Richland real estate company owner dies

The founder and CEO of Richland’s Windermere Group One died Sept. 17. Jeff Thompson was 68 years old.

Windermere Group One is among the top-ranking businesses in the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business’ Best Places to Work Mid-Columbia program in 2025 and 2024.

Windermere Group One was founded in the Tri-Cities in 1996 as a franchise.

Thompson lived in Kennewick for 35 years, served as the real estate commissioner for the state of Washington for 12 years and was elected president of the Tri-Cities Association of Realtors multiple times, according to his obituary.

He also served as the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s board chair in 2007 and volunteered for the chamber over the years, according to a LinkedIn post from the regional chamber.

“The Regional Chamber will greatly miss his kindness, humor and leadership,” the post read. “He will be remembered as a person who truly made a difference in the Tri-Cities business community.”

A Celebration of Life was held Oct. 11 at Calvary Chapel Tri-Cities in Kennewick.

State issues draft decision on wind farm construction

State officials are proposing to largely allow the developer of a wind farm in the Horse Heaven Hills to proceed with construction, though not to the extent desired by the developer.

The state Energy Facility Siting Evaluation Council, or EFSEC, is proposing to allow Horse Heaven Wind Farm LLC, a subsidiary of Scout Clean Energy, to build primary project components of the 1,150-megawatt wind farm within two miles of all but five endangered ferruginous hawk nests on the site, closer than originally allowed in the original certification agreement for the project.

EFSEC accepted public comment on the proposal through Oct. 13 before the council considers action on Oct. 15.

Scout Energy officials say their inability to build closer to those additional five nests will eliminate more than 200 megawatts of wind and solar power generating capacity for the project and require rerouting of other infrastructure, according to EFSEC documents.

Benton County and nonprofit Tri-Cities C.A.R.E.S. objected to how Scout conducted the required review process in assessing impacts to nesting sites. EFSEC also rejected a request from Tri-Cities C.A.R.E.S. to provide a map of where infrastructure would be constructed, the nonprofit said in a message to its supporters.

Kennewick bans shortcuts via parking lots, driveways

Drivers who cut through private driveways and parking lots to avoid intersections and stoplights now face a $250 fine in Kennewick.

Some businesses have seen between 80 to 120 vehicles per day cutting through their property, according to a city news release. 

The problem is particularly notable at the intersection of Steptoe and Victoria streets, near the busy Gage Boulevard intersection, where the city recently put in a curb to prevent drivers from making a left turn onto Victoria from Steptoe.

Kennewick police began emphasis patrols Oct. 7 after the new city ordinance went into effect Sept. 24.

The cut-throughs can be dangerous to drivers backing out of parking spaces and business patrons trying to make it back safely to their cars, the city said.

Kennewick winery to close tasting room

The first wine grape vineyard to be USDA-certified organic in Washington state is closing its tasting room as it adapts to customer trends and other challenges facing the wine industry.

Badger Mountain Organic Winery will close its tasting room on Oct. 31, it announced via social media and in an email to customers. 

“This was not an easy decision. Tasting room visits have slowed in recent years, both for us and across the industry,” the winery said in a statement. “As more of our community connects with us online, through retail, and especially through our wine club, we’re shifting to meet that change. The wines, the wine club and the relationships we’ve built will continue, just in a new way.”

The winery’s offerings come from Badger Mountain Vineyard, founded by Bill Powers in 1982 on Little Badger Mountain, just southeast of Badger Mountain. The vineyard received its USDA organic certification in 1990, three years after Powers began organic practices at the vineyard. 

Port reaches settlement on commissioner elections

The Port of Pasco will modify how its board of commissioners is elected as part of a court-approved settlement with a voting rights group. 

Commissioners will now be elected in primary and general elections only by registered voters in their assigned district, according to a port news release. The settlement, approved by Franklin County Superior Court Judge Bronson Brown, also establishes that port elections will occur in even-numbered years, starting with the District 3 position, currently held by the appointed Hans Engelke, in 2026. 

Both the port and the UCLA Voting Rights Project, which worked with local voters to challenge the port’s commissioner election structure, lauded the settlement. 

The settlement was a compromise following six months of negotiations. It also calls for the port to pay $50,000 to cover a portion of the plaintiff’s legal costs. 

The settlement will not affect the November 2025 election for the District 2 position on the board. That seat is currently held by Jean Ryckman, who is not seeking re-election. Matt Watkins, former mayor of Pasco and currently executive director of the Pasco Public Facilities District, is the only candidate who has registered to stand for election.

Homegrown Tri-City company among state’s fastest growing

A company that started in a small shop in Kennewick and now has offices spread across five states is one of Washington state’s fastest growing companies, according to one business publication. 

Apollo Inc. was included in Puget Sound Business Journal’s recently released list of the 100 fastest growing companies in the state.  

The list was developed via the publication’s own data collection efforts. Qualifying companies were required to have revenues of at least $500,000 in 2022 and only privately held, for-profit companies with global headquarters in Washington were considered. 

Apollo Inc. was originally founded by Bruce Ratchford as Apollo Mechanical Contractors in 1981. The company employs more than 2,000 people, with annual revenues of over $600 million, according to the company’s LinkedIn page. It has several offices around the state, as well as in Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Colorado and Tennessee. 

Several other companies with a presence in the Tri-Cities also made it onto the Puget Sound Business Journal’s list: 

• Tacoma-based engineering firm AHBL Inc., which has an office in Pasco.
• Bellevue-based home medical equipment supplier Bellevue Healthcare which maintains a store and offices in Kennewick.
• Spokane-based builder Lydig Construction which has an office in Kennewick.
• SeaTac-based engineering firm MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions which has an office in Kennewick.
• Kirkland-based investment firm Sage Investment Group which has an office in Richland.

Tri-Cities Prep dedicates plaza after expansion

Private Catholic school Tri-Cities Prep recently dedicated its St. Michael Plaza as it completed a yearlong $3.2 million expansion.

The plaza, which features a statue of St. Michael the Archangel, is designed to be a place of reflection and inspiration for the school’s students, staff and visitors, according to a release.

The space was the last piece of the expansion effort, which added six classrooms to the west Pasco school, removing the need for portable classrooms and improving safety and security.

State grant to support apprenticeship training 

A Spokane-based workforce development nonprofit will use part of a $500,000 state grant to expand access to apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training in transportation, infrastructure and other skilled trades in Benton and Franklin counties.  

Career Path Services received the grant through the state Department of Transportation’s Pre-Apprenticeship and Support Services program, according to a release. Grant winners were chosen based on their plans for outreach, assessments, training, credentialing and support services.  

The funds will allow the nonprofit to help about 60 people in Benton, Franklin and Spokane counties over the next two years. The effort is particularly focused on serving those from groups that have historically faced barriers to enter skilled trades professions, such as young adults leaving foster care or the juvenile rehabilitation system as well as homeless individuals.   

New hotel planned near Queensgate

Knutzen Engineering has submitted an application for a site plan review for the development of a Best Western Hotel at 3090 Keene Road near Fairchild Cinemas, according to documents filed under the State Environmental Policy Act. 

The hotel is set to have a floor area of 80,000 square feet and 110 rooms, with 110 parking spaces required.

Toastmasters group seeks new members

The Tri-Cities Toastmasters Club #2474 is recruiting new members.

The club meets from 6:30-7:50 a.m. Fridays at the Best Western in Pasco. 

Toastmasters is a nonprofit educational organization that builds confidence and teaches public speaking skills. 

Those interested are invited to attend their first meeting free. Six-month dues are $60, plus a one-time new member fee of $25.

The group has been a chartered club since 1955, and it was the 274th club established with Toastmasters International.

For more information, email [email protected].

State announces higher minimum wage for 2026

The increasing cost of everything – from food to energy to doctor’s office visits – means Washington state employers paying minimum wage to workers must increase their pay come Jan. 1. 

The state Department of Labor & Industries announced Sept. 30 that the state’s minimum wage will increase 47 cents per hour, or 2.8%, in 2026, reaching a total hourly rate of $17.13. 

The agency calculates the coming year’s minimum wage using the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Earners. Over the last 12 months, the index increased 2.9% before seasonal adjustment. 

The index measures the change in prices paid by consumers for goods and services, including but not limited to food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation, doctors’ and dentists’ services, medications and more. 

Washington state’s current minimum wage of $16.66 is already the highest in the nation. Municipalities can set their rates higher. The federal minimum wage remains $7.25 an hour. 

Driving into Richland for your morning commute? Learn about the latest detour

The city of Richland has kicked off the next phase of improvements at the three-way intersection of George Washington Way, Aaron Drive and Columbia Point Drive and it will be a bit more disruptive than the work that’s already occurring.

Northbound traffic on George Washington Way may not turn right onto Columbia Point Drive until construction wraps up at the end of November. 

That means drivers wishing to visit the restaurants or stores in the busy WinCo-anchored shopping center will have to take a detour that has them turn right on Comstock Street to the north, then follow Bradley Boulevard and reconnect with Columbia Point Drive.

Southbound drivers on George Washington Way are still able to turn left onto Columbia Point Drive.

Improvements at the intersection of George Washington Way and Aaron Drive/Columbia Point Drive began Sept. 2. The intersection is part of one of the busiest traffic corridors in the Tri-Cities, with thousands driving it every day. 

The city began developing plans to alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety for the intersection in 2019. 

The improvements also will support the future Downtown Loop project, which will convert sections of George Washington Way and Jadwin Avenue to one-way streets, resulting in northbound traffic on George Washington Way and southbound traffic on Jadwin Avenue. That project will kick off in spring 2026.

State proposes increasing workers’ comp costs in 2026

State labor officials are proposing a 2026 increase in workers’ compensation insurance rates for employers and employees to help cover projected costs for wage replacement, medical care and disability benefits.

The proposed 4.9% increase in the average hourly rate for workers’ compensation insurance would add $1.37 a week per full-time employee on average to those premiums, according to a release. Employers would pay 75% of that increase while workers pay the remaining 25%.

Labor officials say the increase will not fully cover the anticipated costs of claims in the coming year, with the state L&I using its contingency reserve fund to cover the difference. Not using the reserve would instead raise the rate by as much as 13%.

L&I will conduct three public hearings on the rate increase before making a final decision, with the final hearing at 10 a.m. Oct. 30 being virtual only. To attend that meeting, go to bit.ly/workers-comp-mtg and enter the meeting ID: 428 348 2697.

Final rates will be adopted Nov. 26 and go into effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Go to: lni.wa.gov/2026Rates.

Help shape the Tri-Cities’ future transportation infrastructure

Have thoughts about how to resolve persistent traffic snarls on major thoroughfares or how to ensure people can bike safely around the region? Now’s your chance to share them. 

The Benton-Franklin Council of Governments launched its Regional Transportation Plan: 2050 Community Survey as it prepares to develop the long-range planning and guidance document for the Tri-Cities’ transportation infrastructure. 

“This plan is about shaping a connected future for the Tri-Cities, and that starts with hearing directly from our community,” said Michelle Holt, BFCOG’s executive director, in a statement. 

The survey is available online at surveymonkey.com/r/BFCOGRTP and will be available through Dec. 30. Residents of all ages and backgrounds who move around the Tri-Cities via car, transit, bike and on foot or manage freight are encouraged to provide feedback.

Sewer upgrade slated for Charbonneau Park

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District has awarded a $926,800 contract to update the septic system at Charbonneau Park and Campground near Burbank.

The large onsite septic system, or LOSS, supports campground infrastructure, including a comfort station with showers and restrooms; 54 campsites, 18 of which have sewer connections; and a boat pump-out station.

The upgrade will bring the system into compliance with state Department of Health regulations and improve its long-term sustainability and reliability.

Civil Built LLC is the contractor for the work, which will take place in the campground’s off-season, between October 2025 and April 2026. During construction, boaters may experience temporary outages of the marine pump-out station.

WA Commerce awards $5.7M to Mid-Columbia infrastructure projects

Three public infrastructure projects in Benton and Franklin counties are among those to receive a total of $137.5 million from the state’s Public Works Board. 

The projects will help with sewage and wastewater treatment as well as pay for the demolition of the old underpass below the recently built Lewis Street overpass in Pasco. 

In Benton County, the board awarded a $1.7 million construction grant to repair or replace 8,000 linear feet of residential sewer line throughout Benton City. The city of Richland received $500,000 in a pre-construction grant to make improvements that will replace and update components of the anaerobic digesters at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. 

In Franklin County, the Lewis Street Overpass project in Pasco has been ongoing since August 2021, with demolition of the aging underpass it replaced being one of the last portions remaining. The board awarded that effort a $3.5 million grant. 

The Public Works Board, created in 1985, aims to help local governments address critical infrastructure needs via various financing options.