Brian McDermottColumbia Industries has added another business to itsportfolio of profit-making enterprises to support its missionto serve hundreds of Tri-Citians with disabilities. The Kennewick nonprofit announced it purchased HarmonExpress, a Lewiston, Idaho-based FedEx Ground independent provider. The dealclosed on Nov. 10. Terms were not disclosed. Harmon Express is now rebranded as CIExpress Inc. and services delivery routes in Pullman, Moscow, Idaho,...

Carl AdrianThe Tri-City Development Council is expected toname a chief executive officer to succeed its longtime leader CarlAdrian by the end of January. The TRIDEC search committee interviewedfive candidates and narrowed the field to two finalists by earlyJanuary. It was expected to make a finaldecision on Jan. 9, after the deadline for this edition ofthe Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. The online version of thisstory will be updated...

By LoAnn AyersCensus 2020 is unlike any of the 23 that came before it. For the first time, in addition to mail or phone, people will be able to respond online from any device. The U.S. Constitution requires this once-a-decade snapshot of how many people live in each community. A...

Lamb Weston Inc., the Northwest potato giant witha substantial Mid-Columbia footprint, reportedsignificant revenue growth in a quarterly report released in earlyJanuary. It also suggested it could be on the cusp ofannouncing a new production facility.  Eagle, Idaho-based Lamb Weston (NYSE: LW) reportednet income of $140.4 million on more than $1 billion in revenue inthe second quarter of its 2020 fiscal year, which ended Nov.24. Revenue grew...

The Pasco Chamber ofCommerce and the Port of Pasco will induct seven longtime farmers and advocatesfor agriculture into the 2020 Mid-Columbia Ag Hall of Fame at the 20th annualdinner and installation gala on Jan. 16 at the Pasco Red Lion Hotel andConference Center.The Ag Hall of Famehonors farmers, families and...

A Kennewick accounting firm has sold itself, a move that ensurescontinuity for the 500 or so clients who depend on Marple & Marple CPAs tomanage their books and prepare their taxes.Richland-based PorterKinney PC bought Marple & Marple on Nov. 14. The move dramatically expanded PorterKinney’s footprint, giving it a newKennewick...

Dee Pridemore, owner ofVivid Imaginations Face Painting, is the new owner of Tri-City Family Expo.Pridemore launched herfirst business to support her family after becoming a single mother. Vivid nowhas several employees and is a staple at local events, including the FamilyExpo.She took the expo overafter speaking with the past owner,...

Steve AshbyCourtesy Andrea Starr, Pacific Northwest National LaboratorySelecting2019’s highlights for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a bit likechoosing just one family photo for the holiday card among the dozens of importantevents and exciting adventures of the year.Theseeight exemplify how researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy lab areadvancing scientific discovery...

By Kris JohnsonMain Street businesses bore the brunt of the 2019 Washington legislative session.The $52.8 billionoperating budget lawmakers approved in April included more than $1 billion intax increases. Many of the increases hit small and medium-sized employers inthe form of real estate excise taxes and a business and occupation, or...