Journal of Business - February 2021

CELEBRATING

February 2021 Volume 20 | Issue 2

YEARS

Tri-Cities Airport holds line as traffic falls by more than half

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Health Care

Protect your heart health, even in a pandemic Page A13

Retirement

Group launches hotline to help seniors register for vaccine Page A25

Real Estate & Construction

Speck building electric-friendly new home for Buick, GMC dealership Page B1

NOTEWORTHY “People are creating businesses.

The entrepreneurial bug is everywhere.”

-Ranae Pearce, co-owner of Popped

Page A39

There is no way to dress it up: The Covid-19 pandemic battered – and continues to batter – the Tri-Cities Airport’s business.

Its years-long record of passenger growth collapsed in 2020, which recorded 188,959 boardings, 57% fewer than 2019.

The news was bad, but Airport Director Buck Taft said he felt duty bound to report the numbers, as he does each year.

April was the darkest month, with 95% fewer passengers than normal. The few who did travel in the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic were greeted by a vast and empty parking lot, shuttered restaurants and few people in the terminal.

In real numbers, an average of 58 people flew out of Pasco each day in April, down from a daily average of 1,100 the previous April.

Traffic has revived, but for Taft, the mission is to survive 2021 while business is half of normal. The airport’s operating budget is just over $6 million.

It got a boost thanks to a $5.9 million payout from the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security) Act. The grant is covering the airport’s bond debt, a cost normally borne by passenger fees. A second payment is expected but had not been announced in mid-February.

Cargo traffic increased by 9%, driven by a 38% increase posted by UPS Inc. The airport receives landing fees for cargo flights, but it is a minor source of revenue and the uptick will not affect the budget. Still, it was a positive trend, Taft noted.

It shelved all capital projects for 2021, including Taft's longtime dream of replacing tired landscaping at the terminal entrance.

Those and other cuts set the airport up to break even in 2021 if it sees 55% of the 438,000 boardings it tallied in 2019, before the pandemic. The financial picture, he said, is “fine.” Not great, but “fine.”

The 55% goal is a reasonable one, Taft believes. uAIRPORT, Page A11

Photo by Kristina Lord Leah Mays, a Hanford worker who lives in Pasco, inspects the home she and her husband are building at The Heights at Red Mountain Ranch in West Richland.

Homebuilding helped drive the local construction economy in 2020.

Homebuilding pushes construction as commercial work lags

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Tri-City construction topped the $1 billion mark in 2020, no thanks to the Covid-19 work stoppages, slowdowns and even a lingering shroud of smoke that bedeviled the construction industry.

Overall construction dipped 13%, but homebuilding was a bright spot, according to figures compiled by the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities. Collectively, local building agencies issued permits for 1,722 singlefamily homes worth about $500 million, 5% more than in 2019 for both value and permit volume.

“It was a good year for residential construction across the board,” said Jeff Losey, president. “Everybody was as busy as they possibly could be.”

Leah Mays and her husband, both Hanford workers, are buying their first home together, a custom-built single-family model at The Heights at Red Mountain Ranch, a new subdivision from Aho Construction in West Richland.

The first of 10 phases is taking off near Keene Road and West Van Giesen Street. With 103 of 105 lots under contract in late January, it is one of the busiest work sites in the region.

Aho, based in Vancouver, expects to begin the second phase in the spring.

Sales have exceeded expectations despite a six-week halt to construction early in the pandemic, it said.

On a sunny January day, the Mayses threaded their way past construction vehicles to check on the progress of their home, a trip they make frequently. They chose a home site on the uHOMEBUILDING, Page A35

Old Sports Authority near Columbia Center to reopen as veteran-focused thrift shop

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

The former Sports Authority store at Kennewick’s Columbia Center will reopen this spring as Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store, the second outpost for a Wenatchee nonprofit focused on supporting homeless and struggling veterans.

Operation Veterans Assistance & Humanitarian Aid is converting the 40,000-squarefoot retail space into a full-service thrift store that will sell furniture, clothing, household items and offer electronics and computer repair.

The nonprofit is led by director Thelbert “Thadd” Lawson Jr., who said it will open

in late March or early April. Supporters can begin leaving donations in mid-February.

The new store brings life to a prominent retail space that sat empty for more than five years. It occupies a high-profile address at North Columbia Center and Grandridge boulevards, in the heart of Kennewick’s prime retail corridor.

Sports Authority closed in 2016, about the same time as its neighbor, OfficeMax. That left Lowe’s Home Improvement as the main occupant of the building.

Lawson said it was the only space big enough to accommodate the sprawling Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store concept. Like the original in Wenatchee, the store will sell uTHRIFT STORE, Page A4

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

Easterday hires restructuring team to negotiate phony cattle claims, bankruptcy

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

One of the region’s largest farm operations has hired a Nevada firm to restructure its multimillion-dollar business as it navigates a stunning claim it falsified records for 200,000 cattle and a subsequent bankruptcy.

Easterday Ranches Inc. of Pasco hired Paladin Management Group LLC in a sign the Easterday board is looking to preserve the business. The move comes after Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. filed a $225 million lawsuit alleging it breached a cattle management agreement by inventing 200,000 head of cattle that do not exist to cover separate commodity market losses.

Easterday filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Eastern Washington on Feb. 1, five days after Tyson sued in Franklin County Superior Court.

According to the bankruptcy petition, Cody Allen Easterday, Debby Easterday and Karen Easterday resigned as officers. The three collectively own 100% of Easterday Ranches Inc. In their place, Paladin Management Group LLC installed T. Scott Avila and Peter Richter as co-chief restructuring officers, with Richter taking on the added title of “secretary.”

Avila is co-founder of Paladin and a 20-year veteran of corporate restructuring. Richter is a certified turnaround professional with a background in bankruptcy.

The duo is managing the Easterday companies as they develop a restructur-

ing plan.

Both are independent of Easterday and are not considered employees.

Easterday paid a retainer for their services and agreed to the restructuring officers’ $795 hourly billing rate.

Richter and Avila submitted the bankruptcy request, working with attorney Thomas Buford of the Seattle firm of Bush Kornfeld LLP. Easterday’s legal bench also includes the Seattle office of law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP of Los Angeles.

The dispute between Easterday and Tyson stems from a cattle management agreement that dates to at least 2017.

Under the agreement, Easterday housed and fed cattle owned by Tyson on its feedlots.

Easterday acquired cattle on Tyson’s behalf. When cattle were ready for market, they were delivered to Tyson’s Wallula processing plant. Easterday would then be paid the market value for the cattle less the costs paid by Tyson.

As of Oct. 3, 2020, the end of its fiscal year, Tyson said its records showed Easterday held 286,000 head of cattle valued at $321 million.

In the following months, Tyson discovered significant errors in the inventory records, according to court records.

Its investigation indicated 200,000 cattle on the books did not exist. The lawsuit accuses Easterday of submitting false invoices for reimbursement for expenses, leading to losses in excess of $225 million.

According to the suit, Cody Easterday blamed investment losses.

“In meetings with (Tyson’s) representatives, defendant’s President Cody Easterday admitted to the fraudulent scheme, and has explained that he concocted the scheme in order to offset over $200 million in losses he incurred in the commodities trading markets,” the complaint alleged.

Tyson, represented by Perkins Coie LLP, is pressing to have Easterday placed in receivership, alleging it is unable to pay its bills and is insolvent.

It also asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent Easterday from selling or transferring its “North Lot,” a 1,545-acre feed lot at 8230 Blanton Road in Eltopia, one of its most valuable assets.

However, Easterday sold the property to a Tyson competitor on Jan. 22, according to Franklin County property records. The price was $16 million.

The Blanton Road property was included as an Easterday asset in the Feb. 1 bankruptcy petition, along with properties in Royal City, Mesa, Basin City and Othello.

Easterday is in possession of 54,000 head of Tyson-owned cattle that are not yet ready for market, according to the suit.

Tyson’s $225 million claim makes it Easterdayʼs largest unsecured creditor, followed by Segale Properties, owed $8.6 million, Animal Health International of Sunnyside, owed $1 million, and Sun Basin Operations of Quincy, owed $500,000.

The bankruptcy case is assigned to Judge Whitman L. Holt.

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uBUSINESS BRIEFS Wallula paper mill fined $28,500 for air pollution

The Packaging Corporation of America’s Wallula paper mill has been fined $28,500 by the Washington Department of Ecology for air pollution released from the facility’s wastewater treatment plant.

The Wallula mill is required to reduce emissions from its wastewater treatment plant to comply with federal air quality regulations, Ecology said. Packaging Corporation of America failed to meet these requirements over a period of seven weeks in August, September and October 2020 due to issues in its wastewater treatment plant.

The treatment problems resulted in an additional 7 tons of methanol and other types of hazardous air pollution to be emitted from the plant over a total of 57 days. Along with the penalty, Ecology is requiring the mill to increase monitoring to prevent future issues.

“Although Packaging Corporation of America failed to meet these requirements last year, we have been pleased with their efforts to correct the issue and come back into compliance,” said James DeMay, manager of Ecology’s Industrial Section, which regulates the mill.

The company may appeal Ecology’s penalty within 30 days to the Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board.

SBA offers online business coaching for women

The U.S. Small Business Program has launched Ascent, a free business coaching program for female entrepreneurs.

Ascent is designed to help women grow their businesses. The platform includes exercises and tools, as well as fireside chats with successful women and success stories from real-world entrepreneurs.

Go to ascent.sba.gov.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 THRIFT STORE, From page A1

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– UPCOMING – MARCH Hospitality | Education & Training APRIL Diversity | Hanford Specialty Publication

– CORRECTIONS – • Houston Lillard’s name was misspelled on page A21 in the January issue.

furniture, clothing, electronics, books, videos, footwear, sporting goods, computer services and more.

Lawson established Operation Veterans Assistance in 2013 to serve homeless veterans and their families. Its mission includes providing humanitarian aid to the larger community.

PTSD, prison, new focus Lawson is an Army veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm.

Within three months of being discharged, he was in serious trouble. He was convicted in 1992 in Chelan County Superior Court for hiring someone to murder his wife.

The prosecutor’s office confirmed she was not killed. Lawson served more than 16 years of an 18-year sentence.

“The real story is I’m a veteran. I came home. I was broken,” he said, citing PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. He had ample time behind bars to see how many of his peers were incarcerated.

Lawson said he reset behind bars. In 2006, Vietnam Veterans of America honored him as its Incarcerated Veteran of the Year during a ceremony at the Twin Rivers Corrections Unit at the Monroe Correctional Complex.

The Everett Herald covered the ceremony, noting Lawson was 41 and had been behind bars since he was 24.

A post-prison misdemeanor conviction in Chelan County District Court was reversed in 2016. Lawson said he accepted a plea bargain deal for fourth-degree assault to end the case and get on with his life.

Now 55, Lawson said he is dedicated to serving veterans.

“There has to be more done. That’s why I started my crusade in prison,” he said.

Outside of prison, he continued his education at Wenatchee Valley College, where he established a school-sanctioned club for veterans. He took a leading role in his local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter.

Sales fuel nonprofit Operation Veterans Assistance operates as Lawson did as a drill sergeant. Its “loose and off the cuff” approach adapts to changing conditions as well as needs. It hires and trains workers who can learn the job and then do it without supervision. He is not interested in babysitting, he said.

The seven people setting up the new

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Thelbert M. “Thadd” Lawson Jr. stands inside the new Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store at 908 N. Colorado St. in Kennewick, the site of the former Sports Authority store that closed in 2016. The Army veteran suffered PTSD and served in prison before turning his life around to help veterans through the nonprofit Operation Veterans Assistance & Humanitarian Aid, based in Wenatchee.

store include a mix of ex-convicts and veterans. It reflects his mission to help veterans avoid the criminal justice system while giving ex-cons a chance to succeed when they get out.

The nonprofit is organized around thrift sales, first in Wenatchee and now Kennewick. It is a deliberate strategy that delivers a steady stream of earned revenue instead of an unsteady stream of donations.

The first Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store opened in November 2013 in Wenatchee. Business soared in the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic as people staying home cleared out their closets.

Donations packed its basement in Wenatchee – enough to open a second store.

Lawson considered expanding to Spokane, but he turned to the Tri-Cities because another veteran-oriented thrift store already operates there under a similar name, Veterans Thrift Store.

The Tri-Cities offered an attractive combination of population growth and above-average income, as well as empty space in a prime retail location.

He signed a seven-year lease with the Kennewick building’s Spokane-based owners. The lease covers the sporting goods space as well as an adjoining mattress store. The two spaces are now linked by a passthrough.

The lease includes free rent for several months while the crew cleans and stocks the space. Sports Authority left racking and other equipment.

The nonprofit has big hopes for the Tri-Cities. A Richland store could open in 18-24 months. Proceeds could support housing for homeless vets, Lawson said.

The store serves as both an employment and job training center. Most apparel is priced at $6 with ample room to negotiate. Veterans with ID can sign up for a voucher that lets them shop for whatever they need, from clothing to household goods.

Proceeds support eight outreach programs aiding communities affected by disaster and organizations that provide humanitarian aid, and help veterans find and furnish homes when they return to civilian life, as well as clothing and food.

Through 2019, Lawson said the nonprofit has contributed $32.5 million in goods and mostly services and helped 24,000 veterans, including spouses and families.

It reported $7.3 million in gifts, grants and other donations between 2014-18, according to its most recent filing with the IRS. Follow the store’s progress on Facebook @thrift410.

• Numerica Credit Union is based in Spokane Valley. The wrong information appeared on page A3 in the January issue.

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, a publication of TriComp Inc., is published monthly and delivered at no charge to identifiable businesses in Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Kennewick, Prosser and Benton City. Subscriptions are $27.10 per year, including tax, prepayment required, no refunds. Contents of this publication are the sole property of TriComp Inc. and can not be reproduced in any form without expressed written consent. Opinions expressed in guest columns and by advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, other columnists or other advertisers, nor do they imply endorsement by staff, columnists or advertisers. Every effort will be made to assure information published is correct; however, we are not liable for any errors or omissions made despite these efforts.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 uBUSINESS BRIEFS MSA lays off 30 as Hanford contract ends

Mission Support Alliance has permanently laid off 30 workers after its contract to provide landlord services to the Hanford site transitioned to a new, though related, contractor.

MSA said it would lay off the employees on Jan. 21 in a Workforce Adjustment and Retraining Notification to the Washington Employment Security Department.

The notice was later retracted by the state, which said it should not have been released since it involved fewer than 50 workers.

MSA, a partnership of Leidos and Canterra Group, held a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to provide landlord services at the Hanford site. The contract covers emergency response and training, including the Hanford Fire Department and Hanford Patrol, and infrastructure services and overseeing the preservation of cultural artifacts at the site.

The new contract was awarded to Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, which includes Leidos and Canterra and a new partner, Parsons.

Hanford Mission Integration Solutions sent a declaration of readiness to DOE in January and was finalizing “punch-list” items as it moved to take over the work, including awarding subcontracts. As part of the transition, it sent onboarding packets to MSA employees continuing under the new contract in January.

AWB, Tri-City chamber promote internships

A new website is helping Tri-City students find internships with local employers.

The Association of Washington Business, Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, Washington State University Tri-Cities and Columbia Basin College launched the Washington Workforce Portal as a place for employers and educators to post about internships and intern candidates.

The Tri-Cities and Spokane are piloting the portal concept.

Go to washingtonworkforceportal.org.

L’Ecole No 41 heads to downtown Walla Walla

L’Ecole No 41, one of the first wineries in Walla Walla, will open a wine bar at the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel in downtown Walla Walla.

Heritage by L’Ecole will serve small production and library lots as well as current releases.

L’Ecole, led by owner and winemaker Marty Clubb, said the new space incorporates design elements from the 1915 Frenchtown schoolhouse it has occupied in western Walla Walla County for decades. Rebecca Clubb-Olson designed the project.

Heritage is expected to open to the public in April during Spring Kick Off Weekend. It will seat up to 19 indoors.

The wine bar cements a longstanding relationship between L’Ecole and the hotel. W.W. Baker, grandfather of L’Ecole’s founder, Baker Ferguson, was part of the

team that developed the hotel in the 1920s, according to its current owner, Kyle Mussman.

Hanford tours head online

The public can now take virtual tours of the 580-square-mile Hanford site.

The U.S. Department of Energy previously offered limited in-person public tours in the spring and summer, which filled quickly. The virtual tours are offered to maintain public access to the site cleanup during Covid-19 shutdowns.

The website launched in January and offers self-guided tours that allow participants to tour up to 29 locations on the nuclear reservation. The tour features 360-degree views and descriptions that explain what the viewer is looking at.

Tour stops include the Hanford 324

Building, 200 West Groundwater Treatment Project and structures associated with the Direct Feed Low Activity Waste program, including the Waste Treatment Plant and tank farms.

Go to hanford.gov.

Retired Tri-City Herald publisher dies at age 64

The retired publisher of the Tri-City Herald died in Wellton, Arizona, on Jan. 12 following a recent cancer diagnosis.

Gregg McConnell was 64. He was publisher of the Tri-City Herald between 2011-17. After he retired, he served the editor of Wine Press Northwest, a magazine published quarterly by the Herald.

His career spanned nearly 40 years working at newspapers in Montana, Cali-

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fornia and Washington.

McConnell served on several TriCity boards during his stint as publisher, including Tri-City Development Council, Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visit Tri-Cities.

He also ran an unsuccessful campaign as a Republican candidate for state Rep. Larry Haler’s legislative seat in 2018.

McConnell was born in Ronan, Montana, on Christmas Day in 1956, the youngest of eight children, according to an obituary in The Missoulian.

He is survived by his wife Diane of Kennewick and a son, Cory, and Cory’s wife, Tina, and grandchildren Jaida, Jailyn, Torean, Seren and Cerys, all of Hamilton, Montana.

A memorial gathering will be scheduled later in the year.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

DATEBOOK

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

FEBRUARY 18

• Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities, membership appreciation committee meeting: Noon-1 p.m. via Zoom. Details at hbatc.com.

• Columbia Basin Badger Club, “Carbon Tax Proposal for Washington”: Noon-1 p.m. via Zoom. Details at cbbc.clubexpress. com.

• Procurement Power Hour: Veteran Owned Businesses Doing Business with HPMC, Occupational Health provider to Hanford: Noon, online meeting.

Details at washingtonptac. ecenterdirect.com/events.

• Association of Washington Business, Covid-19 Employer Resources: vaccine update webinar: 2-3 p.m. Details at awb.org/events.

FEBRUARY 19

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

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

FEBRUARY 22

• Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership board meeting: 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. Details at

historickennewick.org/calendar.

FEBRUARY 23

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 24

• Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, State of the Ports membership luncheon: Noon via Zoom. Details at web. tricityregionalchamber.com/events.

• Tri-Cities Virtual Healthcare Job Fair: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Details at app.brazenconnect.com/events/ wWzKO.

FEBRUARY 25

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

FEBRUARY 26

• Washington PTAC, Laying the Groundwork: Basics of Government

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Contacting: 10-11 a.m., online meeting. Details at washingtonptac. ecenterdirect.com/events.

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

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

MARCH 1-7

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

MARCH 8

• Avea Financial Planning, Women’s Circle –A Safe Space For Women To Talk About Finances: 12:30-1:30 p.m. via Zoom. Details at aveafp.com/events.

• United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties, 15th annual Dine Local event. Pickup, delivery or dine-in safely at locally-owned, participating restaurants. Go to UWBFCO.org/DineLocal for list of restaurants.

MARCH 9

MARCH 2

MARCH 10

• Prosser Chamber of Commerce membership luncheon: Noon-1 p.m. Details at prosserchamber.org/events.

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

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

MARCH 5

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

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

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

• Port of Benton Commission: 8:30 a.m. Details at portofbenton. com/about-the-port/commission.

MARCH 11

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

MARCH 12

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

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

OPINION OUR VIEW The economy looked pretty grim until we hit the streets

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

As the Covid-19 pandemic passes the one-year mark, it is natural to look for light at the end of the tunnel. That could be premature if the data we see on our screens is to be believed.

The news about the Covid-19 variants is grim.

The rollout of the new vaccines has been rocky. State-mandated lockdowns are keeping many small businesses closed or severely restricted.

The Washington Department of Commerce’s economic dashboard is discouraging. The dashboard highlights regional, demographic and industry sector metrics.

It confirms declines in job postings, total employment, taxable business income and export volume.

Statewide, taxable retail sales fell 8%, according to retail sales data from Sep-

tember-November 2020, the most recent available. In Benton County, taxable retail sales fell $55 million or by 5%. In Franklin County, they fell $8 million or 2% compared to 2019.

But enough with the doomscrolling. Not all the news is bad.

Some sectors are growing, including retail trade (thanks to online shopping), construction and IT services, all of which outperformed the U.S. average, according to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council’s January update.

Inspired by building permit data, our editors hit the streets. They walked through construction sites in Pasco, Kennewick, Richland and West Richland in the first weeks of the year.

The flurry of homebuilding activity was impressive.

Teams of workers were crawling all over the 100+ new homes being built at Aho Construction’s The Heights at Red Moun-

tain Ranch, off Van Giesen Street in West Richland.

The panoramic view from atop Little Badger Mountain showcased development to come on the west side of Badger Mountain, with multiple terraced hillside lots being prepped for future homes.

In Pasco, near Chiawana High School, crews were finishing homes, with several families already moved into the new neighborhood. On Sandifur Parkway, work started on a new dealership for Tri-Cities GMC and Buick.

Construction topped $1 billion in Benton and Franklin counties last year, impressive but still below 2019 levels.

Single-family home construction increased 5%, with the median home price at $310,000 in December. Commercial construction cooled 9%.

It’s hard to say what 2021 will bring, but exploring the community offered a different view than the one we see on our screens.

Newhouse pledges to continue to be voice for ag Central Washington is one of the most agriculturally rich and diverse regions in the United States.

Since coming to Congress, I have had the honor of representing our agricultural producers, advocating for strong trade agreements and market protection measures, and securing the tools and resources our state needs to remain at the cutting edge of agriculture innovation.

I was recently appointed to serve on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on

Dan Newhouse Congressman

GUEST COLUMN

Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration – a priority of mine since I was named to the Appropriations Committee in 2017.

On this subcommittee, I will have a direct hand

Badger Club debates merits of taxing carbon to spur economic recovery

Kirk Williamson Columbia Basin Badger Club

GUEST COLUMN

Washington state is facing a precarious fiscal future.

The Columbia Basin Badger Club will discuss a carbon tax plan that is working its way through the 2021 Legislature at its monthly gathering, which will be held Feb. 18

via Zoom.

The challenge: Unemployment remains high and the latest revenue forecast projects a state budget shortfall of $3.3 billion through 2023, smaller than projected in early 2020. The impacts of climate change in Washington are expected to increase costs.

A proposed solution: Since the state

is required by its Constitution to have a balanced budget, this budget shortfall could mean drastically reducing expenditures on everything from roads and other needed infrastructure to schools – K-12 to post-high school. Or we could increase revenue by stimulating the economy or by increasing tax rates.

Last year our state Legislature passed a law increasing our targets for reducing carbon emissions. Gov. Jay Inslee and President Joe Biden are pushing hard for a transition to carbon neutrality as one way to address the climate crisis.

Opponents argue that this will cost jobs and slow recovery.

This year, the Legislature is considering Washington STRONG (SB 5373), an economic recovery bond program backed by an economy-wide price on carbon pollution.

SB 5373 was referred to the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology

uWILLIAMSON, Page A8

in advocating for the interests and priorities of Central Washington’s agriculture industry and rural communities. This is especially important given the lessons we have learned throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our farmers produce some of the most high-quality products in the world, and international trade accounts for 40% of our state’s economy.

As former director of the Washington

uNEWHOUSE, Page A10

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U-Haul’s yearly move-out report shows surge leaving Washington state British historian Thomas Macaulay famously said, “The best government is one that desires to make the people Paul Guppy happy and Washington knows how Policy Center to make them GUEST COLUMN happy.”

That standard is clearly not what people are experiencing in Washington state.

For years, leaders in state government have been increasing the tax burden and imposing ever-tighter regulations that limit personal opportunity, lower household incomes and fall hardest on working people, middle-class families and small business owners.

On top of that statewide trend, Washington recently experienced deadly political violence in its largest city, accompanied by rising crime, public camping and drug use and similar signs of widespread lawlessness.

We all know that bad government makes people want to leave, but how does one measure that exactly? One method is to use U.S. Census estimates. Another is to track income tax uGUPPY, Page A8

Winter windstorm is reminder of natural gas’ value A windstorm swept through Washington last month, causing damage on both sides of the state. More than a half-million people lost power across the Puget Sound region when high winds ripped through after several days of rain, toppling trees in the waterlogged ground.

In the Spokane region, at least two people were killed and some neighborhoods were without power for many days. In Chelan County, the wind took down trees as well, knocking out power and causing a rock slide.

Washington is no stranger to winter storms, but the blast served as a good reminder of the things we take for granted — lights that come on when we flip a switch, heat we control from a thermostat on the wall — or on our smartphones — and the value of a diverse energy mix.

As the state moves forward with efforts to reduce carbon emissions, it’s

important to note the role that natural gas continues to play in Washington’s energy portfolio, especially during the coldest Kris Johnson days of winter Association of and the hottest Washington summer days.

Business During last GUEST COLUMN month’s storm, gas fireplaces and stoves continued to work, as they always do, even when electricity was out.

During the coldest of days of the year, natural gas is an essential part of the energy system during peak demand days. And in the hottest days of summer, uJOHNSON, Page A10

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GUPPY, From page A7 filings with the IRS. For independent researchers, however, these government sources include flaws and are often out of date.

There is one data source, though, showing where people are moving that is highly accurate and reported in near-real time: U-Haul rentals.

Because rented trucks, trailers and moving vans have to be returned locally after use, U-Haul knows exactly where its customers are moving to, and just as importantly, from what states they are leaving.

And because it is the largest do-ityourself mover, this private company is in the best position to reflect current national trends. To preserve the privacy

of its customers, U-Haul only reports anonymous aggregate data, never personal information.

The latest annual report from U-Haul on some two million, one-way household moves in 2020 shows Washington dropping precipitously from the coveted No. 5 spot as most desired place to live all the way down to No. 36.

That position of unpopularity is not as bad as California’s, at No. 50, but it is a long way from top-ranked Tennessee, Texas and Florida as the most-sought destinations for one-way U-Haul movers.

The three most popular states on the list have one good policy factor in common: none of them impose a tax on personal income. Washington state has the same advantage, which is likely the single greatest reason our state hasn’t seen even

more people move away.

Still, to fall 31 places in one year is no compliment and reflects the fact that, in a year that was tough on everyone, people in Washington had it tougher than most.

The governor’s emergency executive orders, issued in March, remain firmly in place, with little sign of wider economic opening, easing of social restrictions or a return to normal public school operations (although most private schools have managed to open and operate under socialdistancing restrictions).

The result is an economic and emotional strain that feels worse every passing week. While other states and even whole countries are progressively opening their economies with health guidelines, Washington, California and others remain in a limited lock-down.

When health conditions improve and Covid-19 restrictions are over things will undoubtedly improve, but our underlying high-tax, high-regulation governing policies will remain.

The health crisis is temporary, but with the structural burden of poor governance Washington is likely to continue to fall down the list, until one day we may earn the unhappy distinction of becoming the number one place people want to leave.

Of course our elected leaders hopefully will choose a better path, building on our having no income tax, the natural beauty of our region and our friendly communities to add more good reasons for people to move to, instead of away from, the Evergreen State.

The full U-Haul report is based on 22,000 truck-and-trailer sharing locations in 2020 and is posted at uhaul.com/ Articles/About/22746/2020-MigrationTrends-U-Haul-Ranks-50-StatesBy-Migration-Growth. Paul Guppy is vice president for research for the Washington Policy Center.

WILLIAMSON, From page A7 committee after the first reading on Jan. 28. The bill is sponsored by Sens.

Liz Lovelett, Rebecca Saldaña, Mona Das, Manka Dhingra, David Frockt, Sam Hunt, Patty Kuderer, Joe Nguyen, Jamie Pedersen, Jesse Salomon, Derek Stanford, Lisa Wellman and Claire Wilson, all Democrats.

Proponents say bond revenue would address both the budget shortfall and economic recovery by investing in communities across the state for a strong recovery.

Carbon Washington, one of several groups promoting the idea, argues that it is a market-driven approach that also would accelerate innovation and help us achieve the goal of a carbon neutral energy economy.

That is the position of Doug Ray, chairman of Carbon Washington’s Board of Directors, and a member of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. He is a recognized authority on decarbonizing the global energy system and the environmental consequences of energy production and use.

But Todd Myers, environmental director at the Washington Policy Center, believes that may not be the best way to achieve the goal of a carbon-free economy by mid-century.

WPC is a market-oriented think tank in Seattle and is recognized as a national leader on free-market environmental policy.

Myers serves on the board of two national center-right environmental organizations, the American Conservation Coalition, an environmental advocacy organization that works to engage youth on conservation and environmental stewardship, and ConservAmerica, a group dedicated to habitat and wildlife conservation.

The Badger Forum is at noon Feb. 18 on Zoom. Admission is $5. Badger Club members pay nothing. Please read and follow the two-step registration process.

Go to bit.ly/ColumbiaBasinBadgerClub. Kirk Williamson is president of the Columbia Basin Badger Club, a civic discussion forum that meets monthly in Richland. It is meeting online during the pandemic.

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JOHNSON, From page A7 when California has experienced blackouts, Washington’s diverse mix of energy is equally important.

Washington employers are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and we know that energy sources such as wind and solar will continue making important gains in the years to come.

But natural gas provides reliable and affordable energy whenever it’s needed, making it a valuable part of the energy mix. Despite this, lawmakers are proposing bans on natural gas.

House Bill 1084, introduced this year in the state Legislature, would ban natural gas in new construction and impose several layers of additional costs on the natural gas system, raising costs for all

consumers in Washington.

A similar effort is under way in Seattle where the mayor has asked the city council to ban natural gas in most new commercial and large multifamily building construction. It’s part of a nationwide push to ban natural gas in new construction.

The proposed bans are drawing opposition, including from some in California who say they amount to a regressive tax on low-and middle-income households.

These bans are particularly problematic when natural gas is often the only energy option for our state’s manufacturing sector.

Natural gas is also key to meeting the goals of Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act, passed in 2019. The continued use of natural gas to supply

heating to buildings was a key part of are on the table to continue to meet our state’s growing power needs —in the cold the calculations on what make the bill’s of winter, the heat of summer and in the goals possible.

Renewable energy is key to our state’s midst of a windstorm. Kris Johnson is president of the energy future, but we also need to ensure Association of Washington Business, that natural gas remains affordable and the state’s chamber of commerce and available for our industries that have manufacturers association. no other option and for customers who value the ability to choose what energy they use in their homes.

NEWHOUSE, From page A7 Our region is facing a shortfall of power adequacy and the solution to this State Department of Agriculture, I know is not to restrict and remove an entire how much work goes into making sure our fuel type, the use of which is supported producers have strong international and by more 70% of residents in the Padomestic export markets. cific Northwest. Population growth and Mandatory programs like the Market growth of electric vehicles will only Access Program and the Foreign Market increase the need for additional electric- Development Program enhance our producity in our state. ers’ export and marketing efforts across the We need to ensure that all options globe, and I will continue to work to protect these critical funds.

Washington State University’s students and faculty are second to none in agricultural research, working with agriculture associations and stakeholders to conduct essential research into many of our specialty crops.

WSU, a land-grant university, receives much of its research funding from the federal government and continues to be a global leader in research on tree fruit, wine grapes, soil health, weather science and so many important components of the agriculture industry.

I intend to ensure this remains the case.

If the early days of the pandemic taught us anything, it is how fragile our nation’s food supply really is. With barren grocery store shelves all-too-common and many agricultural operations coming to a halt, our country got a glimpse of just how important it is to support the men and women who produce our food.

When demands at local food banks doubled, farmers and ranchers stepped up to donate surplus crops for families in need.

We witnessed producers come together to host their own food drives, donating millions of pounds of food over just a few months.

When it comes to agriculture, Washington state – and specifically, Central Washington – has a lot to be proud of.

The pandemic also has widened the urban and rural divide, highlighting extreme disparities in rural broadband access and technological capabilities.

For months, I have heard from people across our district about the importance of investing in broadband, health care, utility, and water supply infrastructure throughout our rural communities is crucial, and I look forward to continuing to close the gap.

Serving on the Agriculture Subcommittee will afford me the opportunity to fulfill the funding priorities of Central Washington’s communities – from agriculture research and rural broadband expansion to strengthening our food supply chain.

I am ready to work to ensure the men and women who provide food for our country and the world can successfully recover from this past year’s devastating crisis while setting up our rural communities for success, and I look forward to continuing to serve as a voice for Washington agriculture. U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, represents Washington’s Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 uBUSINESS BRIEFS Women in Business conference postponed

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce has postponed the annual TriCities Women in Business Conference, which typically takes place the last week of January.

The chamber and its premier sponsor, Washington River Protection Solutions, hope to hold the event at an undetermined date in 2021 as an in-person gathering. In the interim, the chamber invited past Athena Award recipients to share inspirational quotes.

Go to tricityregionalchamber.com/blog to learn what they shared.

Track the 2021 Legislature online

The public can track the 2021 Legislature online as the annual gathering of lawmakers is conducted under limitations meant to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

WashingtonVotes.org is a free public service of Washington Policy Center, a nonpartisan research and education center. It will cover bills, amendments and recorded votes for the session, which began Jan. 11.

The site includes a searchable database of current legislation, updates, customizable email updates and the “Missed Votes Report” that tracks votes taken and missed by individual lawmakers. Users also can track how their legislators vote on key issues.

Amundson named interim manager for Richland

Richland’s longtime assistant city manager has been named interim manager.

Jon Amundson, who joined the city in 2008, will oversee 500 employees in 10 departments.

AIRPORT, From page A1 In March, United Airlines will restore one of its pre-pandemic two daily flights to Minneapolis and Alaska Airlines is expected to resume its daily schedule of six or seven flights.

United cut its San Francisco flight and did not initiate its much-touted Chicago flight in 2020. However, both are listed as “suspended” on United’s schedule, a sign it has not dropped them completely.

In late May, Allegiant, catering to budget-minded leisure travelers, will initiate a direct flight to San Diego International Airport, with two flights a week.

Introductory one-way fares are listed at $59, it said in a Feb. 9 announcement that promotes San Diego as a vacation destination.

Taft said Allegiant is a sign of the times. The leisure-focused business fared better in 2020 than its businessfocused peers.

Allegiant boardings fell 38% at Pasco in 2020.

United, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines all fell by more than half.

“It’s a tough year,” Taft said.

Reents left the city after 17 years of service in January by mutual agreement with the city council.

The city has no immediate plans to conduct a search for a permanent city manager. Terms of Amundson’s contract were not disclosed at the time of his appointment.

STCU seeks approval to merge with Coulee Dam’s CDFCU

Spokane-based STCU is seeking approval to merge with Coulee Dambased CDFCU, a credit union with five branches and 14,000 members.

The merger is subject to approval by the National Credit Union Administration and the Washington State Depart-

ment of Financial Institutions. It is expected to be complete by late 2021.

CDFCU, originally established to serve U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees at Grand Coulee Dam, has branches in Coulee Dam, Brewster, Republic, Creston and Omak.

The merger will bring the leverage of a large credit union such as STCU to bear on the much smaller CDFCU, including technology and financial products.

If approved the merged credit union will serve about 225,000 members in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

CDFU has about $180 million under assets. STCU, one of the nation’s top 100 credit unions with branches in the Tri-Cities, has $4.1 billion in assets.

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Richland library reopens under 25% rules

The Richland Public Library has reopened for limited in-person service after closing in January under Washington’s new Covid-19 containment measures.

The library reopened at 25% capacity under the current rules for counties in Phase 1 of the reopening scheme.

Visitors must wear face masks, maintain social distancing and limit their time in the building to 30 minutes. No food or drink is allowed. There is no use of computers or printers.

Online and curbside services are on offer as well. The library is open Monday through Friday for in-person service from 10 a.m. to noon and for curbside service from noon-4 p.m. Both inside and curbside service is offered from 4-6 p.m.

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Even in a pandemic, donʼt delay treatment for heart attack symptoms

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

February is American Heart Month, and the American Heart Association is marking the 57th annual celebration with a sobering message for the Covid-19 era.

Don’t let fear of the virus keep you from seeking help if you are having symptoms of a heart attack. The hospital is the place to be.

Time is muscle saved in the cardiac world.

Fear of the virus is legitimate, but it is a matter of risk, said Dr. John R. Matheson, emergency medicine physician at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. An untreated heart attack is more dangerous than exposure to the virus.

“If you wait, you can miss the opportunity to get the best outcome,” he said.

By “best outcome,” he means stopping the heart attack in time to prevent death or severe heart damage.

The good news is Tri-City emergency rooms are part of the Washington Department of Health’s Emergency and Cardiac Health System.

Kadlec and Trios Health in Kennewick are both Level 1 Cardiac Centers, the top

tier. Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco and Prosser Memorial Hospital are Level II hospitals.

The ECS system was established by a 2010 law to prevent death due to heart attack, cardiac arrest and stroke by raising standards of care for heart attack victims in emergency rooms. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for Americans.

Under the ECS program, hospitals are reevaluated every three years. Trios renewed its Level I cardiac rating in December, along with its Level II rating for stroke care.

Level 1 hospitals must be ready to diagnose and treat cardiac emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cardiac teams must be available within 30 minutes of being notified of a patient in need. The clock can start ticking when a patient is en route by ambulance or private vehicle.

Hospitals are measured by how quickly they perform tests to detect heart attacks and how fast they act to treat the condition.

They are even measured on how often they give flu shots – which is nearly all the time.

At a Level 1 hospital, patients are evaluated by nurses. If a heart attack is suspected, either at the door or in an ambulance,

Business leaders help PNNL pitch invention at national competition

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A Pacific Northwest National Laboratory invention won top honors at a recent national pitch contest, thanks to its waterrepellent qualities and a little help from the Tri-City business community.

Called ElastiDry Protective Coating, the material can be applied to personal protective equipment such as gloves, face shields, shoes, or protective suits, a trait that can add a layer of protection to PPE. A panel of five judges from the Bay Area and Silicon Valley investment community chose the PNNL innovation from 10 product pitches from different national laboratories during the National Labs Accelerator Pitch Event.

PNNL won a $25,000 prize to spend toward further ElastiDry commercialization activities from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions.

A team of Tri-City area business leaders helped the PNNL technical team hone its pitch to the judges.

PNNL’s Office of Technology Deployment and Outreach held an internal competition for ElastiDry and a few other PNNL-developed technologies in midNovember, choosing ElastiDry to proceed to the national stage.

Tri-City area business leaders, including entrepreneurs and representatives of the Tri-City Development Council, listened to the presentations and offered sug-

gestions.

“It was valuable to hear from business leaders in the community,” said PNNL materials scientist Curtis Larimer, who led the research team to develop ElastiDry. “They suggested presenting more detail on the market I was targeting. They also said to know your audience and to speak to the judges as business investors, not technical people. I incorporated both of those tips into my video presentation.”

PNNL is seeking a private-sector partner to bring ElastiDry to market. At the same time, PNNL recently launched a new program through which others can get evaluation samples through a research-use agreement and a modest fee.

Larimer led the nearly three-year effort to develop the superhydrophobic material to develop ElastiDry. To create the new material, the team experimented with mixtures containing hydrophobic silica, a microscopic particle derived from sand that’s a common ingredient in a variety of products, including paints, plastics and coatings.

The winning mixture proved super repellent when applied to a latex glove and – to the researchers’ surprise – even more water repellent when stretched.

In his presentation to the judges, Larimer emphasized the potential application for surgical gloves, noting that it could uELASTIDRY, Page A14

the hospital activates its cardiac system. Patients get an EKG. If the EKG shows a heart attack, the patient goes to the cardiac catheterization lab. A specialist places a catheter in the heart to see where the blockage is happening. The same specialist opens the vessel, stopping the heart attack in progress.

If it is done soon enough, it can prevent the blockage from causing more damage or death.

That is why it is so important to seek treatment as soon as possible, said Matheson, who said Covid-19 concerns are a real deterrent to seeking health. Delays can be tragic, he said.

Pursuing Level 1 cardiac certification is a complicated commitment, said Bryson Casale, stroke and trauma coordinator at Trios. To earn the highest rating, hospitals

Courtesy American Heart Association

must demonstrate they provide the right care and document results.

“It’s not easy to get designated through

uHEART HEALTH, Page A19

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Covid-19 vaccine data available now online

The Washington State Department of Health, in partnership with Microsoft AI for Health, has added vaccine data to its Covid-19 dashboard, where pandemic-related statistics are published online.

The addition will help track progress in getting the Covid-19 vaccine to Washington residents. The dashboard provides county- and state-level views of infection rates, as well as the number of doses delivered to providers. As vaccines are given, it will show the percentage of the population vaccinated against the viruses that causes Covid-19.

HEALTH CARE

Go to doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/DataDashboard.

Cancer center offers Zoom cooking courses

The Tri-Cities Cancer Center is offering a series of cooking classes on Zoom led by Chef Kyle Thornhill of Tsunami Catering.

The meal prep courses cover the cancer-fighting properties of ingredients.

Each session focuses on a specific meal.

Classes are held from 5:30-7 p.m., Wednesdays, March 3 and 17.

The cost is $60 for individual sessions. Fees include the “One Bite at a Time” cookbook, an apron, insulated freezer bag and main ingredients. Go to tccancer.org/cuisine for program details.

Photo by Andrea Starr / Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Pacific Northwest National Laboratory materials scientist Curtis Larimer led a research team to develop ElastiDry Protective Coating. He presented the invention at the National Labs Accelerator Pitch Event in December. ElastiDry is a liquid-shedding substance built into latex and nitrile materials that retains durability and repellency even when stretched, which will add a layer of protection to medical PPE.

ELASTIDRY, From page A13 prove to be lifesaving in thwarting diseases, such as Covid-19, that can be transmitted by bodily fluids.

“Startups must be laser-focused on getting a product into the marketplace,” Larimer said. “So even though ElastiDry can be used in multiple applications, I had to narrow the scope. For this pitch, it was surgical gloves.”

Larimer also credited PNNL Commercialization Manager Allan Tuan for promoting ElastiDry as a candidate for the national competition and efforts to bring the product to market.

“PNNL’s tech transfer team does really important work,” Larimer said. “The technical staff at a national lab can’t really afford to spend the time that’s needed to get technologies from the lab bench to the real world. As scientists, it’s crucial that we have this group of talented people to step

in and carry the technology for the critical last mile – to market.”

After winning the internal PNNL competition, Larimer created and refined a 10-minute video before submitting it to the one-day competition, held as a Zoom webinar.

The UC Davis Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship presented the accelerator pitch event in December in partnership with the national labs.

With a new year ahead, and the award in hand, Larimer anticipates continued PNNL promotion and refinement for ElastiDry. “We’re going to spend the first part of 2021 reaching out and securing a commercial partner,” he said. “On the research side, we’re going to continue making improvements and modifications. We have plans for improvements to the material’s durability and functionality, and for additional intellectual property creation.”

HEALTH CARE

Q&A Number of people involved: 100+ Brief background of the recovery coalition: The coalition formed in June 2018, in response to the lack of detoxification services and inpatient treatment services for people suffering from Substance Use Disorder (addiction) in the Tri-City region. Our mission is to partner within Benton and Franklin counties to advocate for recovery and treatment opportunities; educate to destigmatize the disease of addiction and reduce barriers to recovery for people suffering from Substance Use Disorder, or SUD. What is your role? How long have you been in it?

I am the president and founder of the coalition.

Why should the Tri-Cities care about a Recovery Center?

The many reasons the Tri-Cities should care about a Recovery Center encompassing detox and treatment include benefits to the community, as well as to addicted people and their families. A comprehensive Recovery Center will: • Reduce crime and recidivism, thus lowering local law enforcement costs and burdens and increasing public safety and hygiene.

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MICHELE GERBER, PH.D. Benton Franklin Recovery Coalition President • Reduce repeat visits to hospital emergency departments by addicted persons in crisis.

• Assist physicians and other health care providers by providing a place where they can send patients who need SUD care that primary providers are not equipped to offer.

• Provide timely treatment to addicted persons who are in crisis or ready to begin recovery.

• Allow families of addicted people to participate in treatment programs, thus increasing success rates.

• Provide a key asset for employers in attracting high-quality workers to the Tri-City area.

• Provide substantial Return on Investment, or ROI, to employers currently sending employees and their family members to treatment centers throughout the U.S. • Keep treatment dollars in the TriCities (instead of being spent in Seattle, Spokane or other areas).

• Attract more and highly-qualified medical and mental health providers to our region.

• Raise the profile and pride of the TriCities as a place of medical excellence in all fields.

• Provide a regional resource in Eastern Washington to meet these behavioral health needs: Secure withdrawal manage-

ment areas (for people detained under “Ricky’s Law” or civil commitment); correctional diversion, to respond to SUD and mental health issues in constructive ways other than arrest; transitional housing for drug-affected and mentally ill persons who have been through treatment; hospitalgrade care for chemicallyusing pregnant women; and utilization of peers as well as professional staff, and telehealth in additional to in-person care.

How can supporters help make it happen?

Contact elected official at all levels of government and convince them to support the project financially, based on the community benefits listed above. In addition, supporters can make a tax-free, financial donation at www.509recovery.org.

What is the biggest challenge facing families and friends of people in crisis today?

There is absolutely, flatly, no place locally to take people who are in crisis due to Substance Use Disorder. This situation is terrifying to families in crisis. An addic-

Michele Gerber

tion crisis can be every bit as urgent as a heart attack.

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

Be bold and unafraid. Don’t be afraid to fail.

If you had a magic wand, what would you change?

We would open the doors of a comprehensive Recovery Center today, accept all troubled persons on a 24/7/365 basis, assess what they need and begin providing services or sending them to whatever uGERBER, Page A18

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Advisor Benefits lives on as Advisor Health Benefits with new employee owner

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Kevin Husted, a longtime Tri-City insurance benefits broker, had a busy fall.

Husted bought the insurance side of Advisor Benefits Group in the middle of not one but two open enrollment periods, Medicare and Washington’s Health Benefit Exchange.

Husted is a 20-year insurance benefits and Medicare professional who previously worked for Marvin Liebe at Advisor Benefits Group in Kennewick.

He established Advisor Health Benefits as the successor to Advisor Benefits Group after Liebe sold part of the insurance

business to Epic Trust, a multidisciplinary financial services firm in Richland.

Husted retains his focus on advising clients on health and other Kevin Husted types of insurance, including life, dental, vision and annuities.

He serves all ages but specializes in helping clients navigate the complexities of the Medicare and Washington Health Benefit Exchange.

He also helps clients with supplemental

policies and resolving issues while serving as manager for the Washington Health Plan Finder’s Tri-City enrollment center.

Clients come to Husted to evaluate their options and enroll in health and other benefit plans.

The Washington Exchange enrollment is typically Nov. 1 to Dec. 15. Because of the pandemic, it was extended to Jan. 15. He also is available to anyone seeking health insurance coverage between jobs or because they are newly arrived in the community.

If people on Washington’s low-income Apple plan are forced off because of rising income, he can help them choose new coverage.

Columbia Basin Denture Care Problem:

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Broke your denture and don’t have a backup?

Answer:

Let us scan your current denture, so if there is a mishap, you are prepared.

He emphasized that it is free to use an agent to navigate the health care exchange.

That includes enrolling in a plan, evaluating plans and helping sort through issues during the year.

“There is never an increase or charge.

We do not charge a fee,” he said.

He also helps seniors enroll in Medicare when they turn 65. He advises those preparing for Medicare to contact him three to six months before their actual birthday to get the process started.

Best of all, he can help clients enroll online.

“You don’t have to go to the Social Security office. I can help people navigate that,” he said.

Husted is also available to help small business owners choose plans.

“We’re honest with them. In some cases, if it is an owner and one or two employees, typically it is less expensive to be on an individual plan,” he said.

Husted grew up in Ephrata and moved to Seattle for college. He launched a cleaning business, which he sold when he decided to return to Eastern Washington in 1990.

He is a former executive director for the American Red Cross who moved to the insurance industry about 20 years ago. He started as a trainer for Sterling Insurance and joined Lieb 15 years ago.

He may have left nonprofit work, but he retained an interest in supporting the community as a member of the leadership TriCities Class II and Kennewick Jaycees. He is also past president of the board of Senior Life Resources, which operates Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels.

Husted retained the Advisor Benefits name signal continuity of services. He is joined by an office manager and intends to bring on insurance advisors to build and expand the business.

“All of our clients will continue to receive the same customer service,” he said.

Husted can be reached at kevin@advisorbenefits.com or 509-308-4118.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Stateʼs insurance commissioner reopens uninsured health enrollment

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509-586-4350

7233 W. Deschutes Ave. Suite E, Kennewick • personaldentures.com

Washington health insurers are accepting new customers through May 15 during a special enrollment period ordered by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.

The move echoes President Joe Biden’s executive order to reopen the federal health insurance marketplace over the same period.

The special enrollment period applies to the 600,000 people in Washington state without health insurance. Anyone can buy a plan directly from an insurer or through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. Plans purchased through the exchange may be eligible for federal assistance to pay premiums.

Those who already have a health plan may not change their plans.

Go to wahealthplanfinder.org.

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Kennewick seniors celebrate Covid-19 vaccine’s arrival

By Kristina Lord

publisher@tcjournal.biz

Seniors at home on the day the vaccine arrived at Brookdale Canyon Lakes readily rolled up their sleeves to receive it.

The Kennewick senior living community had 18 hours’ notice to line up residents and staff for 200 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in mid-January.

They were ready – and happy to receive it two weeks earlier than planned.

“I was elated, and I think we are so fortunate to be here and get the vaccine.

It was all set up for us. … They had papers ready for us. We just had to sign our name,” said resident Joyce Green.

More than 125 residents received a dose of the Pfizer vaccine from CVS staff and the rest went to staff, private caregivers and health home agencies.

Brookdale has three other sister communities in the Tri-Cities and their staff also received vaccines.

“Our goal was to be ready two weeks ahead of time so we were almost completely ready. Luckily, we were organized to have everything in place,” said Joe Green, executive director of Brookdale Canyon Lakes. He is not related to Joyce Green.

Ginger Vertrano, a retired nurse practitioner who lives there, said “It went so smoothly.”

Keeping residents safe Brookdale, which operates more than 700 senior living communities in 43 states, has been at the leading edge in protecting seniors from Covid-19, and “our community in particular,” Joe Green said. “Over 7% of the U.S. population, at least, has had Covid-19, and (Brookdale Canyon Lakes) has not had one resident case in 11 months. Brookdale has just been fantastic. We’re so blessed to live and work here,” he said.

Courtesy Joe Green Joyce Green, a resident at Brookdale Canyon Lakes senior living community in Kennewick, receives the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan. 14. “I was elated,” she said.

Vertrano was quick to agree.

Brookdale staff has been keeping residents informed – and safe.

“They’ve also kept us motivated to do the things we have to do to keep it from spreading. We’re adults and none of us want it, so we’ve been paying attention,” she said.

Brookdale staff wear medical face masks and face shields and maintain social distancing. They also add goggles and gloves when providing direct care.

“We’re taking a lot of extra precautions as staff because if Covid comes into the community, typically it is because staff aren’t following proper protocols or not being screened in appropriately. We’ve consistently educated staff on the risks of Covid-19 and symptoms, and are not explaining it away. How they behave outside of the community as well is so important,” Joe Green said.

Joyce Green said she appreciates the steps.

“They come every day to test each resident. They come to the door and take

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our temperature and our oxygen level, which is very nice,” she said.

Staying connected Though the virus has changed the way Brookdale residents go about their day, those who live there have plenty of options to be social, Vertrano said.

Joe Green said there’s a stereotype about senior living during the pandemic that everyone is isolated. He said he was more isolated working from home than his residents were.

“Residents are staying in their apartments or they’re going out and about, but practicing safety measures, just like all of us. They have a lot of engagement

opportunities. They have food delivery, interaction with others,” he said.

Joyce Green uses Brookdale Canyon Lake’s designated visiting room at least once a week, sometimes more.

“The residents can go into this vacant apartment and sit by the door that leads to the patio, and then our visitor can sit out on the patio and talk through the glass door. It’s very nice. You get to see your family members and visit with them. And really it’s better than when you’re in a family situation where you just can’t talk to somebody for a long time. I have their full attention when they’re here and it’s just great, and I love that room,” she said.

“Now that the weather has turned colder, they put a heater out there so our visitors don’t freeze to death. It’s very thoughtful of them,” she said.

She’s also a fan of Zoom for keeping in touch.

“Since I learned how to use it, I spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family in Southern California, and I had dinner with them right at their table. I was the elf on the shelf I guess,” she said with a laugh.

Vertrano said the music program Brookdale offered weekly continued while the weather was warm. “They still held it but they held it in sections so people who were on one part of the manor could see it, then in another part could see it ... They tried to very hard to uVACCINES, Page A19

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

GERBER, From page A15 services are most appropriate.

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

Take emotion out of your negotiations and decisions.

Who are your role models or mentors?

Personal, private people of steadfast character whom no one would recognize.

How do you keep your team motivated?

People need to be involved and have things to do. Divide up the tasks and delegate. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are best at everything.

What was your career at Hanford and how did you decide to pursue it?

I was called the site historian and conducted research into very old, hidden historical records in support of finding and characterizing wastes at the outset of the waste cleanup. Once waste information began being revealed, the information was shocking to many people, and so I conducted a great deal of public outreach and education about the facts, volumes and environmental pathways of the waste. I became involved because I am a professional historian who moved here and became curious about vastly conflicting news stories about Hanford’s waste.

How will you measure success once the recovery center is operational?

We will have to be financially stable

and self-sustaining to stay open. However, beyond that baseline, I will measure success by the number of people who come in defeated, sick and hopeless, but leave as happy, productive people restored to their true selves.

What do you consider your leadership style to be?

First of all, I am very organized. I believe you must keep careful track of membership, minutes, publicity materials, legal requirements, media messages and tools, etc. You have to prepare for meetings ahead of time and not waste people’s time. I think I am both inspirational and practical. I delegate in subject areas where I know very little. In other areas, I love to be closely involved.

How do you balance work and family life?

I need to improve in that area. I often work too late, answer emails when I should be paying attention to family and carry the stress of the job into personal time.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS New care position to provide help to homeless

The Kadlec Foundation and Kadlec community health division are joining together with the Tri-Cities Union Gospel Mission and Grace Clinic to offer a new service to help the homeless population.

Work is underway to hire a nurse or care coordinator to work at the mission’s men’s shelter with patients who have been discharged from the hospital.

Kadlec is contributing $80,000 through its community benefit funding along with the Kadlec Foundation. Recruitment is underway to hire for the position, which will be employed by the mission and work out of the men’s shelter in Pasco.

“The homeless medical respite program is a key step in improving access to care

HEALTH CARE What do you like to do in your free time?

Walk, hike, kayak, ski and swim laps.

What’s your best time management strategy?

Just be organized.

Prioritize the needs and commitments of each day and be sure to do the most necessary things.

Be on time and don’t keep people waiting.

Best tip to relieve stress?

Long walks, kayaking and swimming.

What’s your favorite music?

I love the “oldies” in music and make long playlists of music from each decade going back to the 1940s.

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

We make our decisions, and then our decisions turn around and make us.

for some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Mark Brault, volunteer chief executive at Grace Clinic.

“Our free clinic can help, but this program provides service where it’s needed most, at the homeless shelter.”

Grace Clinic director joins Kennewick hospital board

Mark Brault has been appointed to serve on the Kennewick Public Hospital District Board, a taxing entity with a mission to fill service gaps in health care.

The district is pursuing a project to convert the former Kennewick General Hospital into a detoxification and rehabilitation center.

Brault is director of Grace Clinic and a past Kennewick Man of the Year. He formally joined the board on Jan. 28.

Meetings are published via kenkphd. com/meetings.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

HEALTH CARE VACCINES, From page A17

keep us entertained,” she said.

But there’s no denying the past year has been difficult, said Eleanor Ferreira, a retired nurse who has lived at Brookdale for seven years.

“When this hit, it’s been very, very hard for old people to not be able to have people around them. It’s very depressing and very isolating. … We’ve got a lot of people who have said: ‘I’m ready to go home,’ and it’s sad because they still have lots of life to live,” she said.

Get the vaccine facts Ferreira encouraged people to learn the facts about the vaccine “When you listen to news, you get all kinds of ideas and some are right and some aren’t. … They have all these scare stories about people going into shock and everything else. Well, you know, when you scare people, it’s hard to get their trust. But when you know all HEART HEALTH, From page A13 the state. There is an application that is not easy. You have to prove you’re performing at these standards,” he said. Hospitals must meet quality standards and constantly review their cases.

The payoff for patients is emergency rooms that stand ready to respond to the hundreds of heart attacks that strike TriCitians each year.

Walk-in patients will typically go to their nearest emergency room. But first responders will send patients to Level 1

A19

the facts, and how small a percentage that is, you don’t have to worry quite that bad.

“And they had all of us sit for 15 minutes to see how it reacted. Of the 200 that got vaccines here, we didn’t have anybody (who had a reaction). So you know, that’s a pretty good percentage,” she said.

Joyce Green shook her head when asked if the vaccine made her arm sore.

“I watched on the news and people saying negative things about how you got headaches later. I’ve had absolutely none of that. The shot itself was very easy. No pain,” she said.

They have all received the second booster shot on Feb. 4. He said that’s the day Brookdale handed out the “I got my Covid-19 vaccine” stickers, which arrived too late for the first round.

The seniors didn’t mind; they were happy to show off their vaccination

cards.

“That will be our passport into airlines, sporting events, theaters. We’ll have that card to show we had the vaccination,” Ferreira said.

The group of seniors who spoke to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business via a Zoom call urged everyone to get vaccinated.

“I just thought everybody should have it. It gives us so much protection that if everybody got it, we wouldn’t have it trailing down through the years,” Ferreira said.

“Please get it,” Vertrano implored. “I don’t know how easy it is for everybody.

It was easy for us. … We were very lucky to be here and get it. But please get it.”

Vertrano said though she’s gotten her dose, she’ll continue to take the same precautions against the virus that causes Covid-19: “It’s still out there.”

Courtesy Joe Green Barbara Anderson strikes a Rosie the Riveter pose after receiving her Covid-19 vaccine on Jan. 14 at Brookdale Canyon Lakes senior living community in Kennewick.

hospitals with PCI capabilities, which stands for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention or angioplasty.

Trios has seen Oregon patients bypass their own hospitals to get treatment at the PCI-capable one. Cooperation among hospitals and the people responding to emergencies is the key.

“We can get the ball rolling for the patient before they get to the door, including transmitting EKGs (from ambulances),” he said. “It’s a pretty smooth process.”

Matheson, of Kadlec, said being a

Level 1 facility is important, but he discourages people from driving past nearby emergency rooms.

Ideally, patients should call 911, but the key is to get to the nearest emergency room fast.

“You need to get in quickly,” he said.

Kadlec had a heart attack mortality rate of 13.7 based on 423 cases between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2019, according to Washington Hospital Quality, which measures hospital outcomes. The lower the number the better.

Trios’ rate was 12.9, with a sample

size of 165 over the same three-year period. The Lourdes sample size was too small to generate an index.

The national average is 12.7, and Washington’s statewide average is 13.0.

According to the American Heart Association figures from before the Covid-19 pandemic, there are 605,000 new and 200,000 recurrent attacks each year.

The average age for a first heart attack is 65.6 years for men and 72 years for women.

Heart attacks are one of the 10 most expensive conditions to treat.

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RETIREMENT

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Pandemic forces separation but couple’s love endures and all of that. He said to me, ‘That’s all part of you.’ That was so sweet,” she said.

A marriage can be filled with stressors of all kinds – money, in-laws, kids – but working to find the common ground helps, Kathie said.

“I think people who expect it all to be good are really setting themselves up for failure. It isn’t all easy. Anybody tells you they have been married for 55 years and every one of them was a blessing is probably really fortunate to have forgotten there were hard times,” she said.

“Sometimes I feel sorry for people who expect all of it to be good because that’s not life. When you look at the whole picture, you have to really enjoy the good times.”

By Kristina Lord

publisher@tcjournal.biz

Kathie and Darell “Bud” Weathermon will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary later this month but they won’t be able to hug, hold hands or share a kiss.

Kathie, 75, plans to make the one hour and 15 minute drive from Walla Walla to Kennewick to visit her husband on their special day. It’s a trip she makes about twice a week.

Bud lives at WindSong at Southridge in Kennewick, an assisted living senior community catering to residents who need care because of memory loss. Kathie and her two adult children decided to move Bud, 77, into WindSong in early July. They say it was the right move for their family.

And, most importantly, for Bud. “It was really the only decision we could make for Bud’s safety. But it still is hard,” Kathie said.

She cared for him as long as she could, but his memory and personality began to change too much, and she could no longer keep him safe in the Walla Walla home they shared for 18 years.

“You always question your decisions, but once Bud got to WindSong I haven’t questioned the care he’s gotten or where he’s been. It’s been a godsend,” she said.

State-mandated pandemic restrictions mean a window separates the couple when they visit and they have to use an intercom to talk.

The physical separation is tough.

“They love each other so much. I just can’t wait until they can hug each other in real life again,” said Tiffinni Halka, life enrichment coordinator at WindSong at Southridge.

“There’s lots of tears when they’re separated by a window. They need each other ... it’s hard on Bud and it’s hard on Kathie to not be able to hug and touch each other. I cannot wait to end all of this so they can be together again.”

It’s clear their love for one another remains strong, Halka said. “He dotes on her. When we say, ‘Oh Bud, your beautiful bride is here,’ he starts walking to the window. He calls her name because he knows she’s coming. Whenever you say her name, there’s joy on his face,” she said.

A lifetime of love Kathie met Bud 60 years ago, when she was 15 years old in Walla Walla. He was working on a family friend’s hay crew, and she wound up cooking dinner for them, though she admits not being much of a cook at the time.

“We realized we went to the same high school, and when school started in the fall, he asked me out. It was my first date,” she said.

They stayed together on and off through high school. He went into the

Courtesy WindSong at Southridge Kathie and Bud Weathermon share a laugh on a recent visit at WindSong at Southridge in Kennewick. Their wedding picture is in the foreground.

service; she went to business school.

They got engaged and were married in St. Patrick’s Parish on Feb. 27, 1965.

After a honeymoon in Reno, they returned to their Walla Walla hometown and got back to work.

Bud was a mechanic for a dealership; Kathie worked for a finance company.

“We started with an apartment. We started saving money. It wasn’t long before we could buy our own refrigerator and eventually a down payment on a house,” she said.

Their two kids came later, and so did a ranch.

“We never owed so much money in our lives, but we did it,” Kathie laughed.

“We were on the ranch for about 20 years.”

Those were fun times, she recalled.

“We had great neighbors, we were running cows and had a shop and we were busy, busy,” she said.

Secret to a happy marriage Kathie said there’s no real secret to staying happily married, but she offered two pieces of advice: be happy with yourself first, as no one else can make you happy, and respect and manage expectations.

“One of the things I love about Bud is he was able to accept me as I am. It wasn’t that long ago that I said some-

thing to him about how I looked and how he put up with me and the weight gain

Bud’s new home Kathie struggled with guilt about moving Bud into a memory care facility.

She relayed a story about how she was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a bad motorcycle accident 17 years ago.

“They wanted to send me to rehab but Bud said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘I’m taking care of her. We’ll get a hospital bed. I’m taking her home.’ ” And he did.

She thought about this period a lot when she began to realize she could no longer care for Bud at home.

But, she admits, it’s a different situation.

“I was really fortunate the kids and I were all on the same page. Bud was our primary concern. The kids were conuWEATHERMONS, Page A24

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

RETIREMENT

Don’t forget your dreams when you retire Most retirees, or those nearing retirement, can count on one hand the number of times they’ve heard a financial advisor say, “Don’t forget to spend your money.”

While it makes for a great column hook, it’s not quite what I’m advocating.

Our profession is rightly focused on ensuring clients don’t outlive their money in a potentially low investment return environment over the next decade.

However, one risk we often overlook is the unfulfilled goals and dreams that contribute to our happiness. That type of risk is more cerebral and requires a vulnerability that goes beyond academic equations, spreadsheets and portfolio models. But I think a visceral reminder of this risk, to put it bluntly, is that if we don’t use our wealth to pay for our own dreams, those who inherit our wealth will use it to pay for theirs.

An example that has struck a chord with me the past few weeks is of an

elderly gentleman who was a client of ours. He died a number of years ago, but during his lifetime he had been an excellent saver. He Nicholas Haberling was willing and Community First able to cut excess Bank & HFG Trust expenses out of GUEST COLUMN his life, paving the way for him to build an impressive portfolio.

A few years after his retirement, he told us he had always wanted to buy a brand-new pickup truck and had found one he loved for $50,000. He asked if he could afford the purchase.

We ran the numbers for him, and though he would need to take an IRA distribution of $70,000 to net the $50,000

he needed to buy the truck, it was an expense he could not only afford, but one that was unlikely to impact the solvency of his retirement.

Despite our assessment though, the client’s decades-long habit of saving and limiting expenses reappeared and he decided he could live without the new truck. He never did buy a brand-new pickup truck, but after he died, a family member promptly took their portion of the inheritance and used it to pay for a cruise through the Caribbean.

There are a number of lessons you can take from this story, but the one I want to leave you with is that, as you examine the outlook of your health and retirement in 2021, try not to have tunnel vision.

The larger goal of your portfolio and retirement plan is to achieve personal fulfillment.

Human fulfillment is largely captured

by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, so

your financial plan should encompass as much of that pyramid as possible.

Psychologists say that most people are naturally risk-averse. So, when planning, the brunt of our attention is focused on our base safety and physiological needs.

Making sure those needs are met is an important concern, but if your financial plan responsibly determines that those base needs have been met, I recommend then examining ways to use that “excess” capital to fulfill the rest of Maslow’s pyramid: belonging, esteem and self-actualization. Those dreams and goals are as unique as the people who have them and there is no right answer.

Just don’t forget your dreams, because for better or worse, the people in your life won’t forget theirs.

WEATHERMONS, From page A23

his family. He has all these interests.

He’s ridden motorcycles to Alaska two or three times. He has flown his own airplane. We ran an automobile and truck repair shop. We bought a little farm and raised Red Angus cattle. He’s had varied interests,” Kathie said.

But sitting around the house wasn’t one of them.

“Bud is somebody who has always been really, really busy. He doesn’t sit

down for a football game or read for more than a half hour or go to the gym either. His work and his mind have to be productive. At WindSong, if Bud has a bad night, he’s not wandering around.

He likes to clean. He has a room, and he cleans and washes tables,” she said.

He also likes to use an orbital sander on furniture and to work on an alternator. He knows what to do too once those items are in his hands. He dons his safety

goggles and gets to work, Halka said.

“We let them continue being who they are. He wants to work on an engine part at 2 a.m. because Bud Weathermon that’s what he did his whole life, then that’s what we make happen for him,” Halka said.

Kathie appreciates this approach. “They’re not trying to fit him into a round Kathie Weathermon hole, they’re letting him be him.

They don’t put him in his room and make him do puzzles. That’s not Bud – no matter what frame of mind he is in.

They are able to make the care he gets fit what he needs, instead of doing care and making him fit whatever project they’ve got going on,” she said.

cerned about me too. It’s harder on the kids. They had two old folks to worry about,” she said.

WindSong fits Bud’s personality. It offers a Montessori-inspired program in which residents determine their own activities, with options focusing on the things they like and want to do.

“Bud has worked hard all his life.

He’s done a good job of taking care of

Nicholas Haberling is a partnership advisor at Community First Bank & HFG Trust in Kennewick.

Covid-19 The pandemic has affected Kathie’s ability to be with her husband, but she’s patiently waiting. Bud received his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan. 22. When she’s able to get hers, she said she will.

Until then, Kathie’s schedule includes twice-a-week visits to see Bud in Kennewick. She lifts weights at the local YWCA and works out with a personal trainer. She spends time with friends and family. The couple have two teenage grandchildren.

Though apart, she’s constantly thinking about Bud. When their wedding anniversary arrives at the end of February, she’ll be by her husband – just outside his Kennewick window.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

RETIREMENT

A25

Group launches hotline to help seniors register for vaccine

By Kristina Lord

publisher@tcjournal.biz

As the pandemic marches on, a Richland-based group is trying different ways to keep seniors connected and get them the help they need.

The Richland Senior Association offers educational, outreach and social programs, with its most recent program aimed at helping seniors navigate the decidedly unfriendly online system for registering for the Covid-19 vaccine, said Rob Koenig, an RSA board director who’s been a member for three years.

“Those of us who can navigate the system should be able to come up with a way to help those who can’t navigate the system,” he said.

Koenig, 73, of Pasco, knew Tri-City seniors needed help, so he floated the idea to his fellow board members in January about assisting those without a computer.

The RSA hatched its plan. Volunteers set up a toll-free hotline to receive messages from seniors. Then they divided and conquered.

RSA’s vaccination assistance program aims to help seniors who do not have computer access or sufficient skills to fill out the state’s online Find Your Phase form at FindYourPhaseWA.org, a required step at many places giving the vaccination.

“The outreach project is not intended to make appointments for people. Although the vaccination process is certainly complicated and wearisome for everyone, making appointments is something people can do by phone or using a computer. … We do not have the resources to serve the public as an appointment clearinghouse,” said David Everett, RSA president.

Every senior who leaves a message

gets a call back from RSA. About 200 seniors left messages in the days after the line went live. Koenig said the group wasn’t prepared for the huge response and since has been fine-tuning its approach.

Though making an appointment for seniors isn’t the goal of the program, RSA volunteers will help those who don’t have access to a computer to do so.

They helped 30 seniors who called the hotline make vaccine reservations in the last week of January, Koenig said.

Seniors with a computer also can receive help by calling the line. Volunteers will email them the link to the Find Your Phase website and a tip sheet on how to make an appointment.

If they have an email address, they’ll walk them through the website and email them the information saying they’re eligible, Koenig said.

In that email, they’ll ask the seniors to reply back to confirm they’ve received it.

If RSA doesn’t get the confirmation, they’ll call them back.

“We’re closing the loop,” Koenig said.

If they don’t have email or a printer, an RSA volunteer will print the eligibility document and send a carrier to their home to hand-deliver it to people living in the Tri-City area. Their team practices social distancing and wears masks, and encourages seniors to do the same, Koenig said.

The RSA referral line toll-free is 800595-4070. Be sure to leave a message.

In the April 2021 issue of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, we will take a closer look at Hanford’s profound influence on our community.

We will provide updates from regulators and contractors, and the latest on cleanup efforts.

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RSA’s mission RSA, formed in 1995, wants to improve the quality of life for all Tri-City seniors – not only those living in Richland.

RSA’s social activities in the past year included virtual bingo, trivia and an ongoing neighborhood chat room via Zoom

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every other Wednesday morning.

“Isolation is deadly to seniors,” said Everett. “We’re offering things to support seniors. They are a huge reservoir of experience and education and their life isn’t over.”

Members of the group recently helped to plan a two-day Senior Valentine Gala that included a free drive-thru on Feb. 12 followed by an online virtual meetup on Courtesy Southeast Washington Interagency Feb. 14. The first 200 Incident Management Team received Valentine’s party bags contain- Washington State Department of Health Secretary ing items from local Dr. Umair A. Shah toured the mass vaccination clinic at the Benton County Fairgrounds on Feb. 9 and businesses, including vaccinated the last person in line. The Richland Senior TriComp, publisher Association has set up a toll-free hotline to assist of the Tri-Cities Area seniors who do not have computer access or sufficient Journal of Business skills to fill out the state’s online Find Your Phase form, a required step at many places giving the vaccination. and Senior Times.

The online event included dance muformed the group with Katie Haynes of sic and dancers, bingo games with prizes the Royal Columbian Retirement Inn in Kennewick, Everett said. and other entertainment.

Everett said he reached out to TriPlanning group partnership City retirement communities when he The gala was organized by the Inter-

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RSA, From page A25 first got involved in RSA, knowing they provided activities to their residents and were a potential resource to the senior community at large.

“We try to use RSA as a vehicle to find out where the resources are and bring them together and offer the senior community an opportunity to stimulate their brain because it releases chemicals good for your memory and forestalls the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s,” said Everett of Kennewick, who has been president of the group since 2018.

The IPG grew to become an association of about 70 members from the RSA, Tri-City retirement communities, representatives from the cities of Rich-

land, Pasco and Kennewick, and seniorfocused supporters, such as Active4Life, Rock Steady Boxing Tri-Cities and HAPO Community Credit Union.

The group’s goal is to offer fun social events for Tri-City seniors by allowing the different organizations to pool resources.

Education and philanthropy RSA also offers monthly educational events on a wide range of topics, such as: legal planning (estate planning, medical directives, guardianship, and powers of attorney); home health and home care; decluttering; medical issues (dental, skin cancer and psychological awareness); dementia and Alzheimer’s disease; and healthy cooking.

Everett and the RSA board added

three ongoing philanthropic initiatives to its mission: • Tri-Cities Scholarship for Geriatric Studies. The endowment through the Washington State Foundation has about $12,000 toward its $25,000 goal to underwrite scholarships for nursing students majoring in geriatrics.

• Travel Scholarship Fund. The fund helps low-income seniors participate in RSA-sponsored trips. It received an initial contribution from JEA Corporation of $1,000 toward its $5,000 goal.

• Sound Barrier Initiative. This fund helps seniors obtain quality hearing aids for $250 a pair through an international program sponsored by the nonprofit Starkey Hearing Foundation. The RSA committed an initial contribution of $1,000

RETIREMENT toward a goal of $15,000.

“There’s a purpose behind these projects to inform and raise the awareness of seniors. They’re a valuable reservoir for our community. It’s about community, ultimately. It’s about loving and caring for each other,” Everett said.

RSA membership ($5 a year) is open to anyone of any age in the Tri-City area.

On Jan. 1, it totaled 425.

For more information about the RSA, find the group on Facebook or call 509627-2522.

Information also is available online.

RSA is transitioning to a new website so check them out at the old site, richlandseniors.com, and the new one, richlandseniorsassociation.com.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

The Tri-Cities’ graying population will grow over next decade 100%

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Counties Counties Counties Counties

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Benton Benton Benton Benton

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age distribution of the greater Tri-Cities than the median can be found in the graph. This measure breaks down the population into four D. Patrick Jones age groups and Eastern tracks the shares Washington of the groups University over the past GUEST COLUMN three decades.

The changes are subtle but apparent. Essentially the upper half of the distribution has become more important at the expense of the younger age groups, 0-17 and 18-34.

The age group that has gained the most: the 65+ segment. Over the past decade, its share of the greater Tri-City population has climbed from 10.2% to 14%. If this growth were to continue over the next decade, nearly one fifth of the Tri-City population would be older adults by 2030. While this future would bring the two counties only to the current share of older adults in Spokane and Walla Walla, it would nonetheless signal a major shift in the makeup of the area.

The consequences of an aging population are many. Often overlooked is that those who have reached age 65 bring wealth. The latest (2019) Survey of Consumer Finances from the Federal Reserve Bank, the one reliable series on wealth

Share of Total Population

The Tri-Cities have long been a youngster among state metro areas.

With an estimated median age of 34.5 in 2019, the two counties sport the youngest population of all, except for Yakima County. Among counties, Franklin County currently claims the title of youngest, with an estimated median age in 2019 at 30.4. But youngsters get older.

A decade ago (2010), the median age in the two counties was a full two years younger.

Median age, one number that often represents the age structure of a population, can change due to many factors.

The birth rate is one. People living longer is another. The departure of prime working age (25-54) adults is yet another. Further, a greater number of students enrolled in local post-secondary schools lowers the median, as college towns well know. Yet another factor is the median age of newcomers to the two counties.

Some of these forces affecting the population here are measured, some not.

A quick look at some of these factors leads one to conclude that the local aging trend is probably going to continue.

Life expectancy continues to climb, as the graph shows. It is unlikely that the Tri-Cities will become a college town, although the economy isn’t losing prime working age adults. We don’t know the ages of newcomers to the area. Yet we do know that over the past decade, births in the two counties have declined.

A bit more expansive view of the

0-17 18-34 35-64 65 Years and Over

Courtesy Benton-Franklin Trends

in the U.S., reveals that age group 65-74 reported the highest wealth, whether median and mean, among all age groups.

That is likely the case here, too.

The mix of goods and services consumed by the older adults varies from that of the general population, too. For many years the Bureau of Labor Statistics has maintained a separate consumer price index for the elderly, the CPI-E. Several departures from the market basket of the common CPI are worth mentioning for the CPI-E. The first is a much greater share is spent on medical care. Second, a greater share is allocated

to housing. Third, considerably less is spent on transportation, apparel, and food consumed away from home.

The much larger share spent on medical care, both goods and services, comes as no surprise. A recent (2019) analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation of medical expenditure data found that 36% of all U.S. health spending was taken up by older adults. One can see a local consequence in the parallel growth of the health care and social assistance sector over the past decade. As Trends data reveals, the share of the two-county

uJONES, Page A30

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

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Spelling out beneficiary designations key to ensuring assets go to right place One of the biggest areas that is often overlooked in an estate plan are the seemingly innocuous beneficiary designations tied to assets, like retirement accounts and life insurance.

The beneficiary designation seems of limited importance – you just put down the names of the people who get the retirement account at death, right?

The problem is not even necessarily addressed when an individual or couple works with an attorney to devise a professional estate plan because there is often a disconnect between the attorney and the financial advisor in the implementation of specific beneficiary designations on financial assets. What’s the issue?

The problem arises as follows. Let’s assume a relatively simple estate plan for a smart young couple with kids.

As this is a smart couple, you can assume they have bought some life insurance to help fund the trust for their children so they can attend the finest schools in the United States. Accordingly, the attorney drafts the will that provides all assets go first to spouse, then upon surviving spouse’s death, all assets go to the Children’s Trust under Article V of the Last Will and Testament.

This kind of language provides the funding mechanism for the trust the couple has established for the care of their children. The couple has their will and figure the estate plan is complete. Can they now rest easy knowing the children have been provided for?

The issue is that generally a will does not direct the disposition of so-called non-probate assets that have beneficiary designations (think of things like retirement accounts, life insurance and some bank accounts).

Those non-probate assets are instead distributed according to the beneficiary designations on the asset. And, regrettably, when this smart couple set up the life insurance, they simply named the children as the beneficiaries.

The disconnect is that the insurance does not actually go to the fancy trust the attorney set up to protect the money and allow the children to go to the best university in America.

Given this is a young couple, assume the majority of the value of their assets are the life insurance death benefit and some smaller retirement funds. This means that the fancy trust does not have the funding the couple envisioned and that the kids will not be provided for as planned.

The solution likely needs to be spearheaded by the attorney. In one way or another, the attorney needs to tell the smart young couple and/or the smart young couple’s other advisors: “I drafted this great will and trust for the kids and the non-probate assets like life insurance need to have new beneficiary designations naming first the spouse then the Children’s Trust under Article V of the Last Will and Testament as the beneficiary.” This then can allow the life insurance professional and/or the financial advisor to update beneficiary designations so all the assets of the estate go into the right pot – the Children’s Trust.

The problem is not confined only to

children, either.

There can be lots of reasons that a specific beneficiary designation should be used.

Maybe the attorney deems it advisable to fund Beau Ruff a spousal trust Cornerstone or the disclaimer Wealth Strategies trust (either can GUEST COLUMN be utilized to potentially reduce taxes). The beneficiary designation should not just say to pay the asset to the surviving spouse. It should direct the asset to the

spousal trust or the disclaimer trust, as the case may be.

The key is that the attorney, who is responsible for the overall estate plan, needs to convey both the importance of updating the beneficiary designations, as well as what exactly the beneficiary designations should be.

Then, the couple needs to take the additional step of updating the relevant beneficiary designations to complement the estate plan.

And, often, when you update your estate plan with an attorney, he or she will advise you on how to set up your beneficiaries.

But, over time you might change jobs

or replace your insurance or move your investments to a new company. It is important then that you, the consumer, understand the concepts here, and the importance of working to correctly spell out appropriate beneficiary designations.

Once the estate plan is updated with the attorney, and once the beneficiary designations have been updated to reflect the new plan, then the couple can rest easy knowing the children have been provided for. Beau Ruff, a licensed attorney, is the director of planning at Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a full-service independent investment management and financial planning firm in Kennewick.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 uBUSINESS BRIEF Member SIPC

Paid Advertising

‘New’ PPP pushes loan totals to $596 billion

The newest round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) added nearly 900,000 new loans totaling $73 billion to the running total of businesses aided by forgivable loans during the Covid-19 crisis.

In total, 6 million loans totaling nearly $596 billion have been approved as of the end of January, according to figures released by the Small Business Administration.

Congress first authorized the PPP program in the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) and then extended it through the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law by then-President Donald Trump shortly after Christmas.

Businesses apply through their lenders, which submit the applications to the SBA. The new round of PPP loans includes $17 billion in “second draw” loans to businesses with 10 or fewer employees, with an average loan size of just over $35,000. Nearly $3.4 billion was issued to first-time borrowers with 10 or fewer employees, with an average loan size of about $15,000.

There were 16,210 loans in Washington state in January worth a collective $1.86 billion.

Go to sba.gov/ppp and treasury.gov/ cares for PPP information.

JONES, From page A27 labor force accounted for by this sector has grown from 8.9% to 13% since 2010.

While there are several forces behind this growth, the rising presence of seniors in the greater Tri-Cities surely has been a major driver.

Perhaps one doesn’t think of housing as an area of outsized spending by older adults. But consider the backdrop: a generation who, while now downsizing, is accustomed to “trading up” in the housing market over their lifetimes. Then there’s the growing desire by boomers to age in place. Couple these preferences with greater-than-average wealth, result shouldn’t be too surprising.

On the other hand, dressing for success is no longer a motivator once retired. Similarly, the thrill or need associated with a new vehicle may not be present among older adults. And once retired, more time is available to cook at home.

In 2030 the greater Tri-Cities will hardly be gray compared to many areas in our state. But next decade will undeniably be a graying one. This change should bring opportunities to the health care sector and both opportunities and challenges to local businesses. 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.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 uBUSINESS BRIEFS Pasco airport steps up enforcement of mask rules

The Tri-Cities Airport is increasing enforcement of a mask requirement that has been in place since June 2020.

A mask mandate signed by President Joe Biden adds enforcement guidelines and stricter penalties than had been in place in the effort to curtail the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. All passengers, operators and visitors at the airport must cover their noses and mouths while on the premises.

Children under the age of 2 and others with special conditions are exempt.

Passengers may request a free mask from their airline or airport staff. Anyone refusing to comply may not be allowed to board an aircraft, asked to leave the airport and/or face a fine.

Crow Butte parking passes now on sale online

Visitors to Crow Butte Park on the Columbia River at Paterson can now buy parking passes online instead of paying in person at the scenic spot.

The Port of Benton and Underground Creative, a Kennewick digital marking firm, launched a new website where visitors can pay for passes with credit cards.

Guests may still buy parking passes in person with cash. However, the port is encouraging visitors to use credit cards online to minimize contact and cash at the park, which includes camping and marina areas.

The park was closed for most of 2020 under the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order to minimize the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. It is expected to open March 15 to Oct. 15, with the boat ramp open year-round.

Go to crowbutte.com.

Chamber focuses on State of the Ports

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce holds its annual State of the Ports luncheon via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Feb. 24.

The leaders of the three area ports will provide updates on their latest projects.

Speakers include Diahann Howard, Port of Benton, Tim Arntzen, Port of Kennewick, and Randy Hayden, Port of Pasco.

The event is free. Go to bit.ly/StateofPortsRegistration to register or contact Elisabeth Holt at elisabeth.holt@tricityregionalchamber.com for information.

Washington Trust reports 2020 earnings

Washington Trust bank reported its 2020 net income fell to $76.3 million from $83.2 million a year earlier, due to the combined impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and record low interest rates.

It reported its year-end findings in a Dec. 31 report to shareholders Diluted earnings per share fell to $30.06, from $32.56.

Its assets rose to $9.8 billion, from $7.1 billion a year earlier, a 37% increase funded by deposits associated with the $1.2 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans it issued under the federal CARES

Act, the forgivable loan program designed to support jobs during the pandemic.

“In many ways, this year validated our business model and operating philosophy,” wrote Peter Stanton, chairman of the board and CEO. “Our discipline of maintaining a strong balance sheet positioned us to withstand the unexpected and continue to deliver banking services to our clients and the communities we serve.”

Tri-City teens are among first female Eagle Scouts

Two Tri-City teens are among the firstever girls to be inducted as Eagle Scouts after Boy Scouts of America welcomed girls to the organization.

Kendalyn Bybee of Kennewick and Celeste Blair of Richland will be honored

Feb. 21 at the Blue Mountain Council’s “Be the Change” event.

Bybee organized 79 volunteers to construct a garden shed at Heritage Garden at Hansen Park for the city of Kennewick.

The project supports efforts to beautify and educate the community about native plants. The 243-hour project was supported by donations of money and supplies from local Rotary clubs and area businesses.

Blair joined the Scouts on the first day registration opened to young women. For her project, Blair developed a project to combat declining bee populations.

She led her Troop and her younger sister’s Cub Scout Pack to raise almost 3,000 marigold flowers from seeds. The plants were distributed to homes in Horn Rapids along with information about landscape practices that support bees while discour-

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aging the use of harmful pesticides.

Eagle Scout is the highest rank in Boy Scouts and is achieved by only 6% of Scouts.

IRS offers personal IDs to prevent false returns

All taxpayers are eligible for a unique identity Protection identification number.

The Internal Revenue Service expanded the PIN opt-in program to all taxpayers who can verify their identities.

The PIN is a six-digit code known only to the taxpayer and to the IRS. The program aims to prevent identity thieves from filing fraudulent tax returns using a taxpayers’ personally identifiable information.

Go to IRS.gov/IPPIN.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

BUSINESS PROFILE

Fresh Leaf Co. puts down new roots in Richland

By Laura Kostad

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A forced move amid a pandemic may have been a blessing in disguise for one Kennewick restaurant.

Fresh Leaf Co. is moving to Richland with plans to open in March and expand its menu and hours.

The restaurant closed the doors of its bright green building after more than five years at 2617 W. Kennewick Ave. on Jan. 2.

Its landlord notified owners Juan and Gina Carillo in early fall 2020 that their lease would not be renewed due to the sale of the building and told them they would have to be out in October.

Because of Covid-related delays, the move-out date kept getting pushed back, buying the Carillos more time to figure out their next move while the state’s dine-in restrictions tightened as Covid-19 cases rose.

The popular lunchtime purveyor of fresh-pressed juices and smoothies and made-from-scratch wraps, sandwiches, salads, soups, crepes and more already had been exploring options in Richland.

Prior to the pandemic, the Carillos had been in contact with Vandervert Developments & Hotels about the suite at 1080 George Washington Way in Richland, the same strip mall already home to Porter’s Real Barbecue, which opened in June, and TC Cider House, which opened in October.

“We decided to save the money after Covid started,” Juan said. “But I think things

Courtesy Fresh Leaf Co. Fresh Leaf Co.’s new logo, designed by the owners’ daughter, features a clean design which will be easier to read, said owner Juan Carillo.

happen for a reason, and I think it was meant to be to move to this location.”

Following their landlord’s notice, the Carillos contacted Vandervert about securing the unfinished suite. “If Vandervert hadn’t helped us out, we would have had to close our doors,” Juan said.

The Carillos hope to open there by March 22.

Juan said he feels his family is in good hands with the general contractor on the project, Hummel Construction, which is

coordinating completion of tenant improvements.

Though the new Richland suite comes with a higher lease than their Kennewick spot, the space is larger and opens up more opportunities to expand their business model, including offering more menu items.

Though Fresh Leaf Co. is known for its vegetarian and vegan-friendly offerings.

“At our old location, it was hard to offer fish or meat because we didn’t have a (kitchen) hood. At the new location we will

have a hood, so we will be able to offer more options,” Juan said.

The restaurant will feature a larger and better outfitted kitchen, which the Carillos will leverage to accommodate the biggest change they have in the works: a dinner menu.

Juan said that he, Gina and their son and daughter who run Fresh Leaf Co. are looking forward to extending their hours to serve dinner, something they’ve wanted to do for years.

Familiar fixtures will adorn the new space, though Carillo said the tables and chairs and other décor may receive an overhaul prior to the restaurant’s grand opening. Outside dining on the patio also will be available as winter gives way to spring.

Another feature of the new building will be a pickup window for to-go orders and food delivery couriers. During the pandemic, Fresh Leaf Co. brought back online ordering, partnering with Grubhub and DoorDash. It plans to continue offering delivery options post-pandemic.

Juan said that for the time being, Fresh Leaf Co. will remain solely family-run, but as it gets established in Richland and operating conditions related to the pandemic improve, they may hire additional employees.

Another change customers may notice is a new logo and signs.

Though Juan said he liked the style of the original logo, he said he had received uFRESH LEAF, Page A34

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Richland High grad trades golf career for rock climbing gym

By Jeff Morrow

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Pat Howard was looking for something that would push himself the way playing golf used to.

Howard, a Richland High School graduate, was a standout golfer who went on to compete for Oregon State University. He then worked as an assistant professional at Bellevue’s Overlake Golf and Country Club for the past 15 years.

“I loved golf, but playing as a pro, I was not going to make it on a national level,” Howard said.

So Howard left Overlake, came back to the Tri-Cities, and – along with cofounders Rich Julian, Ben Herrington and Davita Gurian – opened the Rock Shop, a climbing gym in Richland, on Jan. 13.

It’s a 10,000-square-foot facility with enormous walls that people climb on.

The bouldering-focused indoor climbing gym allows people of all ages to challenge themselves.

But just what is bouldering?

It’s a form of rock climbing that doesn’t use a rope and harness for protection.

It’s just the climber, their climbing shoes and a bit of chalk for their hands.

The climbing walls are 14 to 16 feet tall, and the boulders – as the routes are called – are designated by colored climbing holds.

There are eight different colors, with yellow being the easiest routes and black the hardest.

If the climber falls, they land on a soft, padded floor.

The key, Howard said, is changing the climbing routes on a regular basis.

“Here, we can switch out routes every three or four weeks,” he said.

There are currently 87 different routes to try in the Rock Shop.

“You have to have a good route setter,”

Howard said. “I gave our head route setter (Herrington) a budget, and said have at it.”

Herrington, one of the top bouldering climbers in the state, is well known for his route setting, Howard said.

This type of gym is the first of its kind in the Tri-Cities, and the fifth in Eastern Washington.

There are two bouldering facilities in Spokane, one in Wenatchee and another in Yakima.

Howard has done both types of climbing – bouldering and ropes.

“For me, bouldering is easier. It depends on what your strength is,” he said.

“It’s about power and technique. A lot of people gravitate to one or the other.

In ropes, for me, I have had a hard time trusting the system. I’m always checking on my ropes.”

But that’s not the only reason Howard likes bouldering.

“Bouldering can be pretty quick. The routes are shorter, and can take 10 to 30 seconds to complete on most of them,” he said. “In bouldering, you have to use shorter moves that are much more powerful. Ropes are longer routes, with much more sustained moves.”

As your body gets used to the movement in bouldering, you can advance to tougher routes, he said.

“It can be a physical puzzle,” Howard said. “It may take someone a couple of days to complete a route, by shuffling a foot a little wider on a boulder to move up.”

Howard also said bouldering seems to be more social than rope climbing.

“You don’t need a partner to do bouldering,” he said. “It’s a very encouraging environment.”

But, Howard added, it’s a heck of a workout too.

“It kicks your butt,” he said. “You’ll get to sweating trying to climb a route.

It’s why I keep this gym so cold.”

The new gym has been about five years in the making.

Howard and Julian – who lived in the Tri-Cities, with Howard in Bellevue – would meet in Leavenworth to climb rocks.

“I joined a climbing gym in Bellevue,” said Howard.

“I just got into it.

It was a way to feel competitive with myself, and to do something for myself. To me, it’s still fun to climb.”

During those meetings in Leavenworth, the two started talking about opening a climbing gym.

Photo by Jeff Morrow “(Rich) was frusPat Howard, co-founder and owner of Rock Shop, trated because there stands in front of one of the many rock walls at the was no place to train climbing gym at 1965 Fowler St. in Richland. in the Tri-Cities,” Howard said. “We ing company in Montreal had to stop started thinking something like this might work with the pandemic.” work over in the Tri-Cities.”

But they finally got things done and So they sought out investors from the opened.

Seattle area – and were shot down nu“Opening during Covid, I mean, merous times. there’s never a perfect time to open a They finally found someone to back business,” Howard said. “But I know that their plan. Howard called the investor, if we didn’t jump on this, the chance may who wanted to remain anonymous, pa- never come around again. So far, we’ve tient. been fortunate.”

Last year, Howard and his partners That’s because people have been were planning on opening the gym in the showing up at the gym. fall, but the pandemic put a stop to that.

“The response has been very encourag“We’re about two to three months beuROCK SHOP, Page A34 hind schedule,” he said. “The wall-build-

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

FRESH LEAF, From page A32

ROCK SHOP, From page A33

complaints from customers over the years that the cursive script was difficult to read.

The Carillos’ daughter came up with several options for a new logo, and the one the family settled on is crisp, clean and modern that will be highly visible to drivers along busy George Washington Way. Juan said a lot of Richland customers in the habit of making regular treks to central Kennewick to get their food fix are excited about Fresh Leaf Co.’s new location.

He said it speaks to how the restaurant got its start: his own family’s desire to find “a better way to eat.”

After finally pinning down food allergies and sensitivities that had plagued Juan for years, he and Gina revised their diet to focus more on fresh, whole foods prepared using minimal processing.

“There was nothing here in Tri-Cities for people like me who have health problems. It was hard to find dining outside the home,” Juan said.

He and Gina have worked in the restaurant business for almost 20 years. Gina had voiced an interest in opening their own restaurant so that they could work for themselves, and so the couple decided to take the plunge and offer up to Tri-Citians the food that had nourished and healed them.

When they first opened, Juan said, “A lot of people saw it like diet food, but really it’s not. It’s better for everybody. More people are getting on board with health consciousness, but it’s hard to change, especially when you grow up eating a different way.

“Once new customers give us a try, they

ing, although we’ve been limited because of Covid,” Howard said. “We can have 25% of capacity, which is 24 people.”

Participants must wear masks and wash hands before and after climbing.

People also are asked to maintain social distancing, and to limit their visits to two hours.

Howard said he believes now is the right time for a gym like this in the TriCities.

“I don’t think this would have worked in the Tri-Cities 20 years ago. But the industry has grown,” he said. “I think people are looking for different ways to stay fit. For me, going to a regular gym each week was hard.”

In addition to the climbing walls, the facility has a weight room and locker rooms.

The gym is taking reservations only at info@rockshopclimbing.com or online at rockshopclimbing.com.

Rock Shop is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Prices vary, from monthly packages ($62/month for an adult) to annual passes ($682/year for an adult), day passes ($16 for an adult), or 10-punch passes ($140 for an adult).

Youth with student ID and family rates are available.

Shoe rentals are available.

The Rock Shop: 1965 Fowler St., Richland; 509-619-0075; rockshopclimbing.com; Facebook.

Photo by Laura Kostad Juan Carillo stands inside the unfinished suite at 1080 George Washington Way in Richland that will soon be home to Fresh Leaf Co. He and his wife Gina were forced to move their restaurant from Kennewick after their landlord sold the building. Fresh Leaf Co. is known for its scratch-made wraps, salads, soups and more.

keep coming back and coming back. It’s like what I tell my kids: never say no to giving something a try. You never know.

That’s what I tell the customers: try it first, and if you don’t like it, we can try something else.”

Juan summarized Fresh Leaf Co.’s approach to food: “We make our own soups and our own dressings, and we cook the meal when (customers) order, so we don’t have everything premade. We try to use organic products, including the meat. We have gluten-free options as well. Food tastes better if you can get it right away and fresh.”

Juan said it’s been the relationships that

he and his family have built with customers over the years that have sustained them during these difficult times and enabled them to make this move.

“Just thanks to everybody for the support and for having faith in us and giving us the opportunity to stay open. Just thank you. Without the customers we have, we wouldn’t exist,” he said.

Tentative new hours will be 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m Saturday.

Fresh Leaf Co.: 1080 George Washington Way, Richland. 509-820-3108, freshleafco.com, Facebook, Instagram.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 HOMEBUILDING, From page A1 outer perimeter, close to a walking and biking path, and opted for a floor plan with three bedrooms and a charming dormer that gives the appearance of a loft. It is fake, Leah said.

Next door, a crew used a crane to hoist a pallet of drywall into the home of their future neighbors. Up and down the street, workers attended to foundations and framing and roofs and other tasks.

“They’re so fast,” she marveled.

Losey called The Heights at Red Mountain a critical “relief valve” for the Tri-City market, where the inventory of homes for sale fell below 300 in December, a quarter of the 1,200 that is considered normal. Demand pushed the median price to $310,000 in December, an 8% increase, according to the Tri-City Association of Realtors.

West Richland issued 230 permits in 2020, more than double the 120 of 2019.

Losey cautions that a fast market is not healthy for the economy. He cited a case of a buyer flipping a home after only a few months for a six-figure profit.

“It’s not sustainable,” he said. “It’s too much, too fast.”

Elsewhere, Pasco issued 524 singlefamily permits, more than any other jurisdiction but 55 fewer than in 2019, a drop of 10%.

Benton County issued 175 permits for single-family homes (+39%), Franklin County issued 91 (+21%), Kennewick issued 295 (-13%), Prosser issued 19 (-37%), Richland issued 386 (+5%) and Benton City issued two (-50%).

Commercial construction Homebuilding soared but the pandemic chilled “other” construction, a category that covers everything from commercial development and government projects to pole barns and roof repairs.

There was $539 million of “other” compared to $700 million in 2019, a drop of 9%, according to HBA’s year-end report.

“What I’m seeing is a lot of hesitation in the commercial market,” said Joel Bouchey, regional coordinator for Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors.

Multifamily – apartment – projects continue as demand for housing remains strong, but hard-hit industries such as hospitality and leisure as well as office are cooling off. Government spending is easing too as a school-building spree ends.

For private projects, financing is a growing challenge, as are material costs.

Lumber prices remain about 150% above where they were a year ago, a casualty of Covid-19 slowdowns in mills.

“Generally, national lenders have tightened requirements for those larger projects,” Bouchey said.

Columbia River Walk, a Pasco apartment complex at 2120 W. A St., opened two months late because of Covid-19 work slowdowns and the new restrictions that govern site safety, said Linda Henjum, who manages the property and others in the Tri-Cities on behalf of the owners.

It received a partial order of appliances that meant it could not fully equip the 60 units in the first phase. Too, utility workers were diverted to wildfires, another delay.

Henjum said the units were well received when they opened. The vacancy rate for Tri-City projects in her portfolio is

Photo by Kristina Lord A work crew prepares a foundation for a home at Aho Construction�s The Heights at Red Mountain Ranch development in West Richland. The project is providing a “relief valve” for the Tri-Cities' heated housing market.

less than 2%, a sign of unabated demand.

But the low vacancy rate conceals a Covid-19 challenge that could affect investment in apartment construction: Washington’s moratorium on evictions.

Henjum said the impact is significant.

People affected by Covid-19 layoffs can get assistance. But some residents who are working simply are not paying.

“They’re basically squatting,” she said.

“We’re just stuck.”

What is next?

Homebuilding will surge in the early part of the year. Builders raced to secure permits in January, before new energy codes took effect on Feb. 1. Gov. Jay Inslee declined to extend the date for the codes, which the HBA calculates add $7,500$10,000 to the cost of most new homes.

The changing rules require ever-tighter standards for energy efficiency as the state pursues clean energy goals. Heat reclamation systems and other steps will become standard rather than add-ons.

Energy efficiency is good, but builders raced to get in under the old requirements.

“There’s a lot of permits being submitted right now,” Losey said in late January.

The new codes injected awkwardness into conversations with buyers, who were urged to sign contracts before the new codes took effect.

“It sounds like a sales tactic but it’s not a sales tactic,” Losey said.

Commercial construction could remain a mixed bag. The pandemic is felt the hardest in the hospitality and recreation industries. It is also unclear what offices will look like. Traditional office space is going empty.

It is unclear if workers will return when

vaccination efforts take effect, or if working from home remains in place.

“The social experiment is on,” Losey said.

But demand for rental homes is strong and is prompting projects across the community. A 288-unit project at Horn Rapids is one of the larger in development, but smaller projects dot the region, from Willow Pointe to the Richland Wye and central Kennewick.

Bouchey of Associated General Contractors is hopeful government projects will pick up. The number of projects in the pipeline is thinning.

“We’re optimistic, but 2021 is looking a bit light. We’re hoping for more groups to go to bid,” he said.

It may have slowed but it is not at a standstill.

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A $7.7 million visitor center in the form of a black hole is taking shape at Richland’s LIGO (for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory). Site work has started on a new military readiness center in north Richland and all three cities are building new fire stations.

And, notably, the cities of Kennewick and Pasco both expect to launch major transportation projects this spring.

Kennewick and Pasco solicited bids for the Ridgeline underpass and Lewis Street overpass projects, respectively, in November. Bid openings were set for January but were delayed slightly.

However, both are expected to go forward. They escaped being delayed when Gov. Jay Inslee ordered the Department of Transportation to pause capital projects that went to bid after Jan. 11.

The local projects are funded through DOT via the Connecting Washington series of tax gas increases, providing critical transportation links.

Pasco’s Lewis Street overpass will reroute Lewis Street over the BNSF railroad tracks in east Pasco, retiring an old and dangerous underpass.

The Ridgeline Drive underpass will carry the street beneath Highway 395 and is designed to improve connections in west Kennewick while improving safety on the state highway, which intersects Ridgeline on a downhill grade.

The two transportation projects will add nearly $60 million to the total value of 2021 construction for the region – $36 million for Lewis Street and about $23 million for Ridgeline.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

uBOARDS • West Richland Chamber of Commerce’s new board of directors are: president, Darrell Toombs, Yoke’s Fresh Market; vice president, AJ Hill, associate member; second vice president, Mike Mahaffey, Green2Go; secretary, Mandy Wallner, city of Richland; treasurer, Westin B “Mick,” Minuteman Press of Kennewick; past president, Troy Berglund; director, Dan O’Neill, Homebridge; director, Joey Edminister, Goodwill; Benton County Fire District 4, Fire Chief Paul Carlyle; City of West Richland, Police Chief Ben Majetich; Benton County commissioner, Jerome Delvin; West Richland Community Development, Director, Eric Mendenhall; and Executive

Director, May Hays.

• Governor Jay Inslee made the following board and commission appointments in January: Heidi Williams of Benton City to the Massage Examining Board, and Evangelina Shreeve of Prosser to the Student Achievement Council, Washington.

uDONATIONS • Ag World Support Systems presented the seventh annual Ag World Golf Classic check for $93,168 in November to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Inland Northwest in Spokane. Though the Kennewick tournament was canceled in 2020 due to Covid-19, the first ever tournament was held in Moses Lake at the Links at Moses Pointe. More than 82

sponsors/donors and 133 golfers supported the fundraiser. The Ag World Golf Classic is the largest independent fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald Charities in the Inland Northwest. More than half a million dollars has been raised over the past seven years for the charity.

This year’s eighth annual Ag World Golf Classic is June 8 at Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick and June 10 at The Links at Moses Pointe, in Moses Lake.

Go to AgWorldGolf.com.

uGRANTS • United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties announced $162,000 in grant funding to local agencies providing people with food and other basic needs, and mental and behavioral health services.

The money was awarded to United Way from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support Covid-19 response and recovery efforts in the bicounty region.

The grants run through the end of 2021.

uRETIREMENTS • Brad Sawatzke, chief executive officer of Energy Northwest, will retire at the end of June.

He joined Energy NorthBrad Sawatzke west in December 2010 as vice president for nuclear generation and chief nuclear officer. He succeeded former CEO Mark Reddermann in 2018.

Sawatzke spent 40 years in the nuclear energy. He arrived at Energy Northwest from Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant in Minnesota.

The executive board is forming a committee to select a new CEO. • Karen Blasdel has retired from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory after more than 30 years with the lab.

She served as community affairs and protocol director, a high-profile position that involved working with community organizations and leaders. She is succeeded by Trish Herron, who joined PNNL in 2015 after previously working for the city of Richland.

• Chief Bill Whealan retired from Benton County Fire District 4 on Feb. 8, capping a career that covered nearly four decades. He is succeeded by Chief Paul Carlyle, who began transitioning into the job in October 2020. Whealan spent the past nine years as chief for the district serving 20,000 residents in the city of West Richland and unincorporated areas of Benton County. He’d previously served as interim fire chief in Hemet, California, a job he took after formally retiring from a fire post in Las Vegas.

uAPPOINTMENTS • The Tri-City Regional Chamber’s Marketing & Communications Director Austin Regimbal was one of five new members appointed Austin Regimbal to the Western Association of Chamber Executives’ Emerging Leaders Council on Feb. 3.

The council was formed to identify and recognize future leaders (all under 40) in W.A.C.E., and the chamber of commerce industry.

Members of the council will be asked to provide program feedback and ideas for the group and will serve as advisors to the association’s board and president.

Regimbal joined the chamber nearly four years ago.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 uNEW HIRES • Dr. Christopher Ravage has joined Trios Health as a cardiologist. He will see patients at the Trios Care Center in Kennewick. He Dr. Christopher treats patients Ravage for a variety of conditions, including cardiac catheterization, intercoronary stents and angioplasty, cardiac pacemaker implantation and management, heart disease assessment and prevention, valvular heart disease, hypertension, heart rhythm treatment, echocardiography, electrocardiography, and more. Dr. Ravage has worked on a contract-basis with Trios since 2014 through CardioSolution. He also has been in private practice in Richland for more than 20 years. Prior to going into private practice, he worked with MidColumbia Heart Institute. Over the last several years, he also has been affiliated with Trios Health, Lourdes Health, Kadlec Regional Medical Center and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease and Internal Medicine.

• Prosser Memorial Health has hired Dr. Richard Unger to Prosser General Surgery Center. He is a board-certified general surDr. Richard Unger geon providing general surgery services including laparoscopic, gynecological, endoscopy, tissue and breast, colon cancer, gall bladder, and hernia repair, among other surgeries for Prosser Memorial Health. Unger graduated from A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri. He completed his general surgery residency in St. Louis at Deaconess Hospital. More recently, Dr. Unger has traveled all over the United States, providing surgical services in rural, critical access hospitals.

• Interwest Technology Systems has hired Phil Morton, PMP, as communications division manager and project manager. He joins Phil Morton the team from System Solutions Northwest, where he has worked as general manager and senior project manager since 2017. He brings 18 years of experience in low voltage, communications and pro audio/video system design, install and integration. He will be managing Interwest’s communications structured cabling and fiber optics infrastructure projects and initiatives.

He was selected as a Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business Young Professional

in 2018. He is an active volunteer with Columbia Basin Dive Rescue where he serves as a duty officer and leads the sonar team.

uAWARDS & HONORS • The National Association of Home Builders named Jeff Losey, executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities, as Jeff Losey its 2020 Local Executive Officer of the Year during the winter leadership meeting. Losey was cited for his leadership among his peers and with builder members while serving on the national group’s coronavirus task force to find solutions to support member businesses. Losey became the executive officer of the Tri-City HBA in 2005. He has been a member of NAHB’s Executive Officer Council for more than 15 years and served as the council’s president in 2016.

• Katrina Kutschkau, a math teacher at Kamiakin High School, is the Kennewick School District’s 2021 Crystal Apple Katrina Kutschkau award winner.

Kutschkau has taught math at Kamiakin since 1997, and she is known there as an instructional leader who is deeply committed to her students. She was instrumental in helping develop Kamiakin’s academic coaching model that’s led to greater student achievement, and she’s also involved in other engagement efforts, including the popular Welcome Wagon initiative.

• Petersen Hastings in Kennewick and Walla Walla has received its recertification from the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) for the 13th straight year. This certification is only granted by CEFEX to firms that demonstrate adherence to fiduciary best practices.

uPROMOTIONS • Ron Branine has been promoted to director of facilities and operations for the Port of Benton. With nearly 30 years of facilities manRon Branine agement experience, Branine is skilled in maintaining large commercial buildings, budgeting, contracting, managing the bidding process in compliance with local, state, and federal guidelines and regulations, as well as working with heavy and light equipment.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Lessons help teach kids to manage money

The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions has developed an education page to help parents explore personal finance with their school-aged children.

Activities are broken down by grade and include a mix of games, printed material and videos designed with different learning styles in mind.

“Making sure financial education continues to be a part of Washington students’ lives today is a crucial component of making sure future generations are able to better weather financial and economic emergencies tomorrow,” said Lyn Peters, director of communications, financial education and outreach.

Go to dfi.wa.gov/financial-education/ fun-clusters.

Covid-19 relief coming for venue operators

The U.S. Small Business Administration is rolling out a grant program to aid venue operators hard-hit by Covid-19 shutdowns.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 provides $15 billion to hard hit small businesses, nonprofits and venues to provide up to $10 million in financial support to live venue operators and related businesses.

To be eligible, applicants must be a live venue operator or promoter, theatri-

cal producer or live performing arts organization operator, a talent representative, a movie theater or a “relevant” museum.

Go to sba.gov/funding-programs/ loans/coronavirus-relief-options/shuttered-venue-operators-grant.

13 Bones brings its barbecue to Richland

13 Bones Urban BBQ Mobile Kitchen is open for limited hours at Richland’s Anthology Event Venue, 706 Williams Blvd.

The walk-up barbecue truck is open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesdays to Fridays.

The truck is led by Chef Andy Craig and first launched at the 2012 BentonFranklin Fair and Rodeo.

Follow 13 Bones on Facebook and Instagram or 13bonesurbanbbq.com for menu and other information.

WSU Community Classroom focuses on prison pipeline

A series of virtual classes will focus on solving the school-to-prison pipeline challenge and helping released prisoners to be successful.

Washington State University TriCities is tackling the prison pipeline through its Community Classroom series, which began in February.

The presentations are free and held via zoom. Upcoming sessions are: • 4 p.m. March 25: A panel will discuss the role of community and schools in reducing the types of crimes that lead

individuals into the prison system.

• 4 p.m. April 2: The panel will learn about the rehabilitation programs serving inmates in Washington prisons.

Stephen Sinclair, secretary of the state Department of Corrections, and Robert Jackson, superintendent of the Washington State Penitentiary, are part of the panel.

Go to tricities.wsu.edu/communityclassroom.

2021 Women in Ag Conference postponed

The 2021 Women in Agriculture conference has been postponed indefinitely because of restrictions and safety requirements stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Women, Farms & Food is the largest event in the Northwest that focuses on the needs of women farmers, aspiring farmers and women who support their family farms, according to a news release.

Follow womeninag.wsu.edu for updates on the 2022 conference.

Foundations unite to expand cancer care navigation

The foundations of Kadlec Regional Medical Center and the Tri-Cities Cancer Center are teaming up to hire a nurse navigator to help ease the way of oncology patients during their treatment.

The new navigator will work primar-

ily with patients in active treatment with oral chemotherapy.

This position would be added to the team of navigators already working within the cancer center and Kadlec Hematology and Oncology.

Cancer care on the cancer center campus is becoming more closely integrated with operations being brought under one operational organization within Kadlec.

Each foundation will contribute more than $100,000 to support the addition of the nurse navigator focused on a patient base that currently numbers more than 200.

To support the work of these nonprofit community foundations, go to: Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation at tccancer.org/foundation or Kadlec Foundation at Kadlec.org/foundation.

ACT plans virtual fundraiser

Academy of Children’s Theatre will hold a virtual fundraising event and auction from 4:30-6 p.m. Feb. 20.

“Heart for the Arts” will offer comedy spoofs, singing and stage performances, as well as an homage to past ACT productions. Sam Shick and Janet Krupin will emcee the program and local jazz trio Bluzette is on tap to provide pre-auction entertainment.

Proceeds will support ACT programs, including its Covid-19-compliant outdoor summer classes.

Online registration is at academyofchildrenstheatre.org.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

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Grandma-led popcorn party business aims to build name for itself

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Ranae Pearce and Lisa Killian had everything they needed to launch a popcorn party business in early 2020, except for good timing.

The two grandmas – their term - were ready to start “Popped” to provide gourmet popcorn bars at weddings, reunions, tailgates, showers, quinceañeras and other festive gatherings. The business leverages the founders’ connections to Killian Korn, maker of gourmet-glazed popcorn treats.

Pearce, who lives in Pasco, and Killian, who lives in Kennewick, had a license, materials and even a website all set to go.

Of course, something else popped: Covid-19.

Events dried up with Popped sitting on the starting line.

“It was a terrible setback. We didn’t get the thrill of starting our business,” Pearce said.

Unwilling to sit around waiting for the pandemic pass, they adapted as best they could to at least get the name out in the community. Popped embraced a party-ina-box concept so customers could enjoy their treats at home.

Popped ships boxes of flavored popcorn, reusable serving scoops and party bags to customers. A standard 96-ounce box costs $55.

It has been slow to take off, but it is helping the founders put the Popped name in front of Tri-City event planners.

“When events come back, it will be on people’s minds,” she said.

So, just what is a popcorn bar?

Like a yogurt – or salad – bar, visitors stat with a bowl or bag of Killian Korn’s famous glazed popcorn.

The popcorn Courtesy Ranae Pearce glaze can be cusRanae Pearce, left, and Lisa Killian planned to launch Popped, a popcorn bar business oriented to events, tom colored to but were deterred by the pandemic. So they created a party-in-a-box concept to get the word out. match special events. Guests add dings.

The Covid-19 pandemic put the offitoppings, from nuts to chocolate to fruits Her cousin had been thinking along cial launch on hold, but Pearce said it is and even savories, such as cheese and ja- similar lines but didn’t want to limit the an interesting moment to be an entreprelapeños. market to weddings. She envisioned pop- neur.

Pearce, 60, and Killian, 56, are newbie corn bars at barbecues, birthdays, showThe U.S. Census Bureau is tracing an entrepreneurs. ers, graduation parties and other festive increase in business formation, the soPearce divorced after 30 years and events. called “Covid Companies.” Pearce is not found herself needing to work for health They decided to collaborate, starting insurance. She married an Australian she on a shoestring budget with no advertis- surprised. met at a dance in Richland and while ing and little understanding of how to “People are creating businesses,” she the couple are comfortable, she said she build an online presence. Their mostly said. “The entrepreneurial bug is everywants to strengthen their finances. grown children provided tech support. where.”

She began “noodling around,” contemThe website included a phone numShe, however, is eager to put the panplating businesses that would not take too ber for placing orders. Pearce liked the demic in the rearview mirror so that much time away from her new husband. human contact, but her daughter poohpeople can get together to celebrate mileShe found inspiration in her own wed- poohed that, reminding her that millenniding, where she had served Killian Korn als want to push an order button with a stones and family.

“I know we have a remarkable product. at the reception. minimum of fuss.

She contacted Lisa, who also is related “It’s really just little granny footsteps. It’s going to be really great if we can get it to the Killian Korn family, to discuss of- Two older ladies who are creative but not off the ground,” she said. fering whimsical popcorn buffets at wed- tech savvy,” Pearce said.

Go to: popcornspopped.com.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

CELEBRATING

Business owners say airport lease changes could chill investment

Page B3

YEARS

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Making Tri-City buildings safe for returning employees

Page B7

February 2021 Volume 20 | Issue 2 | B1

Speck building electric-friendly new home for Buick, GMC dealership

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Katy and J.P. Moore are building a new home for their newly acquired Tri-Cities Buick and GMC dealership, which has outgrown its Kennewick quarters.

“We’re bursting at the seams,” said Katie Forney, operations manager for Speck Dealerships, the family of car and truck dealers owned by the Moores.

Speck GMC and Buick of Tri-Cities will move to a seven-acre site on Sandifur Parkway between McCurley Integrity Subaru and Camping World of Pasco, an RV dealership. Site work has begun, and the business should move by fall, Forney said.

LCR Construction is the contractor for the $5 million project. Richland architect Bruce Baker designed it to meet the requirements of the vehicle brands it represents.

“It’s going to be really cool,” she said.

The new home will have 18 service bays equipped to serve the next generation of zero emission vehicles coming from General Motors. It is a timely move for the GM-focused business, which the Moores bought in January 2019. Buick and GMC are General Motors brands.

On Jan. 28, the manufacturer announced plans to be carbon neutral by 2040, with the “aspiration” of eliminating tailpipe emissions from its new light-duty vehicles by 2035. That includes passenger vehicles

Queensgate is developing quite the burger Habit

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Construction is underway in front of the Richland Walmart for the Tri-Cities’ newest burger restaurant.

The Habit Burger Grill, a Californiabased chain, is expected to open at 2831 Duportail St. in summer 2021, according to Yakima-based developer Hogback Development.

General contractor Stephens & Sons Construction of Yakima is building the 2,928-square-foot restaurant with a 470-square-foot covered patio area.

The fast-food restaurant specializes in serving made-to-order burgers and sandwiches featuring tri-tip steak, chicken and sushi-grade ahi tuna cooked over an open uHABIT BURGER, Page B2

Courtesy Katie Forney Speck GMC and Buick of Tri-Cities will move to Sandifur Parkway in Pasco this fall. LGC Construction has begun construction of a $5 million new home for Speck GMC and Buick of Tri-Cities next to McCurley Integrity Subaru in Pasco.

and full-size trucks and SUVs. Electric vehicles account for a sliver of U.S. auto sales, but the wave of new offerings translates to a wave of vehicles that will have to be serviced. Speck aims to be ready.

“With the future of GM and the technology that is coming to us, it’s time to have a facility that’s capable of electric vehicles and the new technology,” she said.

The glass and steel building will serve hybrid and electric vehicles owners and can host electric vehicle charging stations.

The facility will cater to mobile workers with workspaces and offer charging docks visitors can use while they wait for vehi-

cles to be serviced. Speck will add shuttle service for pick up and drop off as well.

Forney said the Kennewick location, on West Clearwater Avenue near Highway 395, worked well, but was too constrained for the services Speck wanted to add. The company intends to redevelop the site but isn’t ready to disclose its plans.

The 3-acre site is not for sale, she confirmed.

The move comes amid strong retail vehicle sales, according to the National Association of Auto Dealers. After a slowdown in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, sales returned to growth mode

by September, according to NADA’s chief

economist.

Washington’s 309 new car dealerships employed 45,000 people in 2019 according to the most recent data from NADA. The typical dealership averages 74 employees. Car and truck sales totaled $17.8 billion, generating $1.2 billion in sales tax revenue to Washington.

Speck Motors employs 180 at its five dealerships – C. Speck Motors Chevy, Buick, Nissan in Sunnyside, Speck Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Sunnyside, Speck Chevrolet Buick in Prosser, Speck Hyundai of Tri-Cities in Pasco and the Buick GMC business that is moving to Pasco.

Badger group is $600K away from key land deal

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

The all-volunteer group that developed the popular hiking trails on Badger and Candy mountains is $600,000 away from repeating its magic on Little Badger Mountain.

Friends of Badger Mountain is turning to Tri-City businesses and other supporters to help it close a $1.5 million agreement to buy nearly 20 acres below the summit of Little Badger Mountain.

It has raised about $900,000 to date to buy the property, which is the linchpin to completing the future Little Badger Mountain Preserve and Trail.

The trail will rise from the future extension of Queensgate Drive toward a pair of water tanks at the top of Little Badger, where residential development is happening fast.

In time, Little Badger will serve as

a link in a series of ridgetop trails that will connect Amon Basin at the Richland-Kennewick border with the Yakima River near Benton City by way of Little Badger, Badger, Candy and Red mountains.

Marc Spinner, president of Friends of Badger Mountain, predicts the newest link will be the most popular. It offers the shortest and easiest climb and the best views.

“This is the highest point and the nicest view in all of the city of Richland,” he said. “I think you will see more use at this one than any of our others.”

The site is owned by a Richland couple through a limited liability company who have agreed to sell the parcel to Friends of Badger Mountain. The nonprofit has until fall to close the deal.

Friends of Badger Mountain has secured 70% of the land it needs for the Little Badger undertaking through a se-

ries of donations and outright purchases.

It regularly turns the land over to the city of Richland, which oversees the parks.

Volunteers have begun developing the newest trail on sections of land it already owns on the west side, Spinner said.

One stretch crosses a sensitive area and will require the expertise of a professional engineering firm. That should occur this summer, Spinner said. Construction of the eastern section, dubbed the Saddle Trail, begins this fall.

Time is of the essence to raise money and secure the property. If the deal does not close, the site could be sold for private development.

“The area is going to go through a lot of development. That’s why we’re jumping now,” Spinner said.

Spinner praised Pahlisch Homes and the Bauder family, which are both involved with ridgetop development, for uLITTLE BADGER, Page B2

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

A sign encourages passersby to scan a QR code to find out what is under construction in the Richland Walmart parking lot at 2831 Duportail St.

HABIT BURGER, From page B1

Photo by Kristina Lord

flame.

It also offers made-to-order salads and a selection of sides, shakes and malts.

The new restaurant joins an area home to several other burger joints: McDonald’s is directly across the street. Also nearby are Five Guys, Bob’s Burgers & Brews and Burger King.

Hogback received permit approval for the $600,000 construction project in early January. The site was once home to a USA gas station.

Hogback also is building a Habit Burger at 2400 W. Nob Hill Blvd. in Yakima, with a planned spring opening. The Richland and Yakima locations will be the first ones in Eastern Washington. There are nine Habit Burgers on the west side.

A spokeswoman for Habit Burger told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business a year LITTLE BADGER, From page B1 their support and continuing cooperation.

The trail snakes across the site, which also will offer a public parking lot. Spinner said local developers wanted a parking lot to deter visitors from using neighboring streets.

Friends of Badger Mountain has built an impressive record since it launched in 2005 with a mission to preserve open space and promote outdoor recreation and economic activity.

With support from the community as well as lead donations from CH2M, Bechtel and Recreational Equipment Inc., it has procured 900 acres and developed 19 miles of trail.

Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve debuted in 2008 and tallied 44,000 visitors in its first year. Candy Mountain Preserve opened in 2017. By 2019, an estimated 310,000 visitors had trekked the two trails.

Summitpost.org, a website devoted to climbing, reported that Badger Mountain records up to 2,500 people at its summit

ago, before the pandemic hit, that it hoped to make its Tri-City debut later in summer 2020. It had been considering opening in a strip mall developed by Hogback in front of Columbia Center’s JC Penney that’s home to Starbucks and soon, MOD Pizza, but it hadn’t finalized the lease.

Hogback also developed Sandifur Crossing, a new development on Road 68 in Pasco. Anchored by Grocery Outlet, the latest phase added Porter’s Real Barbecue and Jamba.

The first Habit Burger Grill opened in Santa Barbara, California in 1969.

The chain has more than 275 restaurants in 14 states throughout Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Washington, as well as eight international locations.

Habit Burgers’ parent company is Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM), based in Louisville, Kentucky, which has over 50,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries and territories primarily operating KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants. each week, making it one of the “most summitted peaks” in Washington state.

Its main trail rises nearly 1,580 feet and is open year-round.

Candy Mountain offers a gentler climb to the top and includes an even gentler, 1.2-mile interpretive loop on the lower, flatter section that features metal interpretative signs welded by Columbia Basin College students.

The Little Badger Preserve will connect to the Badger Centennial Preserve to the west, which in turn links to Candy Mountain via Dallas Road.

Spinner said the Friends group is ready to complete the east or “back side” of Little Badger, which will descend to the Amon Creek Basin between Leslie and Steptoe.

Go to friendsofbadger.org for more information about the trail system plans and to contribute to the Little Badger Mountain Preserve campaign.

Donations can be made online or by sending checks to Friends of Badger Mountain, P.O. Box 24, Richland, WA 99352.

Courtesy Marc Spinner, Friends of Badger Mountain Friends of Badger Mountain is turning to Tri-City businesses to raise the $600,000 it still needs to buy a key piece of property for its latest project, Little Badger Preserve Park.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

B3

Business owners say airport lease changes could chill investment

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Some of Pasco’s most prominent business owners could delay investing in hangars and other facilities at the Tri-Cities Airport over a proposed lease policy driven by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Port of Pasco is formalizing some aspects of its existing lease policy, which governs how port-owned land on the airport is leased – and released – to longterm tenants.

While the change is nuanced, airport tenants such as Scott Musser and Bill Lampson fear it could negate the value of the millions they have invested in hangars and other structures on land they lease at the airport.

They worry that “reversionary” language in leases might compel business owners to surrender buildings when their leases expire, nullifying the investment.

Reversion clauses are standard in longterm land leases, including the ones in place at Pasco. But the new emphasis is giving owners pause.

“We’ve all made significant investments, to the tunes of millions, in good faith,” said Musser, who is leading discussions with the port.

Port officials pledged to work with the tenants it affects the most during a Jan. 14 meeting conducted by Zoom.

Randy Hayden, executive director, and Buck Taft, airport director, both promised to work on language that ensures busi-

Photo by Wendy Culverwell A pair of planes fly past Trucks & Auto Auctions, a Musser Bros. affiliate, on property leased from the Port of Pasco. Scott Musser and other business executives who have invested in buildings on land they lease worry a new airport leasing policy could affect the terms of their agreements. Business owners say airport lease changes could chill investment.

nesses in good standing can renew leases when they expire years or even decades down the road.

Airport leases tend to be long-term affairs, extending up to 50 years under FAA rules.

That makes it difficult to issue guarantees.

Taft said the port understands tenants are seeking assurances about what will

happen in the future but notes the port can’t give land away forever.

“We’re working on it,” he said. “I think they just want to know how we’re going to handle these.”

For context, 16 leases are set to expire between now and 2040, with some of those held by the same individuals.

Bill Lampson, president of Lampson International, and Musser, president of

the auction house that bears his name, say language that compels them to return leased land along with the buildings they’ve constructed over to the port when leases expire could upend the economics of investing in commercial structures on leased land.

Investors expect a return on their investments, through sales or transfers to a new generation of owners. But if they have to turn it over to the port, they could be left with nothing at the end of decades of lease payments.

Musser’s auction business off Argent Road on the airport’s west side offers a handy example of what’s at stake. Part of the business is on industrial land outside the airport fence and part is on “aeronautical” land inside the fence.

The non-aviation business is growing, and he wants to add space, including a $500,000 expansion to house repair bays and other facilities to clean and catalogue the thousands of vehicles auctioned by Musser Bros. each year. He’s holding off until the lease policy is sorted out.

“We’re not going to make that decision until we get finalization,” he said.

Musser’s office and a separate estate business are on the aeronautical side of the fence. The building includes a hangar fronting the airport’s network of runways and taxiways. It’s a convenience that facilitates travel to Musser’s customers and offices in other states.

“It’s nice to walk out the back door of uPORT OF PASCO, Page B4

B4

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

PORT OF PASCO, From page B3 the office, open the hangar door and fly off,” he said.

Lampson International signed a lease for 20 years with two 10-year options to renew and built a corporate hangar two decades ago. It recently entered the first renewal.

The 8,000-square-foot hangar was built to last. Lampson said he intends to use it for a long time to come.

“Like everyone else over there who has made an investment, it’s a nice property and we intend to take care of it. We would like to use it for a long time,” Lampson said.

Like Musser he’s optimistic the tenants and port will find common ground on the new lease language.

Lampson has another concern. His Paid Advertising

company leases land at another port site, the sprawling Big Pasco Industrial Center on Pasco’s east side. He fears the leasing language adopted for the airport could be used for other sites.

The company has been a Big Pasco tenant for 45 years, where it has installed buildings to house operations to support its heavy-lift crane business. Lampson is one of Big Pasco’s most visible tenants, thanks to the cluster of cranes dotting the property.

Lampson does not “spare the horses” on maintenance, part of its mission to operate facilities the company and the family that owns it can be proud of. But they are investments.

“We would like to have residual value at the end of the day, whatever that might be,” he said.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Booth and Sons wins $5.8M Peanuts Park project

The city of Pasco awarded a $5.8 million contract to update Peanuts Park to Booth and Sons Inc. on Feb. 1 after years of planning.

The ambitious project is linked to the city’s planned Lewis Street Overpass project and will include updates to the Farmers Market Pavilion.

The project is supported by federal Community Development Block Grants and appropriations from the city as well as local finds. The city previously solicited bids in early 2020 but rejected the lone bid in May because of cost discrepancies.

The project was put out for bid a second time in November. Booth and Sons of

Kennewick was the lone bidder. Its bid was $800,000 above the engineer’s estimate.

2021 Home & Garden Show canceled

The 2021 Regional & Home and garden Show, traditionally held at the HAPO Center in Pasco, has been canceled because of restrictions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Home Builders Association of TriCities board voted to cancel the popular event in January.

The association mailed refunds to participants in January.

The HBA expects to conduct its 2021 Fall Home Show. Registration will open in late February for returning exhibitors and early March for new ones.

Call 509-735-2745.

702 The Parkway Richland

A partnership between Prospere Ventures, Booth and Sons Construction and Reed Kinney of Porter’s Real Barbecue has completed construction of a 5,400-square-foot, three-suite building at 702 The Parkway, Richland.

The partners focus on improving properties in downtown Richland and The Parkway into recreation destinations.

Tenants include Moniker Bar, Ethos Bakery & Café and Wine Social.

Building construction was completed in the third quarter of 2020 and inner build-outs wrapped up by late 2020.

George Booth of Booth and Sons of Richland served as general contractor, working with Casey Stratton and Ron Boninger, who represented the owners.

Meier Architecture • Engineering of Kennewick designed the site and building shell, including mechanical/electrical.

MMEC Architecture & Interiors of Kennewick designed Moniker.

Baker Architecture of Richland designed Ethos and Wine Social.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR Congratulations Moniker, Ethos and Wine Social!

It was a pleasure working with you on this project.

(509) 438-0077 • boothandsons.com Lic # BOOTHSC994NB

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Richland studies ‘gateway’ GWay intersection

A Spokane firm will study the best ways to improve traffic congestion at key intersections along south George Washington Way under a $195,000 contract.

The city of Richland awarded the contract to H.W. Lochner Inc. in January.

The study is designed to reduce congestion and improve the flow of traffic through the intersection at Columbia Point Drive. Future projects will improve safety and capacity for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

The project is undertaken with the Washington Department of Transportation, which must authorize any proposed changes.

Tri-City contractor wins bid for Sunnyside athletic complex

A Kennewick contractor won the contract to build the new Sunnyside School District Athletic Complex.

The district awarded the $7 million contract, which included alternate bids, on Jan. 28 to Chervenell Construction of Kennewick. Three other companies submitted bids.

Bids were opened in September 2020 but because they were higher than anticipated at $11.3 million, the project was put on hold while a redesign was completed.

The redesign eliminated a parking lot and bus road, visitor grandstands, lighting for baseball and softball fields, a storage building, field turf on the baseball field.

The district also scaled back some items

including reducing the track size from 10 lanes to nine lanes, some fencing, changing from sod to hybrid seed, irrigation systems, stadium bleacher system, reduction of hard surfaces, storm water systems, video scoreboard display and other miscellaneous materials.

The athletic complex project includes a stadium, track, synthetic turf field, baseball field, parking, sidewalks, community walking path and roadway. It’s the second phase of improvements made with proceeds from the 2019 $16 million voterapproved bond.

Construction will start in coming weeks with completion expected in spring 2022.

Chervenell is familiar with Sunnyside school projects, overseeing construction of Washington Elementary in 2015-16.

B5

Commerce prepare to update GMA

The Washington Department of Commerce is preparing to update the administrative rules for the Growth Management Act, which governs planning in cities and counties across the state.

The department will consider amending its administrative rules to reflect legislative changes, new case law and to clarify requirements not addressed in the current rules.

It expects to finalize rulemaking by June 30, 2022, to give local governments guidance on how to implement GMA requirements.

Follow the process at bit.ly/GMARuleMaking.

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B6

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

uBUSINESS BRIEFS New system tracks fingerprint status

Real estate brokers and managing brokers are being reminded that fingerprint background checks are required as a condition of their licenses.

The Department of Licensing launched a new online system in 2020 that tracks if the fingerprint requirement is met.

The previous system did not alert licensees or the department if fingerprint documents were missing or expired. The new system alerts licensees about expiring fingerprint reports and prevents them from renewing or transferring licenses if they are missing.

In Washington, go to identogo.com to

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

schedule an appointment to be electronically fingerprinted.

Create an account on the new online licensing system at secureaccess.wa.gov/ myAccess/saw/select.do.

sioner from November 2011 until his death in July 2017.

Reimann Industrial Center is east of the Pasco Processing Center on Railroad Avenue.

Port of Pasco dedicates Reimann Industrial Center

Foreclosure storm is coming after moratorium ends

The Port of Pasco formally dedicated its next industrial development in January as its existing business parks build out.

The dedication sets the stage to promote commercial development on the 300 acres the port bought in 2019. The port is selling parcels ranging from 5 to 100 acres for new and expanding industrial businesses.

The property is named for the late Ron Reimann, who served as a port commis-

There were 214,323 foreclosure filings on U.S. properties in 2020, a small fraction of the home losses recorded in the Great Recession and less than half the foreclosures recorded in 2019.

In its yearend look at foreclosures, ATTOM Data Solutions, an arm of RealtyTrac, said lenders acted against 0.16% of all U.S. housing units. But the news isn’t good, it said.

Government orders have stopped most foreclosures, leading to a backlog of

actions against homeowners who have fallen behind..

“While it’s still unlikely that we’ll see another wave of foreclosures like the one we had during the Great Recession, we won’t really know how big that backlog is until after the government programs expire,” said Rick Sharga, executive vice president of RealtyTrac.

Among metro areas with populations of at least 200,000, the highest foreclosure rates were recorded in Peoria, Illinois; Rockford, Illinois; Trenton, New Jersey; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and McAllen, Texas.

The states with the highest foreclosure rates in 2020 were Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and South Carolina.

Paid Advertising

Horn Rapids Landfill Scale House 3102 Twin Bridges Road, Richland The city of Richland has completed a 2,032-square-foot single-story office with office space, a customer service area, conference room, full kitchen and bathrooms.

The $1.07 million building serves residential and commercial visitors to the Horn Rapids Landfill. Construction was completed in November 2020. An average of 150 customers visit the scale house each day. The new facility speeds up transaction times.

It is part of a larger project to improve operations at the landfill, which included the closure of the original 23-acre landfill and preparations for a new 18-acre landfill pit.

The original scale house was built in 1976 as a maintenance building and was remodeled in the 1990s to accommodate office staff.

Booth & Sons Construction of Richland was the general contractor.

Marcus Valentine of Architects West, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, designed the project.

Jay Marlow, the city’s capital projects manager, oversaw the work.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR Congratulations City of Richland Horn Rapids Landfill Scale House!

It was a pleasure working with you on this project.

Congratulations Booth & Sons!

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

B7

Let’s make Tri-City buildings safe for returning employees With Washington now in another lockdown to reduce Covid-19 cases, I’m hearing questions from landlords and commercial building owners who want to take this time to make the indoor air safe for when they bring employees and customers back inside.

Meanwhile health care, biotech, production and manufacturing businesses have remained open during the pandemic and are concerned about improving their indoor air as well.

Nearly a year after so many people started doing their work from home, they are looking forward to the day when they can come back to the workplace.

When bringing workers and customers back inside, the key consideration is safety.

The Centers for Disease Control in October acknowledged that Covid-19 is an airborne virus, something that many have suspected and have worked around for months.

Now that it is official, landlords, tenants and those tasked with building safety must work even harder to protect people from this airborne illness when at work.

They can be the heroes of safely bringing people inside and jump-starting the economy by following the research and guidelines from the CDC, the state and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Because every building has its own

Gus Simonds MacDonald-Miller

GUEST COLUMN

customized heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems (HVAC) based on the number of floors, layout, age and construction materials, each must have its own expert inspection and customized solu-

tion.

With Covid-19, we want to make sure inside air is as safe to breathe as clean outside air. HVAC systems can reduce the airborne concentration of Covid-19 inside, lessening the virus load that individuals are exposed to as they work or learn. By using best practices to bring in as much fresh air as possible, we can create just as safe an environment indoors as outdoors, as long as people continue to social distance and wear masks.

For anyone looking for reassurances about spending time working, dining or learning inside, here are the most important air system adjustments to understand in the age of Covid-19: • Building ventilation should be adjusted to bring in more outside air.

ASHRAE recommends three changes of outdoor air before people come back into a building. Air should be completely flushed at the end of the workday so that employees or students return to clean air

the next morning. When people are in the building, air should be flushed more often than in the past, even if it uses more energy and makes occupants a bit uncomfortable because of temperature and humidity fluctuations.

• Control humidity. A study published in the journal PLOS One showed that maintaining humidity levels above 43% cuts the ability of viruses like the flu to spread. While few local buildings have humidity controls, another solution is to place portable humidifiers in high-traffic areas such as a lobby or entrance – especially in the dryer winter months.

• Increase filtration to remove as many virus-collecting particles from the air as

possible. Replace filters often with the finest ones that a system will allow. Filters are rated MERV 1 to 20. MERV 13+ filters are recommended for Covid-19.

For systems that can’t accommodate MERV 13 filters, MERV 11 are the next best choice. HEPA filters also work to arrest very fine particles but retrofitting an HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system not designed for HEPA filtration is difficult. Instead of replacing an entire system, consider setting up a smaller, recirculating HEPA filtration system in high-traffic areas such as a lobby or building entrance.

uSIMONDS, Page B8

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B8

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

Popular Tri-City vacation destination sees demand for high-end homes

By Virginia Thomas

Spokane Journal of Business

The luxury-home market is especially hot in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene market due to what some agents say is a convergence of factors.

They include a relatively low cost of living in the Inland Northwest, perceived safety from Covid-19 in more rural areas, an increase in remote work due to the pandemic and perceived geographically associated political inclinations, some say.

John Beutler, Read about broker-owner at the Tri-City’s Coeur d’Alenenewest housing based Century 21 developments.

Beutler & AssociPage A1 ates, said sales of homes in Kootenai County priced at $1 million or more have increased significantly. In 2020, a total of 244 properties, including waterfront and those with acreage, worth at least $1 million were sold in the county, nearly double the 2019 total of 106-million plus properties.

Rob Higgins, executive officer at the Spokane Association of Realtors, said 20 homes worth $1 million or more sold in Spokane in 2020. That’s up from 13 in 2019, and significantly higher than 2010, in which just two luxury homes were sold.

Those figures involved only homes on less than one acre.

Scott Wetzel, chief executive officer of Spokane-based Windermere Services

Mountain West, said low mortgage rates have contributed to the influx of luxury home buyers and Spokane’s housing prices mean that urban transplants can get more bang for their buck. Wetzel said someone in Seattle could sell a $3 million home in the city and get a much larger home on a larger piece of land in Spokane for less than $3 million.

Wetzel said that the shift to remote work as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a silver lining for luxury real estate, which Windermere defines as a home priced at $650,000 or more in Spokane.

Many remote jobs provide higher incomes than jobs that can’t be performed remotely, Wetzel said.

“So many of these jobs, especially jobs in the high-tech sector or jobs that are not necessarily operations-limited ... are allowing their employees to work from anywhere,” Wetzel said.

Others are fleeing social unrest present in larger cities, Wetzel said. “If there’s upheaval, people tend to gravitate toward areas where there’s less upheaval. Even if it’s perceived or fake news or whatever you want to call it, that’s a factor,” he said.

Beutler said some luxury buyers who have recently moved here were attracted to the more conservative politics of the region.

“They looked at the political climate in their states and thought that Coeur d’Alene was more favorable,” Beutler said. “A lot of people are moving here from the Port-

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Courtesy Virginia Thomas/Spokane Journal of Business Luxury homes in the Inland Northwest come in a variety of styles, sizes and settings. Some of the high-end homes on the market in mid-January ranged from $950,000 to $2.7 million, according to Spokane Multiple Listing Service data.

land and Seattle areas and from California.

With the political climate, they just want to get out.”

condo.”

Some luxury buyers will pay more for the convenience of city living, while others are interested in spending more on a rural lifestyle, he said.

Fanning said the relative success of the stock market is also a factor in the active luxury market.

“The reality in this last year is the rich have gotten richer. The stock market is one of the means of which their net worth has increased,” Fanning said. “Part of that tends to be disposable income. There are a lot of cash deals going on, so they’re not necessarily financing it.”

The stock market holds a great deal of sway over the entire real estate market, especially the luxury home market, Fanning said.

“I would say our cycles also run with the stock market,” Fanning said. “If you look at our cycles over the last 40 years, when the stock market is strong, our markets are strong.”

Wetzel added that for the foreseeable future, the luxury real estate market in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area is expected to remain strong.

He said Matthew Gardners, Windermere Real Estate’s chief economist, predicts activity in the Intermountain West real estate market will continue to increase.

“We’re going to chug along for quite a while,” Wetzel says.

Wetzel said that the expected increase in real estate demand will come with associated needs and costs, such as infrastructure upgrades and land development.

“But those are all theoretically good problems to have, because it’s a growth mindset that we’re in,” Wetzel said.

SIMONDS, From page B7

face masks with social distancing, will increase the safety of working, recreating and learning indoors. They offer ways for building owners and operators to visibly show tenants, employees, parents and students that they are being proactive in reducing the risk for everyone to come inside to help get our economy humming again. Gus Simonds is president of MacDonald-Miller mechanical contractor, which serves the Tri-City area. Reach him at gus.simonds@ macmiller.com or 206-763-9400.

Wanted: waterfront Wetzel said the luxury market in the Coeur d’Alene area is particularly active, calling it a “feeding frenzy.”

“The number of waterfront properties that are on the market and then off the market in a blink is head-spinning,” he said.

Beutler attributed much of that activity to the larger amount of waterfront property available around Coeur d’Alene.

“Anything closer to Coeur d’Alene with lakeview or lakefront is probably the No. 1 most popular area, but there are a lot of great areas out there,” Beutler said.

Bill Fanning, real estate agent at the Spokane offices of Century 21 Waterfront, concurred, saying the greater SpokaneCoeur d’Alene area is popular among luxury buyers because there are so many opportunities for waterfront living.

“We’re lucky, in this area, that we have more than 60 lakes within an hour-and-ahalf drive of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, Fanning said. “People tend to gravitate towards the bigger lakes. They like Coeur d’Alene. They like Sandpoint. People like that little resort feeling.”

With so much waterfront, Beutler claimed that living on the water in the Spokane area is affordable compared to some urban markets.

However, Wetzel said that the concept of luxury living is changing.

“For instance, there’s a townhome in Kendall Yards that just came on the market, and it’s—get this—$965,000,” he said. “It’s got amazing views of downtown Spokane. But it’s almost $1 million for a

Bipolar ionization is becoming popular in commercial buildings. The latest versions are safe and don’t emit harmful ozone. Bipolar ionization units flood an area with positively and negatively charged ions that can kill microscopic organisms, such as viruses in the air and on surfaces. When dispersed, ions seek out and bond with particles in the air, creating clusters that are large enough for an HVAC system to filter out.

All these solutions, used along with

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

PUBLIC RECORD uBANKRUPTCIES Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings: Chapter 7 — Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up non-exempt property and debt is discharged.

Chapter 11 — Allows companies and individuals to restructure debts to repay them.

Chapter 12 — Allows family farmers or fishermen to restructure finances to avoid liquidation for foreclosure.

Chapter 13 — Plan is devised by the individual to pay a percentage of debt based on ability to pay. All disposable income must be used to pay debts.

Information provided by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Spokane.

CHAPTER 7 Jeremy Thelin, 1410 Swift Blvd., Richland.

Paul Arnold Shelp, 460 N. Arthur St., Apt. E-204, Kennewick.

Kaleb R. & Mallory A. Lopez, 1008 S. Roosevelt St., Kennewick.

Sheila K. Foley, 2100 Bellerive Drive, #EE52, Richland.

Brehan Kaylyn Madden, 6300 Petrina St., West Richland.

Mickeal Gorden & Elizabeth Monserrat Guzman, 6010 Westport Lane, Pasco.

Kandyce Ralene Alley, 6803 S. Goose Gap Road, Benton City.

Carina Kae Cassel, P.O. Box 2153, Richland.

Robert Wayne Lindstrom, 2455 George Washington Way, #P178, Richland.

Adrian Ayala & Guadalupe Carretero Rodriguez, 309 S. Irving St., Kennewick.

Andrea Lindman, 1609 W Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Darla Jo Peterson, 1107 W. Fifth Ave., Apt. M4, Kennewick.

Claudio C. Lapizco, P.O. Box 4823, Pasco.

Kay Mulic, 1009 N. Road 60, Pasco.

Jared Michael & Micaela Dawn Swentik, 1107 Pompano Court, Richland.

Dorcie Jean Erickson, 1512 S. Jefferson, Kennewick.

Michael Scott Doyea, 3030 W. Fourth Ave., Apt. G-204, Kennewick.

Nicholas & Amanda Kay Edmonds, 10251 Ridgeline Drive, Apt. C300, Kennewick.

John Douglas Peterson, 7106 W. Umatilla Ave., Kennewick.

Donald M. & Cynthia L. Simmons, 2207 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick.

Michael D. & Anita R. Shattuck, 10720

W. Court St., Pasco.

Brandon Duane Power, 5100 W. Clearwater Ave., Apt. H204, Kennewick.

Edgar & Esmeralda Iniguez, 4211 Montgomery Lane, Pasco.

CHAPTER 12 David L Edler, P.O. Box 731, Connell.

CHAPTER 13 Brian & Susan Hope Mckenzie, 6404 S. Bermuda Road, Kennewick.

Cecelia Jean Mauseth, 5230 Outlet Drive, Pasco.

Tawnie Nickole Toroni, 4704 Santa Rosa Court, Pasco.

uTOP PROPERTIES BENTON COUNTY 5547 Astoria Road, West Richland, 3,316-square-foot single-family home on 2.5 acres. Price: $865,000. Buyer: Darin & Shelley Redinger. Seller: Kari L. & Benjamin J. Leggett.

3359 River Valley Drive, Richland, 2,503-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $560,000. Buyer: Brian Lee & Melissa Ann Boysen. Seller: William L. Bresina.

5502 W. 41st Ave., Kennewick, 3,456-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $612,750. Buyer: Travis & Amber Vaughn. Seller: Lott’s Better Built Homes Inc.

2319 Skyview Loop, Richland, 3,051-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $846,464. Buyer: David Sharp.

Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights LLC. 4596 Cowlitz Blvd., Richland, 2,912-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $520,000. Buyer: Thomas Carl & Whitney K. Sorensen. Seller: Benjamin M. & Angela K. Tanaka.

3414 Bing St., West Richland, 0.24-acre home site. Price: $541,900. Buyer: Brian M. & Melinda R. Parker. Seller: Dennis Sawby Construction LLC. 3950 S. McKinley St., Kennewick, 2,597-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $504,900. Buyer: Lauren Macek.

Seller: Justin Ross & Jessica Anne Graff.

4701 Roark Drive, Richland, 3,495-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $523,947. Buyer: Andrew T. & Elizabeth A. Taylor. Seller: New Tradition Homes.

1911 Meadows Drive N., Richland, 1,922-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $640,000. Buyer: James T. & Stephanie S. Zimmerman. Seller: Robert A. & Nicolette R. Johnson.

334 Columbia Point Drive, Unit 204, Richland, 3,389-square-foot home.

Price: $1 million. Buyer: Robert H. & Christine E. Gebo Peterson Trustees.

1002 S. Coulee Vista Drive, Kennewick, 2,132-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $664,900. Buyer: Darrell & Lynnette Homola. Seller: John Eric & Rhesa Rae

B9

Torguson.

1267 Evanslee Court, Richland, 3,470-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $620,000. Buyer: Andrew Lawrence & Jillian Elizabeth Sattler. Seller: Sergey P. & Viktoriya V. Sereda.

996 Meadow Hills Drive, Richland, 2,626-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $545,000. Buyer: David John Aanderud & Lisa Dianne Fring. Seller: Blake T. & Chandra M. Underwood.

630 Railroad Ave., Richland, 10,960-square-foot commercial building. Price: $1.1 million. Buyer: Wine Guys Investments III LLC. Seller: Sealib Properties LLC. 3504 W. 34th Ave., Kennewick, 2,455-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $552,000. Buyer: David & Laura Zwart. Seller: Michael D. & Mary E. Hancock.

4814 White Drive, Richland, 3,024-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $512,500. Buyer: Jeremiah & Nicole Hinkle. Seller: New Tradition Homes Inc. 2574 Anvil Court, Richland, 3,458-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $568,600. Buyer: James W. Poland & Luann M. Stokke. Seller: New Tradition Homes Inc. 5647 W. 41st Ave., Kennewick, 2,320-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $525,700. Buyer: Siva Sankar

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B10

B10

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

Gunda & Janaki Koppu. Seller: Lott’s Better Built Homes Inc. 1228 Plateau Drive, Richland, 2,900-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $590,000. Buyer: Louis Perretta & Karen Schneider. Seller: Einar Skinnarland.

1282 Paige St., Richland, 2,530-squarefoot single-family home. Price: $637,300.

Buyer: Andrew E. Drom & Barbara A. Larsen. Seller: Alderbrook Investments Inc., dba Alderbrook Homes.

1320 Medley Drive, Richland, 2,298-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $789,600. Buyer: Preston Eldon & Emily House. Seller: Prodigy Homes Inc. FRANKLIN COUNTY 1125 E. Spokane St., Pasco, 5,900-square-foot storage warehouse and 4,468-square-foot office building on 4.6 acres. Price: $1.9 million. Buyer: Equipmentshare.com Inc. Seller: Great Basin Land Company II, LLC. 6800 Pearl St., 0.6 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $544,000. Buyer: Marcos & Abbey Garza. Seller: Ziegler Construction 2.

4225 N. Capitol Ave., Pasco, 18,275-square-foot distribution warehouse and 5,600-square-foot material shelter on 18 acres. Price: $3.8 million.

Buyer: LAD Irrigation Company Inc. Seller: Valmont Northwest Inc. 2010 N. Commercial Ave., Pasco, 10,215-square-foot distribution warehouse on 1.8 acres. Price: $1.3 million.

Buyer: Seahurst LLC. Seller: Carrson Ag LLC. 1917 W. A St., Pasco, 5,500-squarefoot storage warehouse on 1.3 acres.

Price: $511,000. Buyer: Atticus Property Management LLC. Seller: BK Attorney Services LLC. 133 Ridgeview Drive, Pasco,

2,117-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $620,100. Buyer: Robert Hamm et. al. Seller: Steven H. & Pamela J. Burger.

6825 Burden Blvd., Suite B, Pasco, suite in 19,713-square-foot medical office. Buyer: Crankin Realty LLC. Seller: BLT LLC. Undisclosed location north of Ringold Road, 202 acres. Buyer: Jada Holdings LLC et.al. Seller: Karl W. & Kathi L. Eppich.

2060 N. Commercial Ave., Pasco, 6.4 acres. Price: $529,700. Buyer: Zenaido Martinez Jr. Trucking LLC. Seller: West Pasco LLC. 1920 Road 56, Pasco, 2,505-square-foot single-family home on 1.5 acres. Price: $682,000. Buyer: Richard & Vicki Weiss.

Seller: Kenneth K. Simpson.

104 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, 11,704-square-foot mixed retail building with nine residential units. Price: $700,000/ Buyer: Big Maple Properties LLC. Seller: Klaus Goettel.

9915 W. Argent Road, Pasco, 8,896-square-foot church and Sunday school on 6 acres. Price: $1.5 million.

Buyer: The Vine Church Tri-Cities. Seller: First Congregational Church of Pasco.

12414 Clark Fork Road, Pasco, 0.55 acres residential home site. Price: $599,800. Buyer: Maria Castillo. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc. 6512 Gallatin Road, Pasco, 0.53 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $709,600.

Buyer: Marshall & Kary Mathews. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc. 3731 Astoria Road, Mesa, 1,368-square-foot single family home on 274 acres. Price: $3 million. Buyer: Desert Acres Holdings LLC. Seller: Wieseler & Son LLC. Undisclosed location west of Columbia River Road, 42 acres. Price: $1 million.

Buyer: Diamondback Farms LLC. Seller: Glen R. & Lori L. Clifford.

12517 Hunter Road, Pasco, 0.53-acre undeveloped home site. Price: $672,850.

Buyer: Celeste Nelson. Seller: Tom J. Nelson.

4218 W. Dougville Road, Pasco, 2,460-square-foot single-family home.

Price: $525,000. Buyer: Raquel Contreras et.al. Seller: Larry J. & Cheryl M. Hembree (trustees).

Undisclosed location west of Sagehill Road, 218 acres. Price: $3.5 million. Buyer: Wieseler & Son LLC. Seller: Othello Blueberry LLC. 6638 Gallatin Road, Pasco, 0.5 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $577,787.

Buyer: Richard J. & Lisa A. Moore. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction Inc. 22481 Glade North Road, Mesa, 864-square-foot office building on 5.2 acres. Price: $3.4 million. Buyer: Valley Agronomics LLC. Seller: Layney Enterprises LLC. 8230 Blanton Road, 1,545 acres with various pole buildings, bunker silos, stables, drylot pens. Price: $16 million.

Buyer: AB Livestock LLC. Seller: Easterday Ranches Inc.

uBUILDING PERMITS BENTON COUNTY AgReserves, 184301 S. Plymouth Road, $619,000 for two permits for new commercial. Contractor: Hansen-Rice Inc. Agri-Northwest, 184301 S. Plymouth Industrial, $1.2 million for ag building.

Contractor: Owner.

Agri-Northwest, 184301 S. Plymouth Industrial, $1.2 million for new commercial.

Contractor: Teton West of WA LLC. Agri-Northwest, 184301 S. Plymouth Industrial, $2.6 million for new commercial.

Contractor: Teton West of WA LLC. Loren Miller, 92308 E. Locust Grove Road, $862,300 for new commercial.

Contractor: Owner.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Oakdell Egg Farms, 1831 E. Sagemoor Road, Pasco, $1.4 million for new commercial. Contractor: Circle K Enterprises.

KENNEWICK Cedarview LLC, 8122 W. Grandridge Blvd., $4.3 million for mini storage facility.

Contractors: TMT Homes (NW) LLC, AirTech Services, Mullins Enterprises.

Walmart Stores Inc., 2720 S. Quillan St., $20,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Powerhouse Services LLC. USCOC of Richland, 515 N. Johnson St., $15,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: MasTec Network Solutions.

Fortunato Inc., 6500 W. Clearwater Ave., $15,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: MasTec Network Solutions.

Bruce Co. LLC, 5003 W. Brinkley Road, $450,000 for new commercial. Contractor: CRF Metal Works LLC. Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $48,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Canyon Contracting Corp.

City of Kennewick, 210 W. Sixth Ave., $83,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Siefken & Sons Construction.

Tightline Ventures, 8804 W. Victoria Ave., $48,700 for tenant improvements, $10,000 for sign. Contractors: Smile-AMile Painting, Mustang Sign Group.

Sage Creek Apartments, 4302 W. Hood Ave., $60,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing.

Smith Cove Partner, 3180 W. Clearwater Ave., $50,700 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Palmer Roofing Co. Marquina Properties, 1326 W. Seventh Place, $9,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing.

On the Boulevard, 9202 W. Gage Blvd., $19,000 for vinyl siding replacement.

Contractor: Owner.

PASCO Maverik LLC, 5505 Road 68, $76,400 for tenant improvements. Contractor: BH Inc. Solgen Holdings LLC, 5715 Bedford St., $167,700 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Elite Construction and Development.

Walmart Real Estate, 4820 Road 68, $25,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Engineered Structures.

Sandy Heights RV Park, 8801 St. Thomas Drive, $81,700 for new commercial. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

Professional Development, 9720 Sandifur Parkway, $48,700 for new commercial. Contractor: G2 Commerical Construction.

Housing Authority-Pasco, 820 N. First Ave., $15,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: MasTec Network Solutions.

Housing Authority-Pasco, 5427 Road 76 Parkway, $15,000 for antenna/tower.

Contractor: MasTec Network Solutions.

Mark A. Fortune, 1601 E. Salt Lake St., $395,000 for accessory building and tenant improvements. Contractors: CRF Metal Works LLC, owner.

Jeremy Appleby, 3305 N. Commercial Ave., $10,000 for commercial addition.

Contractor: Valley Wide Cooperative.

Iris Landholdings, 2735 W. Court St., C-E, $17,900 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Owner.

Pasco, Washington LLC, 410 W. Bonneville St., $19,700 for sign. Contractor: Signcraft LLC. Gesa Credit Union/Real Property Acquisitions LLC, 4824 Broadmoor Blvd., $58,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: To be determined.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B11

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 PROSSER Red Blend Villages, 100 Claret Drive, $159,300 for new commercial. Contractor: 4Most Construction LLC. Ripplinger Family Rentals LLC, 1123 Meade Ave., $70,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: Wine Country LLC. RICHLAND Pahlisch Homes Inc., 2368 Skyview Loop, $175,000 for new commercial.

Contractor: Pahlisch Homes Inc. Pahlisch Homes Inc., 2368 Skyview Loop, Building A, $150,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Pahlisch Homes Inc. LIH Columbia Park LP, 1682 Jadwin Ave., $25,400 for a sign. Contractor: Fastsigns.

State of WA Military, 2655 First St., $16,400 for grading. Contractor: Fowler General Construction.

Hogback Queensgate, 2831 Duportail St., $600,000 for new commercial. Contractor: Stephens & Sons Construction.

Craftsman Cabinets & Flooring, 122 Wellsian Way, Suite B, $5,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Craftsman Cabinets & Flooring.

Wild Goose Design, 610 The Parkway, $93,800 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Elite Construction & Development.

Ruan Thai Properties, 705 The Parkway, $15,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Owner.

Richland School District, 615 Snow Ave., $105,000 for demolition. Contractor: Big D’s Construction of Tri-Cities.

Browman Development, 2665 Queensgate Drive, $209,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Western Construction.

Savage Stone Holding, 1440 Battelle Blvd., $30,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: CRF Metal Works LLC.

David Rose, 1167 Carson St., $9,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: All West Floor Covering/Cabinets.

U.S. Cellular Corp., 739 Stevens Drive, $15,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: Mastec Network Solutions.

WEST RICHLAND Circle K, 1501 Bombing Range Road, $18,000 for sign. Contractor: Phoenix Sign Company LLC. City of West Richland,7920 W. Van Giesen St., $4 million for new commercial.

Contractor: Owner.

uBUSINESS LICENSES KENNEWICK New Restoration and Recovery Services LLC, 2510 Meridian Parkway, Durham, North Carolina.

Bar-M Steel Commercial Inc., 28080 SE Highway 212, Boring, Oregon.

Creative Communication Technologies Inc., 1834 Business Center Drive, San Bernardino, California.

Layton Construction Company LLC, 9090 S. Sandy Parkway, Sandy, Utah.

Merlotech, 9202 W. Gage Blvd.

Mike Colby & Sons Inc., 1247 Montana Ave., Richland.

Mister Car Wash, 404 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Precision Concrete Cutting Inc., 5624 128th St. E, Puyallup.

Hatton Homes LLC, 6119 W. Pearl St., Pasco.

North Sky Communications LLC, 16701 SE Mcgillivray Blvd., Vancouver.

Cascade Plumbing, 15146 Fisk Road, Yakima.

M & L Construction Inc., 4103 E. Dalke Ave., Spokane.

Westfall Enterprizes LLC, 3025 Charity

Court.

Dance by Beth Trust, 3729 S. Quincy Place.

A.H. Landram Enterprises Inc., 108 W. Columbia Drive.

Tuscan Suites LLC, 7401 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite #201. Wrightartworks, 729 S. Texas St. Kyle Schrader Trucking LLC, 51 Fieldstone Court, Ellensburg.

PGS Construction Group LLC, 16 SW 13th St., College Place.

RXLTC PLLC, 8021 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Club De Nutricion Amor Propio, 801 S. Auburn St. Through A Lens, 5702 W. 37th Place.

Senchys Construction LLC, 3706 Atlanta Lane, Pasco.

Jgen Cabinets LLC, 6321 W. Brinkley Road.

Cherry Creek Adult Family Home LLC, 2616 W. 44th Place.

Gale Electric, 2641 Torrey Pines Way, Richland.

F.J.L. Construction LLC, 402 S. Fir St. Infinity Green Landscaping, 119 S. Conway Place.

Remodels Plus Construction LLC,1507 McPherson Ave., Richland.

Refrigeration Plus Services, 3315 S. Quincy. Place.

Wine Country Landscaping and Construction, 3207 S. Lyle St. Naddiv Cyber, 607 E. Columbia Drive, Kennewick.

Corum Homes, 1846 Terminal Drive, Richland.

Fotoruby, 3223 W. 11th Ave. TS Outdoor Services, 1832 W. 52nd Ave. Matson Land Co., 830 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

CM Appraisal Services LLC, 4205 W. 17th Court.

B11

Bumblebee Lawncare, 514 N. Irving St. Artisan Queen Creations, 4203 W. Kennewick Ave. Even the Odds Consulting, 560 N. Irving Place.

Beltran Partners LLC, 313 E. Columbia Gardens Way. The Pokemon Company International Inc., 2811 W. 10th Ave. Guajardo Transport LLC, 1114 W.10th Ave. Miramar Health Center, Kennewick, 6351 W. Rio Grande Ave. AED Wholesale.Com, 418 N. Kellogg St. One Reason Boutique, 10274 W. 17th Place.

L James, 723 N. Williams St. The Human Bean Kennewick, 4305 W. Clearwater Ave. Milhouse Lending LLC, 347 S. Osborne St. B.T.W Beauty For All, 1330 W. 10th Ave. Books Are Fun/Collective Goods, 720 S. Yelm Place.

NW Prairie Star Soap & Candle Co., 701 N. Louisiana St. Dragons Dream Forge & Woodcraft LLC, 1137 W. 30th Ave. De Leon Creation, 762 N. Williams St. Badger Mountain Counseling LLC, 92903 E. Valencia Drive.

RDR Trucking LLC, 409 W. 12th Ave. Exclusive Studio Designs, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Design 7, 2340 S. 38th Ave., West Richland.

True Dermatology PLLC, 4309 W. 27th Place.

Impakt Health, 2411 S. Union St. Empower, 3418 W. 34th Ave. VKTR Design, 2917 W. 19th Ave. Cellaxs, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Sidney Poudel Agency, 10121 W.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B12

B12

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 Clearwater Ave. Petersen Educational Services, 2611 W. 32nd Court.

Armstrong, Jan R, 3201 S. Johnson Place.

Perkins Realty LLC, 3809 S. Anderson St. Zippy’s Cleaning And Home Services, 1119 N. Buchanan St. Jazmin Jimenez, 101 N. Union St. DC Vending and Distributing LLC, 1225 Road 34, Pasco.

Science Clean LLC, 507 N. Everett St. Just In Time BBQ, 620 Basswood Ave., Richland.

Trek Bicycle Kennewick, 3801 S. Zintel Way. Massage Envy, 924 N Columbia Center Blvd.

HD Design, 3902, W. 48th Ave. Melissa Lopez, 101 N. Union St. 790-Consulting, 2306 W 25th Place.

Breno Bittencourt BJJ LLC, 10251 Ridgeline Drive.

Michels Power Inc., 817 Main St., Brownsville, Wisconsin.

DN Tanks Inc., 351 Cypress Lane, El Cajon, California.

Plexus Worldwide LLC, 9145 E. Pima Center Parkway, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Sonray Enterprises LLC, 237 Lower Pack River Road, Sandpoint, Idaho.

Powerhouse Retail Services LLC, 812 S. Crowley Road, Crowley, Texas.

Court Club Physical Therapy LLC, 1350 North Grant St. Coca Cola of Yakima & Tri-Cities Inc., 1225 N. 34th Ave., Pasco.

Valley Cabinet Shop Inc., 22502 S. Ward Gap Road, Prosser.

Columbia Basin Solar, 8103 Wenatchee Drive, Pasco.

AJM And Associates, 2605 W. 41st Ave. Bangkok Restaurant, 8318 W. Gage Blvd., Suite A. Custom Tile Works Inc., 110 W. Naches Ave., Selah.

Platinum, 6520 Comiskey Drive, Pasco.

McBoyz Contracting LLC, 7397 Redmond Road Ne., Moses Lake.

Stonecrest Builders Inc., 2381 Robertson Drive, Richland.

Titan Electrical LLC, 615 Keys Road, Yakima.

Jorges Construction LLC, 401 Quince St., Yakima.

La Pinata Payaso LLC, 424 N. Fruitland St. KMB Property Services LLC, 92602 E. 83 Pr Se. The Academic Doctor LLC, 5121 W. 32nd Ave. Cosco Fire Protection Inc., 3311 E. Ferry Ave., Spokane.

F Joel Financial Inc., 7401 W. Hood Place.

Draftco Designs LLC, 8458 W. Gage Blvd.

Oertel Law PLLC, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Curb Designs LLC, 4711 W. Metaline Ave. Radix Construction Inc., 135 Avery St., Walla Walla.

Plumb Country, 1925 W. Third Ave. Goddard Family Homes LLC, 91022 E. Summit View Drive.

DFR Services, 2105 S. Arthur Loop.

Munoz Sales, 320 W. Entiat Ave. Kairos Framing Construction LLC, 730 S. Sharron St. Obsidian Creations LLC, 4821 W. Fourth Ave. Integrity Finish Carpentry LLC, 315 N. Waldemar Ave., Pasco.

W.E. Remodeling LLC, 309 S. Dawes St. TRC Masonry LLC, 32 E. 11th Ave. Mind/Door, 414 S. Green Place.

All Siding LLC, 4904 Cleveland Lane, Pasco.

Salesufers, 8 E. Fifth Ave. Home Scape Indoor and Outdoor Care,

2711 S. Huntington Ct. Flash Meals, 424 S. Roosevelt St. Healing Massage Therapy, 1137 W. 30th Ave. Northwest Refrigeration Services LLC, 874 Pikes Peak Drive, West Richland.

Shams Engineering LLC, 3803 W. 47th Ave. Joy Spa, 2459 S. Union Place.

Hilet Store LLC, 14 N. Mayfield St. Flex Massage Therapy LLC, 8927 W. Tucannon Ave. Tri-City Barbell Club, 428 E. Columbia Drive.

AJM And Associates LLC, 2605 W 41st Ave. As You Wish Houses Inc., 1327 W. 26th Ave. Pacific Processing Equipment Company LLC, 2014 W. 18th Ave. A & R Castle Designs, 8100 W. Imnaha Ave. Family First Dental, 419 N. Yelm St. PJ Freelance, 2009 S. Ione St. Amigo Bracero LLC, 207 N. Dennis St. MZ Repair LLC, 320 W. Entiat Ave. Notary Northwest LLC, 5511 W. 17th Ave. Kamiakin RV and Boat Storage, 5430 W. Hood Ave. F.J.L. Cleaning Services LLC, 402 S. Fir St. Nena Janitorial Service, 1309 N. Dawes St. Rena’s Healthcare Service, 611 Muriel St., Richland.

American Dream Home Inspection LLC, 7101 W. 20th Ave. Charlotte & Cooper, 2201 S. Dayton St. Grace Hollow Markets, 10267 W. 18th Place.

Gail A Kay, RN, LLC, 2707 W. 40th Ave. Rx Properties LLC, 8021 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Walkers Welding, 4002 S. Jean St. The Flower Cart, 5101 W. 12th Ave. Lonepeak Properties LLC, 3349 S. Lincoln St. DOA Kustom Autoworks, 214 E. Albany Ave. Valvoline Instant Oil Change, 404 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Miranda, Viviana, 1433 S. Garfield Place.

Imminent Health PLLC, 1031 N. Kellogg St. Rolling J’s Express, 207 W. Second Ave. T-Mobile West LLC, 124 S. Ely St. T-Mobile Financial LLC, 124 S. Ely St. T-Mobile Leasing LLC, 124 S. Ely St. Eastside Sustainable Farm, 7 W. 27th Ave. Sage Assessment, Counseling & Consulting LLC, 401 N. Morain St. Dick Brown & Associates, 7511 W. Arrowhead Ave. Couples and Sex Therapy of PNW, 3800 W. 40th Place.

Eastside Edge Youth Wellness Professional Sports Training Center, 1701 S. Washington St. Teos Sweets LLC, 9115 Ryeland Drive, Pasco.

Morning Sun Trucking LLC, 618 S. Alder St. Equine Therapy Center LLC, 10505 W. Clearwater Ave. Diamond Eagle LLC, 525 S. Auburn St. Dog’s Best Friend, 4415 W. Clearwater Ave. Loft #1669, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Ricas Pupusas El Salvador LLC, 206 N. Buntin St. Transit Care - Essentials LLC, 10362 W. 16th Place.

Amc Real Estate LLC, 1914 S. Arthur St. Hair By Eli, 4415 W. Clearwater Ave. JJ Navarro Transport LLC, 1616 S. Palouse Place.

Raji’s Consulting LLC, 619 S. Young Place.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B13

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 On The Board, 6681 W. 33rd Place.

Akb Logistics LLC, 2133 S. Lyle St. Justintime2grow LLC, 530 N. Edison St. Royal Columbian Senior Living, 5615 W. Umatilla Ave. Agtrakk, 1122 N. Montana St. NW Appraisal Group LLC, 352 S. First Ave., Walla Walla.

Matson Trucks LLC, 4602 Kennedy Road, West Richland.

PASCO Tom & Jerry Services, 321 N. 20th Ave. Asphalt Assault Skateboard Shop, 1124 Wainsworth Ave. Super Quesadilla Gigante LLC, 220 N.18th Ave. El Guero Tacos Garcia, 1320 E. Lewis St. CBVC Inc. (Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition), 1020 S. Seventh Ave. Taller El Paisa LLC, 312 N. Main Ave. All Seasons Contractors LLC, 5810 Industrial Way. Vision Pro LLC, 6418 Glacier Peak Drive.

Double Diamond Masonry LLC, 6017 Curlew Lane.

Classic Towing And Recovery, 411 N. Seventh Ave. IBHCG LLC, 4212 Monterey Drive.

T-Vision, 7703 Estevan Drive.

Qwest Corporation, 707 W. Lewis St. Gardea Painting LLC, 227 N. Sycamore Ave. Rascal Rodeo, 2305 Road 57.

Action Towing LLC, 3205 N. Commercial Ave. 3 Point Auto-Detailing LLC, 4803 Galicia Court.

Quality Heating & Cooling LLC, 213 N. Oregon. Ave. Koch Fertilizer LLC, 1010 E. Kartchner St. Singular Sheet Metal, 1712 E. Superior St. Vortex Plumbing and Remodel LLC, 7611 Thetis Drive.

Mustang Transport LLC, 703 S. Elm Ave. Izzy Cuts, 524 W. Clark St. New York Barber Shop #3, 1608 W. Sylvester St., Suite D. Sydney Nichole Photography, 6203 Beacon Rock Lane.

GR Transportation LLC, 6115 Riverhawk Lane.

Hernandez Transportation LLC, 848 Madrona Ave. G&B Express LLC, 4103 Atlanta Lane.

David Tuckness – Uber, 405 Catskill St. Richland.

Al White’s Dog Training LLC, 5516 Bakerloo Lane.

Scorpion Transport LLC, 2507 E. Butte Court.

Style Barber, 1424 N. 14th Ave. Worthington Construction LLC, 126 N.

Owen Ave. Jimenez Revive Painting LLC, 1023 S. Fifth Ave. Signature Auto Detailing, 421 N. Hugo Ave. Pasco Golfland, 2901 Road 40.

Tri-Cities Produce Inc. 215 N Venture Road.

Royal Wellness PLLC, 15 Lucena Drive.

College Place Heating & Air Conditioning, 970 NE Rose St., College Place.

Northwest Coating & Painting LLC, 829 S. Myrtle Ave. Bright Creative Minds, 2912 Wilcox Drive.

MKW Construction LLC, 8308 Quatsino Drive.

Sunrise Quality Construction, 3605 Estrella Drive.

El Pollo Sabroso LLC, 1623 W. Lewis St. J&D Aircraft Sales LLC, 4218 Stearman Ave. Melanie Joy Hopkins, 4118 Minorca Lane.

Miss Amy’s Classroom LLC, 4406 Montgomery Lane.

TV Satellite, 832 W. Court St., Suite B. Desert Sunrise, 5821 Washougal Lane.

Victory Transportation, 5808 Three Rivers Drive.

Stable Boots on Ground LLC, 1320 E. Lewis St. DC Vending and Distributing LLC, 1225 Road 34.

Pro Taxes LLC, 6303 Burden Blvd.

New Service Restoration and Recovery Services LLC, 2510 Meridan Parkway, Suite 350, Durham, North Carolina.

Western Medical Resources LLC, 9915 Sandifur Parkway.

Columbia River Cemetery, 2320 W. Frontage Road.

Pearl Coffee, 2221 E. Lewis St. Be Present Layout Design Studio LLC, 5102 Reagan Way. H G Trucking, 8911 Ryeland Drive.

Wolf Pack Solutions LLC, 8113 Babine Drive.

Capitol Concrete Pumping Inc., 1931 E. Superior St. Elite Auto Services LLC, 2021 N. Third Ave. Pacheco, Amado, 1708 N. 17th Ave. Padilla Transportation LLC, 4612 W. Octave St. Viridescent LLC, 4415 Clydesdale Lane.

A Truck & Trailer Repair LLC, 324 N. Owen Ave. Jr. Perez Transport LLC, 1010 N. 24th Ave. Reflextion Weight Loss, 9811 Mustang Drive.

C D Wine Ventures, 824 W. Lewis St. Tri-City Home Improvements, 4306 W. 35th Court.

Corum Homes, 1846 Terminal Drive, Suite 5, Richland.

Luis Recuerdos, 514 W. Clark St.

Raise the Bar Physical Therapy and Wellness PLLC, 5804 Road 90, #106.

Bare Skin Studio, 6303 Burden Blvd., Suite E. Tri Caps, 1712 N. Ninth Ave. Edison A. Valerio Agency, 3407 W. Court St. Senchys Construction LLC, 3706 Atlanta Lane.

Valley Wide Cooperative, 3305 N. Commercial Ave. TRC Masonry LLC, 32 E. 11th Ave., Kennewick.

Design 7 LLC, 2340 S. 38th Ave., West Richland.

Petersen Educational Services, 2611 W. 32nd Court, Kennewick.

Truss T Built LLC, 29955 S. Meridian Road, Hubbard, Oregon.

Gale Electric, 2641 Torrey Pones Way, Richland.

First Choice Health Network Inc., 600 University St., Suite 1400, Seattle.

Grassi Refrigeration Services Inc., 1445 W. Rose St., Walla Walla.

Arden Olson Flooring, 2820 SE 58th Court, Suite 200, Hillsboro, Oregon.

Tri-Cities Food Dudes, 2381 Robertson Drive, Richland.

Windish Construction Co., 1234 NW Troost St., Roseburg, Oregon.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., 1100 112th Ave. NE., Bellevue.

Plumb Country, 1925 W. Third Ave., Kennewick.

Engineered Structures Inc., 330 E. Louise Drive, Suite 300, Meridian, Idaho.

Gargoram Landscaping, 5706 W. Hood Ave., Kennewick.

Zarrpguns, 6115 Kent Lane.

Ea Home Upgrades LLC, 3904 W. Brown St., #3.

Michels Powers Inc., 817 Main St. Brownsville, Wisconsin.

Northwest Refrigeration Services LLC, 874 Pikes Peak Drive, West Richland.

Curb Designs LLC, 4711 W. Metaline Ave., Apt. H, Kennewick.

Curiosidades El Colibri, 208 N. Fourth Ave. Logan-Zenner Seeds Inc., 2020 N. Commercial Ave. City of Pasco - Cable Bridge Run, 525 N. Third Ave. Best Quality Cleaning LLC, 90 Country Haven Loop.

A.J. Promotional Family Photographers, 6407 Morningside Court, Yakima.

Jackson Capital LLC, 5426 Road 68, Suite D. AB Landscaping LLC, 3013 Road 84.

Imy’s Hair Salon, 1017 W. Sylvester St. Palos Verdes LLC, 160 S. 16th Ave., Othello.

Jorges Construction LLC, 401 Quince St., Yakima.

Comtile Inc., 227 Strada Nova, Palm Desert, California.

B13

KG Threads, 5507 Hartford Drive.

Center For Sustainable Infrastructure, 1828 12th Ave., SE, Olympia.

RICHLAND Devo Lumberkings, 120 Lesa Marie Lane, Kennewick.

Newtech Installation USA Inc., 444 Smith St., Middletown, Connecticut.

New Restoration and Recovery Services LLC, 2510 Meridian Parkway, Durham, North Carolina.

J Lugo’s Construction LLC, 1369 W. Joseph Ave., Hermiston, Oregon.

The Classical Guitar Society of TriCities, 2329 Copperleaf St. Quality Restoration Solutions LLC, 2331 W. A St., Pasco.

Professional Pipe Services, 13026 W. McFarlane Road, Airway Heights.

Cascade Plumbing, 15146 Fisk Road, Yakima.

Devinion LLC, 3240 Richardson Road.

Cram-Productions LLC, 3165 Willow Pointe Drive.

A.D.T. Construction, 5421 Leola St., Pasco.

Stephens & Sons Construction Inc., 417 S. 51st Ave., Yakima.

Intermountain Materials Testing, 2301 N. Commercial Ave., Pasco.

Westfall Enterprizes LLC, 3025 Charity Court, Kennewick.

Gillespie Homes Inc., 3300 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

Accurate Accounts Inc., 138 MacArthur St. Sine Wave Electric Inc., 1132 Thorne Road, Tacoma.

Carollo Engineers, A Professional Corporation, 1218 Third Ave., Suite 1600, Seattle.

Nisqually Communication Services Govt. Corp., 12820 Yelm Highway SE, Olympia.

Aarnie’s Construction, 1015 N. Road 55, Pasco.

Industrial Coatings Unlimited LLC, 18420 68th Ave. S., Kent.

Dermaspa LLC, 1295 Fowler St. It Haven Pro, 392 Oahu St. Moniker, 702 The Parkway.

Michael Scott Construction Company LLC, 2021 Mahan Ave. Eastside Contractor & Restaurant Services LLC, 316 S. Eighth St., Sunnyside.

Juanita Grove, 10829 NE 68th St., Kirkland.

Innovations & Solutions LLC, 2454 Dolphin Court.

Pleasant, Cecilia, 635 SE Andrews St., Issaquah.

Wonderlust Salon & Spa, 2022 Blue Ave. Water Abatement Resources LLC,

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B14

B14

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021

1612 Hunt Ave. Landen Smith Design LLC, 10251 Ridgeline Drive, Kennewick.

Sammy’s Dustless Mobile Blasting LLC, 5817 Jefferson Drive, Pasco.

Golden Taco, 272 Wellsian Way. Desert Jewel LLC, 918 N. Seventh Ave., Pasco.

Federal Construction Group, 1627 McMurray Ave. Sunrise Painting, 4136 W. Grand Ronde Ave., Kennewick.

Handyman +, 32 Nuclear Lane.

Todd’s Treats LLC, 2365 Copperbrook Court.

Framin Jamin, 2848 Monarch Lane.

Ready Set Tan, 5130 Hershey Lane, West Richland.

Evergreen Coffee Co West, 1205 Thayer Drive.

Pink Lawn Cure LLC, 21 Royal Crest Loop PR, West Richland.

Harris & Sons Contractor LLC, 603 Symons St. Vortex Plumbing and Remodel LLC, 7611 Thetis Drive, Pasco.

Honest Air, 3620 W. Leola St., Pasco.

Hanford Mission Integration Solutions LLC, 2490 Garlick Blvd.

Pegan LLC, 3014 Duval Loop.

Sierra’s Landscaping, 1709 S. Gum St., Kennewick.

Tri-City Home Improvements, 4306 W. 35th Court, Kennewick.

Canyon Lakes Family Counseling Center, 1355 Columbia Park Trail.

JL’s Consulting and Contracting LLC, 8180 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick.

Infinity Green Landscaping, 119 S. Conway Place, Kennewick.

BMC Storage, 1950 Saint St. Remodels Plus Construction LLC, 1507 McPherson Ave. Toner, Lisa Marie, 3003 Queensgate

Drive.

That Curl Girl LLC, 123 Gage Blvd.

Tracy Warden MD, 1471 Badger Mountain Loop.

Culture Shock Bistro LLC, 421 E. Columbia Drive, Kennewick.

Oasis Lawn and Construction Inc., 6725 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Ara Sushi & Grill, 430 George Washington Way. Baskin Robbins, 140 Gage Blvd.

Tuckness, David John, 405 Catskill St. Ugh, Whatever, 311 Greentree Court.

Cascade Medical Solutions LLC, 1130 Pinto Loop.

Grace Wine Co., 1721 Brantingham Road.

Pampered Pups Grooming, 801 Chestnut Ave. Jimenez Revive Painting LLC, 1023 S. Fifth Ave., Pasco.

Life-giving Cross Nursing LLC, 180

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503.294.5300 | lsnetworks.net

Erica Drive.

Rooted Numbers, 1926 Pike Ave. Jessica “Heidi” Stoker, 2915 Van Giesen St. Worthington Construction LLC, 126 N. Owen Ave., Pasco.

BK Fit LLC, Bay Kay Bootcamp, 101 Bremmer St. Aguilar’s Lawn Maintenance, 55 Log Lane.

GT Medical Technologies Inc., 350 Hills St. Tri-Cities Sign Guy LLC, 1622 Butternut Ave. Toad’s Dirt Work, 2725 Hyde Road.

7kind, 1341 George Washington Way. Verimas Group, 719 Jadwin Ave. Ivory Bliss Permanent Cosmetics, 2550 Magnolia Court.

Proterra Pest Control of Tri-Cities LLC, 6201 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Mint Proxies LLC, 602 Chateau Court.

Handyman Integrity Services, 56 Log Lane.

Ace Construction Group LLC, 3702 Grant Loop, West Richland.

Next Chapter Career Services LLC, 1413 Canyon Ave. Rancho Collective, 2452 Dolphin Court.

Yphysicians PLLC, 573 Hunter St. Affordable Radon Services LLC, 707 W. Main Ave., Spokane.

Hair By Jessica, 2560 Queensgate Drive.

When & Where Productions, 2452 Dolphin Court.

Edith’s Clothing Store, 603 Thayer Drive.

Even The Odds Consulting, 560 N. Irving Place, Kennewick.

The Pokemon Company International Inc., 101 Wellsian Way. Jabaraih, 1307 NW Fifth Ave., Camas.

Rohdenburg Design, 1838 Sagewood

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B15

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021 Loop.

Badger Mountain Counseling LLC, 92903 E. Valencia Drive, Kennewick.

Design 7, 2340 S. 38th Ave., West Richland.

Tri-Cities Xmas Lights Installation Services, 1219 Oxford Ave. AT&T Authorized Retailer, 107 Columbia Point Drive.

Process Servers LLC, 293 Gage Blvd.

Petersen Educational Services, 2611 W. 32nd Court, Kennewick.

4x4 Overland Gear, 208 Orchard Way. DC Vending and Distributing LLC, 1225 Road 34, Pasco.

Positive Repairs LLC, Chad Morris, 129 W. Maple St., Walla Walla.

WEST RICHLAND Not available at press time.

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 BentonFranklin Superior Court. The following is from the Franklin County Superior Court Clerk’s Office.

Tacoyote LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Jan. 20.

Total Concrete Services LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 12.

Eastern WA Construction, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Jan. 8.

Concrete Unlimited LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Jan. 8.

uLIQUOR LICENSES BENTON COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Norsk Strykr, 174306 W. Byron Road, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new application.

Rocco’s Pizza, 7911 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. License type: beer/ wine restaurant-beer/wine.

Carniceria Mirandas, 804 Sixth St., Prosser. License type: grocery storebeer/wine. Application type: assumption.

Pupuseria Salvadorena Restaurant, 127 Gage Blvd., Richland. License type: beer/wine restaurant-beer/wine. Application type: new.

Domanico Cellars, 236 Port Ave., Suite D., Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 additional location; beer/ wine restaurant-beer/wine. Application

type: new.

The Draw at Coyote Canyon, 1121 Meade Ave., Prosser. License type: restaurant-beer-wine. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

Gravity Transport, 43001 N. Griffin Road, Unit E, Grandview. License type: marijuana transportation. Application type: new.

NV-Wines, 1325 Aaron Drive, Suite 102, Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver-in/out WA; beer/wine specialty shop; wine retailer reseller-specialty. Application: new.

The Washington Outfit LLC, 507 N. Everett St., Suite 120, Kennewick. License type: marijuana transportation. Application type: new.

BENTON COUNTY APPROVED

Brainstorm Cellars, 515 S. 41st Ave., West Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new application.

Upsidedown Wine, 34809 N. Schumacher PR, Benton City. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new application.

Washington State Wine Company, 3090 West Wittkopf Loop, Prosser.

License type: domestic winery <249,999 liters. Application type: added/change of trade name.

Circle K Stores Inc., 1501 Bombing Range Road, West Richland. License type: grocery store-beer/wine. Application type: new.

Bangkok Restaurant, 8318 W. Gage Blvd., Suite A, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant-beer/wine. Application type: in lieu.

Sedate Smoke Shop, 309 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only.

Application type: new.

FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Rice and Noodles, 3315 W. Court St., Pasco. License type: beer/wine rest beer/wine; off premises. Application type: new.

Las Lupitas, 720 W. Lewis St., Pasco.

License type: beer/wine restaurant-beer.

Application type: new.

FRANKLIN COUNTY APPROVED

bouldering focused indoor climbing facility. Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week; reservations currently required.

Contact: 509-619-0075; rockshopclimbing.com; Facebook.

Edison Valerio, Agent, State Farm, 3407 W. Court St., Pasco. New State Farm office offers auto, home, life and health insurance. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Contact: 509-492-4446, edison@ myagentisedison.com, myagentisedison. com.

Magill’s Restaurant & Catering, 3214 Road 68, Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: change of corporate officer.

C D Wine Ventures LLC, 824 W. Lewis St., Suite 106, Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new.

Dollar General Store #22071, 182 E. Hawthorn St., Connell. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new.

Pasco Golfland, 2901 Road 40, Pasco.

License type: snack bar. Application type: assumption.

NAME CHANGE

uBUSINESS UPDATES

CLOSED

NEW Xenophile Bibliopole & Armorer, Chronopolis, 2240 Robertson Drive, Richland.

A unique bookstore featuring science fiction, mystery, general fiction, nonfiction and technical books, posters, original art, toys, collectibles, ephemera, signed copies, rare books, first editions. Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday by chance or appointment Contact: 509375-7505; xenophilebooks.com; Facebook.

Rock Shop, 1965 Fowler St., Richland. A

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Tri-City Judo – BJJ is now Tri-City Judo at 201 N. Edison St., Suite 244, Kennewick. Martial arts dojo for judo, a Japanese sport focusing on using opponent’s weight and strength against them. Judo provides a physical and mental workout while developing and improving balance, coordination and confidence through the implementation of throwing techniques, pins, joint locks, submissions and choking techniques. Hours: 5-8:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 6-8 p.m. Thursday.

Contact: 509-713-2290, tricityjudo.com.

Barley’s BrewHub at 3320 W. Kennewick Ave. in Kennewick has closed.

Living Water Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine at 100 N. Morain St., Suite 206, in Kennewick has closed.

GameStop at 1102 N. Columbia Center Blvd. in Kennewick has closed.

MOVED Living Wellness Acupuncture has moved to 8390 W. Gage Blvd., Suite 113, Kennewick. Contact: livingwellnessacupuncture.com; 509-378-7433.

DOD CONTRACT BID REQUIREMENTS ARE CHANGING! Call now for your no-cost DFARS/CMMC Compliance Consultation.

509-783-5450 1900 Fowler St., Suite G • Richland

inlinecomputer.com

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

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | FEBRUARY 2021