setting them free into nature.”

Families can choose the geographic location of the release, subject to federal and state regulations and laws, and they can opt to witness the release from the ground. Other add-ons include a video of the release, or rose petals or wildflower seeds included in the release.

Rest on High can release both human and pet cremation ashes. The price starts at $450.

For Ray, who built a career and finds peace in the skies, being able to offer the service is deeply meaningful.

He spent months upon months building the business and crafting, testing and perfecting the chute. He also took great care in choosing the business’ name.

“It resonated with me,” Ray said. “It seemed to capture the feeling of setting people free into the winds aloft so they can just eternally rest.”

Go to: restonhigh.com.

Kevin McClure

Store Manager

Hometown | Richland

Photo by Sara Schilling

Jonathan Ray, a retired Marine Corps aviator and officer, is the pilot and owner of Rest on High, an aerial ash scattering business.

Entrepreneur starts up business with a safety focus

By Jeff Morrow for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Taylor Holmes could have just continued to work in the construction industry, and he would have been a happy man.

And then, one day at a job site, an accident changed the course of his life.

“(A man) fell three stories at a construction site and died,” Holmes said. “That was 2012, and it changed me forever. He was 63 years old. He had kids and grandkids, and he wasn’t ever coming home to them again.”

From that day forward, Holmes has been focused on safety.

“I was content to being a construction worker my whole life,” he said. “After that accident, I took three days off to get myself together. I started thinking about safety, and when I dove into it, I went headfirst. It’s all about educate, educate, educate.”

The first five years in, Holmes was doing 80 to 100 hours of full-time education.

Now 35, Holmes is working with companies doing jobs on the Hanford nuclear site.

He’s worked with some big ones: the Army Corps of Engineers, Navy and U.S. Department of Energy.

“But I was doing safety training on the side,” he said. “During the pandemic, when everyone was staying home, I decided I wanted to work for myself.”

So Holmes started Paradigm Safety.

“Another contractor found out what I was doing and asked me to help them,” he

said. “I dove in, started going about August of 2021.”

Among the services Paradigm offers: consulting, contract staffing, writing safety programs, developing site specific safety plans and trainings on falling protection, excavation, aerial lift and forklift safety.

“We offer temporary part-time staffing for companies that aren’t big enough to hire a full-time safety professional,” said Holmes. “We can offer ‘X’ number of hours and represent their interests or (get them) squared away on whatever they need.

“We offer tailored safety programs, training, or site plans to each contractor’s industry or project.” Holmes continued.

“We really strive to provide custom services to each client to ensure they are receiving services that promote actionable advice to promote workplace safety. Actually, I think I’m doing a lot better than I thought I would at this point.”

Getting clients as a one-man band –he’s the sole employee – can be hard.

“A lot of it is by word of mouth,” Holmes said. “But I think I have a pretty good name in the federal sector, which is where the majority of my work is.”

Yet Holmes can be a resource for small companies with five or six employees that can’t afford a safety manager.

“You can see the tangible moments such as working around a client’s yard,” Holmes said. “Then an insurance company sees the changes, and the client’s pre-

miums are going to be lower.”

Injuries, Holmes said, happen all the time.

“It’s human nature to stand on a chair and fix something up high,” he said.

The most common injuries on site are falls, electrical shocks, being hit by equipment and excavation cave-ins.

“There were 35 deaths in the nation through excavations and trenches last year alone,” Holmes said.

Holmes gets an influx of information and news involving safety from various organizations around the country and world.

He sifts through it and relays the relevant data to his client companies.

About 70% of Paradigm’s work involves consulting.

“Consulting consists of a lot of site visits out at Hanford, working with the frontline supervisors,” he said. “I’m the only one at Hanford doing safety consulting for subcontractors.”

But if he’s tied up with other business, Holmes can outsource the consulting.

The remaining 30% of work at Paradigm involves training.

“My plan now is to start doing more staffing throughout Washington state,” Holmes said. “The ultimate goal is to have three or four safety consultants out there. That allows me to train. I like the training aspect the most.”

Eventually, he wants to get a small office for small business training.

Whatever he does, Holmes says it will involve safety.

“I love finding a challenge that seems so difficult, that no one can figure out, and finding a solution,” he said. “They’re puzzles, difficult things to figure out. I don’t want to do anything but safety now.

“I got lucky. I found my passion.” search Paradigm Safety: 8524 W. Gage Blvd., Building A-1, No. 144, Kennewick. Contact: 509-518-2451; paradigmsafetyco.com.

Courtesy Paradigm Safety

Taylor Holmes

Kennewick’s man, woman of year honored for decades of community service

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Two longtime Kennewick volunteers were recognized and praised for their work to make their city a better place to live.

Candice Bluechel, who “inspires everyone she works with,” was named Kennewick Woman of the Year, and Wayne Bell, who “leads by example and is the first to get his hands dirty,” was named Kennewick Man of the Year for 2022.

Bluechel was nominated by Laurie Church.

Bell was nominated by Bob Kelly, 2015 Kennewick Man of the Year, and Gerry Berges, who received the honor in 1997. Bell’s wife, Maureen Bell, was Kennewick Woman of the Year in 2015.

The awards date back to 1946 and were presented by the Kennewick Past Man of the Year Club and the Kennewick Past Women of the Year Club. The awards were announced March 20.

Woman of the Year

Bluechel, who moved to Kennewick in 1999, has a long list of volunteer work on her resume.

She served for 12 years on the Kennewick Planning Commission.

She was a board member for the Kennewick Arts Commission and Children’s Development Center. She served as president of Soroptimist International of Three Rivers and was co-chair for Tri-Cities Soroptimists Against Human Trafficking.

She was a member of Leadership Tri-Cities Class 8 and worked as business services manager at WorkSource Columbia Basin. She also is a past Rotarian.

Kennewick Man of the Year

Wayne Bell’s leadership activities span several decades.

He served as president of the Kennewick Kiwanis Club in 2021-22 and 2010-11.

He chaired the committee to fund and build a playground for children at the Kennewick Boys & Girls Club and coordinated a pen pal program for fourth-graders at Amistad Elementary School with his wife.

He coordinated parking at the Benton Franklin Fair for Kiwanis for 10 years.

From 1990-92, he led efforts to rebuild ballfields on the empty lot next to Canyon View Elementary.

For a list of past winners, go to: kmwoy.com.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Richland company included in Harvard climate circle cohort

A Richland company is among 23 others selected to join the Harvard Innovation Labs’ third annual Harvard Climate Entrepreneurs Circle, an incubation program for high-potential ventures working to address climate change.

OCOchem converts captured CO2 into a green molecule (formic acid) to store and transport green hydrogen for companies trying to reduce the carbon intensity of their process or products.

Since launching in 2021, Harvard program has incubated more than 65 ventures founded by Harvard students and alumni who are actively uncovering new, unexpected ways to take on climate change.

Climate Circle participants have access to world-class 1:1 coaching, pro bono legal counsel, warm connections to industry leaders, negotiation support, and a peer group of ventures working on innovative solutions to tackle climate change.

The program is spearheaded by the Harvard Innovation Labs, Harvard Business School’s Business and Environment Initiative, and Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment.

“What impresses me most about this year’s cohort is not just the creativity of the ideas, but the resourcefulness of the entrepreneurs who are turning these ideas into real-world products that have

the potential to impact billions of people globally,” said Rebekah Emanuel, senior advisor for social impact at the Harvard Innovation Labs and chair of the Harvard Climate Circle.

Study finds CBC delivers economic impact in region

A study by the firm Lightcast shows that Columbia Basin College in Pasco has an expansive economic impact on the community.

The college, its students, faculty and staff contribute nearly $400 million to the regional economy, creating 5,088 jobs, or one in 31 jobs in Benton and Franklin counties, and about 2.4% of the two-county economy, a statement said.

The study also found:

• An alumni impact of $327.7 million for earnings of CBC alumni and the businesses they work for.

• An operations spending impact of $55.8 million for annual payroll and other spending.

• A student spending impact of $8.1 million for daily spending of CBC students attracted or retained in the region.

• A construction spending impact of $8.2 million for expenditures for ongoing construction projects.

CBC partnered with Lightcast on the study, which analyzed data from 202021.

“This study reinforces the considerable impact CBC has on this community and the larger region,” said CBC President Rebekah Woods in the statement.

Candice Bluechel

Wayne Bell

At the Chevrolet and Cadillac dealership, more space is needed for parts and service to keep up with the growing number of those vehicles in the area, Inman said. The accounting department also will be expanded so that it can serve as a central hub for McCurley.

The first phase will include adding a new large truck shop and expanding the parts and accounting departments.

“We will then go into phase two, which will build out the new service drives and express facility (for oil changes), and the final phase will be the construction of our brand new state-ofthe-art ‘main shop,’ ” Inman said.

In all, about 20,000 square feet will be added to parts and about 30,000 square feet to service, with more than 40 stalls

and emerging renewable generation sources within the region,” the company said.

Though the question isn’t answered, officials believe existing residential and industrial utility rates wouldn’t be affected.

Environmental benefits

Along with economic benefits, the plant would help drive decarbonization in agriculture and reduce reliance on foreign-made, carbon-insensitive fertilizers, the company said, noting the current nitrogen-based fertilizer industry is responsible for more than 2% of global greenhouse gases.

Farmers would benefit by being able to use the more environmentally-friendly, costcompetitive fertilizers, and Atlas Agro also is exploring using hydrogen-fueled trucks for delivery and the plant could “eventually

total at the location to work on vehicles.

About 27,750 square feet of existing space at the dealership is being remodeled.

The work will cost about $15 million. LPR Architects is handling design.

At McCurley Subaru off Sandifur Parkway, “we are adding a service lane and six additional express service stalls to accommodate the high demand for maintenance and mechanical repairs,” Inman said. McCurley has seen “unprecedented growth” in the Subaru line since it moved to the Sandifur Parkway location about seven years ago, he said.

The price tag for the 8,000-squarefoot project is about $1 million.

Meier Architecture and Engineering is handling design.

Finally, McCurley will spend about

provide a green hydrogen fueling source as fleets transition to zero-emission vehicles,” the company said. How will it work?

Atlas Agro says it will use its own proprietary advancements to make the green fertilizer.

It will use “a closed-loop system that produces green hydrogen from electrolysis of water and uses the Haber-Bosch synthesis process to make calcium ammonium nitrate.”

The process has existed for years, but Atlas Agro’s improvements, along with supportive state and federal policies, mean the company is positioned to build and run the Richland plant on a “cost-competitive level with fossil-based foreign imports,” Atlas Agro said.

$15 million on a new home for its Subaru dealership in Yakima. The new 39,800-square-foot facility is going in near the Costco in Union Gap, with Bora Architecture & Interiors handling the design.

McCurley has about 325 employees across its locations, which also include a Mazda dealership in the autoplex, a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Kennewick and a Honda dealership in Richland.

The company traces its roots to 1981, when Bill McCurley bought a Chevy dealership in the autoplex. He added franchises along the way, and McCurley now makes about 20% of new and used vehicle sales in Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, Kittitas and Yakima counties, Inman said.

That growth, coupled with growing demand for the vehicle brands McCurley offers, make the expansion project necessary to fulfilling the company’s mission, Inman said.

“We’re committed to the people we work with, to the customer and the experience they’re having in our dealerships, and to our community. Those three pillars – if we can deliver on those, we’re going to be the best auto group in the market we serve,” he said.

“That’s really what this is all about – building a business that’s sustainable and people want to do business with and are happy with and want to support,” he said. “We’re putting our money where our mouth is, in that sense, and trying to make the experience a better one for all.”

ATLAS AGRO, From page A3

uGRANTS

• The Wildhorse Foundation, a community fund established by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, recently announced grant awards for fourth quarter 2022. The quarter marked a record for the total amount awarded in a single quarter by the foundation: $390,992. Organizations received grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 for projects in the areas of public health, public safety, arts, education, and cultural activities. In addition, two rapid response grants were approved for $1,000 each. Established in 2001, the foundation has, in total, awarded more than $18 million in grant funding to eligible government, tribal and charitable organizations.

uAWARDS & HONORS

Three Tri-Cities businesses and one nonprofit received kudos March 22 for being on a roll.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Business on a Roll awards recognize businesses that achieved success and growth in 2022 while positively impacting the community.

Here’s the roll call of winners:

• 1-10 employees: IT Haven of Richland.

• 1-50 employees: Meier Architecture of Kennewick.

• Over 50 employees: Prime Dental of Pasco.

• Nonprofit: Heartlinks of Richland.

Business on a Roll Award recipients are businesses that demonstrate growth in revenue/income or employees, actively seek involvement in the Tri-City community, and

receive recognition as a model business for others through national or industry awards.

New this year was the award for a nonprofit achieving financial success and growth during 2022 while positively impacting the community.

All award nominees must be members of the Tri-City Regional Chamber; self-nominations are allowed.

The S.T.A.R. Award was presented to Ryan Weld of Tire Factory. This award is given to a volunteer who goes above and beyond for the chamber. S.T.A.R. is an acronym for Service, Time, Attitude, Reliability.

The Community Impact Award was presented to Benton County. This award goes to a nonprofit or government entity that provided the chamber with the most financial support over the previous year.

The Corporate Impact Award was presented to Washington River Protection Solutions. The award goes to for-profit organization that provided the chamber with the most financial support over the previous year.

The awards were presented during the Regional Chamber’s Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon at the Three Rivers Convention Center.

• Jason E. Johnson, a chartered retirement planning counselor and a private wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services LLC in Kennewick, has qualified for the company’s Circle of Success annual recognition program and will be honored for this achievement in 2023. To earn this achievement, Johnson established himself as one of the company’s top advisors. Only a select number of high-performing advi-

sors earn this distinction. He has 25 years of experience with Ameriprise Financial and in the financial services industry.

• Cynthia Garcia, the youth programs manager and equal opportunity officer at the Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council, has earned the workforce development professional credential. Garcia has been with the BFWDC for eight years, and in that time has expanded opportunities offered through the council’s youth programs, providing monitoring oversight, and representing workforce systems at regional and state forums. This nationally recognized credential is awarded by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals.

• On March 14, the Kennewick Kiwanis Club honored law enforcement officers and firefighters from Kennewick police and fire departments, Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol. Leaders in each of these agencies recommended individuals to be honored by the club. Those honored were: Officer Jesus Contreras of the Kennewick Police Department; Capt. Garhett Dotta and firefighters River Perea and Jeremy Fenno from the Kennewick Fire Department; Deputy Tiffany Brink from the sheriff’s office; and Trooper Cory Litchfield from the Washington State Patrol. Each are leaders in their respective departments and many of their squads attended the luncheon to honor their fellow public servants. Honoring the first responders is an annual program of the club, organized by club member Rick Corson, a former Franklin County deputy sheriff.

uPROMOTIONS

• Chaplaincy Health Care has announced two promotions. Shannon Novakovich has been promoted to chief strategy officer. She was the director of human resources before her promotion. Meiske Millward, RN, CHPN, was promoted to chief clinical officer. She was the director of clinical services before her promotion.

Richland-based Chaplaincy Health Care provides physical, emotional and spiritual care to those experiencing serious illness, crisis, loss and grief.

• Incyte Diagnostics, which has a laboratory in Richland, promoted three members of its executive team. Dr. Mari Patel, previously chief operations officer, is now chief executive officer. She has been with Incyte Diagnostics since the beginning of 2022 and is an industry expert in pathology services and leadership and has extensive

experience in all aspects of pathology. Dr. Patel is ASCP certified in cytotechnology and histotechnology, and she has a master’s degree in health administration and a doctorate of management degree in organizational leadership.

Kristina Johnson, previously interim chief financial officer, is now chief financial officer. She has been with Incyte Diagnostics since 2017 and has previously served as Incyte’s chief information officer. She has an accounting degree from Eastern Washington University, and an IT degree from Western Governors University of Washington. She has implemented new systems to streamline financial analyses and improve efficiencies throughout the organization. Chief human resources officer, Heather Major, has taken on a new expanded role as chief people officer. She has been with Incyte since 2008. In addition to managing human resources and support for our pathologists, she will now be overseeing our quality programs and organizational communication.

• Joel W. Duling has been named associate laboratory director for operational systems at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He joined PNNL last August as chief projects officer for the laboratory’s Operational Systems Directorate and was named acting associate laboratory director in January. In his new role, Duling will be responsible for managing PNNL’s facilities and infrastructure; environment, health, safety, and security programs; project management; and nuclear operations. He also will steward PNNL’s 10-year, $1.2 billion campus development plan and guide the laboratory’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions. Duling earned a bachelor’s degree in biophysical systems/ chemistry from Northern Michigan University in Marquette, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Auburn University in Alabama.

uDONATIONS

• The Kadlec Foundation donated AEDs (automatic electronic defibrillators) to Tri-City area sports complexes.

• Corwin Ford Tri-Cities has committed to a three-year donation totaling $10,800 to help fight food insecurity at Captain Gray STEM Elementary in Pasco. The donation will support the school’s Bite2Go program run by Second Harvest, which provides children who experience food insecurity with a mix of easy-to-open, single-serving, nutritious, nonperishable food items for meals and snacks over the weekend during the school year. This school year alone, Captain Gray has been providing weekend meals for an average of 20 students weekly. These students receive four meals per weekend over 36 weekends in the school calendar year, totaling 2,800 meals per school year. Corwin Ford Tri-Cities supported the Bite2Go program throughout the community, making several other donations, including $2,000 to Orchard Elementary in Richland and a $5,000 donation to Second Harvest for its general Bite2Go fund.

Cynthia Garcia

Meiske Millward

Shannon Novakovich

Joel W. Duling

uNEW HIRES

• Deanann Jones is Benton City’s new postmaster. She joined the U.S. Postal Service in 2013 in a postmaster relief position in Moore, Montana. Throughout her career she has served in various cities throughout Oregon and Washington – as an officer in charge, part-time flexible employee, postal support employee and substitute supervisor. As postmaster, she oversees 13 employees, five rural routes, and the retail office, which also handles passport renewals.

• Meier Architecture Engineering hired Arill Bartrand as a civil engineer. He comes to Meier with eight years experience in the civil engineering field. He has worked in various industries, including commercial, oil refineries, schools and public works. His strengths are project management, earthwork, design of stormwater systems, erosion control and site development. He also has experience with client relations, scheduling, cost/feasibility studies, structural design and property zoning changes. He earned two Bachelor of Science degrees from Washington State University, in civil engineering and another in applied mathematics.

• Miramar Health Center hired Cori Tardif, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, to the Kennewick clinic. She received her master of nursing, family nurse practitioner degree from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Franklin PUD hired Shyanne Palmus as a community relations coordinator. She joins the PUD with over six years of public sector communications experience and supports all internal and external communica-

tion for the PUD. She grew up in Goldendale and is a graduate of Whitworth University (Spokane), earning a bachelor of arts degree in communication studies and minors in visual communications, psychology, and music.

• SCJ Alliance, based in Spokane, hired Mike Manning as a planner. He honed his planning skills in Spokane, Pasco and Grant County. He has extensive knowledge of land use permits, zoning and development codes and SEPA determinations. His experience also includes reviewing land use applications and complex building permits, and providing technical assistance related to the private development process. SCJ Alliance also hired Victor Refugio Ramos as a planner. He most recently worked with the city of Coeur d’Alene. He is experienced in the review of residential, commercial and industrial development. He has a background in municipal planning and working with cities on matters related to annexations, zone changes, special use permits and subdivision requests. Ramos has a strong interest in community engagement projects and is bilingual. SCJ has more than 140 employees in 10 offices across Washington, Montana and Colorado.

• Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the largest winery in the Pacific Northwest and among the largest premium wineries in the U.S., has hired Ashleigh Sabold Lettiere as the new vice president, independent region. In this role, she will lead the Ste. Michelle sales team across 13 states that make up the region including: New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island. These states account for

almost a quarter of Ste. Michelle’s national volume. Sabold Lettiere joins Ste. Michelle after a decadelong career with Treasury Wine Estates, most recently as division vice president for the Northeast. Prior to that she served in a leadership role for J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines, as well as in sales at the Breakthru Beverage Group (formerly Reliable Churchill). Sabold Lettiere graduated from Radford University in Virginia and holds an master in business administration from Johns Hopkins University. She will be headquartered out of Stamford, Connecticut.

• Sheryl McGrath is the new state director of the Washington Small Business Development Center. McGrath, who has been the associate state director since 2019, began her new position April 3. Duane Fladland, who has been state director since 2014, retires April 30. As state director, McGrath will lead the Washington center in its mission to help small businesses start, grow and thrive. She will oversee a network of more than 40 business advisors working in 30 communities across the state.

• Petersen Hastings hired J.T. Lieuallen as a senior wealth advisor for the firm, joining the team in Walla Walla. He brings more than 15 years of trust and financial advisory experience, focusing on fiduciary asset management and succession planning in Walla Walla and the surrounding area. He began as an attorney in Pendleton, Oregon, where he helped clients establish estate and legacy plans, organize business entities

and successfully navigate complex trust and probate responsibilities.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Linfield College, and Juris Doctor degree while attending the University of Oregon School of Law. Additionally, he maintains the professional accreditation of certified trust and financial advisor (CTFA) through the Institute of Certified Bankers.

• The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce hired Maria Alleman as the organization’s inhouse Washington procurement technical assistance center (PTAC) counselor. PTAC provides businesses with no-cost, confidential, one-on-one technical assistance in all aspects of selling to federal, state and local governments. She is the lead contact for PTAC clients in seven counties: Benton, Franklin, Columbia, Grant, Klickitat, Walla Walla and Yakima. Alleman was previously employed at Visit Tri-Cities as the convention sales manager, a position she held for nearly 10 years.

uRETIREMENTS

• Cindy Reisenauer retired from the Home Builders Association after nearly 20 years of service. She was an accountant and administrative assistant for the company. Her last day was April 14.

Victor Refugio Ramos

Deanann Jones

Cori Tardif

Arill Bartrand

Shyanne Palmus

J.T. Lieuallen

Maria Alleman

Sheryl McGrath

Mike Manning

Ashleigh Sabold Lettiere

Cindy Reisenauer

Costco is getting a fresh look. What does it mean for shoppers?

Revamped planetarium helps community understand universe

By Sara Schilling

It’s dark in the theater, except for the 36-foot hemispherical dome suspended from the ceiling that projects an image of a blue sky with bright white clouds. A woman in a crisp uniform appears on video.

“Greetings from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas,” says Richland High School graduate and NASA astronaut Kayla Barron. “...If you’re here at the Columbia Basin College planetarium, you’re clearly curious about what lies beyond our home planet. This is a fantastic place to feed that curiosity, learning about our solar system and the vast universe beyond.”

The video featuring one of the TriCities’ most famous scientists and adventurers plays for visitors at the CPCCo Planetarium at the Pasco college. It’s one of several new features at the facility, which has reopened after a two-month break for upgrades, including new projection and lighting systems in the theater and a revamped lobby that now has learning elements.

“We’re incredibly grateful to our partners who made this happen,” said CBC President Rebekah Woods. “These kinds of things don’t happen alone.”

Those partners include Central Plateau Cleanup Company, or CPCCo, which is

donating $350,000 over 10 years for the planetarium, and HAPO Community Credit Union, whose $150,000 donation is covering the upgrade of the lobby. The college’s facilities team also painted and made some other updates as part of the

project.

Bechtel was the planetarium’s founding sponsor.

Creating an experience

The facility first opened in 2012, and it’s welcomed more than 147,000 visi-

tors since then, including community members, area school children and CBC staff and students. It offers public shows on alternating Fridays and Saturdays, and it’s a popular field trip destination, with more than 44% of those total visitors being students in preschool through high school.

The upgrade included replacing the old 2K projection system with a 4K system, which makes for brighter images and better contrast. The lighting system also got an overhaul.

“Our old system had LEDs around the dome itself, but they were all or nothing — one color or another. With the new system, each bank of LEDs is programmable, so we can put a rainbow up on the dome, make lights chase each other. It adds to the experience of the whole thing,” said Erin Steinert, director for the planetarium and observatory.

A typical presentation lasts about an hour.

“The first part is live. That’s where we’ll use our software and projectors to show the night sky and talk about where to find planets and stars and constellations. We talk to the audience about astronomy news and give them the chance to ask questions,” Steinert said.

The second half includes a full-dome film from the planetarium’s inventory.

New multimillion hotel planned for south Richland

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

An established hotelier with several properties already operating in the TriCities plans to open a new hotel in south Richland, near the Fairchild Cinemas at Queensgate.

Kam Sahota, founder and chief executive officer of Eternal Hotels, said construction is expected to start around November of this year. The hotel will be dual brand with 130 rooms — a mix of limited-service and extended-stay. The project price tag is estimated at $20 million to $22 million.

Construction is expected to take about 12 to 14 months.

An upper-level limited-service hotel also eventually is planned for the same swath of land, which Sahota said will be divided into three plots. A limited-service hotel is one that offers solely rooms, ver-

sus a full-service hotel with restaurants and other in-house dining and event space.

Sahota owns about 5 acres next to the movie theater, between Lincoln Landing, Keene Road and Interstate 182.

He also plans a restaurant at the site.

Sahota said he can’t release more details about his plans at this time, but he looks forward to bringing the projects to Richland. The land is visible off the interstate and in an area of growth.

“We’re pretty excited about it,” he said. “There is a lot of opportunity and there is a need for it.”

He estimates hiring about 25-30 employees for the first hotel.

Sahota also owns additional hotels in Washington and other states, including the Pasco Red Lion, the Sleep Inn in Pasco, Best Western in Kennewick and Comfort Inn Columbia Center.

He expects to seek permits for the first new hotel soon.

Future hotelsite

sara@tcjournal.biz

Photo by Sara Schilling

NASA astronaut and Richland High School graduate Kayla Barron appears in a new video shown to visitors at the CPCCo Planetarium at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.

uPLANETARIUM, Page B2

Graphic by Vanessa Guzmán Eternal Hotels recently announced plans to begin building a hotel this fall near Fairchild Cinemas at Queensgate in Richland.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Costco is getting a fresh look. What does it mean for shoppers?

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

The Costco in Kennewick is replacing its refrigeration system and giving its “freshline” departments an overhaul — and it’s staying open during construction.

In fact, the remodel already is underway. It’s expected to take about seven to seven-and-a-half months and wrap up around September, said Thomas Olson,

New food co-op signs building lease

The Tri-Cities Food Co-op’s Steering Committee signed a lease for its new home on April 6.

Alan Schreiber, who is leading the effort, told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business that the co-op will be able to move in within a month or so.

“This gives the landlord time to fix it, polish it, make sure it is up to code,” he said.

Schreiber also reported that the group has conditional approval for its

PLANETARIUM, From page B1

Most focus on astronomy, although other science-related topics also are available — from cells to volcanoes.

The theater also is able to stream

general manager.

“We’re committed to the future. This is well thought out,” he said, noting that the existing refrigeration system will be replaced with a CO2-based system.

“The (new refrigeration) system will carry us into the future as other refrigeration systems become obsolete or aren’t environmentally friendly. We’ll be ahead of the game.”

The overhaul also will “add to a bet-

financing.

The building for the future co-op is at 1420 Jadwin Ave., the former home of Atomic City Thrift.

$4.5M shopping center planned in Kennewick

Craig and Marilee Eerkes plan to build a $4.5 million shopping center at 825 N. Edison St., according to a building permit filed with the city of Kennewick.

A portion of the 29,897-square-foot building would be two levels – the lower level would have 25,657 square feet of space and the upper level, 4,240

events such as shuttle launches, depending on the timing.

The immersive experience makes astronomy — with its enormous scale that’s measured in millions or billions of

ter member shopping experience, and more production and activity for our people here,” Olson said.

The remodel will include building a new bakery, rotisserie, dairy cooler, produce cooler, meat prep and deli, plus a new mechanical mezzanine above the bakery.

“Anything that needs refrigeration will be replaced,” Olson said.

A new grease interceptor also will be

square feet.

Plans call for 122 parking stalls, a bus stop and landscaping.

LCR Construction LLC is the general contractor.

Realtors association releases market report

The average price of homes sold in March in the Tri-City region was $452,400, according to the Tri-City Association of Realtors.

That’s down from $457,000 the previous year.

The median sale price ($410,000) and the number of active listings (513)

miles or lightyears — easier to process and understand, Steinert said.

And that’s important because astronomy and space are worthy of exploration.

“Humans are wired to want to go out

built outside.

The Costco at 8505 W. Gage Blvd. has about 530 employees and welcomes about 80,000 to 100,000 shoppers a week.

The remodeling work will cost $3.3 million, according to a building permit filed with the city of Kennewick. The store also plans $1 million in plumbing work.

Lydig Construction Inc. is the general contractor for the remodel.

were down in March compared to the previous month (525) but up from a year ago (335).

The average number of days a home was on the market in March was 52 days, down slightly from the previous month. Last March, homes were listed for an average of 28 days.

The number of pending listings was 346 in March, up from 288 the previous month.

The association’s data includes sales in Tri-Cities, West Richland, Basin City, Kiona-Benton City, Burbank, Connell, Eltopia, Finley, Kahlotus, Mesa, Paterson, Plymouth and Wallula.

there and learn more about the universe around us,” Steinert said. “This facility helps us to do that.”

A STEM focus

Before visitors head into the theater, they pass through the HAPO Learning Lobby. The remodel saw learning elements added, including wall wraps and photo/text panels on the sun, planets and other celestial bodies. The panels have information in both English and Spanish.

The lobby also has an area with interactive activities for kids.

Part of the goal of the planetarium is to stoke interest among young people in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math — and to get them excited about learning, imagination and exploration in general. The next Kayla Barron could be sitting in the audience, taking in the heavens projected overhead and dreaming of visiting them someday.

The planetarium also aims to share the wonder of science and the cosmos with the community as a whole.

John Eschenberg, president of CPCCo, recently got a look at the remodeled planetarium.

“It’s a multimodal learning system,” he said, sitting in the learning lobby after a glimpse of a theater presentation. “It’s a wonderful venue for teaching and learning.”

His company, which is a prime contractor for Hanford cleanup, is invested in helping build the workforce of tomorrow, as legacy employees retire and demands grow, he said. And it’s invested in the community, he said.

“We are over the moon at the opportunity to sponsor (the planetarium),” he said. “It’s just part of our commitment as a member of a growing community to give back in some small way.”

Sephora moving into Richland department store

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

Sephora devotees will soon have another place to browse and buy the retail chain’s colorful makeup palettes and other curated beauty, fragrance, skin and haircare products locally.

The Kohl’s at 1457 Tapteal Drive in Richland is set to undergo a remodel to add space for Sephora.

Leah Cotton, a corporate public relations advisor for Kohl’s, confirmed the project. She didn’t provide a specific date for opening but said it will happen this year.

The city of Richland has issued a building permit for the commercial remodel, listing the cost at about $250,000. Michigan-based Woods Construction Inc. is the contractor.

Kohl’s and Sephora announced a partnership in 2020, and Kohl’s plans to have Sephora shops in all its 1,110-plus locations within the next few years. In this region, a Sephora also is planned at the Kohl’s at 2551 Main St. in Union Gap.

The Richland and Union Gap locations are among 250 new Sephora at Kohl’s

uSEPHORA, Page B6

Courtesy Kohl’s Department Stores Inc.

A shopper browses at a Sephora inside a Kohl’s department store. The Richland Kohl’s at 1457 Tapteal Drive is set to undergo a remodel to add space for Sephora.

Colorado company acquires Kennewick’s Pavement Surface Control

Colorado Barricade Co., a provider of traffic control and road safety services, has acquired Kennewick-based Pavement Surface Control.

Pavement Surface Control provides concrete barriers, pavement striping, traffic control and safety flagging and pavement maintenance to the Washington Department of Transportation, local municipalities, roadway infrastructure contractors, utility contractors and other private customers throughout the

Pacific Northwest.

The combination of the two companies establishes the business as one of the largest road safety and infrastructure service providers focused on opportunities in the western U.S., with operations now in the Mountain Region and Pacific Northwest, according to a company press release.

The acquisition closed on Oct. 31. Chinook Capital Advisors represented Pavement Surface Control in the transaction.

Carniceria Madrigal moves into Kennewick shop

Carniceria Madrigal Tri-Cities has signed a five-year lease for a

2,600-square-foot retail space at 516 E. First Ave. in Kennewick.

Luis Madrigal Martinez has been a butcher for more than five years. His business’ focus is on Mexican restaurants and food trucks.

Todd Sternfeld of NAI Tri-Cities represented building landlord Gravenslund Lachmann Inc.

Kennewick-Richland area earns high marks for housing market

A new report ranks the KennewickRichland area fifth in the county for growth and stability in the housing market.

The SmartAsset report said the

area “benefits from a diverse local economy. Home prices have increased 211.07% between 1998 and 2022, while the population has grown by roughly 40%.”

Senske Services expands into Colorado Springs

Senske Services, a provider of recurring residential lawn care, pest control and other home services, expanded into Colorado Springs. Senske has a Kennewick office.

The Colorado Springs market will be serviced by the brand Fit Turf, a division of Senske Services. Fit Turf has been serving customers in the Denver metropolitan area since 2008.

Port of Kennewick, TRIDEC team up on Vista Field recruitment

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

The Port of Kennewick has a new partner in its work to recruit businesses for the Vista Field redevelopment project.

Port commissioners approved an agreement to work with the Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC, to entice businesses to be part of what’s envisioned to be a vibrant, walkable mixed-use development near the Columbia Center mall.

Celebrity headstone maker plans Pasco expansion

By Kristina Lord kristina@tcjournal.biz

A headstone maker who designs memorials for famous clients is planning to construct a new building for his business in Pasco.

Tim Morris, owner of Headstones by Cemetery Tim, recently bought 1.77 acres just west of City View Cemetery in Pasco. He paid $700,000 for the four parcels, according to property records.

“I’m going to expand my business and have a larger showroom. Everything that I do is to have more options available for the families,” he said.

Morris’ existing showroom is in downtown Pasco at 325 W. Lewis St., where parking is challenge, he said.

He is planning an 8,600-square-foot building, estimated to cost about $500,000, that will have its own parking lot. He expects to have it completed by the end of the year.

“I just have a bigger vision for the company now,” he said. “And being next door to the cemetery will give me the exposure I need.”

He also recently moved his Yakima workshop and showroom into a bigger 6,000-square-foot space, doubling the size of the previous location.

Celebrity clients

While Morris bases his operations in the Tri-Cities and Yakima Valley region, he continues to serve famous clientele across the country: Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes of the

hip hop group TLC, rapper Nate Dogg and Tijuana singer Jimmy Gonzalez, among others.

His most recent celebrity client was rapper Coolio, who soared to fame in the mid-90s. He’s best known for his Grammy Award-winning hit, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” as well as the song, “Fantastic Voyage.”

Coolio’s remains were cremated so the cenotaph Morris designed serves a memorial to his life rather than a grave marker. An inscription reads: “I’m home now in Gangsta’s Paradise.”

Morris traveled to Coolio’s Las Vegas home to install the stone in December. Honoring local murder victim

Morris recently decided to honor someone closer to home, a Tri-City murder victim.

He teamed up with Snoop Dogg’s cousin Daz Dillinger, who worked with Dr. Dre on his triple-platinum album “The Chronic” in 1992 and Snoop’s debut solo album, “Doggystyle” in 1993.

The men launched a contest to give away a customized monument to a family.

They chose the family of Jatzivy Sarabia, 18, a Hanford High graduate who was killed during an Oct. 15 shooting on Highway 397 outside Kennewick.

“Her story is just so sad,” Morris said.

A 22-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of homicide in her death.

Dillinger plans to visit the Tri-Cities to dedicate the monument this summer, Morris said.

“We’re very, very grateful for their assistance on this,” said Tim Arntzen, the port’s chief executive officer. “Instead of everyone being in their own little (silo), we have two agencies cooperating to do the public’s work.”

Karl Dye, chief executive officer of TRIDEC, said the port has done a great job in planning and investing in infrastructure for Vista Field. “They have a master plan for new urbanism –that live-work environment that would mimic a historic downtown of 100 years ago. For them to be successful in this effort would be a great opportunity for the Tri-Cities,” he said.

The memorandum of understanding between the two agencies extends through December. It says the port and TRIDEC will form a business recruitment team made up of staff members

from each organization. The team will work to recruit existing local and regional businesses and emerging entrepreneurs, making phone calls, offering tours and following up.

The port pays annual membership dues to TRIDEC, but it isn’t paying additional money for the Vista Field help.

Vista Field was once a municipal airport, but the port shuttered it in 2013 and began work to transform it into a regional town center with a mix of commercial and residential development.

The 103-acre site next to the Toyota Center and the Three Rivers Convention Center.

The port has invested $4.9 million in infrastructure for the first 20 acres of development. That first phase is set to include four parcels for single-family development, seven for live-work development and 10 for mixed-use.

Arntzen said there’s been small business and residential development interest recently, and he hopes to be able to share more news on that front soon.

When Vista Field is fully built out, it’s planned to include about 750,000 square feet of space for retail, office, service and entertainment uses, 1,100 residential units, a privately-funded performing arts center, and a 2.5-acre central plaza.

File photo

Tim Morris, owner of Headstones by Cemetery Tim, plans to construct a new building next door to City View Cemetery in Pasco.

Planning underway for new RV park, school and gym expansions

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

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

The State Environmental Review Act, or SEPA, often provides the first look at the mixed-use projects, mini storage facilities, apartments, industrial expansions, subdivisions and more that are working their way through the various planning departments of Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties.

Here’s a look at projects that appeared in the SEPA register in the past month.

Circle K fuel storage

Kennewick

A&S Engineering submitted plans to

replace the underground storage tanks and above-ground dispensing system at a gas station at 4201 W. 27th Ave.

The work is expected to take two to three months.

Caden Estates plat

West Richland

Knutzen Engineering submitted plans on behalf of property owner Randy Dirks to divide 1.19 acres south of Woodford Lane and west of West Van Giesen Street into nine residential lots.

The lots will be developed as condominiums.

Multifamily residential grading

West Richland

Ranchland Homes LLC submitted plans

on behalf of property owner Urban Range LLC to grade and install utilities at 861 Creer Way in West Richland.

The property is zoned for multifamily residential.

Lachmann Lot grading

Kennewick

Tom Lachmann submitted plans to grade a 1.5-acre commercial lot at 10519 Ridgeline Drive.

Kennewick Auto Body

Kennewick

Kennewick Auto Body submitted plans to permit its existing auto body surface coating operation with a spray booth.

The Benton Clean Air Authority determined that the action doesn’t have a prob-

able significant adverse impact on the environment.

Columbia River RV Park

Richland

AHBL Inc and NC Ventures submitted plans for a special use permit to build and operate an RV park on 7.13 acres on the 2500 block of Van Giesen Street.

The project will include 80 spaces for recreational vehicles, three accessory buildings and recreational space.

North Edison retail

Kennewick

LCR Construction LLC submitted plans for a 29,897-square-foot retail shopping center building with 122 parking stalls at 825 N. Edison St.

Sunny Meadows Subdivision

Kennewick

Knutzen Engineering submitted plans to subdivide 24.13 acres at 240 E. 49th Ave. into 79 single-family residential lots.

Two roads, East 49th Avenue and South Washington Street, will be extended and new public right of way will be dedicated to access the lots. Road and utility construction is proposed as a single phase that’s expected to begin in the summer of 2023, contingent

uSEPA, Page B9

SEPHORA, From page B3

shops that will open this year, bringing the total Sephora at Kohl’s fleet to 850 and reaching the initial rollout goal, Cotton said.

She added that, “the full-sized Sephora at Kohl’s features a 2,500-square-foot, fully immersive beauty experience that mimics the look and feel of a freestanding Sephora. Within all Sephora at Kohl’s locations, customers can explore the signature Sephora experience with a carefully curated assortment of prestige makeup, skincare, hair, and fragrance brands, as well as innovations in clean beauty and self-care.”

The partnership between Kohl’s and Sephora seems to have worked out well for both companies.

Kohl’s projects that Sephora at Kohl’s will achieve $2 billion in annual sales by 2025, and nearly 8 million Kohl’s customers bought beauty products at Sephora at Kohl’s in 2022, the company said.

In fourth quarter 2022, total beauty sales increased 90%, Kohl’s said. Kohl’s reports better-than-expected beauty sales in the 400 shops opened in 2022, with continued sales growth online.

“We are making great strides in building a formidable beauty business with the addition of Sephora at Kohl’s,” said Karen Daoust, Kohl’s senior vice president, general manager, Sephora at Kohl’s, in a statement.

Sephora had a similar partnership involving in-store shops with JCPenney. However, that’s ended and JCPenney is rolling out its own beauty department, called JCPenney Beauty, in stores nationwide, including at the Columbia Center mall in Kennewick.

The mall also has a standalone Sephora at 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 801, next to Verizon.

Bigfoot, mini forest, splatter zone included in expansion plans

By Jeff Morrow for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Back in 2014, Julianne Wright took her son to Huntsville, Alabama, for a week at Space Camp.

While he was learning what it was like to be an astronaut, Wright spent that week in her hotel room drawing up a plan for an escape room business.

Now, nine years later, Wright’s business, Atomic Escape Rooms, has taken off like a rocket, with expansion plans underway. Spoiler alert: they involve Bigfoot, a glitter-and-paint party room and a new location.

It’s been a fun ride, Wright said.

“Seeing the excited customers is great,” she said. “People are so happy and having fun. Seeing that they liked one of my rooms, I love that. So it’s my ego too.”

Atomic Escape Rooms is at 1653 Fowler St. in Richland just north of Highway 240.

The business features 4,200 square feet of escape room fun, with four live rooms and three virtual reality rooms offering seven different challenges.

For the uninitiated, the physical adventure escape rooms involve using elements in the room to solve a series of puzzles and to find clues to escape the room within 60 minutes.

The virtual escape room has participants slipping on a headset attached to a backpack along with hand control-

lers to immerse themselves in a video game-like environment.

Customers continue to fill up available weekend time slots at Atomic Escape Rooms. Weekdays are getting busier too.

But there are people who still don’t know the place is here, Wright said.

“The dinner shows we do have introduced us to the theater community, which helped us get more people to the

escape rooms. Now, we have a mailing list to 20,000 people,” she said.

Atomic Escape has 25 employees. “A year ago we had 20,” she said.

Recently, Wright added another live escape room to her lineup, Secrets of the Carousel, at the Gesa Carousel of Dreams in the Southridge area of Kennewick.

Expedition Bigfoot

Wright leased two suites in a nearby

new flex space development for their latest adventures. It’s not far from Atomic Escape, across Highway 240, at 1333 Tapteal Drive in Richland.

Their new escape room, Expedition Bigfoot, will be offered in a 1,600-square-foot indoor space to simulate the outdoors. “Scary” and “notso-scary” levels will be offered.

Wright and her husband have been planning the Bigfoot challenge for a while. In December, they bought 126 artificial Christmas trees to turn the indoor space into an outdoor challenge arena.

“We expect the new Bigfoot room to open within five months,” Wright said. “I’ve learned that people like physical challenges. And Bigfoot will have a lot of physical puzzles.”

Splatter Zone

Their second 1,600-square-foot suite will be the Splatter Zone.

“It’s a party space, where people can throw paint at their friends. We’ll have music, black lights, water guns filled with paint, balloons with paint and glitter,” Wright said.

The Splatter Zone and party room should be open around May 1.

It’s bound to be popular as Atomic Escape caters to groups.

“We’ve had graduation parties. There have been prom parties, bachelorette parties, team building, family reunions

Photo by Jeff Morrow

Julianne Wright, owner Atomic Escape Rooms in Richland, bought 126 Christmas trees for her newest live escape room challenge: Expedition Bigfoot.

uESCAPE ROOM, Page B12

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

on permit and plat approval from the city of Kennewick.

Transmission line rebuild

Richland

Bonneville Power Administration submitted plans to rebuild a roughly 3-mile segment of the White Bluffs to Richland No. 1 115-kilovolts transmission line from the Richland substation north to the Stevens Drive Substation.

Canyon View Apartments

Kennewick

Harms Engineering submitted plans for a 58-unit apartment complex with five buildings and 84 parking stalls at 3605 Zintel Way. The land is zoned for medium density residential land use.

Pacific Clinic expansion

Kennewick

Knutzen Engineering submitted plans to build a 26,000-square-foot, two-story addition to Pacific Clinic at 1219 N. Edison St.

The addition includes 10 pickleball courts and balcony seating for spectators. Additional parking also is planned.

Construction is expected to start this summer.

Stangeland/Dockstader

Site-Specific Zone Change

Pasco

L. Paul Stangeland submitted plans to rezone three parcels totaling about 64 acres to build additional commercial buildings on site.

The land is at 1911 Selph Landing Road in Pasco. The zoning would change from agriculture production to general industrial.

Court Street-Road 68 intersection

Pasco

The city of Pasco submitted plans to build a single-lane roundabout at Court Street and Road 68. Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2023.

Early childhood center

Pasco

Bertha Elizabeth Artiga submitted plans to modify, renovate and adapt property at 820 N. 20th Ave. to open a child care center called Rise and Shine Early Childhood Center.

Mullen Site zone change

Franklin County

AHBL submitted plans to rezone three parcels totaling about 65 acres from agricultural production to rural community. The land is east and south of Selph Landing Road, west of Richview Drive and north of Fanning Road in Franklin County.

Shoreline Management Plan

Franklin County

Franklin County submitted plans to update the county’s adopted Shoreline Master Program. The county and state Department of Ecology are accepting public comments through April 17. A public hearing was planned for April 11.

Jefferson Landing

Pasco

Lewis Place LLC submitted an applica-

tion to rezone an undeveloped parcel on Heritage Boulevard between East Helena Street and East Lewis Street to allow for future higher density residential land use and development.

Raven Place

Pasco

Pro Made Homes submitted plans for the development of 725 residential units, including 485 single-family and 240 multifamily units, along with four neighborhood parks, on about 164 acres at the northwest intersection of Burns Road and Road 52 in Pasco.

Sandeep mini mart, gas station

Pasco

LCR Construction LLC submitted plans for a 3,750-square-foot convenience store with four gasoline pumps at 3210 Road 44. A coffee/doughnut shop with drive-thru window and no indoor seating will be included. The pumps will be served by a 30,000-gallon underground fuel storage tank. The remainder of the lot will be developed with parking and landscaping.

Tri-Cities Prep expansion

Pasco

Terence Thornhill submitted plans for an expansion at Tri-Cities Prep Catholic High School at 9612 St. Thomas Drive. The work includes six additional classrooms, an auxiliary gym, an activities center, a concession stand, baseball and softball bleachers, an announcer’s booth, a performing arts building, educational facilities expansion, a football field and stands, finished parking, a walking path, a fence along Chapel Hill and St. Francis Lane, stadium lighting and removal of three portables.

TCCH parking expansion

Pasco

Meier Architecture and Engineering submitted plans to add parking at 719 W. Ruby St. to serve the Tri-Cities Community Health facility at 715 W. Court St. Road 40 extension

Pasco

Steve Culbert submitted plans to extend South Road 40 to the north end of the eastern property line at 3905 E. A St.

Removal of the existing driveway and site improvements also are planned.

Sandifur Apartments

Pasco

Haven Capital LLC submitted plans for a 44-unit apartment complex on 2.46 acres near the intersection of Sandifur Parkway and Midland Lane. The units will be two stories, with two or three bedrooms. Construction is expected to start in the fall 2023 and finish in the fall 2024.

Sandifur Phase II

Pasco

Hogback Development LLC submitted plans to pave an internal access road at Three Rivers Drive and Road 68 for a coffee shop with drive-thru and walk-up windows, a three-bay quick lube shop and an office/retail building. The site currently is vacant.

Support your community

Franklin County Saddle Club harnesses nonprofit status to create stable future

By Jamie Council for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Franklin County Saddle Club has always operated as a nonprofit, but it is leveling up.

It recently registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to reach its business goals and offer more to the business and equine community of Pasco and surrounding areas.

“Since 1959 when we were first established as a corporation, we’ve been operating as a nonprofit in Washington state, but we’ve never gone through the process of going through the IRS and getting the designation,” said Laurie Tufford, club treasurer and board member.

“We started thinking like, ‘This as a business and what we can do to increase the club?’ Getting the designation allows us to receive donations that can be written off on your taxes. It also allows us to apply for grants. Our whole goal is to boost the facility up.”

The 15-acre facility is tucked away a couple blocks from Road 68 in Pasco at 2801 N. Road 60.

The club has been around since 1956 with the goal of creating well-educated horsemen with a focus on youth and providing a safe space to grow the sport of equine. It’s been at the present location since 1960.

“A lot of people don’t know that we even have this facility,” Tufford said.

“Now that Pasco has grown around us, more people have become aware.”

The club offers annual membership that allows access to its facilities, day rider permits for those not in the club, Washington State Horsemen “B” System shows, other events and a training facility for various youth riding groups, including 4H and a local high school group.

A few members also give riding lessons on the grounds.

The Pasco facility also has served as a haven for horses throughout the de-

cades – when the Yakima River floods West Richland, or fires endanger nearby farms.

Financial challenges

The club operates on around $70,000 a year, which comes from member and show fees.

“We basically break even,” Tufford said.

The club currently has about 90 members. Its $275 annual membership fee is discounted to $175 with a community service agreement of 18 hours back to the club.

This agreement keeps the group afloat as it can’t afford property maintenance. However, as the property ages, it’s less viable as a business plan.

When issues come up, like a $10,000 bill for tree removal and trimming, the club dips into the reserve fund.

“We can continue to be doing the bare minimum with what we have, but for how long?” Tufford said. “It would take one major financial hit to put us under. If a tractor breaks, we’re toast. We’re getting to the point where things are getting so old, they need to be updated and that was our main thinking behind getting the new designation.”

Needed upgrades

The club’s facility consists of a twostory 2,280-square-foot clubhouse, four arenas, 116 stalls and a trail course. Most of the buildings are in desperate need of repairs, upgrades and additions to help grow with the sport in the region, Tufford said.

The club is the only facility in the area that holds Washington State Horsemen shows. Other shows take place in Walla Walla and Spokane.

Tufford serves as the show committee chairperson. She has been a part of the club since 1986 and said not too much has changed with the facilities since she arrived.

“The stalls are outdated, and they basically need to be torn down completely,” she said. “We need another barn like the yellow barn to replace those, to have more stalls available.”

The shows bring in about $25,000 per year, but with improvements, growth opportunities would take the club to the next level. Other needed upgrades include electrical infrastructure to accommodate RVs and replacing the arena lights.

“In the olden days, everyone had a camper and a tent. Now they have 45foot RVs that take a ton of electricity and they have air conditioners. … So when we have everyone blowing their air conditioners, it blows our circuits,” Tufford said.

Adding a covering to the arena also would be a huge advantage. Not only could the club extend the show season past June to weather the heat, but

Photo by Jamie Council

The Franklin County Saddle Club applied for nonprofit status to harness community support to pay for future upgrades at its 15-acre Pasco facility.

4 EV chargers installed at Hermiston Starbucks

Four chargers have been installed at the Starbucks store in Hermiston.

It’s part of an effort Starbucks, in partnership with Volvo Cars, to electrify the route roughly every 100 miles between four markets: Seattle, Boise, Salt Lake City and Denver.

The project supports Starbucks’ goal to become a resource positive company and reduce its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030.

The Hermiston Starbucks is at 1235 N. First St.

In other EV installation news, Walmart recently announced plans to build its own fast EV charging network at Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs, expanding to thousands of markets nationwide by 2030.

It currently houses about 1,300 charging stations at 280 stores and clubs.

Walmart said it is still identifying which markets these charging stations will be located.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Washington has seen EV ownership increase by 32.3% between 2020-21, with EV registrations rising from 50,500 to 66,810 in that timeframe.

CERB approves $2M loan to Port of Walla Walla

The Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) has approved a $2 million loan to Port of Walla Walla for a hangar and crew base

for Life Fight Network, which transports seriously ill or injured patients.

Life Flight Network LLC is investing $5.5 million, and the CERB funds are matched by $500,000 in local resources, a news release said.

The project will include designing and building a hangar and crew quarters, and it’s estimated to create and retain 29 jobs.

CERB also announced grants totaling $150,000 for projects in Columbia, Douglas and Kitsap counties. The loan and grants are intended to spur business growth and create jobs.

“CERB projects represent an important partnership between the state and local communities resulting in enhanced economic vitality,” CERB Chair Michael Echanove said in a statement. “These projects will ultimately lead to job growth across the state through infrastructure development and planning.”

Port of Warden receives $2.5M for truck bypass

The Port of Warden has received $2.5 million in federal funding to build an industrial bypass road to industrial zoned properties on the south side of Warden to accommodate the expected growth in truck freight from industrial, food processing and agricultural projects.

In the past few years, the port said it has seen a great deal of economic development, including a canola crushing and canola oil refining facility, a new fertilizer distribution facility, additional fresh produce packing and frozen and dehydrated food processing, and the associated warehousing for these products.

$3.5M construction project will replace traffic circle with lights

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Construction begins this month to replace an aging traffic circle with traffic lights at a key intersection connecting Richland to West Richland.

The $3.5 million Bombing Range Road project is scheduled to begin April 14 and be completed in October.

Total Site Services LLC is the general contractor.

Construction of the multi-lane intersection will be completed in stages, with the first phase rebuilding the south half of the intersection (April through July), and the second phase reconstructing the north half (July through September).

Drivers can expect detours throughout the project.

Bombing Range Road will be closed to through-traffic between Keene and Kennedy roads for the duration of the project.

The intersection will be controlled with a three-way stop for the majority of the construction project.

The city of West Richland wants to remove the circle where Bombing Range and Keene roads intersect to reduce backups and delays.

Designed in 2001, the traffic circle

was designed to last 20 years and is approaching the end of its life cycle.

Traffic backups are common during morning and evening commutes.

They have been becoming lengthier and longer as more development pops up along Keene Road and beyond, west of the traffic circle: the city’s municipal services building and new police station, Richland School District’s Libby Middle School and Teaching, Learning and Administration Center, SunMarket and Firehouse Subs.

More traffic will be coming, too, with the opening of a future high school, Benton REA’s new administration building and more houses in Badger Mountain South and Heights at Red Mountain Ranch developments.

In fall 2020, the city hired JUB Engineering in Kennewick to do a planning analysis of the intersection, looking out 20 years.

The city decided on traffic lights because such an intersection would be safer for pedestrians, didn’t negatively impact the adjacent property owners and was the preference of Benton Fire District 4.

For updates, go to: westrichland.org/ civicalerts.aspx.

and retirement parties,” Wright said. Making an escape

Wright happily traded her information technology job for escape room adventures.

For 26 years, she worked in the Hanford area in IT. Her husband, Troy, works for Kadlec in the health care field.

“I wanted to be my own boss,” Julianne said. “I was done (with IT) in 2016. So Troy and I were trying to build a business on the weekends.”

The idea for the escape room business was formulated during that week in Huntsville, and she stayed and worked at Hanford until the income from their new business allowed her to quit her main gig.

Julianne tried explaining to her husband her idea and how it would work, but it took her a weekend in their kitchen making a model of her plans to convince him.

He became her construction manager, creating everything needed for each room.

“My husband has been so supportive,” she said.

Julianne got her business license in 2017, but her construction contractor from Seattle was hit by a car, delaying the launch at Fowler Street.

Without a physical location, Julianne took her act on the road, renting space in local hotels and using virtual reality equipment.

“I thought virtual reality wouldn’t last very long,” she admitted. “But virtual reality saved the business. We rented out hotel rooms, doing haunted

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

houses virtual reality escape rooms. We could throw spiders at them, throw blood at them. It was an immediate hit. The customers loved it.”

Eventually, in July 2018, she opened the Fowler Street location.

Dreaming up challenges

Julianne comes up with many of the ideas for the live rooms herself, and the most popular is Case #79: The Gold Mine, where people must find the secret room to escape a gold mine.

There is also a bank robbery room, Santa Claus-themed room and a serial killer room.

The cost for any escape room adventure — live or virtual reality — is $28 per person.

It’s been a successful run so far. So much so, that Julianne finally gave her notice at Hanford in 2021.

Escape rooms are what she loves doing now.

“I’ve put my heart and soul into this,” she said.

She and her husband are their own research and development team.

They travel to Las Vegas three or four times a year — not to really gamble, but to check out escape rooms.

“Our last trip, we went to eight escape rooms in three days,” she said. search Atomic Escape Rooms: 1653 Fowler St., Richland; 509-735-4045; atomicescaperooms.com.

SADDLE CLUB, From page B10

it would allow the facility to host more events such as Washington State Junior Horsemen Association competitions.

The Columbia Burbank Equestrian Team has been practicing at the Franklin County Saddle Club for more than a decade, but it competes at other facilities.

“We actually put in a bid to host WSJHA events,” Tufford said, “but we lose those bids because we don’t have a covered arena. We’d also be able to bring in a national show or some of the bigger ranch events.”

However, the club has been able to make some improvements in the past few years.

The club replaced speaker wires in the main arenas, added a bridge to the trail course and built an announcer’s booth and office by the main arena.

“The membership did it,” said Tufford of the announcer’s booth. “We framed it. I put the flooring in, someone else did the concrete. It really is a labor of love in this whole place.”

While the club exists to build the equine community, it also helps build the community around it, she said.

“It’s not unusual for us at our big shows to have 100 horses,” Tufford said. “If we could make that 150, people aren’t going to sleep here. They’re going to sleep in hotels. They’re going to eat off Road 68. We don’t offer food here. You have all those people that want to watch their kids participate, trainers, students, it all adds it. The more people and tourism that comes, the better for the community as a whole.”

Go to: franklincountysaddleclub.org.

The Pasco School District will celebrate in May the completion of its new Richard L. Lenhart Transportation Center at 3410 Stearman Ave. in Pasco.

The two-story 29,997-square-foot facility will be used by the Pasco and Finley school districts’ transportation departments.

The center features nine offices, as well as staff training, conference and meeting rooms. In addition to providing more office space for support staff, there will be nine shop bays ready to service and maintain the 200 buses between the two school districts’ transportation departments.

The co-op facility is considered a much-needed improvement to the current portables being used as the department’s primary offices.

The center also will have electric vehicle charging stations because it plans

to add three electric buses to its fleet in the 2023-24 school year.

The new building is named after Richard “Dick” Lenhart, the bus driver who was fatally stabbed on a bus in 2021.

The $10 million building is on the Port of Pasco airport property. Voters approved a $99.5 million in bonds in 2017 for several projects, including this one.

G2 Construction of Kennewick is the general manager, led by Project Manager Oscar Torres.

Jeff Lane of ALSC Architects of Spokane designed the project.

The Pasco School District will host a ribbon-cutting event in partnership with the Pasco Chamber of Commerce at noon May 11.

Learn more about the facility at psd1.org/transportationcenter.

Pasco School

Columbia Park Trail, Richland

Fable Craft Bar, Wine Saloon and Food Joint has opened a fullservice restaurant with beer, wine and craft spirits.

The one-story restaurant at 1705 Columbia Park Trail in Richland features a warm, modern industrial exterior and interior with a throwback 1880s bar back.

It has roughly 3,000 square feet of indoor space for 100 seats and about 1,000 square feet of outdoor space for 60 seats.

Fable offers 180-degree views of the river from inside and the large outdoor patio.

Fable’s owner is John Bookwalter of Chapter Two Hospitality, the new parent company of Bookwalter Winery, Fiction and Fable, all in Richland.

The project cost $850,000, not including the land.

Fable adds to the burgeoning independent food and beverage scene with a rare top-notch river location and food and beverage program that can be enjoyed by local patrons and tourists to the area.

Richland’s Hummel Construction is the general contractor.

The architect is Harvey Prickett Owner of Wave Design in Pasco.

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

Rocio A. Orozco, 4215 Brahman Lane, Pasco.

Alison Lynn Davis, 6336 Hove St., West Richland.

Stephanie Nga Souriyavongsa, 451 W. Cliffe Blvd., #B-315, Richland.

Maria G. Vargas Ibarra, 46 Log Lane, Richland.

Shirley Jean Young, 3708 W. Clearwater Ave., #7, Kennewick.

Antonio D. Orosco Chavez, 200 S Union St., #3B, Kennewick.

Christopher Unser, 311 Casey Ave., Richland.

Kelly Leroue, 1308 Alameda Court, Richland.

James William Pooley & Jolene

Renee Pooley, 8801 Saint Thomas Drive, Pasco.

Oscarlos Quezada-Torres & Crystal Olivia Flores, PO Box 429, Connell.

Nancy Lee Leggett, 5100 W. Clearwater Ave., #H202, Kennewick.

Larry Lee Rogers & Marisela

Rivera Rogers, 1202 N. Arthur St., Kennewick.

Eriberto Larios, 3302 N. Road 44, Pasco.

Roberto Angel Lopez & Guadalupe

Lopez, 4304 W. Ruby St., Pasco.

Rosa Lupe Romero & Jose A. Maldonado Romero, 4015 Horizon Drive, Pasco.

Justin Lee Courtney & Jonica

Jeanne Courtney, 821 S. Tweedt St., Kennewick.

Tifani Peters, 3611 W. 15th Ave., Kennewick.

Augistin Jaime Castillo & Adriana

Castillo, 2219 E. Alvina St., Pasco.

Lance DeVilbiss, 16005 W. 470 PR NW, Benton City.

Adrian Moreno & Kendyl Borden, 6002 Cotswold Lane, Pasco.

uTOP PROPERTIES

Top property values listed start at $700,000 and have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure. Property values are public record and can be found by visiting the county assessor’s office.

BENTON COUNTY

56921 W. PR NW, Prosser, 2,605-square-foot home on 7 acres.

Price: $710,000. Buyer: Wendell Lee & Natalie Sian Cook. Seller: Melissa Ann Mehrer.

Property north of Interstate 82 and west of North Gap Road, Prosser, 13-acre home site. Price: $1.8 million. Buyer: Hayden Homes LLC.

Seller: CW-Merlot LLC.

98613 E. 162 PR SE, Kennewick, 2,636-square-foot home on 2.5 acres. Price: $1 million. Buyer: Jose Medelez Sr. & Maria L. Medelez.

Seller: Adam E. & Becki M. Hamel.

5428 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, five commercial buildings ranging in size from 1,440 square feet to 3,000 square feet. Price: $1.3 million. Buyer: Just Rosas Corp.

Seller: Connie Wormington & Sanford

P. Wormington Jr.

40223 E. Ruppert Road, Benton City, 3,054-square-foot home and pole building on 2.7 acres. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Christian Alex & Melinda L. Linde. Seller: Scott Rayner & Treah A. Pierce.

5500 Hershey Lane, West Richland, 2,907-square-foot. Price: $700,000. Buyer: Patrich & Hong Nguyen. Seller: Rosado Shadya B. Maldonado.

6006 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 3,252-square-foot convenience store. Price: $2.7 million. Buyer: Gill Cstores LLC. Seller: Circle K Stores Inc.

300 Northview Loop, West Richland, 2,500-square-foot home. Price: $735,000. Buyer: Daniel & Sherry Ellis. Seller: Stuart Marc & Kimberly Joyce Goldstein.

1864 Somers Lane, Richland, 3,000-square-foot home. Price: $816,000. Buyer: Aaron Paul & Carrie K. Kelly. Seller: Yong Yuan & Xingyuan Chen.

84905 E. Wallowa Road, Kennewick, 3,304-square-foot home.

Price: $950,000. Buyer: Nathaniel Holden & Naomia May. Seller: Michael R. Wlodarczyk & Diana P. Hodson-Wlodarczyk.

1526 Meadow Hills Drive, Richland, 1,931-square-foot home. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Peter & Andrea Adee. Seller: Stephen P. & LaDawn R. Skurka.

3385 Nicholas Lane, West Richland, 1,866-square-foot home.

Price: $837,000. Buyer: Rebecca Mantanona. Seller: Dennis Sawby Construction LLC.

2752 Ketch Road, Richland, 3,046-square-foot home. Price: $760,000. Buyer: Christopher Jordan Martinez & Carla Belen Acosta-Fajardo. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Horn

Rapids Limited Partnership.

825 Meadows Drive South, Richland, 2,287-square-foot home.

Price: $740,000. Buyer: Megan & Keith Knight. Seller: Kandice Dianne Schultz.

6606 W. 20th Ave., Kennewick,

3,500-square-foot home. Price:

$800,000. Buyer: Todd Knittel. Seller: Glen & Sharla K. Marshall.

358 Clovernook St., Richland, 2,718-square-foot home. Price: $865,000. Buyer: Tyler & Jillian Harlington. Seller: R & L Farms LLC.

86506 Calico Road, Kennewick,

2,566-square-foot home. Price:

$815,000. Buyer: Mark Brown. Seller: Gregory Don & Nancy Ann Hall Trustees.

3606 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 2,500-square-foot convenience store. Price: $765,000. Buyer: Bimal 13 LLC. Seller: ABC Pacific Corporation.

102921 E. Tatum Blvd., Kennewick, 3,752-square-foot home. Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: Wanda Sue & Stephen

R. Mason. Seller: Rebel Cottonwood LLC.

736 Marla Loop, Richland, 0.26acre home site. Price: $806,000.

Buyer: Nicholas S. Howard. Seller: Peake Contractors LLC.

35501 N. Hinzerling Road, Prosser, 3,675-square-foot commercial building, 2,184-square-foot home, three pole buildings on 60 acres. Price:

$950,000. Buyer: Karin I. Brown. Seller: Dustin DeWeber.

4335 Fallon Drive, West Richland, apartment complex. Price: $1.4 million. Buyer: Padilla VI LLC. Seller: Ambience Holdings 2001 LLC.

1804 W. 51st Ave., Kennewick, 2,320-square-foot home. Price: $705,000. Buyer: Timothy & StephauPUBLIC RECORD, Page B20

B20 TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | APRIL 2023

nie Doherty. Seller: Vickie Lynn DeYoung.

97801 E. Ridgeview Drive, Kennewick, 1,904-square-foot home.

Price: $705,000. Buyer: Myron Lewis & Lisa Lorene Baird. Seller: Alan & Beth Wilkins.

108215 E. Pine Hollow PR SE, Kennewick, 3,070-square-foot home and pole building on 4.75 acres.

Price: $850,000. Buyer: Sebastian A. & Sarah M. Moritzky. Seller: Robert J. Wenger Jr. & Elizabeth Susan Karr. 537 Lazio Way, Richland,

2,650-square-foot home. Price:

$715,000. Buyer: Laura Lynn Curtis. Seller: Titan Homes LLC.

24504 S. Oak St., Kennewick, 2,856-square-foot home. Price: $795,000. Buyer: Dennis L. & Natalie B. Faulkner. Seller: Fanco Construction Inc.

5209 S. Tacoma Court, Kennewick, 3,091-square-foot home. Price: $795,000. Buyer: Robert G. Schultz. Seller: Cartus Financial Corporation.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

4737 Sedona Court, 3,326-squarefoot home. Price: $800,000. Buyer: Eugenio M. & Maria G. Martinez. Seller: Jose C. & Blanca Garza.

63050 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco, 3,760-square-foot home. Price: $725,000. Buyer: Todd & Abby Coleman. Seller: Bao Nguyen.

5709 W. Pearl St., Pasco, 2,542-square-foot home. Price: $709,000. Buyer: Keith David Dunaway et al. Seller: Anthony H. Buel. Four parcels adjacent to City View Cemetery, Pasco, 1.77 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $700,000.

Buyer: The Death Merchant LLC. Seller: Rost Bros LLC.

5921 Road 60, Pasco, 19,840- and 9,916-square-foot assisted living facility. Price: $6.5 million. Buyer: Northcare Property LLC. Seller: BV AL Pasco I LLC.

4008 Desert Plateau Drive, Pasco, 2,543-square-foot home. Price: $705,000. Buyer: Nanette G. Walkley. Seller: Judith L. Donaldson. 8413 Whipple Ave., Pasco, 2,303-square-foot home. Price: $875,000. Buyer: Jason A. & Robbie C. Zook (TR). Seller: David & Doretta Pratt.

3218 Glade North Road, Pasco, 2,400-square-foot equipment shop building on 3 acres. Price: $775,000.

Buyer: Harms Holding Co. LLC. Seller: John Hieb.

2981 W. Sagemoor Road, Pasco,

multiwide home on 366 acres. Price: $3.7 million. Buyer: Lynette J. Kulp (TR / et al.). Seller: Carolynn A. Caldie (et al.) and Sanerett LLC.

uBUILDING PERMITS

CONNELL

Connell Hospital, 433 Columbia Ave. S., Connell, $8,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner.

BENTON COUNTY

Agri Northwest, 132504 S. 16 PR SW, Prosser, $3 million for new commercial. Contractor: Teton West of WA LLC.

Tyler Tapani, 71507 Homestead Road, Kennewick, $138,000 for new commercial. Contractor: W McKay Construction LLC.

Columbia River Seed, 187405 Plymouth Industrial Road, $2335,000 for new commercial and $75,000 for grading. Contractor: W McKay Construction LLC for new commercial and owner for grading.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Busted Flats LLC, 2823 E. Vineyard Drive., $25,000 for an antenna/tower. Contractor: Vertex Tower Solutions. Brent Heinen, 500 E. Elm Road, $25,000 for an antenna/tower. Contractor: D&R Communications Inc. Crop Production, 3486 N. Glade Road, $9,022 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractor: Limitless Heating & Cooling.

KENNEWICK

Port of Kennewick, 5 E. Columbia Drive, $60,000 for a sign. Contractor: Ray Poland & Sons Inc.

Rick Piacente, 10376 Ridgeline Drive, $503,030 for new commercial, $20,000 for plumbing, $30,000 for mechanical. Contractors: Pratt and Company, JRT Mechanical.

Kovalik & Associates, 6501 Crosswind Blvd., Suite D, $51,888 for heat pump/HVAV. Contractor: Noble HVAC Services.

Jeff Dress, 845 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite B, $40,000 for commercial remodel, $6,000 for heat pump/ HVAC. Contractors: Mark Vincent Construction LLC, Campbell Cool Electric Plumbing.

American National, 7525 W. Canal Drive, $5,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

City of Kennewick, 1620 S. Union St., $332,662 for mechanical. Contractor: owner.

Maverik Inc., 4306 W. Clearwater Ave., $14,600 for plumbing. Contractor: Campbell & Company.

Port of Kennewick, 320 E. Columbia Gardens Way, $100,000 for a sign. Contractor: Ray Poland & Sons Inc.

Port of Kennewick, 325 E. Columbia Gardens Way, $24,000 for a sign.

Contractor: Ray Poland & Sons Inc.

Port of Kennewick, 309 E. Columbia Gardens Way, $48,000 for a sign.

Contractor: Ray Poland & Sons Inc. TT Center LLC, 4827 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite A102, $5,000 for a sign.

Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. LAIC Inc., 4827 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite B110, $2,925,332 for new commercial, $54,040 for mechanical and $28,450 for plumbing. ContracuPUBLIC RECORD, Page B21

tors: Columbia River Steel & Construction, Real Centric Solutions LLC and Silverline Electric/Plumbing.

Randy Mattson, North Johnson Street, $20,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: owner.

Thomas A. Berg, 114 S. Auburn St., $20,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Tool Tech.

Columbia Center, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 3, $10,157 for fire sprinkler modification. Contractor: Johnson Controls Fire.

Highlands Center LLC, 2810 W. Kennewick Ave., $35,000 for mechanical. Contractor: Aday Standard LLC.

Costco Wholesale, 8505 W. Gage Blvd., $1 million for heat pump/ HVAC and $36,239 for mechanical.

Contractor: owner.

IBEW Local 112, 142 N. Edison St., $5.5 million for new commercial construction, $804,280 for heat pump/HVAC, $156,610 for plumbing.

Contractors: DGR Grant Construction, Total Energy Management, BNB

Mechanical.

Wallace Properties, 128 S. Ely St., $149,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Greg Senger Construction.

Vista Field Ind Park II, 6416 W. Hood Place, Suite A150, $14,000 for a commercial remodel. Contractor:

DFR Services Inc.

USCOC of Richland Inc., 1917 N. Steptoe St., $20,000 for a commercial remodel. Contractor: Tool Tech.

I&J Investments, 520 E. Columbia Drive, $30,000 for siding/windows.

Contractor: H Razzo Flooring & More.

Stephanie Nelson, 103 N. Ely St., $57,988 for a commercial re-roof.

Contractor: Palmer Roofing Co.

Costco Wholesale, 8505 W. Gage Blvd., $3.3 million for commercial remodel and $1 million for plumbing.

Contractor: Lydig Construction for remodel and owner for plumbing.

Hawthorne Development LLC, 4704 W. Hildebrand Blvd., $527,771 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Hawthorne Construction Group.

Grandridge Investment, 8131 W. Klamath Court, $47,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: S&C Maintenance & Construction.

PASCO

TSK Investments LLC, Parcel 113 590 033, $100,000 for miscellaneous. Contractor: owner.

Thomas Matheson, 616 S. Road 40 E., $20,000 for antenna/tower work. Contractor: to be determined.

Darigold Inc., 8201 N. Railroad Ave., $265,925 for new commercial. Contractor: owner.

Tiger LLC, 2221 E. Lewis St., $6,115 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs. Port of Pasco, 2201 E. Ainsworth Ave., $90,305 for plumbing. Contractor: Industrial Construction of WA.

Sunnyside Hospitality, 4525 Road 68, $5,967 for a fire alarm system.

Contractor: ADT Commercial LLC.

KC Developments LLC, 616 W. Columbia St., $23,271 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Re-Bath of Tri-Cities.

J&V Property Inc., 1212 N. Fourth Ave., $29,000 for siding/windows.

Contractor: Allegiance Construction. BoomBoom Properties, 9425 Sandifur Parkway, $6,050 for an addition to a fire alarm system. Contractor: Cascade Fire Protection.

Browman Development, 2941

Queensgate Drive, $35,380 for tenant improvement. Contractor: Polar Refrigeration Inc.

WRP Washington Plaza LLC, 1745 George Washington Way, $1 million for new commercial. Contractor:

Stephens & Sons Construction.

McCurley Subaru Mazda, 3302 W. Marie St., $25,000 for an antenna/ tower. Contractor: Mastec Network Solutions.

Columbia River Walk Development LLC, 2120 W. A St., $131,612 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Patriot Fire Protection.

Pasco School District, southwest corner of Road 60 and Desert Drive, and northwest of Burns Road and Road 60, $550,000 for grading.

Contractor: Big D’s Construction of Tri-Cities.

Granite Real Estate, 124 Shoshone St., Suite J and K, $6,007 for tenant improvements. Contractor: JVL Remodeling.

Simplot RDO LLC, 1825 N. Commercial Ave., $5,083 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Johnson Controls Inc.

Pacific One Bank, 3525 W. Court St., $5,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Pasco Haven LLC, 301 W. 20th Ave., $59,800 for a commercial addition. Contractor: Inland Washington LLC.

Grigg Family LLC, 700 W. Columbia St., $6,000 for a fire alarm system.

Contractor: Pro Fire.

Iglesia Evangelica, 1215 W. Court St., $5,000 for a fire alarm system. Contractor: Pro Fire.

The Noel Corporation, 2525 W. Hopkins St., $7,512 for a fire alarm system. Contractor: Inland Alarm LLC.

PROSSER

Bleyhl Farm Services, 1000 Bennett Ave., $10,000 for a sign. Contractor: Eagle Signs LLC.

RICHLAND

Ben Franklin Transit, 691 Windmill Road, $2,989,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Goodman & Mehlenbacher.

Kohls Department Stores, 1457 Tapteal Drive, $257,510 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Michigan Woods Construction Inc. Sienna Hills Development, 510

Cortona Way, $160,000 for new commercial, $51,806 for a deck/pergola, $180,000 for pool/spa. Contractor: Riverwood Homes WA LLC. Eig4T Nova WA, 1215 George Washington Way, $285,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Thrive Construction LLC. Ford Group LLC, 1663 Fowler St., $700,000 for new commercial.

Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

Abrams Family LLC, 303 Bradley Blvd., Suite 200, $20,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: The Works General Contractor.

D&I Investment, 3237 Kingsgate Way, $1.7 million for new commercial. Contractor: Clearspan Steel LLC.

Maverik Inc., 3520 Keene Road, $325,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: BH Inc.

Kadlec Child Care, 950 Swift Blvd., $27,000 for a commercial addition.

Contractor: Swinerton Builders. Marsh Queensgate, 2150 Keene Road, $294,546 for tenant improvements. Contractor: FreshCo 2 LLC. BBS Richland, 2373 Jericho Road, Build A, $30,000 for an antenna.

Contractor: Mastec Network Solutions.

WEST RICHLAND

MWIC Southwest LLC, 8000 Parade Way, Buildings I-O, $7,991 each for fire alarm system. Contractor: Cascade Fire Protection. City of West Richland, 7920 W. Van Giesen St., $95,000 for a sign. Contractor: owner.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B23

City of West Richland, 7920 W. Van Giesen St., $14,000 for heat pump/ HVAC. Contractor: owner.

City of West Richland, 5375 Astoria Road, $18,000 for antenna/tower.

Contractor: Faulk & Foster.

uBUSINESS LICENSES

KENNEWICK

Beck Cabinet Company, 3247

W. Industrial Loop, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

BCCM Construction Group Inc.,

100 E. Seventh St., Kansas City.

Miranda Metal Buildings LLC, 81231 W. Eighth Road, Irrigon.

Lakeview Construction Inc., 10505

Corporate Drive, Pleasant Prairie.

Building Material Specialties Inc., 201 SW Spring St., Hillsboro.

Will Vasquez Construction, 1490

25th St. NE, Salem, Oregon.

RFW Construction Group LLC, 1801 Highway 51 North, Dyersburg.

Boba King, 11201 W. Berkeley Road, Avondale.

Crepes LLC, 6400 SE Lake Road, Portland, Oregon.

Nead Safety Consulting LLC,

18582 W. Rice Ave., Hauser.

Wolverine Hearing Group LLC, 5661 104th Ave., Grand Junction.

Modus LLC, 240 Stockton St., San Francisco, California.

Low Voltage Securities Inc., 16716

Second St. East, Lake Tapps

Tool Tech LLC, 888 W. Second Ave., Eugene, Oregon.

Tapani Trucking Inc., 1904 SE Sixth Place, Battle Ground.

Staff Pro Inc., 504 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane.

M.G. Construction, 3415 S. Garfield St.

Custom Floor Covering LLC, 6314

Three Rivers Drive, Pasco.

Devoted Builders LLC, 1030 N. Center Parkway.

Tumbleweeds Mexican Flair, 894

Stevens Drive, Richland.

True Compass LLC, 30810 152nd Ave. SE, Kent.

D&R Communications Inc., 80 SW Chehalis Ave., Chehalis.

TMG Services Inc., 3216 E. Portland Ave., Tacoma.

Presco Telecommunications Inc., 1521 15th St. NW, Auburn.

Zerorez Of Tri-Cities, 801 S. Step-

toe St.

Mane Beauty Hair Studio, 3902 W. Clearwater Ave.

Quillen Designs, 1709 W. 24th

Place.

Roe General Contractor, 809 Snow Ave., Richland.

Lexington Homes, 1050 N. Argonne Road, Spokane Valley.

Aday Standard LLC, 3403 65th Drive NE, Marysville.

Crazy Leos Express LLC, 3806 W.

17th Ave.

Roadrunners Insulation LLC, 1519 W. Irving St., Pasco.

Torres Distribucion, 601 S. Kent St.

TI General Contractor LLC, 710 E.

Sixth Ave.

11 Western Express LLC, 4508 W.

Sixth Ave.

Tri-Town Lan, 3708 W. Sixth Ave.

Asphalt Assault Skateboard Shop, 309 W. Kennewick Ave.

DLP Cleaning, 508 W. 11th Ave.

Square Plumb LLC, 4001 S. Ander-

son St.

La Ley, Exitos, La Raza, La Reyna, 207 N. Dennis St.

Ginieis Unlimited, 1306 W. Kennewick Ave.

Roofing Rodriguez LLC, 1505 S. Road 40 East, Pasco.

Forage & Foliage, 10251 Ridgeline Drive.

Tri-City Tile Kitchen & Bathroom

Remodeling LLC, 5103 Malaga Drive, Pasco.

Iron Worker Drywall LLC, 111 Sand Hill Road, Grandview.

CGG Construction LLC, 5100 W.

Clearwater Ave.

Aby’s Daycare, 1601 S. Lincoln St.

Nova Venue Rentals, 100 N. Howard St., Spokane.

The Little Park Farm, 5527 W. Uma-

tilla Ave.

Tiny Sprouts Daycare, 4026 S. Zil-

lah St.

MC Mechanical LLC, 7203 W. Sixth Place.

Iglesia Legado, 2203 W. Fourth Ave.

Tri Tsega Fencing LLC, 2500

George Washington Way, Richland.

Columbia Basin Construction LLC, 2427 W. Falls Ave.

Norton Floors LLC, 3234 S. Palouse

St.

Stone General Construction LLC, 2314 S. Rainier Place.

Nails By Kenz, 8121 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Ramos Remodel LLC, 210 E. First Place.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, 1920 N. Pittsburgh St.

Bjom Sales, 6029 W. Okanogan

Loop.

Grumpy Monkey Cookie Co., 427

S. Penn St.

Caravel Autism Health, 1919 N. Pittsburgh St.

Magana, Luis Fernando, 414 S. Gum St.

Adora-bao, 711 Capitol Way South, Olympia.

Silhouette Body Contouring, 8797

W. Gage Blvd.

Ridgeline Coffee Co., 10 E. Bruneau Ave.

Torres, Rebecca, 3312 S. Gum St.

The Spoiled Brat Co., 803 S. Auburn St.

Jimmy Auto Repair, 214 E. Albany

Ave.

Kaa Floor Covering LLC, 7850

Coldwater Drive, Pasco.

Superior Granite LLC, 6503 W. Okanogan Ave.

Amy Smull Photography, 2000 W. 43rd Place. City Turf Empire LLC, 908 W. Jan St., Pasco.

Jmedia Films LLC, 2512 Kalispell Court, Pasco.

Toyota of Tri-Cities, 6321 W. Canal Drive.

Try-City Clean LLC, 2014 W. Fourth Ave.

Just Rosas Corp, 5428 W. Clearwater Ave.

Christ Central, 5249 S. Quincy

Place.

Cross Reiter Inc., 1917 W. 16th Ave.

Paulson’s Floorcoverings, 1339 Tapteal Drive, Richland.

Alebrijes Cleaning, 3407 W. Hood Ave.

Boba Lab, 4827 W. Clearwater Ave. Heritage Healing Massage, 124B

Vista Way.

Anne’s Whatnots, 3106 S. Dawes St.

Tri-Cities Masonry Landscaping & Concrete LLC, 124 W. Shoshone St., Pasco. Living Wellness Acupuncture, 8390 uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B24

W. Gage Blvd.

TNT Collectibles LLC, 8522 W. Falls

Place.

MDR Flooring LLC, 9407 NE Van-

couver Mall Drive, Vancouver

MJM Cleaning Services, 1514 W.

Fourth Ave.

Glazin LLC, 102 N. McKinley St.

Finders Insurance Group Inc., 126

S. Ely St.

From Above UAV, 3306 W. 46th

Ave.

Soderberg, Mikael, 1702 W. Third

Ave.

Speak Life Media, 4806 W. 18th

Ave.

Ramirez General Construction LLC, 33901 S. 2243 PR SE.

Mareth Salon, 4 N. Cascade St.

J&D Maintenance LLC, 3723 S.

Date St.

Cedar & Alder Design House, 3791

S. McKinley St.

Waypoint Locations LLC, 161

Blalock Drive, Walla Walla.

Nova’s Cleaning, 1623 W. 24th

Place.

Community First Bank, 8121 W.

Grandridge Blvd.

Joel The Barber LLC, 6515 W.

Clearwater Ave.

Nishati Wellness Auto Injury, 803

S. Auburn St.

Temo Lawn Services LLC, 2126 W.

Yakima St., Pasco.

Clawz By Cruz, 10 N. Cascade St.

Down And Dirty, 636 N. Everett St.

Estrella Daycare, 518 E. 21st Ave.

Community First Bancorporation

Inc., 8131 W. Grandridge Blvd.

SLG Limited, 2011 S. Sheppard St.

Oreshko Construction LLC, 3706

Lakelse Lane, Pasco.

Evolv Design Collective LLC, 116

W. Kennewick Ave.

Baskin Robbins, 2617 W. Kennewick Ave.

Fairy Tails LLC, 1213 S. Lincoln St.

Simplyskinxxdrea, 10 N. Cascade

St.

Dennis L. Bradshaw, 5714 W. 26th

Ave.

Charlie C LLC, 3802 W. 43rd Ave.

Caddy Junk Removal, 2736 Ma-

drona Loop, West Richland.

Lockhart, Natalie Gail Mrs., 3718

S. Sharron St.

Michelle Perez Arnp, 1776 Fowler

St., Richland.

Kelly Menter Hair Design, 1321 N.

Columbia Center Blvd., Unit 20.

Elegant Together, 3302 S. Auburn

St.

Salon 4 Lawns Landscaping, 5609

W. 24th Ave.

Poshdogs LLC, 1817 W. Herman

Road, Othello.

Mother & Son Ball Foundation, 693

S. Idaho St.

Restlesseye Solutions LLC, 3215

W. 42nd Place.

Rmotive LLC, 9310 W. Eighth Place.

The Penthouse, 3906 S. Anderson

St. 7901 Clearwater LLC, 7901 W.

Clearwater Ave.

Hibachi Explosion LLC, 212 W.

Kennewick Ave.

Itruck Enterprises LLC, 1411 S.

Garfield Place.

Eric Mcfall Golf LLC, 8942 W. Canyon Place.

Lostleaf Pet, 3603 W. 22nd Ave.

Essential Pest Control, 6908 W.

Argent Road, Pasco.

Koval Enterprises LLC, 673 Tangle-

wood Drive, Richland.

Acquire LTC Training, 4310 W. 24th

Ave.

Brickwise Construction LLC, 500 108th Ave. NE, Bellevue. Godinez, Jose Ignacio, 632 N. Arthur St.

RICHLAND

B H Inc., 1175 E. 2000 S. Vernal, Utah.

Dry Canyon Communications LLC, 4585 SW 21st St., Suite 102, Redmond, Oregon.

Vibricon, 5831 Kootenai Trail Road, Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Bauder Grading & Excavation LLC, 52217 W. Yakitat Place NW, Benton City.

Spokane Roofing Company LLC, 23403 E. Mission Ave., Liberty Lake.

Rehn Brooke Refrigeration LLC, 2777 NW Arlenes Court, East Wenatchee. Leone & Keeble Inc., 108 W. Boone Ave., Spokane.

A U Security, 2615 N. Cincinnati St., Suite 101, Spokane.

O’Bbunco Engineering International Inc., 1042 W. James St.., Suite 201, Kent.

Advanced Electric Signs Inc., 1550 Down River Drive, Woodland.

Gotta-go Portables, 1276 Paige St.

Rickabaugh Pentecost Development, 108 W. Stewart, Puyallup.

Aslan Organics, 2513 Duportail St.

Stephanie Parfait, 1900 Fowler St. How Sweet It Is, 710 George Washington Way.

M&M Mechanical LLC, 1121 W. Nixon St., Pasco.

Diamond Cut Coatings LLC, 110 S. Irving St., Kennewick.

Hearthwood Construction LLC, 5652 W. 28th Ave., Kennewick.

A&A Roofing Services, 2904 W. 43rd Court, Kennewick.

Glow By Kie, 513 Lee Blvd.

Noahloni Counseling Services, 750 Swift Blvd.

Gemenon Advisors Inc., 62 Park St.

Door-to-door Dog Grooming LLC, 5114 Point Fosdick Drive, Gig Harbor.

Altitude Agri Services LLC, 1333 Tapteal Drive.

Wickersham Workshop, 1423 Potter Ave.

Closer Counseling, 719 Jadwin Ave.

Intrinsic Vitality, 170 Riverwood St.

Generations Trenchless LLC, 3040

Hickory Ave., West Richland. Enola Mae Atelier LLC, 640 Cedar Ave.

Catherine Douglas Homes LLC, 490 Bradley Blvd.

Polestar-JFT Integrated Solutions

LLC, 2920 George Washington Way.

Tri-City DT Black Properties LLC, 424 Jadwin Ave.

Saint John, 1177 Lee Blvd.

The Fuzzy Felt, 402 Sierra St. Alpine Anesthesia, 1882 Nova Lane.

Little Plant Shop at the Parkway, 709 The Parkway.

Paddington House LLC, 254 Rockwood Drive.

Weathering The Storm Counseling

PLLC, 654 Cedar Ave.

Clean Energy Suppliers Alliance, 3250 Port of Benton Blvd.

The Green Room Tattoo Lounge, 1309 George Washington Way.

Radiant LLC, 109 Skyline Drive.

Steward Leaders, 723 The Parkway.

Quality Plus Auto Glass, 16 N. Kellogg St., Kennewick.

McCurley Development Inc., 1329 Country Ridge Drive.

Siren Hair Company, 404 Bradley Blvd.

Glow Again LLC, 1901 George Washington Way.

Mechtech, 2334 Henderson Loop.

Danielle Krasner, 1032 Nez Perce Lane.

Storelocal Richland, 953 Jericho Court.

Terra Bushey Hair, 2254 Keene Road.

Amy Cherry, 8202 Ashen Drive, Pasco.

Cosmic Productions LLC, 1295 Fowler St. Dexter Street Books, 170 Riverwood St.

Paula Kaye Call, 1320 Brookwood Ave.

Rolando Tello Ricano, 262 Conrad Road, Touchet.

Skye’s Finds, 1422 Jadwin Ave. Sagebrush Health, 217 Torbett St. SCM Cleaning Services LLC, 3708

W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Aero Composite Works, 6401 Turf

Paradise Drive, Pasco.

Uriel Garcia, 612 The Parkway.

Rebel, 601 Amon Park Drive.

Speedy Auto & Farm Services, 16005 N. Webber Canyon Road, Benton City.

Gamache Maintenance LLC, 2917

W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

Vitas Carpentry LLC, 7710 Coldwater Drive, Pasco.

Tri-City Computer Consulting, 4501 S. Washington St., Kennewick. Claudia Takisha Torres, 319 N. Fillmore St., Kennewick.

CTI-VNSFS Environmental LLC, 117A Broadway Ave., Oak Ridge, uPUBLIC RECORD, Page

Tennessee.

Sulzer Tower Field Service US Inc., 8505 E. North Belt Humble, Texas.

Gonzalez Services, 750 Swift Blvd.

The Jamar Company, 4701 Mike

Colalillo Drive, Duluth, Minnesota.

Will Vasquez Construction, 1490

25th St. NE, Salem, Oregon.

Russell Rockeries Inc., 310 Seven

Mile Place, Walla Walla.

QC Tri-Cities LLC, 84728 Highway

339 Milton-Freewater, Oregon.

Strom Electric, 405 S. Main St., Troy.

Infotech South LLC, 1130 Stallion

Place.

High Desert Maintenance Inc., 525

E. Bruneau Ave., Kennewick.

Torres Flooring LLC, 730 W. A St., Pasco.

Fresh Leaf Co., 1080 George Washington Way.

Custom Floor Covering LLC, 6314

Three Rivers Drive, Pasco.

Balanced Touch Therapeutic Massage, 451 Westcliffe Blvd.

Kristina Denise Massey, 516 Cot-

tonwood Creek Blvd., Kennewick.

True Compass LLC, 30810 152nd Ave. SE, Kent.

Dance By Beth Trost, 3729 S. Quincy Place, Kennewick.

Systematic Wood Designs LLC, 909 W. Main St., Walla Walla.

Wallette’s Services, 514 S. Georgia St., Kennewick.

Paulson’s Floorcoverings, 7615 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver.

G Hagen Organization, 2638 Eagle-

watch Loop.

Clean Fast Blue, 408 W. 12th Ave., Ellensburg.

JA Torres Construction & Development LLC, 6526 Eagle Crest Drive,

Pasco. Lexington Homes, 1050 N. Argonne Road, Spokane Valley.

New Castle Systems LLC, 12504 Wide Hollow Road, Yakima.

Roadrunners Insulation LLC, 1519

W. Irving St., Pasco.

Mercedes Felix, 2555 Bella Coola

Lane.

LPR Architecture, 2407 NW 63rd

St., Seattle.

Jamison Signs Inc., 25211 E. Trent Ave., Newman Lake.

Prevision Plumbing LLC, 4764

Road E NE, Moses Lake.

Genesis Homes LLC, 100 N. Morain St., Kennewick.

Kindred Spirits, 30 George Washington Way.

Tri-Cities Oral & Facial Surgery, 1363 Columbia Park Trail.

J Wales Homes Solutions LLC, 1400 112th Ave. SE, Bellevue.

Cherished Memories, 1704 Jadwin Ave.

Columbia Basin Exteriors LLC, 1030 N. Center Parkway, Kennewick.

Reliant Electric LLC, 603 Speyers

Road, Selah.

Sentry Northwest LLC, 925 Stevens Drive.

The Works General Contracting LLC, 933 S. Highland Drive, Kennewick.

Darling Delights Bakery LLC, 2032

Cascade Ave.

Norco Inc., 6223 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick.

Anne Maughan Counseling Services, 310 Benham St.

General One Contracting, 490 Bradley Blvd.

Imprintz, 620 Camy Court.

32-Vista, 32 Vista Court.

Romero General Contractor, 719 Jadwin Ave.

Mac II Holdings, 300 Columbia Point Drive.

Ramos Remodel LLC, 210 E. First Place, Kennewick.

Columbia Basin Notary, LLC, 4109

Riverhaven St., Pasco. AFE, 2322 Cottontail Lane.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, 1920 N. Pittsburg St., Kennewick.

Good Wood Work, 25001 S. Haney Road, Kennewick.

Simply Shine Cleaning Co. LLC, 509 Austin Drive, West Richland. Marsh & Mclennan Agency LLC, 390 Bradley Blvd. Mommacare, 5407 W. 17th Ave., Kennewick.

Northwest Drywall, 1001 Chardonnay St., Granger.

Yessenia Soto, 7508 Road 42 Pasco.

Dogwatch of the Columbia Basin, 3511 W. 46th Ave., Kennewick.

360 Mobile Detailing, 2105 N. Steptoe St., Kennewick.

Luis Fernando Magana, 414 S. Gum St., Kennewick.

Tiny Living Golden Concept LLC, 2992 Lorayne J Blvd., Kennewick.

Hair By Rain, 227 Symons St. Kaa Floor Covering LLC, 7850

Coldwater Drive, Pasco.

Superior Granite LLC, 6503 W. Okanogan Ave., Kennewick. Appel Motorsports, 39 S. Lee Court, East Wenatchee. Fricke Excavation LLC, 5700 Glenbrook Loop, West Richland. Jmedia Films LLC, 2512 Kalispell Court, Pasco. 5-Star Impeccable LLC, 1421 S.

Cedar Place, Kennewick. Paulson’s Floorcoverings, 1339 Tapteal Drive.

Wrapture Paint Protection and Wraps, 1825 Howell Ave.

C Plus C Coffee Co LLC, 5880 Alder Road, Pasco.

Speak Life Media, 4806 W. 18th Ave., Kennewick.

Captoon LLC, 149 Travis Lane, Kennewick.

Temo Lawn Services LLC, 2126 W. Yakima St., Pasco.

Jose J. Morfin, 6201 Rockrose Lane, Pasco. Down And Dirty, 636 N. Everett St., Kennewick.

Fairy Tails LLC, 1213 S. Lincoln St., Kennewick.

Caddy Junk Removal, 2736 Madrona Loop, West Richland.

PSJ Provider Recruitment LLC, 1730 Minor Ave., Seattle.

Romero’s Pruning & Landscaping LLC, 2702 W. Seventh Ave., Kennewick.

PASCO

Alicia Rico Daycare, 803 N. Beech Ave.

Perfection Contracting Services LLC, 404 Road 37.

Maxim Crane Works LP, 1124 112th St. East, Tacoma.

Moctezuma Media, 1015 W. Sylvester St., #1015.

IT Haven, 1618 Terminal Drive, Richland.

M & O Contracting LLC, 610 W. Lewis St., Suite B. Obsidian Creations LLC, 4821 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick. uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B27

Plaza El Chapulin, 6515 Comiskey Drive.

BDS Planning & Urban Design Inc., 1932 First Ave., Suite 814.

Juarez Brothers LLC, 1803 W. Octave St.

Contour Construction, 3420 W.

Wernett Road.

Little Learners Preschool and Daycare, 8111 Spieden Drive.

Verbruggen Palletizing Solutions Inc., 5804 Road 90, #104.

Windy River Design and Consulting LLC, 1209 S. Garfield St., Kennewick.

G&AC, 7704 Vendovi Drive.

Alienz Transport LLC, 2104 N. 18th

Ave.

Grace Cleaning LLC, 2504 E. Alvina

St.

PCH Framing LLC, 8711 Studebaker Drive.

Evolution Transportation LLC, 1708 W. Yakima St.

Benton County Investigations LLC, 4315 Laurel Drive.

KGBS Trucking LLC, 6207 Melita Lane.

Say It With Expression, 6119 Camden Drive.

G&G Delivery Services LLC, 2112

E. Butte St.

Romero Construction & Services

LLC, 3425 E. A St., #E101.

Living Waters Kitchens & Remodel

LLC, 2821 W. Pearl St., #2821.

Arising Restoration, 611 N. Elm.

Aileen’s Party Rental, 407 S. Hugo Ave.

Pedro Alcaraz, 613 W. Clark St.

Works For Me LLC, 8522 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick.

A & C Roofing, 32720 19th Place

South, #P103, Federal Way.

Division 7, 1625 S. Palouse Place, Kennewick.

NJW Logistics LLC, 8003 Bayberry Drive.

Cuellar Trucking LLC, 616 W. Sho-

shone St.

Quality Tree Service, 1505 S. Road

40 East, #503.

The Body Lounge, 306 W. Lewis St.

Tru Accounting Services LLC, 1505

58th Court.

AED Flight Support LLC, 4106 Stafford Drive.

Valhalla Industries Inc., 522 W. Riv-

erside Ave., Suite N, Spokane.

Shamrock Traffic Inc., 110 N. Hay-

ford Road, Spokane.

Sweet Z’s Zucchini, 4101 Fallon

Drive, Apt. B, West Richland.

Bookkeeping With Bianca LLC, 1212 W. 21st Ave., Kennewick.

Sysco Food Service of Seattle, 22820 54th Ave. South, Kennewick.

Kohler Plumbing LLC, 11905 S.

Bermuda Road, Kennewick.

Reser’s Fine Foods Inc., 5526 N.

Capitol Ave.

Origin Construction Corporation, 1107 E. Hastings Road, Spokane.

Jr Construction LLC, 2310 Tear Road, Grandview.

Delconn Construction & Remodel LLC, 5404 Buchanan Lane.

Empire Well Drilling LLC, 207 River Park Ave., Wenatchee.

24/7 Heating & Cooling LLC, 500

Haworth Road.

Kosmo Carpentry LLC, 1212 N. Morain Loop, Kennewick.

Fusion Auto Paint, 200 S. 20th Ave.

Fresh Looks by Faith, 8425 Chapel Hill Blvd., #B103.

Dynasty Roofing, 8316 N. Colton Place, Spokane.

GS Flooring LLC, 16310 S. Gertrude St., Kennewick.

Infinite Optical Communications, 511 S. Irby St., Kennewick.

Vanesita’s Cleaning Services, 3422

S. Conway Court, Kennewick.

Homes & Land of the Tri-Cities, 3012 Bosch Court.

Safelite Auto Glass #3746, 1603 W.

Lewis St.

Pet Medical Center of Pasco, 8823

Sandifur Pkwy.

The Nail Bar & Spa LLC, 4845

Broadmoor Blvd., #102.

Crown Utilities LLC, 721 S. 28th

Ave.

Columbia Basin Tires & Auto

Glass, 1304 E. Lewis St.

Mana Massage, 6916 W. Argent

Road. Suite B.

Power Up Martial Arts LLC, 4215

Convention Place.

Tri-Cities Concrete Pumping LLC, 210 E. Albany Ave., Kennewick.

Soak N. Clean, 1835 Neel Court, Apt. C, Kennewick.

Clearview Window Cleaning & Power Wash, 1333 Tapteal Drive, #104, Richland.

Framed Photo Booth Company, 6581 Cyprus Loop, West Richland.

Shining Janitorial Services LLC, 3708 S. Everett St., Kennewick.

Apex Mechanical, 1507 SE Eaton Blvd., Battle Ground.

Robinson Tech LLC, 515 N. Neel St., #A101, Kennewick.

Step By Step Daycare Center, 1305 Road 44.

Columbia Basin Tires & Auto

Glass, 901 W. Lewis St.

Miss Sparkles Cleaning Service

LLC, 3603 Libertad Court.

Clean Cut Construction Inc., 805

Wright Ave., Richland.

Gomez Party Rentals LLC, 830 N.

Baart Road, Mesa

Lozano Transport LLC, 5614 Denver Drive.

J A Jones & Co., 1600 W. Lewis St.

Budget Rent a Car System Inc., 3601 N. 20th Ave.

YRB Custom Wheels, 3520 W. Opal St.

Wecool Water and Ice LLC, 8801 St. Thomas Drive.

Pacific Comprehensive Health

PLLC, 1200 N. 14th Ave., Suite 245.

Voyage Enterprises LLC, 1200 N.

14th Ave., Suite 245.

Ram.Ac Interiors LLC, 2120 W. A St., #117.

Irepair Bros, 6403 Burden Blvd., Suite B.

Montero Cuts, 3616 W. Court St., Suite J.

DFR Services, 2105 S. Arthur Loop, Kennewick.

Livgray Designs LLC, 98004 E.

Reata Road, Kennewick. Super Clean Services, 2108 N. 14th Ave.

Duncunn Remodeling & Maintenance Services, 2821 W. Grand Ronde Ave., Kennewick.

Tri-Cities Epoxy LLC, 9323 W. Seventh Place, Kennewick.

F.C. Concrete & Chico’s Construction, 223111 E. Bowles Road, Lot 2, Kennewick.

Powell’s Inferno, 110 S. Fourth Ave. Carol Roblyer - Via, 10251 Ridgeline Drive, #B178, Kennewick. C&E Framing LLC, 3605 Estrella Drive.

Regional Home Services, 1703 W. Yakima St. Reparaciones Murillo LLC, 312 N. Main Ave.

M & J Quality Construction LLC, 66802 N. 82 PR NE.

Tourezy LLC, 5609 Macedon Court.

Tri-Cities Handyman Services LLC, 8132 W. Hood, Kennewick.

O’Malley Geomatics, 1030 N. Center Parkway, Suite B2410, Kennewick.

Refresh Home Remodeling & Services LLC, 114 N. Olympia, Kennewick.

Iris Y. Garcia, 8425 Chapel Hill Blvd.

C&C Construction/Roof Systems LLC, 5307 Richardson Road.

Hanson Real Estate Group Inc., 7015 Alderman Road.

The Magical Touch, 1623 W. First Ave., Kennewick.

First Impressions Flooring LLC, 6916 W. Yellowstone Ave., Kennewick.

Uvalle Construction LLC, 5801 W. Ruby St. Evolution Services LLC, 2712 Fleming Lane. His and Hirz Candies, 1518 Mahan Ave., Richland.

Altitude Agri Services LLC, 1333

Tapteal Drive, Suite 107, Richland. Fate Painting LLC, 35703 N. Flagstone Drive, Benton City.

Little Moments Daycare, 4409 Corinth Drive.

Novus Player, 6209 Curlew Lane. Norco Inc., 6223 W. Deschutes Ave., Suite 407, Kennewick. Refresh Home Remodeling & Services LLC, 114 N. Olympia St., Kennewick.

Jazmin Ramos Mendoza, 6615 Chapel Hill Blvd.

Purple Diamond Construction LLC, 821 College St., Milton-Freewater, Oregon.

Moctezuma Media, 1212 N. 20th Ave., Suite C.

First Class Accounting LLC, 6212

Ramus Lane. Watertown Trucking LLC, 215 N. Venture Road.

Tri J’s Drywall, 51 N. Edison St. Apt H204, Kennewick.

Frank Meyer Construction, 107105

N. Harrington Road, West Richland. Big Tom’s Towing, 23908 NE 426th St., Amboy.

USOV Construction LLC, 200 Abbot St., Richland.

Best of Care LLC, 2848 Cascade Cove Drive, Little Elm, Texas. Vixie Construction LLC, 85198 Edwards Road, Milton-Freewater, Oregon.

WG General Construction LLC, 715

S. Second, Yakima

Amos Construction, 59111 E. 95 PR SE, Benton City.

Huitt-Zollard Inc., 1102 Broadway, Suite 301, Tacoma.

W&G Flooring LLC, 1617 Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Lydia Vazquez Phtography, 9818

Silverbright Drive.

Millennial Wealth LLC, 2109 Amy Loop.

Pro Quality Projects, 104 W. Corral Creek Road NW, Benton City.

Y&L Torres Trucking LLC, 2416 Highland St.

Gotta-go Portables, 1276 Paige St., Richland.

Mascott Equipment Company

Inc., 435 NE Hancock St., Portland, Oregon.

Abreu Express, 1845 W. Henry St. Edward James Ellis - Via, 607 N. Douglas Ave.

S &S Excavation & Construction

LLC, 2602 S. Lyle St., Kennewick. Doct Dan Sept Spec, 1215 W. 27th uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B28

Ave., Kennewick.

Star Leasing Company, 4080 Business Park Drive, Columbus, Ohio.

Alliance Welding & Construction, 235 N. Industrial Drive, Garden City, Kansas.

Tri-Cities Engineering PLLC, 2326

W. A St. Home Cosmetic Solutions, 5520

Arthur Lane.

Acme Construction LLC, 12020 21st Ave. South, Burien.

Allwest, 1798 Fowler St., Richland.

E J H Construction Inc., 30896 W. 8 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Mohammed Alshumoos - Via, 904 Sanford Ave., Richland. Loisanddean, 7310 Cornflower Drive.

Clover’s General Construction

LLC, 2151 W. Margaret Lane #42b, Othello.

Enciso Construction LLC, 1805 W. Seventh Place, Kennewick. Bullseye Express, 618 Madrona Ave.

Henry’s Daycare, 5512 Cleveland Lane.

Teacher Doin’ Dirt LLC, 1723 W. Yakima St. Results Driven Technology, 3801 Meadow Beauty Drive.

Optimal Growth LLC, 1722 W. 14th Ave., Kennewick.

Bradley Scott Urquhart, 5420 W. Brown St.

Sound Picture Productions, 3915 St. Paul Lane.

Shane O Construction Inc., 9412 Sturgis Road. Cashpoint ATM, 1181 W. Sagemoor Road.

AMV Tree Services and Lanscaping, 18671 Yakima Valley Highway, Granger.

Jeo’s Plumbing, 2720 Fourth St., Union Gap.

Sue Schuler, 5211 Cleveland Lane. Vyanet Operation Group Inc., 410 SW Columbia St., Suite 120, Bend, Oregon.

Blair’s Sport Fishing, 6315 Mission Ridge Drive.

Drake Civil LLC, 8204 Quatsino Drive.

NVC Logistics LLC, 1917 N. Third Ave.

Jojo’s Freeze Dried Goodies, 3806

Atlanta Lane.

Old Fashioned Gentlemen LLC, 308 E. B Circle, #318.

Yolanda Olivera - Via, 3621 W. Henry St.

JD Torres Landscaping Inc., 29 N. Mayfield St., Kennewick.

Hapo Center, 6600 Burden Blvd. Adkins & Sons LLC, 625 White St., Walla Walla

Mr. Renovator LLC, 1907 Riverview Drive.

CCM Expert in Cleaning LLC, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Wyandotte Services LLC, 1132 W. Margaret St. Quality Plus Auto Glass LLC, 16 N. Kellogg St. Balancingbooks, 8504 W. Livingston Road.

Williamson Fire Extinguishers LLC, 7155 Van Belle Road, Sunnyside.

Scholars Strategy Network, 501 Boylston St., Suite 10A120, Boston, Massachusetts.

IT-lifeline Inc., 6700 Hillister St., Houston, Texas.

Empire Asphalt Service LLC, 6509 James St., West Richland.

WEST RICHLAND

DHV Construction LLC, 713 W. Nixon St., Pasco.

EVG Landscaping & Construction, 4017 W. 12th Ave., Kennewick.

Empire Lawn Care, 119 Vista Way, Kennewick.

Lexar Homes of Tri-Cities, 1212 N.

Irving Place, Kennewick.

Yanet Morfin, 200 E. Sixth Ave., Kennewick.

Brulotte Construction Inc., 9691

Bittner Road, Yakima.

Solstice Heating & Air Inc., 818 W.

John Day Ave., Kennewick.

Tammie Rae McCalmant, 710 S.

Garfield St., Kennewick.

Legacy Excavation, 6350 W. Brinkley Road, Kennewick.

Magnum Construction and Development LLC, 4810 W. Lattin Road.

Slaughter House Co., 90 S. 39th Ave., Richland.

Caddy Junk Removal, 2736 Madrona Loop.

Simple Abundance Midwifery, 605

Panorama Court.

Construction VIP LLC, 2106 Dover St., Richland.

Hands In Hair, 1504 55th Court.

Bridge Accounting LLC, 640 Athens Drive.

All Star City Roofing LLC, 9126 W.

Yellowstone Ave., Kennewick.

Roofing Rodriguez LLC, 1505 S. Road 40 East, Pasco.

New Style Swimming Pools LLC, 4320 Ivy Road, Pasco.

Amanda Nicole Tipton, 4904 Road 76, Pasco.

Prime Roofing & Sheet Metal, 421

E. Eighth Ave., Kennewick.

Andrew Miller, 17221 Ironwood St., Arlington.

Tool Tech LLC, 888 W. Second Ave., Eugene, Oregon.

Aura Homes, 436 Broadmoor St., Richland.

Nomad Transit LLC, 95 Morton St., New York.

Oaklynn Construction, 353 Temple

Meadow Lane, Richland.

Creation Home Services LLC, 5102

Sinai Drive, Pasco.

L&M Flooring LLC, 917 N. Cleveland

St., Kennewick.

Mr. Tom Darrell Scott, 904 N. Riverside Drive.

Valley Pros Construction LLC, 261 W. Highway 22, Prosser.

Kaizen Construction and Development LLC, 8829 W. Imnaha Court, Kennewick.

Technique Lab Jiu Jitsu Academy LLC, 1605 Bombing Range Road.

Romero’s Pruning & Landscaping LLC, 2702 W. 7th Ave., Kennewick.

Legacy Concrete 22 LLC, 209 S. Fir St., Kennewick.

Flores Integrity Construction LLC, 1109 E. 23rd Ave., Kennewick.

Gabriela Trevino, 2555 Bella Coola Lane, Richland.

Nielsen Realty LLC, 8200 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick.

A-1 Landscaping LLC, 1120 E. 23rd Ave., Kennewick.

G2 Commercial Construction Inc., 7117 W. Hood Place, Suite 110, Kennewick.

Construction Management Specialist LLC, 1515 Jones Road, Richland.

C&M General Contractor LLC, 7906 Budsage Drive, Pasco.

Jana, 925 1548 N. Edison St., Kennewick.

David Duncan, 2105 N. Steptoe St., Kennewick. Birch’s Lawn Care LLC, 6223 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick. Rise Up Construction LLC, 921 W. 24th Ave., Kennewick. Finer Side Construction LLC, 1924 W. 39th Ave., Kennewick. Level Up General Construction, 99304 E. Clover Road, Kennewick. McMasonry LLC, 1548 N. Edison St., Kennewick.

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.

OT Pro Painting LLC, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 2.

Superior Clean Services LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 6.

Stan’s General Construction, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 6.

Barajas Auto Body LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 6. Ochoa LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 6.

Serenity Management Corp., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 6. Panchos Heating & Cooling, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 6.

CUSTOM LABELED BOTTLED WATER

Custom Labeled Water Bottles:

• Are a useful promotional branding tool

• Can promote your company, special events, coupons or seasonal offerings

• Make a great attention-grabbing icebreaker when meeting with new clients and businesses

• Can be used for private events like weddings or family reunions

• Are available in two convenient sizes:

and

Jessica Jazmin Morales, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 6.

Thomasson Double T Dairy LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 6.

IMG General Contruction LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 16.

JOJ Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 16.

Ferbell Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 16.

United Fence Co. LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 16.

Christina M. Franklin, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 16.

Alex B. Najera, MD PS, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 17.

JOJ Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 17.

Tru-Door Inc., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 17.

Jesus Manuel Perez, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 17.

S and S Auto Detail Resources LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 17.

RAM General Contracting LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 17.

Voltage Electric LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 13.

Columbia Basin Garage Doors LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 13.

Maria Rangel, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 17.

Diamond Back Concrete LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 17.

Master Build Cabinets LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 17.

Mario Salas et al., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 17.

Saturnina Ceja et al., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 24.

Chivas Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 24.

Alex B. Najera, MD PS, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 24.

Car Doctor Auto Repair LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 24.

Virtual Reality Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 24.

Big J Express LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 24.

Laura Carina Padilla, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 24.

High End Roofing LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 27.

GCD Construction LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 27.

Michael Aaron Howard, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 27.

Uncle J Corp., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 27.

Efrain Cuevas Rivera, et al., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 31.

Vanguard LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 31.

Marcus Edward Ash, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed March 31.

RAM General Contracting LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 31.

DNL Roofing LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 31.

Thomasson Double T Dairy LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 31.

Vagabundos Masonry LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed March 31.

uLIQUOR LICENSES

BENTON COUNTY

NEW

Roma House, 617 The Parkway, Suite 617, Richland. License type: cocktails/wine to-go; beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine.

4 Whistles Winery, 10 E. Bruneau Ave., Units 61 and 7, Building C, Kennewick. License type: domestic winery <250,000, additional location; curbside endorsement. Application type: new.

Bucketz Bar and Grill, 206 N. Benton St., Kennewick. License type: spirits/ beer/wine restaurant lounge+. Application type: new.

Wit Cellars, 505 Cabernet Court, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters; beer/wine on premises endorsement; growlers curbside/delivery; beer/wine restaurant – beer wine. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

Wine Country RV Resort LLC, 330 Merlot Drive, Prosser. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only; beer/wine specialty shop. Application type: new.

APPROVED

Daisy Ranch Saloon, 1319 George Washington Way, Richland. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge. Application type: new. Elk Haven Winery LLC, 34101 N. Demoss Road, Benton City. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

Wine Country RV Resort LLC, 330 Merlot Drive, Prosser. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new.

Ice Harbor Brewing Company, 10 E. Bruneau Ave., Building C, Kennewick.

License type: microbrewery. Application type: new.

Fable Craft Bar, Wine Saloon and Food Joint, 1705 Columbia Park Trail, Richland. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: new.

Fiction, 894 Tulip Lane, Richland. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: new. Food Store, 6006 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

Salud Bar & Kitchen, 50 Comstock St., Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver-in/out WA. Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED

Wine Country RV Resort LLC, 330

Merlot Drive, Prosser. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: discontinued. Pontin Del Roza Winery, 35502 N. Hinzerling Road, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: discontinued.

Fiction, 894 Tulip Lane, Richland. License type: curbside/delivery endorsement. Application type: discontinued.

FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW

Bierreria Colima Y Michoacan, 404 E. Lewis St., Pasco. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge-. Application type: new.

D&A Servicios Latinos, 810 S. 10th Ave., Pasco. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new.

Food & Liquor Store, 1504 W. Sylvester St., Pasco. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new.

Eatz Pizzaria & Deli, 6916 W. Argent Road, Suite C, Pasco. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer. Application type: new.

APPROVED

MOD Pizza, 5326 N. Road 68, Suite 101, Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new.

Asian Garden Sushi & K-BBQ, 1320 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine. Application type: added/change of tradename.

Paper Street Brewing Co., 241 Fanning Road, Pasco. License type: microbrewery. Application type: new.

Amor A Mexico Restaurant, 528 W. Clark St., Pasco. License type: spirits/ beer/wine restaurant lounge+. Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED

Paper Street Brewing Co., 241 Fanning Road, Pasco. License type: microbrewery. Application type: dis-

continued.

Amor A Mexico Restaurant, 528 W. Clark St., Pasco. License type: spirits/ beer/wine restaurant lounge+. Application type: discontinued.

uMARIJUANA LICENSES BENTON COUNTY

NEW

Pipo Farms, 234805 E. Straightbank Road, Suite A, Kennewick. License type: cannabis producer tier 1; cannabis processor. Application type: change of location.

APPROVED

Sunnyside Northwest, 41305 N. Griffin Road, Grandview. License type: cannabis producer tier 3; Application type: added fees.

uBUSINESS UPDATES

OPEN

Fable Craft Bar, Wine Saloon and Food Joint has opened at 1705 Columbia Park Trail, Richland. A riverfront full-service restaurant, owned by Bookwalter Winery’s John Bookwalter, serving beer, wine and craft spirits and upscale pub foods. Contact: facebook.com/FableWineSaloon; 509396-7443.

Underground Taphouse has opened at 4525 N. Road 68, Suite J, in Pasco. The taphouse offers 32 taps of beer and cider and a selection of wine. Contact: 509-851-7273; undergroundtaphouse.com; Facebook; Instagram. Picante Mexican Taqueria has opened at 20 S. Auburn St., Kennewick. The former food truck recently moved into a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Contact: picantemexicantaqueria.com; Facebook; Instagram.

NEW LOCATION

3 Rivers Community Foundation has moved to 7401 W. Hood Place, Suite 140, Kennewick.

Training future workforce is key

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Our annual Hanford special section includes lots of valuable information for our business community.

Readers will receive a timely overview of the cleanup status and current priorities, how colleges are working to prepare the next-generation Hanford workforce and how the Tri-Cities is positioning itself to be a global leader in clean-energy technologies.

We must address the concerns surrounding the aging workforce at Hanford. It’s essential to ensure that we have a skilled and prepared workforce to continue progress at the site.

It’s a theme that shows up in many of the columns submitted for our special section.

There’s no question the massive nuclear site in our backyard will continue to be a driver for our economy for years to come. Continued, measured progress must continue.

Cleanup efforts are crucial not only for the safety of our community and environment but also for the future growth and economic potential of the region.

With the global demand for clean-energy solutions and the potential for the Tri-Cities to lead in this field, it’s critical that we continue to prioritize cleanup and development efforts. It’s equally critical to prepare Hanford’s future workforce for the work.

California company buys Hanford contractor

A California-based occupational health, wellness and absence management company has acquired HPM Corp. (HPMC), the prime medical services contractor at Hanford.

WorkCare Inc. bought HPMC on April 1. Terms weren’t disclosed.

HPMC Occupational Medicine Services has been managing the health and medical-related safety needs of more than 8,000 U.S. Department of Energy and site contractor employees since 2012.

DOE announced plans in February to award a new contract for the work, which will be expanded to include occupational medical services to vitrification plant employees.

The new contract is expected to include a base period of three years, including a transition period of 60 days, and two option periods of two years each, for a total of seven years.

The current HPMC contract expires at the end of 2023 and includes an option to extend services through the end of 2025, though it doesn’t include coverage for Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste and future Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant operations.

WorkCare said its acquisition of HPMC aligns with its strategic business development strategy and involves plans to continue to provide best-practice occupational health services to the Hanford site workforce in compliance with DOE requirements.

“We’re excited to welcome HPMC and its team of proven experts to the WorkCare family of companies,” said Bill Nixon, WorkCare’s president and chief executive officer, in a statement. “Given our experience in occupational medicine and our company origins, WorkCare is exceptionally well-prepared to support continued delivery of essential medical surveillance and other clinical services to protect and promote employee health at the site.”

Bechtel names acting project director for vit plant

Bechtel National Inc. has named John Atwell as the acting project director for the Hanford site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, better known as the vit plant.

He is a principal vice president and for the past two years has served as project director for Bechtel’s Vogtle Units 3 & 4 Completion project for Georgia Power.

Atwell served as manager of functions and operations for Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security, and Environment business unit from 2020-21. During this time, he was responsible for operational oversight of the vit plant project on behalf of Bechtel.

He has more than 40 years of managerial experience leading engineering and project management activities across a range of projects.

He earned a bachelor of science in nuclear engineering from the University of Maryland and a master of business administration from National University.

Atwell moves into the role in an acting capacity after the recent death of Valerie

McCain, who was the project director from October 2018 until March 2023.

Want to visit Hanford site? Sign up for free park tours

Experience the vastness of the Hanford site and take a crash course in how nuclear reactors produced plutonium by signing up for a free public tour.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park tours, which include a narrated bus ride, are popular. In 2022, more than 5,600 people visited the B Reactor National Historic Landmark from all 50 states and 26 different countries.

This year’s free tours run through November.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offers two tours of the national park at Hanford.

On tours to the B Reactor, visitors can stand in front of the world’s first fullscale nuclear reactor. Built in 11 months, the reactor started operations in September 1944 and produced the plutonium used in the Trinity Test in July 1945 and the “Fat Man” atomic weapon dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945 to help bring an end to World War II in the Pacific.

The second park tour explores the history of the Mid-Columbia Basin area of Eastern Washington prior to the government’s eviction of homeowners and tribes in 1943 as the Manhattan Project began. Both tours last about four hours and include bus transportation and short walking tours.

Registration is available online, at manhattanprojectbreactor.hanford.gov.

uHANFORD BRIEFS

Columbia Basin College program puts students on path to Hanford jobs

By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz

Rory Langdon was sending out his resume to possible employers, on the hunt for an internship.

But the junior in the cybersecurity program at Columbia Basin College got feedback that the document was too long.

So, he reached out to Elie Soderquist, director for career services. She helped him make some cuts and punch it up.

“That was the resume I submitted that got me the interview,” said Langdon, who ultimately secured an internship with Washington River Protection Solutions, a Hanford contractor.

“It’s been great. I love it,” he said, adding that he’s hopeful he’ll be hired permanently at WRPS after he graduates.

That’s the idea behind Pathways to Hanford, a new program at the Pasco college that aims to help students like Langford get their foot in the door at the Hanford nuclear site.

For many students, the Hanford site can be an enigma — they don’t have a sense of the varied career opportunities available there or how to go about exploring and pursuing them.

“We’re really excited about it,” Soderquist said of the program, which launched in the winter of 2022. “We want to accommodate our students and remove as many barriers as possible. We want to ensure they have a pathway.”

The program offers everything from a list of in-demand careers with promising futures at Hanford, to resume guides, Microsoft Suite trainings and certifications, in-person/virtual events with contractors, workshops and internship opportunities.

More than 130 students currently are taking part in Pathways, which has rolling admission. And about 17 students, including Langford, are getting work experience by completing internships with contractors in everything from project management to engineering and computer science.

While Pathways benefits students, it’s also a potential boon for Hanford contractors who are grappling with an aging and retiring workforce and increased needs for labor.

Last year, Hanford Mission Integration Solutions donated $150,000 toward Pathways with that in mind. “As a strong supporter of this program from its inception, we wanted to ensure students have the tools and resources they need to enter programs prepared, finish on time and be ready to enter the workforce,” said Amy Basche, the company’s chief operating officer, in a statement. “We know firsthand the importance of partnerships like this with our educational institutions, and we know this donation will help prepare future generations of Hanford workers.”

Michael Lee, vice president of instruction for CBC, said that was an important consideration in starting the Pathways program.

“Part of our mission at CBC is to develop the workforce in our area. Hanford and its contractors – they’re an important part of the community,” Lee told the

Vit plant’s ‘incredible leader’ dies

Valerie McCain, a Bechtel senior vice president and project director of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, better known as the vit plant, died March 26 after a short illness.

“The entire vit plant team mourns this loss. Val was an inspiration to so many people on project, across the Hanford site and Bechtel, and in the Tri-Cities community,” said Staci West, Bechtel communications manager at the vit plant.

McCain joined the vit plant in October 2018. She led a team of 2,250 employees in completing construction for Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste; transitioning to commissioning and ramping up the workforce; and shifting to a 24/7 operational culture.

Her leadership culminated in the highest-ever rating for the project’s performance from the U.S. Department of Energy customer a week prior to her death.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, called her death a loss for the Central Wash-

ington community. “Val was an incredible leader with over 30 years of industry experience across several continents,” he said.

McCain served on boards for the Energy Facility Contractors Group, Tri-City Development Council, the STEM Foundation and Columbia Industries.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce said her leadership “positively impacted the region in immeasurable ways.”

Donations in McCain’s memory may be made to the 3 Rivers Community Foundation. The fund will establish scholarships and/or be distributed to nonprofits with missions that were important to McCain, according to her family’s wishes. Donations may be made online at threeriverscf. fcsuite.com/erp/donate.

West said McCain’s column for this Hanford special section (See page C8) will be “the last words printed that she approved and are about what we accomplish and what is important for us.”

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. WSU Tri-Cities initiatives

CBC isn’t the only local higher education institution to be thinking about the classroom-to-Hanford pipeline.

While Washington State University Tri-Cities doesn’t have a similar program, it does offer degrees helpful for landing jobs at the site, including engineering, computer science, and environmental and ecosystem sciences, said Leslie Streeter, director of marketing and communication.

Plus, the university has partnerships, internships and research opportunities

with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, WRPS and others, Streeter said.

She also pointed to the Institute for Northwest Energy Futures, which “will bring another level of educating the future workforce, especially around energy transformation.” Gov. Jay Inslee announced last year that he was seeking $10 million in state funding for the research center at WSU Tri-Cities.

At CBC, the Pathways program is also about equity and trying to level the playing field. Soderquist said her office noticed an inequality in access and wanted to help students with no legacy connection to the Hanford site.

“We want to be that guiding light. We want to create the opportunity for equality to shine,” she said.

For Langdon, the WRPS internship has provided a chance to get relevant work experience, make connections and get a foot in the door. The 30-year-old, who lives in Richland, previously worked in lawn care and pest control before deciding to lean into his “computer nerd” tendencies.

He earned an associate degree in programming and software development from CBC and then opted to pursue a bachelor’s in cybersecurity. A job at a place like Hanford is the goal, and he’s grateful for Soderquist and the Pathways program.

“If anyone is interested or curious, definitely reach out,” he said. “It’s not as scary as you think.”

Photo by Sara Schilling

Rory Langdon, a junior at Columbia Basin College, credits the Pathways to Hanford program with helping him land an internship with a Hanford contractor.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Hanford teamwork continues to lead to transformation

I’m proud of the work the One Hanford Team has done over the last year and of the ambitious plans we’re putting into action to continue safely progressing our important cleanup mission in 2023.

The Department of Energy (DOE) federal team and our contractor partners make up the One Hanford Team. It’s a “one site, one mission” enterprise philosophy that enhances our communications, collaboration, efficiency and teamwork so we can work seamlessly and safely across our 580-square-mile site.

Together, we will continue to drive our mission with a sense of purpose and deliberate urgency while never losing focus on our top priority, the health and safety of our workforce and our community.

In January 2022, Hanford achieved an important transformational moment when we began treating radioactive and chemical tank waste on a large scale for the first time. Waste processed through the Tank-Side Cesium Removal System is being staged until it can be fed directly to the nearby Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant for vitrification, or immobilization in glass, when the plant comes online.

As of the end of 2022, we had treated nearly 380,000 gallons of tank waste, and

we’ll continue to work toward our goal of more than 800,000 gallons by the end of calendar year 2023. Throughout the year, crews at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant progressed commissioning activities, which includes continuously enhancing operator proficiency on major systems that will vitrify tank waste in two large melters in the plant’s Low-Activity Waste Facility.

An important indication of our progress was achieved in October when workers started heating up the first of two large, 300-ton melters. During the heatup, a system abnormality was identified. The operators reacted correctly and conservatively in accordance with their training, and safely shut down the operation.

While the startup heater power supply issue that caused the melter heatup to be stopped has been corrected, similar systems also were analyzed as part of the robust

causal assessment process. We found the need for additional analysis and testing of a few other similar systems to ensure safe and successful future operations.

Melter heatup will resume after testing those systems to continue moving the plant and operations team through the rigorous commissioning process toward the start of tank waste vitrification in 2024.

In parallel with commissioning operations at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization plant, site personnel continued to expand and upgrade other Hanford facilities that are part of the highly interdependent and integrated Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste program to ensure they are ready when the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant goes online.

Workers built a fourth 8 million-gallon holding basin at the Liquid Effluent Retention Facility to prepare for receiving contaminated wastewater from the plant and our disposal facility for vitrified low-activity tank waste.

The wastewater is transferred from holding basins to the nearby Effluent Treatment Facility, where workers are completing upgrades to several systems that remove contaminants for safe disposal.

While significant progress is being

made for the transformational tank waste treatment era at Hanford, several important projects to safely mitigate or eliminate risks also advanced in 2022.

Just over a year after breaking ground, crews finished building a protective enclosure, or “cocoon,” around the former K East plutonium production reactor ahead of schedule and under budget. Its completion is a significant accomplishment in our risk-reduction cleanup effort along the Columbia River.

Workers also have begun to remove debris from the basin in the nearby K West Reactor where spent reactor fuel was stored during the national security mission of the site. They are preparing the basin to be drained and demolished over the next three years, further reducing the risk to the Columbia River, and setting conditions for the K West Reactor to be placed in a protective enclosure.

At Hanford’s 324 Building, workers continued preparations to excavate contaminated soil under the building. Important activities progressed to stabilize the foundation around the area where workers, behind thick radiation shielding, will eventually operate equipment remotely to cut through

uVANCE, Page C6

WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY

Funding and permitting top Hanford cleanup priorities

We’ve seen a full year of success, collaboration and progress at the Hanford site.

This year will mark 34 years of cleaning up one of the most contaminated nuclear sites on the planet. Alongside our two Tri-Party Agreement partners – the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) –we’ve made some significant progress.

This type of work isn’t cheap or easy. In fact, a lot of the work being done at Hanford is the first of its kind in the world.

As I reflect on a busy 2022, I’m also looking to the year ahead and the challenges still to tackle.

As one of the regulators obligated to ensure the federal government completes the nuclear cleanup at Hanford, some of the most important work we do comes in the form of permitting.

The permits we issue ensure that cleanup and eventual closure of the Hanford site is protective of human health and the environment.

To that end, our Nuclear Waste Program issued about 45 permits and permit modifications supporting ongoing work at the site. A majority of these permits support the startup over the next year of Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW), which will get dangerous radioactive and chemical waste out of aging tanks and immobilized in a glass form for permanent disposal.

Our team also made considerable progress on the site’s most important permitting

action, the renewal of the Hanford Dangerous Waste Permit, Revision9A. The sitewide permit is one of the state’s most important tools for overseeing DOE’s cleanup at Hanford. We’re on track to open the draft Rev. 9A renewal for public comment in early 2024. We anticipate a robust public involvement effort from our team to adequately engage and hear from everyone impacted by Hanford.

We spent a lot of time on Hanford’s budget in 2022.

With major operational and capital construction projects on the horizon, an already underfunded cleanup is going to need higher funding appropriations to keep cleanup on track.

Throughout the year, we met and worked with the Washington congressional delegation and the presidential administration on getting Hanford a much-needed raise.

A number of entities including tribes, Washington, Oregon, business interests, nonprofits, labor groups, and more came together throughout the year and wrote letters to President Joe Biden.

These letters emphasized the need for ad-

equate funding now so that we don’t see the overall cost skyrocket by tens of billions, cleanup extend into the next century, and environmental risks continue to mount.

Toward the end of the year, Congress passed a record budget for Hanford in Fiscal Year 2023 – $2.84 billion – an increase of more than $141 million.

This is a major accomplishment worth celebrating, but it’s still nearly a billion less than what’s truly needed.

We plan to take this momentum into budget discussions this year as we keep fighting for the budget needed regardless of the treatment methods applied at Hanford.

In 2022, we saw Covid-19 health restrictions wind down. Many members of the team returned to the office and are working in a hybrid mix of in-person and teleworking, often referred to as the modern work environment.

In-person direct communication is definitely my preference.

Our education and outreach activities returned in full-swing with in-person presentations and events last year that exceeded pre-Covid numbers. In cities across the Pacific Northwest, we were at schools, community colleges, professional association meetings, five service clubs and the Nez Perce STEM Fair this year.

We also continued both attending and hosting virtual outreach opportunities, such as our Let’s Talk About Hanford livestreams, where we present on Hanford topics

and take questions from the public.

Our team saw 31 vacancies last year from a mixture of retirements, career changes and various health situations.

As of today, we are just four positions short of our typical staffing level with the ability to get ahead of the work rather than scrambling to catch up.

Our office, just like the broader Hanford workforce, is beginning to see a generation of those working on cleanup beginning to retire. As we look to the next 30 years and beyond of cleanup, it’ll be critical to maintain a diverse, well-trained, innovative workforce that will keep the work on track.

Our team also met our inspection commitments to EPA. These compliance activities are another critical part of the work we do in making sure facilities on site comply with state and federal regulations.

A few other accomplishments across the site included:

• The announcement of an Agreed Order on leaking tanks with DOE, which addresses how to respond to two actively leaking tanks on site in addition to any future single-shell tank leaks.

• DOE completing waste retrieval from three aging single-shell tanks in the AX Tank Farm.

• After 12 years of groundwater remediation in the 100 D/H Area near the Columbia River, we are evaluating completion of groundwater remedy for that area.

Brian Vance U.S. Department of Energy

David Bowen Department of Ecology

HANFORD ADVISORY BOARD

HAB: What is it and why should you care?

On Jan. 24, 1994, just over 29 years ago, John Wagoner, then manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Richland Operations Office, provided the welcoming remarks to the inaugural meeting of the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB).

Mr. Wagoner said, “DOE, along with our Tri-Party colleagues, the Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will look to the board to bring unique perspectives and values to deliberations and decisions on major Hanford cleanup issues.”

With those words, at that meeting, the citizens of the Pacific Northwest began a journey to actively engage with the leadership of the Hanford site and provide advice on one of the most complex nuclear cleanup jobs in history.

There are 38 seats on the board today representing a diversity of constituencies –from tribal nations, local interests, environmental perspectives, business groups, public health representatives, state of Oregon officials, university professionals, publicat-large representatives, and the Hanford workforce.

These board members meet throughout the year to learn about the challenges the Tri-Party agencies currently face at the

Hanford site and provide informed recommendations and advice to the three agencies on major policy issues related to the cleanup of the Hanford site.

This past year has seen the HAB, like much of the country, return to in-person meetings while continuing to embrace the benefits hybrid options, thereby increasing the reach to representatives across the Pacific Northwest and to the public overall. One other enhancement was to hold meetings of the full board in the evening to be more available to those members of the public.

Through the full board meetings and associated committee meetings, there were numerous opportunities for board members to learn about a variety of Hanford issues through presentations and conversations with representatives from the Tri-Party agencies to become better informed about cleanup issues and plans that affect or impact policy decisions on cleanup actions.

A notable success in 2022 was an in-person orientation for new board members that included a Hanford site tour. The orientation provided an invaluable opportunity for new and old members to meet in person for the first time. HAB leadership created a unique orientation plan geared towards welcoming new members and getting them up to speed on Hanford and the Board.

Lastly, in accordance with the mission to provide policy level advice to the agencies, in 2022, the HAB adopted consensus advice on three topics:

• Advice #311, Hanford Advisory Board membership changes: bit.ly/HABLetter311.

• Advice #312, Fiscal Year 2024 Hanford cleanup priorities: bit.ly/HABLetter312.

• Advice #313, Responding to Leaking High-Level Radioactive Waste Tanks: bit.ly/HABLetter313.

The HAB has issued more than 300 pieces of consensus advice since its inception on myriad topics related to the Hanford site cleanup, such as beryllium, traffic safety and tank leaks. All 313 pieces of advice, including TPA responses, can be found on DOE’s website at hanford.gov/page.cfm/ hab/AdviceandResponses.

The HAB’s advice has historically impacted cleanup decisions and contributed

OREGON HANFORD CLEANUP BOARD

to cleanup progress. Many of the components from last year’s leaking tanks advice were reflected in the leaking tanks Agreed Order announced by DOE and Ecology last August.

The upcoming year will involve hearing about the operational challenges underway at the Hanford site including: the commencement of operations of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) and the various activities that must occur to ensure safe and efficient operations; the continued cleanup of the 324 Building; the continued discussion of whether grout is an effective solution to managing the site’s supplemental low activity waste; and the operations of the tank side cesium removal (TSCR) system, to just name a few, so that board members are better equipped to provide high-level policy advice when necessary.

In addition to understanding the operational challenges, the board will be working on how to better engage with their organizations and the public at large, and revising the board’s foundational documents that describe how the HAB operates.

The board recognizes that there has been both significant progress and setbacks at

Protecting Columbia River ecosystem is highest priority

The largest environmental cleanup in the western hemisphere is located at Hanford north of Oregon on the Columbia River. The processes that produced the plutonium used in America’s nuclear weapons program resulted in the disposal of vast quantities of radioactive and chemical waste at the site, and historic releases to the Columbia River and the Pacific Northwest’s air.

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is midway through a century-long cleanup of Hanford which will cost hundreds of billions of dollars. The pace of the cleanup, its cost and effectiveness are a critical concern to the residents and taxpayers of Oregon, as is our highest priority for cleanup actions at the site – the protection of the Columbia River.

The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board is a state-appointed board with a mission to ensure that the cleanup of the Hanford site is conducted in a way that protects the environment, safeguards public health and safety, and promotes economic vitality in the region.

The board’s members include representatives from the state Legislature, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, industry, academia and public interest groups.

Members serve three-year terms and are chosen for their expertise in areas such as environmental science, public health, engineering and community affairs. Members

of the public are appointed by the governor of Oregon. Together with the Oregon Department of Energy, the board meets regularly to review progress, identify issues and make recommendations to ensure that the cleanup is conducted in a manner that is safe, effective and sustainable for the long term.

The board also works closely with DOE, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology to provide advice on the cleanup of the Hanford site.

Oregon’s representatives recognize the vital importance of the health of the Columbia River ecosystem, including the recreational and commercial fisheries in the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean.

The Hanford site, with its proximity to the river, has the potential to impact these fisheries, which are critical to the economy and the cultural heritage of the region. Although the river flows downstream to the Pacific, migrating steelhead and salmon move back upstream into tributaries and streams across Oregon.

Any activity or pollution in the Columbia River has the potential to impact most of Oregon’s major rivers including the Snake, John Day, Deschutes, Owyhee and Willamette.

And we are mindful that the interests and concerns of the Native American tribes in the region who have deep cultural and historical ties to the land are linked to the health of this larger Columbia River ecosystem.

In addition to its environmental and cultural significance, the Hanford site is also a major economic driver in both Washington state and northeast Oregon.

The site employs thousands of workers and supports a vast network of local businesses and industries, providing much-needed economic stability to the region.

Oregon is committed to working with stakeholders to ensure that the cleanup is conducted in a way that maximizes the benefits to the regional economy and minimizes any potential negative impacts.

The health and safety of the workers at Hanford and residents for hundreds of miles around depends on sufficient funding and competent management of the cleanup.

Oregon strongly supports the permanent removal of high-level nuclear and transuranic waste from Hanford to ensure the long-term safety of the environment and the surrounding communities.

Most of this waste will eventually be

transported across the state of Oregon, and it is imperative that it is done safely with all due precautions in place to prevent and, if needed, respond to accidents or releases. Where this high-level waste will eventually go is an open question.

The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board encourages all Hanford stakeholders to work with the federal government to identify and develop a permanent geologic depository for Hanford’s legacy nuclear waste.

The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to achieve a successful cleanup of the Hanford site.

To accomplish the mission of the cleanup in a safe, effective, and timely manner and protect the Columbia River for future generations, it is imperative that the agencies meet their agreed-upon milestones and secure necessary funding from Congress.

We acknowledge that the cleanup of Hanford is complex and challenging work, which requires significant financial resources from U.S. taxpayers. We will continue to urge Oregon’s congressional delegation to increase funding for the Hanford cleanup to a level that is expected to be necessary to complete the cleanup mission on schedule, to ensure that this vital work can continue without delay.

Jeff Wyatt is chair of the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board.

Susan J. Coleman Hanford Advisory Board

Jeff Wyatt Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board

PORT OF BENTON

This is the place for new energy missions

As Hanford’s cleanup progresses, the Tri-Cities is again positioned to be a part of history by leading the nation’s transition to a net-zero economy.

This cleanup effort toward a clean energy future is decades in the making. And in 2015, Port of Benton, city of Richland and Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC), supported by local utilities, industry and other stakeholders, reaffirmed that economic development vision for repurposing Hanford land transferred back to the community.

As the Pacific Northwest’s clean energy hub, the Tri-City region has unlimited potential.

With our diverse power portfolio, including wind, hydro, solar and nuclear energy, the Tri-Cities is already leading the state in meeting carbon emission targets.

Today, 73% of Washington’s energy comes from clean power sources, and the Tri-Cities’ numbers are even more impressive at 91%, with nearly 89% carbon-free.

But our community and region need more clean baseload power to meet residential and industrial growth.

The Tri-Cities’ extensive energy expertise and workforce, available land for industrial and transportation infrastructure

BOWEN, From page C4

Looking forward to 2023, we will continue to support the startup of DFLAW, and are excited to see low-activity tank waste properly treated and disposed of. We also support the Test Bed Initiative

COLEMAN, From page C5

the Hanford site since the shift from an operational mission to the current cleanup mission. While the board works to recognize and provide advice on the incidents or challenges at Hanford, we also try to recognize and celebrate the progress that has been made.

As one board member said at a recent meeting, a lot of what was done at Hanford during the site’s early years was done under the best science of the day. They didn’t have the knowledge or expertise that we do today. Looking ahead 50 years from now, the work we are doing today might be con-

VANCE, From page C4

the floor and remove the contaminated soil, ultimately establishing conditions for the facility to be safely demolished.

On the Central Plateau, workers made progress on preparing to transfer nearly 2,000 highly radioactive capsules containing cesium and strontium from underwater storage in the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility to a nearby dry storage pad. Transferring the capsules to dry storage places them in a safe and stable configuration for long-term storage.

In September, we topped the 2 billion-gallon mark in treating contaminated groundwater for the eighth consecutive fiscal year, demonstrating our ability to consistently deliver impactful cleanup

make this the place to innovate, manufacture and deploy next-generation clean energy technologies for domestic and global markets.

Port of Benton’s primary focus is on industrial development and economic diversification.

The importance of the environmental cleanup work at Hanford is hard to overstate. But diversifying our economy beyond Hanford is critical for our community’s future. Creating sustainable, good-paying careers will help us maintain and grow our nuclear- and energy-skilled workforce now and in the decades to come as Hanford transitions from cleanup.

The port receives regular Hanford briefings from Hanford Communities and Energy Communities Alliance. This insight helps us plan and engage with our regional economic development partners on ways to drive new energy missions, leverage assets and support the workforce.

Last year, Port of Benton established the

(TBI) and are working with DOE to see Phase 2 of the project through.

TBI Phase 2 involves the retrieval, pre-treatment, grouting, and offsite disposal of 2,000 gallons of Hanford’s tank waste and requires a Research, Development and Demonstration permit from Ecology. We

sidered rudimentary. That’s how progress goes. We should be focusing on the progress of cleanup today and our ability to influence the future at Hanford.

However, this doesn’t mean that we don’t or won’t continue to address the challenges that impact the progress of the cleanup mission or protection of the workers on the Hanford site.

Board members bring different perspectives on Hanford cleanup to the board and don’t always agree on everything. The beauty of a consensus board is members must work together through differing perspectives to reach consensus and pass poli-

progress. This brings the total to more than 30 billion gallons treated and 700 tons of contaminants removed since we began treating groundwater in the mid-1990s.

The cleanup effort across the site would not be possible without utility services that provide water, power, sewer, information technology, and roads for our work and workforce. Workers are constructing a new Central Plateau Water Treatment Facility that will provide all potable water to the cleanup hub of the Hanford site, the Central Plateau, to support a broad range of activities, including future tank waste treatment operations.

The DOE and our contractor partners remain committed to consistent engagement and constructive relationships across a very

Washington VERTical innovation cluster with a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce.

VERTical is a coalition of experts from industry, organizations and public agencies collaborating to accelerate the deployment of next-generation nuclear and other advanced clean energy systems.

VERTical is one of nine clusters in Washington state implementing a proven international model to drive innovation, solve challenges that limit industry growth and pursue market opportunities.

VERTical project teams are working to facilitate next-generation reactor projects, grow the advanced clean energy market, ready the nuclear-skilled trades and professional workforce, attract capital for advanced nuclear, establish a nuclear quality management National Center of Excellence, link grant partners to leverage state and federal funds, and educate and advocate for nuclear energy.

A key VERTical project is the Clean Energy Supplier Alliance, established in 2022, to help deliver new nuclear energy facilities on time and within budget. Establishing a new domestic supply chain for these first-of-a-kind reactors which does not exist today. The Clean Energy Supplier

hope the project will demonstrate a valid path to final appropriate disposal of some of Hanford’s tank waste at an out-of-state facility.

On top of these efforts, we have a variety of education and outreach activities in the works, will continue a focused recruiting

cy-level advice. We try to balance both our history and what we, and our constituencies, believe is now in the best interest of the Hanford site and all those impacted by it.

With cleanup not expected to conclude until at least the 2070s, you can expect the board to be around and be involved at Hanford until the job is done.

Consider this as your call to action!

If you or your organization are interested in the status of activities at the Hanford site, attend a public HAB meeting. Each full board meeting is available during both day and evening hours, and if you have something you would like to say, each meeting

diverse landscape of local, state, regional, national stakeholders and tribal nations.

Our effort to increase awareness of the impressive work being done today at Hanford, as well as the significant body of cleanup work completed by our exceptional team of dedicated professionals over the last 30 years, is focused on facilitating collaboration to enhance the department’s ability to make the best possible decisions to safely progress our very complex mission.

We also remain committed to strengthening alignment with our regulators, the state of Washington, and Environmental Protection Agency, to support our collective obligation to deliver impactful cleanup progress on behalf of the nation’s taxpay-

Alliance will close this gap by engaging industry to implement advanced manufacturing technologies that deliver the promise of next-generation nuclear: safer, simpler, cheaper and faster to deploy.

Community surveys and recent statewide polling demonstrate strong support for our focus on new nuclear as part of an all-of-the-above clean energy strategy to advance state and national clean energy initiatives.

The Tri-Cities has a history of stepping up at a time of national need. The need is great, and the time is now.

Let’s lead the transition to a net-zero economy by innovating, manufacturing and deploying next-generation clean energy technologies for markets here and around the world.

Our new energy mission will help address the climate challenge, meet the looming demand for additional clean baseload power, create jobs, achieve greater energy security and strengthen the economy. This is the place, and we are ready.

Diahann Howard is executive director of Port of Benton.

effort, and look forward to supporting Hanford site cleanup through proactive permitting, conflict resolution, and technical assistance.

David Bowen is manager for the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Nuclear Waste Program.

has time set aside for public comments.

If you or your organization feel strongly about the Hanford site cleanup and you want to be part of the process, then become a member of the HAB. Each year, there are positions available.

For information contact:

• Gary Younger, DOE, at 509-372-0923.

• Ryan Miller, Ecology, at 509-537-2228

• Roberto Armijo, EPA, at 509-376-3749. Learn more about the HAB and the work we do on USDOE’s website: hanford.gov/ page.cfm/hab.

Susan J. Coleman is the chair of the Hanford Advisory Board.

ers.

The One Hanford Team is building our part of the Hanford story every day, through our commitment to safe and efficient environmental cleanup focused on maximizing every dollar invested by Congress in hazard and risk reduction.

In that way, we create the safest possible workplace for our workforce, efficiently reducing the hazards of our site to protect our community and continuing to provide a strong foundation for the economic prosperity of the Tri-Cities and the Pacific Northwest.

Brian Vance is the manager of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office.

Diahann Howard Port of Benton

TRI-CITY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

Clean energy, tech innovation remain key for economic diversification

At Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC), we are excited to celebrate 60 years of promoting economic strength and diversity. In addition to regional economic development activities, our core mission includes advocating for the funding and policies needed to support the cleanup of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford site.

When it comes to Hanford cleanup, safety is the top priority. Beyond that, it is critical that the work continues to be adequately funded, and that every effort is made to execute cleanup effectively and efficiently. On the funding front we have been blessed with a congressional delegation, led by Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Rep. Dan Newhouse, who work extremely hard to ensure there are adequate resources every year.

Notably, the importance of funding Hanford cleanup seems to be getting through to the administration as well. For the first time in recent memory, last year’s President’s Budget request for Hanford cleanup was more than the previous year’s enacted level. This recognition, from Congress and the administration, will be especially critical over the next few years as significant additional funding will be needed for work on the High-Level Waste facility, in addition to ongoing cleanup efforts across the site.

While having adequate resources is important, it is also imperative that we look for opportunities to reduce long-term costs

David Reeploeg TRIDEC

and expedite cleanup. One particularly compelling opportunity is to grout the supplemental low activity waste in Hanford’s underground tanks and ship it to licensed facilities outside of Washington state for permanent disposition. Supplemental waste is approximately 50% of Hanford’s tank waste that is not currently intended to be vitrified in the Low Activity Waste facility.

In addition to removing the waste from these underground tanks sooner, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that grouting Hanford’s supplemental waste could save up to $26 billion. The next step in proving out the viability is to complete Phase 2 of the Test Bed Initiative, which would grout and ship 2,000 gallons of supplemental tank waste. We are hopeful that Phase 2 will be completed this calendar year.

Hanford is economic driver

While our primary focus at Hanford is on the successful cleanup effort, with over 12,000 employees, the site is a significant economic driver for our community. As TRIDEC and our community partners continue working to reduce the Tri-City

economy’s dependence on federal spending, we are looking at clean energy and technological innovation as key opportunities for economic diversification.

Dubbed “Clean Up to Clean Energy,” by Washington State University Tri-Cities Chancellor and TRIDEC Board Chair Sandra Haynes, this vision harnesses the Tri-Cities’ unique capabilities to further establish our community as a global leader in the research, development, manufacturing and deployment of clean energy technologies.

These capabilities include a highly skilled craft labor force, extensive science and engineering expertise, available land, and robust transportation infrastructure.

The Tri-Cities are also extremely fortunate to have the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), whose scientific and technical expertise will be a tremendous asset in fulfilling this vision.

New advanced reactor

Since the days of the Manhattan Project, the Tri-Cities’ historic roots have been in nuclear, and we believe that nuclear energy will be a key part of our future. There is a profound sense of pride about our community’s role in helping the United States win World War II and the Cold War.

We also have been leaders in nuclear innovation at the N Reactor and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). Moreover, the Tri-Cities are home to the Pacific Northwest’s only commercial nuclear reactor, the

Columbia Generating Station operated by Energy Northwest.

Our goal is to double-down on this nuclear legacy by building a new advanced reactor here in the Tri-Cities area.

In addition to the new jobs created by the construction and operation of the reactor, it would provide our region with much needed carbon-free baseload electricity. The new generation of advanced reactors also will require a robust supply chain including advanced nuclear fuels, and the Tri-Cities is extremely well suited to be a hub for nuclear manufacturing.

Nuclear is just one piece of the puzzle, however. There are many additional opportunities on our horizon. These include hydrogen technology development and generation, biofuels, battery manufacturing, carbon capture, thought leadership driven by Washington State University Tri-Cities’ Institute for Northwest Energy Futures, and much more.

Progress at Hanford opens the door for many of these new opportunities, including the transfer of additional lands and facilities to the community as the cleanup footprint shrinks. As we look to the future, TRIDEC remains deeply committed to supporting Hanford cleanup, along with the continued growth of the Tri-City community.

David Reeploeg is vice president for federal programs at Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC).

CENTRAL PLATEAU CLEANUP COMPANY

CPCCo clearing the way for cleanup progress at Hanford

The Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) is well into its third year of operations at Hanford, and our team is proudly making substantial strides in achieving our cleanup priorities at the site. Our overarching strategic plan, VISION 2028, provides a five-year roadmap that defines our key objectives to support the sitewide cleanup effort, engage with other Hanford contractors and achieve mission success.

Since joining CPCCo last spring, I’ve witnessed our experienced and talented employees make significant cleanup advancements on the Central Plateau and along the Columbia River corridor. These achievements are even more noteworthy considering the shift we’ve seen in our post-pandemic workforce profile.

For the past two years, Hanford contractors have observed attrition rates not previously experienced at the site, an aging workforce retiring en masse and increasing demand for talented individuals throughout all industries. With these challenges comes an exciting opportunity to cultivate the next generation of mission-driven nuclear workers.

We are actively recruiting the best and

brightest in the Tri-Cities region and beyond to tackle the challenging work before us. In fact, we welcome a new group of energetic and enthusiastic employees every other week, many of whom are hired from outside of our industry because of their interest in the nobility of our mission. We’re committed to attracting, retaining and developing the very best team at CPCCo to deliver safe, efficient and cost-effective solutions to support our U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) customer’s long-term cleanup mission.

Over the past year, our team transformed the skyline along the river corridor, the largest cleanup territory on the Hanford site.

Last fall, we celebrated the completion of the K East Reactor “cocoon,” marking a significant accomplishment in our mission

to finish cleanup near the Columbia River. Just over a year after breaking ground, the project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

The steel structure – rising more than 120 feet tall and 150 feet wide – protects the facility while radioactivity in the deactivated reactor core decays over the next several decades, making it safer and easier to complete disposition in the future.

The K East Reactor is the seventh of Hanford’s eight former reactors to be placed in safe storage. The ninth – B Reactor – is the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor preserved as part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

CPCCo continues to manage this historic facility for public access as part of DOE’s National Park Program. In 2022, more than 5,600 people visited the reactor from all 50 states and 26 different countries.

At the nearby K West Reactor, the final reactor destined for cocooning in the coming years, crews are isolating and stabilizing radioactive debris in the 1.2 mil-

John Eschenberg Central Plateau Cleanup Company

Courtesy CPCCo Last fall, CPCCo celebrated the completion of the K East Reactor “cocoon,” marking a significant accomplishment in its mission to finish cleanup near the Columbia River. The project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

BECHTEL NATIONAL INC.

Vit plant progresses toward operations

Editor’s note: Valerie McCain submitted this column before she died on March 26 after a short illness.

It has been an exciting and challenging year at the Hanford Waste Tank Treatment and Immobilization Plant, also known as the vit plant, as we move closer to turning low-activity waste from Hanford’s large underground tanks into glass. Our team works tirelessly to achieve milestones and address the questions and challenges that arise when commissioning a plant of this size and complexity.

The plant remains in operational status with our team monitoring and managing equipment and systems 24/7.

In the fall, we initiated the process to heat up the first of two melters inside the Low-Activity Waste Facility. Considered the heart of the vitrification process, the 300-ton low-activity waste melters will be used to heat the waste and glass-forming chemicals to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit. The mixture will then be poured into stainless steel containers to cool and solidify.

During heat up, we paused the process when we encountered technical challenges with the peripheral equipment. I am proud of our team’s response. They demonstrated that we have matured

our operations culture, just as the plant and documentation have progressed to demonstrate readiness to perform our mission. We look forward to re-establishing the conditions to resume melter heatup. Once heated up, the melter will remain at temperature through long-term operations.

Our team’s accomplishments last year include the following:

• Completed tests in the Low-Activity Waste Facility and Effluent Management facilities using water to demonstrate that tank waste and other liquids can be transferred safely throughout the plant.

• Completed tests to move containers that will hold vitrified waste remotely with a mechanical handling system.

• Completed test runs on replacing melter parts such as bubblers used to mix the waste and heated glass forming materials during vitrification.

• Completed testing of the exhaust, or off-gas, treatment system for the Low-Activity Waste Facility.

WHAT WE DO

• Set up the autosampling system in the Analytical Laboratory, which is key to ensuring a consistent and quality glass product during operations.

• Loaded and staged nearly 10,000 pounds of glass-forming materials.

• Completed testing the 18 bubblers installed in the top of the low-activity waste melters. Bubblers are used to mix molten glass mixture with air during operations.

We are proud supporters of the Tri-Cities community and the mission of Hanford contractors. As local citizens we strive to make a difference for the future of our children and fellow small businesses!

EQUIPMENT LOGISTICS

Indian Eyes’ proven Technical, Managerial, Organizational, and Value-Added Logistic capabilities combine to provide both safety and cost savings for your equipment logistics requirements. The management team of Indian Eyes has decades of experience in the equipment logistics industry. In addition, we have a very specialized equipment team that follows our management to ensure that your project is protected from cradle to grave.

SITE & FACILITY SERVICES

With over 70 years experience, Indian Eyes has the depth, breadth and demonstrated past performance to manage and execute contracts.

SECURITY SERVICES

We have rapidly gained a presence in the federal government arena with the approved credentials; resources, and experience to address and oversee a wide array of security needs.

STAFFING & RESOURCES

In order to build an exceptional workforce, Indian Eyes is committed to identifying the necessary human resource talent as well as developing a relationship with your organization.

We continue to work hand in hand with the U.S. Department of Energy, One Hanford contractors, and the Central Washington Building Trades in our collective commitment to the cleanup mission.

Last year, we simulated our first transfer of waste between the tank farms

Valerie McCain Bechtel National Inc.

Courtesy Bechtel National Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, left, visited the Waste Treatment Plant in summer 2022 and learned how operators monitor and manage systems and equipment from the control room inside the Low-Activity Waste Facility.

uMCCAIN, Page C12

HANFORD MISSION INTEGRATION SOLUTIONS

Enabling cleanup through integration and innovation

Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) continues to improve upon our role as the Hanford sitewide integrator, providing what is in the best interest of the government and taxpayers. This past year, we capitalized on opportunities to continue providing the fundamentals and foundation that enable the cleanup mission to move forward by evaluating both what is needed now, and what will be needed in the future.

As Hanford prepares to transition back to 24/7 sitewide operations for the first time since the plutonium production mission ended in the 1980s, the site’s culture has transformed. Decision-making on strategic cleanup initiatives and resolution on day-to-day field activities have become the standard across two DOE field offices and six prime contractors.

HMIS is proud to execute One Hanford initiatives to integrate all Hanford contractors to further the Hanford cleanup mission, including leading the Hanford Governance Model that establishes an enhanced operational culture for round-theclock treatment of waste from Hanford’s large underground tanks, developing the first fully integrated baseline and providing direct support to DOE to communicate Hanford cleanup progress.

The HMIS mission as the site’s essential services provider is to enable cleanup

across Hanford.

The commissioning of the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) program for treating tank waste will mark the beginning of many firsts for Hanford, and HMIS is actively preparing the site’s infrastructure as we embark on this new era in cleanup.

Over the past year, HMIS supported more than 6,000 pieces of documentation on 2,800 projects supporting DFLAW, ranging from design and construction documentation to procedures and test plans. Modernized telecommunications now allow emergency radio use between our first responders and the Waste Treatment Plant campus, while recently installed fiber cables provide additional network services.

HMIS teams also repaired several miles of roadway to stabilize DFLAW waste transportation routes, and we continue to upgrade Hanford’s electrical infrastructure by modernizing miles of transmission and distribution lines and removing and replacing aging utility poles and conduc-

tors. HMIS also has developed contingency plans to minimize any potential disruptions to facilities, assets, power and water services.

Construction continues at the new Central Plateau Water Treatment Facility, which will replace a 1940s-era water treatment plant. When completed, the 10,000-square-foot facility will support the water needs of Central Plateau operations, including DFLAW, and will provide a minimum of 3.5 million gallons of water a day, utilizing an innovative microfiltration

method.

Ensuring safety and security is also a top priority as HMIS plays a key role in protecting Hanford’s workforce, the environment and sitewide assets. We ensure Hanford’s roads are safe for travel in the winter while protecting the site’s 580 square miles of land and 10,000 workers, providing best-in-class service with more than 400 employees in our protective forces. We have a keen understanding of the

uWILKINSON, Page C12

Robert Wilkinson Hanford Mission Integration Solutions

Courtesy HMIS

As the Hanford site’s essential services provider, HMIS works to enable cleanup success by supporting the integration and infrastructure needs of its fellow One Hanford contractors.

WASHINGTON RIVER PROTECTION SOLUTIONS

WRPS overcomes challenges to move cleanup mission forward

What a year! I joined the Washington River Protection Solutions team in March 2022. I was told before I accepted the position that the WRPS team is second to none – and I’ve found that to be true. I’m honored to play a very small role on the stellar team that safely overcomes challenges every day to move the cleanup mission forward on behalf of our U.S. Department of Energy client.

The near future of the Hanford site is the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program (DFLAW), where interdependent projects and infrastructure improvements, managed and highly integrated, will operate together to vitrify, or immobilize in glass, low-activity waste from Hanford’s large underground storage tanks.

WRPS has an integral role in that.

Right now, we have about 440,000 gallons of waste prepared for vitrification through the Tank-Side Cesium Removal System. This is the site’s first industrial-scale tank waste treatment, and represents the crucial, first-step of the tank waste treatment mission. We will continue to treat and stage waste for vitrification, but treating and staging tank waste is only a small part of WRPS’ role in the DFLAW mission.

Our talented construction subcontractors played a critical role in upgrading the Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). We now have a modern facility, with a capacity doubled to more than 8 million gallons a day, to treat the liquid waste generated during vitrification at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) and other facilities.

We will spend the rest of this year testing and exercising the upgraded systems, making certain they are integrating and operating correctly before needed for vitrification.

lion-gallon spent fuel storage basin. These are among the final steps needed to safely dewater, grout and demolish the basin.

Closer to town, workers at the 324 Building are preparing to remove contaminated soil under the building. Advancing this key risk-reduction project continues to be a high priority for the CPCCo team.

The center of the Hanford site, known as the Central Plateau, contains hundreds of legacy structures and waste sites. At one of our high-priority projects in this area, we are developing specialized equipment and techniques to safely transfer approximately 2,000 radioactive capsules from an underwater basin at the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility to a nearby dry-storage area.

Cleaning up contaminated groundwater is also a priority for CPCCo. Our six pump-and-treat facilities operate 24/7 to remove hazardous chemical and radioactive constituents from the groundwater, reducing risk across the site. We’ve treated more than 2 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater annually for eight consecutive

The DFLAW program requires site-wide integration. We are transitioning to a dynamic mode of 24/7 operations to provide a steady supply of treated tank waste to WTP for vitrification and accept liquid waste at ETF. We are developing and implementing strategies to improve our capability to increase tank waste transfers, operate multiple systems simultaneously, and respond to or recover from emergent operational issues that impact feeding waste to DFLAW. We will rely on our company’s safety culture (and the Hanford site safety culture) to ensure safe, compliant operations.

This will involve every one of our 2,600 employees and subcontractors safely responding to challenges with a sense of urgency, in a disciplined manner, and at a deliberate pace. Our safety culture is strong, and I know our engaged workforce is ready for this next chapter of the Hanford cleanup mission.

A 24/7 operations culture will allow us to support the DFLAW mission, while simultaneously executing other critical tank waste management activities.

The WRPS mission also consolidates radioactive and chemical tank waste from older, single-shell tanks (SSTs) to newer, double-shell tanks (DSTs), then eventually to treatment. Earlier this year, we began emptying the site’s 21st SST. Once that tank is declared retrieved, we will have retrieved the waste from two tank farms, or groups of underground tanks, representing 21 of the site’s 149 single-shell tanks. In

years and continue to add to our total of nearly 700 tons of contaminants removed from soil and groundwater over the life of our site-wide treatment program.

These efforts have not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, several members of our team and their DOE counterparts were honored with a Secretary of Energy Achievement Award, the Department’s highest form of employee recognition, for their contributions to the ongoing success of our groundwater treatment operations program.

Our work in the Central Plateau is also critical to the success of Hanford’s tank waste cleanup mission. Specifically, we are taking the final steps to complete the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) to support the site’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste program, a key DOE priority.

This engineered landfill provides permanent, environmentally safe disposal for containers filled with vitrified (immobilized in glass) low-activity tank waste from the nearby Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant and mixed low-level waste from other Hanford operations.

Earlier this year, crews completed con-

parallel, we are making substantial progress preparing the next tank farm for retrieval.

The 242-A Evaporator is a facility critical to our tank waste management mission; it removes water from tank waste, creating more available tank space in the 27 DSTs. We refurbished the boiler ahead of schedule and upgraded transfer lines from a nearby tank farm. Like ETF, the Evaporator system underwent significant maintenance and upgrades, so restoration and operability of this system will require deliberate focus.

All the construction, upgrades, infrastructure improvements and progress mentioned above wouldn’t have been possible without our small business partners. Since 2008, we’ve exceeded our small business subcontracting goals, awarding more than $1.6 billion to small businesses.

As we bring the upgraded and new facilities online and prepare for vitrification, we must grow a workforce that will see us through this new era of the Hanford Site mission. That’s why we are working closely with Washington State University

struction of two 400,000-gallon wastewater storage tanks at IDF by installing the domed covers. The tanks will hold runoff from rain, snow and dust-suppression activities. The runoff will be monitored and sent to a nearby treatment facility to ensure the protection of groundwater. IDF is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.

While our on-site impacts are noteworthy, we are a mission-driven workforce and our interests expand beyond the boundaries of the Hanford site. We’re focused on efforts that will create lasting impacts for a Tri-Cities community that will be enjoyed for generations and make a difference through responsible environmental stewardship, strategic partnerships and community collaboration.

Here at CPCCo, the name of the game is environmental remediation. To that end, it’s our policy to be responsible stewards of the environment while meeting our mission. We’re working to shrink our carbon footprint over the next decade by reducing our electrical and infrastructure demands, our reliance on field vehicles and efficiency upgrades.

Tri-Cities, Columbia Basin College, and local school districts to develop the next generation Hanford workforce.

We are also proud to partner with several Tri-City organizations that make our region a great place to live so we can attract and retain a workforce that wants to raise families here. We have a lot to offer people of every age. We are fortunate that WRPS parent companies Amentum and Atkins are committed to investing in this community.

This is a dynamic time for WRPS and the One Hanford community. Our collective commitment allows us to overcome unique challenges and achieve tremendous performance at the highest standards while we advance some of the most technically complex and hazardous work on the planet, ultimately improving the community and region for our families. We couldn’t do it without the support of the community and business community, so thank you.

Wes Bryan is president and project manager at Washington River Protection Solutions.

Partnerships with local small businesses are critical to the success of our cleanup mission. Since the inception of CPCCo’s contract, we’ve partnered with 150 small businesses throughout the Tri-Cities region, investing nearly $180 million in subcontracts.

CPCCo is investing in local educational institutions and programs, like the Washington State STEM Education Foundation, to support the next generation workforce. We are working with Washington State University and Columbia Basin College to establish a pipeline of high-caliber local candidates for potential employment.

To CPCCo, excellence means safely and efficiently achieving cleanup mission milestones on the Hanford site while supporting our workforce and the community we all call home. It’s a responsibility we take seriously, and we continue to work hand in hand with other site contractors as part of the One Hanford team to make that vision a reality.

To learn more, go to: cpcco.hanford.gov.

John Eschenberg is president of Central Plateau Cleanup Co.

Wes Bryan Washington River Protection Solutions

Courtesy WRPS Workers remotely control robotic arms that spray water to loosen up tank waste for removal from the site’s 21st single-shell tank.

ESCHENBERG, From page C7

HPMC OCCUPATIONAL MEDICAL SERVICES

HPMC provides valuable health services to support Hanford employees

HPMC Occupational Medical Services (HPMC OMS) is managed by HPM Corporation, a local, woman-owned business that provides specialized services to federal government clients and their contractors at the Hanford site.

Founded in 2001, HPM Corporation is a multi-disciplinary organization that provides programs in occupational medicine, environmental safety and health, risk communication, health data analysis and trend tracking, health education and promotion, industrial rehabilitation, ergonomics, as well as behavioral health services and project management.

HPMC OMS is one of the largest occupational medicine programs among all U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites. As a prime contractor to DOE, HPMC OMS provides comprehensive occupational medicine and health-related services to more than 9,000 Hanford workers serving in professional, technical, administrative and craft occupations.

To achieve our mission, HPMC OMS continuously is improving services to our patients, using best practices and evidence-based medicine while collaborating with our stakeholders, and providing staff with the necessary tools for the provision of safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.

Accreditation

HPMC OMS is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

AAAHC accreditation distinguishes HPMC OMS from many other ambulatory care facilities through adherence to rigorous national standards of care and safety. AAAHC accreditation reflects our dedication to high-quality patient health care. HPMC OMS staff constantly reviews and improves our services to meet our patient needs at the highest level.

Occupational health, wellness

The HPMC OMS Health and Wellness team is aligning our content in 2023 to reflect the current needs and interest of our workforce. Throughout the year, we will offer a variety of services geared toward education and personal improvements. Our team will offer monthly presentation spotlights, lunch and learn series, interactive WorkFit trainings, a variety of digital resources, on-demand and live presentations, and continue to

Roles:

•

Prime Subcontractor

•

•

offer our individual services.

In addition to these regularly scheduled services, there were several additional accomplishments in the past year.

Mayra Ojeda, health education specialist, attained her health coaching certification credited by the American Council on Exercise.

Laura Carpino, clinical exercise physiologist, presented an educational webinar to the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), entitled, “The Effects of the Pandemic on Physical Activity and Strategies to Prevent MSDs.”

It was chosen by the AIHA board as a presentation for its annual conference and included in their webinar series.

Audrey Wright, health education specialist, presented, “Total Worker Health at Hanford,” at the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) Training Group Annual Meeting as a breakout speaker.

Customer satisfaction

Customer surveys are utilized to assess patient satisfaction with our staff, services and overall facility. The survey results allow our staff valuable feedback which we use to continually manage and improve the quality of our services. Again in 2022, we exceeded national averages for patient satisfaction achieving 99.6% across the clinic. Satisfaction

•

• 25 Years Experience at Hanford & Tank Farms.

• 2,000,000 + Hours Worked at Hanford without a lost time accident. EMR <1.0 for past 5 years.

• Successfully Completed 18 Releases on original BOA

• Currently working 27 Releases on new BMA.

• WRPS, CHPRC, and MSA Approved NQA-1 Program and Time Keeping Program.

• Currently Performing work IAW RPP, ISMS, VPP, CBDPP and IWC including Integrated Systematic Risk Management.

• American Electric currently has over 150 trained and experienced craft and non-craft personnel ready to perform any task requested at the Hanford Site.

rates were also 99.8% for flu clinics, and 100% for presentations and training that are provided on-site to other contractors.

HPMC OMS continues to offer and provide workers with flu vaccines, as well as Covid-19 boosters.

Small business and collaboration

HPMC OMS supports local and regional small businesses interested in providing their products and services to the federal government. Our contract managers utilize business development and networking opportunities, including collaboration with the local Washington Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) for recruitment and training of the small businesses to help them learn as they prepare to enter the government contracting arena. Events such as these helped HPMC increase our outreach and sub-contracting opportunities for local small businesses.

Every day we at HPMC OMS are here to serve the employees of Hanford. Our team is proud to be the prime resource and provider of a range of occupational, medical, educational and behavioral health services in 2023.

Thomas Bui is program manager for HPMC Occupational Medical Services.

Thomas Bui HPMC Occupational Medical Services

HANFORD LABORATORY MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRATION LLC

HLMI plans upgrades to support the Hanford cleanup mission

It’s been about two years since Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration LLC (HLMI) took over as a new prime contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in April 2021. To support DOE’s Hanford cleanup mission, HLMI assumed sole responsibility for the operation of the 222-S Laboratory, a full-service accredited analytical radiochemical laboratory.

The laboratory is in the center of the Hanford site and has served the Hanford mission for more than 70 years. Its original purpose was to provide process control analytical services in support of Hanford’s plutonium production mission. It then transitioned in the 1980s to the primary radiochemical lab supporting the Hanford site cleanup mission.

New workforce

The lab has been modernized over the years through multiple infrastructure upgrades; however, many more renovations are needed and are planned over the next five to 10 years. Many of the 222-S staff are also new, as workforce attrition has resulted in a turnover of nearly 40% of our staff.

To address this unprecedented transition in the workforce, HLMI has incorporated rigorous new employee training programs to ensure the staff is fully qualified to safely handle the highly radioactive materials the lab is responsible for analyzing.

HLMI is a limited liability corporation formed by two small businesses, Navarro Research and Engineering Inc., and Advanced Technologies and Laboratories

and the vit plant using water, an exciting milestone as we move toward treating waste.

Bechtel recently celebrated its 125th anniversary, which includes the more than 40 years we have been part of the Tri-Cities community. We remain

scale and types of services needed across the entire Hanford enterprise. In 2022, our support of tank waste cleanup efforts included building multi-level scaffoldings at the Effluent Treatment Facility to support facility modifications for future DFLAW treatment. Additionally, HMIS assisted with the testing of innovative cold spray technology which could be used to reinforce double-shell tank walls and improve tank integrity during cleanup.

We also supported several Central Plateau remediation efforts, including demolition work at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) where our teams disconnected water, sewer, power and communication lines, transported a massive excavator from PFP to the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility, and drained more than 16,000 gallons of water from potable water lines. In addition, drones with our small, unmanned aircraft system program

International Inc.

The combination of these companies provides HLMI with the human resources and capital to ensure we consistently provide high-quality data to other Hanford contractors in support of the site cleanup mission.

222-S Lab updates

HLMI is committed to continuing to make updates to the 222-S Laboratory, so that it is available to support the Direct-Feed Low Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program to treat and dispose of tank waste, a sitewide mission and top DOE priority. The laboratory must also be ready and able to support the overall High-Level Waste (HLW) cleanup mission for at least the next 50 years.

To be ready for these challenges, we are planning several capital improvement projects and facility renovations that will allow the laboratory to continue to provide state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to the scientists and technicians that provide these vital analytical services.

We plan on retrofitting the 11A hot cells (shielded nuclear radiation containment chambers) with new glass, providing improvements in maintainability, visual acuity and reliability.

HLMI is also revamping laboratory spaces to improve safety and operability,

committed to investing in the community where we live and work. In 2022, our project team donated nearly $300,000 to charitable organizations like the United Way of Benton-Franklin Counties, Toys for Tots, Bikes for Tikes, Special Olympics and Second Harvest. We also made corporate donations to the Boys and Girls Club, Grace Clinic and Junior

inspected Hanford’s cocooned reactors, as well as the K East reactor which was just transitioned to interim safe storage in October.

HMIS offers hundreds of unique services many probably don’t realize we provide. For example, our Treasury Office processes weekly payroll for more than 6,000 Hanford workers. Our Fire System Maintenance team and Hanford Fire Department partnered on critical repairs and upkeep of aging fire protection systems at Hanford, resulting in more than $2 million in cost avoidance. In addition, our Mission Service Desk typically responds to more than 5,000 requests a month, assisting Hanford employees with computer, email, phone and software issues.

On top of that, DOE’s Emergency Support Function #12 energy response team, based at the HMIS-managed Volpentest HAMMER Federal Training Center, coordinated life-saving support and emer-

and to provide chemists with state-of-theart infrastructure to do their work.

In addition, new advanced analytical measurement equipment will be installed and purchased, which will upgrade the lab to the latest technology and will increase reliability and availability.

The Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), the data collection and management workhorse of the operation, will be replaced this coming year with a modernized data management system.

Finally, infrastructure systems (e.g., electrical distribution, HVAC) will continue to be updated to ensure reliable operations continue at the 222-S Laboratory.

Achievement, as well as more than 20 other charities, and served as premier sponsor for events for the United Way and Children’s Reading Foundation of Mid-Columbia.

We have an incredible team of craft and staff professionals who are committed to effectively managing challenges, progressing our work safely and with

gency response efforts during this year’s hurricane season, including deployments to response centers in Puerto Rico and Florida.

HMIS continues to implement solutions to attract, develop and retain a diverse and skilled workforce to carry out the cleanup mission. Our VALOR (Veterans Advocacy for Learning, Opportunities and Resources) program was launched in 2022 to assist veterans transitioning from military service to civilian careers. HMIS also donated $150,000 to Columbia Basin College’s Pathways to Hanford program to support students interested in careers at Hanford. In addition, HMIS partnered with DOE and One Hanford contractors to host a pair of One Hanford virtual job fairs designed to promote the site as an employer of choice.

The well-being of our community is vital to our HMIS family and the One Hanford mission. It’s why HMIS is committed

Since contract inception, HLMI has supported critical Hanford operations with timely laboratory analysis and reporting, operated the facility in full compliance with environmental regulatory and permit requirements, and implemented improvements and efficiencies in waste minimization processes that have resulted in cost savings and reduced worker and environmental risks.

HLMI looks forward to continuing to support the DOE cleanup mission and is proud to be a part of the One Hanford team.

Ray Geimer is general manager for Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration LLC.

quality, and being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. I look forward to a historic 2023 in partnership with our customer, collaborators, and the community as we advance this national mission.

Valerie McCain was Bechtel’s senior vice president and project director. She died March 26 after a short illness.

to creating a company culture of giving that spreads beyond our workforce to positively affect the community around us. Through volunteerism and corporate donations, as well as workforce investment, we are committed to improving the quality of life in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas.

Looking to 2023 and beyond, we will continue to deliver mission integration, introduce new innovations and technologies, and drive improvement of essential service delivery in support of the One Hanford cleanup mission. As the site prepares for expanded waste treatment and 24/7 operations, HMIS will continue developing efficiencies and improvements across Hanford. Our success is only possible with the partnership, support and success of DOE, our fellow contractors, and the community, and we look forward to serving all of you for years to come.

Ray Geimer HLMI

Courtesy HLMI 222-S scientist supporting tank waste verification, performing lab scale preparation of glass.

Robert Wilkinson is president of Hanford Mission Integration Solutions.

MCCAIN, From page C8

WILKINSON, From page C9