December 2020 Volume 19 | Issue 12
Pasco’s Gordon Brothers Cellars files for bankruptcy By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
Energy
Federal awards put Tri-Cities on map for next generation of nuclear power Page A17
Business Profile
Sporthaus has been serving Tri-City outdoor enthusiasts for 40 years Page A43
Real Estate & Construction
Vancouver real estate firm plants $2.4M outpost in growing Tri-Cities Page B1
NOTEWORTHY “The Tri-Cities is just a growing little powerhouse.” - Carmen Villarma, president and founder of The Management Group Page B1
The state’s oldest estate grown winery is curtailing operations after its largest creditor compelled it to file for bankruptcy. Gordon Brothers Cellars Inc. and its related vineyard, Kamiak Vineyard Inc., filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in November, shortly after the Bank of Eastern Washington unexpectedly entered a “confession of judgment” against the Pasco winery, its vineyard, its landlord and its owners. The vineyard filed on Nov. 6 and the winery on Nov. 17. The two likely will file a joint reorganization plan, attorneys said during a December court hearing. Owner Jeff Gordon said the business will survive. “We just need to work through this,” he told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. Washington wineries were struggling under the weight of a global wine glut even before the Covid-19 pandemic. This spring, wine economist Christopher Bitter of Vancouver, British Columbia, told the Washington Winegrowers Association the state needed to remove 8,500 acres of vines or close a demand gap of 3 million cases to address the imbalance. Gordon Brothers, which reported a loss of $330,000 on its 2019 federal income tax return, was not immune. Its primary asset is its inventory of 59,534 cases of bottled wine with a wholesale value of about $8.4 million, according to bankruptcy documents. Bitter disavowed the term “wine glut.” He wasn’t familiar with the Gordon Brothers bankruptcy. Generally, he said, the industry faces intensified competition from a flood of newcomers. “Heading into 2020 we had a situation where many Washington wineries were douGORDON BROTHERS, Page A4
Photo by Wendy Culverwell Kyaw Htoo Kayunar, left, a Habitat for Humanity homebuyer who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Myanmar, and Jet Richardson, the Tri-City nonprofit’s new executive director, pause in a home under construction in east Pasco. The men removed their face masks just long enough to be photographed.
Globe-trotting Richland native is back home, at helm of Habitat for Humanity By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
Tri-County Partners Habitat for Humanity has a new executive director, a Richland native who came home after exploring the country and the world. Jet Richardson signed on as the Richlandbased nonprofit’s new leader just months before the pandemic struck. He spent the first year focusing on Habitat’s mission to build affordable homes with donations and volunteers. One year in, he is ready to step into the spotlight to share the difficulties, the milestones and the story of Habitat, the feel-good juggernaut that puts hammers in hands of volunteers and homeownership in reach of
the working poor. The pandemic slowed – but did not halt – its progress. After a brief pause, staff and a core group of volunteers kept working at its latest development site on Cedar Avenue, east of Virgie Robinson Elementary School, between East Lewis and A streets. Habitat completed the first two of 11 homes on Cedar in September and December, respectively. The latter is being built for Kyaw Htoo and Nay May Kayunar, refugees from Myanmar, formerly Burma, and their three young children. Kyaw, pronounced “Jaw,” said he came to the U.S. after living in refugee camp for five years. The family rents an apartment in uHABITAT, Page A8
Bluewood carves out room on mountain for safe skiing By Kristina Lord
publisher@tcjournal.biz
Northwest ski resorts have spent the better part of the year planning for Covid-19 contingencies to ensure skiers and snowboarders can race down their favorite slopes safely this winter. Bluewood, the Tri-Cities’ closest resort which is owned by seven Tri-Citians, has been planning since March. It’s outside of Dayton, about 80 miles east of the Tri-Cities. Bluewood opened for the season Dec. 11 after adding two new buildings to accommodate social distancing requirements and improve overall traffic flow at the lodge. An expansion has been on Bluewood’s long-term capital wish list for probably 35
years, said Kim Clark, the resort’s general manager. “We’ve always known we’ve had space issues and space constraints,” he said. The pandemic pushed the project to the top of the priority list. Bluewood identified four major pinch points where guests bunched up in lines at the 11,000-square-foot lodge and got to work. Instead of expanding the lodge, they added the two new buildings. The Hub is the largest at 1,956 square feet. It will house rentals and the SnowSports department. It was in the final stages of construction the week of Dec. 11. Located adjacent to the lodge, the membrane-tensioned uBLUEWOOD, Page A23
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