Articles by Laura Kostad
Investment advisor offers pet care plan
Forever Friends plan aids pets after their owners die Many seniors’ wills include provisions for who gets their dog, cat, horse, guinea pig or other furry or feathered friend when they die. But what if the appointed guardian for the surviving pets can’t or won’t take them? What if the pets unintentionally end up at…
Construction underway on Vista Field
In less than a year, Vista Field’s first shovel-ready parcels are expected to be available to developers. Plans to turn the former airport into a 103-acre pedestrian-focused urban center took a tangible step forward with a ground-breaking ceremony in April. Around March 2020, the first shovel-ready parcels are expected to be made available through the…
Arts Center Task Force expands vision for Vista Field site
The stage is set as Vista Field transforms into Tri-Cities’ new urban core. And waiting in the wings to take its place there is the Arts Center Task Force. More than two acres has been set aside for the landmark project — the Tri-Cities’ first center for the arts — aimed at anchoring the new…
Family drive turns Oasis Freight Transport into to brokerage
Oasis Freight Transport underwent a major transition in the past year. Not only did Oasis rebrand — it was formerly known as Oasis Farms & Trucking — but the 20-year-old company also transformed its business model. It sold off its fleet of 15 trucks and began operating as a freight brokerage. “It’s hard to keep…
Community visioning project MyTri2030 begins to take shape
Six key areas emerged when 4,500 Tri-Citians shared their priorities for the region’s future. The top focus areas — education, prosperity, inclusion, agriculture, thriving life and energy — were unveiled last month after nearly a year of working to better understand what citizens want to see develop in Tri-Cities over the next decade. Dubbed MyTri2030,…
Kennewick insurance company moves into bigger office
Basin Pacific Insurance and Benefits’ new building has space for lease Customers of the local Basin Pacific Insurance and Benefits branch won’t find the business at its old location on Gage Boulevard in Kennewick. The company has moved to a new, bigger location at 6917 W. Grandridge Blvd., Unit 1, along one of the major…
Hot Tri-City housing market showing signs of slowing down
The Tri-Cities’ red-hot housing market is beginning to show signs of cooling. After a multi-year trend of rapidly appreciating home values, the construction labor force is stretched thin, interest rates are on the rise and building material prices are up due to new tariffs. But that’s not to say new housing projects have ground to…
Legal Aid group honors area attorneys’ contributions
Each year about 4,000 people reach out to the Benton-Franklin Legal Aid Society for legal assistance. And each year Tri-City area attorneys donate their time to help those they can. The nonprofit society recently held its annual awards luncheon to recognize attorneys who significantly contributed to the organization’s efforts to find pro bono legal representation…
Red Mountain pioneers collaborate on Cabernet for a cause
Two Red Mountain wineries are collaborating on a special vintage this year in honor of their 40th anniversary. In 1978, Barnard Griffin’s founder Rob Griffin produced the first Red Mountain commercial wine using grapes grown by John Williams and Jim Holmes at their Kiona Estate vineyard outside Benton City. Forty years later, their kids and…
Tyson announces $36M expansion during statewide manufacturing tour
As an Association of Washington Business bus rolled into the parking lot of Tyson Fresh Meats bright and early on a recent morning in Wallula, many of the cattle slaughterhouse and beef processing plant’s 1,400 workers were arriving for work. Even more people will be joining them at their job site next year when a…
