Journal of Business - November 2021

CELEBRATING

November 2021 Volume 20 | Issue 11

YEARS

New apartment project honors pioneering builder

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Labor & Employment

Tech manager seeks jobs for staff as company reorganizes Page A13

Business Profile

The pandemic couldn’t close book on Novel Coffee + Teas Page A34

Real Estate & Construction

A series of happy and not-so-happy accidents led Ciao Wagon to Pasco Page B1

NOTEWORTHY “It’s the highest profile corner in Eastern Washington.”

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PLEASE DELIVER TO CURRENT OCCUPANT

Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business 8524 W. Gage Blvd., #A1-300 Kennewick, WA 99336

- Britt Creer of Urban Range

The late developer Robert “Bob” Young liked to give his apartment complexes dignified names.

The Villas. Washington Square. Broadmoor.

Jadwin Stevens. Highlands.

Young, who lived in San Francisco but left a mark on the Tri-City landscape, died in 2014 at age 82.

The company he founded, once known as Robert Young and Associates, is now led by his son, Grant Young, and is still building. But it is taking a different view when it comes to naming its latest apartment project.

It plans to break ground in January on The Bob, a 192-unit apartment project at 730 SE Columbia Park Trail, near the Steptoe Street roundabout.

“That’s a good tribute to my dad. He always wanted to do things,” said Grant Young, who like his father is based in San Francisco.

His business partner, Nick Wright, is based in Richland and is leading The Bob project.

The company is partnering with SRM, a Spokane development firm, to build The Bob, which will cater to high-income renters.

Young and Wright said the name is a fun way to honor Bob Young, a longtime developer behind several apartments and other properties in the Tri-Cities, many of them the first projects of their type in the community.

The Young family bought the Columbia Park Trail property in 2005, intending to develop it. They removed a manufactured home park but plans never materialized. Today, the entrance is blocked by a pair of concrete jersey-style barriers.

Weeds and trees are overtaking the old roads, parking pads and other infrastructure.

The Bob is the company’s first new project in recent years. Wright said it is the right time and apartments were the right fit. Covid-19 has been tough on apartment owners like the Young organization. More tenants are unable to pay rent, but overall, its portfolio is doing well. uTHE BOB, Page A8

Photo by Kristina Lord Cindy Mosley-Cleary, owner of The Lady Bug Shoppe in downtown Kennewick, poses in front of her store at 304 W. Kennewick Ave., as Alicia Michaliszyn of Allusions Art & Design paints a winter scene featuring glittery red cardinals, a symbol hope — and Mosley-Cleary’s hopes for a successful shopping season.

Tri-City shopkeepers bring grit, good luck to holiday shopping season

By Wendy Culverwell and Kristina Lord editor@tcjournal.biz publisher@tcjournal.biz

Cindy Mosley-Cleary took over a gift shop in downtown Kennewick about six years ago and made it her own, packing it with charming pick-me-ups and home décor items.

She may be relatively new at owning a retail business, but she had decades of retail sales experience before then. When supply chain issues started making headlines, Mosley-Cleary knew what to do: Order, order, order.

She laid in a supply of bags, C.C. beanies, Pop Its, key chains, toys, home décor

items and more for her store, The Lady Bug Shoppe, 304 W. Kennewick Ave. Heading into the holiday shopping season, she’s hopeful Tri-Citians will shop local for the holidays, a mood that’s reflected in choice of motif she chose for her windows this holiday season.

Rather than paint a festive Christmas scene on the glass, she chose white birch trees and red cardinals.

“Hope. That’s what cardinals are,” she said.

The holiday season is in full swing and mom-and-pop shops are competing against big box retailers and the internet with a combination of charm and grit. The TriuRETAIL, Page A24

Four years ago, Carbitex bet its future on footwear – it’s paying off

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Carbitex Inc., the Kennewick tech manufacturer that turns carbon fabric into flexible carbon composites, had a choice to make when it debuted in 2012.

Its patented, flexible-yet-rigid composite material could be used in any number of products. Junus Khan, founder and chairman, had to figure out which one to target.

Four years ago, Khan and his team chose footwear.

Embedded in athletic footwear, Carbitex’s carbon composite plates provide strength and lift thanks to its capacity to transfer power from the foot to the ground.

It is a marquee addition to high-end shoes

– boots in Europe – worn by some of the world’s most elite athletes.

The footwearfocused planning, development and marketing efforts Junus Khan are paying off.

Carbitex boasts repeat orders from its stable of footwear customers, including Adidas, growing revenue, about $15 million in capital from investors across several rounds, a payroll that has grown to 50 and a new CEO. uCARBITEX, Page A4

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PASCO, WA PERMIT NO. 8778

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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Richland IT support startup acquired by Utah company

By Robin Wojtanik

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Years after a Richland entrepreneur launched a business and grew it into an established IT support provider, a Utah company has acquired it, transforming Elevate into Executech.

The service will stay local, all jobs will remain, and the former CEO of Elevate, Paul Carlisle, is proud to report that each employee “got a piece of the action” when it came to the buyout.

Carlisle will remain head of the office, assuming a new role as general manager of the Tri-Cities Executech location, effective Sept. 1.

Carlisle declined to share the sum Executech paid for the company he founded in 2005.

Carlisle said he was a leader in the in-

dustry, running his business as managed services rather than the previous model that often included working off a retainer.

Acquisition called a win Carlisle said the Executech acquisition gives him a “sense or freedom” to relinquish some of the demands that came with his former role, affording him more opportunities to work directly with customers, while increasing buying and banking power.

He said his customers benefit from the company’s sale by “greater access to robust cybersecurity and cloud tools and services,” a critical need as IT vulnerabilities often grow as quickly as those looking to exploit them.

He called the acquisition a win for “my family, my employees and my customers.”

Prior to acquiring Elevate, Executech had expanded its reach by buying managed service providers in Seattle and Spokane. Executech is backed by Evergreen Services Group, a private-equity backed company that invests in managed service providers.

“We’re excited to add the amazing talent and culture of the Elevate team to support more areas of the state,” said Executech’s CEO DJ Dorff.

Elevate’s evolution Essentially providing outsourced IT support, Carlisle launched Elevate with two employees, grew to more than 20 staffers, and then got back down to a “fighting weight” of a comfortable 12-person workforce.

The first company to receive a “Business on a Roll” award from the Tri-City

Regional Chamber of Commerce, Carlisle said the team learned to became more efficient with its systems and processes to provide the same level of support on a smaller payroll.

Over the years, Elevate bounced around locations as it outgrew each home base, but always remained in Richland, finally setting up shop at the Abadan building at 79 Aaron Drive.

Today, Carlisle’s employees mostly work remotely, or travel directly to the client.

Carlisle said his team responded quickly to a rapidly changing landscape at the start of the pandemic, “because it’s the nature of who we are.”

Elevate employees began teleworking before it was mandated and had prepared

uEXECUTECH, Page A33

WSU Tri-Cities launches new entrepreneur mentorship program

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Washington State University Tri-Cities has launched a new Entrepreneurs in Residence program to provide students with direct connections to successful entrepreneurs for mentorship opportunities.

Through the program, students can meet with entrepreneurs to receive free advice, coaching and networking connections for potential partnerships.

Regional entrepreneurs Christina Lomasney and Paul Carlisle are excited to launch the program.

“We see an opportunity to build a pipeline of future entrepreneurs starting on the WSU Tri-Cities campus,” Lomasney said.

Both Carlisle and Lomasney will spend regular time at WSU Tri-Cities, where in addition to working with business and other classes on campus, they will meet with

students and student groups.

Carlisle, a graduate of the WSU Tri-Cities Carson College of Business, will lead the program. He’s the founder of Elevate, a technology support company, recently sold to a Utah-based tech company. (See related story on this page.)

He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Carson College of Business, as well on the WSU Tri-Cities Carson College of Business advisory council.

“Over the past 11 years, I have taught entrepreneurial courses around management, marketing and strategy,” he said.

“We look to build on the decade of successful coursework in those areas to create wider-reaching pathways that engage students where they are. For example, a young undergraduate, a graduate engineering student and a seasoned business professional would all have a place at the table to access

what they need to succeed on their unique journeys.”

Lomasney is an advisor to companies in the energy, transportation, defense and manufacturing sectors. She is a registered patent agent and volunteers as a board director on the state’s main initiative to secure critical material supply chains, JCDREAM.org.

Lomasney, who will volunteer her time in the program, co-founded Modumetal and served as the company’s president and CEO until 2020.

For more information, go to tricities.wsu.edu/entrepreneurs-in-residence.

Courtesy WSU Tri-Cities Regional entrepreneurs Christina Lomasney, left, and Paul Carlisle have signed on to serve as mentors in Washington State University Tri-Cities’ new Entrepreneurs in Residence program. The program aims to connect students to these successful entrepreneurs for coaching and connections.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 CARBITEX, From page A1

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– UPCOMING – DECEMBER Energy | Year in Review JANUARY Legal | Architecture & Engineering

– CORRECTION – The Port of Benton bonded $4 million to build the Hanford History project and created space for the new hangars at the Richland Airport. Incorrect information appeared in the Focus: Construction + Real Estate magazine inserted into the October edition of the Journal.

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.

It even put its highest profile shoe to date, the Adidas model formerly known as the X Ghosted, on Argentine soccer legend Leo Messi.

The X Ghosted was rebranded in his honor.

Kahn called it the culmination of four years of effort to promote its carbon comRob Langstaff posite as a key component for high performance footwear. In addition to Adidas, it supplies a broad array of footwear manufacturers, including Scott, DC Shoes and Lake Cycling.

The roster is growing, though Khan said he could not announce anything concrete.

But tellingly, its existing clients have all reordered and are using Carbitex in a growing number of applications, including running shoes, bike shoes and more.

Khan said outdoor footwear is a growing category.

Courtesy Carbitex Carbitex Inc., based in Kennewick, makes high tech carbon composite plates that boost the performance of high-end athletic footwear. The company has a new CEO and is expanding its production capabilities after a series of funding rounds.

right fit.

He has held high level development roles at Brooks Running and more recently, at Portland-based Keen Footwear. He is commuting from his Willamette Valley home to Carbitex’s east Kennewick quarters.

For Khan, Langstaff’s footwear background is important. But so too is his work to develop regional offices. A young but growing company needs a leader who understands how to build bandwidth.

“Rob has done it for large company regional offices and on his own,” Khan said.

“We really lucked out.”

Langstaff is not the only new addition. In January, Khan announced two new executives. Erika Canfield joined as vice president of global marketing, and Clark Morgan, as director of global footwear business development.

Carbitex gains a foothold Carbitex posted a five-fold increase in revenue in 2020 and is set to double again this year. It doesn’t disclose revenue, but in a 2016 notice to the Securities and Exchange Commission it said sales totaled less than $1 million.

Today, employment is up to 50. Khan expects that to rise to 200 in coming years.

In its most recent SEC disclosure, filed in September, it reported $6.3 million in new equity investments, its second round this year.

A month later, it welcomed a new CEO, Rob Langstaff, a former Adidas North America president, who succeeded longtime CEO Ron Boninger, who retired.

Welcoming a new CEO Khan spent half a year searching for a CEO who would take Carbitex to the next level Courtesy Carbitex after Boninger The Adidas X Speedflow 1 includes announced Carbitex-made carbon composite plans to retire. plates in the sole. Argentine soccer Khan said legend Leo Messi endorsed the $250plus “football boot.”

Langstaff is the

Both have long backgrounds in the industry and developing brands. They join a team that includes Dave Lajeunesse, director of operations, and Tom De Shiell, principal engineer.

Partnering with Leo Messi Adidas, the German-based sneaker brand, released its $250-plus X Ghosted “football boot” in 2020 with Carbitex composite plates embedded in the front sole.

The technology reportedly helps soccer players push off the ground and was such an important part of the package that Adidas made the outline of the plate visible on the sole.

Messi, one of the worlds’ most successful and highest paid athletes, signed on and the X Ghosted was rebranded as the X Speedflow.1 and given a colorful makeover.

It is an unqualified win, Khan said.

“It has been an awesome success for Adidas and for us as well. We are one of if not the featured technologies in that boot,” Khan said.

Adidas released a pared-down “.3” version that sells for less than $100. The .3 doesn’t have the Carbitex plate in the heel, but it does feature the outline on the sole.

Private investors Carbitex continues to turn to private investors to support growth, which includes expanding manufacturing capacity.

It opened a second facility near its first in Kennewick and is outfitting a third.

Since 2016, it has raised about $15 million in equity investments, according to disclosures to the SEC. The latest round was reported in September and includes a contribution from Richland’s Fuse Fund, where Boninger, the retired CEO, is a leader.

The three manufacturing facilities in Kennewick are within a mile of one another. Khan said the arrangement will work for the time being. But he expects to consolidate in a single facility in as soon as two years.

He said the company is developing a new strategic plan under its new CEO. Search Carbitex: 1426 E. Third Ave., Building B, Kennewick; carbitex.com.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 uBUSINESS BRIEFS 2 restaurants tie for best tacos in Pasco Taco Crawl

Trejo’s Mexican Restaurant and Super Quesadilla Gigante, both in Pasco, tied as winners in this year’s Taco Crawl, both receiving the “Best Taco in Pasco” award.

More than 8,000 tacos were consumed during the fifth annual event, which ran from Oct. 1-16.

The event was canceled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The tacos in Pasco are absolutely the best. Yes, the best, the best …. they are just awesome,” said Mike Gonzalez, Pasco’s economic development manager.

Trejo’s at 1833 W. Court St. won the Best Taco title in 2019.

Super Quesadilla Gigante at 220 N. 18th Ave., #102, was a newcomer to the Taco Crawl this year.

Participants buy a booklet with coupons for tacos at 20 different taquerias and are encouraged to make tasting notes before casting a vote for their favorite.

The event is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties.

To be notified about next year’s crawl, sign up for alerts at PascoTacoCrawl.com or follow @PascoTacoCrawl on Facebook.

SBA lending tops $1 billion in Washington state, region

More than 1,700 small businesses in Washington and northern Idaho secured nearly $1.3 billion in funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Seattle District office in the federal fiscal year that ended in October.

The Seattle District office serves Washington state, excluding four counties that are part of the Portland District, and northern Idaho.

“With an SBA guarantee, many more local businesses gained access to financing that otherwise wouldn’t be attainable.

We’re grateful to our local lending partners for working together with us to recover and grow the economy through the strength of small businesses. And, for making us one of the Top 10 markets in the nation for SBA lending,” said Kerrie Hurd, SBA Seattle district director, in a press release.

Franklin County farm fined for illegal water use

The Washington Department of Ecology has issued a $304,000 penalty to Frank Tiegs LLC for illegally irrigating 250 acres of crops in Franklin County in 2021.

As part of its investigation, Ecology found Tiegs LLC tilled the unfarmed land and planted a crop in early 2021 and began irrigating from McNary Pool in March. McNary Pool is part of the Snake River where it meets the main stem of the Columbia River.

During the summer, Ecology inquired about the water use. Tiegs representatives acknowledged the irrigation error and have committed to find a legal water supply for the 2022 irrigation season. The illegal water use threatened stream flows on the Columbia and Snake rivers – critical rivers for salmon and steelhead, the state said.

This year was one of the driest and warmest on record for Washington with stream flows and fish passage already compro-

mised, the state said.

Since 1993, the Columbia River has been managed under a rule that requires mitigation for new surface water withdrawals. The mitigation must replace or offset the water used under a new right.

Ecology has spent significant time and money to develop programs to make water available to offset new water use for cities, industries and irrigated farms.

The penalty can be appealed to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.

Hanford contractor sponsors Visit Tri-Cities campaign Central Plateau Cleanup Co. has agreed to sponsor a Visit Tri-Cities initiative to highlight the area’s quality of life.

The “Life is good in the Tri-Cities!”

campaign will focus on marketing the Tri-Cities to Tri-Citians and aims to promote local tourism businesses.

“Who do we turn to when asking for recommendations? Friends and family.

Deepening the community’s appreciation for the place we call home creates brand ambassadors for the Tri-Cities,” said Michael Novakovich, president and CEO of the tourism promotion agency.

Go to VisitTri-Cities.com.

Enrollment opens for Washington tuition program

Washington state’s Guaranteed Education Tuition program, known as GET, is open for new enrollments through May 31, 2022.

The program allows families to save

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for future college costs with units priced at $114.01, the lowest since the 2018-19 year.

Unit prices match the payout value, which is based on the cost of tuition and state-mandated fees at Washington’s highest-priced public university, which is currently the University of Washington Tacoma.

As a 529 prepaid tuition plan, the state guarantees that a family’s GET savings will keep pace with in-state college tuition and fees. The program, started in 1998, has distributed more than $1.3 billion to more than 60,000 students attending college in all 50 states and 15 countries.

Go to wastate529.wa.gov.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

DATEBOOK NOV. 18

• Ask the Experts: “Cybersecurity Best Practices for Businesses”: 10:30 a.m., via Zoom.

Details at tricityregionalchamber. com/events.

• Ben Franklin Transit: “Disadvantaged Enterprise Outreach & upcoming Procurement Projects”: 10-11 a.m.

Details at bft.org.

• “Whiskey and Wiretaps: The Northwest’s Rumrunning King,” presented by Steve Edmiston: 7 p.m., Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive, Richland. Details at cbcartscenter.com.

• Columbia Basin Badger Club, “Anatomy of a Disaster”: Noon1:15 p.m. via Zoom. Details at cbbc. clubexpress.com.

NOV. 19

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

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

NOV. 20

• United Way’s fourth annual Festival of Trees: 6 p.m., Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick.

Tickets available at uwbfco.org/ festival- trees-2021.

NOV. 23

• STCU virtual workshop, “Prevent Fraud and Identity Theft”: 6-7 p.m. Register at stcu. org/learn.

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

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

NOV. 25

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

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

NOV. 26

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

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

NOV. 30

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

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

DEC. 3

• Historic Downtown Kennewick Network Zoom Breakfast: 8-9 a.m. Details at historickennewick.org/networkbreakfasts.

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

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

DEC. 7

• STCU virtual workshop, “Budgeting 101”: 6-7 p.m. Register at stcu.org/learn.

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

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

DEC. 9

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

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

DEC. 10

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

Facebook.com/tcdevcouncil.

DEC. 14

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

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

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

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

OPINION

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Honoring fallen heroes goes OUR VIEW beyond lowering flags to half-staff Shop local: Main Street is more Lowering our flags to half-staff seems the brutal Taliban take to be an all too familiar sight these fun than clicking ‘buy now’ over the country days. It is a solemn act that recognizes

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Stories highlighting the need to shop early for the holidays as supply chain issues clog the path from factory to store shelves have been grabbing headlines since September.

With the arrival of Christmas with the next flip of the calendar page, there’s an easy solution to avoid supply chain issues.

Head to your local retail stores in the Tri-Cities.

Stores in downtown Kennewick and Pasco, and Richland’s Uptown Shopping Center and The Parkway offer options galore for holiday shopping, from the quirky and sublime to the bookish, tasty and traditional. And options aren’t limited to these shopping districts – they can be found around the Tri-Cities.

Retailers trumpet Small Business Saturday, which falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year it’s Nov. 27.

But there’s no reason you can’t also shop at local stores in the days leading up to Christmas.

The antique stores in the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland — Hunt & Gather Antiques and Vintage, Patina, Ragtime and Uptown Antique Market — banded together to offer a “Vintage Christmas Market” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 4. Santa will make the rounds between the stores, which will be decked out for Christmas and each store will give away a gift basket.

Paul and Cheryl Ziemer, owners of Hunt & Gather, say shoppers often tell them they like being able to shop locally at stores like theirs.

Cindy Mosley-Cleary, owner of The Lady Bug Shoppe in downtown Kennewick, agreed, saying she hopes to see a good turnout on Small Business Saturday as the winter months after Christmas are the slowest of the year.

In addition to supporting local stores owned by those who live in our community, there are other benefits: lines typically are shorter and the customer service terrific.

Supporting local businesses also has a ripple effect in our community. By supporting local businesses, we allow those businesses to support area nonprofits through sponsorships and donations.

These businesses also pay taxes which return to our local governments so they can support important services.

Busy families and tired workers might argue it’s easier, more convenient and sometimes cheaper to shop online. But wandering into local shops and discovering the perfect gift for someone you love is an experience that can’t be replicated with a few taps on a keyboard or smartphone.

Shop local, spend local – and we’d love it if you continue to read local, too – and you’ll be supporting the backbone of our community and its hard-working entrepreneurs.

our fallen heroes, whether they be men and women in our armed forces or a Vancouver police officer killed in the line of duty. It is a vivid reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who serve us.

Unfortunately, after those flags return to the top of the pole and time passes, we tend to forget that the suffering for the friends and families continues.

The loneliness, financial stress and emotional strain lives on. That is when those husbands, wives, sons, daughters and parents need our comfort and help the most. Hopefully, during this past Veterans Day, we did not only pause and remember but went the extra step to help those grieving families.

America’s war on terror didn’t end with our abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan this summer. The war won’t be won like World War II with a massive invasion of Normandy and a march across Europe to Berlin.

Rather, there are continued daily battles where the enemy mixes with civilians and ambushes people, explodes roadside bombs, and drives vehicles packed with explosives into mosques, busy markets and military encampments.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, our country has been immersed in a war against terrorists. We cleansed Afghanistan from Al-Qaida and then watched

with minimal resistance. We unwisely gave them our strategically vital high tech Bagram Air Don C. Brunell Force Base and Business analyst billions in adGUEST COLUMN vanced military equipment for which American taxpayers paid.

We sent the 82nd Airborne and Marines to tight quarters at the Kabul airport and airlifted thousands to safer places.

In the process, 13 brave Americans in uniform were killed by a suicide bomber. Then, we paused to watch the returning flag-draped coffins come home to Dover Air Force Base – but didn’t hear much about wounded from that brazened assault. Now, we go about our daily routines, but the suffering and anguish lasts.

Consider the story of Father Tim Vakoc, a Catholic priest severely injured in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq in May 2004. He was returning from saying Mass in the field when shrapnel from the explosive ripped through his vehicle and lodged in his brain.

Vakoc, who grew up near Minneapolis, became an Army chaplain in 1996.

After assignments in Germany and uBRUNELL, Page A10

Protect your health, roll up sleeve and get a flu shot Shorter days and cooler temperatures are tell-tale signs that autumn has arrived.

Unfortunately, another sign of the season is the beginning of increased flu activity. Flu season can last from autumn to as late as May, peaking between December and February.

According to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last year’s flu cases were historically low, thanks in large part to widespread practice of safety measures to combat Covid-19.

With less common practice of those measures over the past several months, we could see an uptick in flu cases similar to prior years’ levels. That potential – along with the continuing pandemic – makes it even more important that we each do what we can to minimize our risk, protect our health and protect the health of those around us.

Getting vaccinated against the flu is a vitally important way to fight it.

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by Kena Chase influenza viruses Lourdes Health and can cause GUEST COLUMN mild to severe illness and even lead to death in certain situations.

Everyone is susceptible to the flu, but individuals with a greater risk of developing complications from these viruses include children younger than five years old, adults 65 and older, pregnant women, residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and those with certain medical conditions like asthma, heart disease and blood disorders.

First – and most importantly – get vaccinated.

Flu vaccination is the single best way to protect yourself from influenza viruses.

While it is Dena still possible to Putnam-Gilchrist contract the flu Trios Health after getting vacGUEST COLUMN cinated, studies show that vaccinations can make your illness less severe if you do get sick. Getting vaccinated also affords you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself against the flu.

The CDC recommends annual flu vaccinations for everyone 6 months and older. If you are considering a nasal

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spray flu vaccine, it is important to know that this option is approved by the CDC for use in non-pregnant individuals, ages 2 through 49, and that there is a precaution against this option for those with certain underlying medical conditions.

Talk with your health care provider regarding which flu vaccination method works best for you.

Flu vaccines can take two weeks to become fully effective, so you should plan to receive your flu vaccine before flu activity begins in your area.

You can visit the Benton-Franklin Health District, a walk-in clinic or pharmacy, or your primary care provider’s office to receive one.

In addition to getting vaccinated, there are other simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family, and help prevent the spread of flu and other

uFLU SHOT, Page A10

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 THE BOB, From page A1

Courtesy Nick Wright The Bob will honor the late Robert “Bob” Young, a Tri-City apartment developer who died in 2014. Construction on the 192-unit Class A apartment project begins in early 2022.

The company owns Washington Square One and Jadwin Stevens in north Richland and Pasco’s Broadmoor apartments, developed in 2004.

Wright said SRM suggested “The Bob.” It is a longtime partner and built the Broadmoor, a 252-unit garden-style project at 10305 Chapel Hill Blvd., shortly before the elder Young’s death.

“We were just tossing names around and said, ‘What about The Bob?’ It sounds unique and cool and will be a throwback to Bob Young,” he said.

Grant Young is pleased to honor his father and wants to incorporate his memory into what he said will be an architecturally modern project with metal, wood and other industrial design touches.

The developers say they were inspired by the success of Park Place, the “urban” apartment project that recently opened near the entrance to Howard Amon Park in Richland.

Wright said Park Place gave the team confidence to proceed by proving there is a local appetite for top-tier rental units.

Park Place was famously delayed for several years while the Crown Group, its city-selected developer, struggled to secure a loan to build it.

Wright declined to disclose potential rents for The Bob but noted Park Place filled easily. It is advertised at $1,350 to $2,300 per month on apartments.com.

“As soon as Park Place got occupancy, it filled pretty quickly at pretty high rents.

Obviously with the Amazons and all the other big businesses coming to town and the housing shortage, we feel confident,” he said.

The project was submitted for review under the state’s Environmental Protection Act, or SEPA, and is being finalized to submit to the city of Richland for building permits. It is being designed in house, Wright said.

Construction could begin as early as next spring and will take 18 to 20 months to complete. The Bob will be managed

by Prodigy Property Management, which oversees other Young-owned properties in the Tri-Cities.

The five-building complex will include a mix of 18 studio units, 90 one-bedrooms and 84 two bedrooms. It will have covered parking, a pool and clubhouse.

The top-floor units will offer views over the Port of Benton railroad spur to the Yakima River Delta area. The driveway will be on Columbia Park Trail, with a new left-turn lane planned to improve access.

The local apartment vacancy rate stood at just 1%, according to a spring survey by the University of Washington’s Center for Real Estate Research.

uBUSINESS BRIEF Celebrated Benton City winemaker dies at age 63

Stacie Hamilton, a Benton City resident who established the celebrated Hamilton Cellars with her husband Russ Hamilton in 2006, died Oct. 8 in Richland. She was 63.

Hamilton was a Washington State University alumna who, prior to becoming a winemaker, worked as a Tri-City accountant and then financial advisor, establishing Hamilton Fisher Wealth Management with her brother, Brad Fisher.

Hamilton Cellars is an influential member of the Red Mountain wine community, where she was remembered for lending her expertise and support to her fellow businessowners. Born in Richland, she graduated from Kamiakin High School and served in the Army before college.

Her family suggests donations in her memory to the WSU Tri-Cities Carson College of Business Scholarship Fund and/or the Wine Science Center Excellence Fund.

Services were held Oct. 27 at Einan’s at Sunset in Richland.

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FLU SHOT, From page A7 infections like Covid-19 during flu season and year-round, including: • Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol based.

• Wear a face mask in indoor, public spaces.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

• Avoid sharing food, cups or eating utensils.

• Regularly disinfect your home and belongings, such as doorknobs, light switches, children’s toys and play areas.

• Stay home from school or work if you are sick.

• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing with a tissue, your sleeve or elbow, and NOT your bare hands.

• Call your primary care provider with any questions.

If you or someone you know notices symptoms including coughing, sore throat, fever or other upper respiratory symptoms, please see your health care provider right away.

Many of the most common symptoms of flu are consistent with Covid-19, so it may be hard to tell the difference between them. Testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis.

Don’t ignore your symptoms. Limit your contact with others as much as possible when symptoms appear, and

stay home (or keep your child home) for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone, except to seek medical care.

The good news is that when you act on your symptoms, visit a provider and flu is detected early, prescription antiviral drugs can often help treat the illness and shorten the time you are sick by one or two days.

For additional information about the 2021-22 flu season, go to the CDC website at cdc.gov/flu or contact the Benton-Franklin Health District at 509460-4200. Kena Chase and Dena Putnam-Gilchrist are the chief nursing officers for Lourdes Health and Trios Health, respectively.

BRUNELL, From page A7 Bosnia, he had a brief stop at Fort Lewis before heading to Iraq in 2003. I met Vakoc at the Main Post Chapel and got to know him. Just before he was deployed, we went to a Mariners game. We talked about taking in another game when he returned.

After he was wounded, his family kept a vigil at his bedside. After five years in a coma, he miraculously awoke and appeared on the road to recovery. Then on June 20, 2009, he unexpectedly died.

Vakoc is but one of thousands of similar stories. Unfortunately, we can’t wave a magic wand and make the terrorists disappear. The reality of today’s world is there will be more attacks on Americans, innocent civilians and people of all faiths – or no religious affiliation.

Our countrymen and women will continue to put on their military and police uniforms and put themselves in harm’s way.

The tragic truth is more will die and suffer lifelong injuries and disabilities. We must not forget the sacrifices they make to keep us safe and free.

So while Nov. 11 will come and go, as will Memorial Day, hopefully, we will not only pause to remember but commit to support and befriend our troops, police officers and their families. It is the least we can do. Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at theBrunells@msn.com.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS WSU Tri-Cities partners with BMCC

Washington State University TriCities is making easier for students at Hermiston’s Blue Mountain Community College to transfer to the Richland campus.

Bridges, its new direct student transfer programs, will save students on the cost of admissions application fees and improves the pathway to careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Students work with academic advisors at both schools to develop a complete program of study, which ensures the students know what classes then need to take and what will directly transfer.

“We are excited to partner with Blue Mountain Community College to create access to a baccalaureate degree for more students,” said Sandra Haynes, chancellor, WSU Tri-Cities.

To be eligible, students must have taken less than 45 quarter credits at BMCC and maintain a 2.5 or higher grade-point average. They must in the process of completing one of the qualifying degrees.

The application deadline for fall 2022 is Jan. 31.

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Veterans Court is changing lives in Benton County. Will Franklin follow?

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Judge Dan Kathren expected miracles in 2019, when Benton County launched a special court to help veterans charged with crimes turn their lives around.

Forty veterans and 20 graduates later, he has not been disappointed.

“It’s absolutely doing what we were hoping it would,” said Kathren, a seasoned Benton County District Court judge who oversees cases involving military veterans charged with driving under the influence, assault and other crimes.

Participants have their cases diverted to therapy court in exchange for stipulating to the charges and agreeing to enter therapy and be mentored by fellow veterans.

Qualifying veterans regularly appear in court and meet with case workers – weekly at first, then every two weeks, then three and finally four. It takes at least a year and sometimes far longer to graduate.

Along the way, participants meet with mentors from Columbia Basin Veterans Center and are signed up for VA (Veterans Affairs) benefits if they’re eligible.

If they aren’t eligible because they weren’t honorably discharged, the program helps them tap into non-VA services.

The idea is to address the underlying issues that land some veterans in court to start with – post traumatic stress disorder, brain injuries, military sexual assault and more.

Kathren described stunning outcomes,

even among participants with decades of criminal experience. He said the recidivism rate is about 5%, a small fraction of the number of defendants who return with new charges in traditional courts.

“What we’re really seeing, and what gives us confidence, is seeing people transforming their lives, coming into the program one way and leaving as a completely different person,” he said.

“We’ve seen some people nobody ever expected to change make just massive changes and completely turn their lives around. We’ve seen it multiple times in the 40 people we’ve had in this program so far.

It’s really incredible and it’s really obvious it’s working.”

Modeled on a similar court in Spokane, the goal is to support veterans through the court process, to help them avoid losing jobs and homes. Most are charged with misdemeanors though the court has accepted some felony cases.

To date, it has handled driving under the influence, assault and some theft cases.

It handles possession cases and although many defendants are eligible to have the charges dismissed thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling, participants opted to keep pursuing the Veterans Court program – a point of pride for both Kathren and Ryan Washburn, a Navy veteran and case manager.

Veterans Court is a cousin to the therapeutic courts that hear drug and mental health-related cases in Benton Franklin Superior Court. Like Veterans Court, they

aim to treat the root causes of crime with therapy and accountability.

While Drug Court and Mental Health Court are available to eligible offenders in both counties thanks to the bi-county Superior Court system, Veterans Court is limited to Benton County defendants.

It is housed in District Court rather than the bicounty Superior Court.

Funding comes from Benton County’s voter-approved public safety sales tax, which supports law enforcement and crimefighting activities.

Franklin County did not participate when it started Courtesy Benton County up. That could be chang- Benton County District Court Judge Dan Kathren, ing. left, and Ryan Washburn, case manager for Veterans Benton County agreed Court, say the therapeutic court for veterans to accept a Franklin Coun- accused of crimes is turning lives around. Franklin ty case at the request of the County is piloting a test case that supporters hope Franklin County Prosecu- will lead to the program expanding there too. tor Shawn Sant. Sant felt “I hope this will be able to operate in a a defendant would benefit longer-term fashion as we gain qualifying from the therapeutic approach and reached participants and interest. We are requesting across the river to see if something could funding for the one slot now and hopefully be worked out. will develop a long-term option for FrankIf it succeeds, Sant hopes it could lead lin County participants.

I fully support this to bringing Veterans Court to Franklin County. uVETERANS COURT, Page A19

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LABOR & EMPLOYMENT

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Work wanted: Tech manager seeks jobs for staff as company reorganizes

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

A profitable Kennewick technology business is being closed by its parent as part of a global reorganization blamed on the pandemic.

Bruker Inc. is merging Bruker’s Nano Handheld-Mobile Portable XRF unit, which employs about 50, with a sister company in Berlin and closing the office at the end of December. It is shifting its work to Europe, Malaysia and the Midwest.

John Landefeld, executive vice president and managing director for Bruker’s Nano HMP business, is taking the unusual step of sharing the company’s story before it disappears.

He wants Tri-Citians to know Bruker’s Kennewick business was and is a success and that it is being merged, not closed. He wants area employers to know it has 33 physicists, engineers, technicians, software developers, marketers and other employees whose jobs are affected by the move.

He has made it his goal to ensure they have new ones by January.

Bruker hasn’t formally announced the move. A June presentation to investors indicated it is cheaper to operate in Malaysia.

Officially, Boston-based Bruker is sending production to Penang Malaysia, engineering to Germany, R&D to Italy and customer service to Wisconsin.

Landefeld intends to retire but most of the Kennewick employees want to stay in the Tri-Cities.

“I’ve just made it a personal mis-

“We’re sad to see it go too. I feel like it’s my baby. I spent 20 years building this thing.”

– John Landefeld,

executive vice president and managing director, Bruker Inc. sion for me and my team to help my staff,” he said.

Landefeld and the Kennewick team will work through December to meet production goals for the Bruker’s handheld scientific devices, which provide instant analysis of the elemental content of whatever they’re pointed at – machine parts, scrap metal, marine oil, consumer products, soils, archaeological material and even fine art.

Its fine arts business is a key line for Bruker and one that happened by accident.

Art curators seated next to Bruker representatives at a conference were intrigued by the technology they described and recognized it could be helpful in analyzing artwork in conservation labs.

Landefeld said he could not share stories from its museum clients, but said its devices have helped unmask forgeries, identify unearthed finds and guided

Courtesy Bruker Inc. John Landefeld, executive vice president and managing director, Bruker Inc., holds a device that provides instant analysis of the elemental content of whatever it is pointed at: machine parts, scrap metal, marine oil, consumer products, soils, archaeological material and even fine art. Bruker is closing its Kennewick business as part of a global reorganization, and Landefeld hopes to help his staff find jobs elsewhere.

conservation efforts.

Its scanners show up frequently on The History Channel, he said.

“There’s been amazing stories of stuff that was found to be counterfeit or uBRUKER, Page A14

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BRUKER, From page A13 just the opposite,” he said.

Since Bruker shared plans to close the Kennewick shop, Landefeld said he’s divided his time between managing production and meeting with local business leaders to ensure the talented team have opportunities after their jobs end.

WorkSource is involved and the shop applied for federal retraining funds for workers displaced by layoffs. He is encouraged by the response but still promoting the message to the community.

He said about 10 employees have jobs lined up and a few more plan to leave the area or go back to college.

A storybook ending Bruker’s departure from Kennewick is not entirely unexpected, but is still a

sad ending for a storied success.

It launched as KeyMaster Technologies in 2000 with technology that traces its roots to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and private equity funding the founders secured through a contact at General Electric.

Landefeld said the investors didn’t care where the business was located.

KeyMaster and its competitors were pioneering a new approach to material testing that didn’t involve massive labbased equipment. Better still, its mini X-ray tubes did away with radiation.

The investors were intrigued and bought into KeyMaster expecting to sell it within a few years.

Landefeld said Kennewick was a good place to launch. It was able to

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT

recruit scientists, including physicists, engineers and software developers, and the other employees it needed.

With price tags of $20,000 to $30,000, its scanners aren’t for consumer use. But they’re a bargain compared to the time and cost of sending materials to labs for testing and the results are comparable.

Bruker bought KeyMaster in 2006 and eventually rebranded it, but left it in Kennewick as a standalone business.

Landefeld always expected Bruker to relocate the business. He’s grateful it remained in Kennewick for more than 15 years and is philosophical about the plans to close it.

“I always assumed this might happen someday,” he said, adding, “We had a

great run.”

“We’re sad to see it go too. I feel like it’s my baby. I spent 20 years building this thing,” he said.

Bruker Inc. reported a strong rebound in demand in 2021 after a soft 2020 in its Nov. 1 quarterly earnings report. The company reported its third quarter revenue grew more than 19% to $609 million and for the first nine months of the year, revenue grew 27.5% to $1.7 billion.

It said strong demand for its scientific instruments contributed to its performance.

To reach Bruker to share potential employment opportunities, email marketing.hmp@bruker.com.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

to case backlogs. The county said it has had “little to no response” to its attempts to recruit new hires.

Benton public defenders office is losing attorneys

The Benton County Office of Public Defense, which provides legally mandated defense services to people charged with crimes, has lost at least 10 attorneys since early 2020.

Eric Hsu, public defense manager, updated the county commission on the status of the office during a November meeting. No action was taken.

Hsu reports that of the 10 attorneys who left since January 2020, 80% were qualified to represent defendants charged with the most serious crimes, Class A felonies, which includes homicides.

Their replacements are not always eligible for such cases, leading to heavy caseloads for the few who are.

Hsu blamed low wages and burnout for the situation, which is contributing

IRS: Pension fund tax status unaffected by older workers Hiring or rehiring retirees won’t affect the tax status of employers’ pension plans.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a reminder that the tax status of pension plans is not affected if employers who rehire retirees or permit distributions of retirement benefits to current employees who have reached age 59½ or the plan’s normal retirement age.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, many employers, including governmental employers, such as public school districts, are looking for ways to encourage retirees to return to the workforce to fill open positions and experienced employees to stay on the job.

Go to go.usa.gov/xeY7j.

No paywall at tcjournal.biz

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT

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Supply chain, labor shortage pose big challenges for state manufacturers More than a year-and-a-half into the pandemic, it’s clear that Washington manufacturers are contending with two issues that appear likely to remain with us for some time: supply chain disruption and a growing labor shortage.

Those two issues came up at nearly every stop during the Association of Washington Business’ annual bus tour of the state’s manufacturers in October.

And we saw evidence firsthand as the bus crossed from Bremerton to Seattle as container ships sat anchored in Puget Sound.

The AWB bus tour visited more than two dozen locations throughout Washington. It stopped at manufacturing companies, high school and college technical programs that are preparing the next-generation workforce, and sites like Rocky Reach Dam near Wenatchee and the Wild Horse Wind & Solar Facility near Vantage that are helping to provide with the low-cost, reliable energy that has long been one of our main competitive advantages.

The aim of the tour was to highlight the importance of Washington’s manufacturing sector, which currently employs 305,000 women and men in good-paying careers and to call attention to the state’s goal of doubling the size of the sector in 10 years.

As always, it also served as a great reminder of the diversity of Washington’s manufacturing sector.

We saw large employers like Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Vigor.

We visited Jubilant HollisterStier, a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Spokane that’s played a critical role in every stage of the pandemic.

We saw agriculture employers like Rainier Fruit in Selah, a major supplier for Walmart, and Frichette Winery in Benton City, a small company founded by a married couple on the slope of Washington’s renowned Red Mountain.

We presented our 2021 green manufacturing award to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, where researchers have developed a revolutionary new process for processing aluminum and other metals that greatly reduces energy consumption.

And we visited small and mid-size, multi-generation family-owned companies like Vaughan Co., a Montesano manufacturer of municipal and industrial chopper pumps that received AWB’s 2021 Manufacturer of the Year award.

This was AWB’s fifth annual manufacturing tour, and it marked a return to the format we used the first three years.

Last year, the pandemic threw us a curve.

We still toured the state to highlight manufacturing, but we couldn’t go inside the manufacturing facilities we visited.

Thankfully, this year we were able to get back inside to see operations up close and get onto shop floors to talk with the women and men who are helping to build Washington and the world.

Based on what we heard, manufacturers are scrambling to find new suppliers for needed materials, and they’re looking for talent everywhere they can, from high school and college technical skills

programs to finding pathways for people who were formerly incarcerated.

Labor force participation, which is tracked by the AWB InstiKris Johnson tute down to the Association of county level on Washington a database called Business the Vitals, shows GUEST COLUMN statewide participation at 64.7% in 2020. However, that number may decline in 2021 based on the number of people

leaving the workforce.

We don’t expect either of these issues to be solved quickly but like with most challenges they also bring opportunities.

Manufacturers we visited last month said they are responding to supply chain issues by looking for suppliers who are closer to home to provide the materials they need. This is one way the manufacturing sector can grow and help Washington achieve the goal of doubling the number of manufacturing firms in 10 years.

And for the young people we encountered at places like West Sound Technical Skills Center in Bremerton, Raisbeck Aviation High School in Tukwila,

Wenatchee Valley College, Spokane Community College and Washington State University Tri-Cities, the current workforce shortage represents unprecedented opportunity to launch into lifelong careers.

We learned a lot by touring Washington’s manufacturers last month. No doubt the pandemic has caused major disruption. But manufacturers are resilient — and the future of manufacturing remains bright. Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturers association.

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LABOR & EMPLOYMENT

Starting a side business? Forming LLC could be a good first step “Corporation, n., an ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.”

–Ambrose Bierce, the Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary.

Regrettably, Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) were not included in Ambrose Bierce’s popular quote from 1910 because LLCs didn’t exist in most states until the 1990s.

Still, the quote applies to LLCs in the same way as corporations. And, LLCs have become much more popular since their creation.

Let’s imagine you are contemplating a new business endeavor.

Perhaps it’s the food truck idea that has been percolating in your mind for years to supply food for local events.

Maybe you want to start up a lawn maintenance company on the weekends outside of your regular job hours.

Perhaps you have an idea to start an electric bike rental company. Whatever the passion, should you get yourself a corporate form of doing business?

What kind should you get?

Does the entrepreneur even need an entity like a corporation or an LLC?

Legal protections The key to choosing to establish an entity is the legal protection it provides.

That is, the owner is not held personally liable for the debts or liabilities of the company. Accordingly, conventional wisdom dictates establishing an entity

for any business endeavor.

The main forms of doing business through an entity are: (1) C corporations taxed under subchapter C of the Beau Ruff Internal Revenue Cornerstone Code; (2) S corWealth Strategies porations taxed GUEST COLUMN under subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code; (3) limited partnerships – taxed as pass-through entities; or (4) limited liability companies (LLCs) – taxed any way you want.

To clarify the last option, let me explain.

An LLC can elect to be taxed as: (1) a C corporation; (2) an S corporation; (3) a partnership (pass through taxation); or (4) a so-called disregarded entity (also pass-through tax status).

If the entity is owned by only one person, then the partnership tax status is unavailable. Likewise, if the entity is owned by more than one person, then the disregarded status in unavailable.

Four types of entities and four tax treatments.

Beyond liability protection, the entity also provides a more seamless business experience for anyone working for or dealing with the business.

The entity will have its own tax ID

number so the owner’s social security number isn’t usually necessary for business transactions. The entity also provides an opportunity to structure the rights and obligations of any co-owners in a recognizable fashion through entity organizational documents (things like the operating agreement or shareholder agreements).

How to choose?

So, should the entrepreneur choose a corporate form of doing business or the limited liability company?

Since their inception in the 1990s, LLCs have slowly but surely begun to outpace the corporate form of doing business.

A quick perusal of the Washington Secretary of State new business entity filings reveals as much. In the past year, the registration of new LLCs far outpaced the registration of corporations (or limited partnerships for that matter).

For the one-year period ending Sept.

30, 2021, there were 77,860 new entity registrations for LLCs compared to only 5,478 for corporations. By my crude math, that is a 15:1 ratio.

As noted above, LLCs provide great flexibility when choosing how to be taxed. Plus, they offer great flexibility with regard to governance and operations.

Taken together, the choice of entity often points to the LLC. It’s a vehicle that can accommodate many types of businesses and enterprises. And, if

Is your business struggling with compliance?

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(509) 581-5450 1900 Fowler St., Suite G • Richland

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unsure which to pick, the LLC is a good default choice because of that flexibility.

LLCs are not right for everyone or every situation of course.

Though the taxability is very flexible, LLCs are not a great choice for high growth (think technology) companies that might eventually seek external funding and listing on a stock exchange – C corporations are required for that.

The tax benefits usually attributable to other forms of doing business (i.e., S corporations and C corporations) are not decisive because the LLC (as note above) can choose its tax treatment to copy those same tax benefits.

Of course, all this presupposes that you are not an employee for this side job working for someone else. An employee does not have the option to form an entity like an LLC through which to conduct business. An employee is only able to act as an agent of the employer as a W-2 (wage earning) employee.

If you are going to start a side job and want the benefit of liability protection, an LLC is a great place to start.

Talk to your tax and legal advisors for more details. 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.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS L&I proposes 6% hike for contractor fees

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is considering raising the fee to register, renew or be reinstated as a contractor by 5.79% for 2022.

L&I is required to charge a fee and to revise the fees at least once every two years. The proposed rules will be filed with the state Office of the Code Reviser

by Christmas, with a public hearing tentatively set for Jan. 26. If approved, the rules will take effect April 22.

The current fee for a certificate of registration fee is $117.90. It’s is good for two years. Go to bit.ly/WaContractorFees.

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT

Q&A

What is the Washington Policy Center?

Washington Policy Center (WPC) is an independent, nonprofit think tank that promotes sound public policy based on free-market solutions.

WPC improves lives of Washington state’s citizens by providing accurate, high-quality research for policymakers, the media and the general public. Headquartered in Seattle with satellite offices and full-time staff in Olympia, Spokane and the Tri-Cities, WPC publishes studies, sponsors events and conferences and educates citizens on the vital public policy issues facing our region.

Through its research centers, Washington Policy Center focuses on eight core areas of public policy: education, environment, government reform (budget & taxes, open government), health care, small business, transportation, agriculture and worker rights.

In addition, WPC operates WashingtonVotes.org, the premier website for tracking bills in Olympia, finding objective, plain-English summaries of legislation and offering quick access to your legislators’ voting records.

What is your role?

How long have you been in it?

I’ve been the government reform director at WPC for 14 years. In total, I’ve been involved in this type of research and work in Washington state for more than 20 years.

Why should the Tri-Cities care about the work that you do?

Good governance is important at all levels of government.

The Center for Government Reform works toward a government focused on its core functions while improving its transparency, accountability, performance and effectiveness for taxpayers.

This is true at both the state and local level.

This is why I’m happy to serve as an ex-officio for the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce.

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

The ability to delegate while being decisive. A successful leader will be determined by the competency and effectiveness of their staff. A good leader doesn’t need to micromanage staff.

Empower and hold them accountable for achieving clear outcomes instead.

What is the biggest challenge facing executives, including policy makers, today?

Our current attack culture.

This is true for business leaders, policymakers and the country as a whole.

We as a society seem to be going through a phase of search and destroy instead of unifying around a common goal or purpose.

Managing this troubling trend and not

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JASON MERCIER

Washington Policy Center Government Reform Director

contributing to it is one of the largest challenges facing today’s leaders.

If you had a magic wand, what would you change about the policy world?

Facts, facts, facts.

Too many policy debates have devolved into talking points and agendas.

Good policy must be grounded and based on facts and measurable objectives.

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

Surround yourself with talent you feel comfortable delegating responsibility to.

Who are your role models or mentors?

President Ronald Reagan and Governor Mitch Daniels.

I appreciate principled individuals who can inspire and uplift while promoting policies to encourage individual liberty and responsible governance based on fiscal discipline and strong government accountability.

Policy shouldn’t be fear based with personal attacks or mean-spirited. The positive way that former President Reagan and Governor Daniels governed is how I hope to engage in policy debates.

How do you keep your team members motivated?

It is important for all members of your team to feel heard, respected and have ownership of the work product.

How did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today?

I’m a problem solver by nature and enjoy diagnosing problems and finding solutions.

Politics, as we are all too aware, is incredibly frustrating. If elected officials, however, are truly interested in good governance, fact-based policy recommendations are essential to improving our state, country and lives.

That’s a role I want to help with.

How do you measure success in your workplace?

Since policy is never finished but instead ongoing, success for me is measured by the accuracy and respect of my analysis and recommendations. If I’m seen as an honest and trusted broker in the policy debate that is a successful engagement.

How do you balance work and family life?

This is the million dollar question we all struggle with. It is important to distinguish between real emergencies and other priorities that can be acted on later.

Especially in the world of policy, there is really never a completed project.

The work is ongoing but time with your children is short.

I put family activities on my work calendar. Once on the calendar it helps me avoid over scheduling to free up time

with family.

What do you like to do when you are not at work?

If I’m not trying to solve a policy problem, I’m hopefully instead enjoying time with my daughters and wife.

What’s your best time management strategy?

Turn the computer off and at least try to put the phone down after the workday, during the weekends, and particularly when on vacation.

Best tip to relieve stress?

Mental breaks are essential. These don’t have to be weeks’ long; it can be as simple as a 15-minute walk during the day.

What’s your favorite website?

For work I have all the state’s media outlets and major fiscal agencies webpages bookmarked to start my daily policy review.

As for the prior question on stress

Jason Mercier

relief, the ESPN and NFL webpages get their frequent use as well (though sometimes that can lead to more stress if my team is having issues).

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

My wife and children have frequently heard me say that context and perspective are everything.

Also, due to the misguided tax debate in Washington, I’ve added this quote to my email signature line: “IRS – ‘You ask whether tax on capital gains is considered an excise tax or an income tax? It is an income tax.’ ”

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

YEARS N I

IN-HOUSE Ceramic coatings to extend impeller life

Bearing manufacturing

Bowl repairs

Shaft straightening & repair

Stuffing box replacement & repair

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 uBUSINESS BRIEFS Fill Christmas stockings for kids living in foster care

Heads UP Tri-Cities is recruiting supporters to fill Christmas stockings for children living with foster families in the community.

The need is greater than ever, according to Heads UP Tri-Cities.

Participants can shop for children or make a direct gift to support the Foster Children Christmas Stocking Program.

To participate, send an email to headsuptricities05@gmail.com and let the committee know how many children you wish to sponsor and if you have an age or gender preference.

The committee will send basic information along with a wish list. Unwrapped gifts are due by Dec. 9.

To make a monetary donation, go to Headsuptricities.org or call 509-497-7175.

Running Waters Equity Fund launches in Walla Walla

Running Waters Equity Fund has launched in Walla Walla to provide financial support to projects that promote racial equity in the Blue Mountain region.

It is raising money through the Valley Giving Guide throughout November.

“The ability to have the Running Waters Equity Fund as a resource from an infrastructure perspective and not just another seat at the table is really important because it allows us to be a resource for minoritized communities and organizations,” said Rodney Outlaw, a board co-chairman.

Go to valleygivingguide.org.

VETERANS COURT, From page A11 court and have attended a few evening meetings with the Benton County Veterans Court and see it serving our veterans,” he said.

The Benton County Commission agreed to the one-time Franklin case, if Franklin foots the $10,000 estimated cost to process it, at one of its weekly business meetings in October.

Kathren, together with Ryan Washburn, case manager, shares Sant’s interest in bringing Veterans Court to Franklin County.

“We jumped on the opportunity. We want to see Franklin County in the program,” Kathren said. If Franklin County doesn’t have enough eligible defendants to support an independent court, the judge

said he’d like to see them in Benton County if the details can be worked out.

“I’m very optimistic about Franklin County continuing one way or the other.”

The defendant has been accepted to the program but hadn’t made a court appearance while the two counties sort out the administrative details.

Washburn said pairing Veterans Court participants with mentors who are also veterans is the key to the success.

“That’s what sets us apart,” he said, adding that a veteran mentor is a friend who is unaffiliated with the court. There’s a natural affiliation among veterans, regardless of age or what branch of the service they belonged to.

“I feel we’re hugely successful because of that connection we have.”

Tom Mattis, mentor coordinator for the Columbia Basin Veterans Center, invites honorably discharged veterans who are interested in serving fellow veterans to volunteer.

“Mentors find that the rewards of helping their veterans get their lives back on track and graduate from the court are immensely satisfying. Mentors are male and female veterans from all branches, are of all ages and served in every conflict from Vietnam to the present, united by the common bond of continued service to others,” he said.

Contact Mattis at mentorc@columbiabasinvetcenter.org.

Go to bit.ly/BentonCountyVeteransCourt.

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If in the face of the pandemic taxable retail sales went up, then local tax collections went up, to great relief of municipal governments.

D. Patrick Jones Their budgets Eastern depend greatly Washington on sales tax revUniversity enues for sustainGUEST COLUMN ing services.

According to the consolidated accounts of local government provided by the Washington State Auditor’s office, sales taxes amounted to 43% of all taxes collected in the two counties last year.

This was slightly higher than four years prior, when sales taxes amounted to 42%. (The measure includes both counties and the counties’ five largest cities.)

Beyond taxes, local municipal governments rely on other sources of revenue. Broadly speaking these consist of transfers from other (larger) governmental entities and charges for goods and services. Depending on the jurisdiction, retail sales tax amount to the thickest (largest) or second-thickest leg of the stool of local government revenues.

The second most important tax for local governments, not to mention nonmunicipal public bodies, is the property tax.

In 2020, for the same group of seven local governments, it amounted to 36% of all taxes collected by the seven municipal governments. That is up slightly

Annual Growth Rate

If you are the CFO, treasurer or accountant for any organization, you are excused if you hit the panic button over a year ago. The outbreak of Covid-19 brought unprecedented worry that the machinery of our economy would grind if not to a halt, then stagger forward.

Those worries were understandable for anyone charged with ensuring financial stability of an organization.

Fortunately, in most cases they were not realized.

Taxes, especially transactions-based taxes such as retail sales, reflect economic activity. In this state, many sectors other than retail trade are subject to the retail sales tax.

Anyone with some fiscal authority during the Great Recession of 2008-09 probably remembers the impact of the financial sector’s near-meltdown on local economy activity. As Benton-Franklin Trends data reveals, the only time in recent years that the growth rate of taxable retail sales turned negative was 2009, when it slipped 3.1%.

Yet, in 2020 there was no downturn.

Taxable retail sales in Benton and Franklin counties rose 3.7%. Local taxable retail sales fared better than throughout all of Washington, where year-overyear taxable sakes turned negative 1.5%.

There are many reasons why the economic response to a crisis was different this time. An undeniably important one is that the Washington, D.C., acted differently. Congress quickly passed a large stimulus package. And the Federal Reserve Bank sharply increased the money supply, thanks to unprecedented buying of a range of securities.

Benton & Franklin Counties - Taxable Retail Sales (in Millions) Benton & Franklin Counties - Annual Growth Rate Washington State - Annual Growth Rate

Courtesy Benton-Franklin Trends

from its combined share of 35% in 2017.

Significantly, its levels, too, are much higher in 2020 than in 2017: $95.3 million vs. $82.7 million.

Washington state law allows property taxes to increase by only 1% per year on existing property. So much of the increase in property tax totals seen by local

governments is due to new construction.

Trends data reveals a dramatic spike in the assessed value of new construction between 2017-20 in the two counties.

Over $245 million in new construction valuation took place in the past four years. Between 2019 and 2020 alone, the

uJONES, Page A29

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

RETAIL, From page A1

Cities Area Journal of Business hit the streets in early November to take the temperature of retailers in Kennewick, Pasco and Richland.

In addition to the Lady Bug Shoppe, the Journal of Business team dropped by a vintage store and a new gift shop at the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland, a furniture store and a formal dress boutique in downtown Pasco and a statuary business in downtown Kennewick.

It found a mix of scrappy entrepreneurs and established businesses with a united message: Shop Local. The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the official “Shop Local” day.

Of course, shopping local doesn’t have to be a one-day affair.

Fur Baby Love & Care Saphira’s Treasures

A

s the pandemic ground Donna Gleason’s pet sitting business to a halt, she knew she needed to do something to keep busy.

“I was losing my mind. I can’t stand sitting around. Nobody was going on vacation or going to work,” said the owner of Fur Baby Love & Care.

She pivoted to mask making, using leftover fabric from a neglected Etsy shop to launch herself into the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) industry.

She knew she needed to find a place to work, as having two teenagers trapped in close quarters at home didn’t help matters, she said with a laugh.

“I found a place at the Uptown. It was pretty cheap and I rented it, and it’s morphed into what it is,” she said, securing the lease in August 2020.

Mask sales were brisk but eventually tapered off at the little Uptown shop, tucked into one of the shopping center’s alley ways.

As sales waned, Gleason and her daughter Sarah Bolles debated their next steps.

They toyed with the idea of sustainable products like paper straws and reusable bags (what she calls “crunchy stuff”).

But the vision came into better focus after Sarah visited a Walla Walla store that sold crystals.

She told her mom she wanted to do something similar in Richland. They renamed the store Saphira’s Treasures.

“We ordered necklaces and bracelets, and people were really excited about them.

Sarah was like, ‘These are awesome.’ We were basically like, ‘That’s cool. Let’s sell that,’ ” Gleason said.

As people began traveling again, the pet sitting business also picked back up.

Gleason has left the store management to her daughter, who has taken over picking out inventory, receiving, pricing and minding the store.

She turned her attention back to Fur Baby Love & Care as demand grew when people started planning trips again, right around spring break.

A large percentage of her clientele are those who work long days in the Hanford area, as well as nurses and doctors.

“All of sudden everybody was ready,” she said. “Spring break was like, ‘Yikes!’

RETAIL Fur Baby Love & Care | Saphira’s Treasures

Photo by Kristina Lord Donna Gleason, left, holding Coco, and her daughter Sarah Bolles don festive holiday garland inside Saphira’s Treasures, a fantasy gift shop featuring crystals, incense and tarot cards in the Richland Uptown Shopping Center. Gleason owns the gift shop, as well as Fur Baby Love & Care, a pet sitting business. Her other dog, Duchess, keeps a close watch on the toy ball at her feet.

It’s mellowed out a little bit. Now we’re pretty steady.”

In January, she bought Royalty Pet Care, which helped the business add new clients during the slow start to the year.

She began 2021 with one employee and is now up to five. Prior to the pandemic she had four and had to drop down to one when business dried up. She said she’s almost completely booked for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

“Now I’m thinking about getting a sixth person,” she said.

She said she’s been having a hard time finding quality employees.

She used to post help wanted ads on Facebook and would see 50 applicants over the course of a few days.

“I’m still getting a fair number but they just aren’t the right fit,” she said. “So I don’t what’s up with that. Lately the good ones have been through friends of current pet sitters or through the clients.”

Search Furbabyloveandcare.com Search 1367 George Washington Way, Suite uRETAIL, Page A25

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

RETAIL Hunt and Gather Antiques and Vintage

A25

Llane’s Boutique

Photo by Kristina Lord Paul Ziemer , co-owner of Hunt and Gather Antiques and Vintage in the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland, slipped off his mask for a photo with Eddie the Elk. Ziemer said business has been good, with many shoppers saying they appreciate being able to shop locally.

Photo by Kristina Lord Store owners Ismael Llanes, left, and Jorge Lopez, far right, stand with store manager Ana Orozco, center, amid a sea of colorful quinceanera dresses at Llane’s Boutique in downtown Pasco.

C, Uptown Shopping Center, Richland; saphirastreasures.com.

events that bring treasures to its doorstep.

Paul said the hot items in vintage include midcentury items, including furniture, “crusty-rusty” furniture and nostalgia items, including music cassettes and vinyl.

What doesn’t sell anymore? Grandma’s dinner China, glassware and silver, he said.

“It’s a good time to get into glassware,” he joked.

Search 1350 Jadwin Ave., Richland, Uptown Shopping Center; facebook. com/HuntGatherAntiquesandVintage.

Hunt and Gather Antiques and Vintage

H

unt and Gather Antiques and Vintage has a loyal following, including frequent out-of-town visitors, said Cheryl Ziemer, who coowns the vintage store in Richland’s Uptown Shopping Center with her husband, Paul.

“It’s unreal. They’re here and they visit and they come in. We get great comments about our store,” she said.

“People love to socialize with us. We have so many regular customers. They just like to gather and talk – and of course they love to shop.”

Ziemer said she strives to make Hunt and Gather inviting. First impressions are everything, she said.

“When they walk into your store, that’s what they see – the first impression. You want to make your customers happy so you want to have a happy place,” she said.

Hunt and Gather offers space to about a dozen vendors who resell vintage products, including household and decorative items. It had to close briefly in the pandemic but reopened with no issues.

Today, it has a waiting list of people who want to lease space there, said Paul, who was staffing the register during a recent visit. He is optimistic that the 2021 holiday season will be strong.

“This year has been a really good year.

We’re looking forward to Christmas.

‘Shop Local’ is going to be big for us,” he said.

Hunt and Gather isn’t affected by supply chain issues since it is a vintage business, but it has struggled with a reduction in the estate sales, yard sales and similar

Llane’s Boutique

T

his year’s hot colors for quinceanera dresses are lilac, light blue and red.

The riot of color is on full display in the windows of Llane’s Boutique, a downtown Pasco store that caters to teens turning 15 years old who need formal wear for their traditional coming-of-age celebrations.

Last year was rough on the special uRETAIL, Page A26

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

RETAIL, From page A25 events industry thanks to shutdowns and cancellations.

One reason Llane’s is so well stocked is that many of its 2020 orders were canceled.

Store manager Ana Orozco, who has worked at the shop for the past six years, hopes sales will be better in the coming year.

“We normally sell 300 dresses a year.

With the pandemic, it’s been pretty much 200 dresses because they canceled,” she said.

“We also have a big sales for communions and proms, and we don’t have that either.”

Replenishing dress inventory has been challenging as well, Orozco said, with supply chain issues affecting stores around the country and world.

“It’s been so hard and prices are so high as well,” she said, adding that the boutique does offer a layaway payment plan.

The store’s busiest season is the fivemonth span from spring into summer. In addition to outfitting young women for quinceaneras, it dresses customers for proms and weddings.

Pointing to an embroidered horse stitched onto a striking black-and-gold gown, Orozco said teens can swap out designs and colors on some dresses according to their likes and interests. Some dresses can take up to three months to arrive at the store.

The large store offers a wide variety of dresses to choose from, making it easy to pivot when teen preferences change.

Orozco said girls who attended fall homecoming dances wanted floor-length, sleek gowns instead of shorter lengths this year. They also passed over last year’s colors of burgundy and rose gold, she said.

The store opened 2012 and has been in its current location for two years.

It features two floors of sparkly, embroidered, poufy and ethereal dresses in a variety of styles and colors for a range

of special occasions: baptisms, First Communion, quinceaneras, proms and weddings.

Quinceanera packages featuring elaborated decorated dolls (to match the teen’s special dress) envelope boxes, Bibles, scrapbooks, bouquets and champagne flutes also are sold there. When needed, store owners Ismael Llanes and Jorge Lopez can be found in a back room designing and making them to make sure they’re ready for the special day.

Llane’s also offers tuxedo rentals, shirts and accessories for boys and men, and dresses for mothers of the bride, as well as shoes.

One of the joys of working at the shop is seeing happy customers, Orozco said.

“Last Saturday I saw a dad crying as soon as he saw his daughter with the dress.

All of those emotions. Oh my gosh,” she said.

Search Llane’s Boutique: 115 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco; 509-572-0692; Facebook @llaneslaboutiuquedemoda.

Inovaciones Faviola

M

ercedes Isidro has been a seamstress for more than 25 years, including the past six providing alterations in downtown Pasco’s fancy dress shops.

In November, she took the leap and opened her own place. Inovaciones Faviola offers casual clothes, including dresses, jeans and jackets and some home goods such as blankets and comforters.

She wants to provide an every-day apparel alternative to the formal wear shops that cater to special occasions – weddings, quinceanearas, proms, weddings, baptisms, First Communions and more that are common in the heart of downtown.

She will offer alteration services as well in a sewing room at the back of the shop.

She was still setting up the store in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Before she opened the doors, Isidro and an

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RETAIL Inovaciones Faviola

Photo by Kristina Lord Mercedes Isidro adjusts the jacket on a mannequin at her new shop, Inovaciones Faviola, at 121 N. Fourth Ave. in downtown Pasco. Isidro opened the clothing store in early November after working for years doing alterations at nearby formal dress shops.

assistant traveled to Los Angeles to buy merchandise from wholesalers. Now that she’s established connections, she intends to order directly.

After 25 years offering alteration services through other businesses, Isidro is pleased to be her own boss.

“Es bien. It’s fine,” she said.

Search 121 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco.

Galerías La Estrella

F

ernanda Guzmán joined Galerías La Estrella, a furniture business with large showrooms in Pasco and Sunnyside and a warehouse at King City, about two years ago, just before the Covid-19 pandemic.

She is undaunted by the contrast between before and after and greets visitors in full sales mode at the well-stocked Pasco store.

A full showroom wouldn’t be unusual

in typical times, but the furniture industry is beset by reports about supply chain issues and that new sofas are hard to come by.

Not so for Galerías, said Guzmán. The owners anticipated the problem and have $2 million in inventory stashed away. Everything available on the two sales floors in Pasco, where the large showroom is matched by an equally large basement, is available for immediate delivery.

“No waiting for anything here,” she said. The main concession is that it’s difficult to custom order pieces because vendors are having labor and supply issues The stores closed during the pandemic shutdowns, but have thrived since they reopened. Guzmán was pleasantly surprised by the volume of customers who came in after the first economic stimulus checks were sent out in 2020, with many buying furniture for their children. uRETAIL, Page A27

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

RETAIL Galerías La Estrella

Photo by Kristina Lord Saleswoman Fernanda Guzmán said one benefit of shopping at Galerías La Estrella, at 103 N. Fourth Ave. in downtown Pasco, is that most of what’s on display on the showroom floor is in stock at the business’ local warehouse.

RETAIL, From page A26 Customers also have been eager to upgrade their furnishings after a year-plus of working from home. Sofas and mattresses are top sellers.

“We have been doing really good,” she said.

The furniture season typically slows down in December and January, but restarts with tax rebate season after New Year’s.

Search 103 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco; galeriaslaestrella.com.

Concrete Jungle Outdoor Decor

R

andy Blumer earned a degree in fine arts and made a living as a commercial real estate broker.

He could retire, but when a tenant for a building he owns in downtown Kennewick disappeared one night, he decided to

take over the space himself.

The result was Concrete Jungle Outdoor Decor, which sells fountains, garden statues, figurines and more.

That was seven years ago, and he’s still at it. If he wasn’t having fun, he said, he’d close and retire.

Concrete Jungle isn’t a typical holiday business. It is seasonal, roughly paralleling irrigation season.

It typically closes by Thanksgiving and reopens in late February or early March when Tri-Citians emerge and take stock of their yards but he’ll happily meet with customers during the winter months by appointment.

His customers are homeowners and the occasional landscaper.

The pandemic has brought its challenges, but Blumer said Concrete Jungle broke even in 2020 and was tracking to turn a profit in 2021. He expects a strong year in 2022 as well.

For Blumer, switching from disinterest-

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Concrete Jungle Outdoor Decor

Photo by Kristina Lord Randy Blumer won’t sell the cracked Renaissance-style statue at his Concrete Jungle store at 102 W. Kennewick Ave. in downtown Kennewick because he likes how it looks in one of the display fountains, but he’ll happily sell a new one and let you break it, if you want to replicate the look. Blumer offers a variety of fountains, pots and statues at his store, which has been open for seven years.

ed landlord to downtown business owner opened his eyes to the thriving culture of Kennewick’s historic sector.

He praised the many restaurants and the sense of camaraderie among shop owners, and the newcomers, such as Red Mountain Commercial Kitchen, who are bringing in new customers.

“This will be open as long as I’m enjoying it,” he said. “I love it. People are great. I love to talk.”

As he prepared to close for the season, one item in his inventory wasn’t for sale.

A Renaissance-style statue of a woman lay artfully broken in half. There wasn’t anything artful about her though: The concrete statue broke when it fell from a delivery truck.

Blumer loves her and so to do the customers who want to buy her for their own garden follies.

“She’s mine to keep. I like her. They can buy a new one and take a sledgehammer to her,” he said.

Search 102 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick; JungleYardArt.com.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

RETAIL

Benton County cannabis sales increase 16% in FY2021

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Recreational cannabis sales in Benton County reached more than $39.6 million in fiscal year 2021.

That’s up 16% from $34 million in fiscal year 2020.

The increase over the previous year shows a slower rate of growth compared to the nearly 43% growth rate in fiscal year 2020 over the previous year.

Statewide, sales increased more than 18% to $1.5 billion, up from nearly $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2020. King County boasted the highest sales statewide at $383 million.

Yakima County cannabis sales totaled $36.5 million; Grant County, $16 million; JONES, From page A23 new construction valuation jumped by approximately $145 million.

It is easy to imagine that the annual value of new construction will breach the $1 billion mark this year or next.

Why the greater Tri-Cities were able to buck the downturns of the U.S. and Washington would take more than another column.

The relative stability provided by the Hanford cleanup and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the large presence of agriculture – an essential service – in the local economy, certainly come to mind.

Taxes raised by the local economy this year should be much stronger than 2020.

Quarterly taxable retail sales for the first quarter of 2021 from the Washington Department of Revenue reveals a dramatic increase for the first three months of the year over the same period in 2020: 16%.

This increase bested a strong recovery for the entire state by 4 percentage points.

Second quarter results likely will show an even greater increase since the pandemic shutdown squeezed businesses most from April through June of last year.

The Department of Revenue issues

Walla Walla County, $11 million; Spokane County, $163.7 million. Franklin County bans cannabis sales.

The data released by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board covers July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

Here’s the breakdown of distribution of fiscal year 2021 cannabis revenue totals to local governments: Benton City, $4,020; Prosser, $15,084; and Benton County, $295,006. The cities of Kennewick, Richland, Pasco and West Richland ban cannabis sales.

Benton County collected $283,593 in fiscal year 2020 and $267,077 in fiscal year 2019, according to data from the state Liquor and Cannabis Board. quarterly updates approximately four months after the end of a quarter.

Statewide results are already available, and on a monthly basis show increases of 14% to 50%.

Statewide collections for July and August also report double-digit percentage gains over 2020, so the third quarter is likely to end strong as well.

Even if the pace of gains lessens in the fourth quarter, a likely outcome given the impact of the delta variant, local governments should anticipate a strong year in sales tax receipts.

2022 likely will continue the gains of this year, albeit at a slower pace.

That’s based on the state outlook by the Economic and Revenue Forecasting Council from its most recent projections.

And for the first two quarters of this year, local residential building permits are up by high double digits, a harbinger of robust future construction activity.

Taxes to local governments should follow suit. 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.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Bazaars are back after taking a hiatus last fall and winter because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many are requiring masks, citing health officials’ recommendations to wear face coverings to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Here’s our roundup of local bazaars:

NOV. 20

• Jason Lee Elementary’s Fall Craft Bazaar: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Jason Lee Elementary, 1750 McMurray Ave., Richland. More than 50 craft and food vendors, drawings. Free admission.

• Marcus Whitman Elementary Winter Bazaar: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 1704 Gray St., Richland. Event is annual fundraiser for school’s PTO. Over 50 vendors, silent auction, food, drinks and snacks available to purchase.

Free admission. Masks required.

• Calvary Chapel’s Make a Difference Bazaar: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., 10611 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick. This 16th annual event features homemade gifts, decor and furniture from 50+ vendors and select direct sale merchants. Event proceeds go toward local youth outreaches of Calvary Chapel TriCities.

• Moms Supporting Moms Craft & Gift Show: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

~ Bazaar Listings ~

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Gesa Carousel of Dreams, 2901F Southridge Blvd., Kennewick.

Dino Drop-In’s event features local moms and their hobbies, talents, businesses and more.

• Vintage at Richland: 9 a.m.- 3 p.m., 1950 Bellerive Drive, Richland.

• Richland FFA Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Richland High School cafeteria and small gym, 930 Long Ave. Selling a mix of handcrafted items including glassware, woodworking, crochet items and floral arrangements by the Richland High School FFA students.

• Grace Hollow Winter Market: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 3500 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick.

Nancy’s Crochet Obsession and D&D Southern Bling.

DEC. 11

• Benton City Winterfest Bazaar: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Community Center, 806 Dale Ave.; farmers market building, 511 Ninth St. and along Dale Avenue.

• Richland Alliance Church Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 1400 Sanford Ave., Richland.

• Fifth annual Home for the Holidays: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19 at the HAPO Center, 6600 Burden Blvd., Pasco. Local and regional retail and handcrafted vendors, blood drive for American Red Cross.

NOV. 27

DEC. 13

• Pasco Eagles Fall Bazaar: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 2829 W. Sylvester St., Pasco. Details at pascoeagles.com.

DEC. 18

• Princess Christmas Market: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Princess Theatre Green Room, 1228 Meade Ave., Prosser. Free admission.

DEC. 4

• Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Best Western Plus, Kennewick, 4001 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick. Vendors, bake sale, drawings, kids’ crafts, more. Hosted by Family Resource Center of the Tri-Cities. Masks required.

• Jingle Bell Bash: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Roscoe’s Coffee, 2003 Logston Blvd., Richland. More than 30 local vendors, offering free coffee roasting tours, live music performed by Tupelo Joe, Ciao Wagon and Santa.

DEC. 17-18

• Holiday Bazaar: Noon-6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 17 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 18, Southridge Sports and Events Complex. $5 admission with kids under 12 free.

Details: go2kennewick.com/1319/ Harvest-Bazaar.

• Frosty’s Christmas Bazaar: 3-7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18 at Holiday Inn Express, 4525 Convention Place, Pasco. About 50 vendors from direct sales consultants, homemade items from local vendors and food. Hosted by

DEC. 17-19

• Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Best Western Plus, Kennewick, 4001 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick. Vendors, bake sale, drawings, kids’ crafts, more. Hosted by Family Resource Center of the Tri-Cities. Masks required.

DEC. 19

• Santa’s Bazaar: noon-4 p.m., Gesa Carousel of Dreams, 2901 Southridge Blvd., Kennewick. Baked goodies, handcrafts. Hosted by Nancy’s Crochet Obsession.

To be included on this list, email info@tcjournal.biz with details about your bazaar, including time, date, place and cost.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

Port of Kennewick CEO survives contentious job review

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Tim Arntzen, longtime CEO of the Port of Kennewick, narrowly survived a job challenge during a stormy performance review by the port’s divided commission.

The performance review was conducted in public session during the commission’s Nov. 9 meeting, held virtually because of the pandemic. The commission voted 2-1 to accept the review, with the current board president, Don Barnes, voting “no.”

The contentious session came during one of Barnes’ final meetings as an elected commissioner. His term ends in December.

He opted not to seek reelection after Kennewick police Chief Ken Hohenberg filed to run for his spot on the three-person board in the Nov. 2 election. Commissioner-elect Hohenberg will take office in January, around the time he retires from his 40-plus year career with the city, where he is also deputy city manager.

Arntzen’s review began with a warning from Lucinda Luke, the port’s attorney, who advised commissioners that reviews should not catch the subject by surprise. She also advised that discrimination and retaliation are prohibited.

Barnes did not hold back in his written evaluation.

“In my opinion, Mr. Arntzen’s relationship with the Port should be terminated as soon as possible,” Barnes wrote.

The commission has one scheduled meeting remaining in 2021: Dec. 14.

Arntzen received mixed reviews from the other two commissioners. Commissioner Tom Moak called his performance “above satisfactory,” and Commissioner Skip Novakovich rated him “exemplary.”

Arntzen’s relationship with Barnes and Moak fell apart in 2019, when the two questioned if the port should intervene in a private property sale near the port’s prized Vista Field redevelopment in central Kennewick.

The sale went through and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic built its Miramar Health Clinic at 6531 W. Rio Grande Ave. The $20-plus million clinic opened earlier this year.

The situation worsened after working

uBUSINESS BRIEF State attorney general visits every Rotary club in state Attorney General Bob Ferguson spoke Nov. 8 to the Bellingham Rotary Club, the 190th club he has visited since taking office. Ferguson has now visited every Rotary club in the state, according to his office.

Ferguson started his Rotary visits in 2013 with the Auburn Rotary. Since then, he visited an average of just under two Rotaries per month, or about one every 16 days. He also made nine virtual Rotary appearances during the

conditions at the port inspired Novakovich to file an “anonymous” complaint against the other two commissioners.

The complaint inspired a protracted investigation, hearing and eventually an appeal that exonerated Barnes.

Arntzen read a prepared statement into the reTim Arntzen cord in response to complaints about his performance by Barnes and Moak. For the first time, he publicly disclosed that Barnes and Moak both wanted the port to block the nonprofit farmworkers clinic from building near Vista Field.

The port could have precluded the sale by exercising a buyback Don Barnes clause it held after selling the property a decade earlier.

“In private conversation, Barnes directed me to keep the clinic out of the Vista Field neighborhood,” Arntzen said, adding that he felt doing so would be wrong and unethical. He said Barnes “erupted” and began looking for ways to fire him.

Barnes countered that Arntzen was lying and said he would prepare his own response.

“There were statements just made by Mr. Arntzen that are not true, that are not even close to true,” he said.

The port’s chief executive officer leads a 12-person staff responsible for maintaining and developing properties that support economic development in an area that includes Kennewick, south Richland, West Richland and the eastern half of Benton City, as well as a large swath of unincorporated Benton County.

Current projects include the Vista Field redevelopment and the Columbia Gardens Urban Wine & Artisan Village near the cable bridge. The CEO works at the pleasure of the elected board of commissioners.

pandemic.

Ferguson visited Rotary clubs in 103 different Washington cities, in 31 of Washington’s 39 counties, and some clubs more than once. Altogether, Ferguson spoke to more than 8,000 Rotarians and their guests across approximately 200 club visits. The club meetings ranged in size from five to 300 attendees.

“Rotarians are some of the most civically engaged members of our communities,” Ferguson said. “Listening to these community leaders has, without a doubt, made me a better Attorney General.”

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

Former executive director seeks Port of Benton seat

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Scott Keller, the Port of Benton’s retired executive director, is seeking appointment to the seat vacated by Commissioner Bob Larson, who retired on Oct. 28, four years into a six-year term.

The port’s remaining two commissioners, Roy Keck and Jane Hagarty, intend to appoint Larson’s replacement on Nov. 29.

Keller is the only candidate to publicly announce his candidacy by the deadline for this paper.

Keller and a group of fellow tenants at the port-owned Richland Airport say the commission is rushing the appointment and urged it not to finalize a decision until January, after Commissioner-elect Lori Stevens succeeds Hagarty.

Stevens, the co-owner of Airfield Estates Winery in Prosser, defeated Hagarty in the Nov. 2 general election on a campaign calling on the port to do more to support business.

She wants her former opponent and Keck to wait the 90 days allowed by Washington law to decide who will hold Larson’s District 2 post. Choosing an appointee then would give Stevens rather than Hagarty a vote on the matter.

Regardless of who is appointed or when, a special election will be held in November 2022 to determine who will serve out the remainder of the six-year term, which expires in 2023. The seat will be up for election again in 2023.

“I’m running,” said Keller, who retired from the port two years ago.

Keller does not expect to be appointed, citing clashes with his former board. He said his lengthy experience with the port makes him uniquely qualified to hold the position.

Keller retired in 2019, after 30 years with the port, including 17 as its executive director. Diahann Howard, formerly its economic development and government affairs director, was appointed to the job.

He said he has been laying low, spending time at his airplane hangar and enjoying a family that has since grown to five grandchildren.

“I’m not doing this to be vindicated,” he said. “I’m doing this because I think it is the right thing.”

Keller said he submitted his application minutes after the port announced the process it intends to use to fill the vacancy.

The application, he noted, asks would-be appointees about their experience with airports, land leasing and economic development, all activities he led as its top executive.

Under the schedule announced in early November, applicants have until noon, Nov. 19, to file.

The commission will review applications in a special session at 9 a.m. Nov. 22, and interview finalists in a second special session at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 29. It said it will announce the appointment of the interim District 2 commissioner at that time.

Candidates must be residents of District uPORT OF BENTON, Page A36

EXECUTECH, From page A3 for clients’ requests for IT support as they too began working from home.

Carlisle initially looked at the challenge similar to how his team handled an ice storm: customer needs would shift as on-site locations shut down and remote systems became more common, both for clients and the Elevate team itself.

Preferring to flip the script where possible, Carlisle’s team now has specified “work from the office Wednesdays” twice monthly where employees are encouraged to be less productive than they are when working remotely, as a way of team building.

“We structured it so people are highly productive while working off site. When

you’re at the office playing air hockey with someone, you might be less likely to get annoyed by the email they send the next week,” Carlisle joked.

This emphasis on a collaborative work culture likely has contributed to the tenure of Carlisle’s employees, with most staying with the company for more than five years, on average.

A second-generation graduate of Washington State University Tri-Cities and longtime professor, Carlisle will continue teaching entrepreneurship and business management classes, while helping launch the school’s first entrepreneur-in-residence program.

Search Executech: 79 Aaron Drive, Suite 200, Richland; executech.com; 509946-8484.

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Photo by Robin Wojtanik Mark Gloy, left, general manager of Executech Spokane, shakes hands with Paul Carlisle, general manager of Executech Tri-Cities.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

BUSINESS PROFILE

The pandemic couldn’t close book on Novel Coffee + Teas

By Laura Kostad

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

It’s not the typical narrative for small business owners.

When statewide shutdowns in the wake of Covid-19 closed the Richland Public Library’s doors, its café, Novel Coffee + Teas, shut down with it.

Though many businesses took advantage of the lull to re-imagine their brands, spaces and business models, few were faced with the unusual ultimatum of either closing permanently or launching a new location to stay afloat.

After being unable to operate for more than seven months, Oscar and Lonnie Suarez chose the latter option.

“We decided to go down swinging and take that risk,” Oscar said.

Now, having just celebrated Novel’s one-year anniversary at their new location at 710 George Washington Way, Suite B-B, Oscar said the coffee and tea shop wouldn’t be what it is now without the pandemic.

“The library was supposed to be our incubating phase, but we got pushed out of the nest and had to fly,” he said.

The couple took over the library’s 100-square-foot Bookmark Café from the previous operator in May 2019 and rebranded to Novel Coffee + Teas.

“The pandemic closed us right when we were starting to get really popular,” Oscar said.

Embracing novel theme The pair floated the idea of acquiring

Photo by Laura Kostad Oscar and Lonnie Suarez, owners of Novel Coffee + Teas, recently celebrated one year at 710 George Washington Way, Suite B-B, in Richland. The Covid-19 pandemic shut down their shop inside the Richland Public Library for more than seven months. The café’s book walls are a popular spot for Instagrammers.

a towable coffee trailer, but found the upfront cost prohibitive.

Previously, the Suarezes operated a photo booth pop-up business called Camerazzi inside Suite B-B at 710 George Washington Way, which is located across from The Parkway, near Howard Amon Park.

When Lonnie saw their old 500-squarefoot suite had become available again, she told Oscar they should go for it.

On Oct. 31, 2020, they opened Novel’s new doors with a diverse and expanded drink lineup featuring customizable coffee, boba-infused milk and fruit teas, cocoa, Italian sodas and more, all with writerly names such as Blank Page, Script Writer, Storyteller and Last Page.

Lonnie said Novel’s signature coffee drink is the Typewriter, featuring macadamia flavors with caramel drizzle. It’s their No. 1 seller.

Novel’s most popular boba drink is called The Reserve and features taro, vanilla and bubble tea.

Novel became popular at the library for its boba teas.

For those new to boba – also known as bubble tea, milk tea, pearl milk tea or tapioca tea – it is a Taiwanese milk-based tea to which tapioca pearls made from cassava root starch are added to thicken the drink and create a pleasant “squishy” texture, Oscar said.

Boba has been increasingly popping up on menus around the area lately; Oscar said it’s an industry in flux.

“It’s expected to grow from a $4 billion industry to $9 billion industry (worldwide) within the next five years,” he said.

Novel offers a novel twist on boba: a coffee and bubble tea blend.

“I’ve been all over the west coast and we’re the first ones to really sell iced coffee with boba,” Oscar said. He suggested those interested in trying the unique beverage should order an iced Typewriter and ask the barista to add tapioca pearls on the bottom.

The Suarezes also upped their coffee game when they opened the new location, switching to Seattle-based Café Umbria, a third-generation Italian roaster.

“We wanted something that would stand out and show that we’re coming out swinging,” Oscar said.

“We’re not a coffee snob place … but it’s all about timing,” he said, explaining uNOVEL COFFEE, Page A36

BUSINESS PROFILE

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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Want to be a better athlete? Former Fever player can help

By Jeff Morrow

for Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

Steven Whitehead played football for years, getting a cup of coffee with the National Football League’s New Orleans Saints before embarking on a successful indoor football league career with the TriCities Fever.

The last season with the now-defunct Fever came in 2015, when he was named the Indoor Football League’s (IFL) top Offensive Player of the Year.

But as much fun as he had scoring touchdowns or making that outstanding catch, nothing gets him as excited as seeing the success of a young athlete he has helped train.

“Getting people to believe in themselves more than they even thought possible” is what keeps Whitehead going in the personal training business.

Entrepreneur ambitions He started Elite Ambitions Training (EAT) in 2012 while a member of the Fever.

In those nine years in the business, EAT has moved around the Tri-Cities, starting in a building in Pasco right next to the cable bridge.

From there, EAT partnered with LifeQuest in Pasco for a while before taking up residence in a large building on Washington Street in Kennewick. Then the business moved into a smaller facility on Columbia Park Trail, before settling into its current 5,600-square-foot building at 191 Reata Road.

EAT has been in that facility since August 2020, as athletes young and old stream through the place on a daily pace.

“I think this has been a step-by-step process,” Whitehead said. “We just get bigger and bigger and have to move to a larger facility.”

The new building has an outdoor turf

field that is 58-by-26 yards with markings for both football and soccer.

EAT will rent the field out to interested teams.

Whitehead rents the space, and the building is owned by Miles Cree of WireTech Electric.

But wherever EAT is located, the mission is always the same, Whitehead said.

“Continuing to educate people to what the standards and expectations are about playing at a high level,” he said.

Whitehead’s story Whitehead’s story is well documented in the Tri-Cities. He found himself playing for an IFL team in Alaska when he got injured.

The team folded while he was injured, and he had no way to leave the Anchorage area. Not until Fever owner Teri Carr traded for him, at the behest of Fever coach Adam Shackleford.

For five seasons here, he became a star at wide receiver.

He also was encouraged by both Carr and Shackleford to follow his dream of starting his own personal training business.

“Miss Teri and Coach Shack have always been so supportive,” said Whitehead, now 35. “What I saw when I got to the TriCities was an opportunity.”

Creating better athletes It all started with adults. Seeing a need to help adults with their overall health, he felt he had to show them what they could do.

The intention, though, was to eventually have those adults trust Whitehead and his staff with their children.

And that’s what has happened. He and his staff have become the pied pipers for many of the region’s younger athletes.

“There has been no real push for these kids to go to big colleges,” Whitehead said. “The problem here is you don’t need sports to have a great life.”

Courtesy Elite Ambitions Training Steven Whitehead, owner, right, and founder of Elite Ambitions Training at 191 Reata Road in Richland, and his team train athletes so they can compete at the highest level possible.

Whitehead doesn’t tell them what they want to hear. He tells them what they need to hear. Sometimes it’s tough love.

“They reach a certain point, and I’ll say ‘You’ve got more in you. This is nothing.’

And speed, hands down, without a doubt, is the most important thing college coaches look for,” he said.

Some of this region’s top young athletes are EAT products: Kobe Young, starting his college basketball career at Boise State University; Summer Yates, starring for the

University of Washington women’s soccer team; AJ Vongphachanh, in the middle of his college football career at Utah State University; and Kobe Singleton, a standout freshman for the Southern Utah University football team.

Fees are a little higher at EAT than other places, sometimes a couple hundred dollars a month.

But no one — as long as they’re serious — will ever be turned away. uELITE, Page A37

Newly remodeled event space for people looking to host meetings and banquets.

• The dining room can accommodate 130 people.

HIRING FOR ALL SHIFTS

Our caregiver jobs from Visiting Angels provide a sense of gratification, joy and purpose to home care providers in the area.

If you would like to be contacted for employment opportunities Go to visitingangels.com/kennewick/employment

(509) 582-7800

www.visitingangels.com/kennewick

• The newly remodeled 19th Hole Event Center has 130 person capacity.

• Heritage room can host up to 25 guests.

• Legends room can accommodate 12 people.

509-783-6131 • zintelcreek.com 314 N. Underwood, Kennewick

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

NOVEL COFFEE, From page A34 that those gravitating to the Tri-Cities from more metropolitan areas are looking for the elevated experiences they left behind.

Channeling a homey vibe With that in mind, Lonnie channeled a relaxed atmosphere for Novel’s café lounge, which they completed in May 2020 in the adjoining suite, formerly home to Tri-Cities Phone Repair.

The expansion brought their total square footage up to 1,100.

“I wanted it to be homey, but with a very downtown New York kind of feel,” Lonnie said.

“One of my dreams has been to own a coffee shop, to start something big …

I love visiting coffee shops and used to take notes and draw out ideas,” she said.

Upcycled materials, period furnishings handpicked from local shops and a record player beckoning customers to bring their own vinyl aim to create a cozy drawing room feel.

“The architecture in there and how they decorated everything … it flows well and it’s a super comfortable vibe,” said Leticia Torres, a local real estate agent and frequent customer.

“You just want to lounge around and drink drinks and chat with your friends.

I’ve had business meetings there, met friends there, I take my kids there; it’s so versatile, it’s so beautiful and unique,” she said, adding that the staff make an effort to remember customer names and favorite drinks.

Novel’s popular book wall, which features rows of open books with pages

uBUSINESS BRIEFS Santa is coming to Columbia Center

Santa and the Christmas crew will be available for photos at Columbia Center from Nov. 26 through Christmas Eve. Families may choose to sit with Santa or maintain a social distance. Santa’s helpers will wear masks.

For reservations, go to simon.com/ mall/columbia-center and click on the “Reserve Your Spot” link for Santa Photo Time.

PORT OF BENTON, From page A36 2, which covers much of northern Richland and is bordered by the Hanford site to the north, Van Giesen Street and Swift Boulevard to the south and the Yakima River to the west.

A map and other details are available at portofbenton.com/commissionvacancy.

Port commissioners are paid $1,500 a month and stipends to attend meetings.

They also receive full health insurance and other benefits, as well home office support, including office supplies and technical assistance. The three-person commission oversees the executive director and in turn, the economic development efforts of an area serving a population of 56,000.

Key port initiatives include supporting the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, its various business parks, Crow Butte Park and the airports in Richland and Prosser.

fanned out, encourages plenty of selfies.

“We have people come here just to take a photo in front of the books. Our goal is to make it a tourist must-stop,” Oscar said.

It takes a village It took two months to complete the expansion.

“It was all sweat equity,” Oscar said.

“Everything was self-funded, minus a small family loan. ... Everything coming from the counter was invested in there.”

He emphasized though that “I didn’t do this on my own – community members helped me.”

Foodies owner Joanna Wilson donated the ice machine and a couple of coffee makers, and Kagen Cox of Kagen Coffee & Crepes donated a three-basin sink.

Travis Jordan of Rockabilly Roasting Co. helped with the espresso machine.

Electrical and plumbing services also were donated, along with Novel’s eight staff helping with the remodel, alongside the Suarez family.

“It’s being OK to ask for help. I’ve always been someone who has wanted to be self-reliant and do-it-yourself, but sometimes you can’t,” Oscar said.

Expansion plans He said Novel has barely scratched the surface of its potential.

In the coming months, he and Lonnie will launch a food menu, which will feature light fare, including housemade pastries, sandwiches and acai bowls.

Though the couple plan to reopen their Richland library location soon, they are planning their next location and waiting patiently for the right property to hit

Courtesy Oscar Suarez Novel Coffee + Teas sells a variety of specialty drinks with writerly names, including fruit smoothies, coffee, lemonade, boba tea and unique fusions of these. In the near future it also will serve pastries and light fare made in-house.

the market in Pasco, preferably one with a drive-thru.

In the meantime, the couple continues to develop their vision for Novel, noting they would eventually like to sell a curated selection of books in the lounge, perhaps including local and regional authors.

She and Oscar also want to use Novel as a tool for kids and young people to get into books, writing and journalism, not only creating an environment that celebrates those fields, but perhaps one day establishing a scholarship or grant.

It appears they are only limited by their imagination.

“I’ve always been a dreamer ... to be able to provide my wife with something she dreamed of, that’s once in a lifetime,” Oscar said.

Lonnie said her dreams have come true: “My vision has come to life; it was like an answered prayer.”

Search Novel Coffee + Teas: 710 George Washington Way, Suite B-B, Richland; 509-420-4883, Facebook, Instagram.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 ELITE, From page A35 “The price point can be high. But it’s worth it,” Whitehead said. “We’ve had 20 kids here who help by cleaning the gym when they couldn’t pay for training.”

John Lesser was one of those kids.

He was an all-star running back for 8-man football power Liberty Christian School in Richland, and then went on to play football at Eastern Oregon University.

Now he’s a performance specialist trainer for EAT. “At first, I looked at becoming a firefighter or police officer,” Lesser said. “But I just got enamored with training.”

Even with 5,600 square feet, it can get pretty hectic inside EAT. It’s got a 25-yard turf flooring, with a number of weight machines and cardio machines off to the side.

“Groups are on for 45 minutes on the turf for speed drills, then 45 minutes over in the weight room,” Lesser said. “Meanwhile, personal training is going on at the same time.”

In the early mornings, there is work to be done with in-season athletes. Right now, that’s mainly football and volleyball players.

“We figure they get enough cardio work with their high school teams,” said Lesser.

“I’m more worried about their strength and power.”

From 3:30-8 p.m., it’s a constant rotation. When the weather cooperates, they use the outside turf field.

New athletes start with one-on-one training sessions, and then graduate into the team workout sessions, which are fast and furious.

Nutrition is also a factor, and Whitehead’s team will put together an eating plan for those who want and will pay for it.

Working with pros Meanwhile, Whitehead can be found traveling around the country, working with professional athletes, such as current and former National Football League players Alshon Jeffery, Jadaveon Clowney, Jonathan Abram and Nelson Agholar.

In 2019, the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles took notice of what Whitehead was doing with one of their receivers at the time, Jeffery, and invited him to work as a consultant with them in the Eagles training camp for three months.

Ideas from both the workouts and equipment germinated in Whitehead’s head to bring home to his business.

In January 2019, Whitehead started Pro Trusted LLC, a concierge service that connects professional athletes with “pro trusted approved” service providers.

And while he’s gone, he entrusts the business to his staff of seven people.

They include Jason Hanson, a physical therapist and COO of EAT; Vaalyn Jackson, who is the strength and conditioning coordinator who has been with Whitehead from the start; and Dominic Frazier, who is the adult performance director. “(My staff) is the bread and butter of this place,” Whitehead said.

But, he says, it’s all about the clients, whether they’re kids or adults.

“Even during the pandemic, everything has been normal for me,” Whitehead said.

“We shut down the old gym in the pandemic. But after a while, I had about three

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parents call me to tell me they were worried about their kids’ mental health.”

So Whitehead and his staff met the kids at Kennewick’s Lawrence Scott Park.

“And I set up a weight room in my garage,” he said.

It’s about always improving.

“It’s optimize, maximize and surpass anything you believe you could do,” he said.

That formula also may work for the business itself.

“We probably need another building already,” Whitehead said. “It eventually will happen.”

Search Elite Ambitions Training: 191 Reata Road, Richland; 509-221-1898; eliteathleticstraining.com.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

uPROMOTIONS • CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) promoted Joseph Locatelli to senior CPA (certified public accountant). CLA is a professional services firm in Kennewick.

• Gesa Credit Union promoted Cheryl Brown to executive vice president of member support and service. Brown brings more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry to her new role, over 10 of which she has spent at Gesa. Brown will provide direction and support for all projects and solutions that support Gesa’s strategic plans, as well as collaborate directly with the executive management team and other departments to identify, recommend, develop, implement and support cost-effective solutions for all aspects of the organization.

Brown began her career at Bank of the Cascades as vice president, applications manager. Since then, she has worked for Banner Bank as a project manager and as of 2011, Gesa Credit Union. Prior to her promotion, Brown served as vice president of operations and program management at gesa.

Brown has lived in the Tri-Cities for the last 11 years after moving from Bend, Oregon, where she lived for the last 30 years. She has been happily married for 39 years and has three children.

uAWARDS & HONORS

• Prodigy Homes Inc. won the 2021 Parade of Homes People’s Choice Award.

• The Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation’s Dine Out Road Trip fundraiser was named Event of the Year for the

Washington Festivals & Events Association Southeast Washington Chapter (budgets under $250,000). The Dine Out Road Trip was created in partnership with the local restaurant community to raise awareness that healthy, cancer-crushing eating can be fun and convenient. Event participants traveled around the Tri-Cities sampling dishes created by each participating restaurant’s chef and voted on their favorites.

• Matthew Riesenweber of Cornerstone Wealth Strategies in Kennewick was recently named among 2021 Forbes Top Next-Gen Matthew Wealth Advisors.

Riesenweber Advisors featured on the list are all under 40 and, according to Forbes, represent the future of the wealth management industry.

• Trios Health has received the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines - Stroke: Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. Trios Health also received the association’s Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll Award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue

plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

Additionally, Trios received the association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed with more than 90% of compliance for 12 consecutive months for the “overall diabetes cardiovascular initiative composite score.”

• Jennifer Musick was the grand prize winner of the 2021 Rotary Mid-Columbia Duck Race, winning a new 2021 Toyota Tacoma Dbl Cab SR5 4x4 from Toyota of Tri-Cities in Kennewick. This is the sixth year Toyota of Tri-Cities has donated a new vehicle to the duck race. More than 18,460 tickets were sold for the duck race this year, raising tens of thousands of dollars to support area nonprofits.

• The Association of Washington Business honored Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with the 2021 AWB Manufacturing Excellence Award for Green Manufacturing. The award recognized PNNL’s work to develop Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion, or ShAPE, a new technology for processing aluminum and other metal alloys and composites that allows for greatly reduced energy consumption and fewer greenhouse gases.

uGRANTS • Gesa Credit Union launched its first Local Heroes Grant program and seven of the 23 organizations receiving grants were from the Tri-Cities. They were the Richland Firefighters Community Outreach Program, $5,000; Franklin Fire

District 2, $5,000; Benton Fire District 2, $5,000; Chaplain Services Network, $5,000; Second Harvest, $5,000; Friends of Disabled Veterans, $5,000; and MidColumbia Ballet, $3,000.

uDONATIONS • Lourdes Health and Trios Health donated $6,500 to the Grace Clinic in Kennewick to support its breast cancer programs. The donation is generated from Lourdes’ and Trios’ joint sponsorship of the Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night at the 2021 Benton Franklin County Fair and Rodeo. This donation is one of the largest single awards ever generated to a single recipient from the event.

• State Farm insurance agents delivered fire safety kits from National Fire Protection Association to more than 2,700 fire departments and elementary schools across the country. Washington received 10 kits, and one was donated to the Pasco Fire Department by State Farm agent Edison Valerio. The donation was intended to help educate kids during National Fire Protection Week and throughout Fire Prevention Month.

• The Dinner with Friends fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties on Nov. 4 raised $330,000, a new record. The event featured Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, a track and field athlete. Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, a keynote sponsor of the event, and its clients donated $100,000 to the nonprofit during the event.

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 uNEW HIRES

• Chris Musick has been named the deputy project director for Bechtel at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. He has Chris Musick more than 30 years of engineering, procurement, construction and operations experience. He has a broad range of management experience with an emphasis on nuclear waste processing, including technical issue resolution and managerial roles in engineering and project management. He joined WTP in 2001 as a lead engineer and took on roles of increasing responsibility and breadth. Prior to joining Bechtel, he worked at Idaho National Laboratory and Boeing.

• Ana Ruiz Kennedy has been hired as a community development and impact specialist for Numerica Credit Union in the Tri-Cities.

Ruiz Kennedy is Ana Ruiz Kennedy the board chairwoman for Tri-Cities Community Health and Progreso Latino. She has 10 years of experience in community development.

She will work to help community partners and members live well through strategic support and services.

• Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic has hired Jolene Babka as the new clinic director for the Tri-Cities area, overseeing Miramar Health Center in Kennewick, Columbia Basin Pediatric Dentistry, Community Dental Clinic, and Dentistry for Kids.

She has worked in the dental and medical industries for more than 10 years.

• The Washington State Department of Commerce has hired Norma Chavez as a community engagement specialist based in Kennewick, covering Adams, Norma Chavez Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Klickitat, Yakima and Walla Walla counties. Her 25-year background in

state government includes community engagement and outreach at the Washington Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Labor and Industries. She also worked for the civil rights branch for the Washington State Department of Transportation, working to provide equal opportunity to socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, and she headed the agricultural seasonal workforce services office at the Department of Agriculture.

• Kiemle Hagood has hired Austin Crawford for its Tri-Cities office brokerage division. He is a licensed broker in Washington and specializes in commercial real Austin Crawford estate acquisitions, leasing, sales and investments. Prior to joining Kiemle Hagood, he was a project engineer for Engineered Structures Inc. in Boise, Idaho.

• Miramar Health Center in Kennewick has hired Edith Zaragoza as a physician assistant. She learned her master degree in physician assistant studies Edith Zaragoza from Heritage University in Yakima and her bachelor’s of science in clinical physiology from Central Washington University in Ellensburg. She grew up watching her farmworker parents make hard decisions about health care and day-to-day necessities.

• Dr. Shanette Bruce has joined the Miramar Health Center in Kennewick. She received her doctor of osteopathic medicine from Western University of Health SciDr. Shanette Bruce ences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Northwest, in Lebanon, Oregon, and completed her residency at Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic’s Sollus Northwest Family Medicine Residency in Grandview.

• Lourdes Health hired Dr. Chris Brussow as a family medicine provider at

1304 E. Hillsboro St., Pasco, WA (509) 545-8420 • skoneirrigation.com

Lourdes Family Medicine, 7425 Wrigley Drive, Pasco. He joined Oct. 11. He recently completed his family medicine residency with LSU State Dr. Chris Brussow University Health Science Center, Department of Rural Family Medicine, in Vivian, Louisiana. There, he practiced in a critical access hospital and was the chief resident in his final year of the program.

He is fluent in English and Afrikaans.

Brussow attended medical school at St. Matthews University of School of Medicine and then went on to complete a oneyear internship with LSU State University, Department of Family Medicine.

• Umpqua Bank has added Rudy Mendoza to its commercial banking team, which has a focus on serving companies up to $100 million in annual revenue. MenRudy Mendoza doza has extensive banking experience across a variety of key sectors, including agriculture, commercial real estate and C&I lending. Prior to Umpqua, he managed a bank portfolio of roughly $80 million.

Charlie Drader also joined Umpqua’s commercial banking team. He has nearly two decades of banking experience across a variety of key sectors, includCharlie Drader ing agriculture, real estate, and C&I lending. In his most recent position as a regional president for Homestreet Bank, he oversaw loan and deposit growth, leading a team of relationship managers, portfolio managers and credit analysts.

• Retter and Company Sotheby’s International Realty has hired Scotty Smiley as a development coordinator and leadership coach. He will work with Dave Retter on land development projects working closely with developers and builders. In addition, he will also be working to develop the leadership and personal growth of Retter

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and Company’s agents. Smiley is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and began his career as an active-duty officer. After being injured by a Scotty Smiley suicide bomber in Iraq, he became the military’s first active-duty member to continue his service as a blind active-duty officer. He went on to receive a master’s in business administration from Duke University and he has taught at USMA and Gonzaga University.

• STCU has hired Luke Todd as director of retail for the Tri-Cities and Central Washington. In this role, he will oversee 11 branch locations, including three Luke Todd in Tri-Cities and eight Columbia Basin branches that STCU has acquired in the past two years. He comes to STCU with more than 14 years of experience at Northwest financial institutions, most recently as a vice president and area manager at Umpqua Bank, where he oversaw branches spread across portions of eastern Washington and Oregon, and southwest Idaho. A Tri-Cities resident and Kamiakin High School graduate, he attended Pacific Banking School’s Executive Leadership Training program. He is a board chair for the Southeastern and Central Washington Chapter of the American Red Cross.

STCU also hired Ian Myers as a loan officer based at the Southridge branch in Kennewick. He will serve members throughout the region. Raised in Ian Myers East Wenatchee, the Kennewick resident has more than two decades of experience as a real estate loan officer, most recently with Gesa Credit Union. Myers has taught first-time homebuyer classes and is well-versed in construction lending, as well as government-backed USDA, FHA and VA home loan options.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

CELEBRATING

Pepper Preppers heating up old Benton City fire station

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YEARS

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

PNNL dedicates $90 million Energy Sciences Center

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November 2021 Volume 20 | Issue 11 | B1

Builders pivot from commercial to multifamily projects

By Kristina Lord

publisher@tcjournal.biz

A group of Tri-City builders is turning its focus away from commercial development to focus on multifamily projects.

It’s a strategy that appears to be a smart business move for Urban Range LLC. Four partners make up the LLC which brings together under one umbrella a group of experienced builders with businesses of their own: Britt Creer and Steve Tarbert, both of Ranchland Homes, and Colton Brady and Ken Holle, both of Urban Street Builders.

Creer has a flooring company and his teen kids clean houses. Tarbert has a construction cleanup business. Brady runs a trim business on the side. Holle’s wife Dana does floor plans and exterior design work.

The builders first came together as Red Mountain Construction to build 62 units, a mix of 32 townhomes and duplexes and fourplexes, off Belmont Boulevard in West Richland about two and a half years ago.

As Urban Range, they have been busy building four fourplexes behind the old

Photo by Kristina Lord Colton Brady, left, and Britt Creer of Urban Range LLC stand outside their new fourplex development off Van Giesen Street, behind the West Richland police station.

West Richland city hall campus and police station off Van Giesen Street.

The city plans to move into its new

$12.3 million police station at 7920 W. Van Giesen St. near Keene Road by the end of the year and that’s when Urban Range will

move its offices into the old police station.

A purchase-sale agreement for the property has been signed for two years, Creer said.

The partners have an office on Fowler Street, off Columbia Center Boulevard, in Kennewick, but a West Richland office makes better sense logistically for the partners and their four employees, Creer said.

Plans to build two duplexes adjacent the fourplexes, behind the nearby Circle K store, were on deck, with permits issued.

Each side of the buildings will have 640 square feet.

The original plan also included building a strip mall and office complex off Van Giesen between Circle K and the police station, but with more people working from home it didn’t make sense, Creer said. The plans have been designed and approved but the project is paused.

“We’ll see what the smartest thing to do on Van Giesen is,” Creer said.

So the builders are focusing on where they see the need: multifamily housing.

“Residential and multifamily is not hard to sell. Our capital is better used to make sure people have housing,” Creer said. uURBAN RANGE, Page B4

Series of happy and not-so-happy accidents led Ciao Wagon to Pasco

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Susanne and Jessie Ayala had a plan.

It just didn’t include opening Ciao Trattoria in downtown Pasco, which they did in October.

The Ayalas intended to leverage their restaurant experience and the success of their Ciao Wagon food truck into a sit-down restaurant in east Pasco, at the Osprey Pointe Marketplace, which hasn’t been built.

Even with the opening date uncertain, they weren’t interested when a downtown Pasco property owner approached them on the street and asked them to consider a storefront he owns.

“Nope, we’re doing Osprey Pointe,” the Ayalas told him.

They looked anyway and the “no” became a “yes.” The space, 112 N. Fourth Ave., near Lewis Street, was transformed from a messy, box-filled former shipping office into a café with tables and a long bar for take-out customers.

It was the latest in a long line of happy and not-so-happy accidents that prompted the couple to alter their plans.

As they recall, they changed their minds after eyeing the fishbowl-style display windows on either side of the door and its pleasant atmosphere.

Susanne saw an opportunity: Ciao Wag-

on was busy with special events and bookings. Regular customers were frustrated that it wasn’t more readily available to the public.

A brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown could be a great way to cater to fans by offering walk-up service.

Jessie agreed.

“So we did it,” she said.

A comfortable change Ciao Trattoria is a small sit-down restaurant with a limited kitchen and a smattering of tables for eat-in customers. Those fishbowl windows have parlor-style seating overlooking the sidewalk.

In a neighborhood awash in Mexican

food, Ciao Trattoria offers a different palate – charcuterie, gyros, Ciao Wagon’s celebrated smashed pastrami melt, shawarma sandwich, lemon pasta and maple bacon jalapeño mac.

Jessie does most of the cooking a block away at the Pasco Specialty Kitchen, a commercial kitchen that provides food preparation space to tenants. The trattoria’s kitchen is set up to handle quick cook items and staging. There is no vent hood, a necessity for heavy duty food prep.

It has a license to sell beer, wine and cider. The Ayalas hope to add cocktails to the menu, in addition to a beverage lineup that uCIAO TRATTORIA, Page B2

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

CIAO TRATTORIA, From page B1 includes espresso drinks.

They still intend to open a version of Ciao Trattoria when the Osprey Pointe Marketplace building is constructed near the Columbia River in east Pasco. JMS Development will build it and other structures on the Port of Pasco-owned site beginning in 2022.

Ciao Trattoria will be among the first businesses to open there, but there is no guarantee it will open to long lines. The Ayalas say they’re prepared for a slow start but are confident their menu and execution will carry them.

“What gives us the confidence is the concept,” Jessie said.

The Ayalas are just as thrilled to be part of downtown, even if it wasn’t planned.

“I don’t think people see the untapped potential of downtown Pasco,” Jessie said.

The city of Pasco is building the Lewis Street overpass, which will improve connections between downtown and the east side. It is updating Peanuts Park, the Pasco Farmers Market and sidewalks with benches and other pedestrian-friendly touches.

The city council recently agreed to remove some rules than prohibited sandwich boards, second-hand stores, membership businesses and other activities in its commercial business district after businesses said the rules were barriers to a thriving downtown.

The couple were surprised by some of the rules, but said they’ve been able to adapt.

“The city of Pasco has been very accommodating,” Jessie said.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Passion for cooking

Jessie is the chef of the family. Susanne works in human resources.

His career trajectory began in Prosser, where he grew up. He calls himself an undistinguished student who was a credit shy during his high school career. His home economics teacher counseled him to plan and prepare a meal, down to the recipes.

The experience stuck and led him to the culinary program at South Seattle Community College. He settled in Seattle for several years, working in high-end establishments, including the Columbia Tower Club atop the city’s – and Northwest’s – tallest office building.

He returned to Prosser to work for his aunt and uncle, who owned Wine Country Inn. He met and married Jessie and the couple began a family. They opened Tuscany restaurant in Prosser in 2010 and ran it for three years until a dream job for Susanne took the family back to Seattle.

Jessie held a series of jobs, including sous chef for Ivar’s, the seafood chain, and working for a vendor that provided meal service to the Boeing Co. Intrigued by food trucks, they bought a new model in Portland, a cedar-sided vehicle they dubbed Ciao Wagon. They did little with the vehicle at first.

Susanne was visiting the Tri-Cities when a chance visit with friends showed her the need for food trucks catering to wine industry events.

The Ayalas fired up the Ciao Wagon, with Jessie commuting across the mountains from Seattle for two years to work special events in private businesses. By 2017,

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Susanne and Jessie Ayala opened Ciao Trattoria in downtown Pasco in October to offer fans of their Ciao Wagon food truck a place to pick up meals. The restaurant offers eat-in and pick-up service.

they were back in the Tri-Cities and Ciao Wagon was a full-time job for Jessie while Susanne settled in as human resources manager for Americold.

Covid-19 battle Disaster struck in mid-2020 when the Ayalas came down with Covid-19, exposed through a family member, they believe.

Susanne and their younger children got better, but Jessie did not. He recalls a coughing fit like no other while showering.

“It was the worst thing I ever heard,” Susanne said.

He would end up being hospitalized in Portland and placed on an ECMO, or Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, to rest his heart and lungs. It’s a last-ditch treatment for the very ill, but it worked. He was off in 12 days. Doctors had braced Susanne to prepare for two months.

When he was conscious, the couple would discuss the future, or rather, she talked and he answered in his head – a breathing tube kept him from speaking.

Their children advised her to shut down Ciao Wagon, but she had other ideas.

So did he.

He woke up, he said, with a head full of food, particularly pasta.

He faced an arduous recovery, but regained his strength slowly through physical therapy and a determination to get back to work. The first job was preparing 130 boxed dinners for a catering job.

They were on time, but Jessie said he was so exhausted he couldn’t move his feet.

He contemplated retiring, fearing he had long Covid and would never recover enough to move as freely and quickly as he needs in a kitchen.

“Time is the enemy in food and I have to keep moving,” he said.

His recovery progressed, but with setbacks, including a gallbladder attack that required surgery.

For Susanne, his determination drove the couple to plan not one but two restaurants.

“That mentality is why we’ve been able to open this business,” she said.

He agreed.

“We don’t want to fail because we didn’t try.”

Search Ciao Trattoria: 112 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, eatciao.com, 509-380-5466. Facebook: @eatciao.

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Pepper Preppers heating up old Benton City fire station

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

A former fire station in the heart of Benton City will be the new home of Pepper Preppers LLC, a hot sauce business, as well as a commercial kitchen available for lease to a limited number of food startups.

Cheri and Bill Smoot, founders of Pepper Preppers LLC, have a $211,000 agreement to buy the 4,538-square-foot former fire station, 713 Ninth St., from the Port of Benton. The deal is scheduled to close Dec. 13.

The Smoots secured a $550,000 loan from the Hanford Area Economic Investment Fund to purchase and equip the building, which has been empty for a year and last housed a glass-making business.

The Benton City couple will move their hot sauce business from the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and plan to operate a co-packing business to produce small batches of hot sauces on behalf of clients.

They will establish a small commercial kitchen to serve about six up-and-coming food manufacturers, echoing the PSK model. The commercial kitchen will operate as Pepper Preppers Kitchen.

Pepper Preppers is rooted, as foodbased startups often are, in a friendly workplace competition.

Bill, a health physicist at the Hanford site, got into a breakroom hot sauce competition with a coworker, each escalating the rivalry over a series of new sauces.

Courtesy Pepper Preppers LLC Bill and Cheri Smoot, founders of Pepper Preppers LLC, are buying the former Benton City fire station, 713 Ninth St., as a new home for their hot sauce business and related ventures.

Bill didn’t have an old family recipe to drawn on, but he enjoys putting ingredients together and compiled one for his workplace.

The competition went back and forth until a colleague made an offhand remark about Bill’s version with its smoked veggies and three-pepper base: If this were sold in a grocery store, I would buy it, he said.

With that, the Smoots established Pepper Preppers in December 2017.

They devoted the first eight months sorting through licensing and food safety regulations.

They developed their first sauce, Smokin’ Hot Threesome – for its three peppers. They selected the unusual square jars and hired an Ohio-based artist to design the label. They created a launch date for themselves by signing up for an event in Seattle: Aug. 5, 2018.

“If you have a refined enough palate, the peppers will hit,” Bill said.

They made it, but lost money, selling about $500 of product and spending $800 on expenses.

Still, they considered it a valuable experience that brought them into the tightknit yet highly competitive community of hot sauce makers.

For the next year, they tooled around the Northwest, selling at farmers markets, street fairs, sportsmen’s shows, home and garden shows and other festivals. A secondary business developed on the internet: Customers who picked up their sauces at events would hunt them down online for refills.

Like most businesses, 2020 was a rough year. The events where they plied their wares dried up, leaving them with nowhere to go. So, they doubled down and spent the year in the kitchen, developing a line of six sauces, ranging from hot-hot-hot to sweet.

Each is analyzed at Washington State University and sent to the Food and Drug Administration for approval. They are carried locally at Ranch & Home stores, Knutzen’s Meats in Pasco and in the terminal of the Tri-Cities Airport – past the security checkpoint.

As the economy revived and their customers found them online, business took off.

Bill still works at Hanford. Cheri left Energy Northwest, where she worked in performance improvement for about 20 uPEPPER PREPPERS, Page B4

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 PEPPER PREPPERS, From page B3

Courtesy Pepper Preppers LLC Bill and Cheri Smoot of Pepper Preppers are buying the former Benton City fire station, 713 Ninth St., for their fast-growing hot sauce business, Pepper Preppers LLC, and to create a commercial kitchen in Benton City.

years, in February to work full time on the business.

They’ve been happy to call the Pasco Specialty Kitchen home, but about a year ago decided to seek out a commercial space where they could make their own sauces, co-pack for others and set up a commercial kitchen.

It was a frustrating experience, they said.

Each time they found something that met their needs, it was too expensive or a cash buyer bought it before they could nail down financing.

They even leased space at one point but had to back out when they realized the building couldn’t accommodate a vent hood – a cooking necessity.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Fortune stepped in when they peered into the old fire station and wondered if it could work. The port, as it happened, had decided to sell the building as part of a larger move to relieve itself of the financial pressure of maintaining older properties.

For Pepper Preppers, the building suited its needs. The former ambulance bay on the north would house a kitchen and the old fire truck bay to the south would house storage. Bill reached out to the port just as it was reaching out to him.

The deal was hammered out.

Finding a building was one thing.

Finding a loan to get Pepper Preppers off the ground was another.

The couple pursued then abandoned a traditional startup loan backed by Small Business Administration. They turned to

a banker at STCU for advice and learned about HAEIF. The fund, created by the 1991 state Legislature, finances projects that help diversify the Tri-City economy and is funded by fees collected from the deposit of low-level radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation.

Skip Novakovich, chair of the HAEIF board, said Pepper Preppers had one of the best business plans the group has ever seen and impressed the board with its interest in helping small business grow.

Recent investments include start-up costs for Crumbl Cookies at Columbia Center in Kennewick, Iconic Brewery in Richland and The Nineteen, an apartment project planned for downtown Kennewick.

URBAN RANGE, From page B1 That doesn’t mean he’s abandoning plans to develop the property.

“This needs something here but it doesn’t need to be just anything. We want the right stuff to come in. That’s what we want,” he said.

The west end Across town, on the growing west end of the city, Urban Range has plans to break up 12 acres of commercial land at the corner of Van Giesen and Paradise Way and then sell them.

“It’s the highest profile corner in Eastern Washington,” Creer said.

“We’re not going to develop those commercial parcels because commercial isn’t very fun. Multifamily, that’s our focus.”

The team also is working on building 15 townhomes and 11 single-family homes – small homes under 1,500 square feet – in the Western Ridge development, also off Paradise. There will be nine threeplexes with 27 units.

An advantage of building a variety of multifamily homes in the same development is they allow families to stay in their neighborhood and keep their kids in the same school as they outgrow their starter homes, Creer said.

Across the street from the development, the partnership owns 17 acres and is building 57 fourplexes and 40 townhomes. The project backs up to Aho Construction’s growing The Heights at Red Mountain Ranch, which at full buildout will add nearly 800 new homes within city limits.

Five years ago Creer said he started buying land but the city didn’t have zoning requirements for townhomes. Creer worked with the city to develop them as they saw the need for townhomes as starter homes.

Creer, who was born and raised just outside of West Richland city limits, said he traveled for most of his career after spending 15 years as a project management consultant, mainly for the oil, gas and nuclear industry.

Creer said his job is to plan for five years out. Urban Range has projects underway in southern Utah and Deer Park.

In the coming year, it will begin building 12 fourplexes on about 3 acres in the Badger Mountain South development off Dallas Road in Richland.

“The parking lot and infrastructure are already in. We’re ready to build,” Creer said.

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Memory care home adding two buildings in Pasco

said. It has properties in Richland and Kennewick and employs about 24 in Pasco.

Worcott said two new buildings answer need for residential care for people who need varying degrees of support.

“We are always full,” she said.

Construction workers placed the roof on the third building in mid-October.

Rosetta serves a variety of patients with cognitive deficits, from those who can care for themselves in most respects

but need some assistance to patients with full-blown Alzheimer’s, who may need assistance with all aspects of living.

Rosetta serves fresh-prepared meals in a cozy dining room. Residents have access to sitting rooms with televisions and an activity room for crafts and games.

There is a salon area for haircuts, a jetted tub and a laundry area. Residents can do their own or have staff handle it.

The intent is to create a home-like setting for residents and their guests.

Rooms have their own bathroom, including toilet, sink and shower. The rooms are furnished with beds, nightstands and dressers, though residents can bring their own furniture.

The buildings are configured to offer single rooms. Some are large enough to serve couples or roommates.

Eden Group of Park City, Utah, is the general contractor.

Rosetta accepts Medicaid, with residents eligible to apply as soon as they move in with no waiting period. search Rosetta Assisted Living: 5921 Road 60, Pasco; rosettahomes.com; 509-4121777.

land after the theater mistakenly located a portion of a storage building on cityowned land next door.

Richland Players bought the storage building from the Richland School Dis-

trict in 1993. The boundary issue went undetected at the time, according to a summary prepared for the Richland City Council in November.

The sale price of $1,536.15 represents

fair market value for the 627 square feet, estimated at $2.45 per square foot. Following the sale, the boundary line will be moved three feet south of the storage building.

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Rosetta Assisted Living is completing its Pasco complex with its third and fourth buildings to serve residents with memory disorders.

The Pasco facility, 5921 Road 60, has room for up to four identical buildings to care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Each building has 17 rooms and can serve up to 23 people with a mix of private and semiprivate suites.

Rosetta’s second building opened in late 2019.

The third is valued at $2 million and is under construction with an occupancy date of March 2022.

Workers will break ground on a fourth by late 2021 or early 2022, said Crystal Worcott, regional director for Rosetta.

The Pasco facility is across Road 60 from Mariposa Park, close to Barbara McClintock STEM Elementary School.

Rosetta, based in Idaho, operates facilities serving people with dementia in Montana and Washington.

It exited the Idaho and Oregon markets and has a focus on Washington, Worcott

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Kadlec kicks in $25K for Little Badger trail, $100K is still needed

The Kadlec Foundation donated $25,000 to Friends of Badger Mountain to support its effort to establish a new preserve and trail on Little Badger Mountain.

The nonprofit is raising money to close on the purchase of land it needs to create its third trail. Little Badger Mountain Preserve and Trail will connect to the Badger Mountain Centennial network of trails on neighboring Badger Mountain.

Friends of Badger Mountain established Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve in 2005 and Candy Mountain Preserve in 2016. Collectively, it has preserved 900 acres of ridge land and built 10 miles of trails, which are among the most hiked in the region.

“The mission of the Kadlec Foundation is to elevate community health through the generous support of donors,” said Jim Hall, Kadlec’s chief philanthropy officer.

The Little Badger trail will add a 2.2mile trail, rising to the summit of Little Badger in south Richland. As of early November, Friends of Badger Mountain still needed to raise about $100,000 of its $1.5 million goal. It hopes to close the fundraising campaign by the end of 2021.

Go to friendsofbadger.org.

Richland Players buying 627 square feet of land

Richland Players Inc., which owns the theater at 608 The Parkway, is buying 627 square feet of neighboring property from the city of Richland.

The city agreed to sell the sliver of

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Rosetta Assisted Living is adding a third building to its Pasco campus at 5921 Road 60 near Barbara McClintock STEM Elementary School. It will break ground on a fourth in late 2021 or early 2022.

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Train blasts too loud? Pasco fields complaints about noise

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Prompted by complaints about the blasts from trains rumbling through Pasco, the city is looking at what it would take to create a “railroad quiet zone.”

The city council reviewed the state and federal requirements for quiet zones during a July workshop but has taken no further steps since then.

Steve Worley, public works director, acknowledged it would be a tall and costly order for the city to install the crossing arms and other equipment needed to justify a quiet zone.

A 2005 federal rule requires train operators to blast their horns in urban areas and at spots where streets cross tracks at grade, meaning they don’t go over – or under – the tracks.

The horn blasts can be reduced if certain safety measures are in place, including crossing arms, signals and other mechanisms to keep people and vehicles out of the path of oncoming trains.

“There are quite a bit of requirements related to eliminating train horns,” Worley said.

The city hasn’t evaluated how many crossings it has or if there is enough distance between them to meet the legal requirements for a quiet zone. The July session offered an overview of what is

required but no estimate of the cost.

According to a recent presentation by a safety specialist from Federal Railroad Commission, costs can vary from $30,000 per crossing to more than $1 million, depending on the number of crossings and the improvements required.

Trains are an everyday fact of life in Pasco. Major rail lines traverse the community, ferrying people (Amtrak) and freight (BNSF and UP).

The BNSF Rail Yard in Pasco is another complication. Trains must blow their horns as the enter and leave.

“Unfortunately, in Pasco, there are several tracks coming in and out of the yard that don’t provide the necessary space,” he said. “This is going to be fairly difficult to meet.”

To pursue a quiet zone, the city would have to identify all railroad crossings and identify what steps are needed. For instance, all public crossings must have lights, gates and indicators when power goes out. Private crossings must be well signed.

Railroad quiet zones are discussed frequently. The most recent federal inventory, from 2019, indicates there are a handful of quiet zones in Washington state: Connell, Mukilteo, Seattle, Spokane Valley, Stevenson, Washougal, Wenatchee and White Salmon.

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REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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Ag, construction heavy equipment dealer expands in Pasco

By Wendy Culverwell editor@tcjournal.biz

Blueline Equipment Inc., a Yakimabased ag and construction equipment dealer and manufacturer, is doubling down on its Pasco retail store.

Owner Gregg Marrs is building an 11,000-square-foot showroom and office near the Tri-Cities Airport amid growing demand for its tractors, excavators, diggers and other heavy equipment used on farms as well as construction sites.

Blueline’s new home will be built at 2080 N. Commercial Ave. and will replace its leased spot at Oregon Avenue and Broadway Street.

The new store will have a 10,000-squarefoot showroom and 1,000-square-foot office and is near Parr Lumber and a Simplot frozen vegetable plant to the east of the TriCities Airport.

Marrs paid $340,000 for the 2.1-acre site in June. He hopes to break ground this month. The move-in date is set for April, near the start of the 2022 growing season.

“We’re very excited about it. We have a good location with visibility from the freeway,” he said. The new store will employ about 14, doubling its workforce.

Blueline is a dealer for Kubota and other equipment lines and manufactures its own lines of tractors, berry-picking machinery and more. It serves a mix of agricultural and commercial customers through retail sites between Yakima and Walla Walla.

Ag represents most of its business, with a

focus on specialty crops such as tree fruits, vines, hops and berries.

Marrs said demand from hop growers and wine grape growers has been strong, as has its growing base in the berry market.

In the Mid-Columbia, that usually means blueberries.

“Ag tends to go in the opposite direction of the domestic economy,” he said. “I feel very confident with agriculture. It is the food business. People aren’t going to stop eating.”

The new Pasco location doubles as a retirement investment for Marrs, a standard practice for privately-owned companies. It is also one of several new buildings if not locations for Blueline. It has built others in Yakima, Sunnyside, Mattawa and George.

Marrs called Eastern Washington a good and undervalued market for investing in commercial real estate. And, tongue in cheek, he called himself an excellent tenant.

“I typically like to own the properties our businesses are in,” Marrs said. “I can’t think of a more secure tenant than myself.

He is just a wonderful person. He never complains.”

Columbia River Steel and Construction, an engineering and construction firm in Grandview, is managing the project, as it has for the other new buildings. Dana J. Sveum is the project engineer on behalf of Columbia River.

Marrs said he is considering expanding beyond his current footprint in Eastern Washington.

As one of the leading farm and construc-

Photo by Wendy Culverwell Blueline Equipment Inc., a Yakima-based ag and construction equipment retailer as well as manufacturer, is doubling its Pasco presence with a new store on North Commercial Street.

tion equipment importers, it has business up and down the West Coast. The Portland, Oregon, market could be a next stop.

“I think we could justify a location down in the Willamette Valley. We do a lot of business down there,” he said.

Marrs said business is good and is being bolstered by consolidation in the ag industry.

“We’re dealing with much larger organizations. They’re well financed. They have a long-term strategy. They buy significant amounts of equipment because they’re farming significant amounts of acreage,” he said.

Blueline launched in 1958 when Bob Groenig began designing self-loading orchard bin trailers at his machine shop in the heart of Washington’s apple industry. He would later design and build a pruning lift, called the Orchard Ape, an industry staple for years.

The business incorporated in 1985. Distribution deals soon followed and Marrs signed on as a minority investor in 1995.

Two years later, he was the sole owner while the original founder continued developing new equipment lines. search Blueline Equipment: bluelinemfg. com.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Pasco middle school teacher gets free mortgage

Envoy Mortgage recently surprised Henry Ney of Pasco, a middle school math and science teacher, with a free monthly payment.

Envoy honored Ney through its Gift of Home program, which is designed to show gratitude to its customers during financially challenging times.

It said it honored Ney for his dedication to his students and his work throughout the pandemic to ensure his students did not fall behind.

“Facing many technical hurdles, Henry had to get creative to keep his

students engaged and encouraged to learn while teaching remotely,” it said.

Town Crier announces plans to close on Nov. 24

A longtime Richland bar has announced plans to close before Thanksgiving.

The Town Crier said it intends to close its doors on Nov. 24, the day before the holiday.

The tavern’s Facebook announcement was shared more than 300 times on the social media site.

“They say that all great things must come to an end. After decades in business, including 18 years with the current owners, the time has come to call it a

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

night,” the post read.

“We hope you will stop in during the next few weeks and say goodbye to our amazing staff.”

The tavern is at 1319 George Washington Way in the Richland Uptown Shopping Center.

West Richland’s Paradise Way extension delayed

The city of West Richland’s plans to punch Paradise Way through to Van Giesen Street at the bottom of the hill have been delayed until spring.

The road extension project was to be completed in November but now it’s postponed to April, said Roscoe Slade III,

the city’s public works director.

A development underway on either side of the Paradise near Van Giesen means the new road would have scrapers moving across the new pavement and the city would have to pay for traffic control.

The city’s contractor agreed to stop the project early and finish it up in the spring without charging the city extra.

“It was kind of a win for everybody.

That’ll be a great connection. And that connection does not just go down to Van Giesen but also goes west across Van Giesen and ties back into Keene Road right where all that development is happening in the Heights at Red Mountain,” Slade said.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

Arts Center group starts fresh with new executive director

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

The Arts Center Task Force is restarting its efforts to build an 800-seat performing arts center in Richland under a new executive director.

Phinney Brown, whose background includes working in the wine industry and for numerous nonprofits, took the helm at the nonprofit in July.

She previously led marketing efforts for the former Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser and held leadership roles with The Rude Mechanicals, Richland Players and Columbia Basin College Summer Showcase.

Phinney said the group’s focus is unchanged: It intends to build a muchneeded performing arts center to serve the Tri-Cities.

It previously intended to build at the Port of Kennewick’s Vista Field, but pulled out when it realized it needed more money than it could realistically raise through donations.

“Since it’s not at Vista Field anymore, we’re starting from scratch in terms of where to locate and how to fund,” she said.

Her predecessor, Davin Diaz, discussed siting it near the Reach Museum in Richland, but Brown said several sites are in contention.

The Arts Center Task Force is discussing candidates with the city of Richland. It is also discussing a funding partnership with the city’s public facilities district. Washington law allows such

districts to ask voters to raise sales taxes to support public venues.

Brown said the task force will have to raise money Phinney Brown from a mix of private donations, grants and public sources. It previously identified $40 million in funding sources, including $15 million from individuals, $5 million from grants and $20 million from public sources.

She expects to launch a formal capital campaign, but in the interim, the task force is accepting donations and holding fundraisers, including a socially-distanced breakfast Dec. 1 at C.G. Public House in Kennewick.

A similar effort is underway in Spokane to build a $36 million performing arts center.

The Spokane Valley Summer Theater intends to break ground in September on a 59,000-square-foot performing center near the Tru by Hilton hotel in the Mirabeau Park neighborhood, reports the Spokane Journal of Business.

The Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center will open in February 2024. Its supporters have raised $12 million and will use financing from State Bank Northwest. The Spokane center will have a 475-seat main theater, a 200-seat flexible studio theater, an acting conser-

vatory and event and meeting space.

The design by Spokane-based NAC Architecture is art deco in style and includes several water features and broad views to Mt. Spokane. The Spokane Valley City Council awarded $6,000 to support fundraising activities.

In the Tri-Cities, the Covid-19 pandemic slowed progress, but it did lead the Arts Center Task Force to open its first-ever physical location and to take time to overhaul its marketing materials, logo and website.

The task force moved into a former Christian broadcasting studio at 704 Symons St. in Richland.

Its new home has a recording studio and conference room. It launched ACTF Digital Studio, providing audiovisual and streaming services to arts groups as well as rehearsal space.

“It’s a good step for us,” said Brown, who said many nonprofits were forced to hold virtual events when in-person ones were prohibited.

“In the pandemic, a lot of people had to go online and didn’t know how to do that,” she said.

Donations to support eventual construction of a performing arts center are held in a special account and are not used for operational costs.

Go to: artscentertaskforce.com/donate. Reporter Erica Bullock of the Spokane Journal of Business contributed to this report.

B9

uBUSINESS BRIEF

BrandCraft expands to Boise through acquisition

BrandCraft, a Richland-based digital marketing, web design and creative agency, is expanding into Idaho through the acquisition of Carew Co. BrandCraft also has a location in Spokane.

Carew founder Paul Carew will serve as enterprise creative director in the Boise area. He established his own firm about 10 years ago after first moving to Boise to work for a different agency. He helped establish the Idaho chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists and serves as an adjunct professor at Boise State University and on the board of the Better Business Bureau.

His team includes designers Thomas Walsh and Shailey Katsilometes who will round out the Boise office. At least one additional hire is planned.

“The Boise market is being added at the right time. I still see big demand in the Pacific Northwest. We look forward to continuing to building relationships within the Boise community,” said Torey Azure, CEO, BrandCraft.

The firm recently moved its Tri-City offices from Kennewick to 723 The Parkway, Suite 203, in Richland.

BrandCraft offers video production and performance digital marketing among a few others. The larger team also increases production capabilities for design projects without sacrificing strategic design direction.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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Courtesy PNNL The $90 million Energy Sciences Center features 140,000 square feet of space for 52 laboratories, flexible-use collaborative spaces, conference rooms and offices for 250 staff and visiting researchers. It’s located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory campus in Richland.

PNNL dedicates $90M Energy Sciences Center

By Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee helped dedicate a $90 million research facility at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory campus in Richland on Oct. 29.

The event was held online but served as a celebration for a new center for scientific discovery in chemistry, materials science and computing.

The new Energy Sciences Center is focused on helping the U.S. meet decarbonization goals by reducing vehicle emissions, developing next-generation energy storage technology and more efficient manufacturing methods.

uBUSINESS BRIEFS

Downtown Kennewick is certifiably creative

Downtown Kennewick is the home of one of Washington’s newest certified creative districts, a designation that reflects the history and culture of the area.

The South Columbia Creative District (SOCO) was unanimously ratified on Oct. 6 in a vote by a board of commissioners organized under ArtsWA. The creative district program helps communities turn cultural activities into economic growth. For Kennewick, the designation recognizes that downtown is the creative and artistic heart of the community. The city of Kennewick and the Washington Department of Transportation will install highway signs promoting the South Columbia Creative District to alert passing travelers.

The district is bordered by the Columbia River, Sixth Avenue, Gum Street and Fruitland Street. The area is home to Keewaydin Park, home of the East Benton County History Museum and Keewaydin branch of the Mid-Columbia Libraries, the Historic Downtown Kennewick business core, Columbia Gardens Urban Wine and Artisan Village, the Columbia Drive corridor and Clover Island.

“It was important to us that this creative district span the breadth of all

“Meeting the goal we set here in Washington of transitioning to net zero emissions by 2050 will require continued scientific and technological advances,” Inslee said. “It is my hope that those next big breakthroughs will be made right here in the Energy Sciences Center.”

The 140,000-square-foot facility has space for 52 laboratories, flexible space for collaboration, conference room and offices for 250 staff and visiting researchers.

Congress approved the $90 million in March 2018. The state contributed $8 million to equip it through its Clean Energy Fund. Battelle, which manages PNNL for the U.S. Department of Energy, provided $5 million. of downtown’s major assets. That they encompass the essential creative, artistic, culinary, and historic features of our community,” said Stephanie Button, executive director of the Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership, which will administer the district.

Yakama Nation buys 1,500acre Inaba Produce Farms

The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation purchased a 1,500acre farm within the reservation as part of its food sovereignty initiative.

The Yakama Nation acquired Inaba Produce Farms Inc. from the heirs of Shukichi Inaba, who immigrated from Japan to Wapato in 1907 and leased land from the tribe for his farm. The tribe noted that U.S. law did not allow Japanese immigrants to own land at the time.

Inaba cleared the original 120 acres of land and the farm eventually grew to its current size.

Brothers Lon and Wayne Inaba will remain as general manager and deputy manager.

The sale helps the Yakama Nation initiate an agriculture plan to support its goal of “food sovereignty,” to ensure members have access to healthy foods as well as employment and economic opportunities.

The general council adopted the agriculture plan in 2019.

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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The Richland School District completed a $5.5 million project to upgrade the athletic fields at Hanford High School in north Richland.

The project at 450 Hanford St. included new artificial turf on the football field, with “Hanford” and “Falcons” painted in the end zones, a 2,000-seat grandstand with press box, a new track surface and updates to the long jump pit, shotput area and other track and field stations.

Restrooms and concession buildings were updated and the field got a new entrance as well.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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LIGO Hanford Exploration Center 127124 N. Route 10, Richland

A $7.7 million visitor center that celebrates the groundbreaking science of Hanford LIGO – for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory – has wrapped up at the Hanford site north of Richland.

The LIGO Hanford Exploration Center, or LExC, at 127124 N. Route 10 will host visitors and up to 10,000 students per year to learn more about the work of the Hanford observatory. LExC is next to the actual observatory, a giant L-shaped listening station, at the U.S. Department of Energy site.

The design tells the story of how LIGO Hanford and a twin observatory in Livingston, Louisiana, detected gravity waves that emanated from colliding black holes 1.3 billion light years from earth. The work netted the three key principals the 2017 Nobel

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The building’s footprint echoes the swirl of waves spiraling away from a center in evenly space Archimedean spirals.

Pasco architect Terence “Tere” Thornhill and DGR Grant Construction teamed up to pitch the idea to LIGO, which is owned and operated by CalTech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The state-funded center is designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver rating criteria. It opens in January.

Google Maps has an up-to-date aerial image of the observatory and LExC for those wanting to see more.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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B17

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Richland Fire and Emergency Services completed its 10,350-square-foot Fire Station 73 in late October.

The new station on Jadwin Avenue is a twin to Fire Station 75, which opened in September on Battelle Boulevard in north Richland.

The station at 2120 Jadwin Ave. includes living quarters for up to four firefighters, administrative space for both fire and police and four apparatus bays.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

PUBLIC RECORD uBANKRUPTCIES Bankruptcies are filed under the following chapter headings: Chapter 7 — Straight Bankruptcy: debtor gives up non-exempt property and debt is discharged.

Chapter 11 — Allows companies and individuals to restructure debts to repay them.

Chapter 12 — Allows family farmers or fishermen to restructure finances to avoid liquidation for foreclosure.

Chapter 13 — Plan is devised by the individual to pay a percentage of debt based on ability to pay. All disposable income must be used to pay debts.

Information provided by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Spokane.

CHAPTER 13

Jennifer L. Noggles, 918 E. 27th Ave., Kennewick.

Dann Maynard Walsh, 64115 E. PR 99 SE, Benton City.

Joyce Faye Czyzun, 3018 Wild Canyon Way, Richland.

CHAPTER 7

Felipe Rafael Lopez, 3719 Estrella Drive, Pasco.

Margarita Chacon, 322 W. Shoshone St., Pasco.

Insulation Management Services LLC, 2101 W. Snow Lane, Benton City.

Laura Marie Phelps, 310 W. 19th Ave., Kennewick.

Rosa Elena Orozco, 3220 W. Wernett Road, Pasco.

Mary Chuol Ban, 614 S. Jean St., Kennewick.

Robert S. Kogan & Erin K. Kogan, 1409 Townsend Court, Richland.

Hector I. Rosales & Julie A. Rosales, 1704 W. 23rd Place, Kennewick.

Whitney Lyn Graves, 110 Babs Ave., #14, Benton City.

Rafael Espinoza & Matilde Espinoza, 917 N. Cleveland St., Apt. C, Kennewick.

Kasey Blum and James S. Blum, 320 N. Fifth, Connell.

Breann Nicole Henley, 10251 Ridgeline Drive, Apt. E366, Kennewick.

Bryson Still & Priscila Still, 5104 Robert Wayne Drive, Pasco.

Laura Toledo, 1809 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick.

uTOP PROPERTIES BENTON COUNTY 1492 Meadow Hills Drive, Rich-

land, 3,636-square-foot home.

Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: Darren & Sarah Anh Hodgins. Seller: Kori & Troy Swallow.

1304 Jolianna Drive, Richland, 3,306-square-foot home. Price: $898,000. Buyer: Richard & Leslie Underwood. Seller: Prodigy Homes Inc. 6818 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, 9,600-square-foot office/warehouse. Price: $730,000.

Buyer: Dale & Rachel Perry. Seller: Hughes-Pratt LLC. 146403 W. Hoisington Road, Prosser, 19-acre home site. Price: $716,000. Buyer: AAA Renovation & Construction LLC. Seller: Dale W. Ziegler.

Property near South Clodfelter Road and E. 297 PR SE, 67-acre home site. Price: $1 million. Buyer: R3T Ventures. Seller: John W. Vinyard.

5802 Coulee Vista Drive, Kennewick, 2,711-square-foot home.

Price: $930,000. Buyer: Thomas & Walker Miller. Seller: Matthew McDaniel & Jennifer Cooper.

615 Jadwin Ave., Richland, 15,000-square-foot motel building,

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14,480-square-foot motel building on 2.5 acres. Price: $3.9 million.

Buyer: STK Hosford South LLC. Seller: G.E. Yun Inc. 174302 W. Byron Road, Prosser, 2,698-square-foot home on 2.5 acres. Price: $705,000. Buyer: Jason L. & Michelle R. Carey. Seller: Tina Marie Randles Revocable Trust, Garry Jay Rangles Revocable Trust.

2162 Legacy Lane, Richland, 3,372-square-foot home. Price: $946,000. Buyer: Valiant & Myrna Chou. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights LLC. 86802 E. Sagebrush Road, Kennewick, 2,712-square-foot home.

Price: $700,000. Buyer: Tyler M. & Denslow & Emily R. Long. Seller: Nicholas B. & Jessica I. Johnson.

89761 Calico Road, Kennewick, 3,156-square-foot home. Price: $790,000. Buyer: Richard E. & Melody A. Reed. Seller: Prodigy Homes Inc. 7900 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite E, Kennewick, 19,952-square-foot commercial shopping center. Price:

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B20

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

$2.8 million. Buyer: JJH Columbia LLC. Seller: Microtrade LLC. 4621 Union Loop Road, Kennewick, 3.5 acres of commercial/ industrial land. Price: $700,000.

Buyer: Pride of Pasco Development LLC. Seller: Keith D. & Betty J. Hughes.

1238 Meadow Hills Drive, Richland, 3,524-square-foot home.

Price: $896,000. Buyer: Thomas & Alisa Haller. Seller: Prodigy Homes.

140 E. Ely St., Kennewick, 7,003-square-foot commercial building. Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: Ambrosia QSR Chicken Real Estate LLC. Seller: Justin R. Henning LLC. 2987, 2979, 2971, 2963, 2955, 2948, 2962, 2976 & 2998 S. Kel-

logg St., 5602 & 5601 W. 30th Ave., 2975, 2957, 2939, 2921 & 2903, Jefferson St., all in Kennewick, 16 parcels for home sites ranging in size from 0.21 acres to 0.28 acres.

Price: $1.9 million. Buyer: Hayden Homes LLC. Seller: Ryn Built Homes Inc. Property south of Highway 22, Prosser, 34.5 acres for home sites.

Price: $4.3 million. Buyer: Hayden Homes LLC. Seller: Viking Builders LLC. 3353 River Valley Drive, Richland, 3,892-square-foot home. Price: $809,000. Buyer: Daryl W. Campbell Trustee & Josephine E. AcobCampbell Trustee. Seller: Pamela R. Edwards Trustee.

425 & 455 Bradley Blvd., 345 George Washington Way, Richland, five parcels totaling 4.55 acres of commercial/industrial land. Price: $3.5 million. Buyer: SRA-CH Richland I LLC. Seller: Mr. Lucky Properties LLC. 2346 S. Young Court, Kennewick, 2,506-square-foot home. Price: $799,000. Buyer: Michael J. & Karen M. Sinclair. Seller: David Lowell & Kathryn Robison.

11247 Steeplechase Drive, Kennewick, 1-acre home site. Price: $809,000. Buyer: Thomas & Susan Powell. Seller: Prodigy Homes Inc. 78964 E. Country Heights Drive, Kennewick, 5,298-square-foot home on 4.7 acres. Price: $1.6

million. Buyer: Michael & Angela Conner. Seller: Douglas D. & Karen A. Browning.

21411 S. Clodfelter Road, Kennewick, 3,026-square-foot home.

Price: $887,000. Buyer: Richard C. & Dawn A. Dietrich. Seller: Robert H. & Tara Katarina Bragg.

83004 E. Sagebrush Road, Kennewick, 3,780-square-foot home. $900,000. Buyer: Matthew & Sara Deter. Seller: Jeff B. Derryberry.

106158 Tatum Blvd., Kennewick, 3,240-square-foot home. Price: $765,000. Buyer: Wade & Brittany Jordan. Seller: Gale Rew Construction Inc. 250 Meadowridge Loop, Richland, 2,535-square-foot home. Price: $775,000. Buyer: Annie Park & Jin Kyu Park & Suk Yong.

237314 E. Windigo PR SE, Kennewick, 1,735-square-foot home on 9.9 acres. Price: $778,000. Buyer: Erick Alexander Cernas Pinto & Lourdes Alondra Gonzalez Torres.

1225 Guyer Ave., Richland, 3,000-square-foot commercial car wash. Price: $1.3 million. Buyer: DS & B LLC. Seller: Tri-City Investors LLC 2.

630 Wine Country Road, Prosser, 13,504-square-foot commercial building, 1,500-square-foot commercial building on 4.8 acres. Price: $1.8 million. Buyer: MSP Prosser RE LLC. Seller: Tom & Linda Denchel.

3563 Orchard St., West Richland, 2,634-square-foot home. Price: $778,000. Buyer: Molly S. King & Robert H. King Jr. Seller: Dennis Sawby Construction LLC. 334 Columbia Point Drive, Unit 102, Richland, 3,349-square-foot home. Price: $995,000. Buyer: Brian Patrick & Kelli L. Fort. Seller: Deborah Lynn & Bruce John Hendrickson.

2981 Riverbend Drive, Richland, 3,831-square-foot home. Price: $806,000. Buyer: Yang Su Kim & Soo Young. Seller: Sirshendu Banerjee & Prama Chakravarti.

2150 Legacy Lane, Richland, 3,061-square-foot home. Price: $1.1 million. Buyer: Stuart & Julie Barnes.

Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights LLC. 2438 Harris Ave., Richland, 2,099-square-foot home Price: $750,000. Buyer: Lane A. & Peggy A. Griffin Trustees. Seller: Eugene M. Woodruff, et ux.

300 Columbia Point Drive, Unit D-302, Richland, 3,347-squarefoot home. Price: $950,000. Buyer: Lawrence R. & Mary Jane Pearson.

Seller: Richard H. Shaw & Wendy West.

74504 E. Reata Road, Kennewick, 2,482-square-foot home. Price: $725,000. Buyer: Connie Kay Poe. Seller: Marcus & Katherine Mosley.

1201 George Washington Way, Richland, 8,124-square-foot and 6,480-square-foot motel. Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: RIS Richland Inn and Suites LLC. Seller: Tri-City Investors LLC 2.

3302 Mt. Daniel Drive, West

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B21

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 Richland, 3,325-square-foot home.

Price: $775,000. Buyer: Brian & Melissa Morasch. Seller: Michael R. & Teri-Lin D. Galloway.

2180 Legacy Lane, Richland, 3,372-square-foot home. Price: $935,000. Buyer: Paul & Jamie L. Dicola. Seller: Pahlisch Homes at Westcliffe Heights LLC. 10961 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, 8 acres of commercial/industrial land. Price: $1.5 million. Buyer: Crimson Hills Development Inc. Seller: Tom & Vicki L. Solbrack.

22904 S. 1522 PR SW, Prosser, 2,999-square-foot home on 8.5 acres. Price: $798,000. Buyer: Melina Chiprez & Raul Navarrete.

Seller: Rick J. & Janis K. Macomber Trustees.

442 Meadow Hills Drive, 2,798-square-foot home. Price: $1 million. Buyer: Jeff & Wen Ya Zhang.

Seller: Michael C. & Angela D. Conner.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Property off Road 68, Pasco, 1.3 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $817,000. Buyer: Hogback Road 68 Taco LLC. Seller: Terry J. Gilmore.

728 & 724 W. Ruby St., two 3,696-square-foot fourplexes. Price: $770,000. Buyer: Agile Property Holdings LLC. Seller: Gerald & Winona Sleater.

5521 W. Livingston Road, Pasco, 2,947-square-foot home. Price: $750,000. Buyer: Amberly & Timothy Romero. Seller: Michael C. & Sarah Hodo.

12401 Whiskey River Road, Pasco, 0.57 acres of undeveloped land.

Price: $758,000. Buyer: Robert L. & Annette R. Hutches. Seller: Infinity Homes by P & R Construction LLC. Property off Midland Lane, north of Sandifur Parkway, Pasco, 5 acres of undeveloped land. Price: $1.2 million. Buyer: LFRE Development LLC. Seller: Sound Investment Group LLC. 11816 Shoreline Court, Pasco, 3,715-square-foot home. Price: $3 million. Buyer: Justin & Julie Henning. Seller: Thomas B. & Salina B. Savage (TR).

1620 Road 84, Pasco, 3,130-square-foot home. Price: $879,000. Buyer: Christopher M. Banks (etux). Seller: Carl & Gwendolyn Leth.

11612 Pheasant Run Road, 3,054-square-foot home. Price: $830,000. Buyer: Daniel Rehm (et al.). Seller: Nathan & Staci Henry.

3006 Road 76, Pasco, 3,206-square-foot home. Price: $740,000. Buyer: Katherine Akers (et al.). Seller: Matt T. & Michelle Herres.

2908 Road 80, Pasco, 4,175-square-foot home. Price: $1.1 million. Buyer: Thomas A. & Jana L. Black. Seller: Josh M. Mason.

6904 Bitterroot Ave., Pasco, 3,162-square-foot home. Price: $750,000. Buyer: David A. & Sarah L. Jones. Seller: Thomas A. & Jana L. Black.

uBUILDING PERMITS KENNEWICK Bond & Cannon Investments, 2615 W. Kennewick Ave., $750,000 for new commercial; $120,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: MH Constructions Inc., Bruce Mechanical Inc. P & L Land Company, 3131 W. Hood Ave., $36,000 for commercial reroofing. Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing.

Dress Family Investments, 6300 W. Deschutes Ave., $6,000 for sign.

Contractor: Ramsay Sign Co. Argo Kennewick LLC, 1232 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $9,600 for

sign. Contractor: Quality Signs.

Julie Luke, 8439 W. Gage Blvd., $24,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Eagle Roofing & Siding LLC. Community First Bank, 8131 W. Grandridge Blvd., $8,500 for commercial remodel. Contractor: MH Construction Inc. Paradox 4 LLC, 3021 W. Clearwater Ave., $35,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Lori Wilkerson, 2914 W. Clearwater Ave., $20,000 for antenna/tower.

Contractor: Qualtek Wireless.

DWP General Contracting, 7968 W. 10th Ave., $2.7 million for new construction, $310,000 for plumbing, $250,000 for mechanical. Contractors: DWP General Contracting,

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Silverline Electrical/Plumbing.

Luxe Property Management, 10505 W. Clearwater Ave., $810,200 for new commercial, $65,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $40,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Banlin Construction Co. LLC, Bruce Mechanical Inc., Riggle Plumbing Inc. American Tower Asset Sub, 5079 W. Brinkley Road, $20,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: North Sky Communications.

Inland Imaging Investments Inc., 7221 W. Deschutes Ave., $995,000 for tenant improvements, $41,000 for heat pump/HVAC, $11,000 for plumbing. Contractors: Bouten Construction Co., MacDonald Miller

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B22

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

Facilities.

Clearwater Secure Storage, 5010 W. Clearwater Ave., $235,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Northwest Construction Services Inc. P & L Land Company, 3131 W. Hood Ave., $144,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Silver Bow Roofing.

Duane A. & Gayla S. Snyder Trustees, 3205 W. Kennewick Ave., $115,000 for tenant improvements, $19,150 for plumbing, $30,000 for heat pump/HVAC. Contractors: Lenk General Contracting, Atomic Plumbing and Mechanical, Chinook Heating & Air. Circle K Stores Inc., 4201 W. 27th

Ave., $15,000 for commercial remodel, $15,000 for plumbing. Contractors: TLM Petro Labor Force, Mullins Enterprises LLC. Circle K Stores Inc., 7707 W. Deschutes Ave., $15,000 for commercial remodel, $15,000 for plumbing. Contractors: TLM Petro Labor Force, Mullins Enterprises LLC. Walther & Sons Investment Group, 101 S. Gum St., $8,000 for demolition. Contractor: owner.

Glen-Pac Co., 8125 W. Quinault Ave., $10,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Bosch II Construction Co. PASCO Love’s Travel Stop, 2252 E. Kartch-

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

ner St., $1.8 million for new commercial. Contractor: Venture Construction.

Simplot-RDO LLC, 1825 N. Commercial Ave., $689,000 for commercial addition. Contractor: Fisher Construction Group.

Boom Boom Properties, 9425 Sandifur Parkway, $158,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: JA Torres Construction & Development.

Pasco 18 LLC, 920 N. 20th Ave., $9,720 for commercial remodel.

Contractor: Affordable Seal Coating.

Patterson Family 2, 5220 Outlet Drive, $6,300 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Fernando Rosales, 5114 Bilbao Drive, $21,000 for tenant improve-

ments. Contractor: CRS Crossroad Services.

Sandifur Property, 9610 Sandifur Parkway, $70,000 for sign. Contractor: Eagle Signs LLC. Hogback Sandifur LLC, 7505 Sandifur Parkway 3&4, $115,480 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Baker Construction and Development.

Columbia East LLC, 1202 S. Road 40 East, $21 million for tenant improvements. Contractor: Ryan Companies US Inc. First Baptist Church, 1105 Road 36, $17,464 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Kustom US Inc. Patterson Family 2, 5258 Outlet

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B23

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 Drive, $11,433 for sign. Contractor: Yesco LLC. Grow Bounti North, 950 S. Elm Ave., $2.5 million for grading. Contractor: Ryan Companies.

Autozone Parts Inc., 3733 N. Capitol Ave., $85,000 for major alteration/repair. Contractor: not listed.

Yakima Federal Savings & Loan, 3604 W. Court St., $126,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Banlin Construction Co. LLC. Tri-Cities Community Health, 527 W. Court St., $15,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Elite Construction &Development.

Josue C. Morfin, 723 E. B St., $125,120 for new commercial. Contractor: Octavio Rodriguez.

PROSSER Andy King, 1030 Bennett Ave., $200,000 for antenna/tower. Contractor: owner.

RICHLAND BWR Holdings LLP, 2600 N. Columbia Center Blvd., $740,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Apollo Inc. In Slide Out LLC, 3200 Duportail St., #105, $200,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: O’Brien Construction.

Browman Development, 2941 Queensgate Drive, $60,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Michigan Woods Construction.

Matson Development, 1333

Tapteal Drive, $1.8 million for new commercial. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

Matson Development, 1339 Tapteal Drive, $1.5 million for new commercial. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

First Richland LP, 729 Queensgate Drive, $175,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: One Way Development & Construction.

Kohl’s Department, 1451 Tapteal Drive, $250,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: FL Construction.

Central WA Corn Processors, 284 Logston Blvd., #2, $1.3 million for tenant improvements. Contractor: Industrial Systems & FRB. Amil Cordic, 2469 Robertson Drive, $518,556 for new commercial. Contractor: Affordable Construction.

Vandervert Development, 1084 George Washington Way, $60,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Hummel Construction & Development.

Frontier Communications, 2600 Stevens Drive, $26,000 for tenant improvements. Contractor: Landmark Services LLC. Richland School District, 1330 Lee Blvd., $350,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Chervenell Construction.

Grant Land Co., 506 Wellsian Way A, $20,000 for antenna/tower.

Contractor: Legacy Telecommunications.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B24

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

TTT Properties LLC, 2187 Van Giesen St., $11,525 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Palmer Roofing Co. Bryan Williamson, 1912 George Washington Way, $9,000 for commercial reroof. Contractor: Eagle Roofing & Siding LLC. 707 The Parkway, 707 The Parkway, $25,000 for commercial reroof.

Contractor: Black Diamond Roofing.

Hanford House, 802 George Washington Way, $13,000 for heat pump/ HVAC. Contractor: Dayco Heating & Air. Timbers Apartments, 1900 Stevens Drive, $6,000 for heat pump/ HVAC. Contractor: All Climate Services LLC.

WEST RICHLAND Gesa Credit Union, 4755 Paradise Way, $94,000 for sign. Contractor: Quality Signs.

Owner not listed, 4096 W. Van Giesen St., $9,747 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Barbara Bishel, 3960 W. Van Giesen St., $20,000 for commercial remodel. Contractor: Guadalajara Style Mexican Food.

Firehouse Subs, 6255 Keene Road, $9,635 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Sun Market, 6255 Keene Road, $14,000 for sign. Contractor: Mustang Sign Group.

Shop online at brutzmans.com We have over 30,000 items to choose from.

2501 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Richland (509) 735-0300

uBUSINESS LICENSES RICHLAND HHS Congruex LLC, 2042 S. Grove Ave., Ontario, Canada.

Pantheon Sytems Inc., 717 California St., San Francisco, California.

One Way Development & Construction Company Inc., 4588 Caterpillar Road, Redding.

Yohana LLC, 3460 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto, California.

Wm H Reilly & Company, 910 SW 18th Ave., Portland.

Vivint Insurance Agency, 4931 N. 300 W., Provo, Utah.

Diesel Telecom LLC, 74 E. Miles Ave., Hayden.

Coolsys Light Commercial Solutions LLC, 19030 72nd Ave. S., Kent.

Ring Ring Wireless, 1729 George Washington Way. A1 Appraisal Services LLC, 1907 Orchard Way. Yakima Interiors Inc., 2920 River Road, Yakima.

Elite Commercial Contracting Inc., 804 W. Meeker St., Suite 201, Kent.

Ace Accounting, 902 Cottonwood Drive.

Mountain States Const. Co., 803 Scoon Road, Sunnyside.

Gary N. McClean, 27455 Eighth Ave. S., Des Moines.

Legacy Lawn & Tree Care LLC, 4315 Messara Lane. Pasco.

Plumb Signs Inc., 909 S. 28th St., Tacoma.

Northwest Trends of Spokane Inc., 11315 E. Montgomery Drive, Spokane Valley.

Ken Bobko Electric Company Inc., 29220 31st Ave. S., Roy. Asplundh Tree Expert LLC, 20004 144th Ave. NE, Woodinville.

Ahlgood Raingutters and Construction LLC, 205 W. 34th Ave., Kennewick.

Empowerpack Social Purpose Corporation, 3156 Willow Pointe Drive.

Steve’s Install, 6422 Timber Drive, Nine Mile Falls.

L & L Quality Services, 1306 S.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B25

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 Tacoma St., Kennewick.

Pro Communications LLC, 4513 Road 3 NE, Moses Lake.

Eden Mountain Contracting, 4813 Bilbao Drive, Pasco.

Peace By Piece Therapy PLLC, 14606 S. Haney Road, Kennewick.

Mongolian Massage, 4430 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick.

Coatings Unlimited, 18420 68th Ave. S., Kent.

Sappling’s Graceful Tree Care LLC, 6750 Desert View Drive, West Richland.

ServiceMaster Restoration & Cleaning Services by RBD, 1240 Industrial Way, Union Gap. Deuces Dirt Hogz LLC, 1509 Farrell Lane.

R&R Quality Drywall & Painting LLC, 828 S. 10th Ave., Pasco.

Galvan General Contractor LLC, 330 Gulden Road, Mabton.

R&R Window Maintenance LLC, 3121 W. Hood Ave., Kennewick.

Rhino Excavating & Grading LLC, 44 Log Lane.

Wild Threads Designs, 517 S. Johnson St., Kennewick.

Paradigm Safety Training and Consulting, 1502 N. Montana Court, Kennewick.

Lakewood 17 LLC, 723 The Parkway.

Tapteal Business Park, 253 Jackrabbit Lane.

Fowler Piano Studio, 721 Jadwin Ave. Peacock Coffee Roasting Co., 12920 SE 259th Place, Kent.

Rezmor, 627 S. Sycamore Ave., Pasco.

Heavilins Commerical Cleaning LLC, 50 Jadwin Ave. Asplund, Rory Alan, 703 Sanford Ave. Columbia Basin Breaks LLC, 1900 Stevens Drive.

Two Brothers Excavation LLC, 205502 E. Schuster Road, Kennewick.

Gaea Guidance Services, 1311 Tunis Ave. Pressed By Anne LLC, 2101 Steptoe St., Apt. E-232.

Aretes De Sol, 702 Adams St. Gems By Jones Macarons, 591 Stevens Drive.

Squared For Painting & Construction, 3201 S. Quincy Place, Kennewick.

Spydercorp, 200 Waldron St. Blue Mountain Technologies LLC, 1340 Fuji Way. The Armored Lion, 2455 George Washington Way. Binky Walker PLLC, 750 Swift Blvd.

Jillian Christensen, 140 Gage Blvd.

Entech Fiber Solutions LLC, 2746 Kingsgate Way. Beckncall Massage LLC, 1221 Cottonwood Drive.

International Guards Union of America Region, 1305 Knight St. PNW Maison LLC, 1209 Plateau Drive.

The Nail Place, 1415 George Washington Way. Rocket Mart, 5151 Trowbridge Blvd.

Rocket Cleaning, 2111 Turner St. New Leaf Massage & Healing Arts, 660 Jadwin Ave. Blondmevanessa, 1950 Keene Road.

Kelly Hansen Creative, 4852 McEwan Drive.

Leslie’s Desk LLC, 110 Jackson Court.

Migliori Motorsports, 1325 Canyon Ave. Thorn, Clifford Austin, 3707 Verbena Court, Pasco.

Organic Glow Cleaning Services LLC, 1000 W. Fifth Ave., Kennewick.

As The Crow Flies, 457 Cherry Blossom Loop.

Modern Backcountry, 2551 Falconcrest Loop.

Prolific Designs, 2021 Market Drive, Pasco.

Universal Paint LLC, 1114 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick.

Enola Mae Atelier, 640 Cedar Ave. Baltic Porter Works, 844 Tulip Lane.

A1 Muffler, 1013 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick.

Busy Bri’s LLC, 2361 Michael Ave. Uptown Vintage, 1398 Jadwin Ave. Lisa Hartley LLC, 69703 N. Foxhill Drive, Benton City.

The Nail Place, 103 Keene Road.

Courtyard Columbia Point, 480 Columbia Point Drive.

Schindler Elevator dba Eltec Systems, 2025 First Ave., Seattle.

Atlas Mobile RV Service LLC,

50406 N. 94 PR NE, Benton City.

Mountain Rise Coaching, 1015 Sanford Ave. Jennifer Cummings, 4500 Victoria Court, West Richland.

509 Foot Care, 70 Sierra Gold Drive, Pasco.

Maid Dispatch Service, 835 W. Ainsworth Ave., Pasco.

KENNEWICK Flexcare LLC, 532 Gibson Drive, Roseville, California.

Architectural Acoustics LLC, 5712 Bethel Road SE, Port Orchard.

Diesel Telecom LLC, 74 E. Miles Ave., Hayden, Idaho.

Actalent Inc., 7301 Parkway Drive, Hanover, Maryland.

Fielding and Sons Inc., 114 Vista Way. Mountain States Construction Co., 803 Scoon Road, Sunnyside.

Solora Solar LLC, 324 W. Yakima Ave., Yakima.

Cygnus Home Service LLC, 1947 Butler Loop, Richland.

Legacy Lawn & Tree Care LLC, 4315 Messara Lane, Pasco.

Natural Stone Fabricating LLC, 202252 E. Sr 397.

Lawrence Enterprises LLC, 4416 S. Washington St. Contractors Equipment Maintenance Company, 7121 W. Argent Road, Pasco.

Kissler Enterprises Environmental Products Inc., 302 N. Washington Way, George.

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Industrial Construction of Washington LLC, 84609 N. Yakima River Drive, West Richland.

Tenorio’s Roofing LLC, 6508 Comiskey Drive, Pasco.

Forge Youth Mentoring, 540 N. Colorado St. For The Love of Brows, 130 Vista Way. Gallitos General Contractor, 218505 E. Cochran Road.

Xirdie Studios, 1107 S. Lincoln St. Concrete Guys Tri-Cities LLC, 1980 W. 39th Ave. AAA Concrete Inc., 16004 E. Field Road, Benton City.

Servicemaster Restoration & Cleaning Services by RB, 1240 Industrial Way, Union Gap. Ecomaids of Tri Cities-YakimaWalla Walla, 320 N. Johnson St. Rebel Homes, 542 Jordan Lane, Richland.

JC Tree Care LLC, 121 N. Garfield St. Junk in the Trunk Removal Services, 1517 W. A St., Pasco.

Century Drywall LLC, 2113 Cherry St., Aberdeen.

Two Brothers Excavation, LLC, 205502 E. Schuster Road.

Fab & Deb Concrete LLC, 6026 Gray St., West Richland.

Kevin Bergin Roofing, 66110 N. Harrison Loop, Benton City.

A&Z Investments and Remodeling LLC, 4601 W. 12th Ave. PNW Machinery LLC, 2105 W. 36th uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B26

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 Ave. DLY General Construction LLC, 4105 W. Okanogan Ave. Big Dog Construction, 1330 W. 10th Ave. Shape Shifting Construction LLC, 1830 S. Neel Court.

Mind Body and Soul Massage LLC, 514 W. 16th Ave. U-wash LLC, 3123 W. Clearwater Ave. Legendary Hammer General Contractor, 525 N. Volland St. Organic Glow Cleaning Services LLC, 1000 W. Fifth Ave. Johnson, Andrea Grace, 3820 W. Grand Ronde Ave. Snipes H3 Community Center LLC, 2625 W. Bruneau Place.

Rochelle Diane Rogers, 6855 W. Clearwater Ave. Bee Green Cleaning Service, 802 S. Buchanan Court.

JH Construction Walls & Ceilings LLC, 4012 Kechika Lane, Pasco.

Handyman Landscaping, 1509 N. Montana Court.

Northwest Family Dental, 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd.

Knobetta Glass, 109 E. 15th Ave. DA Solutions LLC, 1426 E. Third Ave. Big O’s Barber Shop, 7101 W. Hood Place.

Prolific Designs, 2021 Market Drive, Pasco.

Legacy Adult Family Homes LLC, 2620 W. Deschutes Ave. Karina’s Cleaning, 1114 W. 10th Ave. Legacy Adult Family Homes LLC, 2614 W. Deschutes Ave. Sabros@s Grill, 415 S. Rainier St. Tesico, 1609 W. 46th Ave. Legacy Manor, Legacy Haven, Legacy, 2621 W. Entiat Ave. Tri-Cities Transport, 4405 S. Palouse St. Jessica Gidley, 2411 S. Union St. A1 Muffler, 1013 W. Entiat Ave. Perfect Smile, 5215 W. Clearwater Ave. TKM Enterprises LLC, 522 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane.

Ashley Cruz, 10121 W. Clearwater Ave. Coda Alternative, 2909 S. Quillan St. Ridge Line Roofing and Wayer Proofing LLC, 712 Winslow Ave., Richland.

Country Acres Owners Association, 1313 N. Young St. Angel’s House Pet Care, 818 S. Young Place.

Highline Logistics, 4814 W. Metaline Ave. La Maison Dana, 212 W. Kennewick Ave. Teresa Avalos, LMHC LLC, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite 200.

Fascinare, 5501 W. Hildebrand Blvd.

Cherry Bundt Cakes, 6202 W. 16th Ave. Tyler Romar Swarner Agency, 8656 W. Gage Blvd.

CA Magnum Corp., 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B27

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 Luxe Pools LLC, 2453 Morency Drive, Richland.

Virtual Reality Therapy & Consulting (VRTC), 1810 W. 24th Ave. Escobar’s Flooring, 212905 E. Perkins Road.

Linda Gallardo, RN, 7803 W. Deschutes Ave. Emilee Anne Davis, 94405 E. Granada Court.

Gigi & Sons LLC, 8508 W. Ninth Ave. Guardian Private Investigations LLC, 227 Kristen Lane.

PNW Custom Foam LLC, 1800 E. Seventh Ave. Aesthetic, 8121 Grandridge Blvd.

Auntie Em’s, 5200 W. 14th Ave. Hair By Faith Henry, 101 N. Union St. Analizh Cleaning Services Inc., 806 W. Entiat Ave. Mail N Stuff, 3911 W. 27th Ave. Completeira, 101 S. Washington St. Gabriela Gomez, 806 W. Entiat Ave. BA Entertainment, 5219 W. Clearwater Ave. Columbia Basin Creations, 5219 W. Clearwater Ave. Leah Berry Home Care, 4105 S. Ledbetter St. Glitteresque Tumblers and More LLC, 320 N. Quillan St. Columbia River Counseling Services, 1030 N. Center Parkway.

Caicedos Trucking LLC, 1107 W. Fifth Ave. 2021 Go Calendars and Games,

1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Back To Basics Physical Therapy PLLC, 8033 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Carmela Arnberg, 507 E. 42nd Ave. Geoengineers Inc., 8019 W. Quinault Ave. Morasch Counseling LMHC LLC, 8350 W. Grandridge Blvd., Suite 200.

Kim Wilson Interior Design, 1106 S. Penn St. Business Boost Marketing, 407 S. Zinser St. Erin Smith, 7401 W. Grandridge Blvd.

Carrie Millsap, 7411 W. Clearwater Ave. His & Hers Shoes, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

Glow By Kie, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd.

PASCO Sadiefitness, 5712 Middle Fork St. Richard C. Jacob, 1426 E. Third Ave., C102, Kennewick.

Organic Glow Cleaning Services, 1000 W. Fifth Ave., Apt. A208, Kennewick.

Lone Pine Renovations LLC, 1604 Road 60.

Tommy’s Steel and Salvage Inc., 1443 E. B Circle.

Coast to Coast Creations, 4910 Parley Court.

Paradise Installed, 1550 S. Haney Road, Kennewick.

Orion Painting, 6756, Nelson St.,

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B28

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 West Richland.

Cascade General Construction LLC, 420 E. Fourth Ave., Kennewick.

Squared for Painting & Construction, 3201 S. Quincy Place, Kennewick.

Cocina Saludable, 3330 W. Court St., D. The Bee House, 5711 Fillmore Drive.

Brighter Days Massage LLC, 5232 Outlet Drive.

New York Barber Shop #3, 524 W. Clark St., Road.

Pasco Wireless, 1832 W. Court St., A. Ring Ring Wireless, 4911 Road 68, C. Amenity Construction & Renovation LLC, 3708 NE 98th St., Vancouver.

All Flooring Contractor, 930 E. Fourth Place, Kennewick.

Ayars & Ayars Inc., 2436 N. 48th St., Lincoln, Nebraska.

Custom Concrete LLC, 421 Alan Road.

Etera Energy LLC, 8524 W. 12th Ave., Kennewick.

Javi’s Cleaning Services, 251 S. Owen Ave. 251.

Blu Orchid Life Skills LLC, 200802 E. Game Farm Road, Spc. 52, Kennewick.

Wendy Clean 4 U, 1114 W. 10th Ave., Apt. T204, Kennewick.

Clearwater Contracting, 2618 Bannock Ave., Nampa, Idaho.

Marcus Made It, 110 S. Fourth Ave. Ring Ring Wireless, 1935 W. Court St. Everfreight LLC, 9907 Coho Court.

Diva’s Cosmetology Barbering Academy, 317 W. Lewis St. Fine Seal Coating & Striping LLC, 626 N. Fourth Ave., Yakima.

Zhamo’s Beauty Salon, 1124 W. Ainsworth Ave. Massage By Colton, 5232 Outlet Drive 5232.

Hosstyle Tattoos LLC, 3330 W. Court St. N. Big Foot Home Improvements, 2307 W. 36th Ave., Kennewick.

Affordable Mobile Auto Detailing, 2103 N. Fifth Ave., Sp. 001.

Eckler Mountain Sawmill, 5804 W. Ruby St. Edge & Ko LLC, 2921 Bosch Court.

Haak Holdings LLC, 3203 W. Marie St. As The Crow Flies, 457 Cherry Blossom Loop, Richland.

Washout Service Solution LLC, 26769 W. Highway 53, Houser, Idaho.

My Heart Massage, 5232 Outlet Drive 5232.

Prolific Designs, 2021 Market Drive.

Tri-City Foot & Ankle Center, 9613 Sandifur Parkway.

Peak Power LLC, 671 Eltopia West Road, Eltopia.

A1 Muffler, 1013 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick.

Desert Lawn Maintenance, 4103 Meadowsweet St.

Judith Mendoza, 506 W. Clark St. JH Construction Walls & Ceilings LLC, 4012 Kechika Lane.

Optimum Outcomes Inc., 3200 Spring Forest Road, Raleigh, North Carolina.

TKM Enterprises LLC, 522 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane.

Martinez General Construction, 11915 Road 1.1 NE, Moses Lake.

RH2 Engineering Inc., 22722 29th Drive SE, Suite 210, Bothell.

Stel and Company LLC, 5102 W. Nixon St. Pacific NW Trauma Associates & Counseling Services PLLC, 9613 Sandifur Pkwy.

BMB Investments LLC, 9613 Sandifur Pkwy.

A&Z Investments and Remodeling LLC, 4601 W. 12th Ave., Kennewick.

The Brothers Roofing & Construction, 301 N. 22nd Ave. Atlas Cabinets & Design LLC, 2483 Robertson Drive, Richland.

Cardenas Flooring, 1512 E. Columbia St., Suite B. Burris Lawn Care and Services, 1920 Hoxie Ave., Richland.

New Product Store, 8916 W. Dradie St. Plow Thru LLC, 5602 Denver Drive.

Rm Drywall LLC, 7731 Byers Road.

My Crafty Treasures, 4107 Kechika Lane.

Legacy Telecommunications LLC, 8102 Skansie Ave., Gig Harbor.

New Look. Flooring & More, 904

Sanford Ave., Richland.

Hennigar Welding LLC, 5271 Road 5, Moses Lake.

ADT Commercial LLC, 600 Oaksesdale Ave. SW, Renton.

Gabriela Gomez, 806 W. Entiat Ave., Apt. I, Kennewick.

Valle Bilingual Services, 909 Dowining St., Richland.

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WEST RICHLAND North KPR Construction LLC, 2226 S. Zillah Place, Kennewick.

Duran Landscaping, 1311 Della Ave., Benton City.

Tyjen Solutions LLC, 4705 Kendall Way.

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B30

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 Fast Sheetrock Installation, 1428 S. Elm St., Kennewick.

A & I Construction, 4110 W. Metaline Ave., Kennewick.

No Left Turn LLC, 6000 W. Lattin Loop.

Stoker Farms, 1935 Sand Hill Drive.

SSP Construction LLC, 1504 W. 47th Ave., Kennewick.

D.R. Worx, 6100 Kona Drive.

Credo Mobile, 931 Village Blvd., West Palm Beach, Florida.

509 Foot Care, 70 Sierra Gold Drive, Pasco.

Pioneer Peak Carpentry, 5102 Blue Heron Blvd.

The Parlor, 5399 W. Van Giesen St. Solora Solar LLC, 324 W. Yakima Ave., Yakima.

Julian’s Landscaping & Maintenance LLC, 1228 S. Third Ave., Pasco.

Spaer Contractors, 701 Catskill St., Richland.

Quality Driving School, 7 S. Dayton St., Kennewick.

OT Pro Painting LLC, 3115 W. Agate St., Pasco.

Taco Garcia, 3680 W. Van Giesen St. Campbell & Company Service Corporation dba Campbell Cooling Electrical Plumbing Corp., 2828 W. Irving St., Pasco.

King Granite LLC, 1915 W. Agate St., Pasco.

Fidelity Design LLC, 1298 N. 62nd Ave. Pristine Carpet Cleaning, 10611

Oak Lane, Pasco.

Gasca Masonry LLC, 4108 Atlanta Lane, Pasco.

Sun Market, 6255 Keene Road.

Pit Stop Food Mart, 6193 W. Van Giesen St.

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

Tomas Montiel et al., unpaid Department of Licensing taxes, filed Oct. 1.

Stucco and Stone Contractors, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 13.

Panchos Heating and Cooling, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 13.

Barajas Auto Body LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 18.

Extreme Landscaping LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 19.

A-1 Painting LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes filed Oct. 19.

Edd Anson General Contractors, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 19.

David Perez et al., unpaid Depart-

uPUBLIC RECORD, Page B31

TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021 ment of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 19.

Leonard M. Obanion et al., unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 19.

1st Genesis Construction, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 19.

Stan’s General Construction, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 20.

IClean Building Services LLC, unpaid Department of Labor and Industries taxes, filed Oct. 20.

Quality Ag Repair LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 26.

Total Concrete Services LLC, unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 26.

Doug Seppanen Enterprises Inc., unpaid Department of Revenue taxes, filed Oct. 26.

uLIQUOR LICENSES BENTON COUNTY NEW Bruchi’s, 2615 W. Kennewick Ave., Bldg. A, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer. Application type: change of location.

Badger Canyon Dugout, 12125 W. Clearwater Ave., Suite B, Kennewick. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge. Application type: new.

Pit Stop Food Mart, 6193A W. Van Giesen St., West Richland. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

Greek Islands Cuisine, 600 Gage Blvd., Richland. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only; beer/ wine restaurant- beer/wine; catering.

Application type: new.

Baltic Porter Works, 844 Tulip Lane, Suite 1, Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new.

Sun Market, 6255 Keene Road, West Richland. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new.

APPROVED V-5 Market, 1009 Dale Ave., Suite C, Benton City. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: added/change of class/in lieu.

J. Bookwalter, 1695 Malibu PR, Richland. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: new.

Cozumel Mexican Cuisine, 3801 S. Zintel Way, Suite A110, Kennewick.

License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: new.

Sage Brewing Company, 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite G, Kennewick. License type: tavern – beer/ wine. Application type: new.

Hae Ha Tha, 1407 N. Young St., Suite D, Kennewick. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine.

Application type: assumption.

DISCONTINUED Cozumel Mexican Cuisine, 3801

S. Zintel Way, Suite A110, Kennewick. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only. Application type: discontinued.

Sage Brewing Company, 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., Suite G, Kennewick. License type: tavern – beer/ wine. Application type: new.

Vintners Direct, 103612 E. Wiser Parkway, #C, Kennewick. License type: domestic winery <250,000 liters. Application type: discontinued.

FRANKLIN COUNTY NEW Brews Taphouse and Growler Fills, 5426 N. Road 68, Suite 101, Pasco.

License type: direct shipment receiver-in/out WA; tavern – beer/wine; off premises. Application type: assumption.

Sun Willows Golf Course, 1825 Sun Willows Blvd., Pasco. License type: spirits/beer/wine restaurant lounge +.

Application type: new.

APPROVED Round Table Pizza of S.E. WA, 3201 W. Court St., Pasco. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer/wine.

Application type: change of corporate officer.

Ciao Trattoria, 112 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco. License type: beer/wine restaurant – beer wine. Application type: new.

Comedar Mari, 6850 Road 170, Mesa. License type: beer/wine res-

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taurant – beer. Application type: new.

Dollar General Store #22672, 1409 E. Lewis St., Pasco. License type: direct shipment receiver-in WA only; grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: new.

Road, Prosser. License type: domestic winery <250,000. Application type: change of corporate officer.

WALLA WALLA COUNTY

MOVED

APPROVED FriendsCorner, 773 Kohler Road, Burbank. License type: grocery store – beer/wine. Application type: assumption.

KLICKITAT COUNTY APPROVED McKinley Springs, 1201 Alderdale

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uBUSINESS UPDATES BrandCraft has moved to 723 The Parkway, Suite 203, Richland.

Contact: 509-581-1500; brandcraft. com.

CLOSED The AAA Tri-Cities store in Kennewick has closed. The Tri-Cities’ nearest store is at 2301 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Suite 1, Yakima.

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TRI-CITIES AREA JOURNAL OF BUSINESS | NOVEMBER 2021