Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business - July 2019 by Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business/Senior Times

July 2019

Volume 18 • Issue 7

Banking & Finance Student loan debt a growing burden

Page 11

Kennewick nonprofit purchases companies Columbia Industries to use revenue to grow programs for people with disabilities BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Real Estate & Construction

Lamb Weston completes $250 million french fry processing line Page 23

Tourism & Travel

Sports tourism brings in big bucks to the Tri-City area Page 41

NOTEWORTHY

“When this community supports local community banks and credit unions, the positive effect on our community is huge.” - Doug Wadsworth,

Tri-CU Credit Union Page 19

A Kennewick nonprofit has acquired a longtime Tri-City pizza franchise and a bottled water service company to grow its mission-based organization and expand its headquarters to accommodate a new social services outreach program. Columbia Industries, a nonprofit committed to supporting and empowBrian McDermott ering individuals with disabilities and other challenges, acquired the Tri-Cities’ four Round Table Pizza restaurants and Kennewick’s Paradise Bottled Water Co. “We think we’re a great fit for them and they’re a great fit for us,” said Columbia Industries CEO Brian McDermott. “They’re both positive members of the community.” CI is planning to fund and expand its community programs with revenue generated from the businesses. “We decided last May as we went through our budgeting and strategic planning process for this year that we wanted to start pursuing acquisitions in this vein, and it’s been a whole long process of looking for the opportunities,” McDermott said. uNONPROFIT, Page 4

Courtesy Google Earth/Graphic design by Shawna Dinh The 184 acres of undeveloped land bought by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are just off Highway 395, northeast of King City, in Franklin County.

Land buy may open door to tribal casino Colville Tribes buy 184 acres near King City

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

he Colville Tribes’ $10.8 million purchase of 184 acres of Franklin County farmland could set the stage for a future casino just northeast of King City in Pasco. Though opening a casino would take “many years” since the land off Highway 395 would first need to be transferred into

federal trust status through the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the U.S. Department of the Interior, said Rodney Cawston, chairman of the business council for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. “That can take some time,” he said. “And then afterwards we apply for the permit for the casino, and that can take some time as well.” The tribes own and operate three other casinos: 12 Tribes Resort Casino in Omak, Mill Bay Casino in Manson and Coulee

uCASINO, Page 3

Oregon shoppers required to pay sales tax at register Washington axes upfront exemption, allows annual refund by filing paperwork BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Washington shoppers no longer will find themselves waiting in line at the register behind Oregon residents wanting to avoid state taxes. Oregonians are no longer exempt from paying state taxes when they reach for their wallets under a law signed by Washington’s

Gov. Jay Inslee that took effect July 1. To recoup any sales tax expenses, Oregon residents now must file for a yearly refund from the state Department of Revenue for any state sales taxes paid in excess of $25 annually. For decades, shoppers living over the state line to the south had avoided paying sales tax at checkout time at stores in the Mid-Columbia by providing proof of Oregon residency. Sellers of big ticket items like appliances are concerned about the new law. uTAX, Page 5

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019 CASINO, From Page 1 Dam Casino in Coulee Dam. Though a casino project is years away, the Colvilles want the land just north of the new AutoZone distribution center to begin generating money. In the interim, there’s been talk of putting a gas station or convenience store, or maybe even a hotel on the property. It also could be left as farmland for the time being. “One way or another, we’d like to try to do something to begin generating some revenue,” Cawston said. The May 16 land buy took the city of Pasco by surprise. “The city learned of the purchase through the media. That said, we are excited at the prospect of this investment by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and look forward to a long and collaborative relationship,” said Dave Zabell, Pasco’s city manager. Franklin County Commissioner Bob Koch felt it was too early to comment but pointed out that Franklin County could potentially lose the tax base for the land if it was moved into a federal trust. Cawston said the tribes intend to work with Tri-City leaders, including city and county governments, as they make plans for the land. Tribal committees are being reorganized this month, and Cawston said he expects this to be one of the first issues they’ll take up. “We want any tribal economic development project to benefit the entire area, creating good-paying, new jobs, increasing tourism and providing a catalyst for a number of new businesses,” Cawston said. The land is important to the Colville Tribes because it’s where their ancestors once lived. “There’s just such close personal ties to those areas,” Cawston said. “That’s where (our) ancestors lived and where a lot of (our) ancestors were buried and where we gathered. We wanted to build a stronger relationship to protect those lands and encourage our tribal membership to go back to those lands.” Cawston said the tribes have always talked about buying back some of their former homelands but got serious about it in the last two to three years.

“We began actively discussing this as a council and for a lot of different purposes,” Cawston said. “We still try to maintain our relationships with federal and state agencies for when anything occurs within our traditional homelands. If there are sacred sites or archeological sites that have been disturbed or could potentially be disturbed, we hope they would take our comments and considerations of those lands because once they’re taken out of state or federal ownership, the tribes no longer have access to those lands.” The tribe bought the undeveloped farmland from private owners because of its cultural significance. The Tri-City area is the traditional homeland of the Palus, one of the 12 tribes in the Colville confederation. The property is expected to be used for economic development that benefits the Colville members who face challenges in Okanagon and Ferry counties, where some of the tribes were relocated in 1885. “Both of those counties probably have some of the highest unemployment rates and are some of the most economically challenged rural areas in Washington. So that’s forced a lot of our tribal membership to look for employment elsewhere,” Cawston said. He said he encourages tribal members to get experience elsewhere and bring back what they’ve learned to benefit others. Several hundred of the 9,365 enrolled Colville tribal members live in the TriCity area. “When you look at that recent history, it wasn’t that long ago, even within my generation. I knew some of the Palus elder people across the reservation who still lived in those areas and were moved to Colville,” Cawston said. “They never really felt that was their homeland. From those earliest of times, our people wanted to return back to those lands but were never successful in being able to do so.” The Colville reservation includes 1.4 million acres of land, consisting of tribally-owned lands held in federal trust status for the Colvilles; land owned by individual Colville tribal members, most of which is also held in federal trust status; and land owned by other tribal or nontribal entities.

u BRIEFS Retiring Richland schools chief hired on for next year

The Richland School Board determined that “it is in the best interests of our schools that Superintendent Dr. Rick Schulte continue leading our district during the 2019-20 school year.” Board members approved a one-year extension of his contract during the June 25 board meeting. He had planned to retire at the end of the 2018-19 school year and hand the reins over to Deputy Superintendent Nicole MacTavish this summer. The board had selected her to be Schulte’s successor in April 2017. MacTavish completed the Urban Superintendent Academy program offered through AASA, the school superintendents association, last year. The district provided no other details about the leadership change.

Free tax workshop offered in Kennewick on July 18

The state Department of Revenue is offering a free workshop for new and small business owners July 18 in Kennewick. Participants will learn about Washington excise taxes, reporting classifications, deductions, tax incentives, sales tax collection and record-keeping requirements. Attendees receive a workbook and reference guide to the state’s rules and regulations. Also, attendees may earn continuing professional education credits. The workshop is from 9 a.m. to noon at the Labor and Industries building in the second-floor conference room at 4310 W. 24th Ave. To register, call 509-987-1201 or go to the education page at dor.wa.gov.

Business owners can also watch a short streaming video version of the workshop online.

Tri-Cities Airport among busiest small airports

The Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco has been named one of North America’s busiest small airports for 2019. With 518,405 scheduled seats in the last 12 months (June 2018 to May 2019), Pasco is the eighth-busiest small airport on the continent, according to global aviation database Official Aviation Guide The database categorizes an airport as “small” if it has more than 10,000 departing seats annually but less than 0.05 percent of scheduled departing seat capacity in North America. There are 543 such airports in the continent’s aviation system, and Pasco is one of the 10 busiest. Tri-Cities Airport has an average of 20 daily flights to Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix-Mesa, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle. The airport’s available seats will rise this summer as Delta begins a fourth nonstop flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul and serves Salt Lake City on a larger plane. Increased seasonal service from Allegiant Airlines also will provide more availability to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. The top five busiest small airports are Hector International Airport in Fargo, North Dakota; Akron-Canton Airport, Cleveland, Ohio; Key West International Airport, Key West, Florida; Billing Logan International, Billings, Montana; and Rick Husband Amarillo International, in Amarillo, Texas. Of the top 10, only one non-US airport made the list: Yellowknife Airport, in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019 NONPROFIT, From Page 1

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UPCOMING August Focuses: • Science & Technology • Nonprofits

CORRECTIONS uWashington has 55,000 acres of vineyards. Incorrect information appeared on page 8 in the Focus: Agriculture and Viticulture magazine that was inserted in the June issue. uThe wrong gas station was listed in a story about the Richland Taco Time moving to Keene Road on page 35 of the June issue. uThe photo on page 56 of the June issue was courtesy Herb Collingridge IV. uThe Benton-Franklin Humane Society has not partnered with Todd Halterman, a Tri-City investment advisor and founder of Our Forever Friends. Incorrect information appeared on Page 12 in the June issue. The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, a publication of TriComp Inc., is published monthly. 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 by contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, other contributors or other advertisers, nor do they imply endorsement by staff, contributors 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.

The purchase of both businesses will be finalized this month. Purchase prices were not disclosed. “There’s a great deal of overlap between their existing customers and the people we deal with,” McDermott said. “We’re a family- and community-based organization and Round Table is very much a family restaurant. And with Paradise, a lot of the customers are people we already go to for our shred and records business.” CI already owns two businesses and has owned others in the past, including a commercial laundry, wood shop and thrift store. It currently operates CI Shred, a document destruction business, and CI Information Management, which offers record storage and digital image scanning. “We consider ourselves to be a social enterprise. We don’t just rely on traditional nonprofit funding sources; we actually operate commercial businesses to help fund our mission programs,” McDermott said. Those mission programs include employment services, specialized job training, career opportunities and centers for social enrichment and community resources. CI’s primary client base are people with disabilities or other “life barriers.” A plan is in place to expand the nonprofit’s current services, along with an actual expansion of CI’s building on South Dayton Street, near Kennewick High. The expansion will create a Community Resource Center, which McDermott described as “an ombudsman for a whole variety of benefits and services.” This will include computer kiosks and an expanded reception area for intake appointments. “We’ve found that when people start their journey the right way, so they know what the resources are, what the requirements are, what might apply to you, what might not apply to you, what insurance might be available to you, whatever services, whatever benefits, that kind of thing, if we get them started off right, it makes a huge difference,” McDermott said. A stable funding source to support the Community Resource Center is where Round Table and Paradise Water come in. “These two in particular were companies that we basically found through networking,” McDermott said. Round Table owner Chuck Stack said his wife, Gayle, learned of CI’s desire to buy a business through her connections as owner of EverStar Realty. “She said, ‘Get in the pizza business,’ ” Chuck said. After buying his first Round Table Pizza in Pasco 31 years ago, the 63-yearold Chuck said he was ready to sell. “I’m wanting to retire while I’m still young enough to enjoy all the things that we have. I don’t want to be one of those guys that sells my business at 75 and dies at 76,” he said. The Round Table franchise hadn’t been listed for sale at the time. “We got together and agreed on a price and I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to sell,’ because I was thinking about it anyway,” he said. “Now we had an actual buyer that was qualified. I hadn’t looked at selling in the past.”

Courtesy Archibald & Co. Architects Kennewick nonprofit Columbia Industries recently acquired two commercial businesses — the Tri-City Round Table Pizza franchise and Paradise Bottled Water Co. — to fuel its mission to support and empower those with disabilities and other challenges. CI plans to expand its headquarters at 900 S. Dayton St. this fall to increase its social services outreach by opening a new Community Resource Center. Revenue from the commercial businesses will be used to create a stable funding source for the center.

It was a similar story at Paradise Water, which also wasn’t listed for sale, but was identified through networking. “For a sale to happen, it was imperative for us to find an organization that had a similar ‘family business’ atmosphere and value for both our customer base as well as our employees, and who was also involved in being active in our community. We found this in Columbia Industries and knew right away that this was the perfect fit,” said Jordan Hays, general manager of Paradise Bottled Water Co. CI hoped to close the sale of Round Table in early July but the deal was held up by the approval process for a liquor license from the state to continue selling beer and wine at the restaurants. The purchase of Paradise Water also was set to be completed by mid-July. All parties expect customers won’t notice a difference as ownership is handed from one to the other. “It will be business as usual as far as the actual operations and we’re going to try to take it to the next level,” McDermott said. “CI is a great organization,” Chuck said. “They want to grow the business. They don’t want to stagnate and just run four restaurants and glean the profits off them. They want to grow these and it will be interesting to see how well they do.” Hays agreed, saying, “I look forward to the continued success of Paradise Bottled Water and see great things to come with the infrastructure and community care that Columbia Industries brings to the table.” Operating and growing the businesses would allow CI to advance its current mission, which includes serving about 250 to 300 clients yearly, with a goal of touching upward of 1,000 people through the new Community Resource Center, targeted to open this October. “We want to make sure we can pay for all this stuff. The whole idea is we want to expand our mission services, and we need to find ways to support those mission services. We’ve got a successful formula with running commercial businesses already,” McDermott said. This month, CI is graduating its first

class from a new program called Opportunity Kitchen, a 12-week food service vocational training program. “We take persons with employment barriers. And that can be our traditional clients with disabilities, or it can be lowincome people or people who have mental health issues or possibly rehab from addictions, and we basically put them through this course, and by the end they are fully qualified to work in virtually any restaurant, catering, contract kitchen or hospitality environment,” McDermott said. This could mean Opportunity Kitchen graduates may eventually be employed at Round Table, but neither business purchased this month will exclusively employ CI clients. “We run these businesses as full-on, competitive commercial businesses,” McDermott said. “So if there are opportunities to place people in them, obviously we will do that. It’s a fine balance you have to strike between creating specific, direct opportunities, but if you’re counting on it for funding, you still have to be competitive. Your customers still want you to do all the right things at the right prices.” Making customers happy has been Chuck’s mission for decades and he admits it’s bittersweet to let the business go, though he will retain ownership of all four buildings, which CI will lease back from him. Chuck’s first restaurant was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy when he bought it. “The Pasco store now does as much volume in one weekend as that store did in a whole month. When I first bought that store, I ate a lot of macaroni and cheese and Top Ramen because I had to pay employees, I had to pay rent, and now that store has paid for the growth of all the rest of them, so it’s kind of tough to let it go,” he said. McDermott said CI respects the hard work the current owners put into their businesses. “They’ve really done a great job to establish these businesses and now we get to bring them aboard and have them help us with our mission, and that’s really neat,” he said.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019 TAX, From Page 1 “We have been here a long, long time, and we have sold to Baker, La Grande, Hermiston, Pendleton all this time, and those people are going to have to drive all the way to Portland now to buy appliances,” said Tim Martin, sales manager for Bunch Finnigan Appliances in Kennewick. “It’s really bad. We wrote up our last two Oregon customers on (June 29). They’re not going to come here to pay the sales tax any more. They’re going to go to Portland. It’s going to be cheaper to have them pay the freight.” The new law affects only the 6.5 percent state sales tax; no reimbursement of local taxes will be allowed at the point of sale or by reimbursement. Local taxes in both Benton and Franklin counties are 2.1 percent, which brings the total sales tax to 8.6 percent. The removal of the sales tax exemption at the point of sale was included in the most recent biennial budget Washington lawmakers passed in the spring. The Associated Press reports the change is estimated to bring in about $175 million to the state through mid2025, with $53 million expected for the 2020-21 fiscal year budget cycle. An exemption is only available for tangible goods. Out-of-state residents can never qualify for an exemption on services, meals or lodging. Annual refund requests are limited to one per person, per calendar year and must include proof of total sales taxes

QUICK FACTS u Refund requests limited to one per person, per year. u Proof of sales tax paid over $25 must be provided. u Exemption only for tangible goods. paid in excess of $25. Jody White, owner of White’s Finished Furniture & Hardwood in Kennewicks, was unsure how the tax exemption change would affect his business. “I’m going to flip a coin and I’m going to say it’s going to hurt for a little while, just until the numbness wears off,” White said. “I just had a gentleman in who bought wood and he lives down in Oregon and his exact words were, ‘Yeah, I’m not coming to Kennewick to shop no more. But I’ll still come to you because you have what I need.’ ” Martin estimates 15 percent to 20 percent of the appliance store’s customer base comes from Oregon and he hopes that will continue. “We have a lot of loyal customers. We might get lucky and they’ll still keep coming, but I really feel bad for Pendleton. Pendleton, La Grande and Baker City, they’re a long way from anybody.” Oregon is not the only state without a sales tax, which means shoppers from Alaska, Delaware, Montana and New Hampshire also no longer qualify for an on-the-spot exemption.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

DATEBOOK

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

JULY 16

• SCORE of Mid-Columbia Tri-Cities Small Business Workshop - Home Business Roundtable: 8-11 a.m. Sandberg Event Center, 331 S. 41st Ave., West Richland. Register: 509-7351000, Ext. 235

JULY 17

• Ask the Experts: 3:30-5 p.m., Tri-Cities Business and Visitor Center, Bechtel Board Room, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Register: tricityregionalchamber.com • Public forum for Richland City Council and Richland School Board candidates – hosted by the League of Women Voters of Benton & Franklin Counties: 7 p.m., HAPO Stage at John Dam Plaza, 815 Gorge Washington Way, Richland.

JULY 18

• Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities membership committee meeting:

noon to 1 p.m., 10001 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

JULY 20

• Tri-Cities Cancer Center 25th Anniversary Celebration: 6 p.m. to midnight, Bookwalter Winery, 894 Tulip Lane, Richland. Tickets and information: 509-7373413 or tccancer.org.

JULY 23

• Public forum for Pasco City Council candidates – hosted by the League of Women Voters of Benton & Franklin Counties: 7 p.m., Pasco Police Department Regional Training Facility, 204 W. Clark St., Pasco.

JULY 24

• Tri-City Regional Chamber membership luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Red Lion Hotel and Conference Center, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Register: tricityregional chamber.com

JULY 25

• Meet the buyer – Hanford primes and PNNL: 9-10 a.m., Tri-Cities Business and Visitor Center, Bechtel Board Room, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Register: washingtonptac.org • Tender Care Village orientation/training class: 10 a.m. to noon, Mid-Columbia Libraries, 1620 Union St., Kennewick

JULY 26-27

• Art in the Park: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., July 26; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., July 27. Howard Amon Park, 500 Amon Park Drive, Richland.

JULY 26-28

• Tri-City Water Follies: Columbia Park, Event schedule: waterfollies.com

AUG. 2

• Historical Downtown Kennewick Partnership network breakfast: 8-9 a.m., Clover Island Inn, 4th

floor, 435 N. Clover Island Drive, Kennewick

AUG. 6

• Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities board of directors meeting: 4:206:30 p.m., 10001 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick

AUG. 7

• West Richland Chamber Monthly Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sandberg Event Center, 331 S. 41st Ave., West Richland. RSVP: 509-967-0521.

AUG. 8

• Procurement Power Hour – “What I Wish I Had Known”: 8:30-9:30 a.m., Tri-Cities Business and Visitor Center, Bechtel Board Room, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Register: washingtonptac.org

AUG. 14

• Ask the Experts: 3:30-5 p.m., Tri-Cities Business and Visitor Center, Bechtel Board

Room, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Register: tricityregionalchamber.com

AUG. 16

• HAPO Golf Classic: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., lunch; 1 p.m. shotgun start; 5 p.m. dinner and awards. Canyon Lakes Golf Course, 3700 Canyon Lakes Drive, Kennewick. Information: 509-737-337-3373 or lori@ tccancer.org.

AUG. 17

• Mid-Columbia Ballet Garden Party fundraiser: 7:30 p.m., Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, Richland. Tickets: 509-9465417 or midcolumbiaballet. org

AUG. 20

• Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Red Lion Hotel Pasco, 2525 N. 20th Ave. Call: 509-547-070

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Franklin fastest-growing county in state Benton County ranks No.3 BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Franklin County was the fastest-growing county in the state between 2018-19, with Benton County nipping close behind at No. 3. Kennewick ranked No. 5 in the state for population growth, adding 1,820 people; Pasco ranked No. 8, adding 1,700 people; Richland ranked No. 11, adding 1,530 people. The Tri-City area’s population grew by 2.25 percent — or 6,520 people — over last year for a total of 296,480. That’s up from 289,960 last year, according to the state Office of Financial Management’s data released June 28. Here’s how Benton and Franklin counties’ cities grew between 2018-19: u Benton City: 3.4 percent growth for a total of 3,520 people. u Richland: 2.8 percent growth to 56,850 people. u Pasco: 2.3 percent growth to 75,290 people. u Kennewick: 2.2 percent growth to 83,670 people. u Connell: 0.73 percent growth to 5,500 people. u Prosser: 0.32 percent growth to 6,145 people. u West Richland: 0.13 percent growth to 15,340 people.

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Courtesy state Office of Financial Management

The two smallest cities in the two counties, Mesa (population 495) and Kahlotus (population 165), showed no year-over-year growth. Here’s how Benton and Franklin counties grew between 2018-19: u Franklin County: 2.3 percent growth to 94,680 people. u Benton County: 2.2 percent growth to 201,800 people. The state’s year-over-year population grew by an estimated 118,800 people, a 1.6 percent increase over the past year, to more than 7.5 million, according to the state’s annual estimates.

Migration is once again the primary driver behind Washington’s population growth, according to the state. Between 2018-19, net migration (people moving in versus people moving out) to Washington totaled 90,100, up by 3,300 from last year. Net migration accounted for 76 percent of the state’s population growth, with natural increase (births minus deaths) responsible for the other 24 percent. This year, 69 percent of state population growth occurred in the five largest metropolitan counties: Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane — down

from 70 percent in 2018. However, momentum continues to shift to other metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties: those with populations between 100,000 and 300,000 saw their share of growth increase by 1 percent to 19 percent while the share for counties under 100,000 people remained at 12 percent. The April 1 population estimate for Washington’s incorporated cities and towns was 4.9 million, an increase of 74,400 people from the prior year. Seattle’s population increased by 16,900 people for a total of 747,300. Washington’s population has grown by 821,900 people since the last decennial census on April 1, 2010. The state has grown by an average of 91,300 people per year this decade, exceeding 83,000 the previous decade. King County is the main contributor, with total growth of 295,100 people over nine years, compared to 194,200 people between 2000-10. The state added 44,900 housing units in 2019, compared to 42,600 in 2018, an increase of 5.4 percent. Of all new units built in the past year, 54 percent were multi-family. The state’s housing stock has grown by an average of 31,700 units per year since 2010, 27 percent below the prior decade’s average of 43,500 units per year. More than 71 percent of all new housing units this decade were built in one of the state’s five largest metropolitan counties.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Beleaguered entrepreneur details assets, debts Former i-3 Global chief facing lawsuits, bankruptcy BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A Kennewick businessman’s bankruptcy filing has been updated to detail assets of just under $1 million and debts of $2.7 million in secured and unsecured claims. In addition, Kristopher Lapp, former president of i-3 Global, reported owing $79,000 in unpaid taxes to the federal government. Lapp and his company are the target of three lawsuits totaling nearly $2 million. I-3 Global closed its doors and laid off all

staff in April. The company that offered technology, multimedia and staffing services to federal and commercial customers was named the U.S. Department of Energy’s Protégé of the Year for fiscal year 2016 and was honored by the TriCity Regional Chamber of Commerce for achieving significant success. In recently revised bankruptcy documents, Lapp reported an asset of $850,000 for his Kennewick home on West Payette Avenue, along with a $50,000 Tesla Model S. He listed no cash and items of only

limited value totaling $8,800, including a $500 hot tub, $300 in men’s clothing and $1,500 for furniture, including a sofa, bed and coffee table. Kristopher Lapp His home was briefly listed for sale in May before it was withdrawn from the market around the time he filed for bankruptcy. Lapp reported about $75,000 in retirement accounts spread across three 401(k)

investments and one individual retirement account. Former employees, many of whom report they still are owed at least four days’ wages, have filed claims with the state Department of Labor and Industries for potential misappropriation of withholdings after contributions to their own retirement accounts were withheld from paychecks but not invested in their accounts. All of Lapp’s personal assets, including his home, cellphone, computers, televisions, furniture, retirement accounts and his dog are claimed as exempt from creditors. There are only two creditors with claims secured with property, which include the companies financing Lapp’s home and car. Unsecured claims include an $880,000 loan from Columbia State Bank that is part of one of the outstanding lawsuits filed against Lapp and i-3 Global. The other two lawsuits are included by Lapp as unsecured claims for $472,277 owed to E2 Consulting Engineers and $446,617 intended for Integrated Global Staffing. Lapp also reported other unsecured claims totaling about $18,000 in credit card debt, $86,453 owed to a subcontractor under the business name E & S Engineering, $143,000 to Fluor Federal Services and $19,418 to a second subcontractor, Opris “Vince” King. Lapp listed all of these claims as business debts. He reported previous annual income of about $150,000 prior to the bankruptcy filing. I-3 Global had until mid-June to respond to wage complaints filed with the state Department of Labor and Industries. The company recently paid off a $44,000 tax warrant from the state’s Department of Revenue. Lapp and his bankruptcy attorney did not return requests for comment. He also has placed a restriction on incoming calls to his cellphone. Lapp remains a member of Richland’s economic development committee, though he is taking leave from serving on the board for the Columbia Basin College Foundation. The first meeting of creditors is scheduled this month for Lapp’s personal bankruptcy case. Trial dates for all three lawsuits filed against Lapp and i-3 Global are scheduled to be heard in Benton County Superior Court in spring 2020.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019 u BRIEFS State issues fines for environmental violations

The Washington Department of Ecology issued $210,100 in penalties of $1,000 or more from January through March 2019. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties was released in June. Sun Pacific Energy of Burbank received a $1,700 fine for violating underground storage tank regulations related to fuel storage and operations, installing new tanks without notifying Ecology and receiving fuel illegally for the past year, without pollution liability insurance or tank endorsements. The company paid $800 under settlement of penalty appeal. Bleyhl Farm Service Inc. of Sunnyside received a $1,000 fine for failing to comply with underground storage tank requirements for operator training, emergency response signage, leak detection and closure requirements at its Eastway Drive fueling station. The company also received a $1,500 fine for failing to comply with underground storage tank requirements for operator training, emergency response signage, leak detection and closure requirements at its Lincoln Street fueling station. Both penalties were paid. Penalties are issued in cases where non-compliance continues after Ecology has provided technical assistance or warnings, or for particularly serious violations. The money owed from penalties may be reduced from the issued amount due to settlement or court rulings. Funds collected go to the state’s general fund or to dedicated pollution prevention accounts.

KID recommends voluntary residential water rationing

The Kennewick Irrigation District is recommending residential customers voluntarily ration their water usage. The request comes after KID received the July water supply forecast from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for Yakima River pro-ratable users. The water supply has decreased to 67 percent. If weather patterns do not improve, it is anticipated conditions will worsen. The Bureau of Reclama-

tion’s forecast is based on water flows, precipitation, snowpack and reservoir storage as of July 1, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. KID released a chart based on the last digit of homeowners’ address and suggested a watering schedule for up to 30 minutes per zone to cultivate a deeper root system and help lawns become more drought resistant. For more water wise tips, go to kid. org.

WSU Tri-Cities welcomes first medical students

Washington State University Tri-Cities welcomed its inaugural class of the Tri-Cities cohort of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine on June 17. The Tri-Cities cohort of medical students spent their past two years studying full time at the WSU Spokane campus, with several trips to the Tri-Cities for clinical campus weeks where they participated in seminars and worked with local physicians. For their final two years in the program, they are studying full time in the Tri-Cities where they will complete classes and clinical rotations with local health care organizations. Throughout their time in the TriCities, the students’ clinical experiences focus on six core disciplines, which include family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, general surgery and psychiatry, with additional content in neurology.

Tri-Cities Community Health to give exchange support

Tri-Cities Community Health has been selected to provide in-person support in Benton and Franklin counties for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange in 2020. The exchange announced the chosen vendors July 1. The vendors will oversee the free inperson assistance available to Washington Healthplanfinder customers signing up for health and dental insurance plans for 2020. Public health agencies, regional health networks and community organizations were selected across the state for the upcoming open enrollment period.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Thank You for the incredible amount of love It was extraordinary to see just how many lives Dan touched and how special he was to such a large and diverse group of people. His impact on our community and his friendships were vast and he leaves behind an incredible legacy that will undoubtedly shine on. We’re forever grateful to have shared our lives with Dan and also to all of you who have been impacted by this loss as well. There are simply not enough words to convey our gratitude.

Many have asked what the plan for Innovative Mortgage is... Dan’s success in business has always been a team effort and he often spoke about that to others. The employees have never been just co-workers, but have truly been an extension of his and our family over the years. We know Dan would absolutely trust the team to continue to run Innovative Mortgage going forward and appreciate your continual support for our future success. We all share the goal to see Dan’s legacy live on and to honor him as we operate the business in the same manner with the same intentions as he would have.

7015 W. Deschutes Ave., Suite B, Kennewick, WA | (509) 737-2000 | www.innovativemortgage.org

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BANKING & FINANCE Student loan debt burdening millions Benton, Franklin debt lower than U.S. average BY KEVIN ANTHONY

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

$1.5 trillion debt. Owed by 45 million people, or 15 percent of the U.S. population. Backed by the U.S. government, and by extension, taxpayers. Anyone who thinks this country’s growing student debt crisis doesn’t affect them is sorely mistaken. That’s the message from a certified student loan counselor, and he says it’s true for all folks whether they owe on student loans themselves, have a kid in college, or have never even heard the term “financial aid.” “I think it affects the economy,” said Greg Radosevic, who works for national credit counseling company Apprisen, which has a branch in Kennewick at 401 N. Morain St. “If you have these people paying back this debt, that money isn’t available for other things. If you are a small-business owner, or even if you work for a company …” “You have generations of folks sad-

u Opinion: Higher education affordability should be a national priority. Page 12. dled with student debt,” continued Radosevic, who works in Apprisen’s office in Canton, Ohio. “That’s money that doesn’t go toward houses, cars, clothes and food, but instead is reaped in by the financial services industry.” In Benton and Franklin counties, student debt is considerably lower than national averages but still substantial. According to the Urban Institute, which keeps track of student debt on a county by county basis, 14 percent of the population in Benton County owes money for student loans. Of those who owe, 12 percent are in collections. The median debt (half of borrowers owe more, half less) is $15,250 for a $169 monthly payment. The numbers are similar in Franklin County: 12 percent of the population has uLOAN, Page 21

Photo by Kristina Lord Columbia Basin College gave diplomas to 1,241 graduates in June. The Pasco college’s student loan numbers have been decreasing in recent years. Students received $3.3 million in student loans for the 2018-19 school year, not counting summer classes, spread out among 580 student borrowers, or $5,600 per borrower. That’s down from $3.9 million in loans among 715 students in 2016-17. The Pasco college’s three-year default rates also are declining, according to the most recent available numbers: 11.2 percent in 2016 from 12.4 percent in 2013.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Banking & Finance

OPINION

Restoring affordability for college education is vital When my parents graduated from high school in 1936, a college education was too expensive for the son of a copper miner and the daughter of a plumber. Eighty years ago, our country was in the middle of the Great Depression and teens took odd jobs to help put food on the table and pay the family bills. In those days no bank would lend money to college students. Following World War II, there was new hope for veterans: the GI Bill paid for veterans to complete their college or trade school education. My father, for

example, graduated from trade schools in Seattle and Chicago and became a journeyman electrician thanks to Uncle Sam. Don C. Brunell In the 1960s, Business analyst the federal government introduced the work-study program allowing students from middle- and low-income families to work their way through col-

lege. I found jobs and fortunately didn’t have to borrow money to complete my degree. Today, it is much difficult story. Student loans are the norm rather than the exception. As a result, nationwide student-loan debt has shot past $1.56 trillion spread out among 45 million borrowers. In 2018, nearly 70 percent of college graduates took out student loans and face their careers with an average of $30,000 in debt. Growing student loan debt is a concern among Americans. “Spurring the free-college movement

is the anxiety over the cost of tuition, which has risen at more than double the inflation rate since 1990, while student debt has tripled since 2006,” The Wall Street Journal recently reported. Free-college-for-all would cost a minimum of $75 billion each year if tuition was $4,400 per year, estimated Quillette, an online think tank, last September: “That doesn’t pay the bills even for in-state students at many public flagships. The University of Michigan, for example, costs over $15,000 per year for Michigan residents, and about $50,000 for out-ofstate students.” There are a variety of other approaches that can make higher education more affordable. For example, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, anonymous donors pooled their money and started a free-college tuition program. It is one of more than 300 cities and states around the country offering a variety of tuition assistance programs. WSJ reports since 2006, donors there contributed $124 million in tuition subsidies for nearly 5,400 students. The Upjohn Institute, which has been tracking Kalamazoo Promise, found that tuition assistance needs to be augmented with additional student career counseling in the K-12 system and other living costs for students. Many small business owners in Washington state offer college scholarships and combine them with work and other benefits. Hopefully, the upfront funding offsets the need for loans and makes it possible for students to complete their college education or technical skill training. For example, in Seattle, Dick’s DriveIns offers employees who work 20 hours a week for at least six months and continue to work at least 20 hours a week while going to school to have access to a $25,000 scholarship over four years. In addition Dick’s pays higher than minimum wage, provides an employer paid health plan and pays up to $9,000 in child care expenses. Other donors are stepping forward. Billionaire Robert Smith, founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, surprised Morehouse College’s 400 graduating seniors, announcing his family is paying off their student loans. The estimated value of the gift was $40 million. He also challenged other donors to do the same. Making higher education affordable is a national priority. The focus needs to be on approaches that are affordable and effective for students and their families. The issue is larger than just having the federal government provide free-tuition for all. 8 Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at theBrunells@msn.com.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Banking & Finance

Financial institutions watch cannabis proposal Banks, credit unions that do business with industry in violation of federal law BY VIRGINIA THOMAS

Spokane Journal of Business

Washington financial institutions and regulators say they’re closely watching several pieces of federal legislation regarding cannabis that could impact how banks and credit unions handle banking for the cannabis industry. Some, however, aren’t optimistic that such legislation will make it through the legislative process. Washington state legalized cannabis for medical use in 1998 and for recreational use in 2012, but the substance remains illegal at the federal level. As a result, businesses and individuals associated with the cannabis industry – including growers, processors, retail stores, employees and investors — often struggle to find financial institutions willing to serve them. Spokane Valley-based Numerica Credit Union is one of a handful of Washington state-chartered financial institutions that have chosen to serve the cannabis industry. Lynn Ciani, chief risk officer at Numerica, said that by serving cannabis businesses and individuals associated with the cannabis industry, Numerica is committing a federal crime even as it remains compliant with state laws and industry regulatory guidance. “By taking in these funds, we’re technically money laundering under the federal law,” Ciani said. However, she said, it’s worth any risk that might be associated with it. “When I-502 passed, it was estimated to be a billion-dollar, cash-only business within a few years,” Ciani said. “When you look at crime in other states where cannabis was legalized without the ability to use traditional banking, you would see a lot of home invasions and violent crimes. We didn’t want that crime in our community. Our board of directors felt part of fulfilling our mission to build communities is protecting our communities to the extent we can by taking the

Photo by Virginia Thomas/Spokane Journal of Business Numerica Credit Union’s cannabis banking team includes Kristen Willemsen, from left, David Wilson, David Bain, Jordyn Gese and Roger Fitzpatrick.

cash off the street.” Overall, Ciani said cannabis business accounts make up a small proportion of Numerica’s customers. Just 300 of its 145,000 members are cannabis businesses or employees, she said. Six full-time employees are dedicated to serving these accounts, ensuring Numerica complies with state and industry regulatory agencies, and keeping an eye on legislative and judicial actions that could affect financial institutions serving cannabis businesses. That includes watching proposed cannabis legislation introduced in Congress this year. At least three bills and a budget addendum that have been proposed in the House and Senate would either protect financial institutions that serve the cannabis industry or decriminalize cannabis-related business activities, including banking. The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act would protect banks and credit unions that serve legal cannabis businesses by barring federal banking

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regulators from limiting or terminating deposit insurance for financial institutions serving the marijuana industry where it’s allowed under state laws. The so-called SAFE banking act also would prohibit regulators from discouraging banks or credit unions to allow such services. The SAFE act passed the House Financial Services Committee in late March; a Senate version was announced April 11. Neither full chamber of Congress has addressed the bill. In April, the director of the Washington Department of Financial Institutions joined a coalition of financial regulators from 24 states and Puerto Rico to ask Congress to consider legislation that would create a safe harbor for financial institutions to serve businesses operating legally under state law, or that would entrust states with the full oversight and jurisdiction of marijuana-related activity. Roberta Hollinshead, director of banks for the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, said the SAFE act

would provide the kind of safe harbor the coalition requested, but the department isn’t optimistic about the fate of the bill. “We’re expecting that the House will support that legislation, but it has a pretty uphill battle on the Senate side,” Hollinshead said. The proposed Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act seeks to amend the Controlled Substances Act, which lists cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance. Under the STATES act, states, territories and tribes would be allowed to govern themselves regarding cannabis. “What the STATES act would do is basically decriminalize everything,” Ciani said. “Not just the banking of marijuana, but also the use, production and sale of marijuana in the states where it is legal.” The bill originally was introduced about a year ago in both the House and the Senate, and later died in committee. u CANNABIS, Page 14

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

CANNABIS, From Page 13 In early April, the STATES act was reintroduced in both chambers of Congress. House Bill 420, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, would federally decriminalize cannabis and allow the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to issue cannabis business permits. The bill was introduced in the House in early January; it has been in the Committee on Conservation and Forestry since February. A draft congressional spending bill under consideration in the House would prohibit financial regulators from spending money to pursue banks and credit unions that serve legal cannabis businesses. It would offer narrower protections than the SAFE act and would be in effect only for the next fiscal year.

The spending provision also leaves banks and credit unions open to possible enforcement by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has a separate spending bill. While Congress considers these options, Ciani said Numerica continues to follow guidance the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, released in 2013. Hollinshead said the FinCEN guidance was based on a document referred to as the Cole memo, issued by then-Attorney General James Cole. The memo indicated that prosecutors and law enforcement should focus on eight priorities as they relate to stateauthorized cannabis industries. Those priorities include preventing the distribution of cannabis to minors, preventing revenue

Banking & Finance from cannabis sales from going to criminal enterprises, gangs or cartels, and preventing cannabis from being diverted to states that haven’t legalized it from states that have. The memo was rescinded by former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in January 2018, but Ciani said financial institutions serving the cannabis industry continue to follow FinCEN guidance. For example, she said, banks and credit unions are required by FinCEN to file a suspicious activity report when a cannabis customer opens an account and every 90 days thereafter. “We go through and look at each one of the criteria that (FinCEN is) concerned about, and we figure out how to mitigate it with our own processes and procedures,” Ciani said. “We also rely on the

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processes and procedures of the Liquor and Cannabis Board. We are able to look at the violations reports that come out, and we can see if our members are complying or not.” Stephanie Davidsmeyer, communications consultant with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, said the state agency has a thorough vetting process for each person and business entity associated with the cannabis industry. “One of the things that has gotten us a lot of praise has been how strict our criminal background check process is, how we take into account financial history for these businesses. We vet every investor,” Davidsmeyer said. “In a landscape where it’s federally illegal to have this kind of business, banks appreciate that.” However, even with FinCEN guidance and help from the state Liquor and Cannabis Board, many banks are wary of serving customers in the cannabis industry. “Even though the FinCEN guidance has established a framework by which the banks can monitor and report on this activity, most of our banks and credit unions have chosen not to go into this business because there is still ambiguity,” Hollinshead said. Even banks and credit unions that do choose to serve the cannabis industry could refuse to offer certain services to those customers. “Because of the federal illegality, cannabis businesses and their employees are at risk of seizure,” Ciani said. “That’s what makes lending so difficult to both ‘cannabusinesses’ and their employees. In conversations with the DFI and the concern of the risk of seizure, we’ve made the determination not to make any loans directly to ‘cannabusinesses’. ” Ciani said that if something like the SAFE act were to be enacted into law, providing loans to cannabis businesses and their employees would be far easier and less risky. Legislation to protect financial institutions serving the cannabis industry also would reduce risks for cannabis businesses, Hollinshead said. She said that even if a cannabis business succeeds in establishing an account with a financial institution, financial service companies such as Visa and Mastercard do not allow cannabis transactions over their wires. “That’s why it’s a largely cash-intensive business,” Hollinshead said. “From a regulatory perspective, if Visa and Mastercard and other financial institutions that provide electronic payments and services have some sort of safe harbor, and they’re able to move forward into this line of business, then it will increase the accountability and the traceability of transactions.” Protective legislation also would be a boon to smaller cannabis businesses, Davidsmeyer said. “A lot of these businesses are smaller. They are in desperate need of capital, and with the limited banking that we have currently, they just can’t get it very easily,” Davidsmeyer said. “If banks weren’t being punished federally for this, I imagine getting capital would be a whole lot easier for cannabis businesses.”

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Banking & Finance

Numerica to open new Pasco branch off Road 100 Branch inside Walmart at Road 68 will close BY LAURA KOSTAD

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Spokane-based Numerica Credit Union is building a new branch off Road 100 in Pasco. The 3,152-square-foot new office at 4845 Broadmoor Blvd. will replace the credit union’s 626-square-foot branch at 4820 N. Road 68, which opened in 2007 inside Walmart. “This branch will be much more convenient for our members,” said Kelli Hawkins, public relations manager at Numerica. “They will be able to park right there and walk right in more easily.” The new branch will join Numerica’s other five locations throughout Tri-Cities, including another Pasco branch at 1817 W. Sylvester St. LCR Construction of Richland is the general contractor for the project that includes a 8,449-square-foot multi-tenant strip mall. The cost for the project is valued at $1.3 million, according to Pasco building permit records. Work is set to begin on the Numerica suite Aug. 1 and be completed by late November or early December 2019, Hawkins said. The Numerica branch inside the Pasco Walmart will remain open to serve customers during construction, and once the

the new location, providing a 24-hour banking experience currently unavailable at the Road 68 branch. Numerica also is working on a $2 million remodel of the branch at 3115 W. Kennewick Ave. in Kennewick. The improvements include adding a coin counter, upgrading the night drop for deposits to a commercial-sized one and an overhaul of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning and plumbing systems. During the first phase of the remodel, the lobby will be unavailable, but customers can still access branch services on-site via a temporary unit adjacent to the building. Photo by Allison R. Stormo Construction began in mid-May and is Numerica Credit Union is being built off Road 100 at 4845 Broadmoor Blvd. in expected to be completed in September. Pasco. The new branch will replace the credit union’s Road 68 branch inside Numerica Credit Union was founded Walmart. The new branch is set to open by late November or early December. in 1937 under the name Spokane Railway Road 100 office is complete, the seven coffee and snack and meet with staff to Credit Union by rail workers cooperatively lending money to one another durstaff members employed there will transi- address their financial needs.” The additional space at the new loca- ing the building of the Northwest’s major tion to the new branch. Hawkins said Numerica is not adding tion affords “room for office space and rail infrastructure. Numerica’s most recent acquisition positions or hiring for the new branch at private areas where members can feel secure when discussing their private came in March 2018, when it merged this time. with Monad Federal Credit Union of Bernardo-Wills Architects PC of finances,” she said. The lobby will feature a kid-friendly Pasco, bringing into the fold the east Spokane is the architect. “The branch will have a design much game station to occupy youngsters while Pasco credit union, adding 2,500 memlike … any of our newer branches … The their parents or caregivers do their bank- bers. Today, Numerica’s assets total $2.3 concept is more neighborhood coffee ing. “We want customers to smile when billion. The company employs 555 peoshop and less banking,” Hawkins said. “The colors, use of light and open floor they walk through the doors,” Hawkins ple, 62 of whom work in Tri-Cities. It serves more than 146,000 members at 21 plan are designed to make the branch said. Both a full-service drive-thru ATM and locations across Spokane, Tri-Cities, comfortable, efficient and welcoming. Members can come in, have a free cup of walk-up ATM will be made available at Wenatchee Valley and northern Idaho.

ANALYSIS

Tri-City finance sector rooted in supportive economy Nearly every reader of this column has a relationship with a bank, credit union, mortgage lender or maybe a combination. The financial system of the U.S. is widely celebrated for contributing to our country’s ecoD. Patrick Jones nomic success. Eastern What’s true Washington nationally is University true locally. According to data from Benton-Franklin Trends, the finance sector doesn’t appear in any of the measures because, while important, it doesn’t figure among the top five, measured by dollars or staff size. I’ll fill in a the picture using data from other sources. The intent is to assess the growth of these businesses over the past few years and get a sense their health. At the local level, banks, mortgage lenders and credit unions make their living off the spread between rates of deposit and lending. To make loans, one needs deposits (unless we’re talking about an investment bank pre-2008). Thanks to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, we have a good idea

of what the ability of local institutions has been to attract deposits in recent years. The FDIC publishes an annual snapshot from June of every year. In 2018, the total for FDIC-insured institutions was $3.1 billion. In the 2013, the total was $2.6 billion. That translates into a gain of 20 percent, a pretty good jump over a six-year period. It’s worth noting that the similar total in the entire state increased by 37 percent over the same period. Now to lending. Financial sector companies, “credit intermediaries,” need a

robust economy to be able to loan at levels that compensate for the costs of doing business. They are not the “drivers” of the economy but key facilitators. To gauge the experience of the finance sector, we used the interval cited above, starting in 2013. That year generally marked the trough of recent business activity in the greater Tri-Cities, and not 2009. The unemployment rate peaked in 2012, but employment and metro gross domestic product bottomed in 2013. We’ll assume that the recovery started after 2013.

To assess potential lending strength, let’s consider some aggregate forces in the economy that determine loan demand. Ideally, we’d like to have current data, but that’s not the way government information-gathering usually works. But we can peer into the recent past and get a sense of what might be happening at the moment because these trends usually move slowly. Employment in the two counties has gained 16,000 since 2013. Most recently,

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Banking & Finance

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Banking & Finance

Gesa merger with Inspirus set for Aug. 1 BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A planned merger of Gesa Credit Union and Seattle-based Inspirus Credit Union recently received approval from state and federal regulators and is set for Aug. 1. Voting on the merger is underway, with a special meeting planned for July 23, when the Inspirus results will be announced. At the time of the legal merger, credit union officials promise “business as usual” at all branch locations. Once finalized, Inspirus becomes a division of Gesa. Gesa’s Chief Executive Officer Don Miller will serve as CEO of the merged credit unions; Inspirus’ CEO Scott Adkins will stay on as a senior executive. It has not yet been determined if the merger will result in a name change.

FINANCE, From Page 15 between 2017-18, more than 2,500 jobs were created, or 1.9 percent growth. That’s a healthy clip, although it’s worthwhile noting that statewide, employment expanded by 2.3 percent over the same time period. More jobs lead to more transactions in the finance sector, either directly, such as mortgage and car loans, or indirectly such as loans to consumer-facing businesses. While new jobs provide an aggregate lift, so do wages. In other words, a middle value of earnings across the local economy. How have earnings fared since the trough? There’s been a gain of about $4,800, or 8.5 percent, since 2013. Nearly a third of that, $1,500, came about in 2018. That represents a healthy 2.9 percent increase. Again, the state outperformed the TriCities, rising 5.1 percent over the same interval. The effects of bigger paychecks actually are larger than those of new jobs, because everyone employed enjoys the gains. A final gauge of the aggregate lending environment comes from income, specifically median household income. This is a more complete measure of consumer

“Inspirus and Gesa are proud of their individual brands but recognize it may not serve the purposes of a newly-created, statewide credit union,” according to a public relations official handling communication on the merger. Credit union officials plan to conduct brand research to come up with “the most appropriate and unifying name” for the organization. Calling the merger a “strategic partnership,” Miller said, “it will provide longterm growth and sustainability and it will allow us to continue to be a strong, viable financial organization. It will provide opportunities to our members and to our employees, our teammates.” Members and employees of Gesa and Inspirus are promised access to more branches, as well as new technology and products that may not be currently offered. No branch closures or layoffs are planned.

spending power, because it includes investment returns, as well as federal transfer payments (Social Security, veterans payments, etc.). Since the 2013 trough, there’s been a gain in Tri-Cities of nearly $5,200, or 9 percent. The most recent period, 2017, accounted for nearly half of that amount, or 4.3 percent increase. The state’s increase was higher, at 5.8 percent. The consequences of a jump in median household income are the same as for average wages. These three broad measures of the TriCity economy point to good tailwinds for the finance sector. The tailwinds, however, do not show up in the labor counts, as the number people employed in the sector has stayed flat since 2013. Technological change is coursing through the banking world, allowing the businesses to more with the same head counts. We do know that FDIC-insured institutions have experienced sound growth over the last six years. Given the strength of the economy, that’s no surprise. 8 D. Patrick Jones is the executive director for Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis.

The ability to use additional branches will affect Inspirus members the most, as the credit union has six branches, while Gesa has 17, with half in the Tri-Cities. Members’ account numbers aren’t expected to change in the short term, but that could happen by the completion of a full system integration, planned for mid2020. The merger also is touted as a chance to “provide opportunities to increase efficiencies and return those savings right back to members in greater value, new technology and services, competitive loan and deposit rates, and higher community giving.”

Gesa has nearly 159,000 members and 500 employees. Inspirus has about half of the membership and 150 employees. “There are so many things about our two organizations that align: an absolute commitment to our membership and to our teammates who serve the members,” Miller said. Combined, the two credit unions gave back nearly $1.5 million in a single year to the communities they serve. Overall, the combined asset size of the integrated organization will be $3.5 billion. This includes a branch network of 23 in all, with plans for expansion.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Banking & Finance

Q&A

Number of employees you oversee: 17 Brief background of your business: Tri-CU (formerly Tri-Cities Community Federal Credit Union) is the only small local credit union in the TriCities, originally founded in 1969 by the IBEW #112 Electricians Union, right here in Kennewick. We have grown rapidly the last decade, having nearly quadrupled in assets and employees, and just relocated into a beautiful new office last winter. We serve anyone who lives, works or worships in Benton or Franklin county. As a credit union we are a not-for-profit, tax-exempt financial cooperative, led by a volunteer board of directors elected by our membership. Our mission is not to make money at the expense of our members but rather to help our members achieve financial success by giving them better rates, better service and lower fees than they can get anywhere else. How did you land your current role? How long have you been in it? I have been the president for 11 years, when we were still called Kennewick Credit Union. Previously I was in executive management at a credit union in Port Townsend and another credit union in Idaho. I was raised in Western Washington and grew up working in the Alaskan commercial fishing industry, including managing a seafood processing company. This background helped me be something of a jack-of-all-trades (master of none), which was a nice fit for managing this small credit union (at least the directors thought so). Why should the Tri-Cities care about the banking industry? Helping individuals achieve financial independence is key to security and happiness, so access to convenient and lowpriced financial products and services is

DOUG WADSWORTH

President, Tri-CU Credit Union key. When this community supports local community banks and credit unions, the positive effect on our community is huge — because 100 percent of the money stays local.

and laser-like focus on service, convenience and lending to meet the needs of our members. It appears to be working because we are strong and growing.

Do you have What is one any upcoming characteristic that events planned to you believe every commemorate leader should posTri-CU Credit sess? Union’s 50th I believe that anniversary? most importantly a Why yes, durleader should care Doug Wadsworth ing the entire about their employmonth of August ees and their memfor every new bers, and be interaccount or loan we will donate $50 to nally motivated to help them improve the “charity of choice” of that new mem- their lives. ber. Our lobby party will be on Friday, Aug. 2 from 1-5 p.m. We will have a What is the biggest challenge facing dunk tank, snow cones, cookies and a credit union presidents today? charity raffle to give away four $500 The biggest challenge is keeping up golden tickets to the charity of their with increasingly complex and burdenchoice. We are excited to have been some regulations — regulations that serving this local community for 50 were designed for gigantic and highlyyears and are excited to give back to the complex banks that limit our ability to community even more at this celebrahelp our members. I don’t think anyone tion! will be well served if growing regulations drive all the small community What’s contributed to Tri-CU’s banks and credit unions out of business, success? so competition evaporates, and our only The board of directors, management options are between a handful of imperand staff really maintain an innovative sonal and self-serving big banks.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time? If you want to be a good leader, then your goal and focus should be making a positive difference in the lives of your employees and members. Nothing else will matter in the long run. Who are your role models or mentors? My mentors would be the current TriCU board of directors. They are experienced, intelligent, forward thinking and conscientious local folks who care about Tri-CU and our community. A role model would be the CEO at my first credit union job. He was a man of high integrity and was devoted to giving back to his employees, their members, his community and his family. How do you keep your employees motivated? First I try to hire employees who share the same values of energetic innovation and helping others. Then I try to ensure they have the tools to do it (training, technology, etc.). Lastly, we constantly highlight amazing service stories of helping our members to strengthen that culture. How did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today? It’s a rather interesting story, and the credit goes to my wife. I grew up working in the commercial fishing industry in Alaska, then went to business school at Western Washington University, I could learn how to better manage our family seafood processing company. Due to planes being grounded during 9/11, we took a huge loss when a large shipment of seafood went bad waiting on the tarmac, which was the beginning of the end. I started back to college to get a teaching degree to teach business, when a friend offered me a management job at uWADSWORTH, Page 20

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

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WADSWORTH, From Page 19 a small credit union in Port Townsend. I turned it down because I was already on the path of being a teacher, but my wife suggested I at least try it out or talk to the CEO before turning it down. I tried it, loved it and here I am almost 20 years later. How do you measure success in your workplace? When our credit union is financially healthy (boring financial ratios and benchmarks), when we are able to help our members to save money and achieve financial success, when we are able to give back to the community, and when it is a good and profitable place for the employees to work… then I believe we are succeeding. What do you consider your leadership style to be? This is difficult to define and describe, especially about one’s self. I like my employees to be happy and love serving them. I am a high energy person, and I love innovation and change ... so probably a combination of servant, charismatic and transformative leadership styles. What’s your best time management strategy? Every few days I organize my priorities on a paper checklist, so that my most urgent and important items are at the top and I don’t waste too much time on tasks that don’t really matter (80/20 rule). I keep that checklist within view on my desk every day. How do you balance work and family life? I am blessed to have a job that is generally 9-6 on weekdays, which means I can usually spend evenings and weekends at home with my family. I avoid scheduling or allowing any personal hobbies or activities from interfering with that family time. What do you like to do when you are not at work? First comes family time. I also like to serve in my church, and lastly, I like to cycle and run (I train for a few competitive races every year). Best tip to relieve stress? Ride a bike really hard for a couple hours, then go play the banjo.

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What’s your most-used app? Favorite book? I tend to avoid social media, although my favorite app is probably Strava, a competitive fitness tracking app. The most important books in my life are the Holy Bible and Book of Mormon, whereas my favorite “fun” book is anything written by science fiction author Brandon Sanderson. Do you have a personal mantra, phrase or quote you like to use? I hope my employees often hear me say: “This isn’t a problem, it’s an opportunity,” or for me to ask them: “How is this helping our members?”

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Banking & Finance LOAN, From Page 11

student debt, and 12 percent of those with debt are in collections. The median debt is $14,709, for a monthly payment of $142. Radosevic said that even 10 or 15 years ago, it was rare for someone to come in who was behind on their student debt. Now, it’s a problem for more than half of his clients. “Especially after the (2008) recession,” he said. “A lot of people went back to school because they didn’t have anything else to do (after losing their jobs) and thought they could better their situation. “Unfortunately, the only thing they were left with is student debt and a job that pays less.” And it’s getting worse. Consider these numbers about the college class of 2018 from Savingforcollege. com and the U.S. Federal Reserve: u 69 percent took out student loans. u Borrowers graduated with $29,000 in debt. u 14 percent of parents took out federal Parent PLUS loans and owe on average $35,600 on top of whatever student loans their kids have. u Average monthly payment on a student loan is $393. Don’t expect the cost of college to level off anytime soon, especially if it continues to follow a trend going back nearly 35 years. The National Center for Education Statistics shows that the average cost of a year at college — tuition, fees, room

QUICK FACTS u $29,000: The average dollar amount owed by students in debt nationwide when they graduate from college. u $10,000: The average owed on student debt in the 1990s. u 45 million: Americans who have student loan debt. u 11.5: The percentage of borrowers who are delinquent or in default in repaying their loans.

Benton County:

u 14 percent of population has student loan debt u $15,250 is median student loan debt u 12 percent of loans in collections u $169 is median monthly payment

and board — was $4,885 between 198586 (about $10,700 in today’s dollars). By 1995-96, it had grown to $8,800 ($13,572 adjusted to today). In 2015-16, the yearly cost reached $22,432. “The absolute last resource (students) should go to would be student loans,” said Ben Beus, director of financial aid at Columbia Basin College in Pasco. “There are a lot of resources out there, so a lot of students mistakenly think they’re not going to qualify for aid, so they’re not going to apply. Student loans are just one type of resource available to students.” That is the message passed along to every student at Hawk Central, CBC’s clearinghouse of information on such things as admissions and registration, campus life and, yes, student loans and financial aid. “It’s their first exposure almost every time, especially the first-year students coming into us,” Beus said. “Most stu-

Franklin County:

u 12 percent of population has student loan debt u $14,709 is median student loan debt u 12 percent of loans in collections u $142 is median monthly payment

dents are very uninformed about the whole process, and so you have to coach them along.” That emphasis on alternatives to student loans seems to be paying off, as CBC’s student loan numbers have been decreasing in recent years. Year to date for the 2018-19 school year (not counting summer classes), CBC students received $3.3 million in student loans, spread out among 580 student borrowers ($5,600 per borrower). That’s down from $3.9 million in loans among 715 students in 2016-17. Also, CBC’s three-year default rates are declining: 11.2 percent in 2016 (latest numbers), from 12.4 percent in 2013. “It’s important for us as a community college not to push the idea of student debt on our students,” Beus said. He said there is a lot of information out there on student financial aid and loan alternatives — studentaid.gov is a

great place to start. “I can’t emphasize enough — you’re coming to school to get an education. It’s important for students to do their homework” on financial aid, Beus said. Of course, that advice isn’t going to help current borrowers climb out of their debt hole. Radosevic had this piece of critical advice for those who fall behind on their payments: Don’t ignore it, because it isn’t just going to go away. “To me, the best way to come out of it is just to communicate with (lenders),” he said. “There are a lot of income-based repayments.” There are federal programs to help defer payments or even forgive debt early. And if navigating websites about federal programs isn’t your niche, there is help out there. “It’s a tricky line to work,” said Carey Donaldson, owner of NewBeginnings LLC, a student loan advocacy and consulting company in Spokane. In a bit of irony, she said it’s often a lack of education that leads to panic over school loans. “There’s not enough knowledge there,” said Donaldson, who is looking to expand her company’s services into the Tri-Cities. “That’s a big problem. That’s one of the reasons we have such a massive student loan debt problem – people just don’t understand (the system).” She added that keeping up on all the changes and new programs is “nearly impossible, unless you’re in it like I am, because it’s your job.”

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

uNEW HIRES • April Castañeda, a senior executive with 20 years of experience leading human resources programs at Caltech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has been named director of human resources at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Castañeda joins April Castañeda the Department of Energy laboratory after serving as assistant vice president for equity and equity

investigations at Caltech in Pasadena, California. In this role, she was responsible for Caltech’s policies and practices related to discrimination and harassment, including overseeing the response, investigation and resolution of allegations, and developing and leading institute-wide education programs and activities in those areas. Castañeda previously served as assistant director of human resources with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which Caltech manages for NASA, and as the executive director for human resources at Caltech. In those roles, she was responsible for HR strategy and communications, and for recruiting, employee relations, learning and development, workers compensation and data management functions. At

PNNL, Castañeda will lead a team of 70 professionals and direct the laboratory’s compensation and benefits, talent acquisition and university recruiting, diversity, leadership and staff development, labor relations and other key HR functions. • Joseph Williams joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as director of its Seattle office. The office is home to more than 130 researchers and support staff spanning PNNL’s national security and energy and environment missions. A former executive with Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, Williams also served as dean of the School of Business, Government and Economics at Seattle Pacific University before being appointed to the industry

sector lead team at the state Department of Commerce. • Jody O’Connor is the new Procurement Technical Assistance Center counselor in Kennewick, and her office is located within the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. Her service region includes seven Washington counJody O’Connor ties, including Benton, Franklin, Klickitat, Yakima, Grant, Walla Walla and Columbia. She joined the PTAC team in April. • Paul Klein has joined United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties as the community impact manager. He is responsible for managing the funding process for local nonprofit partners who help the growing number of people in need across the Paul Klein community. Klein comes from a nonprofit background and also has served in the Peace Corps. He has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Washington. • Tamra Meyer has been named as the new regional director for Junior Achievement in the Southeastern Washington region. Meyer formerly served as statewide programs director for Junior Achievement of Washington. As regional director, she will manage development efforts and program implementation designed to bring work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs, currently reaching 11,465 students in Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties. Meyer begins her new tenure in the organization with goals to increase student access to Junior Achievement programs, and grow the community’s involvement in the organization’s fall event, the Hearts are Wild Gala. • Yvette Raymond is Desert Wind Winery’s new chef de cuisine. Raymond is responsible for creating new signature menu items and food pairings at the Prosser winery. Raymond will offer customized menus for special events and initiate a private dining program to offer overnight guests. Raymond brings with her a passion for cooking as well as decades of experience in the culinary field. She has previously held positions in all levels of the food and beverage industry from server to head chef, owning two restaurants and offering large scale catering.

uFUNDRAISERS Kadlec Foundation raised more than $80,000 through sponsorships and attendance at 2019 Kidz Dig Rigz event on May 18. The event attracted more than 4,000 people. The presenting sponsor was Numerica Credit Union.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

French fries fuel $250M expansion

Lamb Weston’s Hermiston plant new fry line will up capacity, add 150 workers BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz

s the famous brassy trumpets from the “Rocky” movie pumped out of the speakers, Lamb Weston officials cut a ribbon to celeuLamb brate the openWeston ing of their new Hermiston building $3.5M plant. Richland reLike boxer search facility. Rocky Balboa, Page 25. they’ve been training and focusing on their prize: a $250 million 300,000-square-foot expansion. The addition of the new french fry processing line to Lamb Weston’s existing facility at 78328 Cottonwood Bend is expected to add 150 more jobs. It’ll also increase plant capacity by about 300 million pounds annually, enabling more than 500 employees to make nearly 750 million pounds of fro-

zen french fries annually. Products made in Hermiston are served in restaurants in the U.S. and globally. The Hermiston plant is a “critically important piece” of the company’s plan going forward, said Lamb Weston President and CEO Tom Werner during the June 13 event. “It’s an exciting time to be with Lamb Weston. We have invested in our business over the past several years to support, most importantly, our customers and their growth plans. As I’ve said before, we’ll continue to do that going forward, so Hermiston … is critically important not only to our domestic customers but also some of this facility will be pointed internationally and we have some very big customers we support out of this facility,” he said. Werner said before the ceremony he “got asked 10 times in this room” when the next plant would open. He said he didn’t know. “We are going to continue to invest in this company and in our communities like we have in the past going forward because we have tremendous opportunities ahead of us,” he said.

uEXPANSION, Page 28

Courtesy Lamb Weston Lamb Weston employees cut the ribbon at their new 300,000-square-foot expansion that will allow the Hermiston plant to produce nearly 750 million pounds of frozen french fries annually. From left: Rick Martin, chief supply chain officer; Leslie Winker, longtime Hermiston plant employee; Neal Flyg, Hermiston plant manager; Tom Werner, president and chief executive officer; Wayne Claver, senior director of manufacturing; Carol Samoray, vertical start-up manager; and Brian Jackson, engineering manager.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Real Estate & Construction

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit shutters doors in Tri-Cities 3 restaurants closed in mid-June BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz

The three Dickey’s Barbecue Pit restaurants in the Tri-Cities closed June 13. Local owner Dan Pelfrey said the closures are the result of a combination of factors, including higher employee wages and severe winter weather. “Winter didn’t help us out at all. It hurt us bad and put us backward in lot of areas and we’ve been playing catch up ever since,” Pelfrey told the Journal of Business. The state Department of Revenue filed tax warrants totaling $83,391 against Dickey’s for unpaid taxes: $49,891 on March 5 in Benton County and $33,500 on

May 10 in Franklin County. Pelfrey said the three restaurants employed more than two dozen people. The local franchise opened at 122 Highway 395 in Kennewick in 2014 and at 2530 Queensgate Drive in Richland in 2015. The Pasco restaurant was among the first tenants in a new strip mall on Burden Boulevard that opened last May. Pelfrey said he appreciated the support of his loyal customers for the past five years. “That’s what helped us out over those five years of being in business: our loyal customers in Tri-Cities. It’s tough for all of us and our Dickey’s family when it comes to employees. But we are working hard to get back open and hope to open as soon as possible to give

them authentic Texas barbecue,” Pelfrey said. There’s no timeline for when new owners take control, as Pelfrey said it’s out of his hands. “Things are fluid as of right now and it’s out of my control,” he said. A spokesperson for Dickey’s corporate office said: “Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc. is aware of the store closures and is working cooperatively with the owner-operator to re-open the locations as soon as possible.” In 1941, Travis Dickey, a World War II veteran, opened the first Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Dallas, Texas. Franchising began in 1994 after customers and barbecue fanatics wanted more locations. Today with more than 500 locations in 45 states, including a dozen in Washington.

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alla Walla’s Eritage Resort recently completed construction on 10 new lakeside bungalows. The dog-friendly bungalows feature a private entrance and deck extending over Lake Sienna, and complement the 10 existing suites in the resort’s main building, a 13,000-square-foot timber-framed two-story facility in Walla Walla wine country. The rooms feature private deck or patio with expansive views; fireplace and seating area; king bed with Garnier-Thiebaut linens; continental breakfast featuring

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Real Estate & Construction u BRIEFS Lamb Weston plans $3.5M Richland research facility

Lamb Weston has plans to complete a $3.5 million research facility in Richland by this fall. The 13,500-square-foot building will consist of nine bays at 1933 Hagen Road. The building will be used to research best practices for potato storage. The anticipated construction completion date is Sept. 30. Fisher Construction Group of Burlington, Washington, is the general contractor. The new research facility is adjacent to the potato processor’s $200 million 250,000-square-foot expansion two years ago on its Richland campus that boosted output capacity by about 300 million pounds of frozen french fries annually. Lamb Weston is one of the largest employers in the Columbia River Basin. In the Tri-Cities, the company operates a corporate office in Kennewick, two manufacturing facilities in Pasco and an Innovation Center and Tech Center on the Richland campus. The company continues to grow. It announced in June that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Ready Meals Pty Ltd., a frozen potato processor in Australia. Terms were not disclosed. Ready Meals sells frozen potato products under the Harvest Choice brand and operates frozen potato processing and storage facilities in Hallam, Victoria. “The acquisition complements our presence in Australia, providing us additional avenues to increase our position in Australia’s 1.1 billion-pound market,” said Tom Werner, Lamb Weston’s president and chief executive officer. The Ready Meals facility adds about 70 million pounds of production capacity to Lamb Weston’s existing global manufacturing network. Upon completion of the transaction, Lamb Weston will own and operate 18 processing facilities worldwide, and an additional eight facilities in conjunction with its joint venture partners.

New gas station being built in Pasco near Lewis Street

A new gas station is under construction in east Pasco, a few blocks east of the Lewis Street underpass. The fuel station at 110 S. Elm Ave. will include a convenience store. It is owned by Shiva Financial, a limited liability corporation that also owns the Pik-A-Pop at 1502 N. Fourth Ave. in Pasco. One of the contractors employed on the project is TopTier Petroleum of Medical Lake. The project is valued at $1.1 million.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

$85M expansion set for casino Wildhorse Resort to add bigger family area, more hotel rooms, food court BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

An $85 million construction project at Wildhorse Resort and Casino near Pendleton will add a new 24-lane bowling alley, food court and larger arcade. Work began last month on the first phase of the project that includes the expansion of the Children’s Entertainment Center, a family-friendly wing filled with video games, jungle gym and karaoke, and Cineplex concession area. The project’s second phase — a new hotel tower with 214 rooms and bigger events center — is expected to begin in a few months. The whole project will add about 300,000 square feet to the existing facility. Wildhorse, owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is about 75 miles southeast of the Tri-Cities in Oregon. Visitors to the resort will see changes in traffic flow for pedestrians and drivers, both inside and outside the main building as contractors move equipment on site and fence off areas for construction. Chief Executive Officer Gary George encouraged the public to watch for signs

Courtesy Wildhorse Resort and Casino A project to expand Wildhorse Resort and Casino, located four miles east of Pendleton off Interstate 84, is underway to add a bowling alley, food court and new arcade, as well as new hotel tower and events center.

so they know where to go. “Our goal is to make this expansion as seamless as possible for our guests,” George said. “We’ll have ample signage in the parking areas and inside the resort to direct guests and make it easy for them to reach their destination.” While some parking areas will be consumed by the construction, new parking areas will be built to add about 200 more spaces. Customers are encouraged to use shuttles and valet service to avoid lengthy walks at those times when the resort is busiest. The main entrance to the Cineplex

will be moved, and once inside, moviegoers and hotel guests will find the walkway rerouted and clearly marked. Even so, moviegoers may want to arrive earlier than usual. The general contractor for the project is Lydig Construction of Kennewick. The resort features a 24-hour casino, hotel, RV park, seven restaurants, a fivescreen Cineplex, 18-hole golf course, travel plaza for commercial trucks and private vehicles and a tribal museum. Last expanded in 2011, Wildhorse offers more than 1,200 slots, table games, live keno, bingo and live entertainment Thursday to Saturday.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

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Real Estate & Construction

Gesa Credit Union 4824 Broadmoor Boulevard • Pasco

esa Credit Union’s new Pasco branch aims to provide convenient access for members in the growing Road 100 area. The building is at 4824 Broadmoor Blvd., at the corner of Chapel Hill Boulevard. The single-story building features a full-service

Congratulations on a great project!

branch, along with two suites with about 2,000 square feet apiece that are available for lease. The branch was completed June 21. The general contractor was Banlin Construction of Kennewick. The architect was Dromos Architecture of

Wenatchee. For more information on leasing the available offices, call Kirt Shaffer of the Tippett Company at 509-545-3355.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Real Estate & Construction

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

EXPANSION, From Page 23

Lamb Weston’s overall net sales increased 7 percent to $927 million in the third quarter 2019. JH Kelly of Longview, Washington, was the general contractor for the Hermiston project. To encourage the potato processor to expand in Hermiston, the city of Hermiston and Umatilla County agreed to offer a hefty property tax break. The plant is outside of Hermiston city limits but within the city’s enterprise zone, an area eligible for property tax exemptions. In lieu of annual property taxes, Lamb Weston will split $1 million between the city and county annually for 15 years. Without this agreement, Lamb Weston would be liable for an estimated $35 million in total property taxes, said Mark Paid Advertorial

Real Estate & Construction

Morgan, Hermiston’s assistant city manager. “The resulting savings of $20 million equals nearly 9 percent of the company’s total investment” and “given the globally competitive market which Lamb Weston operates within, it is safe to assume that this investment will not occur without approval of this agreement,” Morgan said. In exchange for the incentives, Lamb Weston agreed to invest $225 million in the plant, hire at least 140 full-time employees and pay average annual wages equal to about $38,000, or about $18 an hour. Leslie Winker is one of the longesttenured employees at the plant, working there for nearly 50 years — since she was 16 years old. Before the plant opened in 1972, she

said worked weekends doing cleanup. “I started out as a general laborer,” she said, before listing a variety of jobs she’s done over the years, from working palletizers and forklifts, to being a package operator. Today, she works in the continuous skills and development department. “We train all the new hires to make sure they know how to do the job properly before they go down to the floor,” she said. Working at the Hermiston plant has been a family affair. The Hermiston High grad’s mom worked at the plant for 12 years and she met her husband Bruce there, too. He worked there for 38 years. Today, their son works at the plant. “My family alone has worked for Lamb Weston for about 110 years. I’m

proud to say Lamb Weston is a great company to work for,” she said. The Hermiston project comes on the heels of a $200 million processing line addition in Richland in 2017, an expansion that also added about 150 jobs. Carol Samoray, vertical start-up manager for the Hermiston project, said she appreciated the assistance she received from her colleagues who had already been through a plant expansion. “No matter the obstacle that we had, there were people all around us in the Lamb Weston community to support us during our journey, from IT to production planning, to the food protection group and R&D and supply chain overall. No matter what we had to do, many people raised their hand and said, ‘I can help you with that,’ ” she said.

Lamb Weston

78328 Cottonwood Bend • Hermiston, Oregon

amb Weston’s 300,000-square-foot, state-ofthe-art expansion in Hermiston added a new processing line to the company’s existing facility. The $250 million investment in the new line increases the Hermiston plant’s production capacity by about 300 million pounds of potato annually. The expansion project took 18 months to complete. The line began operating May 29. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was June 13. Lamb Weston partnered with a number of vendors, a majority of them local, for this project. JH Kelly of Longview, Washington, was the general contractor. The building design was a collaborative effort between Lamb Weston’s engineering team and other subject matter experts. The frozen potato industry leader is one of the area’s largest employers. More than 500 employees at the Hermiston plant will make nearly 750 million pounds of frozen french fries annually. The expansion adds about 150 jobs to the local economy. The company operates 26 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, China and Australia. (Photos courtesy Lamb Weston)

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Powder-coating company opens in Pasco Large-scale operation can handle oversize materials BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

A new powder-coating company capable of handling oversize materials has opened in Pasco. Great American Powder Coating and Eco-Blasting recently opened a 6,000-square-foot facility that boasts an oven 25 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet high at 1620 E. Salt Lake St., Building A. The new business also offers an environmentally-safe, mobile eco-blasting system. This large-scale operation is ideal for area agriculture, manufacturing, fencing and construction industries looking for a powder-coat provider capable of handling oversize materials. The new business also aims to be an all-in-one service provider for local hobbyists with automotive restoration and do-it-yourself needs, according to a news release. Powder-coated surfaces are more durable and chip, scratch and fade resistant. Nick Shmeck and Will Rencehausen opened the business in partnership with Richard Bogert and Cathy Bogert, the corporate team of the Bogert Group and longtime business owners. The Bogert Group, an umbrella for businesses that make military equipment, hydraulic pumps, accessories for recreational boating and small aircraft and a line of jacks for safely lifting heavy equipment, recently earned a statewide award — 2019 Innovator of the Year — for being an innovator in manufacturing from Seattle Business Magazine. Great American Powder Coating and Eco-Blasting has procedures in place to guarantee the cleanest finish for products, offering a warranty on its coatings for one year after service. The entire powder-coat process, from cleaning to cooling, can be completed in house within three to five business days. Before powder-coating can occur the items must be properly prepped using an array of specialized cleaning processes, which can be completed at the Pasco facility or on site at customers’ request using the environmentally-friendly mobile ecoblasting system. This self-contained trailer is capable of treating thinner metals without causing warping, uses water for less mess and job site disturbance and uses a silica-free crushed bottle glass compound that will not harm vegetation, according to the owners. Schmeck and Rencehausen, who will be running day to day operations, received their certification from Powder-X, the company selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to be the powder-coating consultant for the space shuttle project. » Great American Powder Coating & Eco-Blasting: 1620 E. Salt Lake St., Building A, Pasco; greatamerican powdercoating.com; Instagram.

Nick Shmeck, left, and Will Rencehausen of Great American Powder Coating and Eco-Blasting have opened a 6,000-square-foot facility in Pasco. Courtesy Great American Powder Coating and Eco-Blasting

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Real Estate & Construction

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Frost Me Sweet Bakery & Bistro 710 & 710A The Parkway • Richland

GENERAL CONTRACTOR Congratulations Frost Me Sweet! It was a pleasure working with you on this project.

Richland bakery and restaurant recently featured on the Food Network has completed an expansion project. Frost Me Sweet Bistro and Bakery grew into the adjacent building at 710a The Parkway. The side-by-side buildings have a shared walkthrough and have been updated with a mid-modern century feel. The décor is reminiscent of 710a’s original décor, with the large globe lights that made it well known in the 1950s when it opened as the first Gesa Credit Union in the Tri-Cities. The original vault from the bank is still inside the building and used as Frost Me Sweet’s wine cellar. One side of the building is dedicated to the retail bakery and kitchen and the other to the restaurant dining room. The project expanded Frost Me Sweet’s square footage from 2,600 square feet to 5,100 square feet. Dining room seating also doubled, while retaining the restaurant’s outdoor patio area. More seating is available in the retail bakery for guests seeking only desserts. The improvements will help to ensure the historic building will last much longer and also improve accessibility, according to owners Megan and Jason Savely. The project was completed June 6. The general contractor was Booth & Sons Construction Inc. of Richland. Frost Me Sweet Bistro & Bakery: Frostmesweet. com; Facebook; Instagram.

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Congratulations Frost Me Sweet!

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Real Estate & Construction

Photo by Robin Wojtanik Home décor superstore At Home will open in late fall in the former Shopko store at 867 N. Columbia Center Blvd. in Kennewick after making its West Coast debut earlier this year.

Home décor superstore to open in Kennewick At Home doing a $2.6M remodel of former Shopko BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A $2.6 million remodel to make way for a new home décor store is underway inside the vacant Shopko store in Kennewick. The Texas-based retailer At Home is poised to open its third Washington store in late fall, after recently opening stores in Spokane and Puyallup. The At Home store in Puyallup opened in January and was the first West Coast location for the company. The former Shopko store at 867 N. Columbia Center Blvd. next door to Ranch & Home closed in early May after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the start of the year. There had been hope the store would remain open as the company tried to reorganize, but all Shopko locations nationwide closed by the end of June. Having another retailer move in so quickly while there are other empty storefronts around town was a win for Mark Maldonado, who owns the building through his company Corvalis WA LLC. “I didn’t work with a broker and I didn’t put it on the market,” Maldonado said. “It just kind of worked out because they were looking for a building that size to take over the whole building so it

uBRIEF Walla Walla winery plans new production facility

Walla Walla’s Abeja winery is building a new production facility with an underground barrel cave that will consolidate winemaking operations at its 38-acre estate on Mill Creek Road. The new winery is designed to complement the property’s pastoral setting and is scheduled for completion the summer of 2020. Abeja’s winemaking operations are based in the Big Barn, a century-old farm building that anchors the property that was converted to a winery in early 2004. A portion of wine is barrel aged there and the remaining barrels are stored at various locations on site. The new winery will allow for central barrel storage to

worked out really well for us.” The building’s original owner in the mid-1980s was Costco before it moved to its current location on West Gage Boulevard in Kennewick. It was bought by Shopko and then sold to Maldonado’s company for $9.2 million in 2017. At Home describes itself a “value-oriented fashion retailer,” and sells furniture, lamps, rugs, wall décor, pillows and throws, as well as kitchen, bath and bedding items. It boasts 50,000 products available in its superstores, which are found across 38 states, totaling just under 200 stores. The company profile targets a building size around 110,000 square feet and the Kennewick building is 106,000 square feet. Previous grand opening promotions at other locations have included gift card giveaways. “They’re shooting to open for the Christmas season so I suspect it’s the October timeframe,” said Maldonado, who now has a 10-year lease in place with At Home for the Kennewick location. The company is valued at $1.1 billion and is publicly traded. Parkway Construction and Architecture, which has offices in Texas and California, is the general contractor. improve winemaking efficiency and the facility’s underground design will boost energy efficiency. Head winemaker Daniel Wampfler, who shares winemaking responsibilities with his wife Amy Alvarez-Wampfler, began working with Abeja’s facility manager Jacob Coburn on the new design shortly after the couple arrived at Abeja in early 2016. In addition to underground barrel storage, the new building will feature two new barrel rooms, each with its own heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, as well as fermentation tanks that can be heated and cooled individually. It also will include office space, a wet chemistry lab, sensory lab and an open area to move the crush pad indoors at the winemaker’s discretion. Ketelsen Construction of Walla Walla is the general contractor.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Paid Advertorial

Real Estate & Construction

West Pasco Commercial Suites 8425 Chapel Hill Boulevard • Pasco

ew flexible industrial spaces are available for lease at West Pasco Commercial

Suites. The two new buildings on 8425 Chapel Hill Blvd. in Pasco each feature 10,500 square feet of space, which can be turned into 1,500-squarefoot sections. The buildings feature overhead doors, glass storefronts and 20-foot ceilings with ample parking, as well as a shared dock pit for loading and unloading. The suites are located near Road 84 with Interstate 182 frontage. Shop space is $8.75 per square foot and finished space (office, retail, showroom) is $17 per square foot. All rates are plus triple net. The project was completed in May. The building owner is Yesmar Properties LLC, owned by John and D’Ann Ramsey of Pasco, who also own Broadmoor RV. W McKay Construction of Kennewick was the general contractor. Wave Design Group of Kennewick was the architect. Rob Ellsworth of SVN | Retter & Company can be reached about leasing at 509-430-2378 or Rob@RobEllsworth.com.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

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Real Estate & Construction

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Painting, industrial coating businesses plan move to share Richland buildings

Porter’s plans third barbecue eatery in Pasco

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

A longtime Tri-City painting company is moving to Richland to build a new home base for two businesses, Paintmaster Services Inc. and Columbia Industrial Coatings. The companies will share three buildings at 2670 First St. in north Richland, off Kingsgate Way and north of Horn Rapids Golf Course. The buildings will include an office, shop and facility for sandblasting and coating. Paintmaster Services is run by two brothers and has been family-owned since 1990. The company does commercial and residential painting projects and currently is located on West Van Giesen Street, just east of Grosscup Boulevard, in West Richland. Columbia Industrial Coatings is housed at the same site and offers services like epoxy, high-performance and polyurethane coatings and also sandblasting. “It’s corrosion protection, for protection of steel in flooring or whatever. Commercial use is for both protection and beautification,” said Jonathan Duarte, president of Paintmaster Services and member of Columbia Industrial Coatings. The company will keep its shop in

Construction is underway on Porter’s Real Barbecue’s third restaurant – this time in Pasco. It’ll be in the Sandifur Crossing shopping center at 5710 N. Road 68. Grocery Outlet, Dollar Tree and Planet Fitness are anchor tenants in the shopping area. Also opening soon will be Pasco’s first The Kabob House and Wendy’s, according to Yakima-based Hogback Development Co., which built and developed the plaza. Porter’s made the announcement on its Facebook page, noting the expansion comes less than five years after brothers Porter and Reed Kinney rolled out their renovated 1977 Dodge RV from Porter’s driveway and kicked off their mission to serve up tasty barbecue. “We’ve been given so much love and support from you all and we don’t take any of it for granted. It’s a dream come true for us to have restaurants in Richland, Kennewick, and now Pasco,” the company wrote on its Facebook page. Food Network star Guy Fieri featured the barbecue joint on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” earlier this year.

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Photo by Robin Wojtanik Three buildings valued at about $1 million are being constructed at 2670 First St. in north Richland to house two companies that focus on painting and industrial coatings. Paintmaster Services Inc. and Columbia Industrial Coatings will move from West Richland into the new facility by September.

Kennewick for metal fabrication but will otherwise move services from its rented location to three buildings on the First Street site, which total about 14,000 square feet of space. The two companies employ 19 people. The project is expected to be completed by September.

The total value of the project, contracted to DGR Grant Construction of Richland, is just over $1 million. » Paintmaster Services: 509-588-6421; paintmasterservices.com. » Columbia Industrial Coatings: 509-579-0444; cicoat.com.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Real Estate & Construction

Paid Advertorial

3200 Duportail Street, Richland

he owners of a pediatric dental and orthodontic clinic have built a new office in the growing Queensgate area in Richland. The building owner, In Slide Out LLC, is owned by the owners of Smile Surfers Kids Dentistry and Tri-City Orthodontics. These clinics occupy the two upper floor suites of the 19,280-square-foot building at 3200 Duportail St., next door to the DQ Grill & Chill. They opened for business there in mid-June. Smile Surfers Kids Dentistry is owned by David N. Hamilton and James F. Collette. The late Chris Parkinson was part of the original group that formed In Slide Out. He and his partner David Butler were owners of Parkinson + Butler Orthodontics in Richland, and were in the process of merging their clinic with TriCity Orthodontics at the time of his death on Dec. 8, 2018. The clinic has since completed the merger with Tri-City Orthodontics and is now owned by Butler and Jon Collette. The building also features six 1,200-square-foot suites on the lower floor. Both floors have drive-up parking. Access to the upper floor is on the back side of the building. Suites 101 and 102 have been leased by Columbia Point Vision. The building has fiber optic internet access to all suites. The remaining four lower floor suites are avail-

able to retailers or offices. The building owners opted not to include a grease trap in their drainage system so it can not accommodate most restaurants, though delis and other food vendors who do not cook on site could be potential tenants. Lease space is $27 per square foot and may include some combination of free lease period and/ or tenant improvement allowances. To inquire about leasing, call Butler at 503-753-2387.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Congratulations Smile Surfers & Tri-City Orthodontics!

The total cost of the project, including land, building and tenant improvements is about $5.3 million. It is located on 1.6 acres. W McKay Construction of Kennewick was the general contractor and is overseeing tenant improvements. Terence L. Thornhill Architect of Pasco designed the building.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Real Estate & Construction

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Real Estate & Construction

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

$6.1M dermatology clinic going up DermaCare, DermaHealth to move Richland offices BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A Richland dermatologist is constructing a $6.1 million building alongside his current practice on Fowler Street. Dr. Sidney Smith practices at DermaCare of Tri-Cities and DermaHealth Dermatology & Dermasurgery at 1305 Fowler St., a clinic visible from Highway 240. Construction is underway at the empty lot next door at 1295 Fowler St. A permit issued by the city of Richland indicates the building will be for multiple professional tenants with a medical office and attached café. W McKay Construction of Kennewick began construction in June. Photo by Robin Wojtanik Those familiar with the project said the end result will include a relocation of the A new building is under construction next door to DermaCare of Tri-Cities and current dermatology and medical spa DermaHealth Dermatology & Dermasurgery at 1295 Fowler St. in Richland. The practice to the new building, with differ- current practice is expected to move into the new building. ent tenants occupying the current site at office building. just east of the site, in the Richland Wye 1305 Fowler St. The new building will be 50 feet tall neighborhood. Smith did not return calls for comand include 30,000 square feet of space ment. A groundbreaking ceremony was held DermaCare of Tri-Cities opened on and a parking lot for 200 cars. July 2018 at the new site. Pittsburgh Street in 2007 and then moved The project is being financed by Gesa DermaCare of Tri-Cities and Dermato Gage Boulevard in 2009. Credit Union and the building’s owner is Health Dermatology & Dermasurgery are In 2011, Smith bought a 2.5-acre lot on Familia Smith LLC, the same company holding a customer appreciation event Fowler and announced plans to build a which owns the building, valued at $9.8 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 19, which 25,000-square-foot, two-story medical million, where Smith currently practices includes free skin cancer screenings.

PLANNING A MOVE?

If your company is planning a move, please let us know in advance so you don’t miss one issue. Email information to creative@tcjournal.biz.

uAWARDS & HONORS

Retter & Company Sotheby’s International Realty of Kennewick announced owner/broker Dave Retter was recognized on the 2019 REAL Trends & Tom Ferry “The Thousand,” a summary of the top 1,000 independent real estate agents and teams in the United States. The “The Thousand” comprises four categories: the top 250 agents by sides, top 250 agents by sales volume, top 250 teams by sides and top 250 teams by sales volume. Retter was ranked in the Top 250 agent by sides in the United States. The Sotheby’s International Realty brand claimed 41 of the top 250 sales associates in the REAL Trends individual sales volume category, more than any other real estate brand. The brand also had the highest combined individual sales volume from sales associates in the same category.

uNEW HIRE

Dorothy Hunter has joined EverStar Realty as a Realtor. A Tri-City resident since 1999, she has won multiple customer Dorothy Hunter service awards for her business, Paw’s Natural Pet Emporium.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Real Estate & Construction

Assets recovered in homebuilder bankruptcy Creditors can file proof of claims in Solferino case BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

There may be a chance for creditors to recover money owed to them by a prominent Tri-City homebuilder who filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, citing $9.2 million in debts. The trustee handling the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case for Marco Solferino recently filed court paperwork stating “assets have been recovered by the trustee” and requested creditors file proof of claims in the case by Sept. 11.

For Greg Ford, who is listed on the initial bankruptcy documents as being owed $82,000 for unpaid services performed by Brashear Electric of Richland, Marco Solferino the recovery of some assets gives him hope of getting his money back. “I knew he’d recover assets because there’s no way he’d have that much

“I knew he’d recover assets because there’s no way he’d have that much income in with no way of it going anywhere. It just doesn’t vanish.”

- Greg Ford, Brashear Electric, listed as a creditor income coming in with no way of it going anywhere. It doesn’t just vanish; it has to go somewhere. I wasn’t surprised at all,” Ford said. The notice does not specify a dollar amount for the recovered assets and trustee John Munding said he could not elaborate.

“As Chapter 7 trustee, I am still investigating assets, including prior transfers of real property. Because of my ongoing investigation, I cannot comment at this time,” he said. When Solferino first filed for bankruptcy, creditors were instructed not to bother filing a proof of claim due to the expectation that no money would be recovered to reimburse those who were owed. The notice on recovery of assets was sent to nearly 100 creditors, mostly in the Tri-City area and to those involved in the home construction industry. The list also includes a number of private citizens who were in the midst of building custom homes with Solferino when his business went under and they lost their investment. Many had handed over hundreds of thousands of dollars and were left with unfinished homes, but none have spoken publicly about their experience. Solferino filed for bankruptcy this spring, weeks after shuttering his business M | S Homes Inc., which had also previously been known as Solferino Homes and Storybook Homes by Solferino Construction. The builder was well known and sought out to build Mediterranean-style homes and had been featured in a number of Parade of Homes showcases over the years. Washington state suspended Solferino’s contractor’s license in March 2019 following a complaint against his bond. Solferino and his bankruptcy attorney Bill Hames did not return requests for comment. In his initial bankruptcy filing, Solferino listed dozens of unsecured creditors, owed about $7.3 million. The filing also included personal assets, including no cash, $1.1 million in property, $10,500 for the value of vehicles, and $500 in office equipment. Solferino’s personal home in West Richland is valued at just under $600,000 by the Benton County Assessor, though online real estate estimates place the value at double that. The Tri-City Herald reported Solferino admitted under oath that he had spent $1.2 million in customer deposits but did not specify how the money was spent. There are two outstanding lawsuits against Solferino, including a $62,238 complaint for unpaid supplies by ProBuild Co., which does business as Builders FirstSource Inc. A separate lawsuit also was filed by Standard Paint and Flooring seeking $54,455, also for unpaid supplies. There have been two court dates so far to give creditors an opportunity to speak. Solferino filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in 1997.

TOURISM & TRAVEL

Sports tourism a score for economy Sports council developed 20-plus years ago works to attract sporting events

were nowhere near what they are now. But something happened back then to help: a community-led sports council was created.

BY JEFF MORROW

Starting a sports council

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

ports continues to be big business in the Tri-Cities. Visit Tri-Cities, the Tri-City area’s visitors and convention bureau, reports that last year there were 212 sports, convention and group activities that attracted 127,931 visitors who spent $38,157,557. The same report estimates that in 2019 and beyond there will be 227 sports, convention and group activities that will attract 143,929 people who will spend $48,895,758, or 28 percent more in spending. “Sports tourism provides significant economic impact for our community,” said Michael Novakovich, president and chief executive officer of Visit Tri-Cities. “Last year, sports and conventions sales generated over $38 million in visitor spending. More than 42 percent of this economic impact is attributable to overnight visitation of athletes and their families attending and participating in sport-

Photo courtesy of the Tri-City Water Follies Kennewick’s Columbia Park draws large crowds annually for the Columbia Cup unlimited hydroplane races in the last weekend of July.

ing events.” The benefit to the community is multifaceted, Novakovich said. “When athletes and their families visit the Tri-Cities for sporting events, they spend a considerable amount of money as they stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, take in our attractions, buy

from our retail, pump gas and purchase groceries,” he said. “These are imported dollars — dollars that didn’t exist in our community until these visitors arrived.” Novakovich added that visitor spending in the region supports more than 6,300 jobs. Twenty-five years ago, the numbers

Even back in the 1990s, community leaders knew sports was big business. So Don Hart and a group of likeminded citizens created the Tri-Cities Sports Council in 1996. “In 1996, the Tri-Cities was going through some harrowing economic times because the DOE had cut a number of key programs in the area over the previous years …,” Hart said. “There were a number of task forces underway to look at possibilities and new ideas.” Hart, who was chairman of USA Swimming National Officials at that time, picked up ideas that included creating a council to fuel economic development through sports. Besides Hart, that first group included Russ Burtner, Randy Dolven, Stan Johnson, Grant Linnen, CJ Mitchell, Paul Whitemarsh, Randy Willis, Kris Watkins and Tana Bader Inglima. “We defined our objectives: Closely uSPORTS, Page 43

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel

Fair winds follow Tri-City boat sales BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Boating is surging in popularity across Tri-City waterways, with boat sales jumping more than a million dollars in Benton and Franklin counties year over year. “I think everyone’s having growth and good times. I just hope it stays for a while,” said Willie Nelson, general manager for Nixon’s Marine Inc. in Pasco. “It’s definitely economy-based when you’re dealing with big ticket items.” Despite the steady increase in sales, fewer boats are registered across Benton

and Franklin counties compared to the year prior, decreasing about 1.5 percent between 2018-19. This could mean more boats are bought locally by out-of-town buyers who register them elsewhere. All boat registrations expire at the end of June each year. The total number of registered vessels at the conclusion of June 2019 was 9,045 across Benton and Franklin counties, compared to 9,184 the previous year. The slight decrease doesn’t offset an overall statewide increase in registrations, up 7 percent in Washington, uBOAT, Page 45

Willie Nelson, general manager for Nixon’s Marine Inc. in Pasco, said the boat dealership moved its longtime business from Walla Walla to Pasco to tap into the growing Tri-City market of anglers and recreational boaters. Photo by Robin Wojtanik

uCERTIFICATIONS • Michael Novakovich, president and chief executive officer of Visit Tri-Cities, has achieved credentials as a certified destination management executive, the tourism industry’s highest individual educational achievement. The four-year credential is available to senior executives through Destinations International. The program blends theory with experience and application of knowledge to help Michael industry leaders Novakovich thrive in a constantly changing environment by focusing on vision, leadership, productivity and implementing business strategies. Certification requires 88 classroom hours, group projects, presentations and a series of papers including a research paper suitable for publishing. While the program typically takes two to four years to complete, Novakovich accelerated the program and completed it in less than a year. In addition, Novakovich has been selected as a speaker at Destinations International’s annual convention in St. Louis, Missouri, where he will present on tourism advocacy. He also has been selected to play drums in the Destinations International House Band at the convention. The House Band will be performing at the Ballpark Village at the St. Louis Cardinal’s baseball stadium during the welcome reception.

uAWARDS & HONORS • Travel Leaders/Columbia Basin Travel of Richland and Kennewick won a 2018 Agency of Excellence Award. To earn the distinction, each Travel Leaders agency is scored in multiple categories that reflect business growth; utilization of marketing programs to reach local consumers; participation in training programs to enhance service to clients; participation in local and national business networking meetings; and their overall promotion of the Travel Leaders brand. Sondra Wilson is the company president and Julie Harrington is the chief executive officer.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel SPORTS, From Page 41

define our target markets – this became refined over the areas of youth sports, adult sports, support to the minor league type professional teams in the area,” Hart said. “Encourage and develop the number of sporting events in the Tri-Cities; provide input to the city governments on facility needs and encourage sharing of resources; develop a positive relationship with the WIAA and local college entities; build participation of all of the school districts on the council; support bringing new sports activities to the Tri-Cities; create an area sports hall of fame; and build a positive, healthy image of the TriCities for visitors to come back to.” The council was one of the first in the nation. “It was a very new concept at the time,” said Hector Cruz, vice president of Visit Tri-Cities. “It was great leadership in the community truly thinking outside the box. It took a while to get everybody to realize what we were doing. But our council founders had a lot of great contacts.” About 15 years ago, the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau, which became Visit Tri-Cities, added staff to help support the sports council. Today, Cruz and Dan Mulhausen, sports development manager, work with the council and find ways to bring in more sports business. They attend four national trade shows a year, where they meet one-on-one with promoters. “Our city partners (the recreation department managers) go with us, and we have a booth,” Cruz said. “They are actually the experts. It’s easy to manage. It’s very successful because we’re able to build through relationships, whether it’s new events, or building those relationships with our current partners.” The conventions are successful, Mulhausen said. “It gets us in front of a lot of different

groups,” he “Everybody here is rolling to a convention said. “There are to drum up in the same direction. a lot of groups more business, always there and what’s Everyone wants to see that are not on coming up. the Tri-Cities be better.” top of everyThen everyone’s radar.” one takes a turn - Dan Mulhausen, Visit Tri-Cities He mentions updating the pickleball and group about lacrosse — the fast-growing sports in the what’s going on in their part of the Tri-Cities — as examples. sports world. It’s called the roundtable. “We’re not going to say no to busi“The roundtable is the best part,” ness,” Mulhausen said. “Our strengths Cruz said. It allows everyone on the council to are baseball, softball and soccer. At the be on the same page of what’s happening same time, what’s new? Where do we in the community, and provides the have people involved and motivated?” chance for cooperation. Cruz and Mulhausen also seek to For example, the council worked bring in events during what they call together with the Tri-City Dust Devils to “shoulder season,” the non-peak hotel host the WIAA state baseball championseason in the Tri-Cities. ships at Gesa Stadium in May. Or it That’s usually August, and the winter might reveal that the upcoming See 3 months of November, December and Slam 3-on-3 basketball tournament January. “And we’re always keeping an eye on might need help with volunteers, and other organizations will step up. what’s happening around the region,” “Other cities don’t have that kind of Mulhausen said. cooperation,” Mulhausen said. “We don’t take it for granted. … Everybody The current council here is rolling in the same direction. The council numbers between 40 and Everyone wants to see the Tri-Cities be 50 members and normally meets once a better. Even when new people come in month. they see the collaboration process. Peo“The council is invaluable. Just the ple have a passion for sports and giving whole group,” Cruz said. “It has high back. It’s unique when you’re able to do school and college athletic directors, both, and you find opportunities to club sports directors, professional sports improve your community.” team people, people running facilities.” Cruz agreed: “In the sports market in Another component is hotels. Two the Tri-Cities, people are awesome. representatives from local hotels serve Everyone is willing to help and support on the council for a year. you.” “We want to make sure we have the rooms (for events),” said Cruz, who says there has been a 24 percent growth in Tri-City area hotel rooms since 2014, with new hotels opening soon, such as Courtyard at Marriott at the airport and Comfort Suites at Southridge. During the monthly council meetings, Cruz and Mulhausen report on new sports-related business, their latest visit

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A need for facilities There’s already demand for more TriCity athletic facilities. “We’re finding that there is a growing need now (for more facilities),” Cruz said. “Groups and clubs need more space for practice time.” “You’d be hard pressed to find a group that doesn’t need more space,” Mulhausen said. “But we’ve got to make sure we have the space to sell the destination, and the promoters see the potential to grow.” Novakovich said the sports facilities question is being addressed through a market analysis and feasibility study. “The study is being done through a partnership between Visit Tri-Cities and the cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland,” he said. “Goals include: Determining the need for multi-use sports facilities within each city that will meet demands of the community and generate increased visitor spending. The intent is to expand capacity for sports programming for residents and generate community economic impact and facilities level revenues from regional, national and international sports events that draw visitors from 50 miles away or more.” The study is expected to be complete by August. “I believe our dependence on sports tourism will continue to grow,” Novakovich said. “It aids in the diversification of our economy, which is a great benefit as we consider the progress being made on the Hanford site and the retirement of associated activities.”

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel

OPINION

Timeshares have hidden challenges after death We have all been there. We take a vacation to Florida, Hawaii, Arizona or Mexico, and we are presented with the deal of a lifetime: a timeshare. Proponents of the timeshare declare it is an affordable way to own a slice of a dream property. Furthermore, the owners often can exchange their ownership to allow them to visit other luxury properties at different locations, domestic and abroad. It sounds like an easy decision to invest in the property for your own happiness, and the joy you are surely to bring to family and friends who visit you or use the timeshare. This column explicitly does not

explore whether the purchase of a timeshare is a good idea. It won’t explore the value proposition. It won’t explore the utility of the purchase. It won’t Beau Ruff explore the genCornerstone eral feeling of Wealth Strategies happiness and joy that the ownership may bring you and your family. It won’t explore the cost of continued ownership through

maintenance fees. Instead, it will explore the hidden challenges of timeshare ownership as a person develops his or her estate plan and attempts to transfer this asset after death. What is the complexity created by a timeshare? In general, a person must go through some administrative process upon death — “probate” for ease of discussion (there are other potential processes that might apply but I’m not parsing the various administrative possibilities). Accordingly, a person must go through probate in the state where the person lives and in any state where the person owns real property — or any property that is of

a non-movable nature: land, house, condo, building, etc. It is distinguished from personal property. Most timeshares provide the owner with a deeded, fractional ownership of a piece of property. For example, the buyer might buy a oneweek timeshare in Arizona at a golf club. More often than not, the buyer is buying a 1/52nd ownership of the real property. The buyer accordingly receives a deed of the 1/52nd ownership and therefore owns real property in Arizona. Now, the same buyer meets with the estate planning attorney and discloses the fact that the buyer owns “real property” in Arizona but lives in Washington. The buyer now has several options: 4 Do a standard Washington will with the understanding that the client will need to go through probate in Washington and in Arizona upon each of the death of the buyer and the buyer’s spouse (for argument’s sake we assume the cost of such probate in Arizona is $4,000, though widely varies). 4 Put all property into a revocable living trust at a cost generally higher than a will alone (and hire an Arizona attorney to deed the timeshare into the newly created trust at a cost of $300 to $500.) 4 Have the Washington attorney prepare the will but also hire an Arizona attorney to prepare a transfer on death deed (also known as a beneficiary deed at an estimated cost of $500 to $1,000). An otherwise simple estate plan can be made doubly complex if using a simple measure of cost in the plan preparation and/or execution by one simple asset. And, for most people, the timeshare is not an otherwise materially valuable asset of the estate. Let’s assume a husband and wife have a house, a 401(k) or two, and some cars and personal property. The total value of the estate might be $500,000. Timeshares are notoriously difficult to value on the secondary market, but for argument’s sake, let’s assume the fair market value (not the price paid) is $12,000. The timeshare represents a small fraction of the value of the estate (around 2 percent), yet because it is in another state, it requires effort and cost to plan for it, which is inconsistent with its value. Few things in the estate planning world are as costly to plan around when considering the value of the asset compared to the increased cost of the resulting plan. Without proper planning to avoid the secondary (or “ancillary”) probate in Arizona, the buyer (described above) is subjecting his estate and his heirs to not only increased costs but also increased administrative hassles as the heirs will need to hire another attorney in Arizona to assist with the secondary probate. Timeshares can be fun. Perhaps they are a bargain. But to truly evaluate the propriety of the purchase, a buyer would be well served to consider not only the purchase price and maintenance costs, but also the increased estate planning and administrative costs of the asset. » Beau Ruff works for Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a full-service independent investment management and financial planning firm in Kennewick.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel BOAT, From Page 42

year over year, totaling 229,982 boats, according to Department of Licensing data reported by Washington Sea Grant, University of Washington. New and used boat sales across Benton and Franklin counties topped $17 million in 2018, compared to $14 million the year prior. A portion of these sales contribute to the $499 million spent yearly in Washington on new boats, engines and accessories, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association. The spending is part of an overall $6.9 billion impact that boating contributes to the state economy, which the NMMA refers to as “an American pastime and economic engine.” The boating industry supports 22,872 Washington jobs and 1,433 businesses. One of those businesses is Nixon’s Marine, which moved to Pasco this spring after decades in Walla Walla. Nelson said the move was expected when Shawn O’Connell bought the business about a year and a half ago. “The previous owner had said, if he was going to buy it, he should move it to capture all this business over here,” he said. Now at 3025 Travel Plaza Way in the King City area of Pasco near the AutoZone distribution center, Nixon’s focuses on high-performance bass boats. O’Connell also owns the local Northwest Bass tournament. Nelson said boats sold at the Pasco dealer are generally 19 feet to 21 feet long and cost between $50,000 to $80,000 for brands like Ranger, Triton, Crestliner, Vexus, Duckworth and Skeeter. “They’re mostly structured around

fishing and family fun,” Nelson said. Fishing is the No. 1 reason people own a boat, said George Harris, president of the Northwest Marine Trade Association. “More than half of boats are used for recreational fishing some or all of the time,” Harris said. “I use boating and fishing interchangeably. When I say boating, I also mean fishing and when I say fishing, I also mean boating. They’re just so interconnected.” Colby Smith is an avid boater and has owned different boats intended for either fishing or water sports. “My mom always said, ‘You’ve got to find something you guys can do together as a family.’ So skiing was one, but that took a while. And then boating was an easy one because the kids were little,” Smith said. “But it works because there’s always something to do, so if you want to swim or you want to float around, or you want to tube; you can do all these different things and it keeps everyone entertained.” The Mid-Columbia offers a number of opportunities for fishing, with boaters and anglers frequently using the Columbia and Snake rivers for sport and competition, though Nelson said the target has changed. “I think the decline in salmon and steelhead fishing is having an impact on what we sell because they actually can no longer fish for salmon and steelhead, so they’re fishing for bass and walleye and whatever,” Nelson said. “A fisherman’s going to fish, so they need to figure out what they can do.” Harris’ group works with other agencies to keep boaters using their investment.

“We work closely with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to make sure we have maximum fishing opportunities, because that drives boat sales,” Harris said. “It’s also weatherrelated. All the smoke in the last few summers in Eastern Washington may not have harmed boat sales, but it certainly changed the days on the water for families.” Access to boating is just one of the reasons that make the region appealing, according to Visit Tri-Cities. “We focus on the appeal of the rivers in general since we have three rivers running through our community, and boating is one of those activities that people enjoy,” said Karisa Saywers, Visit TriCities director of marketing. “It is an attraction for both visitors and residents to take advantage of our waterways.” While still a big-ticket item, boats are seen as a more affordable luxury for families. The NMMA reports 62 percent of boat owners make $100,000 or less. “It still goes with the economy: it’s a pleasure item,” Nelson said. “Some people think they don’t need it if they’re pinching pennies, obviously. You have the guys where that’s what they do, that’s their hobby, so they’re going to do it anyway.” Mid-summer is a prime time for boat sales, especially following the Fourth of July, Nelson said, “We always get people after a holiday. They will have gone out with friends and enjoyed it and said, ‘We should get a boat.’ We get a lot of service after a holiday, too, because everyone goes out and breaks their stuff, too.” In 2018, more than 1,200 boats were sold in Benton and Franklin counties dur-

ing the second and third quarters, covering the spring and summer months, compared to about 400 sold during the fall and winter months. “Boats are more affordable than people realize,” Harris said. “An easy-to-use, entry-level boat that you can use on the Columbia or the upper Columbia can be $30,000 to $40,000.” He said the “average value of a brand new boat sold last year was about $45,000, which can be about the price of a car.” The used boat market is strong and results in many boat dealers selling more used inventory than new. For the first quarter of 2019, $2.06 million in boat sales was recorded across Benton and Franklin counties. Used boat sales accounted for $1.26 million of that amount. In 2018, Benton County consumers spent $12.3 million on boats, with more than $7.1 million on pre-owned vessels. The story was similar in Franklin County where $5 million changed hands on boats, and about half that, $2.6 million, in used sales. These sales include transactions with private owners, dealers and imports, which include a boat registered locally but bought out of state. Many boat owners find the depreciation of a used boat is not as significant as with a car, and it may be possible to recoup a significant portion of their initial investment, especially when selling a boat privately. When asked about the old adage that the best two days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it, Harris has a quick response: “We prefer to say, the best two days of owning a boat are Saturday and Sunday.”

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel

Funding approved for LIGO STEM center New facility to up visitor capacity by 4,000 a year BY JEFF MORROW

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The first detection of gravitational waves from deep space were recorded at the Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory, or LIGO, out on the edge of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in September 2015 and announced in February 2016. Ever since that announcement, people from all walks of life — many of them students — have wanted to visit the observatory. Many do for the public tour that happens the second Saturday of each month — and more still via K-12 site visits and dedicated tours. But the facility has a problem handling the large number of enthusiastic fans. That situation, though, will soon change. In May, Gov. Jay Inslee signed off on the state’s 2019-21 capital budget, which includes $7.7 million earmarked to build a STEM Exploration Center at LIGO Hanford Observatory. (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.) Michael Landry, the head of LIGO, is excited about the new center. “None of the interest (in LIGO) has waned,” Landry said. “We’re currently at 6,000 people a year visiting. We have to turn people away far more than we’d like.” The new facility will help bring in 10,000 visitors a year. The catch is the earliest the new center could open is fall 2021. “That’s subject to permitting,” Landry said. “But we’ll do everything we can to make that date.” The problem is LIGO is what Landry calls a “quiet site.” “Constraints on the building come from the science,” he said. No construction can be done while LIGO is in the middle of an observation run, which it has been since April and will be until May 2020. This might be easier to understand by describing what LIGO is.

Courtesy Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory Conceptual drawings show what the $7.7 million STEM Exploration Center at LIGO Hanford Observatory could look like. The earliest the new hands-on learning center could open is fall 2021. It’s expected to attract 10,000 visitors a year.

It’s a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational-waves, waves in space and time, as an astronomical tool. At the time of its funding, LIGO was the largest and most ambitious project ever funded by the National Science Foundation. The facility, which uses lasers to detect changes in the relative length of the 2.5mile, L-shaped arms, and thus gravitational waves, has a sister facility in Louisiana. Together, those two facilities, in conjunction with the Virgo detector in Italy, confirm when a gravitational wave actually takes place. The instrumentation is so sensitive that a truck driving by can set it off. So all three facilities must confirm the same thing. Landry said the first observatory run in 2015-16 was for four months. The second run in 2016-17 was for nine months. This newest run already has been successful. “We’re getting a potential gravitational wave signal more often than once per week,” Landry said. In fact, not a week after the third run began in April, the New Science website reported LIGO and Virgo had already spotted a pair of black holes colliding about 5 billion light years away. “This third observation run, we’re excited,” Landry said. “The next down time will be for 1½ years.” Landry hopes all the permitting will be in place when that time comes and that the bids for the architect and construction company will have been accepted.

Landry said there were plenty of center supporters. He mentions former 8th District state Rep. Larry Haler, who learned about the potential facility in 2015. “In 2018, we received $411,000 for a conceptual design,” Landry said. “Larry Haler helped get the funds for that.” Others who were of tremendous help were state Sen. Sharon Brown, and 8th District Reps. Brad Klippert and Matt Boehnke. In addition, Rai Weiss, LIGO founder and co-recipient of a 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of gravitational waves, spoke to state legislators in Olympia earlier this year about creating the exploration center. Terence L. Thornhill Architect of Pasco created the conceptual rendering.

“It’s beautiful,” Landry said. “The purpose of it is to really house the 5,000-squarefoot exhibition space. It’ll primarily be for K through 12 students, the general public, and universities and colleges.” The hope is not only to help young people think about being scientific but to help them come up with ideas behind critical thinking and evaluation. “The exhibit hall, it’s not a museum,” Landry said. “It’s a hands-on facility, for playing and teaching, so ideas will be infused in them.” Landry says the sister Louisiana facility has 50 exhibits. “We have a sense of some exhibits (we’ll use),” he said. “Another element to the center is the tour interaction, and the time in the central room. People are invited into the control room.” During the second Saturday of the month public tours, Landry said kids and the public ask scientists in the control room questions, and they are answered right then and there. Landry is amazed at the interest from far and wide. “I had a gentleman who flew in from Japan just for this tour,” Landry said. “He took in the B Reactor tour when he was here too. We’ve all had that type of experience. People coming from the Netherlands, Hungary, just for this tour.” He expects more of that. “We’re highly excited,” Landry said. “The universe is awash in gravitational waves.”

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel

Tri-City recreation projects get boost Park, sports complexes among Benton, Franklin plans for $1.8M in grants BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Benton and Franklin counties received more than $1.8 million in state recreation grants to pay for a variety of projects, including improving a Pasco boat launch, developing a Pasco sports complex, renovating Prosser’s pool and buying land for a Benton City riverfront park and future

sports complex. Franklin County received $1 million, and Benton County received $867,024. The state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board announced last month more than $126 million in grants for 333 projects that build and maintain outdoor recreation facilities, and conserve wildlife habitat and working farms and forests around the state. Franklin County grants: u Renovating the Schlagel Park boat launch, $660,839. The city of Pasco will use this grant to build a two-lane boat launch at Schlagel Park on the Columbia

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River. The existing launch is in very poor condition; it was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s and last upgraded in the 1970s. The city will replace the boat ramps and launches with boarding floats and concrete ramps, replace the restroom and reorganize traffic flow and parking. Pasco will contribute $235,000 in cash and staff labor. u Development of the A Street sports complex, $350,000: The city of Pasco received the grant to build three multiuse sports fields, a parking lot and restroom, serving as first phase of development of the A Street sports complex in east Pasco. Member SIPC

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By developing this city-owned vacant land into a sporting complex, the city will be able to accommodate the ever-growing demand for field space and bring highquality fields to one of the region’s most underprivileged areas. The fields will accommodate sports, such as soccer, lacrosse, rugby and ultimate frisbee. Pasco will contribute $221,113. Benton County grants: u Buying land for a sports complex in Benton City, $582,000. Benton City will use this grant to buy 25 acres for a future park and sports complex. The land is on Ki-Be Road, across the street from the high school. Future development will include soccer, football, baseball and softball fields, a spray pad and amenities such as shade structures, restrooms and parking. Benton City will contribute $388,674. u Rebuilding Horn Rapids ORV Park access road, $99,086. The city of Richland Parks and Recreation will use this grant to build a 0.3-mile road that accesses Horn Rapids Off-Road-Vehicle Park. The new road will replace the deteriorating road and provide a safer and smoother traveling surface to reach the park and its trails, campground, office building, restrooms and emergency exit. The new road will be 24 feet wide and the road structure will be two inches of asphalt above four inches of gravel. The city will contribute $30,500 in staff labor. u Buying land for a Riverfront Park in Benton City, $81,650. Benton City will use this grant to buy nearly 11 acres to create a riverfront park near Seventh Street, along the Yakima River. The planned park is expected to give people access to the river for canoeing, kayaking, fishing and watching waterfowl. Local residents have identified water access and wildlife viewing as important amenities, and this project provides both. Benton City will contribute $20,413 in cash and staff labor. u Paving the entry road to the Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Range, $72,525. The Tri-Cities Shooting Association will use this grant to pave more than three-quarter miles of road used to access the Rattlesnake Mountain shooting facility, which is eight miles north of Benton City in Benton County. The current entry road is very steep and rough, which limits access. Paving the road will allow more members of the range and public to get to the range more easily and will reduce maintenance costs. The Tri-Cities Shooting Association will contribute $76,525 in donations of cash and labor. u Improve Prosser’s competitive pool, $31,763. The city of Prosser will use this grant to improve the competition lap pool in the Prosser Aquatic Center in EJ Miller Park. The city will replace the starting blocks, pool cover, pump and filter. The city also will install a public address system splitter, automatic scoring system and entrance sign. These improvements will increase swimmer safety, enhance the individual and team uRECREATION, Page 50

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel

Events celebrate 75 years of Hanford history BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Community-wide events to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Hanford B Reactor kick off in August. The world’s first large-scale nuclear reactor went critical for the first time on Sept. 26, 1944. Built in just under a year, the reactor and the 1,200 or so other buildings that populated the Hanford site by that time were the product of the labor of some 50,000 men and women from across the country who came to live and work at Hanford Camp. The fruits of their labor were instrumental to the success of the Manhattan Project and to the larger war effort and events are planned to pay tribute to their efforts. Here’s a roundup of events: u Wings & Wheels, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 17, Richland Airport, 1903 Terminal Drive: The Port of Benton event includes a war bird, experimental and antique airplanes, hot rods and classic cars, motorcycles and military vehicles, food vendors. Free admission. u “People of the Manhattan Project: Building an Atomic City” exhibit, Sept. 1-30, Art Center at Washington State University Tri-Cities, Richland. Features items from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford collection, as well as Hanford History Project collections. u Hanford artworks, Sept. 1-30, Allied Arts Association’s Gallery at the Park, Richland: Displays of Hanford or early Richland-related artworks. u “The Hanford Story in Sand” with “America’s Got Talent” champion Kseniya Simonova, a sand artist, 7 p.m. Sept. 5-6, Hanford High School Auditorium. Simonova will use her sand art talent to tell the Hanford story. Hanford High orchestra will be performing with her. Cost is $25 plus service fee at brownpapertickets.com. u “I’m Not Done Glowing Yet!” with comedian Paul Rodriguez, 8 p.m. Sept. 12-14, Joker’s Comedy Club,

Courtesy Hanford History Project at Washington State University Tri-Cities Pictured is a float created by General Electric to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the startup of B Reactor during the 1954 Atomic Frontier Days parade. Written on the back of the photograph is “Vivian Helgeson, Bob Loeffelbein on float.” There are no identifications for the others. The city of Richland will hold Atomic Frontier Day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 14 at Howard Amon Park to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Hanford.

Richland. Cost is $30 plus service fee at brownpapertickets.com. u Day’s Pay lecture, 3-4:30 p.m. Sept. 12 and 4-6 p.m. Sept. 13, Richland Public Library. Descendants of the Day’s Pay crew will discuss the role of their parents in the war and impact Hanford’s employees made in the war effort. u Atomic Frontier Day, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sept. 14,

Revamped Tri-Fun program offers food, venue deals BY ELSIE PUIG

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Get a digital pass to experience some of the Tri-Cities’ best locally-owned dining and entertainment options for a fraction of the cost. Tri-Fun, a membership-based program providing deals at local eateries and venues, is growing under new ownership. Jane Winslow, owner of WinSome Design in Richland, bought Tri-Fun from Preston House, owner of the Tri-City Papa John’s franchise, in September 2017. House launched Tri-Fun in December 2016. WinSome Design, a brand development and marketing firm, rebuilt the e-commerce portion of the website to make it easier for participating venues and for members to redeem their rewards. Winslow said she has grown membership about three times since she took over the business and has more than doubled the amount of participating venues. “We reimagined it from the ground up to make the customer experience easy,” Winslow said. “We’re pro-business. I care about businesses succeeding. We needed to make it easier for us to sell the program, it has to be a no brainer and it has to be super slick.” Here’s how it works: To redeem benefits, members use a special code online

provided by the business. Members can either buy an Experience Pass or a Dining Pass — a new membership option not previously available. For a $50 annual membership, Experience Pass members can participate in more than 20 activities at 19 different venues, including chocolate candy making party at Baum’s House of Chocolate, a live concert and appetizer at Emerald of Siam, a glass fusing project at The Glass Punty, a watercolor paint and sip event at The Wet Palette: Uncork + Create, or ice skating at the Toyota Arena. It also includes museum admission to the East Benton County History Museum and the Reach Museum, among other benefits. The total value of the Experience Pass is $345, or the cost to visit each of the venues separately. “The best benefit of the Tri-Fun Experience Pass is that we have things for everybody, for little kids, teens, as well as adults and seniors,” Winslow said. The Dining Pass offers 10 buy one, get one free entrées that can be used at 20 different local restaurants, including Foodies, Foodies Too, Kimo’s, Emerald of Siam, Europa, Frost Me Sweet, Nomad, Fast & Curryous and more. The total value of the dining pass is $225. For participating businesses, Tri-Fun is uTRI-FUN, Page 51

Howard Amon Park, Richland. City of Richland festivities include a souvenir scavenger hunt, activities for kids, a parade, exhibitors, mess hall dinner, historical tours and demonstrations. Free. u The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, 7 p.m. Sept. 19, Richland High Auditorium. Cost is $25 plus service fee at brownpapertickets.com. Richland High’s uHANFORD, Page 51

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

RECREATION, From Page 48 athletic competitive experience and improve timing accuracy for swimming events. The Prosser Aquatic Center has two pools, a competitive lap pool and a recreational pool. The competitive pool is used for training by the 115-member Piranhas swim team, is the site for weekly meets in the summer for eight regional teams and hosts three high school girls swim teams. Prosser will contribute $25,988 in cash and staff labor. The Blue Mountain Land Trust in Walla Walla received $284,500 to buy a voluntary land preservation agreement on 652 acres of farmland next to other conserved land. The land boasts 360-degree views of Walla Walla and the Blue Mountains, making it a prime target for development despite its productivity as farmland. An easement will prevent development, ensuring that this land remains in

farmland production, according to grant documents. Blue Mountain Land Trust will contribute $284,500 in a donation of land value and a federal grant. With the state Legislature’s approval of the capital budget, the grants were awarded through seven different grant programs. Revenue comes from a mix of federal grants, the sale of state bonds, gas taxes and user fees. “Not only do these grants support our state’s parks, forests and farms, but they also fuel a powerful outdoor recreation economy that puts about 200,000 people to work and generates more than $26 billion in spending every year,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a news release. “At a time when public lands are more and more at risk of being developed or lost altogether, these grants prioritize our outdoor spaces so that current and future generations can continue to enjoy and protect them.”

Tourism & Travel

Courtesy state Recreation and Conservation Office The city of Pasco will use a $660,839 state recreation grant to build a two-lane boat launch at Schlagel Park. Benton and Franklin counties received more than $1.8 million to pay for seven projects.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Tourism & Travel TRI-FUN, From Page 49 a free marketing program. WinSome Design invests in direct mail, social media, video, streaming media for digital downloads, as well as feather flags, table tents and rack cards to promote Tri-Fun membership and benefits to customers. “It’s great for small businesses because they don’t have a ton of money to put into marketing, it’s slow organic growth,” she said. “We help with that.” The businesses have to sign a contract agreeing to participate for a year. There’s no fees associated for businesses to participate at this time. Becky Brice, owner of The Wet Palette in Richland, has signed on. “I wouldn’t continue to be a venue if I wasn’t experiencing a positive return for my business, just in the amount of branding and exposure I get for my business and associating with other venues that are local and striving to create a culture in Tri-Cities that shops local,” she said. “I was a venue before the overhaul and Jane made it 10 to 20 times better,” Brice said. “She has always been attentive and helpful. She knows because she has also built a small local business.” Another benefit to participating companies is the passes provide them with an up-sell opportunity on items and services not provided through the pass. “When Preston approached me that summer, he was looking for a business that he knew would take care of his venues,” Winslow said. “To the businesses we partner with, we are a free marketing

HANFORD, From Page 49

Photo by Elsie Puig Becky Brice, right, owner of The Wet Palette: Uncork + Create in Richland, is one of the local discounted dining and experiences participating in the TriFun program owned by Jane Winslow.

program. We market them as part of TriFun to drive customers to their business. On the customer-facing side, we provide a heck of a deal to locally owned-businesses and restaurants.” Experience passes are sold per person — not family — but passes can be shared among family members. For example, if you buy four Experience Passes, each pass must be used by a different person. So even though you buy four, your two children cannot each take two classes at Academy of Children’s Theatre, valued at up to $100 each. Each child could take a class and each could take a friend, resulting in all four passes being used.

Gift cards for Tri-Fun passes also are available. In the future, Winslow hopes to add more venues, restaurants and experiences — especially in the theater and performing arts sector — and offer additional passes. “We’re picky about who we add and why. I want locally owned-businesses and different experiences, no franchises or licensees,” Winslow said. “I would love to take this on the road and build this in other small markets as well,” she said. » Tri-Fun: tri-fun.com; 509-531-0121; info@tri-fun.com.

orchestra will be opening and performing with the group. u Mid-Columbia Symphony’s “From the Vault,” 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21, Richland High Auditorium. The symphony will honor its past by performing pieces the orchestra played in the 1940s and ’50s. Tickets range from $10 to $56 at midcolumbiasymphony.org. u Ride the Reactor, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 21. A variable-distance mountain bike or cyclocross ride that begins and ends at the B Reactor. Route uses paved and gravel roads. Limited to up to 150 cyclists. Cost is $40 which includes ride, catered lunch and tour of B Reactor. Register: visittri-cities.com. u Mid-Columbia Mastersingers’ “Nuclear Dreams: An Oral History of the Hanford Site,” 6 p.m. Sept. 27-28 and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 29, inside B Reactor facility’s main room. An oratorio for chamber chorus, small orchestra and two soloists that explores the memories, night dreams and inner lives of people who lived on the land or worked at Hanford. Music by Reginald Unterseher. Libretto by Nancy Welliver. Transportation provided by bus. Cost is $75 at mcmastersingers.org. u Richland Players’ 75th anniversary performances, August to May 2020. The community theater group celebrates its diamond anniversary with a retrospective of plays performed over the past 75 years, one from each decade, plus a play to represent going forward to the next 75 years. For full schedule of events, go to mcmastersingers.org.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Business Profile

New laundry service sees loads of customers

Richland woman opens service to pick up, wash, laundry, return to door BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A new laundry service company will pick up bags of dirty laundry from your home and return them cleaned, folded, grouped or on hangers within 48 hours. “This is basically DoorDash for your laundry,” said Richelle Davis, owner of Unhampered Laundry. With weekly service starting at $36 for a large bag that holds up to three loads, Davis said her business has grown every week since she opened this spring. “Nobody likes to do their own laundry. And if you’re going to be involved in the service business, you need to do something that people don’t want to do for themselves,” she said. Hannah Ungricht of Richland has been using the service for a few months and she’s a believer. “The ease of never having to leave my house has made this a service I can’t live without. Richelle ironed all of my husband’s work clothes and with a newborn at home, this was such a major relief to me. She made it easy and quick. Richelle is personable and professional. I would recommend her

“Nobody likes to do their own laundry. And if you’re going to be involved in the service business, you need to do something that people don’t want to do for themselves.” - Richelle Davis, Unhampered Laundry

to anyone. And honestly, seeing the clothes on their hangers and in the nice plastic bags made my heart leap with joy,” Ungricht said. Davis said she comes from a family of entrepreneurs involved in multiple businesses. “I’ve always known that’s just the way to go for me,” she said. After past careers as a hair dresser and a preschool teacher, she brainstormed with her mother to come up with a business she could undertake on her own. “I am big on filling needs in the market and we needed a laundry service. uLAUNDRY, Page 55

Richelle Davis launched Unhampered Laundry from her Richland home, providing a laundry pickup and delivery service for families and businesses. Courtesy 400 Lux Photography

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Business Profile

Custom-made BYOB bar ready to roll Tri-City sisters transform trailer into mobile bar available for event rental BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A rusty horse trailer transformed into a sleek white mobile bar is completely refurbished and ready for event bookings or Facebook-worthy photos that could have brides-to-be swooning. It’s been a work in progress for Kennewick sisters Amanda Hickman and Josie Michel who got the idea from a friend who intended to start his own business using a horse trailer. “A friend of mine in Wyoming texted me a picture of a mobile bar and said, ‘I think this is going to be my next journey.’ And I thought, ‘That’s really cool,’ and my sister and I started looking into it and found they’re all over Pinterest and Instagram, but there’s nothing like that in the Tri-Cities,” Hickman said. The sisters spent about $1,500 on a 1979 stock trailer and invested $15,000 to $20,000 to make it ready for their new business, Patty Wagon Touring Taps, which launched in May. “It was pretty rusty but the foundation was solid,” Hickman said. For a $600 fee, the Patty Wagon can be brought to an event for four hours to be

Courtesy Patty Wagon Taps

A mobile bar is available for rent thanks to the conversion of a 40-year-old stock trailer. Customers purchase their own alcohol to be served out of Patty Wagon Touring Taps.

used primarily for serving beverages, but also could be used to host desserts or other foods in an appealing display. Customers buy their own alcohol to serve, though the sisters can be hired as licensed bartenders for an additional $50 an hour. “That way, we don’t have to have a liquor license. It takes that liability off us, though we do carry liquor liability insurance,” Hickman said. The trailer also includes multiple taps that could be used for beer, soda or even

kombucha. At public events, Patty Wagon Taps is equipped to pour drinks from bottles or cans into glasses, but at private events, it has the ability to serve up mixed drinks. The sister entrepreneurs expect most bookings will be for outdoor venues, but the trailer is small enough to fit inside an event center as well. “A lot of places don’t have a bar already. A bride might want the trailer to go with her vision for her wedding,” Hickman said. “The venues aren’t going

to seek us out. But on private property, most people don’t have a bar, so it would be beneficial for them if we came in and set it up.” Having just launched at the prime wedding season when most events are already fully planned, the women are starting to receive bookings in town, and even out of state, but much of their summer schedule is still open. “We’ve had a lot of inquiries, but we realize it’s probably going to be mostly a wedding thing, that would be our bread and butter. And brides don’t plan those a month in advance. So we’re hoping we get next year booked up,” Hickman said. The wagon is booked for the BentonFranklin Fair and Rodeo where it will be part of the Hometown Makers Market and its Sip and Stroll event. The business is named after the sisters’ grandmother, Patty, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday. “We asked, ‘What do you want for your birthday party?’ And she said, ‘I want a kegger.’ She’s a lovely lady from the greatest generation. She is always down for a good time and just provided that space where people wanted to go celebrate. We would love to have people want to have us because we provide the atmosphere for a good time, like she always did.” » Patty Wagon Taps: Facebook; Instagram; pattywagontaps@gmail.com.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

uAWARDS & HONORS • For the third consecutive time, Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, known as the vit plant, has earned the U.S. Department of Energy’s highest certification for excellence in occupational and health protection. The vit plant was first awarded Voluntary Protection Program Star status in 2010 and was recertified in 2014 and again this year. Contractors whose programs meet requirements for outstanding safety and health programs receive this recognition. Earlier this year, a VPP team from DOE headquarters conducted a site review to gauge employee and management involvement in safety programs.

The team noted several positive attributes of the job site’s culture and worker-safety programs, including management observations, culture and safety committees, and stop-work authority. The review team also noted that management expectations are communicated effectively and there is a trusting and respectful environment among workers and management. • Janet Bryant will receive the 2020 Award for Volunteer Service from the American Chemical Society. This award is presented annually to honor volunteer efforts that have served ACS and contributed to the organization’s goals and objectives. Bryant is being honored for her holistic and strategic approach to volunteerism, unwavering commitment

to empowering chemists, and proven track record of translating goals and needs into tangible actions. Bryant, recently retired after 38 years with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been an ACS member for more than 20 years. During this time, she has been deeply involved in a number of society activities and committees, with a particular focus on career building, networking and the advancement of women in the chemical sciences. She has served as the chair of the ACS Women Chemists Committee, the ACS Richland Section and the ACS Division of Business Development & Management, among others. As part of her award, Bryant will deliver the keynote address at the ChemLuminary Awards ceremony during the fall 2020

ACS National Meeting and Exposition in San Francisco. • The city of Pasco was named one of 20 finalists for the national All-America City award from by the National Civic League, but did not win it. The award application involved a description of three community projects focused on celebrating examples of civic engagement practices that advance health equity in local communities. Pasco’s three projects submitted for consideration were the Hot Spotters mental health program, Tri-Cities Community Health’s “Let’s Prevent Diabetes/Prevengamos las Diabetes,” and Pasco School District-Columbia Basin College’s Food Student Support Program. • Blaine Tamaki and Vito de la Cruz of Tamaki Law, which has an office in Kennewick, were selected as 2019 Super Lawyers honorees. This is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Megan Hale of Tamaki Law was selected as a 2019 Rising Stars honoree. To be eligible, a candidate must be 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. While up to 5 percent of the lawyers in a state are named to Super Lawyers, no more than 2.5 percent are named to Rising Stars. • Yong Wang, a laboratory fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, received the 2019 Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Practice Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He Yong Wang was recognized for his pioneering contributions to catalysis and chemical reaction engineering. The internationallyrecognized researcher is known for the development of novel catalytic materials and reaction engineering that convert fossil and biomass feedstocks into important industrial products, such as chemicals and fuels. Wang has been a leading researcher in catalysis at PNNL since 1994, where he assumed the position of associate director of the Institute for Integrated Catalysis in 2008. • Hanford site contractors were recognized by The Green Electronics Council and managers of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment tool for their efforts to protect the environment by using sustainable electronics. The contractors, which include CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co., HPMC occupational medical services, Mission Support Alliance, Washington River Protection Solutions and Wastren Advantage were among 59 worldwide winners to receive an award from the council and EPEAT. EPEAT is a ranking system that helps companies compare and select office equipment that helps reduce environmental impacts. Ranking criteria include greenhouse gas emissions, hazardous waste production and total energy usage. In 2018, over 95 percent of the electronics bought by Hanford contractors met the EPEAT standards.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019 LAUNDRY, From Page 52 There are zero pickup and delivery services here,” Davis said. “I’m good with laundry. I’m good with learning things I need to learn and how to be good at whatever I need to be good at, so I went for it.” After starting out with a standard washer and dryer based out of her Richland home, Davis is already looking at expanding due to immediate demand. She said word of mouth has been strong and she isn’t just doing laundry for families, but has a number of commercial accounts for the health care industry, massage therapists and long-haul truckers. Even companies who fly in corporate executives use her 24-hour express service while in town temporarily. Unhampered Laundry differs from a dry cleaner by offering pickup and delivery and also the service of washing clothes versus dry cleaning. “It’s quite expensive for a dry cleaner to do your laundry because that’s not their specialty. That’s kind of a side service for them, whereas that’s my main service,” Davis said. “You can save money by going through me, but you also get the pickup and delivery. Big cities have this service but we hadn’t gotten there yet.” To start service with Unhampered Laundry, Davis meets with a customer in person to assess the amount of laundry needing to be cleaned and delivers the bags for clothes and linens to be picked up in. Clients sign a damage waiver and

complete a detailed questionnaire on preferences. “If they want me to never use hot water or if they use softener, or no softener, scented or unscented, so it’s done exactly the way they like,” Davis said. “We decide if everything’s going to be folded or hung. All of that is included. If I provide the hangers, it’s 20 cents a hanger. If they provide the hangers, that service is included.” For the first visit, a customer must be home, but after that, laundry can be left outside the door and returned to the same spot cleaned, folded uniformly and wrapped in commercial-grade plastic wrap, grouping like items together so customers just needs to unwrap and put away. “I haven’t had an unhappy customer. I haven’t had anyone try it and not continue,” Davis said. Items returned on hangers are covered in plastic garment bags. For an additional $10, Davis will drop off and pick up dry cleaning at your preferred location so that the entire experience is a one-stop laundry service. She’ll also iron clothes for $2 per item. Large bedding is extra, too. “I’m one of those people who enjoys vacuum lines in carpet and making sure things are done really perfectly,” she said. She just has less time for her own family’s laundry. “I’m left to do it late at night or on the weekends,” she said. » Unhampered Laundry: 509-212-9945; unhamperedlaundry.net; Facebook.

uRETIREMENT Debbie Bone-Harris, Franklin PUD’s senior public affairs manager, will be retiring at the end of November. Bone-Harris began her career at Franklin PUD in 2003 and has held various roles throughout the utility with responsibility for community events, communications, legislative affairs and public involvement. She spent hours educating customers and the public about the value of the federal Columbia and Snake river dam system, working with state and federal legislators in Olympia and Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Franklin PUD, she spent 20 years working at Hanford in various positions. She holds a number of leadership roles including sitting on the Pasco

uDONATIONS • Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance recently donated $12,000 to the Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia to support the Read-Up program. The money was used to buy summer libraries for more than 380 incoming third-graders in the Tri-Cities who may not otherwise have access to books during the summer months. This is the second year that MSA has supported this program. • Lamb Weston presented Washington State University Tri-Cities with a $25,000 check to support the campus’ food pantry program called

Chamber of Commerce, Visit Tri-Cities and Tri-Cities Legislative Council Board of Directors, as well as previously sitting on Debbie Bone-Harris the Board of Directors for Tri-City Development Council. In the electric industry she serves on boards for the Washington Public Utility District Association, Northwest Public Power Association and the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association. She also was well-known for serving as chair of the Small Business Awards Banquet, which ran for 20 years.

the Cougar Cupboard. The money will go toward a new industrial freezer, salaries for student workers who will ensure that the cupboard will remain open longer and the cost of additional food and toiletry items not regularly being provided. Lamb Weston also will provide $25,000 to the Cougar Cupboard program next year to support student salaries and the overall program, and has pledged an additional $25,000 for a third year. At WSU Tri-Cities, about 37 percent of students have identified that it is difficult for them to meet their daily living expenses, and 7 percent of students indicated they are at risk of homelessness. dust devils baseball… it will blow you away!

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Saturday - 8/3

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Russell Wilson Bobblehead Giveaway (first 500 fans) - Back to Basics Chiropractic Family Feast Night - CO-Energy

Sunday - 8/4

Baseball Card Giveaway (first 500 fans)

Sunday - 8/11

Tuesday - 7/23

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Kennewick company continues late owner’s legacy

Innovative Mortgage staff step up to serve after owner’s death BY ELSIE PUIG

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The team who worked with a Kennewick businessman known for his commitment to his family, his employees and his faith plan to honor their boss by continuing to run the business the same way he would. Dan Melior, 55, owner and mortgage broker at Innovative Mortgage, died May 12 from cancer. It blindsided everyone, as just two weeks prior, he was vacationing with his family in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 10 days. Two days prior to being diagnosed, he walked three miles with his wife Karla. He visited the doctor after he noticed his arm was swelling up; he thought he had contracted an infectious disease while on vacation. “He kept saying, ‘I just don’t feel quite right.’ They thought the initial diagnosis was wrong,” Karla said. Twelve days later he died. But his legacy clearly lives on in those whose lives he most impacted — his family, his colleagues and his community. On his Facebook page, an outpouring of messages of love and gratitude fill his wall with images containing special memories from those he shared his life with. Dave Retter, president and owner of Retter & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty in Kennewick, met Dan several years ago when his stepson worked as a mortgage officer for Dan, but they didn’t become close friends until about three years ago. They shared similar philosophies about life and business and a mutual love for the game of golf. “He was always about doing the right thing by his clients – that was so important to Dan and it was important to us as well,” Retter said. “We also shared the same philosophy about giving back to the community and leaving it a better place than how we found it.” Retter recalled Dan was the one who convinced him to take off Wednesday afternoons to golf with him. “I am 65 and have been doing real estate for 40 years. I never took a Wednesday afternoon off, but Dan convinced me that life is short and that we needed to take our time to get out of the office and communicate about work and life,” Retter said. They were both highly competitive in the game, Retter said. Dan always wanted to do “one shot better,” but that wouldn’t prevent him from helping Retter in the game by pointing out areas for improvement. “It’s just who he was; he was very special. Dan always wanted us to have a good day and shoot a good score,” Retter said. In addition to being an avid golfer, Dan loved traveling, hiking and fishing with his family. He and Karla have a daughter, Kayleen. “He worked out, he went to the gym, he was very active, he golfed two days

Karla Melior and her daughter Kayleen hold a photograph of the late Dan Melior outside Innovative Mortgage. Dan’s family and his Kennewick team plan to carry on Dan’s legacy at the mortgage broker business. Photo by Elsie Puig

week,” Karla said. Karla described how happy he was when they got to sail the Greek isles in catamarans. He was also very involved in his church — Bethel Church in Richland — and often led high school youth groups on mission trips to places like Haiti. He was a veteran, too, serving in Desert Storm in the Army after attending Eastern Washington University, which is where he and Karla met. Dan founded Innovative Mortgage in 2000. Before that, he was a wholesale rep for Household Finance before joining First Union in 1995. “When he started the company, he believed that if you run an honest company with integrity — he wanted to honor God in his business — it would be successful. He treated people with respect,” Karla said. Dan was known for the way he built his relationships, both professional and personal. His reputation is what attracted Mark Runsvold to work alongside him as a mortgage loan originator. “Before I joined the team, I knew Dan pretty well and loved his integrity and the way he did business,” Runsvold said. “One of the first deals we did together, it went sideways for reasons unrelated to us. I wanted to waive our whole fee, but I didn’t know what Dan wanted to do.” It turned out, Dan wanted to do the same. “That’s the guy I wanted to work for — someone who would do what is best not only for Innovative but also for the borrower. When something has to be fixed, he would pull out the checkbook and make it happen,” Runsvold said. Karla hopes to continue her husband’s legacy at Innovative Mortgage. It’s a family affair after all. She started managing the books for the company in 2008, after the two other owners left the business. Kayleen is working at the front desk in the office for the summer. She will be leaving to study abroad in Greece in September. Karla will continue to own the company, with Runsvold managing day-today operations. She said the Turks and Caicos trip

helped give her late husband comfort and peace of mind that the business “can go on without me.” “We talked about the business and what would happen,” Karla said. “He told me they did a great job; it ran great. I think that was God preparing me, knowing he would go.” “It was a good practice. We needed to have our stuff together for him,” Runsvold said. “He was expecting he would have a lot to do when he came back from vacation. We had tidied up his desk, and he

just had a couple of deposits he needed to do at the bank.” Karla mentioned that in the past he had been solicited to sell his company but had refused because he has always wanted to be loyal to his employees. “He gave so much to everybody,” she said. The team at Innovative Mortgage will continue to run the business as a way to honor him. “I want to carry that legacy forward for him,” Karla said.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

uAWARDS & HONORS

• Trios Health received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Target: Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes Trios’ commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. • Apollo Heating and Air of Kennewick received the Carrier President’s Award which recognizes Carrier dealers who exemplify leadership and management, customer

Public Record uSCHOLARSHIPS

satisfaction, expertise, business growth and operational excellence. • Roger Harnack of Sunnyside has been selected as a 2019 Golden Dozen commentary writer by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors. He is the regional publisher of Horizon Publications’ holdings in Eastern Washington, which include the Statesman-Examiner, The Sun, Deer Park Tribune, Mid-Week Extra and press plant operations. Harnack previously served as editor and publisher of Daily Sun News in Sunnyside and The OmakOkanogan County Chronicle in Omak.

More than $2 million in scholarship dollars were awarded to 89 students in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas to pursue STEM and health care degrees in Washington state through the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship program. The program aims to prepare students for Washington jobs by reducing barriers for low- and middle-income students to pursue high-demand science, technology engineering, math or health care degrees at eligible Washington state colleges and universities. Students receive up to $22,500 in scholarships, as well as mentorship and professional development to support the launch of their career in Washington.

uGRANTS Gov. Jay Inslee announced $5.8 million in grants to fight poverty in Washington. The Economic Security for All grants, awarded from the governor’s federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Statewide Activities fund, supports organizations in four local Workforce Development Areas which are developing plans and sustainable activities to improve the lives of families to above 200 percent of federal poverty level. Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council received more than $856,000 with the expected outcome of moving 138 families out of poverty. Proposed activities will focus on Connell, building a partnership around four pillars of support: transportation, health care, child care and employment. Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council will establish regular transportation to connect residents of Connell to opportunities and resources in the Tri-Cities; provide access to physical and mental health care; support access to affordable, reliable and quality child care; and focus employment and training efforts on high-demand occupations in Connell and the Tri-Cities. This model is designed to enable replication in other rural population centers in Washington, upon request.

uAPPOINTMENT Jared Balcom of Pasco, vice president of trade affairs the National Potato Council, was named to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade. This committee holds primary responsibility for providing agriculture industry Jared Balcom input to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. trade representative regarding U.S. trade policy. He joins 32 other chief executive officers, association executives and trade experts on the committee.

uACCREDITATION The U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce with 4-Star Accreditation for its sound policies, effective organizational procedures and positive impact on the community. This honor puts the regional chamber among the top 3 percent of chambers nationwide. It is now the only accredited chamber of commerce in Washington. Accreditation is a national program that recognizes chambers for their effective organizational procedures and community involvement. To receive accreditation, a chamber must meet minimum standards in its operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs and technology. This self-review can take six to nine months to complete.

PUBLIC RECORD uBANKRUPTCIES Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings: Chapter 7 — Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up non-exempt property and debt is charged. 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 Lori Ann Thomas, 1410 Mahan Ave., Richland. Clyde M. Reed, 3918 Charleston Lane, Pasco. Alexandru C. Gilca, 3604 Nottingham Drive, Richland. Luis A. Mendoza, 1804 W. 21st Ave., Kennewick. Lucio A. Nemecio, 51 N. Edison St., Kennewick. Michelle L. Chapa, 3312 S. Jean St., Kennewick. Darcy M. Sherman, 727 W. Albany Ave., Kennewick. Elsa R. Lopez, 1310 W. Fifth Ave., Kennewick. Jose and Lorena Hernandez, 1534 E. Spokane St., Pasco. Ann M. Martinez, 9420 W. Seventh Place, Kennewick. Tammy L. Pearson, 1963 Saint St., Richland. Joseph L. Collins, 5100 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Larry A. Kirby, 4910 Porlier Lane, Pasco.

Lealon A. Gordon Sr., PO Box 887, Pasco. Jennifer L. Johnson, 1005 Colena St., Prosser. Rebecca L. Ruff, 7528 W. Umatilla Ave., Kennewick. April M. Harris, 110 Babs Ave., Benton City. Joselin S. Astorga, 1600 W. Clark, Suite D, Pasco. Vaunda L. Olheiser, 1100 S. Sharron St., Kennewick. Phillip N. Farmer, 1850 Stevens Drive, Richland. Amanda K. Lindholm, 109 S. Joliet St., Kennewick. Thomas J. King, III, 1331 Perkins Ave., Richland. Jeffrey W. Jonas, 427 E. 15th Place, Kennewick. Israel Moore, 5820 Westminster Lane, Pasco. Raynaldo and Brenda Arevalo, 520 S. Beech, Pasco. Guadalupe A. Rivera-Madrigal, PO Box 5715, Pasco. Michelle E. Hyatt, 555 Cherokee St., Richland. Joel B. and Marsha A. Rehfeld, 1816 S. Palouse St., Kennewick. Refik Cordic, 9315 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco. Heather Phelps, 4705 S. Jean St., Kennewick. Franklin D. and Bethany R. Grayson, 5438 Fern Loop, West Richland. Jenifer S. Brigbey, 725 N. Pittsburgh St., Kennewick. Raquel E. Elorza, 141901 W. Buena Vista Road, Prosser. Oscar Ordaz, 2504 Spruce, Pasco. Alyssa K. Roberts., 5031 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Adrian Alcaraz, 6626 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco. Leah T. Linden, 6626 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco.

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Troy P. Hatfield, PO Box 127, Moses Lake. Karen Ward, 815 Main St., Prosser. CHAPTER 13 Jose L. Garcia, 4312 Valencia Drive, Pasco. Terry Fortner and Sharon K. Slaight, 4725 W. Grand Ronde Ave., Kennewick. Kelly R. Wing, 2005 W. 35th Ave., Kennewick. Andrea L. Mendez, 6409 Mission Ridge Drive, Pasco. Casey A. Skinner, 5100 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Thomas W. Lindberg, 1712 Birch Ave., Richland. Jeffrey M. and DaNeill R. Scherer, 2138 Hamilton Ave., Richland.

uJUDGMENTS The state can file lawsuits against people or businesses that do not pay taxes and then get a judgment against property that person or business owns. Judgments are filed in Benton-Franklin Superior Court. The following is from the Franklin County Superior Court Clerk’s Office.

Artlet Campbell, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Amanda M. Kinsey, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Brian S. Jacobs, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Rafael B. Torres, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Donita S. Ashley, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Rachel Villa, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Carlos H. Orantes, unpaid Employment

Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Alonzo S. Elizarraraz, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Josie M. Valdez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Amanda M. Bazan, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Carmen Lopez-Gonzalez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. Jose Miranda, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 5. El Tacoyote, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 5. Verdesian Life Sciences US, unpaid Department of Licensing taxes, filed June 5. Jose Merced Guzman Arreola, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 5. Humberto Mendoza, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Cecilia F. Randolph, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Manuel J. Sanchez Jr., unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Juan Ruelas, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Jose Garza, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Salvador Martinez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Jorge L. Rivera, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Arnaldo O. Castillo, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Yessica Vazquez, unpaid Employment

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 60

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509-547-9791

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;˘ July 2019â&#x20AC;&#x2C6;

PUBLIC RECORDS, From Page 59 Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Toby Vizenor, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 6. Genaro Pantoja Perez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 7. Cristian M. Gomez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 7. Roberto de Lamora, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 11. Pasco FBO Partners, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 12. Thomasson Double T Dairy, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 12. From the Heart Homes, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 12. Jose Paulo Contreras, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 12. Ainsworth Collision Center, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 12. Santo Campuzano, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 12. Kallin E. Fluaitt, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Darius J. Russell, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Maria S. Rodriguez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Francisco Cardenas, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Jesus F. Juarez Feliz, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Anthony R. Mancillas, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Neftali S. Camacho, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Elizabeth S. Mendoza, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Sarah Monty, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14.

Public Record Jesus U. Diaz, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Jesus M. Saldana, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Jose R. Arceo, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 14. Team Transportation, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 17. Cordencheder, LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed June 17. Vincente Armando Munoz, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed June 18. Washington Farm Contractor, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 19. Azpeitia Andres Lopez, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 19. Clemente Rodriguez, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 21. Quality Restoration Solutions, unpaid

Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 21. Carefree Meats, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 26. Carniceria Los Toreros, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 26. Jimenez Agri, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed June 26.

uBUILDING PERMITS Building permit values have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure. BENTON COUNTY HF Storage, 8106 S. Yew St., $1,533,300 for new commercial construction. Contractor: owner. Zirkle Fruit Company, 25402 N. Gap Road, $9,000 for HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. FRANKLIN COUNTY St. Vincent Catholic Church, 440 Bailie Blvd., Basin City, $19,700 for HVAC. Contractor: Jordan Mechanical Group. DT Warehouse, 110 Taylor Flats Road, $140,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: V K Powell Construction. Star School District, 24180 Pasco-Kahlotus Road, $15,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Reiboldt Mallonee Construction. KENNEWICK Kennewick School District, 560 W. Sixth Ave., $56,859,900 for new commercial construction, $74,061,700 for HVAC and $6,469,500 for plumbing. Contractors: Fowler General Construction and Apollo Sheet Metal. Kennewick School District, 630 S. Dayton St., $211,300 for new commercial construction and $13,500 for plumbing. Contractors: Fowler General Construction and Apollo Sheet Metal. Kennewick School District, 523 S. Dayton St., $24,500 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Fowler General Construction. Kennewick School District, 202 S. Dayton St., $36,100 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Fowler General Construction. HAPO Community Credit Union, 7601 W. Clearwater Ave., $275,000 for commercial remodel, $42,000 for HVAC and $6,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Siefken & Sons Construction, Total Energy Management and Riggle Plumbing. Tri-Cities Cancer Center, 7360 W. Deschutes Ave., $174,000 for tenant improvements and $23,00 for HVAC. Contractors: Bouten Construction Co. and Apollo Sheet Metal. Cynergy Enterprises, 4309 W. 27th Place, $126,700 for tenant improvements and $16,000 for plumbing. Contractors: AC Construction and Sierra Plumbing. Iglesia Tri-Cities, 221 S. Benton St., $90,000 for commercial construction. Contractor: Glacier Property Solutions. Smith Cove Partners, 3180 W. Clearwater Ave., $10,000 for plumbing. Contractor: Columbia River Plumbing & Mechanical. Tri-Cities Community Health, 721 S. Auburn St., $7,500 for plumbing. Contractor: Columbia River Plumbing & Mechanical. Kennewick School District, 930 W. Fourth Ave., $22,400 for new commercial construction and $7,500 for plumbing. Contractors: Pacific Mobile Structures and Columbia River Plumbing & Mechanical. Fortunato, 6500 W. Clearwater Ave., $15,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: KMM Telecommunications. Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $102,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Retail Fixture Solutions. Bruceco, 5003 W. Brinkley Road, $35,000

uPUBLIC RECORDS, Page 61

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Public Record PUBLIC RECORDS, From Page 60 for an antenna. Contractor: Northwest Tower of Washington. Kennewick School District, 3520 Southridge Blvd., $15,800 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Pacific Mobile Structures. Kennewick School District, 6411 W. 38th Ave., $125,100 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Pacific Mobile Structures. Whitten Properties, 3115 W. Kennewick Ave., $30,00 for demolition. Contractor: Leone & Keeble. Crossview Church, 540 N. Colorado St., $17,000 for miscellaneous. Contractor: owner. Lakeside Tri-Cities, 5100 W. Clearwater Ave., $54,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing. Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $78,700 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Impact Installations. Numercia Credit Union, 3115 W. Kennewick Ave., $2,089,600 for commercial remodel, $200,000 for HVAC and $100,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Leone & Keeble, Bruce Heating & Air and Columbia River Plumbing & Mechanical. KLB 4862 Hildebrand, 4862 W. Hildebrand Blvd., $10,000 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group. Corvalis WA, 867 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $2,479,600 for commercial remodel, $85,500 for HVAC and $44,700 for plumbing. Contractors: Parkway Construction & Architecture, Apollo Sheet Metal and Edge Plumbing. Kennewick Baptist Church, 2436 W. Albany Ave., $9,600 for HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. Apple Washington, 606 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $20,900 for HVAC. Contractor: Ringold Refrigeration. 27th Ave. Self Storage, 311 W. 27th Ave., $6,500 for a sign. Contractor: Cascade Sign & Fabrication. WW Real Estate, 10379 W. Clearwater Ave., $15,700 for tenant improvements. Contractor: MH Construction. Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $154,400 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Peach State Roofing. State of Washington, 524 S. Bruneau Ave., $123,200 for HVAC. Contractor: Jordan Mechanical Group. City of Kennewick, 9300 W. 10th Ave., $482,100 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Premier Excavation. Avalon Court Tweedt, 801 N. Tweedt St., $14,800 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Atelier Custom Design. AAA Storage Depot, 6026 W. Clearwater Ave., $39,000 for a sign. Contractor: O’Brien Construction. Columbia Center Investments, 1102 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $8,000 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs. RBJKK Ventures, 609 N. Tweedt St., $5,000 for HVAC. Contractor: All Climate Services. HAPO Community Credit Union, 7601 W. Clearwater Ave., $150,000 for tenant improvements, $10,000 for HVAC and $5,000 for plumbing. Contractors: owner, Apollo Sheet Metal and Riggle Plumbing. Columbia Plaza, 6855 W. Clearwater Ave., $7,100 for HVAC. Contractor: Apollo Sheet Metal. Wolff Grandridge, 725 N. Center Parkway, $8,100 for plumbing. Contractor: Roto Rooter Service. PASCO John Liniger, 1620 E. Salt Lake St., $80,600 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner. Goodwill, 322 W. Columbia St., $19,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Bosch II Construction. City of Pasco, 3624 Road 100, $59,400 for demolition. Contractor: Adrist Enterprises. Port of Pasco, 2405 E. Ainsworth Ave., $62,700 for tenant improvements. Contractor: owner. Lawrence B Stone, 216 S. Sixth Ave., $22,200 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Tom O’Brien Construction. McCurley, 9620 Sandifur Parkway, $41,200 for commercial remodel and $8,700 for a fire

alarm system. Contractors: North West Handling Systems and Cascade Fire Protection. Marathon Building, 5024 Road 68, $59,600 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Leslie & Campbell. Prieto Enterprises, 3526 E. A St., $503,100 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Prieto Landscaping. Jay Brantingham, 2920 Travel Plaza Way, $1,253,600 for new commercial construction an $40,100 for plumbing. Contractor: CRF Metal Works. Hogback Sandifur, 7425 Sandifur Parkway, $386,600 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Stephens & Sons Construction. Aaron Lingle, 951 S. Road 40 E., $711,500 for new commercial construction. Contractor: NW Underground Utilities. Robert Olson, 2811 N. 20th Ave., $5,800 for commercial addition. Contractor: Campbell & Company. Numerica Credit Union, 4845 Broadmoor Blvd., $92,200 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Leone & Keeble. Franklin County, 6600 Burden Blvd., $63,000 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs. Pasco School District, 125 S. Wehe Ave., $60,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: to be determined. Pasco School District, 6001 Road 84, $60,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: to be determined. Pasco School District, 8125 W. Argent Road, $180,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: to be determined. Pasco School District, 715 N. 24th Ave., $60,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: to be determined. Pasco School District, 1801 E. Sheppard St., $60,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: to be determined. Pasco School District, 2803 Road 88, $120,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: to be determined. Tires 4 Less, 701 N. Oregon Ave., $15,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: owner. Compass Investments, 2145 N. Commercial Ave., $1,487,500 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Rotschy. Port of Pasco, 2505 E. Ainsworth, $110,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: to be determined. PROSSER Mercer Wine Estates, 3100 Lee Road, $139,500 for HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. RICHLAND WRP Washington, 1711 George Washington Way, $850,000 for tenant improvements. Contractors: Stephens & Sons Construction and W McKay Construction. Kadlec Regional Medical Center, 888 Swift Blvd., $353,500 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Bouten Construction Co. 7-Eleven #14428, 415 Wright Ave., $12,000 for HVAC. Contractor: Source Refrigeration. Corp of Catholic Bishop, 1111 Stevens Drive, $57,300 for HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. Yakima Federal Savings & Loans, 3100 Duportail St., $2,150,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Banlin Construction Co. Savage Stone Holdings, 1440 Battelle Blvd., $200,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Apogee Logistics. Traum Ventures, 50 Comstock St., $80,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Apex Build & Remodel. Vandervert Development & Hospitality, 404 Bradley Blvd., Suite 106, $16,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Western Equipment Sales. Corp of Catholic Bishop, 2139 Van Giesen ST., $49,400 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Columbia Basin Sheet Metal. Caspian Holdings, 1780 Fowler St., $21,300 for HVAC. Contractor: Bruce Heating & Air. Prospere Ventures, 702 The Parkway, $703,600 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Booth & Sons Construction. INW Investments, 2564 Robertson Drive, $656,300 for new commercial construction.

Contractor: Apex Contracting. Familia Smith, 1295 Fowler St., $6,143,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: W McKay Construction. Del Ray Development, 179 Reata Road, $1,111,100 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Teton West of Washington. Port of Benton, 2094 Butler Loop, $526,600 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Top Tree Service. Kadlec Regional Medical Center, 945 Goethals Drive, $250,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Bouten Construction Co. Accent Signs, 72 Wellsian Way, $8,500 for HVAC. Contractor: Welch Heating & A/C. Richland School District, 504 Wilson St., $736,600 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Jimmy’s Roofing. Oregon Metalurgic, 3101 Kingsgate Way, $49,900 for HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company. Richland School District, 1525 Hunt Ave., $1,200,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: G2 Commercial Construction. Lamb Weston, 1933 Hagen Road, $3,500,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Fisher Construction Group. Richland Investments, 1515 George Washington Way, $68,900 for HVAC. Contractor: Pancho’s Heating & Cooling. WEST RICHLAND Kennedy Mall Investments, 4001 Kennedy Road, $5,200 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Belza Painting & Resurfacing. City of West Richland, 3100 Belmont Blvd., $9,400 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Cascade Fire Protection. Red Mountain RV Park, 7300 W. Van Giesen St., $15,000 for a sign. Contractor: YESCO. YCW Desertview, 6500 Desert View Drive, $45,000 for a sign. Contractor: J&M Masonry & Construction.

uPUBLIC RECORDS, Page 62

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

PUBLIC RECORDS, From Page 61

uTOP PROPERTIES Top property values listed start at $500,000 and have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure. BENTON COUNTY 3887 W. Seventh Ave., Kennewick, 1.87 acres of commercial land. Price: $2,930,000. Buyer: Sunset Ridge 3887. Seller: BMB Development. 3120 Clark Court, West Richland, 4,786-square-foot, residential home on 2.5 acres. Price: $1,115,000. Buyer: Bryce and Brittany Kelly. Seller: Kevin and Megen Sund. Veneto Street and Tuscanna Drive, Richland, 8 lots of undeveloped land. Price: $552,000. Buyer: Unified Ventures. Seller: Te Amo Rapido. 4456 Highview St., Richland, 6,158-squarefoot, residential home on 0.72 acres. Price: $755,000. Buyer: Nathan and Britni Watkins. Seller: Kurtis and Angela Kraemer. 29005 S. Spirit Lane, Kennewick, 1,952-square-foot, residential home on 6.13 acres. Price: $530,000. Buyer: Brandon Dahl and Meredith Gold Dahl. Seller: John and Leann Kent. 2421 W. 51st Ave., Kennewick, 2,481-square-foot, residential home. Price: $500,000. Buyer: Riley and Sarah Dynes. Seller: James and Darla Morgan. 2315 Morency Drive, Richland, 1,899-square-foot, residential home. Price: $596,000. Buyer: Travis and Nickole Perry. Seller: Hageman Custom Home. 6425 W. John Day Ave., Kennewick, 22,000-square-foot, commercial building on 1.14 acres. Price: $2,100,000. Buyer: Dumas Wollochett. Seller: Kenyakmb. 4949 Rau Lane, Richland, 2,347-square-foot, residential home on 1.1 acres. Price: $544,100. Buyer: Tiffany and Jessus Torres. Seller: Alma and Henry Rau. 2552 Falconcrest Loop, Richland, 1 lot of undeveloped land. Price: $777,900. Buyer: Linda and Trung Nguyen. Seller: Prodigy Homes. 1382 Country Ridge Drive, Richland, 3,777-square-foot, residential home on 0.94 acres. Price: $725,300. Buyer: Kenneth Wilhelm and Cha Hun. Seller: Richard and Connie Kobelski. 1492 Meadow Hills Drive, Richland, 3,571-square-foot, residential home. Price: $825,000. Buyer: Kori and Troy Swallow. Seller: Don Pratt Construction. 955 Allenwhite Drive, Richland, 2,563-square-foot, residential home. Price: $564,900. Buyer: Robert and Pamela Bolls. Seller: Martin and Antionette Doornbos. 1111 Country Ridge Drive, Richland, 3,190-square-foot, residential home on 0.7 acres. Price: $690,000. Buyer: Samuel and Angela Grover. Seller: Scott and Lauri Sax. 2132 Legacy Lane, Richland, 1 lot of undeveloped land. Price: $650,000. Buyer: David and Sarah Mun. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights. 1915 N. Steptoe, Kennewick, 4,476-squarefoot, commercial building. Price: $1,292,500., Buyer: William Frazier. Seller: Robert and Julia Grazian Trustees. 98906 E. Clover Road, Kennewick, 2,212-square-foot, residential home on 2.23 acres. Price: $569,900. Buyer: Christine Tamburello. Seller: Charles and Yvonne Petsch. 1273 Aaron Drive, Richland, 0.53 acres of commercial land. Price: $570,000. Buyer: Zenitram Properties III. Seller: Timothy and Kathryn Bush Trustees. 1608 Lucca Lane, Richland, 3,866-squarefoot, residential home. Price: $721,000. Buyer: Michael and Denise Hagood. Seller: Robert and Linda Russell. 423 Sundance Drive, Richland, 2,475-square-foot, residential home. Price: $512,500. Buyer: Kristopher and Amy Kennedy. Seller: Lynn Ramos. Wild Canyon Way and Broken Top Ave., Richland, 48 lots of undeveloped land. Price: $4,130,000. Buyer: Pahlisch Homes at Horn Rapids. Seller: North Stone Richland. 4201 S. Coulee Vista Drive, Kennewick, 2,458-square-foot, residential home on 0.9 acres. Price: $536,900. Buyer: Michael and

Jessica Marshall. Seller: Ben and Katie Nipper. 506 S. Agua Mansa Court, Kennewick, 1,946-square-foot, residential home on 2.47 acres. Price: $629,900. Buyer: Todd Rogers. Seller: Raymond and Jill Klann. 73002 E. Reata Road, Kennewick, 2,576-square-foot, residential home. Price: $528,500. Buyer: William and Teresa Hyde. Seller: Robert Thorson. 5011 W. 18th Ave., Kennewick, 5,764-square-foot, residential home. Price: $1,400,000. Buyer: Jason and Alexis Tuck. Seller: Scott and Crystal Carroll. 1074 Allenwhite Drive, Richland, 2,008-square-foot, residential home. Price: $572,000. Buyer: Joseph and Hayley Vincent. Seller: Manouchehr Kaviani. FRANKLIN COUNTY 12103 Blackfoot Drive, Pasco, 2,562-square-foot, residential home. Price: $551,300. Buyer: Nathan and Christine Grimm. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction. 1910 W. Dogwood Road, Pasco, 141 acres of agricultural land. Price: $1,700,000. Buyer: White Bravo II. Seller: Paul Herr. 6603 Sandy Ridge Road, Pasco, 2,463-square-foot, residential home. Price: $527,700. Buyer: Claudia Theroff. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction. 11920 Harris Road, Pasco, 2,769-squarefoot, residential home on 176 acres Price: $875,000. Buyer: Timothy and Kathryn Bush Trustees. Seller: Jeffrey and Julie Wiersma. Undisclosed location, 1.61 acres of commercial land. Price: $1,684,200. Buyer: Spokane Teachers Credit Union. Seller: Lee Eickmeyer. 12207 Blackfoot Drive, Pasco, 2,499-square-foot, residential home. Price: $503,000. Buyer: Conel and Meri Layne. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction.

uBUSINESS LICENSES More business licenses can be found online at http://bit.ly/TCPublicRecord

KENNEWICK Exclusive Studio Designs, 5215 W. Clearwater Ave. HarvestMoore, 5408 W. 26th Ave. Deacy Mechanical, 45605 E. Ruppert Road, Benton City. CaringHearts Social Services, 5219 W. Clearwater Ave. Aspen Limo Tours, 2406 S. Olympia St. Dr. Goodvape, 7903 W. Grandridge Blvd. Cheesse Lawn Care, 503 N. Jean St. Royal Holland, 15 W. A St., Pasco. CBS Business Solutions, 5219 W. Clearwater Ave. Twem Hair Design, 8533 W. Deschutes Ave. Chuck E Cheese, 6340 W. Rio Grande Ave. Anderson Virtual Assisting, 9352 W. Ninth Place. Prayer Watch Christian Center, 602 S. Washington St. Stargait Therapy Clinic, 408 N. Volland St. Tribe of Wild, 127 W. Kennewick Ave. NGC General Construction, 4811 Antigua Drive, Pasco. Magoodaex, 5406 W. 25th Ave. SignCraft, 1120 Tieton Drive, Yakima. Westlake Properties, 5728 W. Kennewick Place. Corvalis, WA LLC, 867 N. Columbia Center Blvd. North 44 Quinalt, 5707 W. Quinault Ave. Marrott Construction, 4812 W. 19th Ave. A Balanced Massage by Valerie, 3908 S. Auburn St. Design by Robin, 8485 W. Gage Blvd. Energized Electric, 4444 N. Freya St., Spokane. Springhill Suites by Marriott – Kennewick, 7048 W. Grandridge Blvd. Biofeedback Plus, 15 N. Aurburn St. Casey’s Tool Box, 6311 Enzian Falls Drive, Pasco. Quality Roofing, 331 E. 27th Ave. Affinity Revolution, 801 N. Tweedt St. Mobile Strength, 4703 W. 21st Ave. Quality Landscaping, 1402 S. Gum St. Kustom Design Tileworks, 196810 E. 30th Ave.

Public Record Jessica’s Cleaning Services, 1204 N. Road 36, Pasco. Fabela Energy, 8820 Massey Drive, Pasco. Greenscapes, 5219 N. Shirley St., Ruston. J&L Construction, 4326 S. Anderson Place. Susan Rhode LMP, 8503 W. Clearwater Ave. Cascade Natural Gas Corp, 200 N. Union. El Guero Tacos Garcia, 6411 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Bliss Events, 102 N. Lincoln St. Excalibur Pizza 2, 420 S. Vancouver St. North 44 Homes, 5707 W. Quinault Ave. TC Life Hidden Treasure, 906 N. Cleveland St. Allstar Lighting, 3723 Serene Way, Lynnwood. R & Y Construction, 68911 S. Meals Road. Jeldonbrown, 8905 W. Gage Blvd. New Creation Homes, 70407 E. 710 PRNE, Richland. Robbins & Co. House Moving, 818 SW 142nd St., Burien. Garduno’s Insulation Services, 1724 W. 45th Ave. Synergy Medaesthetics, 7301 W. Deschutes Ave, Suite E. Liberty Home Inspections, 3908 Desert Plateau Drive, Pasco. Belza Painting and Resurfacing, 13507 S. Grandview Lane, Kennewick. Call the Roofer, 533 Cherokee St., Richland. Advanced Fireproofing & Insulation, 19007 E. Alki Ave., Spokane Valley. Mechanical & Machine Services, 2206 W. 19th Ave. Colts Painting and Restoration, 4511 W. Ninth Ave. Cindy House, 7535 W. Kennewick Ave. Bizibeeandco, 1614 W. 10th Ave. Mi Casa Cleaning Services, 5713 Wallowa Lane, Pasco. The Purple Chicken Garden and Crafts, 406 N. Quebec St. Jude Box Entertainment, 7803 W. Deschutes Ave. Columbia River Dahlias, 3272 S. Quincy St. JC Home Improvements, 506 S. Dawes St. Pratt and Company, 8309 W. 10th Ave. 1st Choice Wholesale, 619 S. Young Place. Stormi King, 4303 W. 27th Ave. Northwest Renewables, 2613 W. Eighth Ave., Spokane. Superior Wash, 2010 W. 19th Ave. Invest Northwest Financials, 552 N. Colorado St. Mr. G’s Bottle Works & Food Shop, 325 S. Union St. The Garrison Family Investments, 4328 S. Dennis Court. Huylar Construction Co, 12 S. Fir St., Toppenish. Transportation Solutions and Auto Sales, 240 N. Ely St. Handyman Construction, 2813 N. Road 48, Pasco. Tri-City Trees Landscaping, 2028 Newcomer Ave., Richland. MCS Quality Painting, 119 E. Fifth Ave. Hardin Rehab Homes, 1467 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla. Pacific Rim Yachts, 10 N. Washington St. Nico Solutions, 4303 S. Irby Loop. Tossled Tails, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Apairaplushies, 1102 S. Olympia Place. The Math Translator, 1030 N. Center Parkway. A-1 Shoes & Repair, 201 N. Edison St. Derose Industries, 104805 E. 1035 PRSE. Youssef Media, 6408 W. Victoria Ave. The Edith Experience, 500 W. First Ave. Project Performance Services, 1906 W. Third Ave. Chuy’s Car Wash & More, 709 S. Fir St. Crosspointe Apartments, 7803 W. Deschutes Ave. Dela Cruz Management, 3436 S. Conway Place. Crucito’z Landscaping, 9 E. 11th Ave. David’s Cleaning, 827 S. Ivy St. V & J, 418 N. Kellogg St. Triple J’s, 7522 W. Umatilla Ave. Fortis Coatings, 328 Canyon Creek Drive, Wenatchee. Tri-City Orthodontics, 3200 Duportail St., Richland. Bright Klean Services, 4617 Moline Lane, Pasco. Sean Hayes Flooring, 507 N. Louisiana St. Gala Events, 517 N. Conway Palce.

Millertime Fishing, 4207 S. Tacoma Place. Sion Drywall, 201303 E. Seventh Ave. Key & Jaz House Cleaning, 501 S. Larch St. Pointer Construction, 7301 W. Wernett Road, Pasco. Mercenary Combat Academy, 406 S. Vancouver St. Aarons Construction Company, 4815 W. Clearwater Ave. Alla Consulting, 907 S. Dawes St. Dunright Construction, 9802 Silverbright Drive, Pasco. Aesthetic Consulting & Investments, 4003 W. 43rd Ave. Jetts Transportation, 800 W. Columbia Drive. Marineland Medical Office, 5219 W. Clearwater Ave. Western Legal, 108 S. Kansas St. Trendsetters Barbershop and Shave Parlor, 3108 W. Clearwater Ave. Top Knotch, 6830 W. First Ave. Best Price Rooter and Plumbing, 41 Douglas Way, Wallula. Lucky Lindy’s Homemade Goods, 8631 W. Klamath Ave. Pro-Construction, 216220 E. Cochran Road. Badgley Consulting, 272 S. Osborne St. VM Transport, 1315 N. Dawes St. Crimson Power, 101904 E. Wiser Parkway. TNT Custom Built Computers & Guitar Repair, 1820 W. 27th Ave. Pacific Kick TKD, 8520 W. Gage Blvd. D & R Carpet Installation, 1040 W. Margaret St., Pasco. KBN Home Inspections, 2309 W. Kennewick Ave. Total Cleaning Services, 3808 W. 19th Court. Matt’s Motorsports, 309 N. Van Buren St. SRU Automotive, 901 E. Chemical Drive. Straight Line Construction, 1107 W. 19th Ave. Powers Construction, 6323 Del Mar Court, Pasco. Ram Bhartu, 1001 N. Volland St. Hi Oil Spa, 4827 W. Clearwater Ave. Tokyo Sushi & Teriyaki, 3617 Plaza Way. L.A. Nails & Spa, 3001 N. 10th Ave. Lauren’s Artistry, 314 N. Montana Court. WEST RICHLAND Fortis Coatings, 328 Canyon Creek Drive, Wenatchee. Mi Casa Cleaning Services, 5713 Wallowa Lane, Pasco. Blair Builders, 2004 S. Ione St., Kennewick. Western Fireworks, 5828 W. Van Giesen St. PJS/RND, 3140 Iris St. A-One Refrigeration and Heating, 910 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Stans General Construction, 1600 W. Clark St., Pasco. Nice N’ Shiny, 164 Columbia Way, Wallula. 3 Kings Contracting Group, 15001 NE 10th Ave., Vancouver. Elk Ridge Plumbing, 4903 Desert Plateau Drive, Pasco. Crucito’z Landscaping, 9 E. 11th Ave., Kennewick. Crimson Power, 101904 Wiser Parkway, Kennewick. Belza Painting and Resurfacing, 13507 S. Grandview Lane, Kennewick. Casey’s Tool Box, 6311 Enzian Falls Drive, Pasco. Crete Brothers, 3719 W. 16th Place, Kennewick. Stucco & Stone Contractors, 1712 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. Sweet Designs, 6303 Marble St. Pointer Construction, 7301 W. Wernett Road, Pasco. Aaron Michel Smith IT, 5601 Aspen Drive. Liberty Home Inspections, 3908 Desert Plateau Drive, Pasco. Jackson Ventures, 2339 Cottontail Lane, Richland. New Leaf Landscaping TC, 4902 Truman Lane, Pasco. D&R Carpet Installation, 1040 W. Margaret St., Pasco. Health Pulse, 5449 W. Van Giesen St. Business Development Solutions, 4771 W. Van Giesen St. Drywall Repair and Construction, 67 Bonanza Drive, Pasco, 4 Kings Construction, 5132 Truman Lane, Pasco. Powers Construction, 6323 Del Mar Court, Pasco.

uPUBLIC RECORDS, Page 63

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019

Public Record PUBLIC RECORDS, From Page 62

uBUSINESS UPDATES NEW BUSINESSES 3 Farmers Tasting Room has opened at 590 Merlot Drive in Prosser. The business offers wine tastings for labels by Valicoff Estates, Roxboro Vineyard and Farm Boy/Farm Girl by Smasne Cellars. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Contact: 509781-6233. Barrk Pet Wash has opened at 710 George Washington Way, Suite D in Richland. The business offers self-service pet washing stations which include shampoo, conditioner, flea and tick treatments and dryers. Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Contact: 509940-7505, barrk-pet-wash.business.site. Branches of Home has opened at 710 George Washington Way, Suite AA in Richland. The shop sells handmade home décor, furniture, baby goods, vintage items and more. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Contact: 509578-1188, Facebook. Posh Paws has opened at 3902 Clearwater Ave., Suite 106 in Kennewick. The business offers pet grooming for dogs, cats, small mammals, reptiles and birds. Hours: by appointment. Contact: 509-987-5581, Facebook. Skyview Law PLLC has opened at 677 George Washington Way in Richland. The

uMARIJUANA LICENSES Information provided by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. BENTON COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Cannabees Logistics, 17504 W. Yakitat Place NW, Suite A, Benton City. License type: mari-

business offers legal assistance with family law, real estate law, personal injury law and criminal defense. Hours: 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday by appointment. Contact: 509-2288495, skyviewlaw.com. ADDITIONAL LOCATION Dollar Tree has opened an additional location at 1307 Jadwin Ave. in Richland. Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Contact: 509-7138136, dollartree.com. MOVED Dr. GoodVape has moved to 7903 W. Grandridge Blvd, Suite R in Kennewick. Contact: 509-240-6997, drgoodvape.com, Facebook. Markel Properties has moved to 8901 W. Tucannon Ave., Suite 140 in Kennewick. Contact: 509-735-6500. Sullivan Sullutions has moved to 1359 Columbia Park Trail in Richland. Contact: 509947-5776. NAME CHANGE Jamba Juice at 2727 Queensgate Drive in Richland is now Jamba. Contact: 509-5790151, jamba.com. CLOSED Qdoba Mexican Eats at 2673 Queensgate Drive in Richland has closed.

juana transportation. Application: new. APPROVED Wonder West Group, 15505 N. Webber Canyon Road NE, Suite E, Benton City. License type: marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: change of location. Highland Nursery, 234805 E. Straightbank Road, Suite C, Kennewick. License type: marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: change of corporate officer.

uLIQUOR LICENSES Information provided by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

BENTON COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Hot Tamales, 2521 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant. Application type: new. Southridge Dugout, 4810 W. Hildebrand Blvd., Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only; spirits/beer/ wine restaurant lounge; kegs to go. Application type: new. Tokyo Sushi & Teriyaki, 3617 Plaza Way, Suite B, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant. Application type: new. Mr. G’s Bottle Works & Food Shop, 325 S. Union St., Building 1, Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new. Jet Mart Conoco, 1001 N. Volland St., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption. Wingstop, 121 Gage Blvd., Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only; beer/wine restaurant. Application type: new. Chapala Express Mexican Restaurant, 7704 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant service bar. Application type: new. APPROVED Fieldstone Memory Care of Kennewick, 575 N. Young St., Kennewick. License type: serve employees & guest. Application type: new. Dan’s Market, 424 S. Gum St., Kennewick. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new. Washington State University, 359 University Drive, Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: added/ change of class. Jade’s British Girl Treats, 1115 Grant Ave., Prosser. License type: beer/wine restaurant.

Application type: new. The Dive, 2000 Logston Blvd., Suite 122, Richland. License type: direct receiver in/out of Washington. Application type: new. Valicoff Family Farm, 590 Merlot Drive, Suite A, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 additional location. Application type: new. MV Chrysalis, 458-C Columbia Point Drive, Richland. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant/ship lounge. Application type: assumption. Inca Mexican Restaurant, 201 N. Edison St., Suite 248, Kennewick. License type: spirits/ beer/wine restaurant service bar. Application type: new. DISCONTINUED Willow Crest Winery, 580 Merlot Drive, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Andy’s Coffee Break, 3330 W. Court St., Suite A, Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only; beer/wine restaurant. Application type: new. Tortilleria Las Palmas, 1108 W. Sylvester St., Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only; grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new. Pasco Grocery Outlet, 5710 Road 68, Suite 103, Pasco. License type: combo grocery off premises – spirits/beer/wine. Application type: added/change of class. Bleyhl Farm Service, 6705 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco. License type: beer/wine specialty shop. Application type: new. APPROVED El Jazmin, 430 W. Columbia St., Pasco. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new. Quiktrip Gas & Food, 221 S. 10th Ave., Pasco. License type: grocery store – beer/ wine. Application type: assumption.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • July 2019