Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business - February 2016

February 2016

Volume 15 • Issue 2

Philanthropy

Second Harvest seeks volunteers Pages 15-22

Real Estate & Construction

Broadmoor plans more units Pages 23-33

Banking & Finance

HomeStreet works with businesses to help employees pages 37-42

he Said It “People need help, so we help them.”

- Brett Dillahunt, Mustangs for Mustangs founder

page 31

AutoZone plans distribution center near King City

By Mary Coffman A new 440,000-sq.-ft. AutoZone distribution center will soon be under construction near King City in Pasco.

The deal has been done under a veil of secrecy, with the help of the Tri-City Development Council and the Washington Department of Commerce.

Although it was officially referred to as Project Sunrise, now Pasco officials can refer to under the corporate name, said Rick White, Pasco’s community and economic development director.

White said the building permit for construction of the massive distribution center is ready for the company to sign and pick up, the final step in issuing the permit.

“I think they were finalizing a contractor,” said White, who met with company officials in late January. “They had narrowed it down to three.”

One of the finalists is a local contractor, White added.

Carl Adrian, president of TRIDEC, said the company worked with the site selection consultants for more than a year to finalize the project.

In December, AutoZone Parts Inc. finalized the purchase 93.4 acres of undeveloped land in Franklin County, where the distribution center will be built.

When complete, the warehouse will provide about 200 new jobs to the community.

“These are good jobs, from warehouse to upper management positions,” White said.

“And they are a good corporate citizen.”

White said the company has been in the distribution business for about 20 years.

During discussions, company representatives said more than 70 percent of the employees who started 20 years ago are still with them.

“They promote from within,” White said. “The two guys who are in charge of national distribution started out in the warehouse.”

Adrian said TRIDEC worked closely with the Department of Commerce to bring the company to Pasco. uAUTOZONE, Page 25

Tri-Cities Cancer Center patient Gale Bruce tries on hats at the Resource Center with the help of volunteer Donna Whiteside. Various items are available at the Resource Center for patients, free of charge.

Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation leads expansion capital campaign

By Mary Coffman It’s been more than two decades since the Tri-Cities Cancer Center first opened its doors.

The Cancer Center started as a partnership between three local hospitals, Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Lourdes Health System and Kennewick General Hospital, now known as Trios Health.

The vision was to create a nonprofit medical center to treat cancer and to care for those impacted by the disease.

Since then, the Tri-Cities Cancer Center has become a trusted and valued community resource for cancer treatment, support education and information.

But over the past 20 years, medical

technology and cancer treatment options have evolved and the Tri-Cities population center has grown, creating greater demand in a highly competitive industry.

To meet those demands, the Tri-Cities Cancer Center is undergoing a $7 million expansion, remodel and upgrade.

And the Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation is leading a capital campaign to help fund the improvements.

The Tri-Cities Cancer Center has contributed about $5.4 million to the project.

The Foundation pledged $1.5 million toward the project and has raised about $800,000 since starting the capital campaign last March. uFOUNDATION, Page 18

Petersen Hastings Partners with National Advisors Trust to expand services

By Mary Coffman Petersen Hastings, an independent wealth management firm in Eastern Washington, has joined forces with National Advisors Trust Company. The move has enabled the firm to create Petersen Hastings Private Trust, a new private-labeled trust services brand.

The partnership with National Advisors Trust, based in Kansas City, Mo., expands Petersen Hastings’ Trust solutions as part of the company’s approach to providing quality wealth management services to its clients.

NATC’s national charter allows Petersen Hastings’ clients to have access to trust services in every state, allowing them to choose which state’s tax trust laws best suit their needs.

“With history’s largest generational wealth transfer underway, there is an increased need to provide our clients with expert trust solutions that fulfill their wishes and define and protect their legacy today and for the future,” said Jeff Petersen, CEO of Petersen Hastings.

The company’s new private label, Petersen Hastings Private Trust, enables it to provide complete trust services to clients to facilitate their wealth transfer and estate planning objectives, in addition to its wealth management services.

Petersen said marketing their own trust services offers clients the ability to work with the professionals they know and trust in all wealth-management planning situations. uTRUST, Page 41

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

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Get close up view of wintering elk at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area

By Elsie Puig for TCAJOB On an overcast snow-covered day, a large herd of elk herd plows over the ridge and gathers aside a gated fence just below the hills near Naches. They form in tight huddles, waiting for flakes of hay to be spread for them across the whiteblanketed Oak Creek Wildlife Area each afternoon.

Nearly 10,000 visitors come every year from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond to observe the supplemental winter-feeding of Rocky Mountain Elk – up to 1,200 elk, including 90 bulls, sporting impressive wide-branched antlers.

The elk are fed daily at 1:30 p.m. at the Oak Creek Visitor Center. The elk begin arriving in mid-November annually and stay in the area until March. January and February are the best months for viewing, as deep snow blankets larger areas where they graze, making it harder for them to find food in the higher elevations. You can see cows, bulls, and calves.

A large parking lot and viewing area allows the public to observe the elk as they feed.

The visitor center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the winter months and is staffed by volunteers. A Discover Pass or Vehicle Access Pass is required to access Oak Creek Wildlife area. The visitor center has exhibits, information and a kids’ corner.

The staff at the Oak Creek offers truck tours, taking visitors for a close-up view of the elk as they feed. Tours are offered on both a first-come, first-served and reservation basis. The tours are supported by participant donations, which are used to take care of the elk, equipment and maintenance.

“This is one of the only places in the country where you can park your vehicle and get out and see them up close,” said Ross Huffman, manager at the wildlife area. “We do tours where people can get on military trucks and see them out in the

wild. The tour guides give you history and answer questions. It truly is a special opportunity.”

The Rocky Mountain elk are not native to the area. They were brought to the Yakima Valley from Montana in 1913 by a group of sportsmen, landowners and Yakima County officials who wanted game to hunt.

Rocky Mountain elk are migratory animals, and during winter the herd travels from higher elevations in the Cascade Mountains to the lower elevations of the Yakima Valley in the winter to forage for food.

“Annual feeding didn’t start till the 60s,” said Huffman.

Prior to that, the elk were fed only in truly bad winters. Fences were put up to keep the elk from wandering through the valley and getting into barns and haystacks and damaging crops, he added.

The elk are herbivores, grazing on trees, shrubs, flowering plants, and grasses. When food is scarce in the winter, elk can be found foraging in farm fields and orchards. Here, they come into conflict

A herd of elk is fed daily at 1:30 pm at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area near Naches every winter. January and February are the best months to see the elk cows, bulls and calves as the snow blankets larger areas where they graze.

with farmer and ranchers whose orchards occupy land the elk need for wintering.

It is the reason the fence and the feeding program was established.

The 64,200-acre Oak Creek Unit is 15 miles northwest of Yakima.

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of Fish and Wildlife manages this sparsely timbered area in the grassy foothills.

In the mid-1940s, the Department of Fish and Wildlife began building almost 120 miles of 8-foot-high fences to keep the elk from damaging private property. uELK, Page 8

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Evans Fruit settles sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuits (509) 737-8778 8919 W. Grandridge Blvd., Ste. A1 Kennewick, WA 99336 www.tcjournal.biz

Staff

Mary Coffman

Managing Editor/Reporter (509) 737-8778 ext. 102 editor@tcjournal.biz

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Reporter (509) 737-8778 ext. 101 news@tcjournal.biz

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Advertising Account Manager (509) 737-8778 ext. 104 britta@tcjournal.biz

DEPARTMENTS

Around Town................................ 55 Business Profile........................ 46-47 Conference Call............................. 54 Datebook.......................................... 7 Networking.................................... 26 Public Record................................. 49 Real Estate...................................... 23 ShopTalk........................................... 5

CONTRIBUTORS

Sara Bailey......................................... 40 Audra Distifeno............................... 22 Kathryn Garrison..........................40 Jessica Hoefer.................... 11, 17, 39 Elsie Puig............................... 3, 9, 19 Beau Ruff....................................... 21 John Stang................................ 6, 44 George Twigg................................ 43 The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business (TCAJoB) accepts original columns from local professionals, educators and business leaders.

The goal of these pieces is to share useful business tips and knowledge with other area professionals. It is best to contact the TCAJoB office for a copy of contributor guidelines before submitting anything. Although we cannot publish every submission we receive, we will keep columns that best fit the mission and focus of the TCAJoB for possible future use.

The TCAJoB also accepts original letters to the editor and guest editorials. Submissions must include the writer’s full name and daytime contact information for verification.

All submissions to the TCAJoB will be edited for spelling, grammar, punctuation and questions of good taste or libel.

If there is news you’d like the TCAJoB staff to report on, or if there are any topics you’d like to read about, please contact the TCAJoB news staff via email at editor@tcjournal.biz.

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business (TCAJoB), a publication of TriComp Inc., is published monthly and delivered at no charge to identifiable businesses in Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Kennewick, Prosser and Benton City, Wash. Subscriptions are $25 per year, prepayment required, no refunds. Contents of this publication are the sole property of TriComp Inc. and December not be reproduced in any form without expressed written consent.

Opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TCAJoB staff, other contributors or other advertisers, nor do they imply endorsement by TCAJoB staff, other 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.

By TCAJOB staff Evans Fruit, one of the largest apple producers in the U.S., will pay $272,000 to 20 claimants as part of a settlement resolving sexual harassment and retaliation claims pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, announced the settlement in late January. As part of the settlement, Evans Fruit has agree to take steps to ensure the workers who were part of the lawsuits and settlement do to suffer any retaliation.

In June 2010, EEOC filed a lawsuit alleging that numerous female farm workers at an Evans Fruit ranch had been facing sexual harassment over a period of years. At the time, the agency won a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Evans Fruit and ranch manager Juan Marin for allegedly threatening and intimidating individuals who had assisted in EEOC’s investigation.

In September 2011, EEOC filed a second lawsuit against Evans Fruit, charging that such alleged intimidation

Correction: Due to incorrect information on the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board website, a listing in the Public Records Liquor License section on page 45 of the January 2016 issue of the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

constituted illegal retaliation. Northwest Justice Project represented retaliation claimants who joined as intervenors in EEOC’s lawsuit, as well as three women in the harassment lawsuit. In both cases, judges for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, ruled against the plaintiffs.

EEOC filed appeals in both cases and the Northwest Justice Project also appealed on behalf of all intervenors.

While the appeals were pending in the Ninth Circuit, the EEOC, Northwest Justice Project and Evans Fruit reached a settlement resolving all claims in both cases.

“Before this, I thought I didn’t have any real alternatives,” said Aurelia Garcia, one of the claimants. “I thought the harassment and fear were just part of the job, what I had to put up with to support my children. Now I know that there are laws that protect me and other women. I hope this will give other workers hope and help them speak out.”

Carmen Flores, EEOC lead trial counsel, said the EEOC and Northwest Justice Project fought hard to protect was incorrect. It should have read: Market Vineyards, 318 Wellhouse Loop, Richland, has been approved for a change of address for its domestic winery<250,000 liters. The new address is 950 Keene Road, Bldg. F. The Journal apologizes for the error.

the rights of the immigrant farmworkers and refused to stop when faced with losses in the initial trials.

“The temporary restraining order and the preliminary injunction were major victories for workers who had been scared to participate in our lawsuit. All claimants in the combined cases showed courage and perseverance, and this settlement closes a long chapter in their lives,” Flores said.

EEOC attorney May Che, who led the retaliation case, said that following the litigation, Evans Fruit improved its policies and practices and the impact of the cases extends beyond the single agriculture employer. Che said that a PBS-televised documentary, ‘Rape in the Fields,’ which highlighted the Evans Fruit case, is being used as a training tool across the country and inspired the passage of farmworker sexual harassment legislation in California.

“For the first time ever, the Washington Farm Labor Association, representing farm owners, invited the EEOC to speak about sexual harassment prevention,” she said. “We hear anecdotally from workers that conditions have improved at farms across Eastern Washington.”

The cases have helped the EEOC establish itself as a resource and as a watchdog in the agriculture community, she added.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

This year’s event has a superhero theme, ‘My Dog, My Hero!’ Humans are encouraged to dress up. The event will include vendors, free Starbucks Coffee and Spudnuts.

Foundation to announce scholarship winners

The Trios Foundation will have its Annual Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 17 at the Three Rivers Convention Center. The one-hour breakfast, which is open to the public, raises money for the Trios Foundation Scholarship Program and to support other hospital programs and services.

In addition to showcasing the Foundation’s results from the prior year, Trios Foundation scholarship winners and the winner of the Jim Mokler Outstanding Leadership and Service Award will be announced at the event.

Breakfast is complimentary with an RSVP. To register, visit the Foundation website at www.trioshealth.org/ Foundation or call 509-221-5776.

Men’s Steak Night

Steak, the Word and men. The Men’s Steak Night at Calvary Chapel will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26. The event will include testimonies, fellowship and raffle items like tools, bibles, vacation rentals, archery lessons and more. Tickets are $15 per person and are available at Calvary Chapel Tri-Cities by calling 509-7362086 or online at www.calvary-tricities. org.

Meals on Wheels seeks drivers

Meals on Wheels needs volunteers to deliver lunch meals weekdays to seniors in Pasco and Kennewick. The time commitment for delivery drivers is from

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Sternwheeler to stop in Tri-Cities

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. one or two days each week. For more information, call 509-735-1911 or email hkriss@senior liferesources.org.

Ag safety conference Feb. 24

Registration is now open for the Agriculture Safety Day, which will be Feb. 24 in Wenatchee. The full-day conference promotes workplace safety and health and is co-sponsored by the Department of Labor & Industries and the Governor’s Industrial Safety and Health Advisory Board. The event provides a wide variety of workshops focused on preventing injuries and improving safety in the workplace. Many of the workshops are in both English and Spanish. This year’s conference features special training on how to manage hazards associated with ammonia; dairy and livestock safety; tractor/ATV safety; and potential health hazards in agriculture. Participants can earn Pesticide License recertification credits from qualifying classes and there

will be exhibitors with education booths, product displays and demonstrations.

Admission at the door is $70. Online preregistration is $60 per person or $50 each for groups of five or more. Student admission either at the door or through online registration is only $25. Lunch is included. To register, visit www.eiseverywhere. com/ehome/15193. For more information, contact Rebecca Llewellyn at 1-888451-2004.

Pooch & Pal Run & Walk

Pet Over Population Prevention will have its 16th Annual Pooch and Pal Run & Walk at 9 a.m. Mar. 19 at Columbia Point Marina in Richland.

You can participate in the one mile or 5K event with or without a canine companion.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. or you can register online at www.popptricities. org. The cost is $25, which includes a commemorative t-shirt, or $20 without a t-shirt.

The Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler will dock in the Tri-Cities from April 14-24.

The historic sternwheeler will offer dining cruises and sightseeing cruises throughout the stay. Two-hour lunch cruises will be offered, as well as Sunday brunch cruises and dinner cruises. There will also be 5-hour cruises through the Snake River locks. For more information, call 503-2243900 or 800-224-3901 or go to www. portlandspirit.com.

Annual awards banquet planned

The annual Kennewick Man & Woman of the Year Banquet will be Feb. 29 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick. The event, which is sponsored

by Soroptimist International of PascoKennewick and the Kennewick Past Men of the Year Club, begins with a social hour at 6:15 p.m., with dinner at 6:45 p.m. followed by the awards ceremony.

The cost is $35 per person or $350 for a sponsored table of 8. For more information or to RSVP, call 509-736-1973 or email kennewickmen_women@charter.net.

RSVP’s required by Feb. 23. For more information, go to www.kmwoy.com. uSHOPTALK, Page 8

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Legislature looks to pass minimum wage and carbon cap issues to voters

By John Stang for TCAJOB The Washington Legislature’s business agenda this session does not target Main Street very much.

Instead, the biggest bills currently going through the Legislature’s business committees tackle marijuana and the high-tech world — reflecting how Washington’s business world has expanded and evolved in recent years.

In fact, the Legislature is in the process of punting the two biggest business issues in the state — raising the state’s minimum wage and putting caps on carbon emissions — to voters in November.

Nothing could be more Main Street than raising the minimum wage. The proposed minimum-wage increase affects both business owners and the state’s current minimum-wage workers.

Rep. Jessyn Farrell, D-Seattle, got a bill passed in the House last year to raise Washington’s statewide minimum wage from the current $9.47 an hour to $12 an hour over four years. Seattle, SeaTac, and recently Spokane and Tacoma have raised their minimum wage above the statewide level—creating a hodgepodge of different minimum wages across Washington.

But Farrell’s bill quickly died in the Senate Commerce & Labor committee in 2015. That same GOP-controlled committee blocked a House democrat mandatory sick leave measure in 2015.

This year, Farrell’s bill is poised for a likely-to-be-passed-again House vote and will be sent back to the Senate—if

Senate republicans pass their own minimum-wage-increase bill as a good faith gesture to begin negotiating a compromise bill.

On the sidelines are a couple influential business lobbying organizations — the Washington Restaurant Association and the Association of Washington Business — that don’t want a minimumwage increase, but would rather have a nuanced, negotiated bill than face a blunt force initiative in November.

So far, this session, Senate republican leaders have voiced no interest in making a minimum-wage counteroffer. The republicans hate the idea of increasing the state’s minimum wage, arguing that such an increase would hurt small businesses and industries, especially in rural counties where unemployment figures are much higher than in the liberal and relatively prosperous King County.

Meanwhile, an initiative is set for a public vote in November to raise the state’s minimum wage to $13.50 an hour across four years beginning in 2017— and would require paid sick leave for private-sector workers. At this time, the Legislature does not appear to be a factor in this issue any more.

Gov. Jay Inslee recently noted that Washington ranks among the top five states in job growth and leads the nation in gross domestic product growth.

“The problem is most workers are not sharing in the fruits of their own productivity,” he said. “If you work 40 hours a week, you deserve a wage that puts a

roof over your head and food on the table.”

Another somewhat Main Street issue is putting a cap on carbon emissions from the state’s top polluters. This could impact public health and possibly jobs.

But the Legislature is essentially punting on whether to put a cap on carbon pollution in the state with some type of tax or fine, or with a cap-and-trade system.

Republicans don’t like the concept because they believe it will hurt industries and jobs. Meanwhile, democrats support it because of concerns about public health and its costs on ordinary people, global warming and a belief that a clean energy industry can provide a jobs bonanza.

No signs have surfaced that a legislative compromise is possible on this issue.

So Inslee has ordered Washington’s Department of Ecology to put together regulations by this summer to put a cap of 100,000 metric tons on carbon emissions a year from any air-polluting site.

The effort will likely include some type of cap-and-trade system in which overpolluting facilities would buy credits from under-polluting sites in Washington, or in other states and provinces with capand-trade agreements.

Several Mid-Columbia facilities reach that 100,000-metric-ton benchmark.

These include Agrium in Kennewick, Boise Paper in Wallula, REC Silicon in Moses Lake, the regional landfill in Roosevelt, the Terrace Heights landfill in Yakima, the Gas Transmission Northwest facility in Wallula and McCain Foods in Othello.

Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, has introduced a bill to take away the governor’s power to set up carbon emissions regulations. Inslee says two state laws give him that power. Ericksen likely has enough GOP votes to get that bill out of the Senate, but the legislation will likely

die in the democrat-controlled House.

Republican leaders also noted many carbon-emitting sites are the main employers in their economically struggling rural districts. They said increased costs on those facilities would hurt their bottom lines, translating to fewer jobs.

Four carbon movements are now on a collision course in 2016. Ericksen’s bill; Inslee’s regulatory approach; Initiative 732, which would affect more facilities than Inslee’s proposal; and a yet-to-beunveiled initiative expected to go further than I-732.

Meanwhile, here is a rundown of other business legislation in play this session.

• One-stop portal for business paperwork — A bill introduced by Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, is in play to order several state agencies — including the commerce and revenue departments — to prepare a plan by Nov. 30 to create an office where businesses can go to one place to handle all of their tax, licensing and permit needs. So far, no significant Democratic opposition has surfaced.

• Workers compensation — In some years, this has been a major field of conflict between democrats and republicans.

But that is not so in 2016.

A few Senate GOP workers compensation bills never made it out of the Republican-controlled Senate in 2015, and none appear to be revived so far in 2016. That dormant legislation includes a GOP bill that passed the Senate and died in the House in 2105 to allow workers 40 years and older to enter structured settlements. The current minimum age is 50. Labor and business lobbies have fought intensively over this bill.

A bipartisan bill by conservative Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane, and the Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, is in play to make minor tweaks in how workers compensation is monitored. uLEGISLATURE, Page 10

Walker Heye Meehan & Eisinger, PLLC is pleased to announce that Bret Uhrich is now a principal with the firm.

Bret earned his J.D., cum laude, from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2012 and joined Walker Heye Meehan & Eisinger as an associate in July 2013. Bret has a commercial and real estate focused litigation practice including a civil appellate practice. He also advises clients regarding business and real estate transactions.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Classes • Seminars • Workshops Feb. 17 7:30 a.m.

Annual Breakfast Trios Foundation Tri-Cities Convention Center 509-221-5776 11:30 – 1 p.m.

Succession Planning Luncheon Columbia Basin SHRM Pasco Red Lion 509-551-0069 Feb. 19-20 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

2016 Regional Home & Garden Show Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities TRAC Center, Pasco 509-735-2745 Feb. 21 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

2016 Regional Home & Garden Show Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities TRAC Center, Pasco 509-735-2745

Datebook

Build your business by attending

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Community Events • Chamber Meetings

Feb. 23 Noon 20th Annual Entrepreneurial Awards Richland Rotary Club Richland Red Lion 509-375-3060

Mar. 1 Noon-2 p.m.

Monthly Membership Meeting Prosser Chamber of Commerce The Barn, Prosser RSVP 509-786-3177

Mar. 5 6 – 11 p.m.

2nd Annual Honky Tonk Hoedown Fundraising Dinner Rascal Rodeo Pasco Red Lion www.rascalrodeo.org

Mar. 12 5:30 p.m.

15th Annual Wine Fete Benefit for Children’s Developmental Center Three Rivers Convention Center 509-735-1062 Ext. 281

Feb. 24 7 – 3:30 p.m.

Agriculture Safety Day Dept. of Labor & Industries Wenatchee Convention Center www.eiseverywhere.com/ ehome/151930

Mar. 2 11:30 a.m.

Monthly meeting & luncheon National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association Red Lion, Columbia Center www.narfe1192.org

Mar. 8 7-8:15 a.m.

Business Building Breakfast West Richland Chamber of Commerce Sandberg Event Center RSVP 509-967-0521

Mar. 16 Noon – 1:30 p.m.

TRIDEC Annual Meeting Tri-City Development Council Three Rivers Convention Center 509-735-1000

Feb. 25 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Monthly Networking Luncheon Tri-City Regional Chamber Three Rivers Convention Center 509-736-0510

Noon – 1 p.m.

General Membership Luncheon West Richland Chamber of Commerce Sandberg Event Center, West Richland RSVP 509-967-0521

Mar. 9 5 p.m.

General Membership Meeting Home Builders Association Of the Tri-Cities Pasco Red Lion 509-735-2745

Mar. 3 Dine Out for United Way Various locations 509-783-4102

Mar. 11 March Mayhem Auction Pasco Chamber of Commerce Pasco Red Lion 509-547-9755

Feb. 29 6:15 p.m.

Kennewick Man & Woman of the Year Banquet Three Rivers Convention Center 509-736-1973

Mar. 17 7:30 a.m.

Fundraising Breakfast Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation Three Rivers Convention Center 509-737-337 Mar. 19 9 a.m.

16th Annual Pooch & Pal Run & Walk Pet Over Population Prevention Columbia Point Marina, Richland www.popptricities.org

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

SHOPTALK, From page 5

EMS calls on the rise

Total call volumes for Benton County Fire District No. 4 rose by 7 percent when compared to 2014. The fire district responded to 1,322 calls for help and medical emergencies accounted for 63 percent of all calls during the same time period. Fire Chief Bill Whealan said that number is expected to increase as the local population ages and increase. Whealan said EMS is the most widely-used service the District offers.

Calls for EMS service in Benton County Fire District No. 4’s service territory have increased by 57 percent since voters approved funding for an EMS levy in 2010. The levy allows the fire district to provide transport services, and life support services using firefighters, EMTs and

paramedics. The levy also pays for the fire district to staff another fire station, which has reduced ambulance response times by three minutes on average.

The current EMS levy expires at the end of 2016 and the District will likely ask voters to renew it during the August primary election at the same rate of fifty cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The Board of Fire Commissioners is also considering asking voters to remove the expiration date.

Whealan said a permanent EMS levy would provide a stable funding source for the District’s most widely-used emergency services and help the agency plan longterm to improve the program. It would also save money on election costs, which can be as much as $36,000 every time the District places an issue on the ballot.

Alaska Air CEO to speak

Brad Tilden, CEO and president of Alaska Air Group, will be the featured speaker at the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s February networking luncheon.

The luncheon, sponsored by Gesa Credit Union, will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Three Rivers Convention Center.

Tilden will share how Alaska Airlines preserves the unique culture of the people delivering award-winning service, pioneering aviation technology and innovation, and how its employees work together to remain a strong, independent airline, as well as Alaska’s vision for air travel in the Pacific Northwest.

The event is open to the public. The cost is $22 for Chamber members and

$32 for all others. Reservations are require by Feb. 19. To register, email jil lian.marquez@tricityregionalchamber. com or call 509-491-3234. You may also register online at www.tricityre gionalchamber.com. For more information about the program, call 509-7360510.

Chamber plans award night

The Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will have its annual award ceremony, Una Noche de Exitos from 6 to 9 p.m. April 15 at the Pasco Red Lion. The Chamber is seeking nominations for its awards. The event is an opportunity to recognize and publicly thank those who work to make our community a better place to live. For the purpose of the awards, the meaning of Latino is not restricted solely to ethnicity, however, individuals nominated for the awards should reflect an obvious dedication to local Latino families, businesses and/or communities. For information or to nominate someone for an award, go to tricitieshcc.org.

Wine Fête scheduled

The 15th Annual Wine Fête will be Mar. 12 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick. The event benefits the Children’s Development Center, a local nonprofit.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a champagne reception and silent auction, followed by a five-course dinner and live auction. There will be dancing after dinner and the live auction.

Tickets are $140 per person and must be purchased in advance. Reserve your seat and pay online at childrensdevelop mentalcenter.org/winefete. uSHOPTALK, Page 10

ELK, From page 3 The feed trucks drop hay every 10 to 20 feet and when the elk are feeding volunteers count the number of elk.

Wintering elk may eat from three to 10 pounds of hay each day at the feeding stations. Elk begin arriving as early as mid-November, with the largest part of the herd arriving when winter progresses and snow blankets the hills.

“The fence was put up in the 40s to provide a safe place for the elks,” said Huffman. “This area is managed for recreation, hunting, camping, and wildlife habitat preservation.”

The trip is a special opportunity to learn more about land management, big game hunting, wildlife preservation, and the area’s history. Oak Creek Headquarters is two miles west of the junction of Highway 12 and 410 on Highway 12. You can also visit the bighorn sheep-feeding site near the junction, off 410 on Old Naches Highway. The Bighorn Sheep are fed mid-morning.

Call the Oak Creek Wildlife area at 509-653-2390 for more information on wintering wildlife. To make a reservation for the truck tours call 509698-5106. For more information, go to wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/ oak_creek/.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

9

Confluent Space celebrates grand opening of maker’s space nology, and we’re hoping to see what spurs

By Elsie Puig for TCAJOB It’s hard not to get inspired by the pos- organically from that union,” he said “I’m sibilities the moment you walk into hoping to see not only new contemporary art coming out of the place, but also new Confluent Space in Richland.

The new maker’s space combines the technologies, let’s see what kind of busiindustrial feel of a manufacturing ware- nesses people start to spin up and develop house with the creative flair of an art stu- out of here, we want people to prototype dio. The effort to bring a maker’s space to their machines here.”

The 2,100-sq.-ft. space has a woodthe Tri-Cities has been a year and a half in working shop, metal-smithing shop, electhe making.

The grand-opening celebration was a tronics lab, art studios, classrooms, storage full-day event that featured demonstra- rental space and a gallery to display all of tions, activities and presentations from its member’s creations. The outside will be makers and enthusiasts. It was followed by used for welding and pottery.

Davin Diaz of DrewBoy Creative will an evening reception for the Red Show, the inaugural debut of the DrewBoy Creative operate the art gallery.

The nonprofit is Gallery, including live “I’m hoping to see not seeking funding for music, dancing, performances and an only new contemporary tools and equipment such as 3D printers, after party. art coming out of the woodworking Confluent Space’s place, but also new machines, and laser mission is to facilitate technologies...” cutters, welding the education and equipment, saws, and growth of artists, electronic tools and inventors, technolo- Nick Napoli, soldering tools. gists and hobbyists by Confluent Space The space is being providing the space, completely renovated tools, safety and eduby the group themselves.

There are still cation to foster creativity and innovation in improvements to be made, like partitioning the community.

The ultimate vision is to create a space off a part of woodworking area for an elecfor collaboration and knowledge sharing, tronics lab and creating a reception area in said Nick Napoli, Confluent president. His the front. Napoli said the space accepts dream is for Confluent is to become a place donations for old or unused equipment.

Total monthly operating expenses for that brings people together, catalyzes business ideas and new technology — ulti- Confluent are $4,000. The group will cover that with memberships, sponsorships, sales mately benefiting the economy.

“One of the things I have been hoping of classes, and venue rental.

Confluent Space plans to offer educafor is to have a confluence of art and tech-

Time for a new chair?

Jesse Lane, one of the members of Confluent Space and a 3D printing enthusiast, gives a demonstration to visitors at the Confluent Space grand opening, the first ever maker’s space of the Tri-Cities, located on 285 Williams Blvd. in Richland.

tional classes and workshops on a variety of technology and techniques. The nonprofit will offer different levels of membership to those who want to use the shop and space for projects. Confluent will offer memberships starting at $25 a month. It also has one-day passes for $10 and fiveday passes for $40. Some of the members can offset costs of membership by teaching paid classes at the space.

Confluent also offers different sponsorship options for businesses and organizations that want to support the maker’s space.

Businesses can benefit from an open and collaborative community of creative and technical talent.

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“This is a group with a breadth of knowledge in technology and art, but also with very specialized skills and very specific information,” said Napoli. “If a small businesses wants to come in here and try something new, like creating a new piece of equipment for their shop, or develop a new product, they’ll be able to do that even if they don’t know how or where to start.”

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

LEGISLATURE, From page 6 • Cybercrime — Sen. Mark Miloscia, R-Federal Way, and Rep. Chad Magendanz, R-Issaquah, have introduced similar bills to make certain malicious online activities into actual crimes with prison terms and fines.

Their bills would make unauthorized people interfering with, changing, deleting or damaging electronic data and its transmission into Class C felonies with maximum prison sentences of five years and fines of up to $10,000.

The bills would make stealing another person’s online identity or creating a fake online identity in order to interfere with or damage online data and its transmission into a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and

a fine up to $5,000.

• Marijuana — Cities and counties seeking to ban marijuana businesses in their jurisdictions could do so only through a public ballot, in a bill introduced by Rep. David Sawyer, D-Tacoma. That bill is working its way through the House.

A couple dozen bills are in play to tweak Washington’s marijuana system.

The other most significant one would be a bill by Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, to reduce the retail marijuana excise tax from 37 percent to 25 percent in an attempt make statelicensed pot stores competitive with illegal pot sellers.

• Insurance — Under employeremployee agreements on reimbursing

mileage and paying for auto repairs, the subject of insurance would be exempt from state regulation, according to a bill by Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma.

• Ticket bots — “A ticket bot” or “robot” is software that can buy hundreds or thousands of theater tickets the split second those tickets become available online — outracing normal human fingers typing on keyboards. There is serious speculation that this software is being abused in Washington with the tickets being scalped for much higher prices.

The use of ticket bots was outlawed in Washington in 2015. Now, a bill is in play to outlaw the selling to ticket bot software in Washington.

CONFLUENT, From page 9 “It’s one of the biggest things I am excited about is the educational component,” said Napoli. “A big part of the problem is that some people get scared of the tools and making things.”

The space, he said, is for everyone.

He wants the space to feel and act like an extension of people’s homes.

“Whether you choreographic a new dance, are developing a new play or building a robot, you’re making something,” he said. “And that’s what we want this place to be.”

Confluent is located at 285 Williams Blvd. in Richland across the Uptown Shopping Center. For more information on Confluent, go to confluent.space or find them on Facebook.

SHOPTALK, From page 8

Vit Plant reaches milestones

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In 2015, employees at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, also known as the Vit Plant, made excellent progress on construction of the plant, intended to treat the radioactive liquid waste at the Hanford site.

Workers completed the importance 30 percent design milestone of the capability to send tank waste directly to the LowActivity Waste Vitrification Facility, or LAW. The 30 percent design review for the capability is an important step toward initial construction.

Work also near completion on the Thermal Catalytic Oxidizers, a major component in the LAW facility’s off-gas treatment system. Once completed, the TCO will undergo testing at the fabricator’s facility before installation.

Construction focus at the Analytical Laboratory, another of the Vit Plant’s four major facilities, has moved toward outfitting the laboratory with equipment and fixtures before turning the facility over to the startup group, which will ensure all systems are working properly.

Construction was also completed on several of the plant’s infrastructure systems. All major systems in two electrical switchgear facilities and a non-radioactive liquid waste disposal facility were transferred from the Vit Plant construction group to the startup group.

At the High-Level Waste Vitrification Facility, workers completed 22 concrete placements for walls and floors in the nearly 600,000-sq.-foot facility.

For more information, go to www.han fordvitplant.com.

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509-455-9077

The Tri-City Development Council’s 53rd Annual Meeting and Luncheon will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Mar. 30 at the Three Rivers Convention Center. Ted Baseler, president and CEO of\ Ste. Michelle Wine Estates will give the keynote presentation, ‘Building a Brighter, Smarter Viticulture Industry.”

TRIDEC will highlight its success during 2015, recognize outgoing board members and introduce its 2016 board of directors.

The cost is $30 for members and $35 for all others. Register by calling 509-7351000 or online at www.tridec.org. uSHOPTALK, Page 12

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Mahaffey-Berglund opens Vybe, a Paul Mitchell Focus Salon, in Kennewick

By Jessica Hoefer for TCAJOB Nikki Mahaffey-Berglund knows her way around a head of hair. As a fifthgeneration barber, she practically grew up with clippers in her hands.

“My grandpa barbered until he was 80, and my dad barbered. It was just something natural,” she said.

She had big dreams to run her own salon, and nearly 20 years ago that idea came to fruition when she opened Studio 64 in Pasco.

The 600-sq.-ft. studio was originally located on Road 64, hence the name.

Business doubled almost every year, and about five years after opening, Studio 64 moved to its current location off Road 68 and Argent, a 1,200-sq. foot space with six stylists. The company’s name stayed the same, but after several years, MahaffeyBerglund wanted a change.

“I love to make things go — to have things in motion. If I’m idling too long, it drives me crazy,” she said. “And that’s part of the reason I got out from behind my chair. After doing it for so many years, I was wondering if there was anything else out there.”

She continued on as the salon’s manager while trying her hand at different careers.

She worked for a nonprofit and even as a representative for a cosmetology class. Her territory as a rep included salons from Walla Walla to Yakima.

“So I got to go into every salon from here to there and just be in the salon family again. I met the most beautiful people, and that little fire just came back,” she said about her return to the industry.

Nikki Mahaffey-Berglund opened her new Paul Mitchell Salon called Vybe in February. Mahaffey-Berglund looks on as Julie Johnson, Paul Mitchell’s regional color specialist, trains stylists at the new Kennewick salon.

She talked with her parents, Mike and Teddie Mahaffey, about opening a new business. Together they considered a restaurant and in-home care facility, but ultimately settled on another salon—one that came with the support of national educators from the industry.

“When I started putting on my businessthinking cap, a Paul Mitchell salon was the way to go because of all of the support he gives you,” she said.

In order to carry the Paul Mitchell name and products, which Mahaffey-Berglund said is the number one line in the world, her stylists would have to undergo hours of training and continued education.

There are no franchise fees she said, but a Paul Mitchell representative will check in with the salon after it opens to ensure stylists are meeting their guidelines for

color, cut and technique.

Mahaffey-Berglund opened Vybe, a Paul Mitchell Focus Salon, Feb. 9 at 8551 W. Gage Blvd., Ste. H in Kennewick.

Vybe, with 2,200 sq. feet, includes 14 stylist stations and an esthetician room.

“We ripped up the floor and demo’ed the walls and built some new rooms. It’s going to be very unique,” she said. “Paul Mitchell has certain colors they want us to use, and I took the time and toured a few salons in Portland and Seattle to get some ideas, and we created our own from there.

I did lots of homework to make the layout work. We did hire an interior designer— Dayla Smith. She did a couple of Parade of Homes interior designs and she is a past stylist for Studio 64.”

Mahaffey-Berglund said the salon has about 20 employees at Vybe and the stylists

11

have undergone special training from Paul Mitchell Salon’s team. The training will continue.

“We’ll probably have classes once a month as continued education,” she said.

“One of the things I’m really excited about is that Paul Mitchell has partnered with Millennium, software that will help us track our stylists and their production— what they’re excelling at, retention numbers and where we can improve on or are stable so we’ll be able to bring in what they need in so far as training.”

The closest Paul Mitchell Salon is in Yakima, and Mahaffey-Berglund said the owners are supportive and “a dynamic team.”

She’ll co-own Vybe with her parents, but her mom will assist in managing the salon while Mahaffey-Berglund splits her time between Vybe and Studio 64.

Along with stylists, estheticians will provide waxing services. There will also be a freelance makeup artist, and MahaffeyBerglund said the salon will have a beer and wine liquor license.

“We really want to create a whole new experience for people in the salon industry,” she said. “We’re all excited. The amount of support that we’ve had, it creates a momentum you can’t stop.”

Vybe is at 8551 W. Gage Blvd., Ste. H, in Kennewick. The salon is open from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The phone number is 509-492-0651. Find the company on Facebook.

12

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

SHOPTALK, From page 10

The 10th Anniversary of United Way’s annual Dine Out event will be Mar. 3. On Thursday, Mar. 3, participating restaurants will donate 50 percent or more of their proceeds to United Way. This year’s participating restaurants include Atomic Ale Brewpub & Eatery, Casa Mia, Emerald of Siam, Fiesta Mexican Restaurant, Gordon Estates Wine Bar, Mezzo Thai, Monterosso’s Italian Restaurant, Papa John’s and The Crow’s Nest. For more information, go to united way-bfco.com.

of the Society of Human Resource Management.

Hatch is Archbright’s regional manager for HR Solutions in Eastern Washington.

She works with companies to strategize, innovate and implement HR solutions, deliver employee-development training and to provide advice consultation and support on a wide-range of HR issues.

The luncheon will be 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Pasco Red Lion. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for all others. Register online at www.columbia basinshrm.org. For more information, contact Wendy Munson at 509-551-0069.

Hatch to speak

Chamber to host workshop

Dine Out for United Way

Krisann Hatch will be the featured speaker at a succession planning luncheon hosted by Columbia Basin Chapter

The Washington Procurement Technical Assistance Center, or PTAC, and the Tri-City Regional Chamber of

Commerce will present a free workshop, ‘Government Contracting Essentials’ from 10 a.m. to noon, Feb. 17, at the Bechtel Board Room at the Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center in Kennewick.

Ashley Coronado, PTAC business counselor, will give the presentation. The class is free for all, but registration is required at washingtonptac.org/events. For more information, call Coronado at 509-4913231.

Alaska Air to start nonstop Spokane-Anchorage flights

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Nuclear power plant sets new record

Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station, the third largest producer of electricity in Washington and the state’s only nuclear energy power plant, sent 860,813 net megawatt-hours of electricity to the Northwest power grid — a new monthly record. The previous record of 859,619 net megawatt-hours was set in December.

Columbia Generating Station began commercial operation in 1984. The nuclear power plant operated at a 104.5 percent capacity factor during January. The capacity factor is a ratio based on the maximum amount of electricity the plant could send to the grid at the most restrictive time of the year, which for thermal power plants is during the summer. Columbia Generating Station’s output increased at least 28 average megawatts following Refueling and Maintenance Outage 22, which concluded in June. With the increased output, Columbia’s baseline average electricity generation is now1,190 MW. All of Columbia’s electricity is sold at cost to Bonneville Power Administration and 92 Northwest utilities receive a percentage of its output.

Alaska Air Group increases dividend

The board of directors of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) declared a quarterly cash dividend of 27.5 cents per share, payable Mar. 8, to all shareholders of record as of Feb. 23. This is the third time the company has raised the dividend since initiating it in July of 2013. The average dividend increase has been 40 percent.

Dividends are financed from operating cash flow and cash on hand. Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NWSE:ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Legends seeks grant applications

Legends Casino in Toppenish is seeking applications for its Ninth Annual Yakima Cares grant program. Applications are being accepted through Mar. 31 for this year’s grant cycle.

In 2015, the Charitable Contributions Fund distributed $419,953 to 200 area nonprofits. Grant recipients included schools, senior services, veteran services, food banks, shelters, and many more in Benton, Franklin, Kittitas and Yakima counties.

A committee of five community members and Yakama Nation Legends Casino employees receives an average of 500 to 800 applications annually to evaluate.

The applications undergo three to four rounds of cuts before the final selection.

Historically, applications addressing youth and educational needs, medical benefits to the community, or assistance to senior citizens are given preference.

Applications can be found at www. legendscasino.com under the Community heading. uSHOPTALK, Page 14

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

13

Women in Business: Social media can’t replace personal contact

By Loretto J. Hulse women in attaining professional excelnews@tcjournal.biz lence and leadership skills.

Digital technology and social media Shirley Simmons, owner of Country are great ways to gather information on Gentleman Restaurant & Catering, a famyour customers — existing and potential ily-run business in Kennewick was pre— but don’t discount face-to-fact contact. sented with the 2016 ATHENA That was the bottom line message of International Leadership Award. She’s the keynote speaker, Whitney Keyes of been a member of the Tri-Cities commuSeattle at the Tri-City Regional Chamber’s nity for more than 20 years and is a fifth annual Women in Business leader in the hospitality and catering Conference, which was Jan. 27 at TRAC industry. in Pasco.

As a professional, she has led her busiKeyes spoke made the remarks during ness in receiving recognition across the her talk called region and at the Catching Up To the “You have to consider national level.

Customer: Strategic who your customers are, Simmons has been Marketing Ideas for an advocate for 2016. She gave tips what they want and how countless community for using technology, organizations includbest to reach them.” including videos, ing the March of which she said are Dimes, Habitat for - Whitney Keyes, very appealing to the Humanity and the Women in Business upcoming millennial Tri-Cities Domestic keynote speaker population.

Violence Center.

But Keyes warned Simmons continuthat it’s a mistake to overlook the impor- ously mentors women who are recovertance of personal interaction. ing from drug abuse, domestic violence “Not everyone is the same,” she said. and health issues.

“You have to consider who your customAna Ruiz-Peralta of New York Life ers are, what they want and how best to was presented with the 2016 ATHENA reach them.”

Young Professional Award.

Just as every queen in a deck of cards Ruiz-Peralta is an advocate for the Triis different, so are each of your customers Cities Hispanic community and helps — even though they may all be queens,” inspire young women to follow their she said. dreams.

More than 300 people attended the She is a founding member of Consejo day-long event, said Brandan Eckhardt, Latino, which focuses on spreading the communications coordinator for the Tri- word in the Hispanic community about City Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Tri-Cities’ school districts needs for levy And more than 540 people attended dollars. Ruiz-Peralta serves as vice-chairthe luncheon, during which the 2016 woman of the Washington State ATHENA International Leadership and Commission on Hispanic Affairs.

Young Professional Awards were preFind more information Whitney Keyes, sented. go to her website, www.whitneykeyes.

The awards are recognizes those who com. exhibit professional excellence, community service and who actively assist other

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Author, speaker and marketing advisor Whitney Keyes of Seattle talked about how to connect with your customers via electronic communications, social media and even the old-fashioned way, face-to-face. (Photos courtesy of Jones Custom Photography and the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce.)

Shirley Simmons, owner of Country Gentleman Restaurant & Catering, a family-run business in Kennewick was presented with the 2016 ATHENA International Leadership Award.

Ana Ruiz-Peralta of New York Life was presented with the 2016 ATHENA Young Professional Award.

14

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

SHOPTALK, From page 12

PayneWest to acquire Wells Fargo Insurance operations

PayneWest Insurance Inc., the largest independent, employee-owned, agency in the Northwest, has entered into an agreement with Wells Fargo Insurance to purchase their Yakima and Wenatchee insurance operations. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close on or about April 1, were not disclosed.

PayneWest has been operating in Yakima since February 2014 when they acquired McGree Insurance.

Serving clients in Yakima since 1978 and Wenatchee since 1991, Wells Fargo Insurance will continue to serve customers through its existing local offices until the transaction closes, when the company’s 31 team members will be offered continuous employment by PayneWest Insurance. In Washington, PayneWest also has locations in Richland and Spokane.

Gesa offers scholarships

Gesa Credit Union will offer ten $2,000 scholarships and one $5,000 scholarship to local high school seniors entering college in the fall. In addition, Gesa will offer five $2,000 scholarships and one $5,000 continuing education scholarships for current college students who plan to continue their higher education at any accredited college or university.

Applicants must be Gesa Credit Union members in good standing, graduating high school with a 3.0 or higher cumula-

tive GP and entering their freshman year of college as a full-time student or returning as a full-time college student in the fall.

Applications are available at gesa.com and are due by Feb. 28.

Key announces results

Key Technology Inc. has announced its sales and operating results for its 2016 first quarter, which ended Dec. 31, 2015.

Net sales for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2015 totaled $24.8 million, compared to $20.1 million recorded in the corresponding quarter last year. The Company reported a net loss for the quarter of $1.7 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $1.8 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, in the same period a year ago.

The gross profit for the first quarter of fiscal 2016 was $7 million, compared to $5.5 million during the same time in 2015. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit was 28.1 percent and 27.3 percent in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and 2015, respectively. Operating expenses for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2015 were $9.4 million or 37.8 percent of net sales, compared to $8.7 million, or 43.3 percent of sales in the same quarter last year.

Jack Ehren, Key president and CEO, said first quarter sales were still low due to a significant portion of this backlog not being scheduled to ship until after the first quarter. Gross margins for the first quarter were again challenged due to a product mix consisting of a low vol-

ume of higher margin automated inspection systems products. Operating expenses in the first quarter included $680,000 of restructuring charges, all of which are recorded in general and administrative expenses.

Key’s backlog at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2016 was $37 million, compared to $28.7 million a year ago.

New orders received during the first quarter were $31 million, compared to $30.5 million during the same time last year.

PSD offers forums

The Pasco School District is inviting community members to several upcoming public forums.

Deputy Superintendent Michelle Whitney offer Community Conversations forums from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16 at the Downtown branch of the MidColumbia Libraries and from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25 at the West Pasco branch of the Mid-Columbia Libraries.

The events are focused on gaining the perspective of the community on the future of New Horizons High School. The forums are also less formal than a regularly scheduled school board meeting and will offer the community an opportunity to talk with the board about the issues.

SCORE sees record demand

Mid-Columbia Tri-Cities SCORE has seen record demand for assistance over the past few months that has resulted in a year-over-year increase in overall mentoring. Jamie Nettles, the chapter co-chairman, said that more than 2,500 of new and

existing clients were helped in 2015. The Mid-Columbia Tri-Cities SCORE Chapter currently provides resources and services in 15 counties covering Idaho, Oregon and Washington, making it the largest Chapter in the country, in terms of miles served. For more information about SCORE, call 509-735-1000 ext. 235 or go to www.midcolumbiatricities.score.org.

Lourdes offers scholarships

Lourdes Foundation and Lourdes Auxiliary will award seven scholarships to local students seeking to advance their education for a healthcare-related field.

To be considered for a scholarship, students must pursue undergraduate degrees in nursing or other healthcarerelated fields, live in Benton and Franklin counties, or in Burbank, and complete the required application by April 29. Special consideration will be based on academic achievement, volunteerism and financial need.

Six recipients will be awarded $1,500 towards their educational goals in the healthcare field and one recipient will be awarded the $500 Sandberg-Stank Memorial Nursing Scholarship, which is funded by the Tensmeyer Family.

Scholarships will be awarded in May and recipients will be recognized at the Annual Scholarship Luncheon.

For more information or to apply for a Lourdes Health Network Scholarship, contact Kaury Balcom by calling 509543-2412, or by email at kauryn.bal com@lourdesonline.org, or go to lourdeshealth.net. uSHOPTALK, Page 26

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Philanthropy

15

Second Harvest seeks volunteers for sorting, packing foods

By Loretto J. Hulse news@tcjournal.biz In the three years she’s been a volunteer at 2nd Harvest Tri-Cities in Pasco, tons of food have passed through Kathy Mitchell’s hands. Mitchell is a retired Kennewick School District teacher, who spent decades teaching first graders the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic.

The Kennewick woman still helps out one day a week in a KSD classroom, but never on Wednesdays — those mornings, she belongs to 2nd Harvest.

“I’ve always been a volunteer working for various organizations like United Way and now for 2nd Harvest. I just want to give back to the community in any way I can,” she said.

Mitchell is one of a core group of 10 to 12 volunteers who show up each Wednesday to sort through donations of fresh produce, canned goods and other foods donated to 2nd Harvest.

“We’re the area food banks’ food bank,” said Lamar Cloy, special events and volunteer manager for 2nd Harvest Tri-Cities.

The Pasco facility is part of a network of nonprofit food distribution centers. The Tri-Cities’ facility supplies about 55 food banks meal centers and other programs in Benton and Franklin counties, parts of

Volunteers for 2nd Harvest Tri-Cities sort and pack produce weekly to be sent to Mid-Columbia area food banks.

Walla Walla County and as far north as Connell.

“Spokane 2nd Harvest supplies food banks in their area and as far south as Ritzville and Moses Lake,” he said.

Volunteers at the Pasco 2nd Harvest sort 150,000 pounds of produce, canned goods and other foods each week.

Second Harvest distributed nearly 4.4

million pounds of donated food in the MidColumbia in 2015, an amount valued at approximately $7.5 million.

About 14 percent of Mid-Columbia residents live at the poverty level,” Cloy said. In addition, one of every eight residents doesn’t know where their next meal, or the following week’s meals, will come from, he added.

The food is donated by area growers and food processers, grocery distribution centers, or obtained through food drives, or other various sources.

“We need about 1,000 volunteer hours a week to process all the food that’s donated,” Cloy said. “People like Kathy are invaluable.”

Cash donations from the public are also used to purchase bulk foods, which are then divided among the various food banks.

Cloy said that because of the discounts the nonprofit receive, it is able to provide five meals with each dollar donated.

Kate Larson of Richland is another of Cloy’s core group of Wednesday volunteers. She and her husband, Andrew, have been 2nd Harvest volunteers for more than a year.

“When I’m working, I know I’m helping to support a great cause. And it’s great exercise,” said Kate Larson, lifting a 20-pound box of potatoes.

Diane Hails of West Richland began helping out during the Wednesday morning sessions in December.

She and her family moved to the TriCities three years ago and now that her children are older, Hails decided to use her free time to get back into volunteer work.

uHARVEST, Page 20

16

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Philanthropy

Philanthropy

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

17

Corvettes on the Columbia revs up to raise money for Make-A-Wish

By Jessica Hoefer for TCAJOB Integrity Dealerships has done for nearly Eight years ago, McCurley Integrity a decade.

Dealerships was looking for a way to Last year’s event raised $118,486, and reach out to Corvette enthusiasts. they were able to grant more than two “We’ve always sold Corvettes, but we dozen wishes throughout Eastern wanted to expand that market and let Washington. ourselves be known as a hub for Corvette “The proceeds from our event stay in activity,” said Matthew Price, Corvette Eastern Washington. From Spokane to specialist and commercial accounts Walla Walla, that’s where the money manager for the dealership. “There are goes,” said Price. “Outside of the Seattle several Corvette clubs in Eastern area, our little car show has turned into Washington, and we thought, ‘Why don’t the largest external event for Make-Awe put on a Corvette show?’”

Wish throughout the Northwest.”

With the help of Corvettes on the the 3 Rivers Corvette Columbia is a “The proceeds from Club, the dealership weekend-long event our event stay in was able to reach out that kicks off the first to Corvette owners weekend in June. The Eastern Washington. around the state and 3 Rivers Corvette From Spokane to Walla Club is the host club gather them together Walla, that’s where for a casual summer for the event, event at Columbia contacting Corvette the money goes.”

Park. clubs from around “It was a hit, and the country. Last - Matthew Price, everyone had a great year, visitors drove McCurley Integrity Dealerships from eight states as time,” said Price.

But the dealership well as Canada to quickly realized it wanted to do more than attend Corvettes on the Columbia. Price showcase cars. The staff wanted to impact expects anywhere from 350 to 400 the community by partnering with a local Corvettes to descend on the Tri-Cities in charity.

2016.

Price began talking with a representative The event begins June 3, with a Friday from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an afternoon cruise in Columbia Park. Then, organization that grants wishes for car enthusiasts and event supporters meet children diagnosed with life-threatening up at the Pasco Red Lion hotel to socialize medical conditions. The local chapter, at a 5:30 banquet. Later that evening, which is comprised of Alaska and there’s a comedy show in the courtyard.

Washington, reports that one-in-four “Every year we bring in A-list seriously ill children in the district it serves are unable to receive a wish because of lack of funding.

“We found out that the average cost to fulfill a wish was around $5,000,” said Price.

So the dealership set out to make wishes come true. Price became official coordinator and the event was named Corvettes on the Columbia.

“That very first official event, from entries, donations from car owners and people who came by the dealership that weekend, we raised $4,800,” said Price.

“And Craig (Cavanaugh) and Bill (McCurley) pulled me aside because they saw the same vision I saw, that we were onto something,” he said.

They encouraged Price to grow the event, and that’s exactly what McCurley

McCurley Integrity Dealerships’ Craig Cavanaugh and Bill McCurley present the regional Make-A-Wish staff with a check from the 2015 Corvettes on the Columbia event.

comedians,” said Price.

Saturday is the day car owners show off their corvettes in Columbia Park.

“We’re looking for any and all Corvettes. You don’t have to be judged or be a club member to be involved.”

Saturday night is a time to celebrate the best cars in the show, but more importantly, to present a check to the Make-A-Wish organization so wishes can be granted.

Wishes vary from wanting to have a tea party to be a super hero.

“Quite often, the children don’t believe in dreaming anymore,” said Price. “Once

they grasp the concept, ‘I want to be Batman.’ The question becomes, ‘What would you want to do if you were Batman?’”

Money raised from events such as Corvettes on the Columbia help make those dreams a reality. For instance, one child wished to fly with Peter Pan and got to ride in a helicopter. The Make-A-Wish organization said wishes provide hope and excitement for children to carry through their medical procedures and treatments. uCORVETTES, Page 24

18

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

FOUNDATION, From page 1 “We have less than $400,000 left,” said Elizabeth McLaughlin, the Foundation’s director.

The Foundation traditionally gives the Tri-Cities Cancer Center about $600,000. That money is raised through a variety of events, from an annual breakfast to its Run for Ribbons 10K/5K/1 mile run and walk, to a golf tournament and its Autumn Affair formal dinner and auction.

But that money is used for the Cancer Center’s support services — to provide educational programs, nutritional services, support groups, the Ralph R. Peterson Library and The Resource Center, which post-mastectomy supplies like bras, prosthesis, wigs, hats, facials and other non-reimbursable ser-

vices to patients free of charge.

The money for the capital campaign is completely separate from the traditional funding the Foundation gives to the Cancer Center.

“This is above and beyond that,” said McLaughlin. “And it’s a significant task.”

And the payback for the community can be counted in the number of lives saved.

The improvements include a 4,700-sq.-ft. expansion of the center, increasing the number of exams rooms from four to 10.

The new exam rooms will be larger, as well, offering more comfortable space for family members and room for technology. All will have flat screen monitors that display scans and other

Philanthropy medical information. their physical, mental and spiritual A large part of the improvements needs. being made at the Cancer Center is The new Survivorship Program has investment in new technology. been created to provide those who have Last year the Cancer Center pur- beaten cancer with a condensed docuchased an advanced radiosurgery sys- ment they can take with them to their tem that had a price tag of $4 million. general practitioner or if they have other The Edge Radiosurgery System by medical issues down the road.

Varian provides the most accurate radiaPhil Gallagher, Foundation board tion treatment available, offering preci- president, said he is very excited about sion, speed and a focused stereotactic the program and the support it lends to radiosurgery suite of survivors. tools.

“It spells it out “Volunteers are a big It accurately tar— this is what I had gets tumors in the issue. We can’t do what and what I need for we do without them.” the future,” said brain, spine, lungs and other areas that Gallagher.

“So are typically difficult when someone is - Phil Gallagher, to treat without the cured, they aren’t Tri-Cities Cancer Center need for an incision all of a sudden Foundation or recovery in a hosalone.” pital setting.

The expansion The Cancer Center also has the includes adding a Visiting Physicians Trilogy™ Stereotactic System, an auto- Clinic, providing a dedicated area where mated, robotic system that allows doc- all the physicians involved in a patient’s tors to provide the most accurate treat- care can meet with each other and the ments possible in the shortest amount of patient. It’s not unusual for a patient to time. have to see a doctor at one facility in And, in January, the Cancer Center Kennewick, the drive to Richland to see announced a new brain cancer treatment their specialist. The new space will it has available using a device called bring those doctors to the patient.

Optune by Novocure™. Optune is a “This will improve the coordination portable, noninvasive medical device of care and be more convenient for the designed for use by patients at home. patient,” said Phil Gallagher, Foundation Technology is great for treating can- board president. “It’s really about cer, but the Foundation’s goal is to patient convenience.” ensure the patient isn’t left out of the The Tri-Cities Cancer Center process.

Foundation is still seeking donations to Along with the physical expansion of help finish the expansion, but also needs the facility, the Cancer Center will also warm bodies to help out. expand patient-centered care, including “Volunteers are a big issue,” said its Palliative Care Program and adding a Gallagher, who has served on the Survivorship Program.

Foundation board for four years. “We The Cancer Center has had a Palliative can’t do what we do without them.”

Care Program for several years, but now To donate or for more information, it will have dedicated clinic space, call the Foundation at 509-737-3414 or allowing for a more comprehensive pro- go to the website at www.tccancerfoun gram to maintain a good quality of life dation.org. for patients whose cancer is treatable, but can’t be cured, taking into account

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Philanthropy

19

Three Rivers Community Foundation promotes philanthropy and planned giving

By Elsie Puig for TCAJOB Behind the success of every great nonprofit is a passionate community leader fighting for a worthwhile cause.

And behind every nonprofit leader is an organization helping to make that happen. In the Tri-Cities, that organization is the Three Rivers Community Foundation.

Since 1999, 3RCF has made its mission improving the quality of life in Benton and Franklin counties by promoting philanthropy and supporting local nonprofits.

By definition, a community foundation is a community of donors and passionate philanthropists that create a collection of many endowment funds established by individuals, families, and charitable organizations.

The funds are pooled by the community foundation and invested and the income from these investments is distributed back into the community of nonprofit organizations. The community foundation currently has $2.8 million invested and managed.

“The advantage of doing that is that instead of having $1,000 on your own to invest, since we have such a large pool of funds, we get access to some maybe better performing investment managers.

It’s diversified so maybe you can ride the bumps a little better,” said Carrie Green, executive director at 3RCF. The Three Rivers Community Foundation has a three-pronged approach to meet its goals: working with individuals and charitable organizations, working with nonprofits, and addressing the immediate needs of the community.

Grants are awarded annually in December through the foundation’s annual grant ceremony. Applications are accepted through Sept. 15.

In 2015, 41 nonprofits were approved for grant funding totaling an amount of $151,399. Individual donors and endow-

ment fund holders distributed an additional $146,699 to support nonprofit organizations and provide scholarships as directed. Since 2004, they have given over $2 million back to the community.

The Foundation also offers seminars for nonprofits like board member training, marketing and social media, and insurance for nonprofits; some of the seminars she said are intimate and personalized.

“We don’t only support them with funds, but we also support them with education and infrastructure,” she said.

As nonprofits become more recognized, they are encouraged to seek diversified funding streams, Green added.

3RCF also provides a variety of administrative services to donors and nonprofits including investment management, gift accounting and receipting, filing of tax and legal documents, grant making, vetting and interviewing potential grantees.

Establishing a fund at the Foundation allows donors to achieve their charitable goals without the overhead, costs, tax disincentives, federal compliance difficulties and administrative hassles that accompany private foundations. A donor can fund an endowment with a number of different assets, not just cash. The average annual fee for an endowed fund is 1.5 percent. This means that more than $98 of every $100 goes directly to the nonprofit.

Instead of donating directly to a nonprofit, individual donors work directly with 3RCF to manage their assets and appropriate the money where it will have a bigger impact, said Green.

Donors can also specify the causes they feel passionate about — like homelessness, or education and 3RCF will take care of the rest.

The majority of nonprofits do not have the capabilities and resources to handle gifts of non-cash assets, nor do

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they have the ability to set up planned gifts such as charitable gift annuities or remainder trusts — work often handled by lawyers.

The biggest challenge, said Green, is increasing awareness about the technical and financial component of the work the foundation does.

“Our biggest challenge in the TriCities is awareness.

A lot of work we do is in planned giving.

This is a relatively young community, so talking and educating people on estate planning is really a challenge,” she said.

The nonprofits funded by 3RCF and the causes they care about vary widely, Children at the Boys & Girls Club enjoy planting flowers at the Pasco Library as part of a service project funded by a like the arts, educa- grant awarded by the Three Rivers Community Foundation. tion, health and human services, and youth services, even animal welfare the root cause of the problem rather than and wildlife. Green said the 3RCF pre- relieving a crisis. Homelessness is a fers to fund projects and organization good example of that. that develop individuals and eliminate u3RCF, Page 20

20

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

HARVEST, From page 15 “Living in California, I volunteered at the hospital, helped with pet adoptions at PetSmart and with other organizations,” Hails said. “Here in the Tri-Cities, I looked around to see where I was needed. When I checked into this program and saw the sheer volume of people it helped I knew this was where I wanted to work.”

Hails said the volunteer work helps her feels that she’s contributing to the community.

“I just help where I can and if at the end of the day I’m tired it’s a good day,” she said. “I like to think if later on if I need help someone would be there to help, whether it’s a friend or an anonymous person.”

Cloy said 2nd Harvest has a database

of about 2,100 volunteers, but only about 300-400 each month are actively volunteering at the organization.

Cloy said volunteers can come in for just a few hours, one day a week, or on a regular schedule — whatever fits into their schedule.

“We’ll take any help we can get, whenever we can get it,” he said.

The Pasco 2nd Harvest also has about six work/study Columbia Basin College students who are learning warehousing, how to run forklifts and pallet jacks, how to work with other agencies and more.

There are only five full-time employees at the Pasco facility and one delivers the donations to the various food banks.

Volunteers are needed to help in the office and to drive the moving van-sized trucks that pick up and deliver food.

Philanthropy “It doesn’t matter what skill you have, or just a willingness to lend a hand, we’ll put you to work,” Cloy said.

Regularly scheduled sessions for sorting and packing foods are: • 6-8 p.m., Mondays.

• 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays.

• 6-8 p.m., Thursdays, when youths 9 years and older can participate with an adult.

• 9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays.

Youths 14 and older are welcome to participate without an adult companion during any sorting and packing session.

For more information, go to www.2harvest.org or contact Lamar Cloy at 509-545-0787 or via email at tcvolunteer@2-harvest.org. Volunteers can sign up on the web, www.2-Harvest. org.

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3CRF, From page 19 “The Union Gospel Mission is thinking about that,” she said. “With their capital campaign, they are thinking of ways to integrate counseling and career counseling for homeless women so five years down the road they don’t need them.”

They’re also keen on noticing emerging trends for gaps in social services and making sure the immediate needs of the community are met.

“When we do the grant applications every year, we see emerging trends and we see where the biggest needs are, and we reach out to the community about that,” she said. “This past year we saw a lot of organizations trying to augment what is being done in the schools with programs in-school and afterschool programs. We’re also seeing a need for programs working to strengthen parent-child relationships.”

These are programs that are needed to improve attendance and high school graduation rates, she said.

They also fund organizations that foster arts and culture in the TriCities. In 2015, they awarded grants to Camerata Music, Mid-Columbia Symphony, Mid-Columbia Ballet, and Cavalcade of Authors.

For more information on the Three Rivers Community Foundation visit www.3rcf.org.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Philanthropy

21

Getting the biggest bang for your charity buck takes good planning

By Beau Ruff for TCAJOB As this issue is devoted, in part, to the issue of philanthropy, I thought it prudent to review some basic charitable gifting techniques and how those techniques can be employed in a sophisticated manner to help get the biggest bang for your buck.

Many of us find value in contributing our hard-earned cash or assets to support the organizations or causes that inspire us. The simplest way to provide a gift is to write a check or gift cash.

But, why engage in such a simple transaction when there are far more effective techniques that can provide the donor with compounding benefits, especially when it makes little or no difference to the receiving organization?

When we make a simple gift in cash or by check, we get an income tax deduction for the amount of the gift.

Generally, if you itemize your deductions, you may deduct up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income.

But, in addition to an income tax deduction, an important consideration when you make a gift is the income tax you might be able to avoid by giving something other than cash or a check.

To understand this, we must first remind ourselves about the concept of a ‘tax basis.’

If I buy a share of GE stock at $100 per share and I sell it at $150 years later, I have $50 in long-term capital gains.

My tax basis was $100. The sales price (and fair market value) was $150. My

realized gain is $50.

If instead, I give that appreciated asset to a charity, I, first, don’t have to realize the gain of $50; and, secondly, I get a deduction for the full value of the donated asset ($150). By giving appreciated assets to a charity, the donor can compound the effect of the gift.

A donor can also give assets or cash to a charity in their Last Will and Testament. Though the donor will not receive an income tax deduction, the donor (or their estate) will receive an estate tax deduction for the value of the gift.

This kind of gift provides money or assets to the charity when the donor clearly no longer has a need for the asset or the income from the asset.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could somehow get an income tax deduction and reduce the taxable estate for estate tax purposes, while at the same time keeping some interest in the asset or the income on which you rely? Enter the Charitable Remainder Trust.

The CRT provides several powerful benefits. It provides an income tax deduction, which is not achieved through the use of a gift in a Will. It also provides an estate tax reduction, with the amount gifted not included in the estate for estate tax purposes. And it provides an income stream to the donor.

The donor places cash or appreciated assets to the CRT, which is established by the donor. Keep in mind this trust is an irrevocable trust and different from

the Revocable Living Trust.

The fact that the CRT is an irrevocable trust simply means that once it is set up, it cannot be changed.

In the trust, the donor picks a Beau Ruff charity, or chariCornerstone ties, and decides Wealth Strategies a term for the CRT (a term of years or the lifetime of the donor or the donor and his or her spouse), and the rate of return.

For example, a donor age 75 can put $500,000 into a CRT with 5 percent payout and receive $25,000 per year for the rest of the donor’s life.

The donor achieves the following: an income tax deduction equal to the actuarially-determined gift to the charity (here, approximately $236,000); a reduction in the size of the estate equal to the amount of the income tax deduction; an income for life with a 5 percent return; acknowledgement from the charity for the gift; and the possibility of directing the use of the funds while the donor is alive. Note the donor can also maintain the ability to change the ultimate charitable recipients of the assets of the CRT as well.

The CRT comes in many different “flavors” including the CRUT, the

CRAT, the NIM-CRUT, the FLIPCRUT, the CLUT and the CLAT (among others). Your planning professional can help you choose the right set up for you.

The biggest downside to the CRT is that the donor typically has to pay for an attorney to draw up the trust. But, once established, there are usually no additional fees to pay the attorney. And, the donor can choose to put more into the CRT, and usually at no additional cost.

Of the many ways that you can give of your assets, consider the approach that gives you the most bang for your buck.

Attorney Beau Ruff grew up working for his father at Ruff ’s Giant Burgers.

He graduated from Kamiakin High School and attended Gonzaga University, where he obtained both his bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor degree. Ruff also has a Master of Laws degree in Taxation. After law school, Ruff entered the U.S. Army as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He served for four years, including a year-long tour to Iraq, earning a Bronze Star. Ruff later practiced as an attorney with the law firm of Leavy, Schultz & Davis, P.S., where he focused on business planning, estate planning, and taxation. Ruff works for Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a full-service independent investment management and financial planning firm in Kennewick.

22

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Philanthropy

Mustangs for Mustangs helps families by tackling immediate needs head-on

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By Audra Distifeno for TCAJOB Mustangs for Mustangs is a philanthropic organization born almost two years ago and somewhat by accident, said organizer Brett Dillahunt. The mission, however, is quite deliberate — to “Stampede the Needs” of its extended (Prosser) Mustang alumni family.

Dillahunt is a Prosser High School history teacher who also graduated from the school. Prosser High School has been his home-away-from-home for the past 23 years.

“I intended to get 30 or 40 Facebook friends together to help others. I started without thinking and the first week, we had 1,500 members,” Dillahunt said.

Within a month, the Facebook page had 3,500 members. It quickly became apparent to him that his movement needed a more formal structure, and the alumni stepped up to help.

“The greatest part was all of these Mustangs came out of the woodwork to help run it,” he said.

Jeanne Rose Field, a Prosser High School graduate who is now a nonprofit attorney in New York, did the paperwork to help the organization gain IRS approval as a nonprofit and established a legal framework — all pro bono. As part of the process, the group established bylaws, named a board of directors and created operation’s policies.

“It was a very steep learning curve and we set it up as we were running — we had a lot of on-the-job training in social work,” Dillahunt said.

Prior to formal establishment, a ‘Rapid Response Team’ was organized to address immediate needs.

The Board of Directors, most of whom have served since inception, include Dillahunt, Jackie Bell, Josefina MartinSmith, Teri Tucker and Ali Chapman Boyle.

What started as a small, fairly casual idea quickly blossomed into an organization equipped to provide direct emergency assistance in six key areas including personal safety, utility assistance, food security, primary transportation, primary housing and extreme medical needs.

Recipients are limited to $250 direct assistance in any calendar year, though special circumstances that require more are given board consideration.

“The biggest rush is from someone far away having a need. You throw a Hail Mary pass on the Facebook page and ask, ‘Who’s close? Who can help?’” Dillahunt said.

For Dillahunt, who’s often sitting at his desk trying to coordinate to meet the emergency needs for someone 2,000 miles away, there’s a lot of satisfaction when it all comes together.

“Two and a half hours later, there’s food in someone’s fridge in Missouri,” he said.

“Your adrenaline is pumping and you’re helping to make this happen.”

Due to the confidential nature of emergency situations, the group has received many testimonials, but most are anonymous. uMUSTANGS, Page 30

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

REal estate

23

Broadmoor Storage Solutions to add 125 new units off Sandifur

By Loretto J. Hulse news@tcjournal.biz Tri-Cities area residents will soon have additional places to store their extra furniture, family keepsakes, even out-of-season toys like boats and RVs. Broadmoor Storage Solutions, Inc., is adding 125 storage units to those already at 9335 Sandifur Parkway in Pasco.

Sound Investment Group LLC, a TriCities’ company, owns the facility. The architect was Money Engineering of Kennewick and CRF Metal Works LLC is the general contractor.

“Ground was broken in October 2015 and completion is expected in April of this year, depending on the weather,” said Kees Koster, president of Broadmoor Storage Solutions.

Koster said the four new buildings will total 37,588 sq. ft. and offer 125 new storage units in a variety sizes, ranging from 150 square feet to the company’s largest, 1,000 square feet.

Each unit will be insulated and have the option to be temperature controlled or connected to power.

There will also be a large number of outdoor parking areas available for

Broadmoor Storage Solutions in Pasco is expanding, adding an additional 125 covered storage units plus outdoor parking for boats and RVs. The new units under construction will cover 37,588-sq.-ft.

those who want a more economical option to safely store their cars, trailers and RVs, Koster said.

According to the building permit, the valuation of the construction is $1 million.

There are a large number of storage facilities in the area but as the Tri-Cities continues to grow, Broadmoor Storage

Solutions wants to stay ahead of that growth by expanding the number of options they offer, Koster said.

“There are many reasons why people need storage beyond just having lots of stuff, including commercial tenants, people needing temporary storage between moves, divorces, downsizing when kids leave home, sports and hobby

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equipment and when sub-divisions limit what can be parked in front of people’s homes,” Koster said.

“Also someone might have higher value items that would benefit from being stored in a secure and temperature-controlled environment, versus their garage, which would see extreme temperature changes in our climate.”

Since opening, Broadmoor Storage Solutions has expanded several times.

When the latest construction is complete, the company will have more than 450 self-storage units, in addition to RV and boat storage.

Broadmoor Storage Solutions is at 9335 Sandifur Parkway in Pasco. The telephone number is 509-547-3777 and the website is www.broadmoorstorage. com.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016 boy was rushed to a Seattle hospital for care.

“I reached out to the Seattle Corvette club and said, ‘Here’s the situation…

What if we try to do something in Seattle?’ We were putting the wish together as fast as we could,” said Price.

“We were going to go up there that weekend and getting ready to leave— and my phone went off. I knew at that moment something was wrong. He didn’t make it.”

From the tragedy came renewed vigor though, and Corvettes on the Columbia’s fundraising efforts doubled that year.

Last year’s fundraising efforts were the best yet, but Price faces a big challenge as they head into the homestretch for the 2016 event.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of

SPRING 2016

CORVETTES, From page 17 Corvettes on the Columbia helped another child who has an affliction that makes her immune system weak. She wanted nothing more than to go camping.

“We were able to remodel an airstream trailer with special filters to protect her.

It was retrofitted for her, and she got to go camping,” said Price. “With happiness, they seem to be on the road to recovery or handle their medicine better.”

And while events such as Corvettes on the Columbia raise money to fulfill wishes, sometimes dreams don’t come true in time.

A young boy from the Tri-Cities wanted to meet Lightning McQueen from Cars. Plans to create that wish were moving forward at a rapid pace when the

t u o b a k As ship r o s n o sp s! e i t i n u opport

the Make-A-Wish organization, McCurley wants the Corvettes on the Columbia to fulfill 30 wishes this year.

“It’s going to take a lot of work, but I’m very lucky and blessed to have the rest of the management team saying, ‘Go for it!’” Price said.

Corvettes on the Columbia also has support from local businesses. Sponsors include Local Union 598 Plumbers and Steamfitters, GESA Credit Union, PayneWest Insurance and A-One Refrigeration & Heating, to name a few.

“We’ve had tremendous help with corporate sponsorships to cover the costs,” said Price, who added that Red Lion hotel is very supportive, as are business leaders such as Round Table Pizza owner Chuck Stack who helps with registration.

With the event fast approaching, Price said they have a block of rooms set aside at the hotel and have already exceeded 50 percent in pre-registration. Attendees do not have to own a Corvette and can purchase tickets for the Friday night comedy or Saturday night concert events in the courtyard through the Pasco Red Lion directly. A portion of the ticket sales will go toward the Make-A-Wish fundraiser.

The pre-event starts in May with Wheels for Wishes, a month where a portion of ethe proceeds from every car sold at McCurley Integrity Dealerships goes to the nonprofit. For information on sponsoring or entering your Corvette for the June event, contact Price at 509-5446265, or go to www.3riverscorvetteclub. net.

Call to Vendors

Here’s an opportunity to meet and talk with hundreds of seniors from around the Mid-Columbia. As an exhibitor, this one-day event is designed to showcase your product or service to active and retired seniors, their families and caregivers who attend. Booth space is limited. Sign up early to guarantee availability.

April 19, 2016 • 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Pasco Red Lion Hotel 2525 N. 20th Ave. • Pasco, WA

For more information call 509.737.8778 or visit srtimes.com Sponsored by

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

25

West Richland restaurant combines chicken wings and fine wines

By Loretto J. Hulse news@tcjournal.biz When you have a hankering for deepfried chicken and a glass of high quality Red Mountain wine, there’s only one place to go — The Chicken Shack in West Richland.

“I know it sounds odd but it works,” said Steve LaMarr.

LaMarr and his wife, Tracy, and partner Ken Poletski, opened The Chicken Shack, at 4390 W. Van Giesen St. in early December. It’s in half of a former feed store that closed a few years ago.

The LaMarrs bought the building with Poletski, a longtime friend and Tri-City real estate agent. Poletski’s office is in half the building. The Chicken Shack and their other business, Winenotes, occupy the remainder.

The Chicken Shack is one of a small chain of franchises with other locations in Nevada, California, Oregon and South Carolina.

As the name says, the menu features chicken — your choice of all white meat chicken tenders or jumbo-size wings — either deep-fried or grilled. The menu also offers a chicken sandwich, wraps and several burgers. The chili is made onsite, as are the side dishes.

“Even the coleslaw, macaroni salad and potato salad. Some of the Chicken Shacks buy their salads pre-made but I just couldn’t see doing that not when The Chicken Shack prides itself on using all fresh, never frozen meats,” said Renee Fulfer, restaurant manager.

Prices range from $6 to $10 with several party packs available ranging from $35 to $95.

“Nearly half our business is take out,” said Fulfer.

After the LaMarrs and Poletski bought

into The Chicken Shack franchise and designed and built the restaurant, they had 900-1,000 sq. ft. of extra space leftover.

At first Steve LaMarr, who also owns StoneCrest Builders, considered moving his home-based office into the building.

“We enjoy building homes and have no intention of stopping,” he said. “But we’ve been wanting to diversify a bit. Construction is a bit of a rollercoaster, so we’d been researching restaurant franchises.”

But they weren’t happy with the way many of the franchises were structured. A niece visiting from California told them about The Chicken Shack chain.

“They’re small — just about eight or nine locations — and she manages three of them in Redding, Calif. Tracy and I drove down to check them out and were able to meet the founder. We liked what he had to say — to do one thing, do it well and keep it simple,” said Steve LaMarr.

It was Tracy LaMarr who suggested turning the unnecessary space into an intimate wine bar specializing, mainly, in Red Mountain wines.

“They’re what we enjoy drinking when we go out. But we have a hard time finding a restaurant with many on their wine list,” he said.

A hallway separates the two establishments. Winenotes has its own manager, Yvonne Berry, who’s well versed in the wine industry. There’s also a separate “small plates” menu, but everything on The Chicken Shack items from the Chicken Shack menu can also be ordered and enjoyed in the wine bar. And the wines served at Winenotes, can be ordered and served in the Chicken Shack.

“Anything we have can be served in either room. It just depends on where you want to sit,” said Yvonne Berry.

As the weather improves, the LaMarrs

AUTOZONE, From page 1 According to documents obtained from the Department of Commerce, because the distribution facility was larger than 200,000 sq. ft., the project qualifies for the state’s Warehouse/ Distribution Sales Tax Remittance Program, which is administered through the Department of Revenue.

Under the program, certain construction expenses are exempt from the state portion of the tax.

In February 2015, the Department of Commerce approved $200,000 for planning and technical assistance for the project. The money comes from the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund, a discretionary fund used to recruit businesses to the state and retain them.

According to the documents, the funds must be spent by June 30,2017.

Colin Hastings, executive director of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce, said having the AutoZone distribution center in Pasco is a huge victory for the area and great for economic development.

“I think it’s awesome,” Hastings said.

“We’ve been working with their advance team in human resources for development of their labor force.”

Randy Hayden, the Port of Pasco’s executive director, said the new warehouse not only will offer great jobs with

competitive wages and good benefits, it could lead to other, similar development.

“I think it could really open doors for other similar distribution centers to look at Pasco,” Hayden said.

White agreed. He said he believes the site selection team does work across the country for many businesses.

“They had a good experience and that’s important,” White said. “I’m excited they know about us.”

Yvonne Berry brings several years of experience in the wine industry to the management of Winenotes Wine Bar. The wine bar is a unique feature of The Chicken Shack in West Richland. Other restaurants in the chain have nothing like it but owners, Steve and Tracy LaMarr, wanted to showcase some of the top wines produced in our area, those from Red Mountain.

plan to open up the rear patio for dining and music.

“I have a lot of friends who are musicians and the patio would be a great place to incorporate live music,” said LaMarr, who’s love of music and wine inspired Winenotes name.

What the two businesses don’t share are the same days and hours of operation.

The Chicken Shack, at 4390 W. Van Giesen St. in West Richland, is open from

10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. The phone number is 509-967-1807. Find the business on Facebook or go to the website, www. chickenshacktc.com.

Winenotes Wine Bar is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The phone number is 509-967-1740. More information can be found at www.visitwinenotes. com or find them on Facebook.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Crimson Wine Group acquires Walla Walla’s Seven Hills Winery

By Mary Coffman editor@tcjournal.biz Crimson Wine Group (OTCQB: CWGL) has purchased the Seven Hills Winery in Walla Walla for $5.75 million.

Seven Hills was founded in 1988 by Casey McClellan, the winemaker, and his wife, Vicky. It was the fifth winery in Walla Walla at the time.

Casey McClellan was a fourth-generations farmer who planted the Seven Hills Vineyard with his father, Jim McClellan in 1982. The family’s history of farming in Eastern Washington dates back nearly 100 years.

Through its 28-year history, Seven Hills has established history of producing awardwinning Merlot and Bordeaux-style red

blends.

The acquisition of Seven Hills Winery provides Crimson with a strategic opportunity for the company to expand its portfolio to include a historic Walla Walla winery with an enviable track record of producing highly-acclaimed wines.

Several family members will remain involved in the winery operations, including winemaker Casey McClellen and Vicky McClellen.

“Joining the Crimson portfolio is an exciting and logical next step,” said Casey McClellan, in a prepared statement. “It was critical to our family to transition Seven Hills Winery into the right hands, and Crimson’s commitment to producing quality wines from the best-of-class vineyards

and wine estates is well aligned with our philosophy. We are confident Crimson will preserve the integrity of what my family has built over the years, while providing the resources to take our wines to the next level.”

Since its inception, Seven Hills Winery has cultivated long-term relationships with top growers to establish an exceptional vineyard program. The winery currently sources fruit from several of Washington’s marquee vineyard sites, including Seven Hills Vineyard and McClellan Estate Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley and Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun on red Mountain.

“We are constantly evaluating the market for the right growth opportunities and fit, and Seven Hills Winery is a strategic

match for Crimson,” said Patrick DeLong, president and CEO of Crimson. “The acquisition of Seven Hills Winery is complementary to the Crimson mission and portfolio, adding a high-quality growing region that excels in the production of Merlot and Bordeaux-style red blends. We see significant opportunities for growth and we’re honored that Casey and Vicky have entrusted us to care for this historic Washington wine estates moving forward.”

Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Crimson will pay $5.75 million for the winery, including $5 million in cash and up to $750,000 in future payments, based on certain achievements over the 38 months following the closing of sales.

The transition of the winery’s operations remains subject to federal and state regulatory approvals.

Based in the Napa Valley, Crimson Wine Group specializes in handcrafted, estategrown wines originating from the highest quality wine regions in the U.S. Crimson owns and manages more than 895 acres of vineyard land across five distinct regions.

Crimson’s collection of wine brands includes Pine Ridge Vineyards of Napa, Calf., Seghesio Family Vineyards of Healdsburg, Calif., Archery Summit of Dayton, Ore., Chamisal Vineyards of San Luis Obispo, Calif. and Double Canyon of Prosser.

SHOPTALK, From page 14

Richland hiring lifeguards

The City of Richland Parks and Recreation Department is recruiting lifeguards and swim instructors for the summer season. Full and part-time positions, including weekends and evenings, are needed. Lifeguards must be certified by hire date. To fill out an application, go to www.ci.richland.wa.us/jobs. For more information, call 509-942-7534.

Schinfeld speaks at luncheon

Eric Schinfeld, president of the Washington Council on International Trade addressed attendees of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce at its monthly membership luncheon Feb. 8 at the Pasco Red Lion.

Schinfeld talked about the significance of international trade to Washington, noting 40 percent of jobs in the state are tied to international trade, which makes Washington the most trade-dependent state in the U.S. He also discussed the importance of the passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he believes will benefit Washington state more than any other state. For more information visit www. wcit.org.

NETWORKING SCORE adds self

Trista Self, founder and CEO of Logic & Ledgers, has joined Mid-Columbia TriCities SCORE as a certified business mentor.

Currently the local SCORE chapter ranks near the top in several categories nationwide and is the leading chapter in all performing services in the state. uNETWORKING, Page 32

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Kennewick Irrigation District Administration 2015 S. Ely• Kennewick

The Kennewick Irrigation District’s new administration building at 2015 S. Ely in Kennewick is now complete.

The $4.5 million, 15,000-sq.-ft. building was constructed on KID-owned property where its operations team was previously located.

The energy efficient building was designed

by SOLARC Architecture & Engineering of Portland.

The general contractor was T.W. Clark Construction of Spokane and Scott Roundtree of T.W. Clark was the project manager. The concrete slab, utility work and metal building was done by LCR Construction of Kennewick.

Lynda Rosenbaum of KID oversaw the construction project.

The new building is now home to both the administrative and operations staff, allowing all 57 KID employees to work out of a single location.

All contact information for KID employees will remain the same.

For more information, go to www.kid.org.

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210 N. Perry St., Ste. B • Kennewick, WA 509-374-5701

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2015 S. Ely Street, Kennewick, WA 99337 For your convenience, all of our contact information will remain the same. Keep informed about what is happening at KID. Visit our website at www.kid.org and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ KennewickIrrigationDistrict

Congrats on your new building!

It was a pleasure working with you on this project. ~Sincerely, Rick & Jeff

509.545.5320

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;˘ February 2016

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;˘ February 2016

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

MUSTANGS, From page 22 “Mustangs for Mustangs got my daughter and I out of a violent situation. I hadn’t even heard of them and 24 hours later, we were safe,” said one recipient.

Another said that after serving in Afghanistan, life became difficult and M4M helped pay rent.

“A young former student of mine was in an abusive relationship on the East Coast. She had a young daughter and her best friend from high school called me and said she needed help,” Dillahunt said.

“It was as simple as giving her instructions and marshalling resources to buy her a plane ticket.”

That sounds easy, but there’s much more involved in personal safety issues than people might realize, he added. “You have to leave your social media, your cell phone and cut ties with all friends. It’s very difficult to walk away,” he said.

“She had $9 on her and within about six and a half hours, she and her daughter were relocated and safe.”

Dozens of needs have been met — all very worthy — but some resonate more deeply for Dillahunt.

Dillahunt explained that one alumni had a personal safety issue in South Carolina and needed help.

“A M4M member had Marine buddies near there. One of them knew an off-duty detective who found the individual who needed help, emergency transported them, and they were safe, all within hours,” Dillahunt said.

Another impactful experience occurred about a year ago when the history teacher “tripped across” a homeless student whose parents literally left her on a curb

and moved out of town. ties, food security and transportation are “The whole community rallied around the largest needs, while personal safety her,” he said. “She had safe housing for and medical needs are challenges yearthe rest of the year, graduated on time and round, Dillahunt said. is now enrolled in tech school and doing During the busy season, Mustangs for well.”

Mustangs helped about 50 people each She had no identification and had to month, with an average of 15-20 per wait until she turned 18 years old to rees- month for the remainder of the year. tablish documentation. She received “I’ve tried to count how many people medical services and dozens of people we’ve impacted – family members of our stepped up to help Mustangs, but I financially as well. stopped counting at “It doesn’t take a “It was one of 1,400,” Dillahunt massive commitment said. those situations that by any one person, could’ve gone really In addition to the wrong. I’m so glad it two dozen people just some awareness didn’t,” he said. who are the “backand watching what Dillahunt said the bone” of the group, gets posted.” work can be very he said, about 400 emotional and he’s members give regureceived advice from lar monthly dona- Brett Dillahunt, friends who work in tions.

Mustangs for Mustangs the social work field “That’s only about who have taught him 10 percent of our to keep it separate from the rest of his life. membership,” he said. “To think what “There’s no way not to invest in it we’d be able to do with even 30 percent emotionally but you have to draw some of our members giving monthly is amazclear lines,” Dillahunt said. ing.”

Often people apply for assistance with Dillahunt said the Facebook page now the county or state but the process can be has 4,200 members, and when you add in lengthy. Mustangs for Mustangs isn’t their family and friends it means the orgabound by red tape, so they can respond nization has 14,000 to 17,000 volunteers quickly. ready to respond. Some needs are posted “We ask ‘Do they meet the criteria?’ If on the page at Dillahunt’s discretion. A the answer is ‘yes,’” we can help immedi- couple weeks ago, a need for infant clothately,” Dillahunt said. ing and items was posted. The need was People eligible for direct assistance are filled within minutes. anyone who has attended Prosser schools, “It doesn’t take a massive commitment lives in Prosser and their immediate fam- by any one person, just some awareness ilies. and watching what gets posted,” he said.

During fall and winter, housing, utili- “People want to help. They just haven’t been empowered to help before.”

Members with specialties — handymen, mechanics and more — are ready to lend a helping hand when needed.

“We have a number of M4M mechanics willing to help here in town for just the cost of parts,” Dillahunt said. “It’s a lynchpin – if the transportation goes down in a high needs family, we plug the

lynchpin and it fixes everything. We’re spending very few dollars with a high return.”

Like any nonprofit, there are times when you get burned, Dillahunt said.

“But being in a Mustang family is a natural deterrent. Sometimes people are in need because they made bad choices.

Oh well. We’re not fixing everything for them; there doesn’t have to be an element of judgment in everything we do to help someone. There are many instances where people need a lot more than we can give.”

The organization is run completely by volunteers, who receive no pay, no stipends and no reimbursements. That’s key to its success.

“We’ve all been part of nonprofits where we’ve wondered where the money goes,” Dillahunt said.

More than 99 percent of all M4M donations go directly to those needing help, he said. The only annual overhead is $60 for a post office box.

Mustangs for Mustangs runs one fundraiser each fall and asks members to donate a minimum of $5 per month or the equivalent ($60 for the year).

“We’d really like to grow it into an organization that doesn’t simply respond to emergencies, but one that can be more proactive doing some outreach in the community and helping before it becomes a chronic need,” Dillahunt said.

Two large food drives, ‘Operation Full Belly,’ have put food into the homes of Prosser residents by way of Jubilee Ministry. Less than an hour into one of the events, 650 pounds of food and 300 pounds of beef had already been given.

When the dust cleared, nearly three tons of food had been donated.

“With some organizing and support, we could ensure that nobody is hungry,” he said. “To eliminate that need is actually possible. The generosity is there. It’s just the organization and distribution that are needed.” uMUSTANGS, Page 31

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

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New 16,700-sq.-ft. plasma collection center coming to Pasco

By Mary Coffman editor@tcjournal.biz A new 16,700-sq.-ft. BioLife Plasma Center will be built at the southeast corner of Road 76 and Wrigley Drive in Pasco, across from the Mid-Columbia Library’s West Pasco branch.

The general contractor on the construction project, which is estimated at $2.7 million, is W.D.S. Construction Inc., of Beaver Dam, Wis. BioLife operates plasma donation centers throughout the U.S. and processes plasma into life-saving therapeutics for patients with hemophilia and immune disorders. The plasma is also used as a blood volume replacement and in tissue sealing.

Plasma is the yellow liquid portion of MUSTANGS, From page 30 Dillahunt has applied for small grants and the Board hopes to organize a Health Fair with dentists, eye doctors, chiropractors and more to serve those without care.

“We’d like to buy 60 pairs of eyeglasses and give to the schools so no kids go without,” Dillahunt said. “There’s a lot we can do.”

Another goal is to assist other places in organizing a group similar to M4M, as its framework can easily be replicated in other places.

“We can help other places start the same model, with the same motivation and the same type of organization,” Dillahunt said. “Mustangs for Mustangs can serve as the advisor to help them get started.”

Currently, a group in Albuquerque, N.M. is doing just that.

The group also hopes to reach out to the senior citizen population in Prosser through a local, monthly newspaper column, as well as procuring Spanishspeaking volunteers to widen M4M’s reach.

Dillahunt said what he loves about the organization is its simplicity and he summarized his feelings in a recent Facebook post.

“People need help so we help them.

People need what we collectively have and we give what they individually need.

There’s no reason to make it any more complicated than that,” he wrote.

Though his involvement can be timeconsuming (from five to 30 hours per week), the intrinsic rewards are many, he said.

“It’s absolutely essential to me as a human being. I’m being exposed to this vast amount of suffering and I get to help solve it. That’s a pretty amazing feeling,” Dillahunt said.

But Dillahunt noted that he’s been only a small part in Mustangs for Mustangs has accomplished through the years. “I’m uncomfortable taking praise because there are so many people – hundreds and hundreds — involved in helping,” he said.

Mustangs for Mustangs is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that solely operates on donations. Contribute online at www. mustangs4mustangs.com or mail donations to M4M, P.O. Box 1634, Prosser, Wash. 99350. For more information on the program, go to the Mustangs for Mustangs Facebook page or call 509-833-0711.

whole blood that can be easily replaced by the body. Plasma makes up about 57 percent of whole blood and consists of water and proteins that help the body control bleeding and infection.

Plasma functions as an aid in the circulation of red and white blood cells and platelets.

Plasma is collected through a process called plasmapheresis. When a person donates plasma, whole blood is drawn from the body, then separate using a sterile system. The plasma is retained and the other whole blood elements are returned to the donor’s body during the plasmapheresis process.

The process takes 20 to 40 minutes longer than whole blood donation, but because

the cellular components are returned to the donor body, that donor can donate as often as twice a week, with at least a day in between donations.

BioLife Plasma Services is a part of Baxalta U.S. Inc., the principal domestic operating subsidiary of Baxalta Inc. (NYSE:BXLT).

Baxalta Inc. is a $6 million global biopharmaceutical leaders in developing, manufacturing and commercializing therapies for rare and chronic conditions in hematology, oncology and immunology.

According to the company’s website, most BioLife Plasma Services centers feature 60-72 donor beds, employ 50 to 70 workers and receive up to 2,000 plasma donations per week.

Many of the centers feature free wi-fi, a supervised children’s playroom and the company offers a simple, online scheduling system.

The company has one operating plasma collection center in Bellingham, and also plans to open one in Lacey.

Advertise with us!

(509) 737-8778 www.tcjournal.biz

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

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NETWORKING, From page 26

NCC receives accreditation

The Northwest Cancer Clinic in Kennewick was awarded national accreditation from the American College of Radiation Oncology for its clinical practice standards and care given to patients undergoing radiation treatment in 2013. The radiation oncology program at the Northwest Cancer Clinic is the only cancer treatment facility in Benton and Franklin counties to hold the ACRO accreditation. Northwest Cancer Clinic is affiliated with 21st Century Oncology, a national provider of integrated cancer care services.

Chamber announces awards

The West Richland Chamber of Commerce had its annual awards ceremony in early February at the Sandberg event center. More than 100 people attended the event.

The award winners were: Best Creative Marketing, Tracy Hill, 4 Paws DogWorks; Customer Focused Business of the Year, Scott Whistman, Washington Trust Bank; Female Business Leader of the Year, Holley Sowards, Sunset Gardens; Nonprofit of the Year, Michael Novakovich, Tri-City Cancer Center; Outstanding Business, Preston House, Papa John’s; Outstanding Chamber Member, AJ Hill, Benton County Fires District No. 4 Commissioners; Outstanding Volunteer, Bob Marshall, West Richland Rentals & Benton County Fire District No. 4; Solopreneur of the Year, Sonja Yearsly, Sonja Photography; Outstanding Senior Volunteers, Dee Rohrman and Judy Calking; Herb Ganz Community Spirit Award, City of West Richland Maintenance Department; A.D.D. Award, presented to member most likely to be distracted by looks & something shiny, Matt Peery, Benton REA PowerNet and Chamber president; Duct Tape Award, presented to the member who is able to fix just about anything, Troy Berglund, Benton REA PowerNet and Chamber past president; Running with the Bulls Award, presented to the biggest risk taker, Dorothy Hunter, chamber board member; Social Butterfly Award, for member who spends the most time on social media, Joe Peterson, Joe Peterson Insurance.

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Danielle Kleist, director of student life at Washington State University TriCities, has earned a national award for promoting student learning and personal development.

Kleist was presented with the 2016 Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a student affairs professional from NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in High Education was renamed to honor NASPA’s first minority female board of director’s chairwoman.

NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health and sustainability of the student affairs profession. It has 15,000 members in 50 states, 25 countries and eight U.S. territories. uNETWORKING, Page 36

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

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TRIDEC transfers former DOE land to Port of Benton, Richland

By Mary Coffman wash my hands of this,” said Carl editor@tcjournal.biz Adrian, TRIDEC president.

City of Richland, Port of Benton and Bob Larson, Port of Benton commisTri-City Development Council officials sioner, said the port will work closely celebrated the official transfer of 1,341 with the City of Richland to develop the acres of former Department of Energy land. land to the city and port in early Larson said they hope the large parFebruary. cel, when developed properly, will draw Last fall, the U.S. Department of the interest of a large manufacturing Energy finalized the transfer of 1,641 company, ideally an energy company. acres to TRIDEC, stipulating the land The land is situated well, with roads, be turned over to the Port of Benton, the railroad spurs and other utilities within City of Richland and Benton County for reach. economic development purposes.

“Part of our challenge will be conThe land was seized by the U.S. gov- vincing others how it would best be ernment in 1943 as used,” said Richland part of the Manhattan Robert “Part of our challenge Mayor Project to make pluThompson. will be convincing tonium for the atomScott Keller, of ic bomb that was the Port of Benton, others how it would dropped on said it will be at best be used.”

Nagasaki, Japan in least five years 1945, leading to the before any industrial - City of Richland Mayor end of W.W. II. development begins Robert Thompson This is the first to occur on the land. time since 1998 the First, a master plan DOE has returned land to the commu- must be developed. nity. The land must be used for eco“We are applying for grant funds for nomic development to help create a a master plan, which will be done jointmore diversified economic base in the ly with the City of Richland,” Keller community, ultimately to help replace said. many of the Hanford jobs that will be But the acquisition is important for lost as cleanup at the site is completed. both the city and the port, Keller said.

The Port of Benton received 760 It helps leverage the investments the acres and the City of Richland received city and port have already made in 581 acres.

North Richland, and the land connects “Today, from my standpoint, I get to with those properties.

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From left: Richland Mayor Robert Thompson, Richland City Manager Cindy Reents, TRIDEC President Carl Adrian, Port of Benton Commissioner Bob Larson, and Port of Benton Executive Director Scott Keller, finalize the transfer of more than 1,300 acres from TRIDEC to the city and port. The former DOE land will be used for economic development.

The land is also included in the TriCities Research District, one of Washington’s 15 Innovation Partnership Zones, which may help attract energy companies to the area because of the potential partnership capabilities with WSU Tri-Cities and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, said Diahann Howard, the research district’s executive director.

Adrian said the remaining 300 acres was initially set aside for an solar project developer, and that company began

working with Energy Northwest to develop a project.

“We are currently working with Energy Northwest to transfer the balance of the property to them,” Adrian said. “The solar project is still in play, although it seems like the best path is to transfer (the land) to Energy Northwest and let them work with the solar company.”

That plan could change, Adrian noted, but for now, that is the plan for the remaining acreage.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Tri-Cities economy shows strength and position for growth

By Mary Coffman editor@tcjournal.biz Although the Tri-Cities unemployment rate is still higher than the state and nation, other economic indicators are strong in the Mid-Columbia.

Local industry leaders and experts, from economists and realtors to hospitality and government officials gave their summaries of the 2015 Tri-Cities economy and forecasts for the upcoming year at TRIDEC’s 17th Annual Economic Outlook, which was held late January at TRAC in Pasco.

Ajsa Suljic, a regional labor economist for the Washington Employment Security Department, said Benton County’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.1 percent in November and Franklin County had a 7.4

percent rate, giving the KennewickRichland-Pasco Metropolitan area a combined rate of 6.5 percent. While that still trails the state’s unemployment rate of 5.3 percent, it is 1.5 percent lower than a year ago.

Suljic said the area is still in a recovery mode, and that in November, the total labor force was 128,104, a drop of 1 percent from the same time in 2014.

Nonfarm employment saw a 4.8 percent gain year-over-year, with employment of 108,100. Part of that included a 4.7 percent gain in construction jobs from November 2014 to November 2015, and a 7.9 percent increase in manufacturing employment.

Last year was better for local retailers, as well, said Barbara Johnson, Columbia

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The City of Kennewick saw a 9 percent growth, year-over-year; Pasco was up 9.8 percent; Richland had a gain of 8.1 percent; and the City of West Richland saw an increase of 14.8 percent. The counties also saw growth, with Benton County showing a 22 percent increase and Franklin County up 7.2 percent.

Johnson said an increase in auto sales during 2015 played a big part in those positive numbers.

But the area also saw new national retailers coming to the area, with Richland’s Queensgate shopping center experiencing growth, as well as Southridge and Columbia Center.

There was positive news in the housing market, as well, according to Gayle Stack, president of the Tri-City Association of Realtors and the broker/owner of EverStar Realty.

“It’s a bit of a great market for some, but not for others,” Stack said.

Especially not for those who are seeking a lot of options in the housing market.

It’s a buyer’s market out there, with housing inventories at all-time lows.

From 2011 to 2015, the average TriCities’ home price rose by 12.6 percent to $223,900.

Last year, 4,135 homes were sold in the Tri-Cities, compared to 3,477 in 2014 and 2,881 in 2011.

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That has led to the higher prices and lower inventories.

In December, there were just 598 active listings in the Tri-Cities.

The lack of housing is also pushing up apartment prices, which rose more than 21 percent from 2011 to 2015.

The upside is that the dearth of housing could lead to more new construction, which means more jobs.

“Our area is in dramatic need of new construction,” Stack said.

Corey Pearson, manager of the Three Rivers Convention Center, said tourism in the region is vibrant and thriving, with new hotels coming online and new events and facilities to draw visitors to the area.

The number of guestrooms available in the Tri-Cities increased by 506 to nearly 4,000 in the past two years, with the addition of three new hotels in 2015— the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Richland, the Hampton Inn at Southridge and the new Springhill Suites by Marriott, attached to Three Rivers. That includes the reopening of the M Hotel and Conference Center in Richland.

And more are on the way, including a new 120-room Hampton Inn, which is under construction near TRAC in Pasco, and the Lodge at Columbia Point, an 82-room boutique hotel being built adjacent to Budd’s Broiler.

Pearson said more people are blending their business travel with leisure, tacking on a few days prior to or after a business event to explore. The area’s wineries and the new B Reactor National Park lend themselves well to that model, and once people have been to the Tri-Cities, they often return.

That’s true for many conventions and sporting events held in the area, he added.

“It can be hard to get a group here the first time, but it’s easy to get them to come back, Pearson said.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

35

Local chefs, school districts offer spring cooking classes

By Loretto J. Hulse news@tcjournal.biz Learn some new culinary techniques, test out some tasty recipes and enjoy spending time with fellow foodies at one of the many cooking classes being offered now through this spring.

Kennewick Community Education has an impressive list of classes to choose from ranging from traditional Jewish dishes to Chinese cuisine, quick pasta sauces to cupcake creations.

Two classes are also being offered at the impressive Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser. At these two students will be able to sip a glass of wine or beer while watching Chef Kristin Johnson whip up several sweet and savory dishes.

Here’s a rundown of the culinary opportunities available: Kennewick Community Education There are 12 cooking classes being offered now until May through Kennewick Community Education.

The classes will cover some traditional dishes from various regions of the world, some easy recipes for twosomes and the basics of using a pressure canner to preserve low-acid foods like meats.

Megan Savely, founder and owner of Frost Me Sweet Bistro & Bakery in Richland, will share baking and cake decorating tips in a March 22 class.

“This will be a hands-on class, so be prepared for sticky fingers,” Savely said.

With the class scheduled two days after the first day of spring Savely’s theme is going to be flowers — roses, mums — whatever strikes her fancy.

“I’ll get everyone started and then walk around the class and help,” Savely said, deftly swirling buttercream frosting atop a cupcake.

Cake decorating looks intimidating, but it’s actually easy, Savely said.

“It’s all about technique. Most people

either squeeze the pastry bag too hard, making globs of frosting, or not enough,” she said. “Once you’ve mastered how hard to squeeze it just takes practice, lots of practice.”

The best part of practicing, she added, is getting to eat your mistakes.

Each student will have five cupcakes to practice on. Savely will provide the pre-baked cupcakes, frosting and decorating tools.

The class schedule for Kennewick Community Education is: • Feb. 18, Lurou Fan and Fish Ball Soup Hsia-Elwell will teach students how to make a popular Taiwanese minced pork dish with fish ball soup. Participants will help prepare both dishes, sample them and take home recipes. The class is 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Kamiakin High School. The cost is $25.

• Feb. 25, Moo Shu Pork and Tofu Miso Soup Hsia-Elwell will teach students how to prepare the traditional dishes, which they can then sample the dishes and take home. The class is 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Kamiakin High School. The cost is $21.

• Mar. 3, Sophisticated Sticky Rice Hsia-Elwell will teach participants how to prepare this favorite dim sum dish, which they can sample. The class is 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Kamiakin High School. The cost is $25.

• Mar. 8, Supper Norwegian Style Karen Aanes, a member of the Sons of Norway Sol-Land Lodge, will show how students to prepare a traditional Norwegian meal from appetizer to dessert. Students will enjoy a traditional Norwegian meal and take home the recipes. The class is 6-7:30 p.m. at Kamiakin High School. The cost is $25.

• Mar. 22, Cupcake Creations This class, taught by Megan Savely, owner of Frost Me Sweet, is open to adults and children 12 years and older.

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Megan Savely, owner of Frost Me Sweet in Richland, puts the finishing touches on a frosting chrysanthemum decorating the top of a cupcake. It’s one of the designs she’ll be teaching at a March cake decorating class for Kennewick Community Education.

Students will take home their delicious creations. The class is 6-7 p.m. at Kamiakin High School. The cost is $25.

• April 14, Pan Sauces/Cooking for Two Harris of Catering to You will demonstrate four easy-to-make dishes with sauces. The class is 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Kamiakin High School. Participants will sample each dish and take home recipes.

The cost is $25.

• April 23, No Fear Pressure Canning Connie Carson will teach the basics

of preserving low-acid foods using a pressure cooker. The class will be noon to 3 p.m. at Southridge High School.

Students will can chicken and take home at least one jar. Cost is $23 plus a $10 supply fee, to be paid to the instructor.

• April 28, Quick Pasta Sauces Harris of Catering To You will demonstrate a variety of red sauces from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Kamiakin High School. Students sample sauces and take home recipes. The cost is $25.

uCOOKING, Page 36

36

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

COOKING, From page 35 • May 5, A Trip To Asia Harris of Catering To You will prepare four Asian dishes from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Kamiakin High School. Students will sample dishes and take home the recipes. The cost is $25.

Pre-registration is required for each of the classes and space is limited. Register online via credit card at www.communityed.ksd.org. Or pay in cash or by check at the Kennewick School District Administration Center, 1000 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick. The Administration Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center, Casual Culinary Series Chef Kristin Johnson of Martilla’s Kitchen in Prosser will lead two classes

at the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser during February and March.

• Feb. 18, Death by Chocolate Johnson will demonstrate how to create Chocolate Chorizo Chile, Dark Chocolate Cherry Pots de Crème and Cocoa Pecan Espresso.

The class is 6-8 p.m. and costs $35, plus tax, in advance and $40, plus tax, on the day of the event. Students will be able to sample the recipes, learn a few culinary tricks and sip a glass of wine or beer. Copies of the recipes will be provided.

• Mar. 17, Intoxicated with Ireland Chef Johnson will demonstrate how to prepare Roussanne Rosemary Whipped Potatoes, Red Wine Sage Baked Meatloaf and Beer Braised Potato

Leek Soup.

The class is 6-8 p.m. and the cost is $35, plus tax, in advance or $40 plus tax on the day of the event. Students will sample recipes, learn a few new culinary tricks and sip a glass of wine or beer.

Copies of the recipes will be provided.

For more information about Chef Johnson, go to her website, www.martillaskitchen.com.

To register for either of Johnson’s classes, contact the Walter Clore Wine an d Culinary C en t er, 2140 Wine Country Road, Prosser; 509786-1000. The center is off I-82 at exit 82, next to Desert Wind Winery. The center’s website is www.theclorecenter. org.

Cooking classes at Castle Catering in Richland

• Feb. 13, Sushi with your Sweetheart Chef Andy Craig of Castle Catering in Richland will walk students through the entire process, from making the perfect rice to creating classic rolls, like California and Spicy Tuna rolls. The class is 6-8:30 p.m. at Anthology Event Center, 706 Williams Blvd., Richland.

The cost is $80 per person.

• Mar. 2, Ceviche Cooking Experience Craig will teach the proper technique for making ceviche, one of the healthiest and tastiest dishes in the world. Ceviche can be created in a style that can even be Vegan friendly.

The class is 6-8:30 p.m. at Anthology Event Center. The cost is $80 per person.

• Apr. 6, BBQ Sauce Cooking Experience Craig can help you become the envy of your neighborhood after you learn to create your own signature secret sauce.

There will be plenty of exciting ingredients available for you to perfect your potion — whiskey, jalapenos, paprika and more. The students can try their special sauces with Craig’s special signature apple wood smoked pulled pork and dinner buffet.

The class is 6-8:30 p.m. at Anthology Event Center. The cost is $80 per person.

To sign up for Castle’s classes, go to www.eventbrite.com/o/castle-eventcatering-7890627439 or go to www.cas tleeventcatering.com.

NETWORKING, From page 32

Students nominated

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-WA, has nominated a number of Tri-Cities’ students for consideration to attend U.S. military academies including West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy.

Students nominated to West Point: Charles Landefield, a Southridge High School senior and son of John and Jodi Landefield of Kennewick; and Clayton Porcaro, a Hanford High School senior and son of Paul and Melissa Porcano of Richland.

Students nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy were: Nicolas Fraga, a Hanford High School senior and son of Carlos and Trish Fraga; Alexandria Fredrickson, a Hanford High School senior and daughter of John and Suzetta Frederickson of Richland; Seth King, a senior at Hanford High School and son of Dale and Mary King of Pasco; and Robert Leam, a Richland High School graduate who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Leam is the son of Julian and Elaine Leam of Richland.

The U.S. Air Force Academy nominees are: Carson Bergstrom, a Pasco High School senior, and the son of Daniel and Christina Bergstrom of Pasco; Austin Dreyer, a Hanford High School senior and the son of Christopher and Pam Dreyer of West Richland; Lakota Wills, a Richland High School senior and the son of Jerrell and Jamie Wills of Richland; and Fraga and Fredrickson, who were also nominated for the U.S. Naval Academy. uNETWORKING, Page 38

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Banking & Finance

37

HomeStreet’s Hometown Home Loan program provides special benefits for employees

By Mary Coffman editor@tcjournal.biz HomeStreet Bank, a Seattle-based bank, has only had a presence in the TriCities’ market for about a year, but it’s already demonstrating how it does business differently.

Through the company’s Hometown Home Loan program, employees of participating businesses pay reduced fees for home loan mortgages and are offered special finance and money management classes.

And participating employers don’t even have to be bank customers.

“We have about 185 employers that participate in the program,” Slipper said.

The bulk of those are in the Seattle, Portland and Spokane markets. But since HomeStreet began offering the program in the Tri-Cities’ market about a year ago, eight employers have started participating, including Lourdes Healthcare, TriCities Community Health and Red Lion Hotels.

“This program helps employers help their employees improve their lives,” Slipper said.

Employees who are homeowners are more stable, which provides a benefit to the employer. And employers who offer

From left, Andy Slipper, HomeStreet Bank vice president, and Janet Rodgers, HomeStreet Bank loan officers based in Kennewick, said the company’s Hometown Home Loan program offers lower-fee home mortgages for participating employees.

the program can use it as a tool to recruit employees, as well.

The program provides reductions in the fees for home loans and refinancing, he explained.

Some fees associated with refinancing or home loan mortgages are set in stone, like title fees or some compliance fees,

but some of the other closing costs can be reduced.

Those reduced fees often enable borrowers to purchase a home much sooner that they might otherwise be able to, Slipper said.

HomeStreet’s Hometown Home Loan program was originally developed by the

bank with the City of Seattle in 1994 to help police and fire department employees qualify to purchase homes in the neighborhoods near where they worked.

The goal was to improve emergency response times in the event of a natural disaster.

The program was so successful that it was expanded to include other companies and organizations in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.

In October, the Hometown Home Loan program received a national award for community reinvestment from the American Bankers Association.

The program offers those who participate reduced loan fees and closing costs and free homeownership and money management education.

“There is no cost to the employer,” said Slipper, who is based in Spokane.

Slipper said the bank offers participating employers a curriculum of hour-long financial fitness classes that can be done at the work site in a ‘lunch and learn’ setting. These classes include topics from the basics of understanding credit, to protecting your identity to first-time homebuyer education. uHOMESTREET, Page 38

38

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

NETWORKING, From page 36

Petersen Hastings becomes NAPFA meeting

Petersen Hasting is now a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, or NAPFA. Five of the company’s advisors, Jeffrey Petersen CFP®, Scott Sarber CFP®, Blaine Carr CFP®, Josh Chittenden CFP® and Kevin Floyd CFP® are listed as Advisors, and Matt Neff CRPC®, Matthew Petersen and Donna Yakawich CPA® are listed by Associates.

The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors is the country’s leading professional association of fee-only financial advisors—highly trained professionals who are committed to work-

ing in the best interests of those they serve.

Petersen Hastings is a registered investment advisor in Kennewick.

PNNL appoints scientists

Allison Campbell and Louis Terminello have been selected as the inaugural associate laboratory directors of two recently created science directorates at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Campbell, a chemist, will head the Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate and Terminello, also a chemist, will head the Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate.

Both have been serving in acting roles leading their respective organizations

Banking & Finance since Oct. 1, when the laboratory created a new structure to increase the impact of its science mission.

Together, Campbell and Terminello are responsible for programs of the Department of Energy’s Office of Sciences — the largest single supporter of research staff at PNNL — working to deliver scientific innovation and impact to address some of the most challenging problems in science today.

The pair has extensive experience working closely with organizations that fund PNNL and its researchers — recognizing scientific problems of national importance early on, forming collarboations within PNNL and beyond to tackle those challenges, and recruiting the best scientific talent to make discoveries in the laboratory.

Logan joins City of Richland

Hollie Logan has joined the City of Richland as its new communications and marketing manager. Logan previously worked for MacKay Sposito headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in the Tri-Cities. Logan volunteers for Junior Achievement, is the past chairwoman of the Mid-Columbia Make a Difference Day Committee. She currently serves as a delegate for the Tri-Cities Legislative Council.

Logan will lead the Communications Division, which includes cable communications and green living.

Trios adds hospitalist

Jaime Dominguez M.D. has joined Trios Health’s hospitalist team to provide care to admitted patients at Trios Southridge Hospital.

Since 2011, Dr. Dominguez has been a physician at Quincy Valley Medical Center in Quincy. Before that, he worked for Wenatchee Valley Medical Center’s Moses Lake Clinic and for Samaritan Hospital, both in Moses Lake.

Dominguez completed a residency in internal medicine at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in Bronx, N.Y. He completed medical studies at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Dominguez is board certified in internal medicine. uNETWORKING, Page 48

HOMESTREET, From page 37 Through the program, HomeStreet also offers monthly, off-site classes that are about five hours long that are intended for homebuyer education.

“These courses are done using the curriculum of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission,” Slipper said.

Participants who complete those courses may be eligible for down payment assistance, he added.

And there’s a third component of the training that some may find invaluable.

“We have an affiliation with American Financial Solutions, a division of the North Seattle Community Foundation, which is a well-vetted credit counseling organization,” Slipper said. “They are putting resources into having counseling information for how people can address student loan issues and they have some special resources to help people navigate that.”

Slipper said it’s also important to note that when employees use the program to buy or refinance a home, that loan likely won’t get sold to another lender thousands of miles away.

“We service nearly all our home loans that we originate,” he said.

In addition, HomeStreet Bank runs the program using salaried employees, not people who are paid through commission.

“We want people to know that our best intentions are at heart and it’s important for everyone to know that our loan processors and originators are in-house,” he said.

For more information about the program or becoming a participating employer, contact Slipper by calling 509-252-6032 or by email andy.slipper@homestreet.com or go to www.homestreet.com/hometown.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Banking & Finance

39

Lending group opens to serve clients local banks have to turn away

By Jessica Hoefer for TCAJOB Jhoanna Jones spent more than a decade working in the financial industry.

She thrived on helping small business owners get the lending they needed to buy properties and expand their companies.

But sometimes, due to tighter bank regulations, she had the uneasy job of declining a loan to a small business owner.

“That really frustrated me for many years, and I thought, there has to be a better option,” said Jones.

Jones noticed there was no commercial lending brokerage in the Tri-Cities so decided to open a branch on her own in June 2013.

“I got tired of saying ‘No’ to my clients. I wanted to say ‘Yes,’” Jones said.

“I needed to find a better option, to bring in other banks that don’t have a footprint in the Tri-Cities.”

Through her company, Los Gatos Lending Group, Jones works with financial institutions across the country.

Her contacts allow her to help clients that local banks turn away, either because the loan value is too high or there are property issues that make the loan difficult to underwrite.

“Most banks, they have a (commercial loan) limit, and the limit on average is about $5 million,” she said. “I can do loans as much as $150 million if there’s a need for it,” she said. “So if a client wants to buy a building, they would normally have to go through a difficult process to get approved. With me, you don’t have to go through three different units to get approved.”

Jones said she works with investment banks that sell loans on the secondary market, so the risk tolerance is much higher than local banks. Regulations have forced many financial institutions clamp down on lending if the risk is presumed too high.

Making matters worse, is that often

when someone is trying to find a bank to work with, their credit takes a hit in the process because it’s been pulled and reviewed multiple times.

By having the option to work with a commercial lending broker with access to lenders outside of the region, Jones said she’s helping people reach their dreams.

“Tires 4 Less, a small shop in Pasco, couldn’t get a loan locally,” Jones said.

“We were able to get them a Small Business Administration loan. It feels good when you drive by a business and you know you made an impact.”

Los Gatos Lending Group doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar building, because Jones makes a point to visit with every one of her clients. Along with getting a facility tour, she’ll sit down with the client to talk about their goals. And when they move into the lending process, she takes any documents that need signatures to the owner—even if it’s outside of traditional business hours.

“I visited a client at 7 a.m. on a Sunday,” she said. “It’s when they needed me. I cater to my clients.”

Jones said because she’s handling loans local banks cannot take on, she’s not in competition with them, and — on the contrary — is a great resource. Many of her clients have come from referrals from her contacts in the local banking industry.

“We meet the gap between the local banks and the community,” she said. “If you go to New York or any large metropolitan area, it’s normal to go to a mortgage broker. So I’ve been educating the community to say, ‘There is a another option for you.’”

And word is certainly getting out. Not only are people learning about her business, commercial real estate prices are going up while office building vacancies are down.

“I’m getting calls every single day,” said Jones, who speaks both English and Spanish, allowing her to serve more

Los Gatos Lending Group has helped companies like Tires 4 Less keep its business dreams alive. Featured from left to right: Sam Pereyda, Jiovanni Miranda, Luis Rodrigez, owners Alberto Marroquin and Teresa Marroquin, also the bookkeeper.

clients.

Down the road, she’d like to hire a few individuals as her business grows. Her goal is also to be a correspondent on the bank loan—to sell the loan under her name on the secondary market and have more control on the underwriting process.

“Right now, as the broker, I send the information to different banks, and underwriters will make a decision to approve the loans and for how much.

When I become a correspondent, I’ll be doing that, and it will give me faster turn around and more control,” she said.

“Being able to make those decisions is crucial, especially when someone says,

‘I’m buying a building, and I need to close soon.’”

Jones knows all too well the stress clients have to endure when they need a loan as quickly as possible. Any hiccups in operations—such as a business having to close until a new location is secured— can cause customers to look elsewhere, and sometimes not return once the business is running again.

“I want them to be successful, because if they’re successful, I’m successful,” said, “And that means the community is successful.”

For more information, go to www. losgatoslendinggroup.com.

Small business loan programs available!

From micro loans up to $500,000 loan capability.

“When Ice Harbor Brewing first started in business in 1997 we found our business in need of additional funding to grow. Benton– Franklin Council of Governments stepped in and loaned us money when traditional lending institutions were unwilling to take a chance.

Since 1997, BFCoG has helped Ice Harbor Brewing two additional times which has allowed us to grow our business from 3 fulltime employees to 45 full-time employees and two locations. Without the help from BFCoG, Ice Harbor Brewing would not have achieved this kind of growth and success.

The team at BFCoG was easy to work with and quickly came through with funding at competitive rates. I would recommend the BFCoG to businesses who have exhausted traditional lending methods and who need help growing their business and achieving their dreams.”

- Mike Hall Co-Owner, Ice Harbor Brewing Company

Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (509) 943-9185 Please call for an appointment

1622 Terminal Dr. • Richland www.bfcog.us Regional Revolving Loan Fund (RRLF) Columbia Regional Economic Development Trust (CREDiT) Hanford Area Economic Investment Fund Advisory Committee (HAEIFAC)

40

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Banking & Finance

Charitable trusts can help you do good, transfer assets, and reduce taxes all at once

By Sara Bailey and Kathryn Garrison for TCAJOB Estate planning is never an easy topic to discuss, and incorporating taxes into the picture makes it an even less appealing topic.

However, everyone should have an estate plan—even if it’s just a simple will. Those with large and complex estate and gift tax issues will need to spend more time and effort to ensure their estate plan reflects their desired legacy.

Many individuals already know what assets they’d like to transition to heirs and what they’d like to gift to charity, but haven’t thought about the most taxefficient ways to structure these gifts and transitions. With the 2016 federal estate tax exemption amount at $5.45 million and the Washington state exemption at $2.079 million, reducing the assets included in your estate at death can greatly decrease the estate taxes owed.

Charitable trusts can provide an efficient tool for reducing taxable estate assets. They are particularly useful for individuals with large estates containing assets that are expected to appreciate (e.g. stocks) or that produce an income stream (e.g. rental real estate). Charitable lead trusts, or CLT, and charitable remainder trusts, or CRT, are two types that may reduce your estate tax liability while transitioning assets to your heirs—and accomplishing your charitable goals.

CLTs are established with a specified trust term and funded with a donor’s assets. When you transfer the assets to the trust, the grantor receives a charitable deduction based on the value of the income stream going to charity, discounted at the monthly Section 7520 interest rate (2.17 percent for January 2016). The current low-interest rate environment is favorable for charitable lead trusts because the discounted value of that income stream going to the charity – and your charitable deduction – can be quite large.

The taxable gift to your heirs is calculated by subtracting that charitable deduction from the amount contributed to the trust. The lower the Section 7520 interest rate, the larger the charitable deduction to the donor - and the smaller the remainder gift to heirs at the end of the trust term. It’s possible to set the trust up such that the value of the income stream going to charity is equal to the current fair market value of the gift, so the gift to heirs is effectively $0 for estate and gift tax purposes.

As an example, assume you have a $3 million retail building that will likely appreciate significantly over the next 20 years while producing annual rental income. If you fund a CLT with that building, the annual income goes to charity. At the end of the 20-year term, the building itself goes to your heirs. If the value of the income stream going to charity equals the fair market value of the building, the charitable gift will

completely offset the gift to your heirs. The gift at the end of the trust term is effectively $0 for estate and gift tax purposes.

Another type of CLT is a Sara Bailey grantor trust.

Moss Adams The difference here is that the assets you donate to the trust are returned to you, the grantor (instead of a beneficiary), at the end of the trust term.

You may receive an up-front income tax deduction for the value of the income stream going to charity- but you will also pay tax on the income the trust earns each year. However, if the trust is invested in municipal bonds, that income is not taxable for federal tax purposes.

Let’s say you want to make a gift to a charity of $20,000 a year for 5 years.

You contribute municipal bonds to a grantor lead trust. The bond income goes to charity for the term of the trust, you receive a charitable deduction for the present value of that income stream, and the bonds are returned to you at the end of the trust term.

CRTs are a useful tool if you want to make a charitable gift but need to provide an income stream to yourself or a beneficiary for a period of time. CRTs

are established for a specified term and generally funded with appreciated assets. Once the trust is funded, the assets can be sold and reinvested, with no capital gains Kathryn Garrison tax paid at the Moss Adams date of sale. As the donor, you may receive a tax deduction for the value of the gift to charity, and the remainder of the asset at the end of the trust term is excluded from your estate.

CRTs can be designed to provide either you or a designated beneficiary with income—which is paid out at least annually—over the term of the trust.

The distributions are subject to tax so you haven’t avoided the taxes; you have deferred them out over the trust term.

This allows the full proceeds from the asset sale to be reinvested so they can grow inside the CRT. For example, assume you want to diversify $2 million of stock you originally purchased for $1 million. If you sell all the stock outright, you’re subject to $238,000 of capital gains and net investment income taxes. If you instead fund a CRT with the stock, then sell it within the trust, there’s no taxable gain at the date of sale. The entire $2 million can be reinvested in a diversified portfolio, deferring the tax over the trust term.

Annual distributions to beneficiaries are taxable in the year received, and any number of individuals can be beneficiaries—an aging family member, a child in college, or you. Once the trust term ends, the remainder goes to charity.

The strategies involved in planning, setting up, and administering charitable trusts are complex, so work with an experienced attorney and CPA. The upfront planning can be daunting, but with the right team behind you, you can meet your charitable goals and transfer your assets while creating significant tax savings along the way.

Sara Bailey works closely with business owners and management on complex compliance and tax planning services and helps develop transition plans for closely-held businesses. She can be reached at 509-834-2463 or sara.bai ley@mossadams.com.

Kathryn Garrison advises executives and high net worth individuals in the creation of highly personalized financial plans and comprehensive wealth strategies. She can be reached at 206302-6752 or kathryn.garrison@moss adams.com.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Banking & Finance

We are

and long-lasting relationships with loyal TRUST, From page 1 “Our firm’s goal is to establish lifelong clients who choose their firm because of relationships with clients, their families their absolute commitment to helping and others who are important to them,” he every client attain their personal goals.”

NATC partners with trusted advisors in said. “As a best-in-class partner, NATC provides us with comprehensive trust a corporate directed trustee model where solutions that expand our ability to deliv- the advisor owns the client relationship and all investment er expert wealth activities, and NATC management servic“It’s a privilege to be provides all trust es to our growing working with a wealth administrative servicnumber of clients over multiple genermanagement firm like es.

“NATC’s CDT ations.

Petersen Hastings that unbundled approach NATC provides is devoted to serving is a powerful trust trust services to clients.” model that gives cliwealth management ents the ability to firms to help bring maintain Petersen advisors closer to - Jim Combs, Hastings as their their clients with National Advisors investment firm, stronger relationTrust Company while having the ships that lead to client retention through comfort and stability of NATC, a regulated financial institugenerations of wealth transfer.

“It’s a privilege to be working with a tion, serve as administrative trustee,” said wealth management firm like Petersen Matthew Petersen, a wealth advisor for Hastings that is devoted to serving cli- Petersen Hastings.

Matthew Petersen said additional speents,” said Jim Combs, CEO of NATC. “By always putting their clients’ needs cialists can be involved if there is a need first, Petersen Hastings has built trusted for a distribution advisor or trust protec-

41

Matthew Petersen, above, is wealth manager at the Petersen Hastings, a company started by his grandfather in 1962. The Kennewick-based company has partnered with National Advisors Trust to offer trust services to clients.

tor in the management of a trust.

“NATC’s unbundled approach allows a high level of flexibility and control, and has been checks and balances than other trust models.”

Petersen Hastings was founded in Kennewick in 1962 by James T. Petersen.

It is still a privately and locally owned business. For more information, go to www.petersenhastings.com.

Visit www.tcjournal.biz to check it out!

42

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;˘ February 2016

Banking & Finance

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Hunting works for Washington’s economy and environment

By George Twigg for TCAJOB In Eastern Washington, people understand that hunting is a part of our lifestyle. Even hunters, however, often overlook the role hunting plays in creating jobs, economic growth and supporting efforts to preserve wildlife habitat.

As a longtime hunter and past board member of Ducks Unlimited, I know that hunting generates hundreds of millions of dollars each year for our economy and funds critical wildlife habitat programs.

You don’t have to be a hunter to appreciate that.

And now there is an organization working with hunters, conservationists, chambers of commerce and others to highlight those important benefits.

Launched earlier this year in Spokane, Hunting Works for Washington welcomes businesses and individuals who benefit from hunting and appreciate the value it brings to the state.

Few people can appreciate the majestic beauty of the outdoors like hunters.

We go out, often in cold and wet weather, to be surrounded by nature and to enjoy an activity people have experienced for generations. And we spent a lot of money to do that.

More than 200,000 hunters every year buy equipment, ammunition, clothing and other gear to get ready for hunting season. From Colville to Seattle, businesses benefit from the money they spend.

In Washington state alone, hunters spend an estimated $156 million every

year. Equipment is purchased from places we know well in Washington, like REI and Filson, in addition to places like Cabela’s and other local stores like Hammer’s Precision Outdoors in Yakima.

Hunters also spend about $163 million more in trip-related expenditures.

Staying at hotels. Eating in restaurants.

Much of that goes to rural communities and provide economic benefit for those areas. Overall, each hunter spends about $1,600 a year in Washington state.

In total, hunting adds more than $300 million every year to Washington state’s economy, supporting 5,600 jobs in the state. Hunters also pay about $40 million in state and local taxes. Many of those taxes are paid in rural areas where public lands may not generate much tax revenue. Hunters are part of making those lands economically productive.

And, when the downstream economic impact is counted, along with the ripple effect in communities, it accounts for over $600 million in economic benefit.

Even if you don’t have one of those jobs, you still benefit from the contributions hunters make to the state.

Every year, hunters pay excise taxes on the purchase of equipment and ammunition. These taxes add up to millions every year for wildlife conservation and hunter safety. Known as the PittmanRobertson fund, it distributes millions each year. In 2014, Washington received about $15 million for these types of projects.

It is not an accident these funds go to

help wildlife.

Hunters asked for it. They understand that preserving wildlife habitat is important not only to hunters, but to everyone who appreciates the outdoors.

George Twigg The funds have HR Spinner Corp. made a real difference. Notable species that have come back from the brink since the implementation of this act include white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and wood ducks.

Not everyone in Washington state is a hunter. But many who do not hunt benefit from the hundreds of millions of dollars hunting creates for our state. They may have one of the many thousands of jobs supported by hunting. Or they may simply enjoy the wildlife and their habi-

43

tat provided by taxes paid by hunters.

That’s why so many groups have come together to join Hunting Works for Washington. It is why Eastern Washington conservationists and hunters work together. And it is why we invite many more to join our efforts to spread the word about how hunting benefits us all.

For more information, go to www. huntingworksforwa.com.

George Twigg lives in Sunnyside, Washington and is a father of four. He fostered an interest in the outdoors while growing up hunting on his family farm in Moses Lake. Twigg graduated from Walla Walla College in 2000. He works in the fresh fruit and produce industry for HR Spinner Corp. He has been involved in both Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever. Twigg spends 75 days a year in the outdoors with an emphasis on bird hunting and also raises pheasants for population enhancement purposes.

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44

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

ESD hopes to work out refund glitches by June

By John Stang for TCAJOB Roughly 4,200 Washington businesses are owed workers unemployment insurance refunds by the state — and the computer glitches causing that delay probably won’t be fixed until June.

That’s what Lisa Marsh, deputy commissioner of the Washington Employment Security Division told the state Senate Commerce & Labor Committee in early January.

Marsh was testifying as a result of a late 2105 Seattle Times story about a Renton business owner’s 11-month struggle to get a $144 refund check from the ESD. That business owner, Steve Allington, owner of Consortium of Paper, also testified.

Allington described a step-by-step trek across roughly 10 phone calls, during which he was essentially told that his paperwork was being worked on, and that computer software problems were slowing everything down.

“If you have that much trouble getting a refund from a department store, how often would you go back to that department store?” Allington said.

Marsh said there have been problems in making the ESD’s 2014 computer compatible with the state government’s overall accounting system.

“We’re aiming for June, and hoping for earlier,” Marsh said about getting the software problems fixed.

She also said several clerical and customer service errors were committed in Allington’s case, including lower—level staff members not informing their supervisors.

In addition, the 2014 computer installation was not adequately debugged when it was installed.

“I’d like to say it was a lack of staff, but a number of staff errors contributed to the situation. … We are very, very sorry about what happened to Mr. Allington,” she said.

The ESD’s staff numbers dropped from about 2,300 about 2008 to about 1,400 today.

“My concern is when you have an individual call you over and over again, you should respond to them,” said Sen. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma.

For perspective on the 4,200 delayed refunds, the state has roughly 224,000 businesses.

“Hopefully, we don’t have to come back next year for a follow-up,” said Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane and chairman of the Commerce & Labor Committee.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

45

Classes on keeping bees and gardening offered this spring

By Loretto J. Hulse news@tcjournal.biz Bees and gardens go together like fish and the ocean — you can’t have one without the other.

That is why a nursery owner, a Master Gardener and members of the MidColumbia Beekeepers Association are offering a variety of classes in the next few months through Kennewick Community Education.

The beekeeping experts will cover the basics of bees and hives along with harvesting and cooking with honey.

While the garden classes span such topics as berries and herbs and low maintenance and organic gardening.

David White of Kennewick, one of the founders of the Mid-Columbia Beekeepers Association, will offer a class on basic beekeeping principles Feb. 20.

“It’s to help people decide if they want to take on bee colonies or not,” he said. “They’re not hard, but they do require some basic care, though not as much as a dog or cat.”

White’s been keeping bees for four decades. He was just 21 years old when he saw a film called ‘City of the Bees,’ which inspired him become a commercial beekeeper.

“I decided bees were my destiny,” he said.

It was almost a decade later before White found a mentor willing to share his apiary — beekeeping — experience.

At that point, White was living in his hometown of Pittsburg, Penn.

“I called all the ads I saw in the American Bee Journal asking if they needed any help. One place in California said yes, so I hopped on a Greyhound bus and traveled some 2,000 miles only to find that they really wanted a truck driver to haul the hives from place to place. I really didn’t learn anything about the bees,” he said.

White returned home and after spending a year or two at apiaries in Georgia and Arizona, found a beekeeper in Pennsylvania willing to mentor him.

“He was wanting to retire and hoping I’d buy him out. That didn’t happen, but I worked with him for several years,” White said.

The Pennsylvania beekeeper had 800

David White of Kennewick, a member of the Mid-Columbia Beekeepers Association, checks the health of the bees in one of his hives. The bees use the honey in the frames for food during the winter months.

to 1,000 hives and used the bees for pollination and honey.

“We did all the work by hand, extracting the honey and bottling it, moving the hives,” White said. “That’s where I learned how to work with bees without any protective gear. Pennsylvania in the summer if really hot and humid, those outfits were just way too hot.”

Also, in his experience, people who don’t know about bees, seeing a beekeeper dressed in protective gear, get more apprehensive about knowing there are beehives in the neighborhood.

“They’re not aggressive, all they want to do is go out and do their work, gathering pollen for the hive and incidentally pollinating plants for us,” he said.

Although an occasional sting is part of beekeeping, he added.

White is one of the founders of MidColumbia Beekeepers Association, which has about 200 members.

The group meets at 6:30 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month. The group is searching for a location to meet regularly each month, but you can check its Facebook page for meeting updates. The group’s website is www.tricitybees.org.

White said getting started in beekeeping costs $300 to $500 and most people

will have at least two hives. In the summer when the bees are hard at work, each hive can shelter as many as 40,000 to 60,000 bees.

“But you have to remember, worker bees only live about five weeks, so the population is constantly being replenished,” White said.

White and Todd Gervais, both of the Mid-Columbia Beekeepers Association, will be giving a series of classes in February and March through Kennewick Community Education.

Beekeeping classes: • Feb. 20 — To Bee or Not to Bee — Backyard Beekeeping David White will cover the basics of beekeeping, giving students enough information they can decide if it’s the right hobby for them. The class runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the Kennewick High School Library. The cost is $23.

• Mar. 26 — Beekeeping is Easy Todd Gervais will discuss the five key needs of the hive and how bees can be kept in even small yards. The class is from 9 a.m. to noon at the Kamiakin High School library. The cost is $23.

• Mar. 26 — Make Your Own Beehives for Next to Nothing Gervais will show how to build your own hives by repurposing materials already on hand. The class is 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the Kamiakin High School library. The cost is $17.

• Mar. 26 — Pure Sweet Honey Gervais will have a variety of locally produced honeys for sampling, recipes featuring honey and information on the healing powers of honey. The class is from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Kamiakin High School library. The cost is $12.

Gardening Classes: • Feb. 17 — Herbs Kay will talk about choosing and growing herbs and using them in salads and sauces. The class will be 7 to 8 p.m. at Ridge View Elementary Library. The cost is $12. uBEES, Page 53

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46

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Business Profile

Fibers wound around Tri-Cities’ artist’s fingers at new business

By Loretto J. Hulse news@tcjournal.biz Six years ago Debra Folger didn’t know a slip stitch from a purl. Now she’s owner of Richland’s newest yarn shop, Badger Mountain Yarns and an expert on all things relating to spun threads.

It was a request from her daughter, Holley, that spurred Folger into picking up a pair of knitting needles.

“She asked for knitting lessons for her Christmas present,” Folger said. “How can you say no to something like that?”

Even though Folger was clueless about knitting, she bought some yarn, a couple of knitting needles and searched the internet until she found some instructional videos on YouTube.

Folger said that as a child she had learned to crochet and would create long crochet chains while riding the school bus.

“But I’d never even seen anyone holding a pair of knitting needles except on television,” Folger said. “It took a while but I learned some basic stitches, and then another and then another.”

Folger taught her daughter to knit and how to follow a pattern.

“She lost interest after about a year, but I was hooked,” Folger said.

At that time there were only a handful of places to buy premium yarn in the TriCities, one was Sheep’s Clothing in Kennewick. She became friends with the owner, Marcia MacDonald, who persuaded Folger to join her staff. Folger worked there for about five years. When MacDonald decided to retire and sell the

New shipments of yarns come in almost daily at Badger Mountain Yarns in Richland. In January, owner Debra Folger, left, and her daughter, Holley, were busy making room for some new wool yarns received from Iceland.

store, Folger resigned the job and decided to open a yarn store of her own.

“I’d thought about it long and hard and just felt it was what the Lord wanted me to do,” Folger said.

Another longtime employee of Sheep’s Clothing bought the business, which is still open in Kennewick, but has relocated.

“I wish the new owner all the best, there’s plenty of business for both of us.

This way if I don’t have something or a color someone wants I can send them over there and vice versa,” Folger said.

Folger opened Badger Mountain Yarns on Dec. 10 at 114 Keene Road, Richland, adjacent to Albertsons.

Leasing space in the new building was an advantage Folger hadn’t counted on when planning her yarn shop, which occupies 1,966-sq.-ft.

“I love it here. Because it was new I was able to design my own space,” Folger said.

The store has floor-to-ceiling windows on the south side, which lights up the colorful inventory.

“Yarn is much like diamonds — you can only see the true colors in natural light,” she said.

Folger carries hundreds of yarns in a rainbow of hues. Many are natural fibers from sheep, alpaca, llama, yak and camel,

in addition to cashmere, mohair, silk, linen, bamboo fibers and blends. They can be used for knitting, crochet, needlepunch and fiber projects.

Much of the alpaca wool comes from local ranches — Sagebrush Alpacas, Paca Poo Alpacas and Natural Maximum Alpacas, which are all in Prosser, and Yakima River Alpacas in West Richland.

“Not only am I friends with the people who own the alpacas, but I’ve met the animals and been kissed by baby alpacas too,” she said.

Folger has also become friends with the owners of Imperial Stock Ranch in Maupin, Ore., and Smak Super Fibers, which is owned by three Tri-Cities’ women.

The owners of Smak create custom colors and fiber blends. Several of the yarns carried by Badger Mountain Yarns were the brainchild of Folger and/or her daughter.

“You won’t find them anywhere else, they’re exclusive to our shop,” said Folger.

Badger Mountain Yarns is more than just a store. Knitters and other fiber artists are welcome to drop in, seek advice and browse the selection of yarns available. A large worktable sits in the middle of the shop, and there are a couple of other work areas available. Folger has added a sofa and love seat too.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday. Phone is 509-579-0090. The website is www.badgermountainyarns. com and you can find them on Facebook.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Business Profile

47

PerplEXIT seeks to entertain and puzzle patrons

By Mary Coffman editor@tcjournal.biz It is slightly puzzling how quickly life can change.

Just ask Sarah Swoboda. Seven months ago, she went to work every day as a dental hygienist and spent much of her off time with her family.

Now, Swoboda is officially an entrepreneur and a business owner, and much of the off time she has from her daily hygienist position is spent working on her new business and creating exciting new experiences for her customers.

Swoboda opened her new business, PerplEXIT at 750 Swift Blvd. in Richland in mid-January. The company offers puzzle rooms and escape games for small group experiences.

Although the idea is new to the TriCities, puzzle rooms have become quite popular in larger metropolitan areas.

Swoboda said players come in small groups, five or six is ideal, and are locked inside the puzzle room. They have one hour to search for clues and solve a series of puzzles and challenges that provide them information to help them escape the room.

“Puzzle rooms encourage teamwork and promotes problem solve skills,” she said. “They are a great way to work on communication and teambuilding.”

The experience is fun for families, but also can be a useful tool and a good teambuilding opportunity for small businesses, Swoboda said.

Swoboda first heard about escape

rooms from friends who had participated in one in California.

Then, last August, while she was on a family vacation, she played a game with her nieces and nephews that was very similar, and that’s when she truly saw the opportunity that was available to her.

“When I saw how my family reacted to that, then I knew,” Swoboda said.

She started researching the history of puzzle and escape rooms, and looking at many of the successful models that were already in operation.

She got some mentorship through the Tri-Cities Chapter of SCORE and participated in a Launch University event through Fuse.

“That was really helpful,” she said.

From there, it was all about putting her imagination to work to create the rooms and the puzzles.

Her first room, Gemini, revolves around a mystery centered on twin brothers. One of the brothers is an astrologist and the other plays poker.

One of the brothers has vanished and the other is attacked and in the hospital.

Visitors must solve the puzzles within the room to gain clues and evidence, and escape the room with an hour.

Swoboda said she has rough drafts finished for nine rooms and hopes to roll out a new room every six months or so, to capture repeat customers. Once you have participated in a room, it won’t be as challenging or fun to repeat.

In the future, Swoboda would like to

Sarah Swoboda, owner of PerplExit, had the help of her father, a experienced woodworker, in creating many of the unique items used in the company’s first puzzle room, Gemini.

create a more mobile version that can be taken into businesses and used with groups of 30-40 for team building exercises.

Players must be 16 years or older, however, those who are 14 or 15 may be accompanied by an adult. Groups must have a minimum of three players and cannot exceed six players.

Swoboda said her family has been by her side in helping her roll out the new business and she’s happy to be able to offer a new experience for those in the

Tri-Cities.

PerplEXIT offers games starting at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and starting at Noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Reservations can be made online only and the cost is $25 per person.

PerplEXIT is at 750 Swift Blvd., Ste. 13 in Richland. The website is www. perplexitpuzzlerooms.net and you can find them on Facebook.

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48

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

NETWORKING, From page 38

Sayre earns award

Farmers National Company, a leading farm and ranch management and brokerage company, recently recognized Flo Sayre with membership in the Farmers National Company President’s Circle.

Sayre, real estate managing broker with Farmers National Company, received the company’s top award for real estate sales in 2015.

Professor ranked 30th

A study published in the Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism ranked Robert Harrington, professor of hospitality and wine business management at Washington State University Tri-Cities, 30th in the world for productivity based on

research impact in his field.

The study, ‘Assessing Faculty Productivity by Research Impact: Introducing Dp2 Index,’ ranked hospitality scholars on four criteria: quality, quantity, consistency and longevity.

Harrington ranked 30th on total number of citations, number of citations per publication and number of citations per publication per year.

LaVoy appointed as CEO

IsoRay Inc. (NYSE MKT:ISR), a medical technology company and innovator in seed brachytherapy and medical radioisotope applications for the treatment of prostate, rain, lung, head and neck and gynecological cancers, has appointed Thomas LaVoy as CEO. LaVoy was previously appointed chairman of the board when the

former chairman retired on Jan. 7.

LaVoy has served on the board of directors since 2005. He has more than 35 years of experience leading and building successful, publicly-traded businesses.

Board elects 2016 officers

In January, Port of Kennewick Commissioner Don Barnes took his oath of office. Barnes retained his position on the board in the past election.

Barnes will serve a six-year term as port Commissioner representing District 1, joining Commissioner Tom Moak, District 2 and Commissioner Skip Novakovich, District 3.

The Commission elected board officers to serve in the upcoming year. Novakovich will serve as president; Moak, vice president; and Barnes, secretary.

Yesterdays Dream.

NEW BUSINESSES Confluent Space has opened at 285 Williams Blvd. in Richland. The business is a maker’s space offering members access to tools/materials that can be used to create, design and build and also attend classes.

For more information visit www.confluent. space or email make@confluent.space.

Copper Top Tap House & Growler Fills is now open at 5453 Ridgeline Dr., Suite 110 in Kennewick. The business serves 40 rotating craft beers, hard ciders and wine. The hours are Monday through Thursday 3 p.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 3 p.m.

– midnight, Saturday 10 a.m. – midnight and Sunday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. For more information visit coppertoptaphouse.com or find the business on Facebook.

Desert Sky Women’s Healthcare has opened at 919 S. Auburn St. in Kennewick.

The clinic provides comprehensive obstetrical, gynecological and infertility care for women. The hours are 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Friday. For an appointment call 509-491-3889. You can also find the clinic on Facebook.

Jordan’s Barber Shop has opened at 1177 Lee Blvd. in Richland. The shop offers haircuts and styles for men. For an appointment or more information, call 509946-0522 or find the business on Facebook. uNEW BUSINESSES, Page 53

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Public Record

Bankruptcies..................... 49 Top Properties................... 49 Building Permits................ 50 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 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 BENTON COUNTY Alyssa A. Hayes, 1641 Meadow Hills Drive, Richland.

William C. Stout, 8521 W. Fifth Ave., Kennewick.

Amanda D. Calderon, 807 Birch Ave., Richland.

Jennifer Milburn, 1845 Leslie Road, No. K 85, Richland.

Kyle J. Kopp, 7125 W. Sixth Ave., Kennewick.

Denise A. Buckenberger, 53803 S. 2289 PR SE, Kennewick.

John F. Corby and Gladys A. BlumCorby, 3708 W. Clearwater Ave., No. 44, Kennewick.

Jeanie S. McLean, 307 E. Fifth Ave., Kennewick.

Gloria E. Munguia, 1782 Jadwin Ave., Richland.

Antonio Balderas, 425 S. Olympia St., Kennewick.

Frank Leon Jr., 64406 N. State, Route 225, Benton City.

Tomas D. Cerna and Juana E. Zuniga De Cerna, 2603 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Tamesa Jo Race, 211 E. 46th Pl., Kennewick.

Rachel A. Current, 503 W. 20th Ave., Kennewick.

Brian Standard, 3003 Queensgate Dr. Bldg. 4 No. 225, Richland.

Angela L. Davis, 8220 W. Gage Blvd., No. 124, Kennewick.

Stephen and Debbie Robertson, 178 Bitterroot Dr., Richland.

Courtney Brown, 69703 N. Foxhill Dr., Benton City.

Tracy M. Peterson, 4711 N. Dallas Road, Apt. No. E101, West Richland.

Gary P. and Tamora L. Bryant, 24705 S. Ruff PR SE, Kennewick.

Omar and Rocio Garcia, 1418 W. Sixth Ave., Apt A, Kennewick.

Virginia U. Velez, 3710 W. Canyon Lakes Dr., Apt. E-103, Kennewick.

Charles E. and Collette A. Diamond, 1710 W. Second Ave., Kennewick.

Michael Bouta, 65809 E. Ranch Road, West Richland.

Elizabeth L. Jancovic, 503 Surrey Ct., Richland.

Edwin H. Harshfield, 164202 Snipes Road, Grandview.

Fred E. and Alison M. Moore Jr. , 495 Hanford St., Richland.

Joni M. Stadin, 1105 Basin St. SW,

Ephrata.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Juan M. Flores, 2103 N. Fifth Ave., No. 6, Pasco.

Holly J. and Javier G. Alvarez, 4804 Candellia Ct., Pasco.

Consuelo Arteaga, 5405 Johnson Drive, Pasco.

Rogaciano Cabrera, 323 N. Douglas, Pasco.

49

Business Licenses................. 51 Judgments............................ 52 Liquor Licenses..................... 52 Marijuana Licenses.............. 52 N. Beech Ave., Pasco.

Jeffrey C. Escamilla, 855 E. Sagewood St., Othello.

Mario Samanieho-Cantu, 431 W. Shoshone St., Apt. No. 3, Pasco.

Rose E. Venzor, 1605 W. Clark St., Apt. 3, Pasco.

uTOP PROPERTIES

Top property values have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure.

CHAPTER 13

FRANKLIN COUNTY

BENTON COUNTY

Description: 2,592-sq.-ft, single-family home, 2520 Road 52, Pasco. Price: $386,000. Buyer: Richard & Susan W. Rallens. Seller: Dennis K. and Sherre L. Leatham.

Description: 8-acres of undeveloped land in the Freys Addition. Price: $527,500.

Buyer: Pasco School District No. 1. Seller: Shriners Hospital.

Description: 2,249-sq.-ft., single-family home, 12303 Willow Creek Dr., Pasco.

Price: $379,000. Buyer: Sandra I. Brown.

Seller: Alderbrook Investments, Inc. Description: 4,000 plus sq.-ft., singlefamily home, 9400 Selph Landing Road, Pasco. Price: $925,000. Buyer: Peter J. and Julie A. Taggares IV. Seller: Nancy J. Thurston.

Description: 2.454-sq.-ft., single-family home, 8600 W. Richardson Road, Pasco.

Price: $419,000. Buyer: Derek W. and Elise N. Ellingsen. Seller: Paul and Sara L. Little.

Timothy Burger and Rose Howard, 15203 N. Albro Road, Prosser.

Terrance E. and Carla M. Watson, 5600 Maui Ct., West Richland.

Daniel J. Baer, 2513 Jason Loop, Richland.

Ann Marie Vandecar, 250 Gage Blvd., No. S2131, Richland.

Vasilly Sinyuk, 8413 W. Bruneau Ave. Kennewick.

Robert E. Skiba, 379 Columbia Point Dr., Richland.

Jeovani Chavez, 5501 W. Hildebrand Blvd., No. A110, Kennewick.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Guadalupe Prado, 1523 N. 18th Dr., Pasco.

Enoe Barragan Ayala Jr., 1712 W. Irving St., Pasco.

Israel and Lesley J. Mendoza Jr., 1216

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 50

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50

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

PUBLIC RECORD, From page 49 Description: 2,937-sq.-ft., single-family home, 11815 Waters Edge Dr., Pasco.

Price: $398,900. Buyer: David J. Lords.

Seller: Albert M. Derr.

Description: 2,450-sq.-ft., single-family home, 7103 Maxim Ct., Pasco. Price: $359,800. Buyer: David C. and Tracy A. Hale. Seller: P & R Construction LLC. Description: 3,747-sq.-ft., single-family home, 12203 Ladd Ct., Pasco. Price: $447, 203. Buyer: Clay and Linsey Allen.

Seller: Riverwood Homes, Inc. BENTON COUNTY Description: 6,940-sq.-ft., commercial building and .3 acres of commercial land, 711 S. Auburn St. Kennewick. Price: $480,000. Buyer: Christopher Kontogianis.

Seller: David Fisher.

Description: .2 acres of residential land, 1341 Jade Ave., West Richland. Price: $363,700. Buyer: Sean and Denna Davis.

Seller: New Tradition Homes, Inc. Description: 2,576-sq.-ft., single-family home, 2742 Katie Road, Kennewick.

Price: $365,500. Buyer: Thomas V. Kraft, Seller: Redford and Josephine McDougall.

Description: 3,774-sq.-ft., single-family home, 111303 Harrington PR NE, West Richland. Price: $530,000. Buyer: Rosemary A. Ford. Seller: Sam R. and Linda S. Sorensen.

Description: 3,140-sq.-ft., single-family home, 2689 Allison Way Richland. Price: $353,300. Buyer: Bryan R. and Ashley B. McLemore. Seller: Maureen Fahey.

Description: 3,169-sq.-ft., single-family home, in Reata West, Benton County.

Price: $454,000. Buyer: Enif and Dana Michael. Seller: Gale Rew Construction, Inc. Description: 7,940-sq.-ft., commercial

property, 11 E. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick. Price: $350,000. Buyer: Oscar Perez. Seller: Joyce M. Meyers.

Description: 2,952-sq.-ft., single-family home, 11222 Grandview Lane, Kennewick.

Price: $361,100. Buyer: Larry J. and Harper W. Tripp. Seller: Timothy and Sara Jenkins.

Description: 3,121-sq.-ft., single-family home, 9703 S. Grandview Lane, Kennewick. Price: $350,000. Buyer: Ron J. and Trish G. Jablonski. Seller: Chad T. and Mildred J. Darcy.

Description: 2,657-sq.-ft., single-family home, 16212 Fairview Loop, Kennewick.

Price: 469,700. Buyer: Christopher and Ruth Franz. Seller: Gale Rew Construction, Inc. Description: .3-acres of residential property, in the Whispering Winds subdivision, Kennewick. Price: $428,864. Buyer: Terry and Tiffany Parrish. Seller: Landmark Homes of Washington.

We want to spend more than 15 minutes with you...

Description: .3-acres of residential property, 5021 Hershey Lane, West Richland.

Price: $352,000. Buyer: Blake and Jillian Chamberlain. Seller: Varsity Development LLC. Description: 1,526-sq.-ft., single-family home, 1160 Foxtrot Lane, Richland. Price: $365,000. Buyer: Andrew and Diana Thome. Seller: Douglas and Anast McKinley Jr. Description: 4,135-sq.-ft., single-family home, 3701 W. 48th Ave., Kennewick.

Price: $420,000. Buyer: Glen and Susan Fillafer. Seller: Patrick and Catherine McKenna.

Description: .3-acres of residential property, 1703 W. 51st Ave., Kennewick. Price: $365,000. Buyer: Bali and Neera Singh.

Seller: Gary and Michelle Chalfant.

Description: 4,228-sq.-ft., single-family home, 344 W. Riverwood St., Richland.

Price: $455,000. Buyer: Joshua and Jennifer Randall. Seller: The Chau Trust.

Description: 3,453-sq.-ft., single-family home, 1255 Brentwood, Richland. Price: $350,000. Buyer: Daniel C. Frey. Seller: Vedamurthy G. Reddy Trustees.

Description: Price: $508,300. Buyer: Thomas and Mary Quick. Seller: Solferino Homes, Inc. 2,509-sq.-ft., single-family home, 1616 Sorrento Lane, Richland.

uBUILDING PERMITS

Building permit values have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure.

BENTON COUNTY

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Brinkley Investments, 6431 W. Brinkley Road, $535,000 and $450,000 for commercial construction. Contractor: Miranda Management LLC. Ste. Michelle Vintners, 178810 S. Highway 221, $113,700 for a commercial addition. Contractor: MP Construction, Inc. Goose Ridge Winery, 63725 E. Jacobs Road, $21,600 for a commercial addition.

Contractor: Conner Construction.

Kennewick School District, 1701 S. Clodfelter Road, $50,000 for an accessory building. Contractor: Fowler General Construction.

KENNEWICK Inisel LLC, 3030 W. Clearwater Ave., $7,000 for a sign. Contractor: Quality Signs.

Kennewick Center, 1360 N. Louisiana St., $15,000 for a sign. Contractor: Yesco LLC. Numerica Credit Union, 3115 W. Kennewick Ave., $15,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Leone & Keeble, Inc. Saad Ahmed, 3600 W. Clearwater Ave., $48,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: American Eagle Family.

C & C Investment, Co., 3600 W. Clearwater Ave., $8,500 for a heat pump/ HVAC system and $8,000 for plumbing.

Contractors: Jack Johnson Construction and Riggle Plumbing, Inc. Columbia Square, 1220 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $160,000 for commercial remodeling.

Contractor: Davidson Construction, Inc. Wallace Properties, 2905 2 Kennewick Ave., $5,900 for commercial remodeling.

Contractor: Bosch Construction.

Vision Development, 710 W. Deschutes Place, $75,000 for commercial remodeling. Contractor: Elite Construction and Development.

Harland Douglass, 908 N. Colorado St., $141,000 for a commercial reroofing.

Contractor: Speciality Roofing.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 51

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016 PUBLIC RECORD, From page 50 PASCO Kyle Hagen, 910 N. 20th Ave., $12,400 for a sign. Contractor: Yesco LLC. S & K Strategic Properties, 218 s. Fifth Ave., $49,039 for a commercial addition.

Contractor: CRF Metal Works LLC. Goodwill Industries, 220 W. Columbia St., $14,200 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Bosch Construction.

First Congregational Church, 9915 W. Argent Road, $141,900 for an antenna.

Contractor: Westower Communications.

Tri-Cities Community Health Care, 515 W. Court St., $21,000 for commercial construction.

City of Pasco, 215 W. Sylvester St., $31,500 for a fire alarm system.

Contractor: Fire Protection Specialists LLC. JBS Investments, 815 N. California Ave., $40,000 for fencing.

Tri-Cities Community Health, 800 W. Court St., $469,300 for tenant improvements.

Morning Star Baptist Church, 631 S. Douglas Ave., $24,000 for commercial remodeling.

Contractor: Zeigler Construction.

King City Industrial, 1430 E. Hillsboro Road, Building A-106, $46,100 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Tom O’Brien Construction.

McCurley Road 100, 9620 Sandifur Parkway, $11,900 for a fire alarm system.

Contractor: Advanced Protection.

Oregon Potato Co., 301 N. Venture Road, $5,000 for a sewer connection.

Contractor: Rotschy, Inc. Southland Corp., 1504 W. Sylvester St., $6,000 for mechanical work. Contractor: Source Refrigeration.

Oxarc, Inc., 1530 Dietrich Road, $20,000

for new commercial construction.

Contractor: Romm Construction.

King City Industrial, 1430 E. Hillsboro Road, Suite 101, $138,300 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Tom O’Brien Construction, Co. Cheryl Berg, 7430 Wrigley Dr., $2,698,200 for new commercial construction.

Pro Made Construction, 4912 Tradition Drive, $10,000 for fencing/brickwork/ retaining wall.

Helena Chemical Co., 1330 E. Kartchner St., $10,000 for commercial remodeling.

Contractor: Zion Carpet, Inc. PROSSER Zirkle Fruit Co., 101 Max Benitz Road, $101,100 for plumbing and $65,000 for commercial remodeling. Contractor: Campbell & Co. and Scout Lake Construction.

RICHLAND RC of Richland, Inc., 990 Dallas Road, $350,000 for grading.

Washington State University Tri-Cities, 2720 Crimson Way, $249,800 for tenant improvements. Contractor: M E Uphus Construction, Inc. Oregon Metalurgic, 3101 Kingsgate Way, Bldg. B, $5,200 for a heat pump/ HVAC system. Contractor: Campbell & Co. West Side United Protestant Church, 615 Wright Ave., $7,000 for a heat pump/ HVAC system. Contractor: Delta Heating & Cooling.

TZM Richland LLC, 1321 Columbia Park Trail, $101,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Fowler General Construction.

Kadlec Regional Medical Center, 780 Swift Blvd., $115,000 for tenant improve-

ments. Contractor: Bouten Construction.

Richland School District, 1340 Lee Blvd., $10,000 and $10,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Gale Rew Construction, Inc. Peaceful Rest LLC, 1430 Rimrock Ave., $7,100 for a heat pump/HVAC system.

Contractor: Dayco Heating & Air.

uBUSINESS LICENSES RICHLAND Strata Inc. DBA Strata Geotechnical Engineering, 3280 Lindberg Loop.

Tri-Cities Laboratory LLC – Richland Primary Care, 1135 Jadwin Ave. Room 139.

Graber Consulting, 1218 Potter Ave. AGPW Group, 350 Hills St., Ste. 105.

Virginia Sliman, 1601 Columbia Park Trail, Ste. 103.

Jay Tandy Consulting, 629 Clermont Dr. Silver Dog Investment LLC, 2381 Robertson Dr. Jenny O’Connor Consulting, 451 Westcliffe Blvd., Spt. F344.

Drewboy Creative, 285 Williams Blvd.

13 Bones Urban BBQ, 706 Williams Blvd.

New China of Richland Inc., 2400 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Ingencutie, 502 Delafield Ave. Ryans Rustics, 106 Hillview Dr. The New Direction Project, 303 Davenport St. Banner Bank, 400 Bradley Blvd., Ste. 106.

Kathy Ann Threlfall, 480 Keene Road.

About Hair About Face, 309 Bradley Blvd, Ste. 125.

Michael Sexton Construction, 1526 Thayer Dr. Zunigas Tax Preparation, 750 Swift Blvd., Ste. 8.

51

Imaging Specialists Northwest LLC, 205 Wellsian Way. Washington Professional Real Estate LLC, 295 Bradley Blvd, Ste. 203.

Jennifer Lea Harris, 211 Torbett st.

Kasey’s Kanine Kreations, 1370 Jadwin Ave., Ste. D. Lawn Boys Inc., 1623 Terminal Dr. Zain Clinical Services LLC, 2630 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Hostyoo Web Hosting, 1761 George Washington Way. PHDA Sales, 50 Jadwin Ave., Apt. 13.

Regal Nails, 2801 Duportail St. Maid For You, 320 Douglass Ave. Building and Design By Stevens LLC, 910 Sanford Ave. Aleah Shop, 602 Davenport St. Dove Bookkeeping, 1307 Cottonwood Dr. V Medical Coding and Billing LLC, 785 Canyon St., Apt. 106.

Richard J. Kohnle, 1963 Saint St. #88.

Carstens/Blum, 300 Columbia Point Dr. KDOW Construction LLC, 2969 Sawgrass Loop.

India Wall, 1211 Wright Ave. Performance Enterprises, 4880 Rau St. Mid-Columbia U.A.V. Solutions, 2242 Firerock Ave. Nuclear Boosters, 2801 Sawgrass Loop.

WEST RICHLAND TCHD LLC, 505 N. Fisher St., Kennewick.

JR’s Faithful Cleaning, 904 Snow Ave., Richland.

Legacy Mill & Cabinet, 6855 W. Clearwater Ave., #A101-301, Kennewick.

Cloacina LLC, 2385, Precision Dr., Arroyo Grande, Calif.

A.M. Cleaning, 8203 Camano Dr., Pasco.

Hart Made Interiors, 91404 Calico Ct., Kennewick.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 52

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52

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

PUBLIC RECORD, From page 51 Noemi’s Cleaning Service LLC, 921 N. 24th Ave., Apt. 12, Pasco.

JP Engineering, 2434 Hickory Ave. Pit Stop Grocery & Deli, 6193A W. Van Giesen St. Ryan Design LLC, 3375 Eastlake Ct. Jola Group LLC, 6116 W. Lattin Road.

Jodi A. Ollerman, 3002 S. Highlands Blvd.

Graber Consulting, 1218 Potte Ave., Richland.

Building and Design by Stevens LLC, 910 Sanford Ave., Richland.

Tree Guy, 630 Entiat Ae., Kennewick.

Medina Brothers Construction, 1524 W. Seventh Pl., Kennewick.

Pixie Dust LLC, 6309 Collins Road.

Barbara Blanchard Edwards, 6575 Agate Ct. Thomas Burnett Construction LLC, 2001 W. 15th Ave., Kennewick.

Columbia Basin Plumbing, 1843 W. 25th Ct., Kennewick.

Bragg’s Cleaning Services, 3791 Butte Ct., Richland.

White Shield Inc., 320 N. 20th Ave., Pasco.

Three Rivers Home Care LLC, 8382 Gage Blvd., #M, Kennewick.

Taylor Plumbing & Water Conditioning, 141 Loomis Road, Prosser.

Big River Drafting, Design & Consulting LLC, 1209 S. Garfield St., Kennewick.

Flores Landscaping and Construction LLC, 1704 W. Second Ave., Kennewick.

A Helping Hand, 5127 W. Seventh Ave., Kennewick.

Mid-Columbia U.A.V. Solutions, 2242 Firerock Ave., Richland.

Johnson Plumbing & Investments LLC, 1712 E. Isaacs Ave., Walla Walla.

Aardvark Window Cleaning, 1318 S. 16th Ave., Apt. B., Yakima.

La Oportunidad de LVCU, 900 Yakima Valley Highway, Sunnyside.

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 and Franklin Superior Court. The following is from the Franklin County Superior Court Clerk’s Office.

Ashley Smith, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 5.

Froilan Veliz, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 8.

Kennewick Laurel Inc, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 12.

Glenda Lou Martin, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 12.

Circle R Farms, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 12.

Luis A Tavares, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 12.

Maria D. Palacios et al, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 20.

Integrity Services, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 29.

Godfrey D. Davis, unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes, filed Jan. 29.

JJ Carpeting Installers LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 20.

Columbia Memorial Park Inc., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 20.

Char & Andy Walker, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 20.

Vision Construction Inc., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Todd Harms Law PLLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Jan. 29.

Chouane Keoamphay, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Daniel Valle, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Juan Regalado, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Elia Carmona, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Gerardo Valenzuela, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Chouane Keoamphay, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Gerardo Estrada, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Orlando King, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Leticia Ramirez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Mario Palomo, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Donald S. Milford, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Christophe J. Mount, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 22.

Mendez C. Mendez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 28.

Elizabeth Loera, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 28.

Evelia Solano, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 28.

David Borrego, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 28.

Timothy W. Rodriguez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 28.

Maricela M. Elizondo, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 28.

Francisco J. Perez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 28.

Anthony J. Robinett-Guevar, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed Jan. 28.

uLiquor Licenses Applications BENTON COUNTY El Torero Bakery, 354 Chardonnay Ave. Ste. 5, Prosser, has applied for a grocer store-beer/wine license.

Aki Sushi, 321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., #F, has applied for a beer/wine restaurantbeer/wine license.

Pit Stop Grocery & Deli, 6139 A W. Van Giesen St., West Richland, has applied for the assumption of a grocery storebeer/wine license.

Colea, 1408 N. Louisiana St., Ste. 100, Kennewick, has applied for the assumption of 3C Prime’s spirits/beer/wine restaurant and lounge license.

Approved BENTON COUNTY Fuego Cantina, 3911 W. 27th Ave., Ste. 103, Kennewick, has been approved for the assumption of a spirits/beer/wine restaurant and lounge license.

Hacienda Del Sol II, 1002 Grace Ave., Benton City, has been approved for a new direct shipment receiver-in Washington only license.

Underground Wine Project, 318 Wellhouse Loop, Richland, has been approved for a domestic winery<250,000 liters license.

Baja Fresh, 4898 W. Hildebrand Blvd., Ste A120, Kennewick, has been approved for a beer/wine restaurant-beer license.

Nob Hill Market, 424 S. Gum St., Kennewick, has been approved for the assumption of a direct shipment, receiverin Washington only license.

Market Vineyards, 318 Wellhouse Loop, Richland, has been approved for a change of address for its domestic winery<250,000 liters. The new address is 950 Keene Road, Bldg. F, Richland.

Tomatillo Authentic Mexican Flavors, 1360 N. Louisiana St. Ste. K, Kennewick, has been approved for a spirits/beer/wine restaurant service bar license.

uMARIJUANA Licenses Applications BENTON COUNTY Biggest Little Shop of Fun, 233757 E. SR 397, Kennewick, has applied for a marijuana producer tier 3 license.

Washington State Cannabis, 234805 E. Straightbank Road, Ste. E, Finley, has applied for a marijuana processor license.

Kennewick Creek Gardens, 236719 E. Lechelt Road, Kennewick, has applied for marijuana producer tier 3 and marijuana processor licenses.

Sweet Dream Gardens, 234805 E. Straightbank Road, Ste. G, has applied for a marijuana producer tier 2 license.

TKO Reserve, 234805 E. Straightbank Road, Ste. F, has applied for a marijuana producer tier 2 license.

BLF North, 46415 E. Badger Road, Ste. B, Benton City, has applied for a marijuana producer tier 3 license.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Thrive, 2526 E. Hillsboro St., Ste. A, Pasco, has been approved for a marijuana retailer license.

APPROVED BENTON COUNTY Nexus, 47305 S. 2066 PRSE Ste. A, Kennewick, has been approved for a marijuana producer tier 3 license.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016 NEW BUSINESSES, From page 48 Liberation Bike Shop has opened at 104 W. First Ave. in Kennewick. The business offers bicycle repairs and rentals. The hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.bikeliberation. com or call 509-820-3047.

PerplEXIT is now open at 750 Swift Blvd., Ste. 13 in Richland. PerplEXIT is a live-action, escape room great for groups and team building. For more information or to schedule a game, visit www.perplexitpuzzlerooms.net or call 509-591-5914.

Rattlesnake Mountain CrossFit has opened at 2016 Logston Blvd. in Richland. The gym focuses on strength, condition and functional fitness practices. Class times vary. For more information call 509-375-7755 or visit rmxfit. com.

Thairapy Hair Salon is now open at 4001 Kennedy Road, Suite 4 in West Richland. The salon offers cuts, colors, and styles for men and women. To book an appointment or for more information, call 509-579-0555. The business is also on Facebook.

Vybe Salon has opened at 8551 W. Gage Blvd., Suite H in Kennewick. The salon offers haircuts, styles, colors and specialized facials and waxing. The hours are 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on

Saturday. To book an appointment or for more information, call 509-820-3702.

The business is also on Facebook.

ADDITIONAL LOCATION Goodwill Industries has opened a new thrift store at 810 S. Dayton St. in Kennewick. For more information visit www.goodwillotc.org.

MOVED Bruchi’s has moved the location on Louisiana Street. in Kennewick to 8903 W. Gage St. in Kennewick. For more information visit www.bruchis.com.

Hometown Mortgage Group has moved to 8500 W. Gage Blvd., Suite C in Kennewick. For more information visit www.tri-cityloans.com or call 509579-0157.

Kennewick Irrigation District Administration Office has moved to 2015 S. Ely St. in Kennewick. For more information 509-586-9111 or visit www. kid.org.

Shape Cosmetic Surgery & MedSpa has moved to 8656 W. Gage Blvd., Suite 102 in Kennewick. For more information or to book an appointment, call 509-735-2636 or visit www.shapetrici ties.com.

53

CLOSED

Gap and GapKids has closed in the Columbia Center mall.

3C Prime Steakhouse at 1408 N. Louisiana St., Suite 100 in Kennewick has closed.

K&M Sweet Treats at 140 Gage Blvd., Suite 204 in Richland has closed.

Arbor Healthcare for Women at 900 Stevens Dr. in Richland has closed.

FELLAS Hair has closed its location at 4005 W. 27th Ave. in Kennewick. The location at 321 N. Columbia Center Blvd. in Kennewick will remain open.

For more information call 509-736-1590 or visit fellas-hair.com.

BEES, From page 45 • Feb. 20 — Intro to Organic Gardening Todd Gervais, a member of the MidColumbia Beekeepers Association, will talk about growing pesticide-free produce that is resistant to insects, fungus and viruses, as well as non-pesticide methods of pest control. The class will be 1 to 2 p.m. at the Kennewick High School library. The cost is $12.

• Feb. 20 — Low Maintenance Gardening Gervais will discuss how to make gardening less labor intensive and how to put the garden on cruise control when you leave town. The class will be 2 to 3 p.m. at the Kennewick High School library. The cost is $12.

• Feb. 24 — Tomatoes & Peppers Kay will talk about growing the two sometimes challenging veggies. The

Therapeutic Associates has closed its office at 4303 W. 27th Ave., Suite C in Kennewick. The offices at 1408 N. Louisiana St., Suite 104-A in Kennewick and 1109 Jadwin Ave. in Richland will remain open. For more information visit www.therapeuticassociates.com.

West Richland Liquor Store at 4083 W. Van Giesen St. in West Richland has closed. class will be from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Ridge View Elementary library. The cost is $12.

• April 27 — Vegetable Gardening Bill Dixon, a Washington State University Extension Master Gardener, will discuss establishing a garden, improving the soil, choosing plants, watering and caring for them. He’ll also cover container gardening. The class will be 7 to 8 p.m. at Southridge High School.

Cost is $12.

Pre-registration for all classes is required. Register online via credit card at www.communityed.ksd.org. You may also pay with cash or by check at the Kennewick School District Administration Center, 1000 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick. The Administration Center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

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54

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

Conference Call ...

“What are your greatest needs in the coming year?”

By Loretto J. Hulse news@tcjournal.com Up-to-date computer systems and simple items like disposable gloves and dish soap are high on the must-have lists of several Mid-Columbia nonprofit groups.

This month the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business reached out to ask what are the needs of some of the community’s nonprofit organizations.

Grace Clinic in Kennewick, which sees to the medical needs of nearly 400 uninsured residents a month, is struggling with outdated computers and software.

“We’re relying on donated and refurbished technology,” said Avonte Jackson, the clinic director.

While patients fill out paper questionnaires when they first visit the clinic, that information is transcribed into electronic files for archiving and sharing with other doctors and other clinics.

“Frequently, at this state of the game, we’re always one step behind current technology and could really use some new equipment so we can process data efficiently,” Jackson said. “I know we’re supposed to be a paperless society nowadays but that’s not always the case.

We’re always needing to print out files to be shared with other agencies.”

Office supplies are a constant need and so are common medical supplies, such as disposable gloves, especially

Avonte Jackson, Grace Clinic

Adrianne Deen, Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties

nitrate gloves for anyone allergic to latex — whether it’s the medical personnel or the patients.

Sometimes during an office visit there will be three or more people tending to a single patient — a nurse, a nurse practitioner and a doctor.

“That’s three sets of hands all needing gloves, which all need to be changed between procedures and between patients,” Jackson said. “It adds up. We go through an inordinate amount of gloves per patient.”

Grace Clinic is at 800 W. Canal Dr. in Kennewick. Visit the website at www. gracecliniconline.com or find them on Facebook.

Adrianne Deen, director of marketing and special events, didn’t hesitate when

Elaine Allison, Benton-Franklin Humane Society

she was asked what the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties needed most.

“Mentors,” she said. “We never have enough.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties has facilities in Pasco, Kennewick and Prosser. The group’s programs are open to youths ages 1 to 18.

They have 2,400 children enrolled in their programs annually and up to 700 kids a day pass through their doors. Deen said they’d like to open a facility in Richland, but would need more funding in addition to volunteers.

Deen said the organization especially needs volunteers to help with their Science, Technology, Engineering and

Math (STEM) programs for one hour a month in Pasco and Prosser; their daily afterschool homework program, Power Hour; the once-a-week Smart Girls program; and Career Launch, which meets once a week for 10 weeks.

The website is www.kidexpert.org, and you can find them on Facebook.

Volunteers also rank high for Elaine Allison, operations manager at the Benton-Franklin Humane Society in Kennewick.

“We always need human beings,” she said. “Whether you’re willing to walk dogs, be a can snuggler, wash out food dishes, do data entry, if you call and volunteer we’ll find something for you to do.”

Donations of high energy laundry detergent, dishwasher and liquid dish soap are always welcome as are items like copy paper, canned pate-style cat food, dog food and martingale collars for dogs.

Any extra pet food donations are kept back in a community cupboard.

“Then, if someone comes in to relinquish their dog or cat because they’ve lost their job and can’t afford to feed their pet, we give them a three month supply, free.” Allison said.

The Benton-Franklin Humane Society is at 1736 E. Seventh Ave. in Kennewick.

The website is www.bfhs.com and you can find them on Facebook.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • February 2016

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Around Town

The Trios Foundation donated $389,111 to Trios Health at the Kennewick Public Hospital District’s January board meeting. The check was presented to board president Marv Kinney, above center. The donation was a direct result of the Foundation’s 2015 fundraising efforts and will be used to address patient and community needs. Contributed photo.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-WA, was presented with the 2015 National Wheat Advocate Award by the National Association of Wheat Growers in February.

From left: Kevin Klein, Washington Association of Wheat Growers membership chairman, Newhouse, and Brett Blankenship, president of the National Association of Wheat Growers. Blankenship is a Washtucna wheat grower.

Contributed photo.

The West Richland Chamber of Commerce had its annual awards luncheon in early February. Some of those honored included, from left: Michael Novakovich, Tri-Cities Cancer Center, Nonprofit of the Year; Tracy Hill, 4 Paws DogWorks, Best Creative Marketing; AJ Hill, Benton County Fire District No. 4 Commissioner, Outstanding Chamber Member. For the remainder of the award winners, see our Networking section.

The Kadlec Auxiliary recently presented a $235,000 check to the Kadlec Foundation. It is the largest single gift the Auxiliary has made to the hospital and the money will be used to support vital projects of the Foundation, including: $75,000 to the River Pavilion Terrace Project; $40,000 as a final NICU pledge; $40,000 for an exercise stress system and bike; and $23,000 for ceiling lifts for the ICU and Emergency departments. The remainder will be spread among other designated projects. In addition, Auxiliary volunteers annually contribute 50,000 hours of service through the hospital and clinics. Contributed photo.

Hampton Inn Kennewick at Southridge

NOW OPEN Meeting Space Available 3715 Plaza Way, Kennewick 509-820-3023

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;˘ February 2016