June 2020 Volume 19 | Issue 6
Could Covid-19 restore air service to Portland? By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
Inside
Focus magazine: Agriculture and Viticulture in the Columbia Basin
Manufacturing
9 questions about cranes, Covid-19 and the economy with Lampson International Page A11
Real Estate & Construction
Upscale living for renters taking shape on Pasco waterfront Page B1
NOTEWORTHY “You’ve got to look for the opportunities to stay relevant.” —Lisa Chapman-Rosa Total Site Services Page A32
The Covid-19 crisis blew a hole in the aviation industry, but there could be opportunity hidden in the mayhem for airports with strong underlying business models like the one in Pasco. The Tri-Cities Airport could gain new air routes and even see airlines resume direct service to Portland International Airport. That’s the scenario laid out by Jack Penning of Volaire Aviation Consulting, which advises the Port of Pasco on the airline industry. Penning, who is based in Portland, shared his take on Covid-19 impacts and opportunities during a May 29 “Coffee with Karl” virtual meetup with Karl Dye, president and chief executive officer of the Tri-City Development Council. The full discussion is posted on TRIDEC’s Facebook page. As the Mid-Columbia’s economic development agency, TRIDEC works closely with the port to advocate for more and better routes in and out of Pasco. Penning said the Tri-Cities could benefit from opportunities that weren’t available a few years ago, when regional airlines such as Alaska’s Horizon Air canceled routes as they struggled with shortages of pilots and craft. The Portland run was dropped for good in 2018. But those shortages are no longer an issue. Instead, the pandemic is inviting airlines to rethink the map, drop questionable runs and add new ones. That could spell opportunity for Pasco. “It’s not all doom and gloom. There are opportunities ahead,” Penning said. First, the bad news: 2020 will go down as a terrible year for air travel statistics. Even if air travel revives, Pasco will record half its usual business, a striking reversal for an airport that posted back-to-back record boardings in 2018 and 2019. April, the worst month to date, saw air uAIRPORT, Page A4
Photo by Wendy Culverwell Shaun Ehlers, owner of Free Culture Clothing, is scheduling private shopping appointments at his downtown Kennewick store at 509-948-8187. He said if Benton County doesn’t move to Phase 2 soon, his business will not survive.
Face masks could be key to reopening Tri-City businesses By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
Shaun Ehlers ended 2019 on a contented note. He’d opened a second edition of his small fashion boutique in Columbia Center mall in September. By year’s end, the Free Culture Clothing stores in downtown Kennewick and at the mall were breaking even. He knew the first few months of 2020 would be rough. January is always tough on retailers and sales don’t pick up until midFebruary, after Valentine’s Day. Everything was on schedule. Except that it wasn’t. “Covid affected the mall by March,” he said. Stores stayed open but customers stayed
away out of fear. Anchor stores closed and so did other tenants. The mall closed. Washington’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order sidelined his West Kennewick Avenue location as well. The bad news piled on. Ehlers applied for an emergency grant from the state but wasn’t successful. His home was damaged in a fire that forced him to move to an apartment. Naturally an upbeat person, Ehlers struggled. In May, with some prompting, he reopened the downtown store to shopping by appointment, scrubbing the store between visitors and steaming any items tried on but not bought. Business is off by about 95 percent but uPHASE 2, Page A8
Lamb Weston pulls back curtain with first-ever sustainability report By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz
The region’s largest potato processor sheds new light on french fry-making in its first-ever corporate sustainability report. Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. issued its 2020 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report on June 2. In it, the Eagle, Idaho-based company describes its corporate and environmental goals, the steps it is taking to meet them and the progress it has marked to date for the first time. Lamb Weston became an independent, publicly traded company in 2016 when it spun out of ConAgra Foods. “This report highlights work that Lamb Weston has always believed in – operating with integrity to support the long-term sus-
tainability of our business,” said Tom Werner, chief executive officer, in an introduction. Corporate sustainability reports are issued by companies interested in telling investors and the public about their non-financial goals around governance, environmental stewardship and corporate philanthropy. Lamb Weston joins Pacific Northwest icons such as Costco Wholesale Inc., Microsoft Corp., Amazon, Starbucks Inc., Nike Inc., Paccar Inc., Nordstrom Inc., Weyerhaeuser Co. and Precision Castparts Corp. that issue corporate sustainability reports, often called CSRs. Lamb Weston, which reported $3.8 billion in revenue in 2019, is one of the largest and most diverse companies operating in the uLAMB WESTON, Page A16
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