Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business - November 2019

November 2019

Volume 18 • Issue 11

Downtown changes coming with sale of Herald building

BY JEFF MORROW

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Labor & Employment

TC Futures helps students transition into real world Page 11

Real Estate & Construction

West Richland eyes raceway for development Page 21

Retail

Mall celebrates 50-year anniversary, despite changing retail market Page 39

NOTEWORTHY “It’s a concentration of all the coolest, weirdest stuff we get as a company.”

-Michelle Price, e-commerce manager for Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Page 41

It took almost eight years and a lot of on-again, off-again negotiations with different prospective buyers, but the Tri-City Herald building in downtown Kennewick has new owners.

Pasco investors Mike Detrick Sr., his son Mike Detrick Jr. and their wives bought the building at 333 W. Canal Drive for $3.9 million in October with plans to transform it into multi-tenant office space.

The Tri-City Herald will remain a tenant—for now—but it has plans to move elsewhere after spending 71 years there.

“I think it’s a good thing for us,” said Jerry Hug, the Herald’s general manager.

“We’ve been trying to sell the building on and off since 2011.”

Hug said when the building went on the market, they expected it could take a few years to find the right buyer.

“We’ve been close a couple of times, but then it fell apart. That’s the way these large sales happen,” Hug said.

The Herald no longer needs such a big building. It has 45,000 square feet of office and 57,000 square feet of industrial space.

The McClatchy Co., the Herald’s California-based parent company, invested more than $9 million to build the new building and renovate the production facilities in 2004.

The Detrick family has the experience to develop the property. It already owns smaller apartment complexes in Kennewick and Richland and a multi-tenant office building in Kennewick, and is building an office in an industrial park in the south Richland area.

Mike Detrick Jr. owns D9 Contractors, a commercial drywall business that has already begun moving into the former press, newsprint storage and circulation areas.

The company will store its construction uHERALD, Page 19

Photo by Robin Wojtanik Richland Tumbleweeds owner Keith Moon recently announced plans to raise food prices before the end of the year to offset the higher minimum wage requirement taking effect Jan. 1.

Minimum wage increase likely means higher costs for consumers

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Tri-City fast food restaurant owners say there’s no way to avoid raising prices when the latest minimum wage increases kick in at the start of 2020, requiring workers be paid at least $13.50 an hour.

“Anybody who thinks that prices aren’t going to go up, you’re fooling yourself,” said Tom Tierney, owner of the Tri-Cities’ DQ Grill & Chill restaurants.

After 40 years of restaurant ownership, Tierney said, “You can only absorb so many costs. You can control the cost of food, what we pay for it, and we can control our cost of labor. When either of those goes up precipitously, we can staff less people, but we don’t necessarily want to do that because we’re the service business, so you don’t want to give less service. So ultimately, we’re all go-

ing to have to raise prices.”

The owner of Tumbleweeds Mexican Flair in Richland said a 2 percent increase across the board is “almost mandatory.”

“If the average person is buying two to three items, it could be $1 more a visit. For the people who come every day, that’s a concern of mine: Are they going to pay?” asked owner Keith Moon.

A voter-approved initiative in 2016 hoisted the minimum wage from $9.47 an hour to $11 an hour beginning in 2017, and then increasing by 50 cents each year through 2020, when it will jump $1.50 an hour—from $12 an hour to $13.50—on Jan. 1.

Starting in 2021, and every year after, the state Department of Labor and Industries will make a cost of living adjustment based on the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. uMINIMUM WAGE, Page 16

Developers plan $5M solar-powered commercial building in west Pasco

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A “green” office building will brighten and lighten up a busy west Pasco neighborhood, courtesy of green paint and green energy.

The Wrigley Place development is intended to be the first solar-powered commercial building in the Tri-Cities.

Developer Dennis Gisi said Wrigley Drive LLC is behind the $5 million investment on Wrigley Drive, just west of North Road 68, between the west Pasco branch of the MidColumbia Libraries and Lourdes Health.

The LLC was formed between his corporation, Gisi Investment Services; Jay Hen-

dler, architect for the building; and Terry and Karen Gilmore, who own the property.

Gisi owns the land next door that’s leased by Mid-Columbia Libraries.

With about 18,000 square feet across three levels, the only confirmed tenant so far is John L. Scott Real Estate, where Gisi is the owner and broker. Hendler is also a broker with the agency. The real estate agency currently is just a short distance away at 5109 N. Road 68 in a strip mall north of Yoke’s Fresh Market.

Gisi said he has letters of intent for about 45 percent of the available space, including a wine bar, and hopes to get another uSOLAR BUILDING, Page 24

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

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Swapping signals for ramps may be best pick for Richland gridlock

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Richland is close to deciding the best way to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion for drivers moving north and south through the city.

The top-ranked project calls for removing a number of traffic signals at intersections along the bypass highway. The final proposal, which will include comments from an October open house and online survey, will be presented to the city council for approval on Dec. 3.

The city prioritized traffic options using nine weighted criteria, with the highest value given to safety, followed by human impact, like noise or effect on homes, and then cost. The least value was for reducing delays on side streets.

If the project suggested to the council recommends eliminating traffic signals, they would be replaced with “grade-separations,” which would look like freeway interchanges with ramps and overpasses.

It’s estimated to cost $132 million to remove traffic signals and build interchanges on the bypass at Aaron Drive, Duportail Street, Van Giesen Street and the Vantage Highway/Highway 240.

Projects received a priority ranking from 1 to 7, with the possibility of doing nothing at all falling at No. 5 in the lineup.

A project considered the second priority is actually wrapped into the first priority.

This would be to re-do the intersection at Aaron Drive, Interstate 182 and Highway 240 at the south end of the bypass. It’s listed as a standalone project, but also as one of the intersections where lights would be removed under the project currently at the top of the list.

Pete Rogalsky, public works director for the city of Richland, explained why the two separate listings exist at the recent open house: “No. 2 has been called out as the most promising, the most effective, the

Courtesy WSDOT The city of Richland has identified several projects aimed at improving traffic congestion along its north-south routes. The top-ranked project involves eliminating traffic signals along Highway 240 for ramps, overpasses and underpasses.

easiest to implement of the things within No. 1, and so it’s been called out separate to give it the visibility that the way to start on No. 1 is with No. 2. But it isn’t really a separate thing.”

Other intersections on the road would be converted to only allow right turns in and out, including those at Swift Boulevard and Airport Way. The city already applied for a federal grant seeking $29 million to create a “flyover” at Aaron Drive that’s basically a bridge allowing southbound travelers to avoid stopping at the current three-way intersection.

The grant would cover 80 percent of the expected cost of the project. Richland expects to find out before the end of the year if it is approved.

Other recommendations have some residents concerned, including option three,

which calls for improvements at George Washington Way and Columbia Point Drive.

It has Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet & Music owner Joel Rogo worried about his studio being in the city’s “crosshairs.”

“The three options that I fought fourand-a-half years ago are still on the city’s website. The city voted a resolution that staff was to find a fourth plan that didn’t affect the Ballet. I’m named in the resolution, but nothing’s been done,” he said.

Even if the city plans to chase money for another project as its first priority, Rogo is no less comforted.

“Yes, it’s option three, but it’s the least expensive and they have no other options for that area,” he said.

He’s got reason to worry. Rogalsky said $12 million in improvements to George Washington Way could be completed

through more readily-available grant programs, which aren’t a possibility for the projects listed first and second.

“That one could be chipped away with annual, or every-couple-of-year grant programs, and you could, over time, assemble the money and not require legislative action,” Rogalsky said.

It’s why Rogo asked the community, and especially ballet families and supporters, to attend the October open house, complete the online survey and insist that any George Washington Way improvements not affect his business at 21 Aaron Drive.

“I don’t want to be blindsided, so I want to keep reminding the city that I’m here.

As soon as they come up with a plan that doesn’t harm the Ballet, or say they won’t affect me, we’ll back off,” he said.

The recommendation least likely to be suggested to the council as a priority, but still popular with many of the more than 150 people who attended the open house is a plan to build a bridge over the Columbia River in north Richland, about a mile north of Horn Rapids Road. It would allow travelers to head east across the water, connecting to Columbia River Road and eventually to Road 68, both in Pasco.

Both at the October open house and a separate open house hosted in March by the state Department of Transportation, a number of commuters shared their support for the bridge, despite the hefty price tag likely to sink its prospects.

“The bridge fell to the bottom because it’s a tremendously long horizon,” Rogalsky said. The bridge likely would to take up to 20 years to build, at a cost of up to $450 million, and include widening Road 68 south to Sandifur Boulevard to accommodate more traffic.

Compare this cost to Richland’s new Duportail Bridge, expected to open next year, that will cost $38 million. uTRAFFIC, Page 9

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Port of Pasco buys 300 acres for industrial center 509-737-8778 8919 W. Grandridge Blvd., Ste. A1 Kennewick, WA 99336

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UPCOMING December: • Energy • Year in Review

January 2020: • Legal • Architecture & Engineering

CORRECTIONS • Lance Frisbee of Powerbang Gaming is a Richland resident. His hometown was listed incorrectly on page 1 in the October edition because he recently moved. The Clash of Clans game is a strategy game and was identified incorrectly in the same story on page 11.

• Western Restaurant Supply & Designs did not do work on LU LU Craft Bar + Kitchen. The wrong information appeared on page 14 in the October edition.

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, a publication of TriComp Inc., is published monthly and delivered at no charge to identifiable businesses in Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Kennewick, Prosser and Benton City.

Subscriptions are $27.10 per year, including tax, prepayment required, no refunds. Contents of this publication are the sole property of TriComp Inc. and can not be reproduced in any form without expressed written consent. Opinions expressed in guest columns and by advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, other columnists or other advertisers, nor do they imply endorsement by staff, columnists or advertisers. Every effort will be made to assure information published is correct; however, we are not liable for any errors or omissions made despite these efforts.

BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

The Port of Pasco has bought 300 acres for $6.5 million to develop a new industrial park.

The port finalized the deal Oct. 31, buying the property from Balcom and Moe Inc. The land is about a mile north of the port-developed Pasco Processing Center off Highway 395 at the north end of Pasco.

“In 2018, the port sold the last large land parcel at the Pasco Processing Center. We are very excited to add this new property to the port’s land portfolio as the next premier industrial park in our region,” said Jean Ryckman, president of the port commission, in a statement.

The land will remain in agricultural production while the port begins site planning. It will gradually be converted to industrial use as new businesses move in. The port expects full buildout to take up to 20 years.

The port’s vision for the property is to replicate the success of the Pasco Processing Center, a collaborative project between the port (site development), city of Pasco (industrial wastewater system) and Franklin PUD (new substation) that began in the early 1990s.

The purpose of the center was to recruit food processors to Pasco for economic diversification. The project collaboration won several awards, in-

Courtesy Port of Pasco The Port of Pasco bought 300 acres for $6.5 million north of the Pasco Processing Center off Highway 395. The port plans to develop the site into a new industrial park, with full buildout expected to take up to 20 years.

cluding the 2016 Visionary Award from the Mid-Columbia Ag Hall of Fame, according to the port.

Several of the area’s largest processors now call the area home including Twin City Foods, Syngenta, Kenyon Zero Storage and Reser’s Fine foods.

The port will again look to collaborate with Franklin County, the city and Franklin PUD to develop the new property. The port expects the new industrial center will see many clients similar to those at the Pasco Processing Center,

but officials also expect new industries will be attracted to the available assets.

Funding to buy the land came from the port’s Economic Development Opportunity Board and a $2.25 million loan from the Hanford Area Economic Investment Fund Board. The purchase price includes water rights, which can be used for agricultural and industrial purposes.

“We have been searching for the right land for quite some time. The new property checks all the boxes with excellent road access to Highway 395 and the BNSF rail network, natural gas on site, and electrical transmission already in place. It’s just a perfect fit for heavy industrial development and we are grateful to Balcom and Moe for working with the port to complete the sale,” said Randy Hayden, the port’s executive director, in a release.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Frost Me Sweet owner to compete in cookie bakeoff

Megan Savely of Frost Me Sweet Bistro & Bakery in Richland is a finalist on the Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge” TV show.

She’ll compete against four of the best cookie bakers in the U.S. for a grand prize of $10,000.

The show airs at 11 p.m. Dec. 23 on The Food Network.

The popular Richland bakery and eatery in the Richland Parkway recently was on Food Network star Guy Fieri’s show “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

Frost Me Sweet also recently expanded by doubling the size of its restaurant seating and offering more dessert choices.

Savely and her husband Jason opened the original Frost Me Sweet in July 2010.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

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Tri-City hotel mogul buys Kolzig mansion for $3.5M

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A prominent Tri-City mansion recently sold to a local hotel mogul for $3.5 million.

The new owner of the home built by hockey legend Olie Kolzig is Gurbir Sandhu, president of the hospitality group Ignite Hotels LLC. Sandhu said he intends to deed the Kennewick property to an LLC that has not yet been formed and will include investors from California.

He called the purchase of the property at 32224 S. 944 PR SE a “no brainer,” as the home came with 95 acres of undeveloped land that could be subdivided into future housing developments.

“The house itself is more than free after you develop the remaining land,” said Sandhu, who said nearby lots on East Badger Road, with less expansive views than his land, are already selling for more than $500,000.

Eleven qualified bidders participated in the auction, said Dan DeCaro, founder and president of DeCaro Auctions International, which handled the sale.

“Four people bid him up to that number. They were aggressive in that as well. They all had the same plans,” DeCaro said.

Sandhu is unsure whether he plans to use the residence as a personal home or as an event center. He said the 15,000-square-foot home would cost about $10 million to rebuild at today’s prices. The six-bedroom home was built in 2004 by Kolzig and his wife before it was deeded to Hillside Property of Washington LLC for $2.3 million in 2013.

Kolzig is a former NHL goalie player who once played for the Tri-City Americans.

While Sandhu already has civil engineers looking at subdividing the land, he said the home could be ideal for an event center, as he believes the Tri-Cities lacks venues for high-end weddings outside of wineries.

He thinks there could be “untapped demand” for weddings with extended budgets.

“Hotel venues are not in the same league,” he said.

Sandhu owns the Red Lion Hotel Richland, known as the Hanford House, both Kennewick Red Lion properties and Kennewick’s Hampton Inn.

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Ignite Hotels is also building a $20 million Residence Inn by Marriott on South Quinault Avenue in Kennewick, expected to open in 2021.

The Horse Heaven Hills property had been listed for $6.2 million earlier in the fall before the auction was held in October, with potential buyers required to bring a $50,000 cashier’s check, as well as a blank check.

The auction was held with no reserve, meaning the home could be sold to the highest bidder, regardless of price.

Courtesy DeCaro Auctions Gurbir Sandhu, president of the hospitality group Ignite Hotels LLC, paid $3.5 million at a recent auction for a 15,000-square-foot home built by a former NHL goalie on 95 acres of land on the Horse Heaven Hills.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

DATEBOOK

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

NOV. 18

• Pasco Chamber Membership Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco. RSVP: 509547-9755.

NOV. 19

• Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber Monthly Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Red Lion Hotel, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco.

RSVP: 509-542-0933.

NOV. 20

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

Register: tricityregionalchamber.com.

NOV. 21

• Evening of Miracles, benefiting Columbia Industries: 6-9:30 p.m., Red

Lion Hotel, 1101 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick.

Tickets: columbiaindustries. com.

• Community Lecture Series “Marijuana: Evil Weed or Medical Miracle?”: 7 p.m., Mid-Columbia Libraries, 1620 S. Union St., Kennewick.

Contact: 509-542-5531.

NOV. 23

• Festival of Trees Gala: 5:30 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Tickets: unitedway-bfco.com.

NOV. 30

• Small Business Saturday: various Tri-City businesses. Go to: shopsmall.org.

DEC. 3

Washington Mint Convention: 8 a.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd.,

Kennewick. Register: wamintgrowers.org.

• Prosser Chamber Member Luncheon: noon to 1 p.m., Jeremy’s 1896 Public House, 1232 Wine Country Road, Prosser.

Contact: 509-786-3177.

DEC. 4

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

• National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association #1192 monthly meeting: noon, Red Lion Hotel, 1101 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick.

Call: 509-378-2494.

DEC. 6

• Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership breakfast: 8-9 a.m., Clover

Island Inn, fourth floor, 435 N. Clover Island Drive, Kennewick. Go to: historickennewick.org

DEC. 7

• Pasco Winter Fest: 2-6 p.m., Volunteer Park, 1125 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco.

Contact: 509-545-3456.

DEC. 10

• PNNL Community Lecture Series “How does Carbon Capture Work?”: 7 p.m., Mid-Columbia Libraries, 1620 S. Union St., Kennewick. Contact: 509542-5531.

DEC. 11

• Ask the Experts: 3:30-5 p.m., Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Register: tricityregionalchamber.com.

DEC. 12

• Procurement Power

Hour: What’s around the corner at Hanford?: 8:309:30 a.m., Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center, 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. Register: washingtonptac.com

DEC. 13

• Dinner with Friends, benefiting Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties: 6-9 p.m., The HAPO Center (formerly TRAC), 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Tickets: 509-5439980.

• Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber annual dinner: 6:30 p.m., Red Lion Hotel 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco.

RSVP: 509-542-0933.

DEC. 17

• Solutions at Sunrise: 7:15-8:15 a.m., CG Public House, 9221 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Register: washingtonpolicy.org.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Candy Mountain may be Washington’s newest wine region The American Viticultural Areas system in the United States is a way for the federal government to officially recognize a wine grape growing region. At this point, Washington has 14 federally approved AVAs. In the Tri-Cities, wineries and grape growers are awaiting approval of the state’s newest AVA: Candy Mountain.

The brown hill in Richland is one of five currently proposed AVAs. The state’s first one was the Yakima Valley, established in 1983; the largest is the Columbia Valley, which takes up a third of the state and helps to define what we think of as Washington wine country.

To get an AVA approved is a long, arduous process that includes showing a history of grape growing, as well as how the newly defined region is different than others. Once approved, an AVA can be used as a marketing tool and be listed on a wine label.

For an example, a bottle of red wine that features “Napa Valley” on the label will not only signal the customer about its provenance, but also often commands a higher price because of the reputation of the quality of grapes grown.

The five proposed AVAs are working their way through the process with the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, a division of the Treasury Department. Until 2003, it was known as the ATF. The proposed Candy Mountain AVA would be about 900 acres in size and partly within both the Yakima and Columbia Valley AVAs. It is home to one existing winery and three vineyards, making it among the smallest AVAs in the Pacific Northwest.

The Candy Mountain petition was submitted by Kevin Pouge, a geology professor at Whitman College in Walla Walla and viticulture consultant who wrote and shepherded The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA in Oregon, south of downtown Walla Walla.

Paul and Vicki Kitzke moved to Candy Mountain in 2000, planting apples and cherries. At the urging of a neighbor, they also planted eight acres of wine grapes, including Cabernet

Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and Syrah. They also bought a bit of fruit from vineyards on Red Andy Perdue Mountain and Great Northwest in the Horse Wine Heaven Hills.

GUEST COLUMN Kitzke Cellars in Richland released its first wines five years later. The early wines were crafted

by Charlie Hoppes, the acclaimed winemaker behind Fidelitas Wines who has an estate vineyard on Red Mountain and a winemaking facility in Richland.

After graduating from Richland High School, the Kitzkes’ son Seth moved to Seattle, where he earned a degree in winemaking from South Seattle College while working for such wineries as Brian Carter Cellars in Woodinville, Fidelitas and Smasne Cellars in the Yakima Valley, as well as Charles Smith.

In addition to taking over winemaking duties for the family business, he also launched a brand called UpsideDownWines, which he describes as a “pour it forward” operation that supports charities with the proceeds.

When the Candy Mountain AVA is approved by the federal government, likely later this year, Kitzke will begin using the new designation on their labels.

In addition to Kitzke, Premiere Vineyards also has planted Candy Mountain Vineyards, part of a consortium of vineyards that fund a teachers’ retirement fund. It also owns several vineyards in Walla Walla. Acclaimed Walla Walla wineries such as L’Ecole No. 41 and Long Shadows Vintners both use grapes from Candy Mountain.

In 2016, the Friends of Badger Mountain bought 195 acres on Candy Mountain land and built a trail that opened in June 2017 with the help of 240 volunteers.

Candy Mountain was created by the Ice Age Floods, a series of up to 80 outburst floods caused nearly 10,000 years

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Photo by Andy Perdue Seth Kitzke, a Richland High graduate, is the head winemaker for Kitzke Cellars on Candy Mountain, which is likely to be Washington’s next American Viticultural Area.

ago when an ice dam in northern Idaho failed, releasing the waters from Glacial Lake Missoula in western Montana. The series of floods helped shape Eastern Washington. Remnants of the floods are still evident on Candy Mountain in the form of granite boulders called erratics that drifted into the Tri-Cities inside icebergs that began their journey in Alberta, Canada. The floods also brought in sandy soil as well in the subsequent cen-

turies. The combination of soils, lack of rain and the region’s perpetually sunny skies combine to make the Columbia Valley among the premier grape-growing regions in the world.

Seth notes Cabernet Franc grapes grown on Candy Mountain are texturally different from grapes grown elsewhere.

And the variety’s distinctive herbal notes

uCANDY MOUNTAIN, Page 8

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Nonstop flights to Chicago arrive in June

BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Travelers can hop a nonstop flight from Pasco to Chicago starting in June.

United Airlines announced it will begin offering red-eye flights to Chicago O’Hare International Airport beginning June 4, 2020.

This is the first time the Tri-Cities Airport will have nonstop connection to Chicago, and it is also the airport’s first overnight flight, according to a news release.

The nonstop service is scheduled to arrive in Pasco at 9:57 p.m. and depart for Chicago 11:38 p.m., arriving at 5:07 a.m.

The early-morning arrival will allow passengers dozens of additional connection opportunities once they’ve arrived in Chicago, an enormous benefit for Tri-Cities travelers, according to Buck Taft, director of the airport.

“We are so pleased with the investment United is making in the Tri-Cities community,” he said in a release. “This new service is a tremendous opportunity to connect to a premier Midwest hub, and we hope our travelers take advantage of the easy access to the East Coast and international connectivity that the flight will provide.”

The Chicago flight continues to expand United’s presence in Tri-Cities. The airline

began service to Los Angeles International Airport earlier this year and provides TriCity area residents five nonstop daily flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver.

The new service will add to the airport’s overall passenger growth as well. The airport recently had its busiest summer ever, and 2019 is set to overtake last year as its best year on record.

The new flight will be on an Embraer 175, a regional jet with 76 seats with first class, United Economy Plus and United economy classes.

Tickets for the Pasco-to-Chicago service are on sale now at united.com.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Benton County to close Richland annex Nov. 27

Benton County’s Richland annex on Wellsian Way will permanently close Nov. 27.

The county plans to consolidate all services from the Richland office at its Kennewick annex on Canal Drive.

The Kennewick and Prosser offices will remain open for election and voter registration services, vehicle licensing, recording and marriage licensing.

Information about a new drop box location is forthcoming.

Comments on TPA now being accepted

The Tri-Party Agreement agencies —the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Ecology – are holding a 45-day public comment period on proposed changes to the TPA. The proposed changes would update the TPA to reduce redundancy through improved coordination between two regulatory processes for cleanup decision-making.

For more information, go to go.usa. gov/xVuDf. All public meetings and comment periods can be found on the Hanford.gov events calendar.

CANDY MOUNTAIN, From page 7 have been notably absent from examples made from Candy Mountain fruit.

The sandy soils, south-facing slope and light precipitation—less than 10 inches annually—combine to make Candy Mountain a unique grape-growing region. The deep and rich fruit flavors, early ripening and plentiful tannins combine to make the wines texturally similar to nearby Red Mountain, perhaps Washington’s most famous wine region.

Because of the lack of rainfall, grapevines require some irrigation. The Kitzkes get enough for their vines from a well. A layer of caliche also helps the soil retain moisture. This past vintage, Seth said he didn’t turn on his vineyard irrigation until the middle of summer.

Grapevines typically need less than half the water required for orchards and other crops.

One of the few mysteries is how Candy Mountain got its name. Seth believes he has the answer. A few years ago, he was pouring wine at a Seattle event when a woman came by his table and told the story of how her father owned most of the land on Candy Mountain. Apparently he had an entrepreneurial bent, and, admiring Walt Disney, thought the brown hill would be perfect for a theme park and renamed Candy Mountain with that in mind. Andy Perdue, editor and publisher of Great Northwest Wine and founding editor of Wine Press Northwest magazine, is the wine columnist for The Seattle Times.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019 TRAFFIC, From page 3 An inexpensive alternate that fell toward the bottom of the list would be to add a single lane southbound on the bypass from north of the Vantage Highway to Interstate 182, a project estimated to cost $25 million.

Walkability advocate Laila Krowiak wants the city to focus on moving people, not cars. She urged the city to prioritize cyclist and pedestrian safety, though the city is not yet at the design phase.

“I would like to see it acknowledged that as the area grows, congestion will always be a problem, no matter how wide we make our streets. We can look at California. The wider the streets are, the congestion is still there. Instead of focusing on helping congestion, we could focus on giving people different options for transportation. If we make roads wide and fast, people don’t have any other options, they have to drive.

Even if they’re going a couple miles, they have to drive,” she said.

Representatives from Richland, West Richland, Benton County and the state have worked with a team of consultants to study the challenges faced by drivers headed north and south through the city, with an ultimate goal of finding a project most likely to reduce travel times.

Most specifically, the team focused on three north-south corridors: the bypass, George Washington Way and a new connection on Kingsgate Way between Keene Road and the Vantage Highway.

The recent open house and online survey are considered an extension on work done in the Highway 240 study by WSDOT that looked at improving mobility on 240

specifically, along with an update to the regional transportation plan. The timeline for the current work taken on by Richland began in April with the research phase and is expected to conclude by the end of the year with a recommendation to the council.

“The most impactful decision that they will make will be to authorize chasing money for one or more of the recommendations,” Rogalsky said.

Still, Rogalsky said the No. 1 and No. 2 projects are both “beyond the city’s capacity to do” and beyond what routine grant programs would cover.

But it’s important to have the priority in place for potential state or legislative action. Washington last made its big investment in transportation in 2015, authorizing $16 billion in spending.

With the passage of Initiative 976 in the Nov. 5 election, city and county officials across the state are bracing for how it could affect their local road projects.

The initiative limits car tab fees to $30 for vehicles that weigh 10,000 pounds or less. Fees more than $30, which vary based on where a car is registered and the type and weight of vehicle, will be eliminated or reduced. Money from car tab fees goes toward state and local transportation projects, as well as highway construction and maintenance.

Gov. Jay Inslee said it’s clear the majority of voters objected to current car tab levels. “I have directed the Washington State Department of Transportation to postpone projects not yet underway. I have also asked other state agencies that receive transportation funding, including the Washington State Patrol and Department of Licensing,

9

Courtesy city of Richland

to defer non-essential spending as we review impacts,” Inslee said in a statement.

The state plans transportation projects at 20-year intervals, trying to predict how many people will be in the region at that time, where they will live and where they will work.

“You want to aim at a long enough horizon to be meaningful because it takes so long to do these things, so if you aim for a

shorter horizon, then you would get swallowed up by the trends,” Rogalsky said.

Even if money weren’t an object, the goal isn’t necessarily to complete every option on the list.“If you got through No. 1 to 3, you’d be very successful through that 20-year horizon. And it just so happens that No. 1 will take you that duration to do anyway,” Rogalsky said.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

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LABOR & EMPLOYMENT TC Futures steps up to help youth heading into real world

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The opening of TC Futures in Kennewick has created a home base for young adults looking to earn their GED diploma, get help finding a job or even wash laundry and grab a bite to eat.

The site at 6917 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite C-110, in Kennewick serves youth considered “disengaged” from school who were previously assisted at a collection of sites, or nowhere in particular, across the Mid-Columbia.

“We were all over the place. My case managers were out in the schools. My Richland case manager would meet students at the Richland library; my Pasco case manager would meet students wherever they could find a spot in Pasco; and Kennewick would meet at Kennewick High,” said Mark Wheaton, TC Futures center director.

In addition to Richland, Pasco and Kennewick, TC Futures serves youth across eight school districts within Educational Service District 123, including Walla Walla, Columbia (Burbank), North Franklin, Kiona-Benton City and Prosser.

Photo by Robin Wojtanik Dmitry Hansen, left, recently earned a GED diploma and found a job, thanks to assistance offered by TC Futures and its director, Mark Wheaton, right. The Kennewick program provides career counseling, employment opportunities, on-the-job training, internships, apprenticeships and other employmentrelated services to young adults who left traditional high schools.

Thanks to a partnership with Career Path Services, a nonprofit that falls under the umbrella of the Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council, TC Futures can help those up to age 24, while

PARKVIEW ESTATES FOOD DRIVE Anyone CAN help someone in need.

November 1st through December 12th Please drop off items at front office between 8am and 5:30pm.

Working together we can make a difference.

For more information call (509) 734-9773.

Drop off location: 7820 W. 6th Ave. in Kennewick

the ESD 123 program used to expire during the school year a student turned 21.

“We focus on 16- to 24-year-olds becoming employable, getting employment, internships, paid work experience, pre-

apprenticeship—basically overcoming any barriers that would keep a student from being employed,” Wheaton said.

Dmitry Hansen came to TC Futures in July, shortly after the center opened its doors near Vista Field. Once he began visiting regularly, he was able to quickly complete his studies and passed his General Educational Development tests in October, a day before turning 20. The battery of exams designed by the American Council on Education measure high school equivalency.

“They make it so easy, it hurts,” Hansen said.

Hansen, who left high school in his junior year, said he had previously been forced to leave assistance programs offered by WorkSource Columbia Basin after missing too many appointments. “This makes you finish faster because with appointments you have to wait in between, and things happen, but here you can show up anytime, on your schedule,” he said.

Hansen made use of TC Futures’ free computer lab, studying for the GED exam and working with Career Path Services to land a job with the Northwest Carpenter’s

uTC FUTURES, Page 12

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

TC FUTURES, From page 11 Institute of Washington. The services offered covered the cost of the tools Hansen needed to buy before starting work.

“For tools, that stuff is expensive.

When I looked at the tool list, I thought, ‘There was no way I could pay for this,’ ” Hansen said. The newly-hired 20-year-old received the supply list on a Thursday and was required to have all equipment by Tuesday. Career Path Services made sure he had the tools in hand, with a day to spare.

“For the most part, they can cover about 80 percent of the expenses you have, whether it’s putting gas in your car, buying clothes, whatever barrier exists for employment,” Wheaton said.

The cost of Hansen’s tool list alone

was nearly $500. “The money I had saved up, I was like, ‘I need this for bills, and for a car and insurance and everything like that; I can’t spare anything for tools,’ ” he said.

Despite a GED certificate in hand and an apprenticeship lined up, Hansen’s time with the program is not over. Career Path Services will check in with him quarterly for a year to help keep his story a success.

“Nationwide, not just in the Tri-Cities, one in every five students don’t make it through traditional high school, for whatever reason. So here we get to provide multiple pathways to success, and it looks different for each student who comes through the door,” Wheaton said.

Since opening its doors in July, most youth come to TC Futures looking for

Labor & Employment help with passing the GED test, as this tends to be the first education barrier for employment, Wheaton said. The program covers the cost of the testing for the young adults. “You just ask. They print out the code, you put it in, and you’re done. It’s so easy,” Hansen said.

There are two GED case managers on staff at TC Futures. “We use an online platform as well as 1:1 case management.

That’s been very effective in identifying what they don’t know. They take a practice test and it designs a learning plan for them based on where they were weak. We have about a 93 percent pass rate for tests; 93 percent of those who take the test pass it, not 93 percent get their GED,” Wheaton said.

Hired to build the program and launch

the center, Wheaton said the GED program is “blowing up” since there was never a central location for assistance available before.

TC Futures serves about 115 students, which is triple the amount from a year ago. There is some crossover with Career Path Services, which serves at least 201 youth annually under its model of funding. “Youth centers, or centers like ours, see foot traffic of about 600. I don’t know if we’ll hit that this year, but I expect to see 400 to 500,” Wheaton said.

As a “GED+” program, TC Futures treats the GED diploma as the bare minimum for education. “Even on day one, we’re trying to figure out why a GED is a good option. If it’s just to not get in trouble with the law, that’s OK, but then what are you going to do? My case managers have a fun opportunity to really dream with kids. They get to explore multiple careers,” Wheaton said.

One of the young people served at the site recently went to work in music production at a local church, and another became an apprentice as a tattoo artist.

Wheaton said, by and large, students who work with Career Path Services end up getting “called up” faster for construction work due to their ability to score higher on pre-employment testing.

Since education isn’t the only barrier for those in need of assistance, TC Futures keeps a stocked kitchen to feed students free meals and offers a donated washer and dryer as a resource to those who may be homeless.

Additionally, Wheaton said they’re always working to build relationships with mental health services and addiction specialists. The new site offers classroom space where the team hopes to hold programs on résumé building, trauma-informed care, preventing suicide and even art therapy.

“I kind of call us ‘agents of hope’ because a lot of the kids who come through the door are hopeless for one reason or another. Many times they’re partnering with a belief that they’re a failure, or they’re dumb or lazy, or whatever other label they’ve picked up along the way. We get to come in and just provide the opposite and really start fresh. We have a really high success rate with those who actually use the program,” Wheaton said.

TC Futures is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and holds an orientation daily at 1 p.m. Wheaton said at least one new face arrives for the orientation nearly every day. The total time spent in the program, usually preparing for the GED exam, depends on the individual and often centers around how much math education a participant has had. Two hours of effort a month is a minimum for remaining enrolled.

“I usually let students know, if they can give me 40 hours of work over a few months, they’re going to be successful,” Wheaton said.

“If it wasn’t for this program, I literally couldn’t do the carpenters’ union,” Hansen said. “It’s awesome.”

TC Futures: 6917 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite C-110, Kennewick; 509-537-1710.

Labor & Employment

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

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Top Tri-City jobs vary wildly by county

BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

In the Tri-City area, retail jobs are among the top five most in demand.

That’s according to the state’s recently released Employment Security Department’s employer demand reports.

Retail salespeople, retail sales supervisors, registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, and teacher assistants were the top five jobs advertised online in August in Benton County.

There were 144 job postings for retail salespersons and 121 for retail supervisor positions.

Benton County’s top employers, based on online ads from June to September, were Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (526 jobs), Kadlec (399 jobs), Kennewick School District (376 jobs), AECOM (141 jobs) and CityState LLC (132 jobs).

In Franklin County, the top five jobs advertised online in August were for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, light truck or delivery services drivers, customer service representatives, sales representatives for wholesale and manufacturing jobs, and maintenance and repair workers. Jobs advertised in those five categories totaled 177.

Franklin County’s top employers, based on online ads from June to September, were the state of Washington (83 jobs), J.R. Simplot Co. (53 jobs), Columbia Basin College (45 jobs), Lowe’s (42 jobs) and Assurance (41 jobs).

Statewide, jobs for registered nurses, software developers, retail salespersons, retail sales supervisors and all other computer occupations were the top five positions advertised online in August.

The state’s top employers, based on online ads from June to September,

were Providence Health & Services (11,083 jobs), Amazon (8,602 jobs), the state of Washington (8,592 jobs), University of Washington (3,812 jobs) and PeaceHealth (3,458 jobs).

The state’s reports are based on the Gartner TalentNeuron data series, which provides real-time labor demand gathered from online job ads.

Across the state, total nonfarm payroll employment rose 1,700 (seasonally adjusted) in September, which was 3,100 less than expected in the September forecast. However, the difference was mostly due to government employment, which declined by 1,900.

“We believe the drop was due to a seasonal adjustment problem with state government education, which artificially increased the level of employment the month before,” according to the State Budget Outlook Work Group’s Nov. 4 report to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.

Private services-providing sectors added 2,900 jobs in September. The manufacturing sector added 400 jobs, of which 200 were aerospace jobs. The construction sector added 200 jobs in September.

The number of Washington workers —about 9,000—receiving layoff notices this year is the highest since 2009, according to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.

Washington’s unemployment rate remained at 4.6 percent in September for a fifth consecutive month. The state’s unemployment rate remains near its alltime low of 4.4 percent last reached in October 2018.

Benton County’s unemployment rate in September was 4.6 percent; Franklin County’s was 4.9 percent.

“We expect 1.9 percent Washington employment growth this year, which is

the same rate expected in the September forecast. As in September, we expect growth to decelerate. We expect employment growth to average 1.2 percent per year in 2020 through 2023, which is also unchanged since September. Our forecast for nominal personal income growth this year is 5.2 percent, down from 5.6 percent in the September forecast,” the report said.

The U.S. economy added 128,000 net new jobs in October. Employment data for August and September were revised up by 95,000 jobs, according to the report. Sectors with notable employment gains in October included accommoda-

tion and food services (+53,000), social assistance (+20,000), professional and technical services (+16,000) and financial activities (+16,000).

Sectors with net employment declines in October included motor vehicle and parts manufacturing (-42,000; this reflects the now-resolved General Motors strike), federal government (-17,000; largely reflecting layoffs of temporary Census workers), performing arts and spectator sports (-10,000), temporary employment services (-8,000), clothing and accessories stores (-8,000) and motion picture and sound recording industries (-6,000).

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Labor & Employment

Labor & Employment uBUSINESS BRIEFS Kennewick Italian restaurant owners plan to retire

The owners of Carmine’s Italian Restaurant in Kennewick have announced plans to retire and close their business.

The restaurant’s namesake Carmine Aitoro is 82 and his wife Joyce Aitoro is 79.

“It has been a fantastic 11 ½ years, however, we are ready to slow down and spend more time with the kids, grandchildren and great-grands,” according to the restaurant’s announcement on Facebook.

Carmine’s serves up different Italian dishes family-style Wednesday through Saturday nights. Its final day is Dec. 21.

“We want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your many years of support. We certainly will miss the hustle and bustle, but we have reached this decision together with our children and grandchildren who have from time to time worked so hard alongside us over the years,” the restaurant’s post said.

Carmine’s is at 525 W. First Ave.

Floats sought for Santa’s arrival parade in Kennewick

Now is the time to start assembling holiday-themed floats for the Dec. 7 Numerica Hometown Holiday Parade to welcome Santa to downtown Kennewick.

More than 5,000 people are expected to line the Kennewick Avenue parade route to celebrate the jolly old elf’s arrival, participate in Claus Plaza activities and shop local merchants.

Numerica Credit Union will award a $250 gift card to the best float design and $100 to the most inspired secondplace entry. Organizations, businesses and individuals are encouraged to participate. Entry is free and applications are due Nov. 25.

Floats and participants begin lining up at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 7 for the 10:30-11 a.m. parade.

Go to Go2Kennewick.com/Holidays for application and details.

Richland police citizen academy seeks participants

The Richland Police Department is accepting registrations for its 2020 Citizens Academy.

The free program begins Jan. 7 and runs every Tuesday through March, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Participants are expected to gain a better understanding of police operations and services, the emergency response system and local criminal justice system.

Classes will feature a variety of guest speakers, facility tours and information.

The academy also will give citizens a chance to voice their thoughts about how law enforcement serves the community’s needs.

For more information, including weekly topics and the online application, go to richland.wa.us/citizensacademy, email cpeck@ci.richland.wa.us, or call 509-9427636.

Pick up an application at the Richland Police Department, 871 George Washington Way, Richland City Hall lobby, 625 Swift Blvd., or the Richland Public Library, 955 Swift Blvd.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Five reasons why women should work in the construction trades The residential construction industry provides a rewarding career path for women. Builders and remodelers across Washington state are seeking skilled artisans and professionals, including carpenters, architects, engineers, plumbers, electricians and Sherry Schwab painters. In the Building Industry U.S., women Association of make up about Washington 50 percent of GUEST COLUMN the workforce, but only 9 percent of women work in the construction/ home building industry, according to the U.S. Census.

Here are some reasons why women should consider pursuing a fulfilling career in the trades: Competitive salary. A pay gap exists between men and women across most industries. On average, women in the United States earn 80 cents for every dollar a man earns. However, the gap is much smaller in the construction trades.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women in the construction industry earn 97 cents for every dollar a man earns.

Job opportunities. Unfilled jobs in the construction sector reached a postrecession high. A National Association of Home Builders, or NAHB, survey found labor shortages ranging from 47 percent of builders reporting a shortage of building-maintenance managers to a whopping 83 percent reporting a shortage of framing crews. There are shortages of labor in various types of construction jobs including framers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and bricklayers.

The residential construction industry is one of the few sectors where demand for new workers has risen.

Scholarships. Funding is available for students who are interested in or currently pursuing opportunities in residential construction. The National Housing Endowment offers several student scholarships and programs and the American Council for Construction Education has resources available for students interested in teaching opportunities in the field.

The Building Industry Association of Washington also offers scholarships and grants and has awarded more than $500,000 since the program’s inception.

Network of experts. There is a growing community of women in construction who are willing to mentor and share insights with women entering the field.

NAHB has a strong network of women in construction through its Professional

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Women in Building Council. For more than 10 years, the council has recognized, honored and supported women in the construction trades, opening new pathways toward continued innovation.

A sense of accomplishment. Working in the trades brings a sense of satisfaction for completing high-quality work that contributes to homebuilding and ultimately helping to fulfill the American dream. Darylene Dennon, the first tradeswoman to chair the NAHB Professional Women in Building Council, highlighted the benefits of being a woman in the trades: “I was raised to think that if you do a good job, people will appreciate it.

And always learn a trade. You can do a trade anywhere. When I was in the field, I didn’t think of myself as unequal.” Sherry Schwab is the first vice president of the Building Industry Association of Washington and will serve as president in 2020. She’s been a member of BIAW for more than 25 years. She was named BIAW Remodeler of the Year in 2002 and inducted into BIAW’s Hall of Fame in 2011. She was the National Association of Home Builders’ 2016 Professional Women in Building Member of the Year and in 2017-18 served as NAHB’s National Area Chairwoman, representing Washington and four other states.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

MINIMUM WAGE, From page 1 It’s likely higher prices could be passed on to customers at other places where workers are paid minimum wage when the new increase takes effect.

The ownership group operating The Bradley in Richland is likely to respond to the minimum wage increase by turning servers at the hip establishment into commissioned staff who will no longer receive tips.

Bradley co-owner Zach Mason said it will amount to a drastic difference in the amount of taxes the restaurant has to pay.

“Right now, when a server works, they get whatever the person who comes in feels like tipping,” he said. “We pay taxes on those tips, but we don’t get to keep any of them, which is kind of a strange thing that I think a lot of people may not be aware of. When someone tips their server, we as business owners pay taxes on the tip they left, but it never sits in our account, so it’s just a fun little extra tax we get.”

To help offset the taxes and the latest minimum wage increase, The Bradley is likely to add a 20-percent surcharge to customers’ bills that would cover the tip, as well as the tax and wage increase required for the staff.

Mason said it’s a model used successfully at Seattle’s El Gaucho restaurant, which began adding a service charge in lieu of tipping in 2016.

Mason expects other locally-owned restaurants to break from the traditional tipping model based on the total amount of the bill. He said a handful of restauranteurs are considering forming a Tri-City

Restaurant Coalition. Members would use the same agreed-upon surcharge, likely 20 percent, beginning in 2020 to maintain consistency across the community for ease of understanding. “We are working as a group to stay alive in the Tri-Cities,” he said.

The Association of Washington Business, the state’s largest business organization, has opposed the stepped minimum wage increases, calling it a “one-size-fitsall approach to wages.”

“Small businesses and employers in economically-depressed regions of the state may not be able to keep up with the rising labor costs the initiative will impose, creating difficult decisions about both job creation and job retention,” said Gary Chandler, AWB vice president of government affairs, after the 2016 legislative session.

Moon’s concerned about it. “It’s been on our minds ever since that wage law passed, just how’s it going to affect us and how can we prepare for that. This coming year is probably the most substantial since it’s been incremental over the last couple years,” he said.

Moon met with his accountant to quantify the true impact to his Richland restaurant, which has been in Moon’s family for nearly 20 years. He has owned it since 2014. Moon figures he’s paid employees for 11,500 work hours in the last year.

Taking the $1.50 an hour difference that will be in effect in 2020, Moon estimated at least $17,000 in additional expenses, if his labor remains the same.

“When I tried to put it into life scenarios, I thought, ‘OK, $17,000 is about

Labor & Employment $1,400 a month.’ If your house payment went up by $1,400 a month, surely, you would act,” he said. “You would think, ‘How can I deal with this? Do I need to make more? Do I need to cut something?”

Moon hasn’t taken the easy route of passing the cost increases on to customers without first tightening his own belt.

He’s started to buy pre-prepped food like diced onions and shredded cheese to reduce labor costs. It costs more, but there is a savings versus paying employees up to four hours a week to dice or shred.

He’s also re-organizing shifts so that Tumbleweeds can get by with one less employee at the start of the work day, saving 30 minutes before the third person on shift clocks in.

Additionally, Moon plans to reduce the overall hours of business to capture their busiest times, no longer staying open after 2 p.m. Saturdays. “Rather than risk the inefficiency of paid labor and hope that customers are coming in at a down time, when they’re just not,” Moon said.

He said Tumbleweeds serves about 150 people on a Saturday versus 2 to 2½ times that on a weekday. Tumbleweeds already cut Sunday hours entirely a few years ago, which Moon said was a great move.

Moon’s nine employees already make more than minimum wage, so he’s still assessing how individual wages will change in accordance with a worker’s experience and tenure.

“It’s an interesting dynamic to have supervisors who are already paid over uMINIMUM WAGE, Page 17

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Washington state trade delegation travels to China

The state Department of Commerce led a state delegation on a week-long trade mission to China the first week of November.

Itinerary highlights included a “Washington State Day” at the China International Import Expo, a clean tech and renewable energy conference in Wuxi, an aerospace forum, and a full slate of meetings with Chinese provincial and economic development officials, top venture capital firms and Chinese companies currently doing or interested in doing business in Washington.

Delegation participants included Greater Seattle Partners, Washington State China Relations Council, Economic Alliance Snohomish County, Paine Field, several Washington businesses and a representative from Gov. Jay Inslee’s office.

Washington exports more products and services to China than any other U.S. state, last year totaling $14.3 billion. Retaliatory tariffs in the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China have seen the value of Washington exports decline by over $413 million, or 17 percent, through August this year, accounting for almost 67 percent of the total decline in Washington exports to all countries as global trade tensions have taken a toll.

About one in three jobs in Washington is tied to international trade.

Some of the Washington delegation split off to participate in a renewable energy conference in Wuxi focusing on green buildings, electric vehicles and energy storage technology, among other business opportunities in the clean energy technology sector.

The last Washington state delegation to visit China was in 2017, promoting bilateral trade and investment.

Register now for annual Thanksgiving run

More than 3,000 Tri-Citians are expected to come together Thanksgiving morning for the annual Turkey Trot 5K, or 1-mile run or walk in Kennewick.

The Gesa Credit Union-sponsored event benefits the American Red Cross.

Complimentary coffee and cocoa, as well as live entertainment, will be provided starting at 7:30 a.m. before the races get underway at 9 a.m.

Individual and group registrations are available online at gesaturkeytrot2019. eventbrite.com.

All kids under 10 may participate for free with a paid adult registration.

Participants may come in costume for a chance to win a prize.

All proceeds support the American Red Cross Serving Central and Southeastern Washington, which provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and life-saving education to the communities of Adams, Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Kittitas, Walla Walla and Columbia counties.

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT MINIMUM WAGE, From page 16 $13.50 an hour. Are they going to be OK with the other people making close to that, or do they need to be raised at the same level?” Moon said.

Finding and retaining quality workers remains a constant issue, Tierney said.

“The labor force is really thin so everybody is struggling to keep employees.

That, by its very nature, increases wages because if you want to keep your employees, you’ve got to raise wages. And you may end up having to pay more to start people, because you’ve got to get better candidates,” Tierney said.

That simple supply and demand for talented staff results in the need for higher pay at a time when restaurants are already operating close to the edge.

“We lost P.F. Chang’s, we lost Famous Dave’s, we lost Dickey’s BBQ, and that’s because margins are so small. There’s less profit at the end of the day because of increased costs and decreased transactions.

I’ve been through some tough labor times before in the Tri-Cities, but this is a real challenge,” Tierney said.

Mason said The Bradley operates at a loss every month and thinks the latest wage increase could force the restaurant’s closure. He called The Bradley a “passion project” for its owners. “None of us have made any money off it, and we have continued to strive to keep open because we believe in it,” he said.

Mason said when he crunched the numbers for October, the Richland restaurant operated in the red, but would have been in the black if it had levied a service charge

due to the sheer amount of taxes paid.

“We either have to choose to shut our doors in January with the latest hike or find a way to survive. This (service charge) was the viable way to do it,” he said.

Moon finds that when he’s raised prices before, customers tend to buy less, keeping total ticket prices at a plateau.

“What I notice in just general behavior of customers is, ‘I’ve got $10, I’ve got $12, I’m going to go get lunch.’ So they come in here and have intentions of getting a salad, a small tater tot and a drink, and that might be $13, so now they’ll just say, ‘Eh, I’ll just have a salad and a drink.’ I’ve noticed this change in behavior, ‘I can do without,’ “ Moon said.

Raising prices is a necessary in the current climate, Tierney said. “The only reason our ticket average has gone up is because prices have gone up,” he said.

“People are just having to pay more. Our industry, and nationwide, we’re all transaction-challenged. We’re seeing less transactions on a daily basis. So while sales are growing because of price increases, really business isn’t growing.”

At Tumbleweeds, Moon knows there’s a cap for prices due to the fact that his restaurant at 894 Stevens Drive offers a drive-thru and counter service. “There’s real value and there’s perceptive value.

Someone could look at the menu and say, ‘Man, a taco salad is $8.50. Now $8.65 is not that much different, but, still, that’s a lot for a fast food salad. The same salad at a sit-down restaurant could be $11 or $12, but it’s a little more acceptable. It might be the same freshness, it might be the same

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019 product, but we’re limited in the genre of our restaurant. We can’t charge $12 for a drive-thru salad on your 30-minute lunch break,” he said.

Prior to the passage of the 2016 initiative to raise wages statewide, the Puget Sound Business Journal estimated 730,000 people earned minimum wage in the state. Wages are already above state-mandated minimums in Seattle and SeaTac, where workers make at least $16 hourly. Studies from the University of Washington looked at the wage increases’ effect on supermarket food prices and child care costs. The studies found no effect on food prices, but higher tuition and staff hour reductions for child care workers.

Moon expects to raise prices prior to the new year to align with menu changes and updates.

“This place is what provides a living for my family and nine other people in the store. It’s a tremendous responsibility to be at the helm of the decision-making, to know that I have to do this to keep up with the times. I hope the increases will be understood, and in general, I think the

17

Tri-Cities is pretty understanding,” he said.

Previous plans to open a second Tumbleweeds location are no longer being considered, partially due to increased costs such as this.

Mason said his staff at The Bradley appears to understand switching to being commissioned staff is a necessity. “We have a very small staff and most people have been working in the industry for quite a while, and are educated, so they seem to get it. They get that we’re not trying to turn extra profit for ourselves to go buy nice things. It’s literally the difference between, ‘Go find a new job because we won’t be open anymore,’ or we do this,” he said.

Tierney opened his third Richland DQ on Duportail Street nearly two years ago, and is focusing on operating his restaurants across the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Walla Walla efficiently and profitably despite the market shifts. “One way or the other, my job is to try to run restaurants, so we’ve got to figure it out. That’s why I wear the big boy pants,” he said.

18

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019 HERALD, From page 1 equipment and supplies there.

“We’re doing so as we speak,” Mike Detrick Sr. said.

The Detricks felt it was the right time to buy.

“It’s just a good business opportunity,” Detrick Sr. said. “We’ve been in the works on this for about four or five months. The price was originally higher. But when it came down, we decided to do it.”

The family bought the property under the name, 7D Development at Herald Building LLC. Detrick Sr. said they also are working to secure and portion off the area the TriCity Herald now is leasing.

Then it will be time to start dividing up the rest of the building.

“Obviously the building is designed for a newspaper situation, and we’ve talked a lot as to how it could be demised,” Detrick Sr. said.

To that end, he said, it’s pretty clean the way it was built. “I think we could put in anywhere from one or two, to six or seven new businesses, as related to the office space,” Detrick Sr. said.

He said he’s leaning on real estate broker and senior advisor Scott Sautell of SVN Retter & Co. in Kennewick to lead the charge to find businesses interested in leasing space there.

Sautell, who brokered the building sale, said the building easily could accommodate more businesses.

“You could probably put as many as six businesses in at a minimum, and possibly as many as 12. It depends on how much you demise it,” Sautell said.

The hallways dividing the building —which once were called the Company Street when the Herald first moved in— run north and south on the first and second floors.

“There are bathrooms that are right off the hallway on both floors,” Sautell said.

“It’s really the perfect setup. It’s one of the few, probably only, class A building in the downtown district.”

A class A designation is considered premier space in high-quality buildings.

Asked if a restaurant or two could be added, Sautell said yes. “It could be done.

It just takes money,” he said.

Think of the Herald building as a blank canvas, Sautell said.

How the building gets carved up remains to be seen.

“The possibilities are endless for those businesses that want to get in first,” Sautell said. “The main thing they want is credit-worthy tenants.”

But the right people to help set up the different business and office space are already in the building, he said.

“The owners are in the drywall and framing business,” Sautell said. “What better guys to break this up? They’re good guys and very well-rounded landlords. I’ve been working with them for years on real estate deals and they are always seamless.”

What about the Herald?

The Tri-City Herald has a lease with the new owners for the next 10 months and plans to move elsewhere after it’s up in 2020, Hug said.

That’s a big change for the newspaper

that’s called downtown Kennewick home for 71 years—though it wasn’t always there.

The Herald moved from Pasco to Kennewick in October 1948, taking over the site of the bankrupt K&P Cannery, according to a Herald timeline once displayed on the second-floor walls. Built in 1906, the old cannery building became the cornerstone for many expansions and remodels. It made up the northeast corner of the newspaper building, serving as the front lobby for several decades. In 2004, it was converted to a loading dock.

The 8,000 square feet the Herald is occupying now still is too much space, Hug said.

Hug has been searching for the right building to move the team into. He said he’s not looking to build a new building, but instead find an existing, available one.

“We’re trying to get into a smaller footprint,” he said. “We’ve been looking around for a year, trying to find the right place. We need to find a high-traffic area. But we’ll definitely do some type of storefront so that customers can come in.”

When the Herald opened the new building 15 years ago, it was close to capacity. The building at full occupancy can accommodate up to 175 employees.

Today’s current staffing levels are much smaller.

Like many other newspapers nationwide, the Tri-City Herald stopped printing its own paper as a cost-saving measure in 2012, striking a deal with the Yakima Herald-Republic, owned by The Seattle Times Co., to use its printing press.

The Herald’s $6 million press, bought

19

Courtesy SVN Retter & Co. Pasco investors recently spent $3.9 million to buy the 102,000-square-foot Tri-City Herald building on 333 W. Canal Drive in Kennewick. They plan to transform the downtown building into multi-tenant office space.

in 1992, took up two floors and the warehouse housed 1-ton rolls of newsprint that stretched to six miles when unrolled. In its heyday, at least eight rolls were used each day, according to Herald building tour information.

With the press closure and subsequent staff downsizing, the 102,000-square-foot building is no longer necessary, especially as the Herald’s focus switched from print to digital.

“Times have changed,” Hug said.

It’s not a situation unique to the Herald. Daily newspapers nationwide have been on a decline for about a decade amid

dwindling advertising revenue and subscriptions in a world where more people consume information online via smartphones.

The Tri-City Herald has continued to tighten its belt. It ceased printing on Saturdays on Nov. 9. Back in 1981, it had trumpeted the addition of its first Saturday edition to become a true seven-day daily.

“I understand the frustration of those who want the physical newspaper.

We’re making tough decisions to ensure our future. Media, like retail and other

uHERALD, Page 20

20

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

HERALD, From page 19 industries, has changed significantly in recent years. Our advertising model has been upended by the digital world.

“And our continued digital conversion is going to be critical to our future ability to offer local journalism,” Executive Editor Laurie Williams wrote in a recent column about the changes.

Hug said the Herald and its staff will continue to work hard to provide local news coverage as the company navigates through tough economic times in the industry.

“We’ve tried to repurpose ourselves, and we’ve gone through a lot of iterations,” Hug said. “We’ve done that so that we can continue to be the best news source in the region.”

Preserving history

Newspapers have long been considered the first draft of history and an important tool for those researching the past.

One of the big concerns during the building sale negotiations was what to do with all of the bound newspaper volumes, which are stored upstairs in a windowless, climate-controlled room called the morgue.

“There is a lot of history here,” Hug said. “There are mountains and mountains of records here that date back 40, 60 years, even longer. There is stuff that is historical, like a walk down memory lane.”

The Tri-City Herald was created in 1947 when three businessmen pur-

chased the weekly Pasco Herald from Bill Wilmont, according to the Herald timeline. The team of Glenn C. Lee, Bob Philip and Hugh Scott planned to create a daily newspaper to serve the entire region. Scott, the veteran newspaperman in the group, was named the first publisher. Readers submitted potential names for the new daily, with several providing the winner: Tri-City Herald.

Bound volumes of the Pasco Herald can be found in the Herald archives.

“D9, as part of the sale, will hold the bound volumes, and for the next 10 years we have access to it,” Hug said.

That was a big concern for Hug and other community historians.

“When we first started to try to sell the place, I talked to a number of archive

facilities in the region about holding these volumes,” Hug said.

Everyone was interested, “until you see the grandeur of it all,” Hug said.

Downtown changes

Hug is interested to see what the Detricks do with the building.

“We’ve been a cornerstone in downtown for years,” Hug said. “Everybody is worried about downtown. You want business down here, and you want to keep it flourishing.”

He believes the Detricks are the right people to keep that going.

And Detrick Sr. likes what he sees going on downtown, including a new, fivestory building a few blocks away that will have two stories for retail and three stories of condominiums. (See story on page 27.)

“It’s great. There are some new businesses, and several renovations in downtown Kennewick right now,” Detrick Sr. said.

Sautell agreed: “The Herald building project is going to be great for downtown.”

uBUSINESS BRIEF Hanford contractor reports $5.4M in savings

Hanford Site prime contractor CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. reported nearly $5.4 million in savings through its work to lower costs for materials, supplies and services in support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s environmental cleanup mission.

In 2012, CHPRC, a Jacobs company, began collaborating with the Supply Chain Management Center on purchasing agreements, acquisition tools and best practices. The SCMC helps DOE prime contractors buy smarter by providing tools that allow for better resource management.

“CHPRC continues to identify additional multi-site commodity-agreement, eSourcing and eCatalog opportunities that will directly contribute toward a total Office of Environmental Management (EM) revised goal of $60 million in savings by the end of fiscal year 2020,” said Scott Bissen, SCMC director, in a statement.

“This past fiscal year was our biggest strategic sourcing year ever,” said John Robinson, CHPRC’s supply chain director, in a statement. “It is all because our people have a passion for innovation and putting as much back as possible into our project to support our cleanup mission. Our strategic sourcing approach encourages us to think differently, be creative, and ultimately build collaborative long-term relationships with our suppliers.”

The SCMC is continuing to explore additional benefits to CHPRC by better using available technologies and awarding agreements to support small businesses, according to a news release.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

21

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION City hopes new police station will anchor future growth

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

West Richland is close to completing its purchase of the Tri-City Raceway, paving the way for a new police station and a chance to woo future tenants to the property on the west end of town.

City officials say moving the police station will spur economic development on the nearly 100 acres of land off Highway 224.

“I’m using the same philosophy at the race track site that we used at the Belmont Business District,” said Mayor Brent Gerry.

“When we purchased the lot, this was just dirt, no utilities, no infrastructure, no nothing. By us moving out here and becoming the anchor tenant for the Belmont Business District, we attracted the Richland School District for a middle school, an administration building, and we have sold three of the commercial properties for commercial development that are on timelines to produce the product of commercial development.”

The city agreed to pay $1.8 million for the raceway property, with $500,000 in cash at closing and the remaining $1.3 million through a transfer of rural county capital funds.

The amount came from Benton County’s

assessed value of the property, which was far less than the port’s recent $3 million appraisal of the property, and slightly more than the original purchase price of $1.7 million in 2008.

“At this time, the Port of Kennewick doesn’t have the time or the money to go forward with any kind of investment in this property. The city of West Richland does and it will create jobs and put businesses on the tax roll, which is desperately needed in West Richland,” said Skip Novakovich, port commissioner, during public discussions about the sale.

West Richland officials said the assessed value was more accurate than the appraisal due to a lack of comparable properties in the market.

Additionally, West Richland will reimburse the port for up to $20,000 of port staff time and legal costs related to the transaction and an additional 2 percent of the purchase price, per the port’s public art policy, at closing.

The two entities will split the closing costs 50-50. The purchase price includes 18 acre-feet of water rights, while the port will retain remaining water rights, which commissioners believe to be valued in excess of $500,000.

Courtesy city of West Richland The city of West Richland expects to close on the former Tri-City Raceway before the end of the year, build a new police facility there and then begin wooing future tenants to the remaining 87 acres.

New police station

While West Richland Police Chief Ben Majetich acknowledges most residents would prefer the police station remain near its current spot at 3805 Van Giesen St., he said the department has outgrown the building and the city’s growth is centered to the west end of town.

“Where the actual department is located is not a big deal,” Majetich said. “We’re based out of patrol cars, so our presence will still be in the city.”

Gerry added, “Some people ask, ‘Is it too far out?’ Well, look at where it was uRACEWAY, Page 30

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Real Estate & Construction

Pioneering Pasco farming family says it’s time to sell Harris Farm’s 45 acres could accommodate up to 700 homes

BY JEFF MORROW

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Lurene Harris Fleshman sat at a table in her garage recently at Harris Farm, looking out at the land as she pondered what it would look like filled with houses and streets.

“I’m not ever gonna look again!” she said with a chuckle, before admitting that yes, she’d want to see what it’d look like not being a farm.

Fleshman, a trustee of the Harris Family Trust along with her seven siblings, or their estates, put the family’s Photo by Jeff Morrow 45-acre farm on the auction block Lurene Harris Fleshman, a trustee of the Harris Family Trust, and her husband Nov. 14. run the Harris Produce stand on Court Street in Pasco.

The farm stand will Located at 11530 W. Court St. in reopen in 2020 off Alder Road in north Pasco.

Pasco, next to the Columbia River and the bridge that spans Pasco and Richlocation is right for development. It’s land, Harris Farm is a piece of land that the auction.

When asked what was so special next to the river. It’s just teed up, ready residential developers have been chompabout it, Musser had a lot to say. to go. It’s there. It’s ready. The sewer ing at the bit to get their hands on.

“We sell a lot of development prop- and water are already in.” erty,” he said. “We sold some a few The 45 acres was offered in four par‘Prized piece’ of land years ago that was over 200 acres.

But a cels and included 450 feet of shoreline.

“This, indisputably, is the most prized Parcel 1 is just under an acre with a piece of residential development ground lot more people can afford to buy 40 single-family home and about 195 feet I’ve had the privilege of offering in my acres than 200 acres.

“So the size (of this property) is key. of riverfront; Parcel 2 is less than half an 37-year career,” said Scott Musser of Musser Bros. of Pasco, which handled It’s going to attract a lot of builders. The acre with a single-family home and

about 195 feet of riverfront; Parcel 3 is nearly 16 acres with 150 feet of riverfront and a single-family home; and Parcel 4 is nearly 23 acres.

With Franklin County the fastestgrowing county in the state (2.3 percent growth from 2018-19 to 94,680 residents), and Pasco one of the fastest growing cities in the state (also 2.3 percent growth from 2018-19 to 75,290), developers have long been eyeing the property as a spot for more growth.

Between 500 and 700 homes could be built on the land, which is in the county but surrounded by the city.

The city is expected to annex the land as it’s part of the Broadmoor Master Plan area, so it can be developed into a mix of medium-density residential home sites, coupled with some community commercial development.

Sample uses include single-family attached residential, townhouses, condominiums and multi-family structures at a density of eight to 15 units per acre, according to Musser Bros.

And the timing to sell was just right, Fleshman said.

“Our oldest sister died, and so did her oldest son,” she said. “It’s just time.”

That pushed Fleshman and her six remaining siblings to simplify the estate of the farm and split the assets among the siblings and their children. uHARRIS FARM, Page 23

Real Estate & Construction HARRIS FARM, From page 22 Harris Farm is a small farm. “We all know farming is not the best use of this land for Pasco,” Fleshman said. “The plan is to close the transaction on Dec. 31.”

At one time, farming was the best use of the land.

Pasco pioneers

Harris Farm has been at its current location for 76 years—since 1943.

Fleshman’s grandparents, Lura and Fred Harris, started the farm, which began as a dairy.

Originally it was located in east Pasco, where Big Pasco Industrial Park is now, and called Diversity Farm Dairy.

The U.S. government needed the land for a supply depot during World War II and made the Harris family move. They chose the west end of Pasco next to the river.

Their son, Wallace, and his wife Lucille took over the farm in 1989.

Wallace and Lucille established a family trust around that time to benefit their children.

Since their death, Lurene and her husband Robert have run the farm and the Harris Produce stand.

A total of five generations have lived on the family farm.

It’s the only place that Lurene has ever lived. She raised six kids on the farm. A grandson lives there too.

“I knew Mom and Dad needed me on the farm when they got older,” she said.

“I told my husband a long time ago I’m non-relocatable.”

Now, she has to be. But she and her husband found a smaller place off Alder Road in north Pasco, where she plans to run the produce stand.

“I don’t know how much we’ll sell next year,” she said. “I’ve been handing out cards to customers. But gardens need to be planted by the 15th of April.”

Meanwhile, she understands that once the property sale closes, she has to get

uBUSINESS BRIEF Vietnam-era veterans to be honored at ceremony

A Vietnam veteran-pinning ceremony is set for Dec. 14 in Richland.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Washington, will host this event in conjunction with his annual Veterans Service Fair.

The ceremony will honor Vietnam veterans, including those who did not return, and their families as part of the 50th anniversary of the war and an ongoing national effort to honor all Vietnam-era veterans on active duty between Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975.

Veterans will receive a service lapel pin.

The event will be at the Richland Red Lion, 802 George Washington Way from 10-11 a.m.

Vietnam-era veterans interested in being honored may call Britten Hershberger at 509-452-3243.

moving.

“At the closing, we have 120 days to be out of here,” Fleshman said. “In this whole thing, we have three houses on the farm we have to condense into one in six months.”

They’re going to sell off most of the animals.

“The pigs, for instance,” she said. “I’d need help with them. I can’t work with them alone.”

But they’ll also keep some other animals. It’s what she loves about farming.

“Animals are my favorite part of the farm,” she said. “Because animals need your help. And I’m a person that needs to be needed. I just like the whole thing about farming.

“We’ve always got up and did our

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019 chores at 6 a.m. The kids did chores too.

I worked off of the farm for 10 years (at Pasco High School), and there was nothing like coming back to the farm. It was nice to come back to the farm and be my own boss. Farming is oh-so- rewarding.”

Time to sell

Fleshman said they’ve had offers before to sell the property.

That included one man from the Lewiston area whose attempt to buy the land fell through this past July.

That got everyone in the family thinking about selling.

“The kids said, ‘Let’s advertise.’ My brother David and I talked to an attorney,” Fleshman said. “Our lawyer told us the best piece of advice is go to auction.

23

And even though an auction is scary, David and I met with Scott Musser.”

If the family doesn’t like the final bid, they can pull it off the table.

Either way, Fleshman is nervous about the auction.

“I’m hoping we get a good price,” she said. “It all depends on how many bidders there are.”

Musser said being nervous is normal.

“It’s a huge undertaking for our clients on anything we auction, whether it’s $100,000 or $10 million,” Musser said.

“Their property is the most important asset they control. It creates some trepidation and expectations, and it can be a little nerve-wracking.”

Auction results were not available at press time.

24

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

SOLAR BUILDING, From page 1 5,000 square feet leased before starting construction. Remaining available square footage could be used for offices, retail or restaurants.

Gisi’s plans include a tight sevenmonth construction schedule to complete the work.

“It costs me over $100,000 a month in labor, so let’s get it done,” he said. He hopes to begin work before the end of the year, with proposed completion by the end of August.

Wrigley Place will be equipped with 286 solar panels to power electricity at the site.

“I wanted to do something a little different,” Gisi said. “We have never tried this before. Everybody is worried about our environment and so we decided what if we do something that is green energy.

So we started checking into it and thought, ‘Well, let’s see what it takes and whether it can even be done for something this large, and whether it would be cost-prohibitive or cost-effective to do that.’ ” The solar will be installed by Sunthurst Energy, a California-based company that

has completed a number of commercial and residential solar projects in the Oregon towns of Pendleton, Athena and Milton-Freewater.

Gisi expects the solar panels to cost between $125,000 to $145,000, depending on federal tax incentives.

“At the time we decided to do it, there were tax credits available that are now being phased out, so we missed most of the financial benefit, but we still felt it’s a good marketing message and it shows people the owners of the building understand what it costs to lease space and the expense of doing it,” Gisi said.

Future tenants may benefit from the solar investment through reduced energy costs. “The goal is a net zero cost, meaning that it’s not guaranteed, and there could be an electrical bill, but hopefully minimal,” Gisi said. “My understanding from the PUD, and how that works, is that we’re not going to put in a battery system, but if you run a zero cost, or even over, then basically they store that credit for the next month. So in theory, if you are running that much power, at least the way it was explained to me, when heat might be

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Courtesy Dennis Gisi A solar-powered office building is planned for west Pasco on Wrigley Drive, offering class A office space just off the busy Road 68 thoroughfare.

more in the winter than air conditioning, you could use the credits at that time.”

The class A office space is expected to be offered for $20 a square foot, plus triple net, an agreement where the tenant agrees to pay all real estate taxes, building insurance and maintenance.

“There really isn’t class A office space available in Pasco,” Gisi said. “That whole professional office scene seems to be missing and we wanted to give people the opportunity to have a location in Pasco.”

Class A space is considered premier space in high-quality buildings, with rents above average for the area.

One tenant that would be welcome

uBUSINESS BRIEF Christensen Inc. acquires Northwest Oil Solutions

Christensen Inc., a provider of fuels, lubricants and industrial services headquartered in Richland, has acquired Northwest Oil Solutions.

Northwest Oil Solutions of Woodland provides industrial reliability services serving customers throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, specializing in lubricant flushing and filtration, tank cleaning and equipment preventative maintenance.

NWOS’s previous owner Steven Locke will continue leading NWOS and will work closely with Christensen’s leadership team to continue the growth and expansion of NWOS, according to a news

would be a title company, as Gisi points out there isn’t one in Franklin County, which poses an inconvenience for real estate agents.

The building’s third floor could be used for executive offices or as an event space.

An outdoor plaza would connect the building with a future second building, planned as part of the project’s second phase.

“We want to create a nice space for people to congregate to with a plaza,” he said.

Pinnacle Engineering of Bend, Oregon, put the project together. CB Construction Inc. of LaGrande, Oregon, is the general contractor. release from Christensen.

“This acquisition provides Northwest Oil Solutions with increased resources and greater ability to create value for our customers,” Locke said in the release.

Together, NWOS and Christensen will offer a portfolio of industrial services to provide plant and operational reliability for their combined customers.

“This partnership follows our team’s strategy to be a trusted provider of innovative, sustainable solutions for our fuel and lubricant customers. We are excited to have Steven and his team joining us,” said Tony Christensen, president and chief executive officer of Christensen, in a statement.

Northwest Oil Solutions will continue to operate with the same name and team that has served its customers for more than two decades.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION uBUSINESS BRIEFS Hayden Homes to award grants for housing projects

Hayden Homes will award $150,000 in grants to three cities, county governments or stakeholder agencies in Washington, Oregon and Idaho in 2020 for their efforts to solve the housing affordability crisis in their communities.

Grants in the amount of $100,000, $30,000 and $20,000 will be awarded for the top three most innovative solutions as part of the Hayden Opportunity Fund for Housing Affordability initiative.

In 2020, the fund will award grants for the creation of projects or programs working with community stakeholders Paid Advertising

who also are highly invested in solving the housing affordability crisis, such as private businesses, local agencies, action councils, business associations and nonprofits. The fund will recognize projects or programs that develop innovative solutions such as code and zoning changes, re-prioritization of land for homebuilding, permitting process changes, reduction of regulatory barriers, reduced infrastructure requirements, creation of incentives, pilot projects, offering credit or reduced fees to builders serving community interests, as well as creative financing for homeowners.

Program details, requirements, guidelines and applications can be found at HaydenOpportunity.org.

Established in Redmond, Oregon in

1989, Hayden Homes has built more than 17,000 new homes throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho as one of the largest privately-owned new home builders in the Pacific Northwest.

Richland company lands contract for storage building

A Richland company has been awarded a $5.6 million contract to build a dry storage area for the 1,936 capsules currently stored in a water-filled basin at the Hanford nuclear reservation.

Intermech Inc. will begin construction in early spring on a facility to store highly radioactive cesium and strontium capsules in the 200 East Area.

The U.S. Department of Energy prime

contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Co., a Jacobs company, awarded the subcontract to build a dry storage area for the capsules currently stored in a water-filled basin at Hanford.

The project calls for the construction of the capsule storage area, including a dry cask storage pad, utility infrastructure and an associated heavy haul road from the waste encapsulation storage facility where the capsules are currently stored.

The move to dry storage will reduce the costs of operating an aging nuclear facility and reduce the risk of a radioactive release in the unlikely loss of cooling water from the storage basin, according to a news release from CH2M Hill.

ROSETTA ASSISTED LIVING

R

5921 Road 60, Pasco

osetta Assisted Living has built two memory care assisted living buildings at 5921 Road 60 in Pasco.

The new buildings are across the street from Mariposa Park and just down the road from Barbara McClintock STEM Elementary School.

The Pasco facility features 17 rooms, two sitting areas with televisions, as well as an activity room for crafts and games, in each building. There’s a spa area with a salon for haircuts and a jetted tub, and a laundry area. A kitchen serves up freshly-prepared food to residents.

Each room has its own toilet, sink and shower. Rooms come furnished with a

bed, nightstand and dresser, though residents are welcome to bring their own furniture. Some rooms are larger and can accommodate couples.

Rosetta accepts Medicaid as soon as residents move in; there’s no waiting requirement.

The Pasco project cost about $2.4 million to build.

The Idaho-based Rosetta also operates facilities in Kennewick and Richland.

Kelly Morgan of Method Studio, which has offices in Idaho, was the architect.

Headwaters Construction Co. of Victor, Idaho, was the general contractor.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

BENTON COUNTY PUBLIC SERVICES 102206 E. Wiser Parkway, Kennewick

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enton County plans to open its 7,500-squarefoot, single-story Benton County Public Services Building this month.

The new building will house the county’s planning, building and public works departments.

The building features composite siding, a steel roof and standard office interior.

It’s located at 102206 E. Wiser Parkway in Benton County, near Cottonwood Drive, directly across from Columbia Sun RV Resort.

The project cost $1.7 million, which didn’t include the price of the land, as it was already owned by the county. The county bought it several years ago for the road maintenance shop.

While the building department is located in Kennewick, historically Benton County has not had representation from the planning and public works departments in the Tri-Cities. The new building brings staff from both departments to the Tri-Cities, the population center for the county.

It also puts all three departments, which work together on many types of permits, together in the same building for the first time. This should provide a more streamlined interaction between departments to improve the permitting process for the public.

Cortner Architectural Co. of Spokane provided the design work.

Banlin Construction of Kennewick was the general contractor.

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

27

The Nineteen to arrive in downtown Kennewick in ’21

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Luxury apartments are coming to downtown Kennewick as part of a lofty new plan to add a five-story mixed-use building to the corner of West Canal Drive and North Auburn Street.

Built from the ground up, the project, called The Nineteen as a nod to its physical address at 19 W. Canal Drive, will feature a brick-front building with about 60,000 square feet of space.

The top three floors will be home to 28 high-end apartments, with rent amounts yet to be determined.

“Wherever the cost comes out, comes out. We don’t have investors to answer to. We’ll back-calculate what we need to charge, and I think the market can support some luxury apartments,” said Andrew Klein, one of the developers behind the project.

He expects to spend between $150 per square foot to $250 per square foot, resulting in a project valued at $9 million to $15 million when finished.

The Nineteen will have 10 units each on the third and fourth floors and eight units on the top floor, where there also will be space allotted for a common area with a hot tub, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, steam room and gathering space. The 10 different floor plans feature either one or two bedrooms and all have a minimum of 1 1/2 baths, with at least two designs that are wheelchair accessible.

The finished building will feature a footprint of about 12,000 square feet, sprouting up on land that began with the $325,000 purchase of a building that sits on about a third of an acre at 20 N. Auburn St. last year.

Since then, Klein and fellow investor Brian Griffith have been focused on design work. They expect to break ground in May 2020 on a building where the finishing touches will stand out.

“We’re not putting in portable terminal air conditioner units with an air conditioning system under a window, which is loud and shakes. We’re putting ducted systems in. There will be 11-foot ceilings, likely coffered, but we haven’t gotten there yet. Plus solid countertops whether it be quartz, or another material,” Klein said.

The apartments are designed with open floor plans for ease of entertaining and also will include real wood flooring and air bathtubs, a popular alternative to jetted tubs.

Klein and Griffith chose to replace the current building entirely as there was “nothing salvageable” in the spaces once home to Leo’s Catering, RiverSands Distillery and Blue Moon Restaurant, which had addresses on West Canal Drive and North Auburn Street.

There will be commercial space available in The Nineteen, including 11,000 square feet on the first floor the developers hope will be filled by a single tenant.

An additional 9,500 square feet on the second floor is likely to be office space,

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Courtesy The Nineteen A mixed-use building planned for downtown Kennewick will offer commercial space and luxury apartments in late spring 2021 at 19 W. Canal Drive.

but also could be restaurant or retail space.

Kennewick tech startup BlockChyp signed a letter of intent to fill about half of the space on the second floor.

“They like that it’s new construction and we’ll be tying into the fiber optic line that runs down Canal, so they’ll have high-speed internet,” Klein said.

The combination of high-end apartments and commercial and office space is proving a popular concept in the TriCities. Park Place is under construction at

650 George Washington in Richland by Boost Builds. The project includes plans for 106 apartments and 6,700 square feet of retail space.

Klein expects the Kennewick project to attract “younger folks moving from larger cities, looking for a walkable downtown as the downtown of Kennewick builds up and more businesses come in, and it connects itself with the Vista Field development. That’s going to be phenomenal, too.”

uNINETEEN, Page 28

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

NINETEEN, From page 27 Architect George Watson of Watson & Herres out of the Spokane Valley is the designer and a general contractor has not yet been signed.

The springtime groundbreaking is dependent on interest in commercial spaces, though Klein thinks the area is ready for a project such as this.

“It would push the limits of downtown, but we think the market will support it for brand-new, quality construction. We want to do something nice and see if we’ll be supported,” Klein said.

Once it begins, construction is expected to take a year.

To be placed on a list for possible residence availability or for built-to-suit tenant space, visit the-nineteen.com.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS WSU College of Medicine rolls out new mobile unit

The Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine has launched Range Health, a nonprofit academic health network designed to bring health care to the state’s rural areas with a traveling health clinic.

The health network, a separate 501(c) (3) nonprofit in partnership with WSU and the College of Medicine, aims to provide prevention and wellness strategies, as well as treatment to patients across the state, focusing on communities where health care is limited.

Leveraging its network of doctors, nurses and pharmacists, it will increase

Real Estate & Construction access to health care while serving as training ground for future doctors and health care providers.

Range Health launched its first mobile medical unit, called William A. Crosetto Mobile Health Care Unit.

The name pays homage to a cattle rancher from Othello who died in January 2018 and donated the money for the unit.

The 40-foot unit will travel to rural and underserved communities to provide comprehensive primary care, urgent care procedures and preventive screening.

Banner Bank sponsored a tour around the state of the mobile medical unit in October. It visited Richland on Oct. 22.

Wendy’s restaurant planned for Pasco

A Wendy’s fast food restaurant with a drive-thru is coming to Pasco’s Road 68.

Wendy’s will build a 2,564-squarefoot restaurant estimated to cost about $365,000 at 5706 Road 68, according to building permits filed with the city of Pasco.

PK Villard LLC is the property owner. Associated Construction Inc. of Spokane is the general contractor.

Russell Page Architects of Spokane is doing the design work.

The restaurant will be north of Sandifur Parkway near Gesa Credit Union. This will be the Tri-Cities’ fifth Wendy’s.

Real Estate & Construction

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

29

New entrance to welcome visitors to Benton County Museum $100,000 renovation project also will fix leaking roof issues

BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz

The project to move and renovate the entrance to the Prosser museum started out as a plan to fix a leaking roof.

But once planning for the roof work began in earnest, Benton County Museum and Historical Society members said it was apparent there was an opportunity to do more.

The 51-year-old museum sits at the curve in the road where Seventh and Paterson streets meet, across the street from Prosser High School, in City Park.

The existing entrance faces Memorial Street, which many people consider the “back of the building,” said Alys Means, curator and director of the museum.

“The new entrance will give us far greater visibility on Seventh Street, which is the main arterial going by.

When you drive by the front, the museum entrance will also be in the front, which will be a beautiful thing,” she said.

The plan is to create a new guest reception foyer area at the center of the Ushaped building at 1000 Paterson Road.

Means said the new foyer area will

Courtesy Benton County Museum and Historical Society The interior of the existing connecting structure at the Benton County Museum in Prosser features a shrub-steppe exhibit.

provide a place for visitors to be welcomed before beginning to explore the museum.

The area will provide a station for a volunteer receptionist, an additional handicapped-accessible restroom, a place to hang coats, seating area, utility closet and small kitchenette. From the foyer, visitors can turn left or right to peruse the exhibits.

“Most museums when you go in, there’s a foyer and the person says, ‘Welcome to the museum,’ and gives you a map of the museum,” Means said.

The new foyer will allow visitors to watch an orientation video before touring the museum.

The museum records nearly 2,000 visits a year.

The original pole-and-metal museum

building, built in 1968, was expanded in the 1980s and features 4,950 square feet, Means said.

Last winter’s roof leaks came after a series of snow storms blanketed the region.

“We have one place where the new addition butts up against the older building and it collected snow in there because it wasn’t properly attached to let snow and water drain off. I came in one morning and there was big puddle. It didn’t harm anything but could have harmed our textile collection,” Means said.

The improved roof structure will protect the building and its artifacts from water damage.

The $110,940 construction project begins in April, with completion set for September.

The museum received state and local grants to pay for the project, $100,940 from the state Community Projects Grant Program and $3,000 from the Prosser Rotary Club. The museum will contribute $7,000 from its savings toward the work.

Ken Bierlink Construction of Prosser is the general contractor.

Admission to the museum is by donation. Hours are 1-5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

RACEWAY, From page 21 before. It was on the east end of town and now it’s on the west end of town. But the difference is, from the access point of that police station, you’re going to have Keene Road, which is an east-west main, Van Giesen east-west, Paradise, which is going to be another east-west in the residential district, and Belmont. So you’ve got four roads that are a very short distance from the police facility for them to access.”

The current police station is about 3,000 square feet, with the new one expected to be about 22,000 square feet with more space for daily operations, a larger evidence room, training space that could double as a community meeting room and climate-controlled kennels for animal control, among other additions and improvements.

It wasn’t possible to build a new facility that size on the current property, so West Richland scouted a location on Bombing Range Road near Paradise Way and Keene Road.

But after an outcry from nearby residents concerned about the possibility of more crime, noise and lower property values by placing a police station at that spot, Majetich said the city dropped its effort to build there.

“It was likely that no matter where we’d go in town, we’d face resistance,” Majetich said. Available land was in short supply because Gerry said only three property owners in the city limits have land of at least five acres or more, which was the minimum needed for the station. This led to the city eyeing the 92-acre former raceway as

Real Estate & Construction a potential site.

Voters passed a bond to build the station in the spring, agreeing to an annual tax of about $42 per $100,000 assessed property value. It’s expected to raise $12.5 million.

The station should be sufficient for the city’s needs for the next 50 years, officials said.

Future development

The police department will take up a small percentage of the available land at the racetrack site, leaving more than 85 acres for future development.

The raceway has been closed since 2004, though it once had been a popular Tri-Cities landmark.

“The interest at the race track property is incredible. Large entities have already expressed an interest in going there. I wish

we had more space because we’re going to need it,” Majetich said. The mayor said he already has a “couple birds in hand” for the property as well. The city is going through its 45-day due diligence to confirm the property is as represented before it closes on the purchase, and then the sky’s the limit.

“With the city retaining the rights of the port’s master plan for the property, we can certainly retain that vision to the development of the property,” Gerry said. “A lot of that is going to be driven by the wine industry.”

Gerry said the city’s ability to treat wine waste will be an attractive incentive.

Gerry said jobs that have workers on the clock during daylight hours are key to additional future economic development. He believes this drives retail sales tax opportunities currently leaving the city each day.

“We have 80 percent leakage of the sales tax. It is important to provide properties that the city can take advantage of,” he said.

Gerry also is bolstered by plans for a new housing development in the city, The Heights at Red Mountain Ranch that’s expected to break ground on 100 homes this fall and result in nearly 600 homes when it’s built out.

Over the past three years, West Richland averaged about 82 new single-family homes each year. “Rooftops, daytime car count and daytime jobs are going to be the economic driver for this community,” said the mayor.

Old city complex

Only the West Richland branch of the Mid-Columbia Libraries is expected to remain as a tenant at the old city government campus on Van Giesen Street once the police station is built.

The former public works facility has already been sold and Gerry said there are other offers for the vacant buildings and the police station, requiring city council to review the purchase and sale agreements.

“It looks like very soon we’ll have those sold,” he said.

At least one of the properties has been bought by a developer, who also bought nearby property from a private land owner with larger plans for the site.

The city had gone under contract with the former City Hall facility, but a tenant didn’t materialize so it was placed back on the market.

“We don’t sell property just to sell property,” Gerry said. “There’s a timeline once the property is sold that the commercial business has to take the permit out and construct a facility and if they do not meet that criteria, we have the ability to purchase the property back at the same price.”

Gerry considers this a smart business practice and expects similar success at the racetrack site to capitalize on the Red Mountain American Viticultural Area and market to the wine industry, especially since the land has been undeveloped for so long.

“We have property that’s desirable for commercial and it looks like it’s going to happen,” Gerry said. “It’s an opportunity to better our community. The buzz is out there. Stay tuned. There’s more to come.”

Real Estate & Construction

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

31

Memory care home fills up weeks after opening in Pasco food in a cozy dining room. The Pasco facility features two sitting rooms with televisions, as well as an activity room Pasco’s newest memory care assisted for crafts and games. living facility was nearly full after being There’s a spa area with a salon for hairopen for about three weeks. cuts and a jetted tub, and a laundry area, There were two of the 17 rooms avail- where residents can do their own or have able in late October at Rosetta Assisted staff manage it.

Living at 5921 Road 60.

“It’s very much a home setting, not a It’s a good thing a second 17-room facility setting,” Worcott said. identical wing is ready to open once this Each room has its own toilet, sink and one reaches capacity. shower. Rooms come furnished with a “We thought it’d be after Christmas, bed, nightstand and dresser, though resibut I am thinking it’ll dents are welcome be (sooner),” said Crysto bring their own tal Worcott, the regional furniture. Some “Our whole focus director for Rosetta. rooms are larger is enhancing the Each building cost and can accomabout $1.2 million to lives of the elderly. modate couples. build. And plans to con“We don’t reWe just want to struct more buildings ally love the large on the Pasco site are on make them happy.” model. This has the horizon. been our niche “If we do get full, we - Crystal Worcott, to do small, with will build more,” Worregional director, Rosetta 16 and 17 rooms. cott said. The location Both (Pasco has room for two more wings) can go up buildings, she said. to 23 people and that would be max we Kelly Morgan of Method Studio, would do,” Worcott said. which has offices in Idaho, was the archiShe’s been with Rosetta for more than tect, and Headwaters Construction Co. of six years. “I love the elderly. As a nurse, I Victor, Idaho, was the general contractor. could work anywhere, but this is my callWorcott said the need for assisted liv- ing,” she said. ing services is huge in Pasco.

Rosetta employs about 40 people in the “Assisted living is just underserved Tri-Cities. Each home is staffed 24 hours over here. We have the two buildings in a day so residents can receive help with Kennewick, one in Richland. In Richland, nighttime needs. we could have done another one as well, “This is their home and we just come but property wasn’t as easy to find. When in there and work for them,” Worcott said. we found this lot (in Pasco), it actually The love for serving seniors is why wasn’t for sale; we convinced the guy Kelsie Blanco has been working for Ronext door to sell it to us. We love that it’s setta for nine years. She’s the Pasco home near a park and school,” Worcott said. administrator. “It was my first job out of It’s across the street from Mariposa high school and I’m still here,” she said.

Park and just down the road from Barbara She loves being able to develop reMcClintock STEM Elementary School. lationships with residents. “Working in Worcott said the Rosetta team is looking the hospital settings, you’re not going to forward to fostering a relationship with get the same people. You might have the the school. same patient for a week. A lot of them The Idaho-based Rosetta Assisted don’t have family and you are their famLiving has facilities in Montana and ily,” Blanco said.

Washington. It sold its five buildings in Blanco enjoys food shopping for the Idaho about 18 months ago as the mar- seniors and picking up their favorite ket became saturated with assisted living treats. facilities and became a challenge to man“I buy a lot of pudding cups, Jell-O age because they were spread far apart, cups, Debbie brownies and lots of ice Worcott said. cream because they love those,” Blanco Rosetta offers specialized care for said. “My goal is for them to have the best those with Alzheimer’s disease and de- years for their last years.” mentia in a homelike environment.

Rosetta homes often are seniors’ last But all senior citizens can call Rosetta stop. home, from the elderly suffering from “We do bring in hospice care and palanxiety to those who have issues being liative care, and home health can come in. alone, Worcott said.

We care for them all the way to end of “Our whole focus is enhancing the life,” Worcott said.

All of Rosetta’s services, from the lives of the elderly. We just want to make them happy. And a lot of them are alone furniture to special food requests to the and tired, and they just need some love,” administration of medicine, are included in the monthly fee, which is based on the Worcott said.

At Rosetta, seniors eat fresh-prepared level of care needed.

BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz

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Photo by Kristina Lord Kelsie Blanco, left, administrator of Rosetta Assisted Living in Pasco, and Crystal Worcott, regional director of Rosetta, sit in the living room in the new Pasco facility at 5921 Road 60. This second wing hasn’t yet opened for residents but is expected to before the end of the year.

Most residents are considered level 2, or those who need help in the bathroom or with laundry. A level 1 resident needs minimal assistance. A level 3 resident is typically a diabetic with insulin who has a higher level of care needs.

Monthly cost for a level 1 resident is $4,200; level 2 $5,200; and level 3 $6,200.

Residents are reassessed every six months, or as needed.

Rosetta accepts Medicaid and residents can apply it as soon as they move in. “Most facilities have a one- to twoyear requirement (of private pay) before they can roll onto Medicaid. This does open up more doors for us a lot faster,” Worcott said. “We take Medicaid straight out of the gate.”

Rosetta Assisted Living: 5921 Road 60, Pasco; rosettahomes.com; 509-4121777.

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Wildhorse casino expansion project changes entrances, parking

BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Courtesy Wildhorse Resort & Casino Construction of the nearly 49,000-square-foot entertainment center at Wildhorse Resort & Casino near Pendleton shows signs of progress now that the expanded parking areas have been completed.

Construction of the $85 million entertainment center at Wildhorse Resort & Casino near Pendleton, Oregon, shows signs of progress now that the parking areas have been completed and more work is underway.

“It was important to first accommodate our guests by replacing the parking spaces absorbed by the development,” said Gary George, chief executive officer of Wildhorse Resort & Casino, in a statement.

“The new construction consumes 338 spaces but we’re adding 537. In the end, we’ll have more parking than before.”

The new parking areas can be accessed to the north, along Wildhorse Boulevard, and to the south, along Kusi Road. More parking will be added east of the Rivers Event Center as weather permits.

The development area adjacent to the Cineplex is being excavated and portions of the foundation have been poured.

A new entrance has been installed to access the Cineplex, arcade and Children’s Entertainment Center. The former entrance

a h T

u o y nk

#READLOCAL tcjournal.biz

is no longer accessible but guests can now enter on the opposite side of the building, between the Cineplex and Traditions.

Guests should park in the new south parking area and follow signs to the entrance.

Management advises anyone requiring handicapped access to use the casino or hotel entrances. There is no handicappeddesignated parking in the south parking lot and stairs are required to reach the new entrance.

Signs will continue to direct visitors to the right places.

Once completed, the 49,000-squarefoot entertainment center will house a 24lane bowling center, a food court with four storefronts, and a 2,500-square-foot arcade with more than 30 games.

The bowling center will include eight boutique lanes, 16 standard lanes, a beverage and snack bar, private party rooms and lockers.

A new hotel tower with 214 rooms and bigger events center also is part of the project’s second phase.

Wildhorse is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

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Real Estate & Construction

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

35

New family-owned grocery store coming to Prosser

BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz

A Lep-Re-Kon Harvest Foods store plans to renovate and move into the vacant Shopko Hometown building on Wine Country Road in Prosser next year.

The 28,000-square-foot building will undergo an extensive renovation before it opens in 2020.

The store will include a staffed meat shop, full-service pharmacy, produce department, bakery and deli area, and a chilled beer cave. It’ll also add about 40 jobs to the economy.

Joe and Timo Montemayor own LepRe-Kon Marts Inc., which operates five other stores in Othello, Mattawa, Connell, Moses Lake and Zillah. Their sons also work for the company—Andrew as general manager and Michael as vice president.

Between the five stores, they employ 170 people.

“We’re excited to be part of (the Prosser) community, and we’re looking forward to it, and getting in there as soon as possible,” Michael said.

Michael said in late October that planning is underway on how best to remodel the building, so a general contractor hasn’t been selected and opening date is not known.

Andrew said the addition of Prosser to the family’s portfolio of stores is a good fit.

“We’ve always known Prosser. I grew up in Othello and traveled for sports. It’s a really, really good town and it’s a nice town

Courtesy Vanessa Guzmán A Lep-Re-Kon Harvest Foods store is moving into the former Shopko Hometown building at 471 Wine Country Road in Prosser.

and we saw an opportunity come up once the building was for sale to just go in and sell groceries,” Andrew said.

Another advantage is the future Prosser store’s proximity to the Othello home office and other stores, Michael said. “It’s local enough for us to be there in a moment’s notice,” he said.

Michael said his father started work at a Harvest Foods store in the early 1980s. “He worked hard and his way through all the departments and in 2003 he had an opportunity to purchase the business,” he said.

Joe started with three stores in Othello, Mattawa and Connell. The company built the Moses Lake store in 2007 and acquired the Zillah store in 2012.

The name Lep-Re-Kon came with the

stores. The former owner held a contest in the ’70s to rename the store, and Lep-ReKon came out on top, paying homage to the owner’s last name, Lepper, according to Michael.

Michael said his family opted to keep the name. “We roll with it,” he said, explaining they often use a leprechaun in their logo and food ads.

They’re members of Harvest Foods Marketing LLC which allows smaller independently-owned stores to combine their buying power to be competitive, Michael said.

The addition of Harvest Foods means Prosser area residents will be able to choose from more than one grocery store. Prosser is also home to Food De-

pot at 1309 Meade Ave. Deb Heintz, executive director of the Prosser Economic Development Association, said her group conducted a community survey four years ago and learned a lot about where people were buying their groceries and how much they were spending. The survey prompted the association to partner with URM Stores Inc., a grocery distributor, on a market analysis of the area.

“It determined two grocery stores could be located in Prosser in a community our size,” Heintz said. “Consequently that’s what came about with (Harvest Foods).”

The Prosser Hometown Shopko store, which opened in fall 2015, closed in May, along with hundreds of other stores in the nationwide chain, after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Heintz said she’s glad it soon will be filled with a grocery store.

Wes Hodges, a real estate agent and developer with Coldwell Banker Tomlinson Associated Brokers in Kennewick, welcomes the addition of Lep-Re-Kon. He owns a strip mall next door at 210 Chardonnay Ave. that’s home to Carniceria Los Toreros, and Alegria and Co. accounting firm. Hodges recently signed a lease with Cricket Wireless for a 1,200-square-foot office, the last vacant space in the building, which he built in 2009.

“Good things are coming to Prosser,” he said. “Prosser needed new retail shopping and stores to bring more people to the community.”

36

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

37

New indoor pickleball courts pave way for future tournaments

Construction on Tri-City Court Club’s new courts began in September

BY KRISTINA LORD editor@tcjournal.biz

The 200 active pickleball players in the Tri-Cities soon will have indoor courts to play on.

Construction on the Tri-City Court Club’s new pickleball courts began in September. A grand opening to celebrate the six new courts is planned for Nov. 1820.

Pickleball—a cross between pingpong, tennis and badminton—is among the fastest growing sports in the nation, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

It’s especially popular with seniors.

Pickleball participation has increased 9.7 percent nationwide in the last three years to more than 3.3 million participants—and more than 20 percent are 65 years old or older, according to the association.

“It’s easy to learn; it really doesn’t take much. I could teach you in five minutes and you could be playing. It’s easy on joints so you don’t have to be super mobile in order to play. … Plus it’s fun and you can play with your grandkids,” said Shaelah Harmon, pickleball director for the Tri-City Court Club in Kennewick.

There’s more than 100 members in Club 509, a local group of pickleball players, said president Paul Jones.

“Allowing our local group to continue to play and develop through the winter months will allow more people to experience the fun of pickleball,” Jones said.

He said the court club’s investment to develop the courts is huge. “In every city that pickleball has grown and become a draw to their local tourism income, there has been someone who stepped up and made the initial investment. The court club is that for the Tri-Cities,” he said.

Players whack a whiffle ball with paddles about twice the size of pingpong paddles. Games can be played as singles or doubles on courts smaller than tennis courts. Two tennis courts can be transformed into six pickleball courts.

The court club installed an L-shaped, metal-framed wall with windows to cordon off a corner of a tennis court area to separate the pickleball courts from the tennis courts. The walls also offset sound.

“Pickleball is noisier than tennis,” Harmon said, explaining that the popping noise of the whiffle ball hitting the hard paddle and a smaller court size mean there’s more socializing between players.

The club worked to reduce the impact on tennis players.

The new wall also allowed the court club to install a pickleball lounge area with benches and a place to hang bags.

The general contractor for the $100,000 renovation project is Bill Haugen. Other work included painting, fixing fans, adding lights, insulation repairs, drilling holes for new posts, installing windows and court surfacing.

Harmon hopes to position the court

club as a venue for one of the biggest pickleball tournaments in the Northwest in 2020.

The club can transform the entire tennis facility into 22 to 24 pickleball courts by taping out the tennis courts to be used as pickleball courts and using temporary nets. Such an event could bring in more than 600 people for a three-day tournament, a boost to the Tri-City economy, Harmon said.

“This kind of vision for what pickleball can bring to our community is huge for those of us who play and compete in the sport. From a tourism standpoint, the court club could bring in one of the largest indoor tournaments in the Pacific Northwest – that is exciting to think about,” Jones said.

The Tri-Cities already boasts several outdoor pickleball courts at Lawrence Scott Park and Southridge Sports and Events Complex in Kennewick, Claybell Park in Richland and the Pasco City Hall gym.

“The number of people playing is already expanding way past what our current outdoor facilities can handle and we are not seeing plans for adding more outdoor courts. Having a local business see the potential growth and step in to give us a place to play is amazing,” Jones said.

Photo by Kristina Lord Shaelah Harmon, pickleball director for the Tri-City Court Club in Kennewick, holds a paddle and whiffle ball as pickleball court construction takes place behind her.

The court club has three days of events planned to celebrate the completion of the pickleball courts. An open social is from 5-7 p.m. Nov. 18 and includes open play, a ribbon-cutting event and refreshments; 6-8 p.m. Nov. 19 is an adult mixer for those 18 and older featuring refreshments and prizes; and 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 20 is family night with games for kids and adults with tips on learning how to play. The three events are free to the community.

To use the courts after the grand-open-

ing activities means becoming a member at the court club, Harmon said. Future pickleball events include clinics, tournaments and private and group lessons.

“We promote health here at the TriCity Court Club. What we’re focusing on is getting as many people active, whether that be cycling, or lifting weights, or doing a group fitness class, playing tennis— pickleball just happens to be popular,” she said.

38

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Comment period extended for Hanford’s 100-BC Area

The U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are holding a 60-day public comment period on a proposed long-term cleanup plan for groundwater and 112 waste sites in Hanford’s 100-BC Area.

The plan represents six cleanup alternatives and recommends a preferred choice.

The public comment period runs through Dec. 9. Submit comments to 100BCAreaPP@rl.gov. Upon public review, DOE and EPA will consider comments and then finalize by issuing a record of decision.

For more information, go to go.usa.

gov/xVFkV. All public meetings and comment periods can be found on the Hanford.gov events calendar.

Yakima Federal offers nursing scholarships

The Washington State University College of Nursing will offer new scholarships for undergraduate nursing students in the Tri-Cities and Yakima, thanks to a $100,000 gift from Yakima Federal Savings and Loan Association.

The scholarships will support low-tomoderate income nursing students who intend to pursue their nursing careers in the Tri-Cities and Yakima.

Yakima Federal Savings and Loan is endowing two scholarship funds with $50,000 each, one intended for Tri-City

students and one for Yakima students.

The nursing program at WSU TriCities, established in 1990, has about 75 undergraduate students; the program also offers graduate degrees.

The WSU College of Nursing celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The college has five locations statewide and more than 9,000 alumni.

Yakima Federal Savings and Loan has been serving Central Washington since 1905 and has 10 branches throughout the region.

Get Pasco council agendas delivered to your inbox

The city of Pasco is offering delivery of its city council agenda to your inbox.

Anyone with a valid email address can

now get new agendas as soon as they are published by signing up for email notifications.

City council agenda packets are typically published the Friday before the Monday meeting.

The council agendas, including staff reports and supporting information, are all online and available through 2005 via the council’s agenda page at pasco-wa.gov/ agendas.

To subscribe, visit the agenda notification page, check the box next to the meeting, enter an email address and complete the verification code.

The next time an agenda is published, notification is sent directly to your inbox.

Numerica offers student loan repayment scholarship

Numerica Credit Union is offering two $2,500 scholarships for graduates battling student loan debt after their completion of associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

Requirements for the student loan repayment scholarship include: being a Numerica Credit Union member in good standing; completion of a degree; not having received one of Numerica’s previous scholarships; must be a federal student loan; and cannot be a Parent Plus loan.

The full list of rules and application can be found online at numericacu.com/ scholarships. Applications for the loan repayment are due by Nov. 30.

To date, Numerica has given more than $85,000 in student scholarships. However, this is the first year it has offered an award to those who have already completed a degree.

Hermiston taxi program gets workers to workplace

An Oregon-based taxi program rolled out Oct. 1 and in its first month sold 180 tickets connecting local employees to their workplace.

The program, a collaboration between the Oregon cities of Hermiston, Umatilla and Stanfield, offers low-cost taxi service to employees in the three communities.

The subsidized rate, funded by the state payroll tax, starts at $2.50 per ride.

“We’re trying this as a pilot program to see where we can do the most good for employees and employers in our communities,” said Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith in a release. “This helps workers who struggle to find reliable transportation and makes sure businesses stay fully staffed and able to operate efficiently. Through taxi programs and bus routes, we’re making sure everybody can get to where they need to be.”

Rides for WORC are provided by the Hermiston Taxi Co., the local cab service that also delivers subsidized senior and disabled rides in Hermiston. WORC stands for Workforce On-demand Ride Cooperative.

Kayak Public Transit provides free bus service inside Hermiston city limits from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, offering an alternative for workers on a daytime shift.

WORC tickets come in booklets of 10 and can be bought at City Hall, 180 NE Second St., Hermiston. Buyers must provide proof of employment and tickets can only be used to or from the workplace.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

39

RETAIL Mall celebrates 50 years of success amid changing retail market

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Vintage advertisements once touted the Columbia Center mall as the “Manhattan of the Northwest,” and likened it to being like “Tahiti all year long,” where it was a balmy 72 degrees indoors, allowing shoppers to escape the wind inside air-conditioned stores.

Now marking its 50th anniversary, today’s generation has grown up with malls and isn’t likely to recall a time when an enclosed shopping experience was a novel concept.

“It’s like running a small, indoor city,” said Barbara Johnson, who has managed the mall for more than 25 years. Yearround, the mall employs about 3,500 people, with the number swelling to about 4,500 during the holiday shopping season.

The Kennewick mall opened in fall 1969 with a $20 million investment, offering the first air-conditioned, regional shopping center in all of eastern Washington and Oregon.

Columbia Center boasted 55 stores at the time, with anchor tenants JCPenney and The Bon Marché, now known as Macy’s.

Original tenants also include Zales,

Courtesy Columbia Center Columbia Center mall opened in fall 1969 with 55 stores, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and much fanfare.

Weisfield Jewelers and Orange Julius.

Up to $25 million in sales were expected in the first year the mall opened, likely equivalent to about $175 million today.

The current number of mall tenants in 2019 varies between 125 and 130, due to the number of spaces needed by retailers.

Johnson said the mall is consistently over 90 percent occupied.

“It’s a testament to our market. We don’t have three malls that are sitting within 10 miles of each other with the same inventory and the same stores. People who are here usually do very well here

compared to other locations, like Seattle and Spokane. They’re usually in the top percentages of their stores,” she said.

The mall’s success has been buoyed by the recent debut of its newest major retailer, Dick’s Sporting Goods, which Johnson called a “big win” for the community. She joked that it’s also bringing men back to the mall, since shoppers typically are women ages 16 to 50.

Open since late September, Dick’s occupies a 45,000-square-foot space once home to a movie theater. Johnson admitted it’s a bit of a loss no longer having a theater attached to the mall, but said the theater operator had not been taking the necessary steps to remain relevant and competitive in today’s movie marketplace.

Expansion has been part of the mall’s history, as the original footprint was half of the mall’s current size, now covering nearly a million square feet in the heart of Kennewick’s retail district. The growth came in 1988 at a time the mall had undergone new ownership and the economy was tough.

“Hanford was going through a downturn and they said, ‘We’re going to invest uMALL, Page 40

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

MALL, From page 39 in the mall,’ ” Johnson said. “People were like, ‘What? The market is tanking! What do they know that we don’t know?’ And sure enough, the market took off and it went from there. And you look at all the development that’s happened since then.”

The mall was the first landmark on Columbia Center Boulevard, encouraging stores, restaurants and hotels to build up around it.

The most recent major expansion to the mall came in 2006-07, under current Simon Property Group ownership, with storefronts for “lifestyle tenants” on the east side of the property, including LOFT, Chico’s and Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar. Johnson isn’t deterred by the closure of a number of large, national retailers in and

around the mall, including Shopko, OfficeMax, Sports Authority, Payless Shoe Source, Toys R Us and Sears.

“There hasn’t been a lot of available real estate and now that there is, it’s a great thing because new retailers are going to get the chance to come into the market,” she said.

Mall property includes some vacancies adjacent to its main building that once held P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Famous Dave’s and Toys R Us. Only Famous Dave’s has a confirmed future tenant—an Indian restaurant from Walla Walla.

Johnson said she can’t speak about the other two properties because she doesn’t control the lease or the property, but said from last she’s heard, owners are “very close to finalizing a deal” for the P.F. Chang’s

Retail building at 8101 W. Gage Blvd.

Johnson can confirm Trader Joe’s is not going into the buildings, despite consumers’ desire. “It’s not for lack of trying.

They’ll be here eventually, but we’re not on their radar screen yet,” she said.

Additionally, the mall is working to find tenants for the former Sears store. Johnson expects it could be filled with two or three new retailers, versus one single business occupying the entire area.

“We’re trying to figure out the best use.

The benefit of being fully-leased all the time, we hardly have that opportunity to kind of reflect on what is the best use of the space and what can we bring in to improve the customer experience,” Johnson said.

A highly-anticipated new retailer remains Forever 21, which announced ear-

lier this year that it would open a store at Columbia Center. Since then, the national fast fashion brand fell on hard times, filing for bankruptcy protection and announcing plans to close more than 175 stores by the end of the year, including the store at Yakima’s Valley Mall. This has left Forever 21’s Kennewick store in question, as it had been expected to fill three vacant spaces at the mall.

“It’s probably still an option, but we haven’t had formal word from them,” Johnson said. “I think they’re still evaluating. Our people aren’t waiting to hear.

We’ve got a lot of interest from other retailers. We just need something formalized from them.”

The mall has lost other chains to national closures, including Gymboree, Crazy Eight, Talbot’s, Coldwater Creek and Charming Charlie. Motherhood Maternity recently announced bankruptcy and likely will close by year’s end.

Johnson promised the last vacant storefront near Barnes & Noble “will be another really big, exciting tenant that we are looking forward to announcing soon.”

A new, locally-owned and operated clothing store opened in the mall in September. Free Culture touts high fashion and local artists. Two other locally-based tenants are expected to open before the end of the year, including Monarca Ice Cream, currently in Pasco, and Get In Where You Fit In, which has a store in Kennewick.

In an era of online shopping, Johnson estimates millions of visitors walk through the doors of the mall each year based on traffic counters once installed at the mall’s entrances. She would like people to remember the importance of supporting the shops and restaurants in town when it’s tempting to shop from a phone.

“These mall stores support police, fire, school districts, where the online retailers do not pay to the local taxing authority,” she said. “The brick-and-mortar stores are still relevant in that they’re paying a lot of taxes to the community to keep the property taxes down via the sales tax. I know a lot of people don’t think about how much these retailers pay in property tax and sales tax to keep the schools and the cities going.”

Kennewick Mayor Don Britain called the mall a “retail linchpin” of the area and said in a written statement that it is a “mainstay of our continued economic development success.” He also pointed to the sales tax generated by the mall and the jobs it provides the community.

While the mall no longer hosts car, antique and boat shows like it once did, Johnson said the mall works to incubate small, local retailers in hopes that shoppers respond and the business finds success that translates into long-term leases.

Nostalgic tenants from 1969, like Hazel’s Candies, Carl’s clothing and Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour no longer serve customers at Columbia Center, but they’ve made way for retailers customers requested like Old Navy and Victoria’s Secret & PINK. Shoppers can expect seasonal favorites to return with the start of the holiday shopping season, including See’s Candies, Hickory Farms and Go! Games and Calendar Club.

“We are always striving to keep up with what the customer wants,” Johnson said.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Retail

41

Goodwill’s auction site showcases its ‘coolest, weirdest’ donations Donations made to Tri-City area Goodwill stores listed for nationwide sales

BY ROBIN WOJTANIK

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

A small team of employees spend their workday at Goodwill Industries of the Columbia sorting through unique instruments, collectible jewelry, antique artwork, vintage toys and often the unexpected—like framed animal teeth.

“The teeth I can’t get out of my head for some reason,” said Michelle Price, ecommerce manager for Goodwill. “They weren’t human teeth, or I actually would have called the police.”

It’s all a day at the office for Price, whose team catalogued and photographed the framed animal teeth to list in an online auction on Goodwill’s website, similar to eBay. “At first, I thought they were really creepy. But then I found out that people who do taxidermy look for that. Because in order to do taxidermy, when you get an animal, they sometimes don’t have all their teeth. So it wasn’t as weird as I thought, but it sure did creep me out,” she said.

The teeth were just one of many unusual and potentially valuable donations

Photo by Robin Wojtanik A Goodwill Industries of the Columbia employee readies a designer dress for photos as part of an online auction listing at Shopgoodwill.com, with a goal of making the most money off high-end or unique donations.

that make their way to the e-commerce room in Pasco. The facility is not open to the public, but it’s in the same complex as the Pasco Goodwill store at 3521 W. Court St. “There’s no way someone would walk into the Pasco Goodwill and shell out $1,200 for a guitar. So for us, we are able to make the most out of all the donations we have,” Price said.

It’s not just the big-ticket items that get listed. Price held up boxes of unmatched

buttons, various LEGOs and collectible trading cards.

“You can’t sell one single marble, or even a bag of marbles, because it would get torn apart. So we’re able to take these tiny things, or things like game cards, YuGi-Oh!, Pokémon, Magic the Gathering —this is the kind of stuff where it’s one card at a time in donations, put it all together and a box of Magic cards could go for $150 or more, depending on if they’re vintage or not,” she said.

The team of six sorts through LEGOs, separating them by size and pulling out any mini figures, which are most sought after by collectors.

“We separate these into the regular ones, licensed ones—like from a movie, or ‘Star Wars’ figures,” Price said. These are sold by weight versus a numbered count of figures. “A tiny bag is well over $100 and it’s consistent. So it’s worth it for us to sort it,” she said.

Goodwill gets plenty of donations that leave employees unsure of what they’re looking at. Price said her team considers its theme song to be, “What’s This?” from the movie, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

“We say it a thousand times a day.

‘What’s this? What’s this?’ We definitely work as a team and we have to ask each other,” she said.

The process of an item ending up in the e-commerce department starts when employees sort donations. Workers are trained to know what’s ideal for an online sale and can consult a product guide to verify. Price said stores also frequently text her photos of items or call with a description.

From there, it’s up to the small Pasco team to do its best to market the item on the online site.

“We do a lot of research. Surprisingly, I’ve learned a tremendous amount from a group on Facebook that is something like,

uGOODWILL, Page 46

42

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

RETAIL

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

RETAIL

43

State’s retail sector projected to see growth this holiday season

BY LAURA KOSTAD

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

It’s already starting to look a lot like Christmas as retailers rearrange their store layouts and offer new merchandise for the holiday season.

With Thanksgiving a week later than usual—this year it falls on Nov. 28; in 2018 it fell on Nov. 22—retailers are gearing up for a shorter holiday shopping season.

Conditions are looking good for the sector, said Renée Sunde, president and chief executive officer for the Washington Retail Association, a representative and advocate group for about 4,000 in-state and out-ofstate members operating storefronts across Washington.

“When you look at the holiday season, what’s important to note is that the Washington economy is very strong right now.

We have seen a steady increase in taxable retail sales,” she said. “The retail industry is doing well.”

Sunde noted that the state is currently the 10th largest economy in the nation, having recently knocked Massachusetts out of the top 10 and boasting an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent.

She said the state employs about 400,000 people in retail, amounting to $18.6 billion in wages earned annually.

Nationally, the Employment Security Department is projecting the number of retail jobs to be up 30 percent for holiday season employment.

Statewide, the ESD estimates 18,826 hires could be made this season, compared with 13,920 last year.

The Tri-City area is expected to offer 465 additional retail job opportunities, up from 392 last year.

Despite talk of a recession within the next year, retaliatory tariffs, several retailrelated legislative items, and ongoing drama at the White House, Sunde reported that

consumer confidence seems to be running high.

This is a good omen for retailers, many of which bank about 20 percent of their annual earnings during the holiday shopping season. Sunde explained that this fourth quarter push can sometimes make or break retailers.

Even the weather can be a factor, according to a Forbes article Sunde cited.

“What happens week to week during the holidays does project the outcomes of the season,” she said.

Sunde said retail sales are projected to increase 3.8 percent to 4.2 percent, to an estimated $730.7 billion, with the biggest sales increases primarily among hobby, toy and game stores.

Average per capita consumer spending during the holiday shopping season is $1,050.

Though consumers often refer to Black Friday as the kickoff to holiday shopping, it really starts in October, Sunde said.

“It seems like it gets earlier and earlier every year,” she said. But the truth is in the numbers. “Forty percent of consumers begin (holiday) shopping before Halloween,” she said.

The busiest shopping days of the season steadfastly remain the five that lay between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.

In light of the increasing popularity of online shopping, Sunde said that “Cyber Monday is getting very close to surpassing the amount of sales of Black Friday.”

Despite the looming imperative for businesses both big and small to establish strong online presences and offer “click and pick up” and other similar curbside or courier-powered services, Sunde said online sales account for only 11 percent of all retail sales.

“A majority of retail sales are still happening in the store,” she said, adding that a lot depends on the nature of the transaction.

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Retailers across the state are projected to see up to 4.2 percent growth in sales this holiday shopping season.

For example, an item ordered online and picked up in store is counted as an instore transaction. Also, many consumers research and preview products online, but still ultimately make a trip to the store to make a final assessment and buy the item in person.

However, there’s no doubt online shopping is rapidly taking hold of the market; Sunde cited one industry projection that stated online sales will account for 24 percent, or nearly a quarter, of all retail sales by 2021.

“We’ve been noticing how fast our industry is changing,” she said. “What’s driving the industry and how the consumer is driving the industry, a lot of that’s technology, and that’s a lot of what’s driving retail specifically. It’s challenging right now for brick and mortar (retailers) … it’s why brick and mortar retail is needing to continue to evolve to be omni-channel.”

Despite a promising outlook for fourth quarter, there are several items on the up-

coming legislative agenda that may result in new regulations affecting the retail sector, according to Mark Johnson, senior vice president of policy and government affairs at the WRA. A core issue is one involving an increase in regulation to ensure consumer data privacy, Johnson said.

Senate Bill 5376 and House Bill 1854 were proposed earlier this year, and though the Legislature ultimately opted not to pass the bills, revised proposals will be up for consideration in 2020.

New regulations may translate to new measures that businesses will have to incorporate into their models to ensure the information they collect from customers is sufficiently protected to meet the new standards.

“It’s one of the chief issues that we are working on as an association,” Johnson said. uRETAIL, Page 48

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Retail

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Retail

Retail sector ranks as fourth largest employer in Tri-Cities The sale of goods is big business in the greater TriCities. As Benton-Franklin Trends data reveals, the retail sector has D. Patrick Jones consistently Eastern ranked as the Washington fourth largest University employer in the GUEST COLUMN area’s workforce. Over the course of the past 15 years, local retailers’ share of the workforce has stayed constant at around 10.5 percent. This steady performance stands in contrast to other Eastern Washington metros, where retailing has seen its share diminish over the same period.

The two counties have been on a taxable retail sales roll for several years, as the Trends graph depicts. In 2009, total taxable retail sales amounted to $3.54 billion. Ten years later, sales were $5.82 billion. That’s a cumulative gain of 64 percent to 2018, ranking second among all Eastern Washington metros. The increase was slightly behind the state’s cumulative gain of 69 percent. Had not the growth rate dropped over the past three years, taxable retail sales growth in the greater Tri-City area would have exceeded that of Washington and may have approached the rate of the east-side leader, the greater Wenatchee area.

We now find ourselves in the fourth quarter of the year, the all important three months in a retailer’s calendar.

Much of the success of 2019 will depend on the current selling period. At this point, a local forecast is pretty speculative since we enjoy only the data on the first quarter of the year.

A national forecast might guide us.

The National Retail Federation recently issued its outlook for the last two months of the calendar year. Its economists estimate a gain of 3.8 percent to 4.2 percent over the same two months of last year. Given the NRF’s membership, this projection excludes sales at automobile dealerships and restaurants.

In 2018, retail sales, so defined, climbed 2.9 percent during the two months. In the Tri-Cities, fourth quarter year-over-year growth was considerably higher, at 7.8 percent, according to Trends data.

How has retail increased so strongly in the two counties—last holiday period and over the past several years?

Well, it’s a little complicated. The largest contributor over the past five years (2014-18) was, in fact, construction.

The sector making the second largest contribution was restaurants. The third largest: private education and health care. It is not until the fourth largest source of growth, motor vehicles and parts, that we observe a sector that is regarded as retail.

The general category in which motor vehicles and parts can be found, “retail trade,” currently makes up only half of all taxable retail sales in both counties.

Such is the tax structure of Washington state.

So, if “retail trade” is responsible for only half of this measure, and if the local forecast follows the NRF projection, that doesn’t follow that retail sales collection can be expected to rise 4 percent in this quarter. Much will depend on the pace of construction and the success of restaurants during the same period.

To this observer, a mid-single digit increase for retail trade growth in the fourth quarter might be a bit optimistic.

For one, the largest contributor, motor vehicle and parts, has not been enjoying robust sales over the past two years. In 2018, the annual increase was a mere 0.4 percent. While the first quarter doesn’t appear to be a greater predictor of sales later in the year, motor vehicle and parts sales in the first quarter of this year were down 10 percent in the two counties.

Noteworthy is that the National Automobile Dealers Association forecasted late last year a decline of 1.1 percent of sales of cars and light trucks nationally in 2019.

In the first quarter, growth in restaurant sales were essentially the same as in 2018. The construction sector, however, showed substantial year-over-year growth, at 13 percent. In contrast,

45

Courtesy Benton-Franklin Trends

retail trade sales were up 2.4 percent while total taxable retail sales were up only 2 percent.

In the final analysis, whether growth in the two counties’ “taxable economy” hits mid-single- or high-single-digit growth during the final quarter of this year will depend on the pace of construction and the local appetites at restaurants and drinking places. Santa of the Tri-Cities should still be busy, distributing more “stuff” than last year. If you see him often with a hammer in

hand or delivering a plate a food, then you’ll have a good idea that from a taxable sales perspective, it was a good holiday season. D. Patrick Jones is the executive director for Eastern Washington University’s Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis. Benton-Franklin Trends, the institute’s project, uses local, state and federal data to measure the local economic, educational and civic life of Benton and Franklin counties.

46

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

GOODWILL, From page 41 ‘Weird Things Found in Thrift Stores.’

It’s the most entertaining and educational site for me because it’s all these people who know really specific things that I don’t know anything about. But it also helps to have the people who work here have a lot of knowledge about specific things,” Price said.

She said she “phones a friend,” often calling her parents, or a friend who knows a lot about sports memorabilia. “My dad’s a big military buff so I’ll often take pictures of things and send it to my dad, ‘Do you know what this is?’ ” The eight stores that make up Goodwill Industries of the Columbia set aside items received at their donation sites until they receive enough to fill a pallet, then they ship

it to the Pasco e-commerce department.

“We never want there to be any perfection (to this method) because we always want customers to be able to find those awesome things in the store. We don’t want every single awesome thing. We still want customers to get those treasures, whether they’re online or in the store,” Price said.

The online option has been offered locally since 2011, though Price thinks the e-commerce site began nationally in 2009. Now, more than 120 locations participate from 160 autonomous Goodwill stores nationwide.

“It’s a concentration of all the coolest, weirdest stuff we get as a company. It’s history, it’s anything you could possibly imagine,” Price said.

Retail Most bidding starts at $10 per item since customers know the value of the items they’re interested in and will bid up accordingly.

The item from Pasco with the highest online bid was a saxophone from the 1930s that netted $6,500 a few months ago.

The team also successfully listed and sold a Gibson electric guitar for a couple thousand dollars. “I’ve been doing this for eight years and I’m still surprised what our donors give us,” Price said. A bag of mismatched and potentially broken 10K and 14K gold jewelry weighing 68 grams sold for $1,100 in October.

An engraved Heuer Carrera watch, likely a gift from an employer on a 25th employment anniversary in the 1960s, resulted in a winning bid of $4,200 this

past summer.

As Price spoke, a team member hung a designer dress on a mannequin that had arrived via the Wenatchee Goodwill after a local dress boutique closed. It was from the New York fashion line Jovani, a brand worn by celebrities, and originally priced at $550.

“We don’t need to know every single thing about something. We just need to have excellent pictures. Things like serial numbers, all the aspects of something and the customers know the value,” Price said.

Auction winners who buy items from the Pasco store can pick up items locally, but otherwise all items are shipped, though only to the U.S. and Canada.

Goodwill recently began buying its packaging materials from the Walla Walla State Penitentiary, which has a small cardboard box-making plant on site.

“They’re cheaper and they’re better made. It’s a really awesome relationship that we have,” Price said.

Price said her job is never boring, and while she’s had to learn a lot about many different collectibles, she hesitates to call herself an expert on anything.

“I can tell a real LEGO from a Mega Blok from a mile away, just from the sheen of it alone. You can say I’m an expert on that,” Price laughed.

Maximizing the amount returned from donations is an important part of Goodwill’s mission to help put people to work.

“Last year we helped 753 people find jobs locally, which was a new record for us. We helped over 4,000 people, and we’re on pace to break that record again. That’s what the profits Goodwill is making go towards funding,” said Joey Edminster, community and marketing specialist for Goodwill Industries of the Columbia. “Our mission is changing lives through the power of work.”

A resource center next door to the Pasco Goodwill store includes a computer lab, job board and staff to assist jobseekers with free help with the process, whether practicing for an interview or building a résumé.

“We have people come in daily to check out our ‘hidden jobs’ board,” Edminster said. “Companies will call us daily to tell us about positions and then we’ll show how to apply for the jobs available.

“Everyone here is pretty proud of what we do because we’re able to contribute to our mission, which is to put people to work. It makes everybody feel good,” Price said.

To bid on Goodwill items, go to shopgoodwill.com. To view items from the Pasco store, click “Advanced search” at top right of the page and select “WA—Pasco—Goodwill Industries of the Columbia, Inc.” from the drop down menu in the “Sellers” box.

Send us your business news news@tcjournal.biz

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Retail

Q&A

Number of employees you oversee: 10 Brief background about your education: Associate degree, Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon.

How did you find your current role?

I became chief operating officer for Marla June’s Clothing in 2005, when I changed my career from advertising to store owner. We opened our first store in Pendleton, Oregon, in 2005. We then opened the Kennewick store in 2014, the Boise, Idaho, store in 2015 and Walla Walla store in 2016. Our family corporate office moved to Kennewick in 2015.

What does Marla June’s Clothing offer that you can’t find in an online shopping experience?

Personal service. Our No. 1 priority is customer service. We want to be your personal shopper and we use our knowledge of our fashion lines and accessories to assist you to find the fashions that best meet your needs.

What do you wish Tri-Citians knew about the local retail market?

The local retail stores provide great selection and personal services. Local retail businesses are great supporters of community events and organizations. We contribute local jobs, payrolls and sales tax to the local cities. Always hopeful local customers will choose to come in to support their local retail store before

47

MARLA JUNE BARNHART

Owner & CEO of Marla June’s Clothing shopping online.

versus shopping online.

What will be the hottest accessory or item for winter?

Our unique jewelry from Brighton, Uno de 50 and Diana Acuesta, scarves, unique jackets and cute, comfy and stylish boots!

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position?

You will face a lot of challenges. You must have passion and believe in yourself and your store to persevere.

Passion…My energy and passion will affect the stores’ productivity, not the other way around.

What are your professional goals for the coming year?

Continue to better understand ways and means for me to communicate with our customers to learn their wants and needs.

What is one characteristic that every business leader should possess?

Have honesty and integrity to make decisions that are in the best interest of your customer and associates each and every day.

What is the biggest challenge facing business owners today?

For local brick-and-mortar retail stores, being able to provide great customer service and products to have customers choose to come into the store

Who are your role models/mentors?

My husband. He is and always has been supportive and very knowledgeable about business, people and how to make our business successful.

How do you keep your employees motivated?

We show our associates appreciation for their results often. Our associates are a key to our success. They treat our stores like they are owners, and the customers see how dedicated they are and how much fun they have serving them.

How did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today?

I was in TV advertising for a number

Marla June Barnhart

of years. I loved fashion and had always wanted to open a women’s retail clothing store. I worked with my husband who helped me pursue my dream and we developed my first store. The love of fashion, my customers, my passion and the support from my husband has made Marla June’s a successful business for 15 years!

How do you measure success in your workplace?

Customers who have a great shopping experience and say they have fun shopping at Marla June’s.

What is your leadership style to be?

Lead by example. I work in the stores each day and communicate to our associates what our vision is and how we can achieve it.

uQ&A, Page 48

48

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Q&A, From page 47 How do you balance work and family life?

Owning your own business is definitely a full-time job! You are always in the past, present and future. Luckily, I have always had the support of my family, and I love what I do.

What do you like to do when you are not at work?

Well now that I am older and an empty nester, my husband and I enjoy being home, popcorn and Netflix!

Best time management strategy?

Prioritize and make a list of your priorities and rewrite your list!

Best tip to relieve stress?

Gratitude and a hot bath!

Don’t focus on how stressed you are, but how lucky you are!

Most-used app?

Google Maps to find places.

Favorite book, TV show, movie?

Well I only have time to read a book on vacation…mostly motivational books.

Favorite TV shows are “Million Dollar Listing,” “Chrisley Knows Best,” and “Yellowstone.”

Movie: Always “Pretty Woman!”

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

Fashion, fun, friends...fabulous!

Work hard, play fair, LOVE BIG!

Retail RETAIL, From page 43 Another issue being tackled is a crackdown on retail theft.

Johnson said that Washington is one of the only states that doesn’t give store employees the power to stop theft before it happens.

It is not currently lawful for employees to apprehend or even approach a customer who has been observed slipping merchandise into their pocket, or concealing it in a coat or purse for example, until that customer has left the store without paying, thereby officially committing theft.

House Bill 1159 and Senate Bill 5248 would enable personnel and law enforcement to intercede in cases where merchandise has been con-

cealed with intent to steal.

These bills, also introduced last session, will be back for consideration in 2020.

“A lot of people don’t realize that $45 billion (dollars’ worth of merchandise) is stolen every year across the country,” Johnson said. “$850 million is stolen out of stores in Washington … consumers have to absorb higher prices; the state loses out on tax revenues.”

Employee scheduling is another issue the association is watching.

House Bill 1491 and Senate Bill 5717 would require employers to provide employees their schedules at least 14 days in advance. If any changes to the schedule are made with less than two weeks’ notice, then employers would be required to pay affected employees penalty pay as compensation.

For example, if more workers need to be called in than originally foreseen, or if less hands are needed, those workers would be compensated for the late change to the schedule.

The measure has already been adopted in Seattle.

The WRA is opposed to the new legislation because “it takes a lot of flexibility out of the job,” Johnson said. He explained that the regulation would greatly affect the retail sector, given the variability inherent in the industry.

Other issues the WRA is monitoring are bills regarding the classification of independent contractors, as well as the outcomes of a rule already put into place by labor committees in the house and senate that sets the annual salary wage cap for the state at $79,800, below which employees must be paid an hourly wage.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Free flotation therapy available to vets with PTSD

Float Euphoria of Kennewick is accepting applications from veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to offer free flotation therapy.

Selected veterans each will receive five one-hour float sessions spaced one week apart.

Floating consists of laying in 12 inches of water saturated with over 1,100 pounds of Epsom salt.

The high levels of salt counteract the effects of gravity, allowing one to float gently on top of the water. The experience allows for a safe and therapeutic environment in which veterans can experience significant relaxation and even process past trauma, according to a news release from Float Euphoria.

Applications will be accepted through Dec. 1.

To learn more about the program and apply, go to floateuphoria.com/ vets.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Retail

2019 bazaar listings

BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

Several area groups and churches are offering bazaars around the Tri-Cities:

SATURDAY, NOV. 16

Make a Difference Christmas Bazaar: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Calvary Chapel Tri-Cities, 10611 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. Craft vendors, lunch options and more. Free admission.

Vintage at Richland Holiday Craft Fair: 9 a.m., Vintage at Richland Senior Community, 1950 Bellerive Drive, Richland. Gifts, home decor, jewelry, ornaments and more. Free admission.

Affinity at Southridge annual Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Affinity at Southridge, 5207 W. Hildebrand Blvd., Kennewick. Handmade crafts. Free admission.

Jason Lee Craft Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Jason Lee Elementary, 1750 McMurray Ave., Richland. More than 50 craft and food vendors. Non-perishable, canned food donation collection for the Tri-Cities Food Bank. Free admission.

Lewis and Clark Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lewis and Clark Elementary, 415 Jadwin Ave., Richland.

Marcus Whitman Winter Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Marcus Whitman Elementary, 1704 Gray St., Richland.

More than 60 local artisans, food trucks, silent auction and bake sale. Free admission.

Pasco Eagles Fall Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Pasco Eagles, 2829 Sylvester St., Pasco. Crafts, baked goods and Christmas gifts. Lunch served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free admission.

American Legion’s Christmas Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., American Legion Auxiliary 115, 908 Dale St., Benton City. Food, drinks and gifts. Free admission.

Family Resource Center Harvest Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Best Western Plus Inn, 4001 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

Handcrafted items, bake sale, raffles and more. Contact: frcwa.org.

Brookdale Canyon Lakes Bazaar: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2802 W. 35th Ave., Kennewick. Craft vendors and half-off lunch in the main dining room. Free admission.

Princess Christmas Market: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Princess Theatre Green Room, 1228 Meade Ave., Prosser. Free admission.

FRIDAY, NOV. 22

Royal Columbian’s annual Craft fest: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Royal Columbian Senior Living Community, 5615 W. Umatilla Ave., Kennewick. Handcrafted items. Free admission. Contact: 509-7831628

SATURDAY, NOV. 30

Columbia Valley Grange annual Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Columbia Valley Grange #938, 6300 W. Court St., Pasco. Handcrafted goods only.

Lunch available for purchase.

FRIDAY, DEC. 6

Tri-Cities Retirement Inn Holiday Craft Bazaar: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2000 N. 22nd Ave., Pasco. A variety of craft vendors and raffles. Free admission.

Home for the Holidays: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., The HAPO Center (formerly TRAC), 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Free admission.

Vibe Music Holiday Bazaar: noon to 5 p.m., Vibe Music and Performing Arts Center, 731 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 110-B, Kennewick. Kids activities, food, craft and direct sales vendors.

Donation wrap station benefiting Vibe Music kids. Free admission.

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

Badger Mountain Holiday Bazaar: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Badger Mountain Elementary School, 1515 Elementary St., Richland. More than 100 vendors.

Admission is $3, kids under 12 are free with paid adult. Bring a coat for the kid’s coat drive and receive $1 off admission.

Alliance Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Richland Alliance Church, 1400 Sanford Ave., Richland. More than 30 vendors, silent auction, baked potato bar, baked goods and refreshments. Free admission.

Lincoln Elementary Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Lincoln Elementary School, 4901 W. 20th Ave., Kennewick. More than 20 vendors with handcrafted items, baked goods, Christmas carols and photos with Santa from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free admission.

Vibe Music Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Vibe Music and Performing Arts Center, 731 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 110-B, Kennewick. Kids activities, food, craft and direct sales vendors.

Donation wrap station benefiting Vibe Music kids. Free admission.

Family Resource Center Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Best Western Plus Inn, 4001 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

Handcrafted items, bake sale, raffles and more. Contact: frcwa.org.

Home for the Holidays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., The HAPO Center (formerly TRAC), 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Free admission.

Pasco Winter Fest: 2-6 p.m., Volunteer Park, 1125 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco. Food, vendors and activities for the family. Free admission.

SUNDAY, DEC. 8

Home for the Holidays: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., The HAPO Center (formerly TRAC), 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Free admission.

SATURDAY, DEC. 14

Wear Love Winter Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Uptown Theatre, 1300 Jadwin Ave., Richland. Proceeds benefit local youth.

Benton City Winterfest: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Kiona-Benton City High School, 1205 Horne Drive, Benton City. More than 80 vendors.

uRETIREMENT • Terry Walsh, who has been with the city of Kennewick for more than 28 years and has served in her current role as executive director of employee and community services for the last 10 Terry Walsh years, will retire on Dec. 31. As a member of the senior leadership team, she leads the efforts of human resources, parks and recreation and economic development. Walsh has been engaged in many areas of the

49

community, including serving on the Historic Downtown Kennewick Association, leading the Kennewick’s Art Commission, and serving as the city’s executive ambassador for Junior Achievement. Earlier this year, Walsh received the Athena leadership award from the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of leadership skills.

The city will not fill the executive director position after Walsh’s retirement and instead will be realigning several areas of responsibility to include moving economic development to the Community Planning Department.

50

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Retail

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

RETAIL

Retail sales hit $39.4 billion in first quarter 2019

BY TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS STAFF

A steady increase in construction once again helped boost the state’s total taxable retail sales.

The most recent numbers released by the state are for the first quarter of 2019, and showed 4.9 percent growth over the same period in 2018, reaching $39.4 billion.

Data from the second quarter is typically released later in November.

Retail trade, a subset of all taxable retail sales in the state, also increased by 4.6 percent to a total of $16.5 billion.

Taxable retail sales are transactions subject to the retail sales tax, including sales by retailers, the construction industry, manufacturing and other sectors. Retail trade includes sales of items such as clothing, furniture and automobiles, but excludes other industries, such as services and construction.

Benton County also posted positive gains in the first quarter, while Franklin County’s took a dip.

Benton County’s taxable retail sales totaled more than $955 million in the second quarter, up 3.8 percent from the previous year’s quarter. Benton County’s retail trade sales totaled $483 million, up 2.4 percent from the previous year’s quarter.

Kennewick’s taxable retail sales increased 2 percent; Richland’s increased 0.3 percent; West Richland’s increased 21 percent; and Prosser dipped by 7.3 percent.

Taxable retail sales in Benton, Franklin counties County/City Benton County Franklin County Kennewick Richland Pasco West Richland Prosser Connell Washington State

First quarter 2019

Percent Change

$ 955 million

3.8 %

$ 368 million

-2.4 %

$ 298 million

0.3 %

$ 490 million

2%

$ 317 million

-2.7 %

$ 36 million

-7.3 %

$ 33 million $

7 million

$ 39.4 billion

21 %

7.5 %

4.9 %

Source: State Department of Revenue Franklin County’s taxable retail sales totaled nearly $368 million, down 2.4 percent over the previous year. Franklin County’s retail trade sales totaled $188 million, down nearly 2.5 percent over the previous year.

Pasco’s taxable retail sales dipped 2.7 percent; Connell’s increased 7.5 percent.

The state’s Department of Revenue’s taxable retail sales figures compare the same quarter year-over-year to equalize any seasonal effects that would influence consumer and business spending.

Some statewide taxable retail sales and retail trade sales highlights from the first quarter, which runs January to March 2019, include: • Construction rose 8 percent to $8 billion.

• Taxable retail sales reported by new and used auto dealers dipped 1.7 percent to $3.2 billion.

• Building materials, garden equipment and supplies sales rose 3.4 percent to $1.6 billion.

• Drug and health store sales jumped 7.1 percent to $786 million.

51

uCERTIFICATIONS • Diahann Howard, interim executive director for the Port of Benton, recently earned a professional port management certification from the American Association of Port Authorities.

• Maria Alleman has become a certified meeting professional through the Events Industry Council’s certified meeting professional program, which launched in 1985. She is Visit TriCities’ convention sales manager. The qualifications for certification are based on professional experience, education and exam.

uBOARDS • The Kennewick Kiwanis Club recently held its annual installation of officers for the 2019-20 year. Officers are Rick McKinnon, president; Vickie Bergum, president elect; Micki McKinnon, vice president; Maureen Bell, secretary; Penny Gardner, treasurer; and Cory Manley, past president.

Board directors are Gerry Berges, Amy Coffman, Stan Case, Dave Eakin, Patti Gunn, Pat JohnstoneJones, Art King and Benita Nyberg.

• Rick Peenstra, a retired community banker with 40 years’ experience in helping small businesses, will serve as a the local SCORE chapter chairman for the next two years. Peenstra replaced Paul Casey, who led the chapter for two years. SCORE is a resource partner of the Small Business Administration, providing free business counseling.

52

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Business Profile

Small Kennewick financial firm values personal relationships Professional Investment Management Services celebrates 20 years in business in 2020

BY JEFF MORROW

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Courtesy PIMS The Professional Investment Management Services team includes Nicki Kennedy, from left, office manager; Garrick Russell, investment advisor representative; and Kiarra Tow, executive assistant. The Kennewick firm, which celebrates 20 years in business in 2020, positions itself as an independent boutique advisory firm.

A Kennewick independent boutique investment advisory firm is closing in on 20 years of business next year.

That’s the case for Professional Investment Management Services, or PIMS for short, at 7103 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite B, upstairs in the new Copiers Northwest Building in Kennewick.

It’s a three-person shop, owned by Garrick Russell, who is also the investment advisor representative.

Nicki Kennedy is the office manager and financial assistant, and executive assistant Kiarra Tow runs the front desk.

The secret to lasting so long in a competitive business is the personal attention and services that PIMS gives each customer, and the company pairs that care with the financial security of several financial institutions, Russell said.

“I love working with neighbors, friends and clients, helping them figure out their life steps, whether it’s making sure their child can go to college, or they want to retire,” Russell said. “We are their trusted person. We like to fill in those pieces of the puzzle for them. And we love serving the community.”

The company dives head first into community involvement.

“We try to be super active in the community,” Russell said. “I was heavily involved in the Gesa Carousel of Dreams from 2015-17. We’re involved with the Pasco Soup crowdfunding dinner, where we’re presented five ideas while having soup, and then the group picks an idea to fund.”

PIMS also has always been a strong supporter of the Tri-City Americans hockey team.

Kennedy also is involved in the community, volunteering for the March of Dimes, or Wishing Star, graduating as a member of Tri-Cities Leadership Class 21, or as a supportive mother for the Junior Falcons of the Columbia Basin Youth Football League.

By being out and involved in the community, Russell and Kennedy are easily accessible to their clients, while at the same time fulfilling their own needs to help improve the Tri-City community.

Russell graduated from the University of Washington in 1997.

“My dad, Robert Russell, is an accountant,” Garrick said. “My dad convinced me to come back here in 1999. He had started a financial planning firm. In 2003, we split the business. I rented the front office, and took care of the investment part of the business. In 2005, we moved next door (to a strip mall on Clearwater). We were there until June of 2019, when we moved into this new building.”

Kennedy joined Russell three years ago.

They’ve developed a relaxed atmosphere with their clientele. Depending which client they see that day, they’ll do what they need to make that investor feel

at ease. That means bringing the entire family into the office, if needed.

For Russell, if it also means wearing a suit and tie one day, then working in a hoodie the next, so be it.

“I think our clients dictate things like that,” Kennedy said. “There are days, and clients, where we know we need to dress up. You play to your clients. We’ll come in more relaxed and casual if that makes them comfortable. We’re part of their family. And as the years go on, we get more comfortable with each other.”

Russell said PIMS usually doesn’t get many customers coming in off the street or from cold calls.

“Our business is almost 100 percent referrals,” he said. “And 30 percent have been here since day 1, or the first couple of years. When I was younger, it was tough to get clients.”

But over the years, PIMS’ reputation through word of mouth has brought in more clients.

PIMS makes sure it gives clients plenty of time and education.

“We want our clients to understand what we are trying to accomplish,” Russell said. “We spend time with them, and they understand there are also pitfalls.”

Kennedy said she has learned to love the relationships with the clients.

“I get up every morning, check the stock market, then check the calendar to see who we’re meeting with that day,” she said. “It might be a couple who we haven’t seen in three months. I’ll get so excited because they just had a grandson.

Or maybe it’s a couple who pulled money out for a new house, and I’ll want to see the pictures of the house.”

Closing in on 20 years of business come April, Russell and Kennedy have had plenty of success stories.

“Our success stories are when somebody retires, and we help them get there,” he said. “We love seeing people’s big life events come to fruition. And we get to help them get to those life goals.”

Kennedy gets a lift when she sees parents pass on their trust of PIMS to their kids.

“When we bring in a client, I think it means a lot when we sign their kids,” she said. “We’ve built that relationship with their beneficiaries. It shows they have a lot of confidence and trust with us.”

Both Russell and Kennedy expect to be around well after the 20th anniversary of the company.

“If you’re a client, you’re going to get Garrick 24-7,” Kennedy said. “And in five years down the road, we’ll still be helping our community. Garrick is the same person you see inside these walls as you see him outside.”

Professional Investment Management Services: 7103 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite B; Kennewick; poweredbypims.com; 866-735-7467.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Business Profile

53

Customized signs spread messages of joy throughout Tri-Cities

BY JEFF MORROW

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Robin Wojtanik of Richland didn’t expect to become an expert on Tri-City area soil density when she launched her new business, Sign Gypsies, this summer.

But putting up signs with custom messages at homes, schools and businesses has turned her into one.

“North Richland is the best. The soil settled there a long time ago, so my signs go in more easily,” she said. “West Richland, with all of the new construction, can be the toughest because of all of the rocks. You need to use the largest screwdriver you have to drive a deep hole in the ground to place a stake.”

Wojtanik will travel anywhere in the Mid-Columbia to display signs to celebrate any occasion—from birthdays and graduations, to welcoming a new baby or advertising business events.

Signs usually stay on the property for 24 hours before Wojtanik returns to pick them up.

“So a customer pays for the rental of them essentially,” she said.

Two mothers of young children started the company in 2014 in McKinney, Texas.

Stacey Hess is the co-founder and CEO. It’s been growing fast since then.

Within two years since its founding, Sign Gypsies grew to 70 locations and has expanded its headquarters twice in the last three years.

Currently, there are more than 400 Sign Gypsies businesses around the country.

Wojtanik first stumbled upon the company last spring while visiting her sister in Florida.

“She ordered a sign for her daughter’s high school graduation. I have always held an entrepreneur’s heart. My parents wanted to open an ice cream shop when I was little. So the seed was always there,” she said.

She was excited to add small business owner to her résumé.

Wojtanik, a mother of three, also works as a substitute teacher, freelance reporter for the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and for a nonprofit.

“I had never seen something like this in the Tri-Cities,” she said. “As far as the demographics here, I thought why not try it? So I researched it over the summer.

This one seems to be the biggest company around, and I like their graphics.”

So she became a Sign Gypsies owner in August.

“I’m an affiliate of Sign Gypsies. They don’t call them franchisees,” she said.

According to the company’s website, they are not franchises.

“Each location owner owns the business and keeps 100 percent of the sales,” according to the website. “Sign Gypsies does not collect royalties.”

Wojtanik’s region includes the Tri-Cities and the area from Paterson to Prosser

Photo by Jeff Morrow Robin Wojtanik of Richland stands next to one of her Sign Gypsies’ signs outside Badger Mountain Elementary School in Richland. Her business provides custom yard greetings for homes, schools or businesses.

to Connell.

“We’re the only one in Eastern Washington right now,” she said. “There are a few in western Washington. I talked to a lady in Seattle who opened her business three years ago and was the first on the West Coast to do so. They are big in the South and Texas.”

Business has been pretty good for Wojtanik.

“It’s more than what I thought it would be,” she said. “I’ve used Facebook,

friends and word of mouth to advertise.”

She’s offered complimentary signs to all of the Richland elementary schools when the school year began in August with messages such as “Welcome back,” “First day of school” and “Mustangs 2019.”

Wojtanik also ran a special during October to deliver “boo” signs featuring a “boo” message along with a few Halloween accents.

uSIGN GYPSIES, Page 55

54

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Not Too Soon for End-of-Year Financial Moves

Member SIPC

We’ve still got a couple of months until 2019 draws to a close, but it’s not too early to make some end-of-the-year financial moves. In fact, it may be a good idea to take some of these steps sooner rather than later.

Here are a few suggestions: • Boost your 401(k) contributions. Like many people, you might not usually contribute JAY FREEMAN the maximum amount to your (509) 783-2041 401(k), which, in 2019 is $19,000, or $25,000 if you’re 50 or older. Ask your employer if you can increase your 401(k) contributions in 2019, and if you receive a bonus before the year ends, you may be able to use that toward your 401(k), too.

• Add to your IRA. You have until April 15, 2020, to contribute to your IRA for the 2019 tax year, but the more you can put in now and over the next few months, the less you’ll have to come up with in a hurry at the filing deadline. For 2019, you can put up to $6,000 in your IRA, or $7,000 if you’re 50 or older.

• Review your portfolio. It’s always a good idea to review your investment portfolio at least once a year, and now is as good a time as any. But don’t make any judgments based solely on your results over the past 10 months. Instead, look carefully at how your portfolio is constructed. Is it still properly diversified, or has it become overweighted in some areas? Does it still fit your risk tolerance, or do you find yourself worrying excessively about short-term price swings? These are the types of factors that might lead you to make some changes, possibly with the help of a financial professional.

• Don’t forget about your RMDs. Once you turn 70½, you generally need to start taking withdrawals – the technical term is “required minimum distributions,” or RMDs – from your traditional IRA and your 401(k) or similar plan. After the first year in which you take these RMDs, you must take them by the end of each year thereafter. If you don’t withdraw at least the minimum amount (calculated based on your age, account balance and other factors) you face a penalty of 50% of what you should have taken out – a potential loss of thousands of dollars. So, take your RMDs before Dec. 31. The financial services provider that administers your IRA or 401(k) can help you determine the amount you must withdraw.

• Think about next year’s opportunities. It happens to almost all of us: A year has passed, and we haven’t taken the actions we had planned. So, start thinking now about what you want to do in 2020 from a financial standpoint. Can you afford to ratchet up your investments in your retirement plans? If you have children or grandchildren, have you started saving for college? Have you considered ways to protect your financial independence if you ever need some type of long-term care, such as an extended nursing home stay? If these or other items are on your financial to-do list, start planning now to get them done next year.

Time goes quickly – so don’t get left behind without having taken the steps to keep moving toward your financial goals.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

www.edwardjones.com

Joy Behen

6115 Burden Blvd., Ste. A, Pasco

509-542-1626

Ryan Brault, CFP®

3616 W. Court St., Ste. I, Pasco

509-545-8121

uAPPOINTMENT • The Downtown Pasco Development Authority has appointed Gustavo Gutierrez Gomez as its new executive director.

Gutierrez Gomez bested a field of nearly 20 candidates, following a Gustavo Gutierrez national recruitGomez ment process.

He brings a diverse background in community engagement and economic development, including with the city of Woodburn, Oregon, and volunteer work as a member of the Woodburn School District Board of Directors, and host of a Spanish language radio show, “Charla Informativa” on Radio Poder 98.3. Gutierrez Gomez studied business and marketing at Tecnologico de Colima (Colima Technical Institute); and graduated from Oregon State University, with a bachelor of science in business administration.

uGRANTS

Dustin Clontz

1060 Jadwin Ave., Ste. 325, Richland

509-943-1441

Shelley Kennedy, CFP® 767 Williams Blvd.

Richland

509-946-7626

Jay Freeman, AAMS 16 W. Kennewick Ave., Ste. 101, Kennewick

509-783-2041

Terry Sliger

1329 Aaron Drive Richland

509-943-2920

• Three Rivers Community Foundation distributed $391,000 in social determinants of health grants to six local nonprofits from funds provided by the Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health: Catholic Charities, Communities in Schools, Community Action Connections, Grace Clinic, The Chaplaincy and Tri-Cities Residential Services.

• Brett Lott Homes of the Tri-Cities donated the proceeds from the sale of its Parade of Homes Charity House to two local nonprofits. Elijah Family Homes and KCHelps each received $25,391.

• STCU recently awarded a $3,000 grant to the Academy of Children’s Theatre in support of its education programs. The money will support ACT’s after-school, weekend and summer session classes. In recognition of the funding, STCU will be named as the 2020 education sponsor at ACT.

uPROMOTION

Harry Van Dyken

2735 Queensgate Drive Richland

509-627-6537

T.J. Willingham

1020 N. Center Parkway, Suite F, Kennewick

509-735-1497

Carson Willingham 1020 N. Center Parkway, Suite F, Kennewick

509-735-1497

Tara Wiswall

6855 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite C, Kennewick

509-783-2042 Paid Advertising

• Amy Spurlock, formerly a physician liaison for Northwest Cancer Clinic, a 21st Century Oncology affiliate with offices in Kennewick and Hermiston, has been promoted to market success manager.

Spurlock will manage additional markets in Central California. She will oversee four radiation Amy Spurlock treatment centers: Northwest Cancer Clinic in Washington and Oregon; 21st Century Oncology clinics in Modesto and Lodi, California; and St. Theresa’s Comprehensive Cancer Care in Stockton, California.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019 SIGN GYPSIES, From page 53 “The idea was to ‘boo’ a friend and they would pass it along,” she said. “I am donating $5 from every boo to the Warrior Sisterhood, which is a cancer support group. I plan to do something similar in December with the word ‘joy’ and ‘spread joy’ to those who need a little.”

Wojtanik says the uses for signs are endless.

“The main business is happy birthday,” she said. “I’ve heard graduation is also popular. I’ll find out in June.”

Other ideas, she says, can be engagements, homecomings or to celebrate the last day of chemotherapy.

“I can also do Spanish signs,” she said. “I have the Spanish tilde sign.”

Customers have been pleased with the results.

“Sign Gypsies is a think-outside-ofthe-box concept when it comes to showing someone their value,” said Willie Stafford, area sales director of the TownePlace Suites in Richland. “With the hustle and bustle of life and technology, Sign Gypsies allows you to bring a personal touch back into welcomes.”

Stafford said he’s used Wojtanik’s company on numerous occasions.

“I have used them to welcome teams and groups that I have had at my hotels and employees’ birthdays,” he said. “In the future, we will be using them for VIP guest arrivals, guest birthdays and any major event at our hotel.”

Stafford says the feedback he’s gotten has been positive.

“We have received a lot of positive feedback for the softball tournaments we have done it for,” Stafford said. “It is a great way to personalize welcomes.

Guests, just as most people, see this and are amazed because it is something new and they have not seen anything like it before.”

Wojtanik cannot include logos with her signs.

“I order the graphics directly from the company,” Wojtanik said. “We can’t use personal logos on them, such as city of Richland, which wanted some signs with the city logo. I couldn’t do a WSU logo for WSU Tri-Cities, either.”

There have been other challenges, such as storing all the signs at her family home, or carrying them to and from her car on her nightly distribution mis-

sions.

And, of course, there is the quality of the soil to contend with.

“And there are challenges with the wind,” she said. “But these signs, they honestly stay up in these Tri-City windstorms pretty well. They’re heavy-duty signs.”

Customers can order a sign for $75 plus tax.

“That’s the rate of most signs,” she said. “I just need 24 hours advance notice.”

Schools and real estate agents usually pay $50 because of the volume they do with Wojtanik.

Real estate agents have been using the signs when families close on a home, with a sign such as “Welcome home Smith family,” or when they’re trying to sell a home with signs like, “Open house this Sunday.”

“If there is grass outside the business or house, I can put it out there,” she said.

It’s only been a few months but it’s been a great adventure for Wojtanik, who also used to work as a journalist at a local television station.

“This my first business. It’s really fun,” she said. “As a journalist who has had to report on bad things, it’s a fun thing to be on the other side, to bring joy to the lives of people. The joy that it brings to people is what I love the most.”

Sign Gypsies: 509-492-2492; signgypsiestricities@gmail.com; Facebook @SignGypsies-Tri-Cities.

uNEW HIRES • Lucas Organizational Performance Training Team of Richland has hired two new trainers, Seth Gulley and Dan Gilliam.

Gulley works with Mission Support Alliance proSeth Gulley viding instructional design support for its respiratory training program. He has experience in operational excellence, leadership and training program development, process safety manageDan Gilliam ment, human performance improvement, apparent cause, organizational effectiveness and emergency management. Gilliam also works with MSA as a fire system maintenance field worker mentor. He has several years of supervisory experience at multiple U.S. Department of Energy sites and a management background in weapons component production, deactivation and demolition of Category 2 nuclear facilities, packaging and shipping of nuclear

waste for final storage, soil remediation activities and conduct of operations mentoring.

• Incyte Pathologists of Richland has hired two new pathologists. They are: Dr. Nerissa A. Ladd, board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology. She graduated from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Dr. Nerissa A. Ladd Medicine. She completed her residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a surgical pathology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. David D. Fink, board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology. He graduated from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and completed his residency at Dr. David D. Fink Texas A&MBaylor Scott and White Medical Center.

Fink then completed a surgical pathology fellowship at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

FOR LEASE - Brantingham Business Park Phase VI 2920 Travel Plaza Way, Pasco (left side) Commercial/light industrial in King City.

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55

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

uNEW HIRES • Priscely Gutierrez has been hired at Tippett Co. in Pasco. Gutierrez joins the commercial real estate team, which specializes in landlordtenant representation, commercial real estate sales and acquisitions, and investment analPriscely Gutierrez ysis. A lifelong Tri-City resident, she brings eight years of real estate experience and is bilingual.

• Sean Haselrig has joined Baker Boyer Bank as an investment advisor

Sean Haselrig

Becky Kettner

representative for the Tri-City team, and Becky Kettner joined the Walla Walla team as investment advisor representative.

Haselrig brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry to his role. Kettner joined Baker Boyer in 2017 as a trust advisor, bringing with her nearly two

decades of business management and marketing experience.

uAWARDS & HONORS • IHOP franchisee Susan Mendenhall has been named the IHOP Global 2018 Franchisee of the Year. After being selected as the IHOP Northwest Franchisee of the Year earlier this year by her peers and IHOP supSusan Mendenhall port staff, she was in the running with six other franchisees from different regions.

She was recognized for her outstanding servant style leadership, role in implementing new restaurant technology and initiatives, member of Franchisee Leadership Committee, chairperson of Technology Advisory Committee, always exceeding restaurant cleanliness and operations guidelines during the IHOP Global Franchisee Conference in Las Vegas in October. Her “constant smile and always helpful nature” also contributed to her selection.

Mendenhall is the second woman franchisee to be acknowledged with this award and the first to win this award from the Northwest region. She has been the Franchisee of Record for the Pasco and Kennewick IHOPs for 10 years. She has been operating these restaurants since 2001 and became the owner in 2010. Susan, her husband Russ and their three children have lived in Kennewick since 1994.

• The 2019 Chefs on Parade winners were Andrew Chilton and Tanner Guy of Doggie Style Gourmet. Second place went to Chris Nokes of Hot Mess Burgers & Fries. There was a tie for third place between Paulina and Guadalupe Perez of Hot Tamales and Ron Swanby of Swampy’s BBQ Sauce & Eatery.

The People’s Favorite Chefs on Parade award went to were Megan and Jason Savely of Frost Me Sweet Bakery & Bistro.

The winners of the 2019 Parade of Homes were Gale-Rew Construction in category 1; Don Pratt Construction in category 2; Pahlisch Homes in category 3; and Gretl Crawford Homes in category 4.

The Parade of Homes and Chefs on Parade event is organized by the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities.

• The Kennewick School District’s Community Partner of the Year is Hispanic Academic Achievers Program. The nonprofit HAAP provides scholarships to Hispanic students throughout the Tri-Cities. HAAP has helped 150 students from the Kennewick School District with higher education costs through scholarships since it started in 1989. Those scholarships have totaled more than $300,000. The group also has given thousands more in scholarships to students in other Tri-City area districts.

• Marian Evenson, a principal in the firm MMEC Architecture & Interiors, which has offices in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, was recognized by the International Interior Design Association Northern Pacific Chapter for her contributions to professional Marian Evenson interior design.

She is the 2019 IN Awards professional honoree.

• For the 10th time, financial services firm Edward Jones, which has several offices in the Tri-Cities, was ranked highest in employee advisor satisfaction among financial investment firms by J.D. Power.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

57

Solo 401(k) for business owners offers tax savings

Conventional financial wisdom suggests that the first thing a person should do after building the three- to six month rainy-day fund is to maximize contributions to retirement accounts. Qualified retirement accounts offer a clear tax advantage: contributions are pre-tax, and therefore can reduce taxable income and the associated tax liability. Further, the money contributed grows tax-free until it is taken out of the account. Aside for some defined benefits plans (uncommon and outside the scope of this column), the strategy to allow a person to contribute the most dollars to retirement accounts is the 401(k). And, when the 401(k) is an “owner-only,” or a “solo,” 401(k), the advantages are even more powerful.

An owner-only 401(k) is a plan set up primarily for one person. The “one person” can be any self-employed worker without employees. This can be a consultant operating a solo consulting business. This can be a dentist or doctor or other professionals who set up their own company for independent contracting work or any other consultant operating as a solo consulting business. And, if a person has a job with a 401(k) plan already, but also has a side hustle, an owner-only 401(k) is a good option for the side job as well, although the employee would be required to aggregate the plans to not exceed the combined contribution limits.

It might seem like a relatively simple idea. But, a look into the numbers can show how powerful this device can be. For simplicity in the following examples, I will not provide age-distinction contribution numbers; all numbers are based on calendar year 2019.

An individual can contribute $6,000 a year to an individual retirement account. The simple IRA retirement

account maxes out at $13,000.

Not bad.

But, a business owner can contribute much, much more to a 401(k). The Beau Ruff overall contriCornerstone bution amount Wealth Strategies can be as high GUEST COLUMN as $56,000. A portion of this $56,000 is the “employee” contribution that is maxed out at $19,000. The remaining amount, or $37,000, is the “employer” portion or “profit-sharing” contribution. Of course, when you have a small business with no other employees, then the employer and the employee are, for all intents and purposes, one and the same.

The employer portion of the contribution is determined based on type of business entity: for sole proprietors or partnership-taxed entities (like multimember LLCs), the employer portion cannot exceed 20 percent of net selfemployment income; for corporations, the employer portion can be up to 25 percent of the W-2 wage owner compensation.

Normally, the Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax of 15.3 percent is paid on wages, half by the employer and half by the employee; however, employer contributions to 401(k) plans are not subject to this 15.3 percent tax.

But, here again, when the person is one and the same, then it results in 15.3 percent cost for the owner, or opportunity for savings with the owneronly 401(k) employer contribution.

Typically, an individual can no longer fully contribute to a Roth IRA once

he or she has income over $137,000, or $203,000 for married filing jointly.

However, when that same individual has an owner-only 401(k), then the employee can choose to contribute the employee portion to a Roth 401(k) even if otherwise ineligible for the Roth IRA. Though a Roth contribution is post-tax (a person does immediately pay income tax on the money), it grows and can be withdrawn tax-free at retirement age. The Roth election is particularly attractive for those who predict post-retirement income will be higher than current income.

One of the downsides to a traditional 401(k) is the expense associated with a third-party administrator. The TPA is responsible for reporting and processing and calculating the 401(k) plan activities. However, an owner-only 401(k) allows the owner to act as his or her own administrator and thus that cost is saved, though the plan owner may have to pay some relatively nominal administrative expenses. Further, when plans have less than $250,000, there is no requirement for the business to file an annual tax return for the plan (form 5500-EZ or 5500).

One exception to the no-employee rule mentioned above is the spouse. So, if the spouse of the owner works for the business and receives wages, then the spouse can participate in the plan and the amount saved and put into

retirement accounts could double for the couple.

I should note that a simplified employee pension IRA is another great option for retirement savings and allows for the same total contribution level as a 401(k), but because it does not have an employee contribution it requires higher income to be able to max out contributions (25 percent of the salary). Also, the SEP does not allow any Roth contributions.

As with so many things in life, proper planning is the key. Talk to your financial advisor and tax consultant to see if the owner-only 401(k) is a good fit for you. Beau Ruff, a licensed attorney, is the director of planning at Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a full-service independent investment management and financial planning firm in Kennewick.

Send us your business news news@tcjournal.biz

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

uAWARDS & HONORS • The nonprofit Project Timothy was recently selected as a winner of the 2019 Bayer Grain for Good Sweepstakes. The organization was nominated by farmer Gene Warren of Dayton. Warren was one of 10 entrants chosen to direct a donation to the organization of his choice. Project Timothy will receive $5,000. The organization, established in 1990, serves the communities of Dayton, Starbuck and Waitsburg by offering financial assistance for emergency housing, food, rent assistance, utilities, transportation and prescriptions for families in need.

• Shawn Flinders was the grand prize winner of the 2019 Rotary Mid-

Columbia Duck Race. He won a 2020 Toyota Corolla XLE donated by Toyota of Tri-Cities. This is the 15th year Toyota of Tri-Cities has donated a new Toyota vehicle to the duck race. More than 33,000 tickets were sold for the duck races this year. Proceeds from the event fund nonprofits, student scholarships and humanitarian efforts.

• Franklin County PUD’s Debbie BoneHarris received the Lacy Peoples Award for her lifetime commitment to the public power indusDebbie Bone-Harris try, communica-

tion and public involvement. The Northwest Public Power Association’s 2019 Northwest Communications & Energy Innovations Conference Planning Committee selected Bone-Harris, a public affairs manager, based on her accomplishments of at least 10 years of marketing and communication experience; at least 20 years of service to the industry; and promotion of public power through efforts such as community service.

Bone-Harris, who retires from the PUD at the end of November, has more than 35 years in the utility industry.

• The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is the recipient of two R&D 100 awards and one gold medal. The innovations awards program honors achievements in

research and development for the past 56 years, honoring pioneers in science and technology from industry, the federal government and academia. This year’s awards bring PNNL’s total to 111 since the awards’ inception. This is the first year that medalists have been included in the cohort of winners. Medalists are those technologies that demonstrated exceptional impact in one of four special recognition categories: Corporate Social Responsibility; Green Tech; Market Disruptor—Services; and Market Disruptor—Products.

PNNL was honored for its work with Xenon International, a fully-automated radioxenon monitoring system developed with Teledyne Brown Engineering, that drastically improves existing national and international radioxenon monitoring capabilities by doubling the sensitivity of today’s systems; and MLSTONES, which stands for Machine Learning String Tools for Operational and Network Security, a malware detection tool identifying neverbefore-seen malware.

The gold medal for market disruptor (services) was awarded to PNNL for its work with VaporID, a vapor-sampling device developed by PNNL that enables the detection of narcotics and explosives down to the parts-per-quadrillion level in ambient air.

• The American Institute of Family Law Attorneys has recognized Washington’s family law attorney Katherine Sierra-Kelly as 2019’s “10 best family law attorneys for client satisfaction.” Sierra-Kelley works at Gravis Law in Richland.

• The city of Hermiston received the Urban Renewal Project of the Year award for its recruitment and development of the Holiday Inn Express and support of additional downtown business expansion. The award, announced Oct. 28 by the Oregon Economic Development Association, highlights the first major project undertaken by the Hermiston Urban Renewal Agency. The 96-room Holiday Inn Express opened in January 2017 and has been a catalyst for downtown development since, encouraging local businesses to open and expand in the immediate area.

• The state Employment Security Department recognized a Hanford contractor with a Hire-A-Vet award for its efforts to employ military veterans in 2019.

Washington River Protection Solutions, a hazardous waste management company, employs 2,100 employees in the state, of which 303 are veterans.

Whenever the company has a job opening, WRPS contacts WorkSource to check for potential veteran candidates. The company also regularly participates in veteran résumé workshops, mock interview panels and veteran internship recruitment events.

Employment Security created the award to call attention to the state’s unemployed veterans and to recognize companies with a good track record of hiring, retaining and celebrating veterans in their workforce. One business winner was selected from each of the 12 workforce development areas in the state.

WorkSource places about 10,000 veterans into jobs each year. There are 514,000 veterans living in the state.

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

59

PUBLIC RECORD uBANKRUPTCIES Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings: Chapter 7 — Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up non-exempt property and debt is charged.

Chapter 11 — Allows companies and individuals to restructure debts to repay them.

Chapter 12 — Allows family farmers or fishermen to restructure finances to avoid liquidation for foreclosure.

Chapter 13 — Plan is devised by the individual to pay a percentage of debt based on ability to pay. All disposable income must be used to pay debts.

Information provided by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Spokane.

CHAPTER 7 Colleen M. Mattox, 1008 S. Alder Loop, Kennewick.

Rogelio and Armida Nunez, 2108 N. 18th Drive, Pasco.

Daniel L. Couch, 1125 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick.

Jasmine Mendoza, 4015 Hayden Lane, Pasco.

Leonardo J. and Kathy A. Hernandez, 10305 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco.

Heather M. Johnson, 261 W. SR 22, Prosser.

Jose R. Rueda, 301 NW Allen Court, Boardman, Oregon.

Micaela Nava, 1105 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick.

Apolinar and Patricia R. Tello, 620 N. Cedar Ave., Pasco.

Steven E. and Robin L. Roach, Route 2, Box 2985, Prosser and PO Box 89,

Usk. Crystal Hammond, 3902 W. 20th Ave., Kennewick.

Jeffrey Flowers, 1921 Peachtree Lane, Richland.

Oscar Verduzco, 1309 N. Addison Place, Kennewick.

Spencer N. Ebert and Jessa L. Murphree, 2300 Dallas St., Richland.

Tracy K. Roebuck, 4820 Holly Way, West Richland.

Emily Misek, 329 N. Jefferson St., Kennewick.

Willard F. Glover, 425 Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick.

Scott M. and Beth E. Kitchens, 4301 S. Lake Court, West Richland.

Lourdes Barajas, 6119 Fenway Drive, Pasco.

Nicole D. Pacheco, 1312 Symons St., Richland.

Ashley E. Nelson, 706 Adams St., Richland.

Daisy D. Salas, PO Box 5643, Pasco.

Jorge J. and Ashleigh M. Elmore, 30807 S. Quinn St., Kennewick.

Jaelynn Chaney, 733 S. Buntin St., Kennewick.

Wade A. Prantle, 560 Ione Road, Pasco.

Moses K. and Diana K. Mokuahi, 205 Bernard Ave., Richland.

Julie S. Beutler, 5722 W. 15th Ave., Kennewick.

Karen L. Haile, 12301 S. 1538 PRSW, Prosser.

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CHAPTER 13 Kimberly L. Lefcourt, 617 S. Hawthorne St., Kennewick.

George W. and Ruby M. Ide, 64308 N. River Road, Benton City.

Kyle R. Scott, 200802 E. Game Farm Road, Kennewick.

Willie C. Smith, 5806 Wallowa Lane, Pasco.

uTOP PROPERTIES

Top property values listed start at $500,000 and have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure.

BENTON COUNTY At press time, no sales over $500,000 were listed for Benton County.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Undisclosed location, 297.79 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $6,500,000.

Buyer: Port of Pasco. Seller: Balcom & Moe. 6401 Eagle Crest Drive, Pasco, 2,950-square-foot, single-family home.

Price: $525,000. Buyer: Ryan Medelez.

Seller: AJ Wade.

16413 Glade North Road, Mesa, 1,008-square-foot, single-family home on 80.7 acres of agricultural land. Price: $1,320,000. Buyer: Jody & Terrill Bailie.

Seller: Laura Bailie.

12005 Clark Fork Road, Pasco, 2,949-square-foot, single-family home.

Price: $628,600. Buyer: Jerry & Rene King. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction.

81 Alta Lane, Pasco, 1,892-squarefoot, single-family home on 1.53 acres.

Price: $655,000. Buyer: Esteban & Amber Martinez. Seller: Paul & Corlissa Pardini.

12017 Clark Fork Road, Pasco, 2,582-square-foot, single-family home.

Price: $524,100. Buyer: Lionel & Veronica Serna. Seller: Hammerstrom Construction.

Hunter Road, Pasco, 11 lots of undeveloped land. Price: $1,400,000. Buyer: Infinity Homes by P&R Construction.

Seller: Rodney & Julie Burns.

2300 N. Commercial Ave., Pasco, 6,000-square-foot, commercial building on 3 acres. Price: $720,000. Buyer: Daniel & Bonnie Ritola. Seller: Synergy Resources.

1802 Road 76, Pasco, 5.15 acres of undeveloped land. Prices: $580,000.

Buyer: Jeff & Jennifer Kelly. Seller: Frank & Sandra Votaw.

7119 W. Pearl St., Pasco, 2,734-square-foot, single-family home.

Price: $585,000. Buyer: Daniel & Jeannine Finnelly. Seller: David & Elaine Perkins.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 60

60

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

PUBLIC RECORD, From page 59

uBUILDING PERMITS

Building permit values have been rounded to the nearest hundred figure.

BENTON COUNTY MH Construction, 106010 E. Wiser Parkway, $137,600 for commercial remodel. Contractor: MH Construction.

Linda Kennedy, 2720 S. 38th Ave., $213,900 for commercial addition.

Contractor: Rogalla Construction.

Ste. Michelle Wine Estate, 194007 S. 593 PRSW, $46,700 for new commercial construction. Contractor: MH Construction.

CW109, 103612 E. Wiser Parkway, $20,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Conner Construction.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Crop Productions, 3486 Glade North Road, $24,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Renaissance.

KENNEWICK Wallace Properties, 2905 W. Kennewick Ave., $220,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Storecrafters.

MK Property Management, 3500 W. Deschutes Ave., $35,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Landmark Homes of WA. Dumas Wollochett, 6425 W. John Day Ave., $400,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Siefken & Sons Construction.

Lakeside Tri-Cities, 5100 W. Clearwater Ave., $54,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing.

Jason Wilkinson, 2055 N. Steptoe St., $175,000 for new commercial construction, $275,000 for commercial remodel, $10,000 for plumbing and $15,000 for HVAC. Contractors: Prodigy Custom Homes, Mullins Enterprises and Pancho’s Heating & Cooling.

Columbia Bible Church, 202 S. Van Buren St., $38,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: New Creation Homes.

Heatherstone, 1138 W. 10th Ave.,

$58,200 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Northwest Renewables.

Adelman Trustees, 200 S. Union St., $17,300 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: A&A Roofing Services.

DJLS Center, 1360 N. Louisiana St., $10,500 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Tri-Cities Diamond.

Wazzu Properties, 9228 W. Clearwater Drive, $160,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: CRF Metal Works.

Prefection Investment, 1914 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $18,000 for a sign. Contractor: Baldwin Sign Co. Fortunato, 6500 W. Clearwater Ave., $32,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Strata.

City of Kennewick, 210 W. Sixth Ave., $98,900 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Booth & Sons Construction.

Kennewick School District, 5929 W. Metaline Ave., $8,100,000 for new commercial construction, $229,000 for plumbing and $580,000 for HVAC. Contractors: DGR Grant Construction, McGee Plumbing and Total Energy Management.

Basmeh Investment, 325 S. Union St., $28,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: NW Canopy Structures.

Blue Bridge Properties, 402 N. Ely St., $74,500 for tenant improvements and $7,500 for plumbing. Contractors: Western Equipment Sales and Riggle Plumbing.

Two Dawgs, 4528 W. 26th Ave., $50,000 for tenant improvements and $5,300 for HVAC. Contractors: Gretl Crawford Homes and Campbell & Company.

Columbia Mall Partnership, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $29,800 for tenant improvements and $12,100 for plumbing. Contractors: owner and Riggle Plumbing.

Lakeside Tri-Cities, 5100 W. Clearwater Ave., $162,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing and Silk Road Solar.

Kennewick Truck, 900 E. Bruneau Ave., $18,200 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Flores Landscaping.

PASCO Spokane Teachers Credit Union, 5677

Road 68, $673,500 for new commercial construction. Contractor: G2 Commercial Construction.

Numerica Credit Union, 4845 Broadmoor Blvd., $13,600 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Fire Control Sprinkler Systems.

Ponchos Legacy, 419 N. Oregon Ave., $30,000 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: to be determined.

PK Villard, 5706 N. Road 68, $364,900 for new commercial construction.

Contractor: Associated Construction.

Port of Pasco, 4022 Stearman Ave., $26,300 for an antenna/tower.

Contractor: owner.

Church of God, 1915 Road 84, $148,300 for commercial addition.

Contractor: Almond Asphalt.

Hogback Sandifur, 7425 Sandifur Parkway, $15,700 for a sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

CFT Developments, 5104 Road 68, $5,000 for a sign. Contractor: Baldwin Sign Co. Shiva Associates, 1502 N. Fourth Ave., $300,000 for commercial addition.

Contractor: Top Tier Petroleum.

Walmart, 4820 Road 68, $17,300 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Retail Construction Services.

Numerica Credit Union, 4845 Broadmoor Blvd., Suite D, $53,900 for tenant improvements and $18,000 for a fire alarm system. Contractors: LCR Construction and Camtek.

Syngenta Seeds, 5516 Industrial Way, $22,600 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: The Ken Bratney Co. Port of Pasco, 2405 E. Ainsworth Ave., $14,500 for HVAC. Contractor: Americool Heating & Air. Port of Pasco, 5810 Industrial Way, $8,300 for a fence/retaining wall.

Contractor: All Seasons Construction.

Twin City Foods, 5405 Industrial Way, $8,000 for commercial addition.

Contractor: owner.

Timothy Rowell, 4225 E. B St., $13,500 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Triple J Construction.

Pasco School District, 9507 Burns Road, $143,000 for a fire alarm system.

Contractor: Moon Security.

Columbia Basin College, 2600 N. 20th Ave., $5,200 for fence/brick/retaining wall. Contractor: Frontier Fence.

Iglesia de Dios, 125 W. Bonneville St., $24,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Tri-Cities Roofing.

Port of Pasco, 3601 N. 20th Ave., $5,400 for fire alarm system. Contractor: Advanced Protection Solutions.

RICHLAND James Lawrence, 96 Wellsian Way, $53,100 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Jim Mcaloon Construction.

Port of Benton, 2920 George Washington Way, $110,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Northwest Construction Services.

Siemens Power, 2101 Horn Rapids Road, $120,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Fowler General Construction.

JJA Properties, 2478 Henderson Loop, $675,800 for new commercial construction. Contractor: CRF Metal Works.

JJA Properties, 2486 Henderson Loop, $675,800 for new commercial construction. Contractor: CRF Metal Works.

Breit Sp MF Richland, 2550 Duportail St., $89,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Royal Roofing & Siding.

Three Flames Mongolian, 1440 Jadwin Ave., Suite A, $24,400 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Royal Roofing & Siding.

Lex Richland, 2800 Polar Way, $763,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: Victory Unlimited Construction.

Energy Northwest, 345 Hills St., $130,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: owner.

Central United Protestant, 1124 Stevens Drive, $24,900 for HVAC. Contractor: Campbell & Company.

Some Bagels, 1317 George Washington Way, $15,900 for plumbing. Contractor: Roto Rooter Service.

Zenitram Properties, 1125 Aaron Drive, $900,000 for tenant improvements.

Contractor: MH Construction.

Lex Richland, 2800 Polar Way, $850,000 for new commercial construction. Contractor: Victory Unlimited Construction.

Battelle Memorial Institute, 790 Sixth St., $279,800 for new commercial construction. Contractor: DGR Grant Construction.

Redeemer Lutheran Church, 518 Thayer Drive, $7,000 for HVAC. Contractor: Bruce Heating & Air. WEST RICHLAND Ambience Homes, 175 S. 39th Ave., $41,200 for new commercial construction. Contractor: AAA Construction.

uBUSINESS LICENSES KENNEWICK Howard Home Improvement, 425 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

KIE Supply Corp., 201 N. Cedar St. Innovative Mortgage, 7015 W. Deschutes Ave., Suite B. Tri-Cities Amateur Hockey Association, 100 N. Morain St. Zoller, Authorized Franchisee of SnapOn Tools, 3013 E. Lattin Road, West Richland.

Ruff Cuts, 29807 S. Oak St. On Site Concrete, 4801 Pinehurst Drive, Pasco.

SCC2 Developments, 309 N. Delaware St. Swyft, 2811 W. 10th Ave. HDZ Construction Services, 3721 W. Jay St., Pasco.

Four Seasons Construction, 224 W. 21st Ave. Studio A Salon, 8019 W. Quinualt Ave. North Pacific Drywall, 825 S. Huntington St. Vanity Makeup and Skin, 8390 W. Gage Blvd.

Sunburst Graphics, 471 N. Washington Place.

Cobalt Electric, 6223 W. Deschutes Ave. Kareem Taxes Services, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Valhalla Design, 1017 E. Eastlake Drive.

Wikid Boutique, 319 W. Kennewick Ave. Badger Mountain Gear, 2103 S. Reed St. Solstice Solar, 4406 Kubota Lane, Pasco.

Little Caesars #211, 8530 W. Gage Blvd.

Lee Family Holdings WA, 507 N. Everett St. Hoburg Enterprises, 34601 S. 2243 PRSE. AJ & Sons Flooring, 2600 W. John Day Ave. NSA Tax & Business Services, 124-A W. First Ave. Chalkboard Enterprises, 2603 W. 41st Ave. Canyon Country Cycle, 516 E. First Ave.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 61

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019 PUBLIC RECORD, From page 60 Hurricane Butterfly Law Enforcement, 1148 Industry Drive, Tukwila.

Ramsey’s Emporium, 1018 S. Morain St. HD Properties and Management, 2114 W. First Ave. Juice G’s Barbershop, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Reda’s Furniture and Household Items, 4422 W. Clearwater Ave. Team Industrial Sales, 11917 NE 56th Circle, Vancouver.

Columbia Basin Merry Maids, 906 S. Ely St., Suite B. Roy’s Flooring & Painting, 6005 Bayview Lane, Pasco.

Revel-E, 732 N. Center Parkway.

Crow Creek Construction, 5101 NE 82nd Ave., Vancouver.

Modern Dry Wall, 9516 E. First Ave., Spokane Valley.

Genesis Satellite and Cable, 6601 W. Deschutes Ave., Suite C. Timeless Barber Studio, 8903 W. Gage Blvd.

Shellies Blessings in Colors, 5917 W. Fourth Place.

Harbor Freight Tools #3048, 2903 W. Kennewick Ave. Vine Street Partners, 516 N. Olympic Ave., Arlington.

Bond Construction, 4003 Kiger Road, West Richland.

The FGC, 3409 S. Johnson St. Gray Properties Group, 4600 W. Grand Ronde Ave. My Body for Me, 4591 S. Underwood Place.

Baldwin Sign Company, 6409 N. Pittsburg St., Spokane.

Emerald Automation Management Co., 9228 W. Clearwater Drive.

Tacos El Bonito, 222604 E. Game Farm Road.

Kate and Crew, 1011 S. Young St. Primary Residential Mortgage, 7535 W. Kennewick Ave. C. Watts Trucking, 693 S. Idaho St. Bombskeez, 2839 W. Kennewick Ave. 3DP Fab Works, 5913 W. 20th Ave. Columbia River Home Health, 7105 W. Hood Place.

At Home, 867 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

MJ Mechanical, 300 Deschutes Way SW, Tumwater.

Gargoram Landscaping, 601 S. Kent St. Husker Coug Investments, 601 N. Young St. Maharja, 8110 W. Gage Blvd.

Lourdes Occupational Health at Grandridge, 7201 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Nest Egg Real Estate, 312 S. Columbia Center Blvd.

Paramount Cleaning, 2906 S. Olympia St. Amp Electric, 9202 W. Gage Blvd.

Atwood Law Office, 1030 N. Center Parkway.

Columbia River Primary Care and Aesthetics, 5015 Lucena Drive, Pasco.

Engage Perfect Cleaning, 1204 N. Arthur Place.

WGB, 5862 W. 37th Place.

Storks Delivery Services, 511 N. Nevada St. Bristle While you Work Art Studios, 33 N. Lyle St. Adame General Construction, 832 S. Seventh Ave. Quality Carpet Services, 2023 S. Tweedt St. Gray Sage, 1601 S. Kent St. Elder Auto Sales, 228 N. Benton St. Pratt Family Enterprises, 109 Oakmont St., Richland.

Honestly Clean, 4612 S. Quincy Place.

Abundant Health Alliance, 4015 W.

Clearwater Ave. SM & M Trucking, 1501 S. Olympia Place.

Eco Baby Cloth, 3324 W. 19th Ave. Fabian Ubay Fotografia Y Video, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. Polished Home Interior Design, 2313 S. Ely St. Reis Construction, 4921 S. Benton Place.

Busy Bee Cleaners, 2906 W. Seventh Ave. Moonika Co, 8 N. Quincy St. EFC Booster Club, 8382 W. Gage Blvd.

Vanity Makeup and Skin, 126 N. Washington St., Spokane.

C&E Real Estate, 824 W. Lewis St., Pasco.

Wikid Lash & Beauty Bar, 319 W. Kennewick Ave. Handyman Etc, 2218 W. 15th Ave. Northwest Fair Contracting Association, 3311 W. Clearwater Ave. A Ruiz Construction, 116 E. Seventh Ave. LBBJ Investments, 918 W. Canal Drive.

Drake Real Estate, 102 N. Palouse St. UPS Construction, 1505 S. Coulee Vista Drive.

Sky Nails & Spa, 7411 W. Canal Drive.

RBB Real Estate, 4309 W. 27th Ave. PASCO David’s Garage Doors, 1813 N. 12th Ave. Peluqueria Letty, 613 W. Clark St. Art Your Way, 5615 Tieton Lane.

RV Mobile, 4610 Sahara Drive.

Panaderia Colima, 801 W. Clark St., Suite A. Hub Group Dedicated, 423 S. Idaho Ave. Restaurant Amor A Mexico, 528 W. Clark St. Araceli’s Jewelry Box & Accessories, 4509 Kubota Lane.

Surface Experts of Tri-Cities, 1955 Jadwin Ave., Suite 401, Richland.

D-Fence Fencing Company, 131 Heysman Road, Selah.

Crawford Interiors, 525 S. Auburn St., Kennewick.

Western General Contracting, 828 E. 15th Ave., Kennewick.

Columbia Basin Mobile Medicine, 1357 Platinum Place, West Richland.

Premier Paving and Sealcoat, 3420 128th St. E, Tacoma.

Alicia’s MM Cleaning Professionals, 69 Jadwin Ave., Richland.

Jaws Trucking, 6913 W. Henry St. Solstice Solar, 4406 Kubota Lane.

Flip Masters, 2325 Road 96.

Productos Alavarez, 526 W. Shoshone St., Suite A.

All Season Painting and Flooring, 611 S. Waldemar Ave. Golden Swans, 1320 E. Lewis St. B&B Potato, 1315 N. First Ave. Classic Touch Auto Body, 1531 W. Lewis St. D&L Roofing, 1600 W. Clark St. Lara Bee’s Honey, 2009 Road 56.

Worthington Engineering Services, 4714 Bermuda Dunes Drive.

Jumpstart Kids, 1171 Olmstead Road, Grandview.

Idalia’s Cleaning Services, 200802 E. Game Farm Road, Kennewick.

New York Barber Shop, 524 W. Clark St. Columbia River Construction, 4600 W. Fourth Court, Kennewick.

Raferty Construction, 5712 E. 250 S., Franklin, Indiana.

Willy’s Construction, 705 W. Fourth St., Wapato.

J7 General Contracting, 718 W. 25th Ave., Kennewick.

Language Works Communication, 4409 W. Brown St. Johnny’s Concrete, 407 S. Hugo Ave. Speak First, 8801 St. Thomas Drive.

Hatters Artwork, 42003 E. McWhorter Lane, West Richland.

Smart Nutrition, 310 W. Columbia St. Alderbrook Investments, 8220 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick.

Tri-Cities Concrete Pumping, 6415 Whetstone Drive.

All Assured Construction, 213 N. Oregon Ave. C&E Real Estate, 824 W. Lewis St. Wire-Tech Electric, 7110 Kau Trail.

Mwair, 4102 Stearman Ave. Lyft Washington, 185 Berry St., Suite 5000, San Francisco, California.

Sauceda’s Cleaning Services, 211 E. Franklin St., Connell.

2nd to None Roofing, 9202 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick.

Pewees, 1620 N. Road 48.

Northwest Trends of Spokane, 11315 E. Montgomery SR, Spokane.

Intermountain Drywall & Acoustical, 686 E. Riverchase Way, Eagle, Idaho.

Bombskeez, 2839 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick.

Frameright Construction, 5519 W. Umatilla Ave., Kennewick.

AJ & Sons Flooring, 2600 W. John Day Ave., Kennewick.

Zoller Authorized Franchisee on SnapOn, 3013 E. Lattin Road, West Richland.

Quality Carpet Services, 2023 S. Tweedt St., Kennewick.

Tool Tech, 888 W. Second Ave., Eugene, Oregon.

Tri-City Plastering and Detail, 25452 S. 823 PRSE, Kennewick.

All Service Asphalt, 614 N. Volland St.,

61

Kennewick.

K&MG Cleaning Services, 200802 E. Game Farm Road, Kennewick.

NC Cleaning Services, 6204 James St., West Richland.

Hurricane Butterfly Law Enforcement, 1148 Industry Drive, Tukwila.

Pratt Family Enterprises, 190 Oakmont Court.

Backflows Northwest, 12819 SE 38th St., Bellevue.

M&M Home Inspection Team, 392 Canyon Rim Court, Richland.

Magic Touch Painting, 4728 Forsythia St., West Richland.

Ecosystem Aesthetics, 2404 Sacramento Blvd., Richland.

Silver Line Transport, 411 E. Ephrata St., Connell.

Panderia Las Hermanitas, 208 W. Lewis St. C Watts Trucking, 693 S. Idaho St., Kennewick.

Gray Properties, 4600 W. Grand Ronde Ave., Kennewick.

Faux Glow, 1351 Baywood Ave., Richland.

Stix & Stones, 421 N. Sycamore St., Spokane.

Vortec, 15801 NE 92nd St., Vancouver.

The Ken Bratney Co, 1199 Shoreline Lane, Suite 310, Boise, Idaho.

Sanchez Bros Construction, 502 S. Camas Ave., Wapato.

Retail Construction Services, 11343 39th St. N., Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

WEST RICHLAND Apex Contracting & Paving, 1006 W. Bruneau Ave., Kennewick.

Bush Car Wash, 3220 Kennedy Road.

Mid-Columbia Organics, 4033 W. Van Giesen St. Sash Wedding Rentals & Custom Décor, 132 Spring St., Richland.

McClintock’s Construction, 304 E. 45th Ave., Kennewick.

PNW Environmental Consulting & Construction, 7230 W. 15th Ave., Kennewick.

Black Diamond Excavating, 4803 Saffron Court, Pasco.

Van Belle Excavating, 609 Lower County Line Road, Prosser.

D.W. Holtzclaw Mechanical, 2075 S Belmont Ave., Indianapolis, Indiana.

AMP Electric, 9202 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick.

Northwest Trends of Spokane, 11315 E. Montgomery Drive, Spokane.

American Standard Installation, 10305 Chapel Hill Blvd., Pasco.

Kleen Kut Lawns, 531 S. 38th Ave.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page 63

We rock.

Shop the full line of Haworth FERN chairs in store or online at www.brutzmans.com

We roll.

2501 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Richland, Washington

509-735-0300 www.brutzmans.com

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business • November 2019 PUBLIC RECORD, From page 61 Lexar Homes-Yakima, 2410 Terrace Heights Drive, Yakima.

Blackbear Custom Engraving, 6208 Collins Road.

Global Trac, 3205 N. Commercial Ave., Pasco.

Neat N Klean, 506 S. Juniper St., Kennewick.

Urban Range, 2204 Enterprise Drive, Richland.

KT’s Construction Services, 36603 N. Teresa Lane, Benton City.

Eugenia’s Cleaning Services, 5491 Columbia River Road, Pasco.

Galaxy Landscaping, 6006 Ochoco Lane, Pasco.

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

Antonia Velasquez, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 3.

Gloria Cardozo, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Kayla R. Noyes, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Ede Y. Rodriguez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Claudia Chavez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Julian Leal, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

William T. Hargrow, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Andrew J. Oldenburg, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Humbertina Espinosa, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Joel J. Espinoza, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Cinnomon R. Webster, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

Moriah D. Working, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 4.

CLM Development, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 9.

Lonestar Innovations, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 9.

Omega Sheet Metal HVAC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 10.

Agri-plans, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 14.

Neyda M. Perez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 18.

Francisco J. Villa Flores, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 18.

Maria R. Mendoza, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 18.

Apolinar Tello, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 18.

Jose Paulo Contreras, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 18.

Tomas C. Resendes, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 18.

Rock N Pools, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 18.

Atlas Structures, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 21.

Explore & Learn Preschool, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 21.

Guerreros Plastering and Stone, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 24.

Rendon Construction, unpaid

Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 25.

Belmont Transport, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 25.

Pasco FBO Partners, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 25.

Carefree Meats, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 21.

A&M Carpet & More, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 21.

Speedy Angeles Concrete, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Luis A. Chavez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Flores A. Lazaro, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Dwaine Owens, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 25.

Adrianna N. Salazar, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Nathaniel W. Davenport, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Christina Reyes, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Earl D. Lunders, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Daniel Gallegos, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Cristian M. Andrade, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Tyson D. Chambers, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Fernando Rosales, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Lourdes Rios, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Lucia Gonzalez, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Mario E. Santiago, unpaid Employment Security Department taxes, filed. Oct. 25.

Virginia C. Garza, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 28.

Alejandro R. Cuello, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 28.

Tri-Cities Phone Repair, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 30.

Pasco FBO Partners, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 30.

Kindra Bistro & Café, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 30.

Josue Ismael Mejia, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 31.

uLIQUOR LICENSES

Information provided by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

BENTON COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Cedars at Pier One, 355 Clover Island, Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/ wine restaurant lounge. License type: assumption.

Boiada Brazilian Grill, 8418 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only; spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge.

Application type: new.

Stick and Stone, 3027 Duportail St., Suite D, Richland. License type: beer/ wine restaurant; off premises. Application type: assumption.

Maharaja, 8110 W. Gage Blvd., Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/ wine restaurant lounge. Application type: assumption.

The Growler Guys, 110 Gage Blvd., Suite 204, Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver in/out of Washington; tavern; off premises. Application type: assumption.

Friends Corner #2, 4141 Trowbridge Blvd., Richland. License type: beer/wine grocery store. Application type: new.

The Richland Players, 608 The Parkway, Richland. License type: nonprofit arts organization. Application type: new.

APPROVED Courtyard Richland, 480 Columbia Point Drive, Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only. Application type: new.

Springhill Suite by Marriott Kennewick, 7048 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only. Application type: new.

Jet Mart Conoco, 1001 N. Volland St., Kennewick. License type: beer/wine grocery store. Application type: assumption.

Red Mountain Trails Winery, 27314 E. Ambassador PRNE, Benton City. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters.

Application type: new.

Bite at the Landing, 2701 Columbia Park Trail, Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant service bar.

Application type: new.

Wautoma Springs, 236 Port Ave., Suite C, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters; direct shipment receiver in Washington only; snack bar.

Application type: change of location.

FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Sage Brewing Company, 8425 Chapel Hill Blvd., Suite B, Pasco. License type: microbrewery; farmers market beer sales. Application type: new.

Courtyard Marriott Pasco, 2101 W. Argent Road, Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver in Washington only; hotel. Application type: new.

DISCONTINUED Xpress Mart of Pasco, 1724 W. Clark St., Pasco. License type: beer/wine grocery store.

uMARIJUANA LICENSES

Information provided by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

BENTON COUNTY NEW APPLICATIONS Akule Street, 2000 E. Straightbank Road, Suite C, Kennewick. License type: marijuana producer tier 2; marijuana processor. Application type: change of location.

63

700 George Washington Way in Richland. The business sells ice cream, coffee, gemstones and crystals and other gift items. Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday through Sunday. Contact: Facebook.

Aspire Health has opened at 8045 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite A, in Kennewick.

The business offers medically supervised weight loss programs. Hours: 8:20 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact: 509-438-8966, Facebook, aspirehealthmwm.webnode.com.

Binky Walker, LMFT has opened at 750 Swift Blvd., Suite 4, Richland. Walker is a child psychotherapist offering art and play therapy for children, teens and families. Hours by appointment. Contact: 509212-8465.

Bite at the Landing has opened at 2701 Columbia Park in Kennewick. The restaurant serves bistro style food including salads and sandwiches. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Contact: 509-7830128, cgpublichousecatering.com, Facebook.

Macs and Mallows Confectionery has opened in the Tri-Cities. The business offers macarons and marshmallow treats, custom orders and subscription boxes.

Contact: macsandmallowsconfectionery. com Elder Auto Sales has opened at 228 N. Benton St. in Kennewick. The business sell quality, pre-owned vehicles.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Contact: 509-820-3313, elderautosales. net, Facebook.

Endive Eatery has opened at 4001 Kennedy Road, Suite 16, in West Richland. The café offers a variety of soups, sandwiches, treats, espresso and many vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact: 509-579-5852, Facebook.

Express Cabinetry Co. has opened at 731 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite 126, in Kennewick. The business is a kitchen and bath contractor. Hours: 1-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday. Contact: 509-572-2025, Facebook.

Naoi Cailini Oga Wine has opened at 100821 E. Brandon Drive in Kennewick.

The winery produces a Carménère wine and a Rosé of Carménère. Contact: 509554-1010, ncowine.com.

MOVED Perfect Image Photo Labs has moved to 4096 W. Van Giesen St, Suite F, in West Richland. Contact: 509-7137224.

Sassafras Boutique has moved to 107 W. Kennewick Ave. in Kennewick.

Contact: 509-737-6222, Facebook, sassafrasboutiques.com.

APPROVED

NAME CHANGE

Sunnyside Northwest, 41305 N. Griffin Road, Grandview. License type: marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: added fees.

Nexus, 47305 S. 2066 PRSE, Suite A, Kennewick. License type: marijuana producer tier 3. Application type: added fees.

Baum’s House of Chocolates and Let’s Party have merged to become Baum’s – Chocolates, Balloons and Events at 513 N. Edison St. in Kennewick. Contact: 509-579-0770, baumscandy.com.

uBUSINESS UPDATES

Reflections Salon at 1950 Keene Road, Building R, in Richland has closed.

Yoplicity Frozen Yogurt at 4309 W. 27th Place, Suite C-101, in Kennewick has closed.

NEW BUSINESSES Amethyst Creamery has opened at

CLOSED

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Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business â&#x20AC;¢ November 2019