The City of Pasco was among the Top 20 finalists in the All-American City Award competition put on by the National Civic League. The award recognizes efforts to engage residents in innovative, inclusive and effective ways to tackle challenges. This year’s theme was “Promoting Equity Through Inclusive Civil Engagement.” Teams from communities participated in presentations and workshops in Denver for three days.
Maryhill Winery’s winemaker, Richard Batchelor, was named 2018 Winemaker of the Year at the annual International Wine Competition. The award is given to the winery with the most gold medals. Maryhill received 53 medals, including 12 golds, 30 silvers and six bronzes.
Blaine Tamaki and Vito de la Cruz of Tamaki Law were chosen as 2018 Super Lawyers. The recognition is given to lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition.
Megan Hale and Sergio A. Garcidueñas-Sease of Tamaki Law were named as 2018 Rising Stars. The honor goes to candidates 40 years old or younger and in practice 10 years or less.
Petersen Hastings, an investment company in Kennewick, was named to 2018’s Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers list. It is one of eight firms in Washington and the only one in Eastern Washington to receive this recognition.
Benton-Franklin Superior Court Judge Bruce Spanner received the Outstanding Judge Award from the Washington State Bar Association. He became a judge in 2009 after 24 years of practicing law in the Tri-Cities. He was selected because of his devotion to equal justice under the law without bias or prejudice and his deep involvement in his community. He has been active in Kiwanis, March of Dimes, Habitat for Humanity, Tri-City Water Follies, Law Day and Bethel Church. He has served the Washington State Superior Court Judges Association as chair of its Technology Committee and as its representative on the project to implement the Odyssey case management system.
HAPO Community Credit Union was ranked the No. 1 credit union in Washington on Forbes’ “America’s Best-In-State Credit Unions” list for 2018.
The Kiwanis Club of Richland honored detective Damon Jansen on June 20 with the Kiwanis Police Outstanding Officer of the Year Award in observance of Law Enforcement Day. He has been with the department for 10 years.
Edwardo “Eddie” Morfin received the Pro Bono Public Service Award from the Washington State Bar Association. Morfin practices personal injury and started a yearly free legal advice clinic in Benton and Franklin counties with Benton-Franklin Legal Aid Society and the Latino/a Bar Association of Washington for low-income clients. In addition, he has volunteered extensively for Latino/a Bar Association legal clinics, interned with the Northwest Justice Project, interned with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and volunteered with the Washington State Commission on Hispanics Affairs. He also served as a clerk to Judge Salvador Mendoza in 2014
Richland’s Desert Veterinary Clinic, a locally-owned, small animal, American Animal Hospital Association-accredited clinic, has added a fifth veterinarian to its practice. Dr. Nicole Goodman began taking appointments in mid-July. Goodman graduated with her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from St. George’s University. Her areas of interest include small animal medicine, surgery, ultrasound and pocket pets.
Ken Gamboa is Tri-Cities Cancer Center’s new director of marketing and business development. He has a master’s of business degree from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Prior to being hired, he worked for U.S. Cellular as the director of sales for the Northwest.
Brian Johnson has been hired as the new auditor and director of administrative services for Franklin PUD. He will be responsible for the agency’s accounting functions. Johnson has a master’s degree in business administration from Northwest Christian University and has been working in the field for 17 years. Prior to coming to Tri-Cities, he worked at Emerald People’s Utility District in Eugene, Oregon.
Danielle Kane has been hired as the Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific’s Tri-Cities Marketplace Manager. She will serve as the media and community contact.
Certified registered nurse anesthetist Jared Wingert was hired for Trios Southridge Hospital’s surgery services. He has a bachelor’s in nursing and a master’s in nurse anesthesia. He most recently worked at the University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Missouri.
Dick Nelson has joined Wave Design Group to provide structural and civil engineering services. He has 20 years of experience in industrial, commercial, residential, church and governmental projects. He has a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Portland State University and is licensed as a professional engineer in Washington, California, Texas, Idaho, Kentucky and Virginia.
Macy Griffiths was hired as an intern architect for Wave Design Group. She graduated from Kamiakin High and received a bachelor’s and master’s in architecture from the University of Idaho.
Chaplaincy Behavioral Health has made several new hires. Lynn-Marie Peashka, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, provides psychiatric evaluations and ongoing therapeutic medication management primarily to older adolescents and adults. Adrian Garcia, a clinical psychology with a specialty in art therapy, can see Medicare patients and also speaks Spanish. Albert Wilkins, a licensed mental health professional, specializes in minority mental health and has worked in chemical dependency with in-patient treatment.
Alli Talmage is the new events coordinator for the Pasco Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Gonzaga University.
Kennewick School District hired April Heiser as its new transportation manager. She has worked in the industry for 22 years. Heiser spent the past 15 years as West Valley School District’s transportation director. In addition to her time in West Valley, she has been a bus driver, driver trainer and administrator in the Yakima and Walla Walla school districts. She served as a third-party tester for the state Department of Licensing for 10 years and is a mentor in the Pupil Transportation Management Training Program at Central Washington University. Heiser replaces retiring Transportation Manager Ethan Schwebke.
Oscar Del Valle was hired at Trios Medical Group — Urgent Care as a family nurse practitioner. He previously worked at Prosser Memorial Health’s Benton City clinic and was a counselor at Sea Mar Community Clinic in Kent.
Kara Kaelber of Pasco is the new program manager for the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation. She is a 2016 alumna of the AgForestry Leadership Program.
Washington River Protection Solutions gave $15,000 to Junior Achievement of Southeastern Washington in support of the Titan Business Challenge. Since 2009, WRPS has served as the sponsor of the regional competition for area high schools that give a real-world look at the challenges and opportunities of running a high-tech company. Each student from this year’s winning team received $300.
Kadlec Foundation raised more than $95,500 during its Kidz Dig Rigz event in May to support its pediatric services. The event is in its eighth year.
Numerica donated $30,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs’ Road to Success program that helps teens participate in career exploration activities and college tours. The foundation will pay for 20 teens to tour colleges around the Northwest during a weeklong trip along with helping to pay for a new van.
Two Pasco School District agricultural science teachers have received grants from the state Legislature in support of agricultural science education. Renee Johnson at Chiawana High School will receive $26,500. Carol Travis at New Horizons High School will receive $20,000.
A joint AECOMandWashington River Protection Solutionsgrant is providing more than 5,000 books to The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia to distribute to children in the schools’ summer meal and summer school programs. The program aims to keep children reading during the summer to prevent reading loss while they are not in school.
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s Partners in Science awarded three $15,000 grants to Tri-City-area educators to engage in research with outstanding mentors. Thomas Collins, assistant professor of grape and wine chemistry at Washington State University Tri-Cities, and Raef Pedersen, a Chiawana High School teacher, will research chemical characterization of grape berries and leaves from smoke-exposed grapevines. Amoret Bunn, a research scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Rama Devagupta, a Southridge High School teacher, will research building responsible science between scientific institutions and security forces. Leo Fifield, a research scientist at PNNL, and Michael See, a Delta High School teacher, will research thermoplastic adhesives application to carbon fiber composite materials.
Mid-Columbia Libraries received a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to hold the NEA Big Read in the Mid-Columbia area. The NEA partners with Arts Midwest to support the national community reading program. This year’s selection is “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel and runs from September to June 2019. The grant will allow free copies to be distributed to the public. Various activities will be featured from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15.
The Tri-Cities Industry Kiwanis Foundation recently announced the names of students who earned scholarships: TCI Kiwanis Foundation Scholarship, $1,000, Danielle Erlenbush, Liberty Christian High School; TCI Kiwanis Foundation Scholarship-renewal, $1,000, Stephanie Nelson, Biola University; Joan Rude Memorial Scholarship, $1,000, Stefan Geist, Tri-Cities Prep; and Paul Beardsley Scholarship, $500, Krystal O’Dell, River’s Edge High School.
Mission Support Alliance recently awarded 45 scholarships to dependents of employees during its annual scholarship banquet. The recipients may use the scholarship at a post-secondary school of their choosing. Four co-op intern employees received scholarships that can be used at Columbia Basin College or WSU Tri-Cities. MSA also contributed to CBC’s general scholarship fund and provided WSU Tri-Cities donations to award scholarships to underrepresented students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.
The Kennewick Police Officers Benefit Association has established a $25,000 endowment at Columbia Basin College for student scholarships. The association represents the commissioned Kennewick police officers.
The following Benton PUD employees recently received promotions: Chris Folta is the new director of information technology and broadband service and has been with Benton PUD since 1996; Christie McAloon is the new manager of customer service and has been with the agency since 2006; and Jenny Sparks is the manager of customer services for the Prosser office and has been with the agency since 2006.
Naomi Puckett has been selected as the next principal of Ridge View Elementary in Kennewick. Puckett has been with the district since 2001, working as a kindergarten teacher at Ridge View since 2002 and was named the assistant principal in 2016.
Michael Corbin was promoted to manage the architectural department of Wave Design Group. He has been with the company since October 2017. He has worked in the Tri-City area for 22 years and has worked on projects ranging from custom homes and small offices to schools and large office buildings. He earned a bachelor’s of architecture from Washington State University and is a registered architect in Washington and Oregon.
Iron Mountain Management recently was certified as a Woman Business Enterprise through the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises.
Inclusion in the directory provides an easy way for buyers and contract officers of local, state and federal agencies to find and notify certified firms of procurement and contract opportunities.
George Rangel, senior communications specialist for Bechtel at the Hanford vitrification plant, was selected and approved as a new member of the Junior Achievement Board for Southeastern Washington. Rangel has been with Bechtel for 17 years.