There have been plenty of efforts to bring a public market to the Tri-Cities. But after years of talk, an all-private effort with 70 vendors, including Ice Harbor Brewery and Columbia Industries’ Opportunity Kitchen, is about to open in Kennewick.The Public Market @ Columbia River Warehouse is set to debut...
Columbia Industries, a Kennewick nonprofit that funds its mission to serve people with special needs by operating a series of for-profit businesses, has sold its records business as it shifts to deepen its impact.Memphis, Tennessee-based Vital Records Control (VRC) purchased the records side of CI Information Management in a deal...
Megan SavelyRichland’s Frost Me Sweet Bistro & Bakery is casting off the lingering effects of the pandemic by adding a new bakery, as well as a drive-thru cake-shake business on Wellsian Way.The new location will provide much-needed workspace for Frost Me Sweet’s bakers while allowing owners Megan and Jason Savely...
Laurel “Laurie” JacksonAfter a nationwide search, Chaplaincy Health Care hired a former Tri-Citian as its CEO.Laurel “Laurie” Jackson started with the Richland nonprofit on Feb. 21.She most recently worked at the St. Charles Health System in Bend, Oregon, where she was the administrator of post-acute and community care.Jackson spent her...
A Tri-City executive is being sued in U.S. Bankruptcy Court by a creditor seeking more than $1 million for an outstanding loan balance, interest and legal fees.The case against Fraser S. Hawley, a developer and business leader who was married to state Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, is set to go...
The Tri-City business community is breathing easier as the 2022 Legislature concluded its work without passing bills some feared would add complexity and cost to operating in Washington.The regular session ended March 10 in a flurry of activity, including an agreement on a $64.1 billion supplemental budget.But it’s what didn’t...
In the old days, the decision to fund a retirement account with pre-tax dollars (traditional IRA) or fund it with after-tax dollars (Roth IRA) often hinged on when a person predicted his income would be highest and thus the tax savings greatest.So, if a person thought his or her income...
Jeff PetersenJeff Petersen retires on March 31 after more than 20 years as CEO of Petersen Hastings, the Tri-Cities wealth management firm established by his late father, Jim Petersen, in 1962.Scott Sarber a longtime member of the team and partner, steps up to the role of president and CEO.While Petersen...
Michael NovakovichMichael Novakovich, president and CEO of Visit Tri-Cities, is looking forward to May, which is when the tourism agency he leads expects to finalize the economic impact of tourism on the local economy in 2021.After a pandemic-battered showing in 2020, signs of revival will be welcome news to an...
As we might suspect from our own travel, tourism took a huge hit in 2020.The Benton-Franklin Trends metric on direct travel and tourism spending makes this painfully clear.Total estimated spending in the two counties plunged from about $496 million to $345 million, or a drop of 30%.What has been affected?...
