Articles by Jeff Morrow
Demand for drivers prompts Martinez Trucking to open its own school
The trucking industry has had a tough time finding qualified drivers over the last 10 to 15 years. So Martinez Trucking decided to do something about it by creating its own truck drivers’ school. [blockquote quote=”Today’s truck driver has to be tech savvy.” source=”Z Martinez, operations manager for Martinez Trucking” align=”right” max_width=”300px”] It’s called the…
Oasis Physical Therapy to open fourth clinic in south Richland
$1.3 million strip mall also will be home to Orangetheory Fitness Studio Oasis Physical Therapy has opened three offices built around the Tri-Cities in the past 15 years. The company’s executive director and owner Mindi Irvine now is adding a fourth location, a $1.3 million building at 1020 Queensgate Drive in south Richland. The new…
Fairchild planning to open third cinema in Kennewick
Fairchild Cinemas was expected to do well in its new Queensgate location in Richland when it opened in December 2015. But it did better than well, and now the company is planning a new 10-screen movie theater next to the Walmart store near the Canyon Lakes neighborhood in Kennewick. It will be in the 2900…
New Kennewick steakhouse aims to fill missing niche
When a food lover takes a hard look at the Tri-City restaurant scene, a glaring omission in the region is a lack of steakhouses. [blockquote quote=”A lot of people have told me it’s nice to have a steakhouse at this end of town.” source=”Jeff Ballard, co-owner of Fredy’s Steakhouse” align=”right” max_width=”300px”] Jeremy Thelin, Wayne Walton…
CBC invests in simulator for truck-driving program
The No. 1 job needed in the area is truck driving. That’s what Janese Thatcher, Columbia Basin College’s dean for Computer Science, Engineering and Technical Programs, said she recently learned when looking at the top jobs that companies were hiring for in Benton and Franklin counties. “People running many companies in this area said their…
Copiers Northwest planning $1.3 million new building in Kennewick
Copiers Northwest hopes to break ground in March on a new $1.3 million two-story building in Kennewick. The new nearly 12,000-square-foot building at 7035 W. Clearwater Ave. in Kennewick will be next to the current Copiers Northwest office space. The company’s Kennewick office is currently in a strip mall on Clearwater, with 3,200 square feet…
Four of five Pasco parcels for sale in DNR auction have closed
Bid fell through on 38 acres zoned for multi-family housing The sales of four of the five parcels of Pasco land auctioned by the Washington Department of Natural Resources in the fall have closed. A 38-acre parcel zoned for multi-family housing and appraised for $1.2 million did not close. The four parcels, appraised at $4.3…
Tri-City business taps into self-serve wine, beer market
When two Tri-Citians walked into a Boise bar two years ago, they weren’t expecting to walk out with plans to start a new business. But what Jason Sadler and Kendra Guzek saw in Idaho in 2015 amazed them: a self-service wine bar in which customers could try wines using a pre-paid card that slid into…
Tri-City fifth-graders get moving with free activity trackers
West Richland’s Rosie Gregory has three sons, with the oldest two being pretty active. But her youngest, Drew, preferred television over physical activity. “He hasn’t really been an outdoors active-type of kid,” she said. That changed in October, when Drew got a Sqord, an activity-tracking device for kids. Think Fitbit, but for grade-schoolers. The wristwatch…
Charitable giving gives back with tax breaks
Many people in the Mid-Columbia region donate to their favorite charities, especially during the holiday season. It feels good to help the less fortunate. But why not help yourself too by getting tax credits for giving? Darren Szendre, a certified public accountant and owner of Tri-Cities Tax in Kennewick, believes in the spirit of giving.…
