3 pediatric providers join Tri-Cities Community Health 

Tri-Cities Community Health of Pasco has added three new pediatric providers to its practice.

Dr. Scott Terry earned his medical degree from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and completed his pediatric residency at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. He will practice at the Kennewick clinic at 3180 W. Clearwater Ave.

Spencer Crihfield, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, received a bachelor of science in nursing at the University of Memphis and a master’s in nursing from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He will practice at the Kennewick clinic.

Elizabeth Vossenkemper, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, completed her undergraduate and graduate nursing programs in Saint Louis, Missouri. Her professional nursing experience includes the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, cardiology, school-based nursing, and primary pediatric care. She will provide pediatric care at the Pasco clinic at 515 W. Court St.

AWB names Leadership Washington’s newest participants

The fourth class of the Association of Washington Business Institute’s Leadership Washington program kicked off a nine-month, seven-stop tour of the state’s industry sectors at the association’s annual Policy Summit at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum.

Leadership Washington is a statewide program sponsored by Battelle to cultivate and educate the next generation of Washington industry leaders and advocates. Meetings throughout the state expose participants to a variety of the state’s business sectors to foster an understanding of how they work together.

The 13 members of Leadership Washington’s 2017-18 class are:

• Brent Downey, Kaiser Aluminum.
• Ryan Eddy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratories.
• Matt Hawley, Lamb Weston.
• Mike Kennedy, Energy Northwest.
• Kevin Leneker, Single Handed Consulting.
• Josh Lozano, Office of Congressman Dan Newhouse.
• Brodey Mann, State Farm Insurance.
• Joey Mertlich, Wilson Albers & Co.
• Katherine Morgan, Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce.
• Marcela Navarro, Cadet.
• Dustin O’Quinn, Lane Powell.
• Andrew Thompson, Granite Construction Co.
• Eric Wolf, Workforce Training & Education Board.

Community First Bank announces new employees

Kevin Sakamoto has joined Community First Bank as vice president, commercial lending officer. He is a graduate of the University of Washington Pacific Coast Banking School and has extensive knowledge in financial business loan composition as well as agriculture. He will work at the Kennewick branch.

Kelly Litzko recently joined Community First Bank as a marketing coordinator. She earned a bachelor of science in public relations and organizational science with a minor in communications from the University of Idaho. She has experience in broadcast advertising, media writing and event coordination.

Longtime Hanford leader named president of MSA

Bob Wilkinson steps into the position of company president for Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance on Oct. 16.

He succeeds Bill Johnson who has accepted a position with MSA parent company, Leidos.

Wilkinson has served as MSA’s chief operations officer for the past two and a half years. He has more than 20 years of experience at Hanford in all aspects of operations, including operating nuclear facilities, decontamination and decommissioning, tank farms, waste site remediation, waste packaging and treatment, project management, environmental compliance, construction management, engineering, emergency response, and radiological control, and all phases of project execution, ranging from early startup to commissioning.

Prior to joining MSA, he was a member of the senior leadership team at with Hanford contractor Washington River Protection Solutions.

Cathy Schaeffer hired as advisor for Baker Boyer

Cathy Schaeffer has been hired as a family advisor in Baker Boyer’s Walla Walla office.

Schaeffer has served as the executive director of the Walla Walla Watershed Alliance and Partnership, a business manager and an accountant for several companies. She has served on the Touchet School Board for five years and is deputy district director for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington.

Schaeffer graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor’s in agribusiness and a master’s in agricultural economics.

Kennewick marketing firm hires 3 new team members

Focal Point Marketing and Multimedia in Kennewick has added three new members to its team.

• Account executive Alma Carrillo will assist with scheduling, organizing and preparing accounts.
• Digital marketing strategist Bethany Lee will specialize in optimizing digital campaigns by tailoring them to a client’s specific needs.
• Daniel Suzuki was hired as a video production artist. He was previously a video and photo editor for Chef’d and the head graphic designer for Sender One Climbing.

4 Conover Insurance agents complete farm certification

Four Conover Insurance employees have earned On Your Side Basic Farm Certification. The designation is intended to help farmers and ranchers recognize agents who have made a commitment to understanding the complex risks faced by the agriculture industry.

The agents who completed the program are Jodi Clayton, Kristina Schrader and Jason Bravo Mesa, all of Pasco, and Ryan Moore of Yakima.

Bechtel recognized for efforts on children’s literacy

Bechtel National received the 2017 Literacy Legacy Award from The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia.

The foundation honored Bechtel with this year’s award for support during the past 20 years to increase children’s literacy through annual fundraisers, being the Books and Vines premier corporate sponsor annually for the past decade and senior mangers serving on the foundation’s board.

WSU’s business college ranked among top in U.S.

Washington State University’s Carson College of Business was ranked in the Top 110 best business schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The undergraduate international business program ranked 14th overall and was sixth among public national universities. The college’s undergraduate international program focuses on the markets, people and places involved in trade, commerce and exchanges throughout out the world.

Barker named director of PNNL research center

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Center for Advanced Technology Evaluation, or CENATE, has named Kevin Barker as its new director.

Barker, a computer scientist who has worked at PNNL for seven years, has extensive experience developing tools and techniques to model performance of extreme scale hardware and software

CENATE is a proving ground for supercomputing development. Researchers’ work will provide insight into the impact of the next generation of high-performing computers on the Department of Energy’s research community.

Button named to state museum board

Stephanie Button was named to the Washington Museum Association’s Board of Trustees. She will represent the East Benton County Historical Society and southeastern Washington. For more information, visit washingtonmuseumassociation.org.

Kay Lehmann now agent at Schneider Realty Group

Kay Lehmann has joined Schneider Realty Group in Kennewick.

Lehmann has been selling real estate since 2014. She was named a Rising Star in August by Real Producers Magazine and is a designated seniors real estate specialist by the National Association of Realtors. Before working in real estate, she earned a doctorate in education and spent 17 years teaching online.

She is a council member for the Alzheimer’s Association, a committee member of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and a steering committee member for Pasco Schools Enterprise Week.

Longtime CBC instructor named CBC alumnus of year

Gene Holand has been selected as the Columbia Basin College Outstanding Alumnus of the Year for 2017.

Before teaching business at CBC as an associate professor for 35 years, he had a varied professional history including working as a high school teacher, restaurant owner, cash register salesperson and finally marketing director for the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho to train Native Americans in marketing. Holand earned two degrees from CBC as well as a bachelor’s from Eastern Washington University.

He started teaching at CBC in 1981. In 2000, he created Creative Marketing Consultants, a student-run company providing marketing and innovative support for startup companies and revitalization projects. One of the company’s noted success stories is helping turn Kestrel Vintners around with an innovative marketing strategy.

Holand also created the Center for Innovation and Design to establish a classroom for coursework and training in innovation.

Acting managers named for EPA Hanford project

Laura Buelow has been named acting manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Hanford Project Office.

Buelow will serve for 120 days. Dave Einan will follow as acting manager for 120 days when Buelow’s term has ended.

Richland aviator earns top award for kit plane

Richland Airport tenant Bill O’Neil of Richland recently won an award for his experimental plane at the annual Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The aircraft, a plane called a Berkut, is one of 17 completed kits out of 70 kits that were produced. O’Neil’s plane was one of 10,000 that flew in for the weeklong event that drew 500,000 spectators.

The plane was given the “Home Built Champion” award — one of 10 given —and was judged on design, workmanship, fit and finish. O’Neil also received the Stan Dzik Memorial Award for Outstanding Design Contribution to Aviation.

Journal of Business announces promotion, new ad account manager 

Shawna Dinh has been promoted to technology and design director at the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and Senior Times. She joined the Journal of Business in 2014 as an ad designer.

Marcus Hair joined the Journal of Business and Senior Times as an advertising account manager.

He has 10 years of experience in business-to-consumer and business-to-business sales in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry.

He was honored with American Standard’s 2012 Sales Excellence award, 2008 Top Performance Excellence to Goal award, and its national Pinnacle award in both 2007 and 2008.

Hair also was warehouse manager of a regional wholesale distributor of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and supplies for two years. In that role he managed personnel, developed a new warehouse design and improved systems to increase efficiencies.

In his new advertising sales position with the Journal and Senior Times, Hair will work closely with customers to develop effective marketing strategies.

Benton County recognized with national award

Benton County received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association.

The award is given based on a proficient rating in categories of policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device and criteria within those categories.

Kennewick councilman earns leadership certification

Kennewick city Councilman Matt Boehnke received a certificate of municipal leadership from the Association of Washington Cities.

The certificate is offered after completion of 30 hours of training credits that include core areas of roles, responsibilities and legal requirements; public sector resource management; community planning and development; and effective local leadership.

Boehnke was elected to the council in January 2016.

Edward Jones ranked No. 3 for best places for women

Edward Jones was ranked the No. 3 Best Workplace for Women by Great Places to Work and Fortune magazine.

The list of 100 companies considered more than 400,000 anonymous employee surveys from hundreds of businesses in all sectors of the economy, gauging their organizations’ culture, leadership and fairness.

Edward Jones, with offices in the Tri-Cities, also was ranked No. 5 on the Fortune Best Companies list overall.