Family-owned for more than 35 years, Tri-City Lumber is making its first expansion outside of Kennewick, adding a showroom in Richland’s Horn Rapids area.

With a targeted opening in mid-May and a grand opening in June, the retail store at 4202 Henderson Loop, Unit 101, in north Richland will be near White Bluffs Brewing and include examples of lumber supply options as well as hardware – something that’s currently lacking at the northwest end of town.

“We’ll have doors, windows, deck displays, fence boards, molding and trim. It will be a place they can come look at those specialty items without having to drive to our main store,” said Ben Sullenger, owner of Tri-City Lumber, which has been at 8600 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick since 1990.

“We’ll also have the hardware store side of things; if they just need saw blades, drills and nails. Right now, their closest option is either Home Depot on Queensgate Drive or Grigg’s in Richland.”

Sullenger bought the longtime Tri-Cities business from the former owners in the fall of 2024 after helping operate the store since 2019.

“I grew really close with them and they became like parental figures,” he said. “They saw an employee who wanted to grow and worked hard – not for compensation – but because I wanted to see better for the business.”

Since becoming the new owner, Sullenger has tried to focus on supporting other local businesses, not just as a catchphrase but as a mission. He and his signature mustache make regular appearances on the company’s Facebook page promoting not just the business, but others in town.

“My biggest thing as a business owner with Tri-City Lumber is my passion for our community and the other small businesses in our area,” Sullenger said. “I want to take care of our community on a real level, not just as a way to bring people in the door.”

Tri-City Lumber is the only locally-owned lumber company.

“I’m competing against five corporate building suppliers, and that’s one thing where I’m trying to think ahead, ‘How can I be more convenient to my people, my community?’ So, finding these little spots is a way I can be more of an asset to my community,” he said.

The second location will be in a strip mall with four other tenants in a building owned by Tracy LaMarr with StoneCrest Builders.

Though it’s Tri-City Lumber’s first expansion, it may not be the last.

Sullenger spoke of adding a third space in West Richland before the end of the year and frequently services contractors in northwest Oregon and Yakima.

“We’re going to Yakima all based off of word of mouth about the service I’ve been doing here; no advertising or anything,” he said. “That, to me, is a huge compliment of people wanting to do service because they have three lumber yards right in their area they could go to.”

Sullenger aims for competitive pricing, trying to make it worth the effort to shop from an owner who lives, works and sends his four kids to school in the same community as his customers.

“(Oriented strand board, or OSB) is probably one of the biggest things that gets used out in construction,” he said. “My OSB is typically $5 cheaper a sheet than the big box stores.”

In an average house build, a contractor might use 150 to 300 sheets of OSB, so the potential savings is significant. But it’s also beneficial for someone using just a few sheets to see the same savings.

“My goal is to not steal your money,” Sullenger said. “I’m not here to feed some CEO who’s over in New York City. I’ve found a margin that pays my staff, feeds their family, keeps my doors open, puts money in the bank for an emergency and helps my business grow. So, for me to take that extra $5 you’ve worked hard for, that feeds your family, that pays your bills, that’s not what I’m here to do.”

The Horn Rapids showroom will be about 1,800 square feet and employ at least one person to start. From there, it’s all about seeing what the market bears.

Sullenger currently has 14 full-time employees in Kennewick. The store is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Sullenger is not yet sure what the hours will be in Richland, leaving that up to local demand.

“We want to make it convenient not only for the homeowners, but the contractors who can stop in, set up an account and be on their way,” he said. “I can’t build another lumber yard, but I can access these places that are being built and make myself available in these ways.”

Customers will be able to come in with plans – simple or complex – and get contractor referrals for builds and also can place an order directly, delivered same-day or the next day from the Clearwater location, or picked up for true DIY jobs.

Right now, Sullenger isn’t sure how much of the showroom sales will be from lumber or from hardware.

“That’s kind of the fun part about the store. I’m not really sure what it’s going to be. We’re going to get in there and see what this community is going to make of it.”

Tri-City Lumber’s typical customer seeks building materials for a home.

Lumber prices have come down from record-highs during the pandemic, but the Washington State Department of Natural Resources said prices averaged $394 per thousand board feet in late 2025. The agency predicts lumber prices could recover from an oversupply this quarter and then trend upward through the end of the year.

“I shop the market a little bit more aggressively, so I look for different pricing from vendors, like who’s selling commodities at a better price,” Sullenger said. “I’ll ask, ‘If I buy more of one thing, can I get it at a better price if I buy it from a different mill without sacrificing the quality of the lumber that I’m getting?’ I’m trying to do it that way.”

He says he’s not in a position to buy “train carloads of lumber” like corporate-owned sites can, but he can promote the relationships.

“I think a lot of builders in this area have been waiting for a local lumber yard, to have that relationship,” he said.

Sullenger sees a big trend locally for multifamily dwellings and barndominiums on the outskirts of town, typically pole-barn homes that can be built quickly and often at a lower cost.

Sullenger’s customer service vision is for all projects, large or small.

“We want to be here to sit down with you. We want to be the people that you go to and feel comfortable with,” he said. “You can bring in the plans maybe you found online, maybe you saw on Etsy, that maybe you don’t know anything about. You can ask us the stupid questions and know that you’re not going to get talked down to. We’re not going to laugh at you. We’re going to help you find what you need and not take advantage of you.”

He added, “I think people are tired of just the transactional relationship that they’re getting at these corporate places and are really enjoying coming into a place that has that old school hardware store feeling. They enjoy talking to someone who actually cares about their project, whether it’s a bookshelf or their home.”

Go to: tricitylumber.com.