Articles by Robin Wojtanik

Robin Wojtanik spent most of her career in broadcast journalism, working at television stations around the country. She spent nearly a decade managing newsrooms in the Tri-Cities and Yakima. She enjoys volunteering for Junior Achievement and Christ the King School and serves on the board for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Northwest chapter. She lives in Richland with her husband and children.
A Richland business owner is constructing a building for new tenants at 1953 Fowler St. in Richland. The project is visible from Highway 240 on the westernmost edge of Columbia Park, just east of Cost Less Carpet and Smart Foodservice.

Commercial building underway near Columbia Park

By Robin Wojtanik | February 2019

Ford Group to invest $3.6M on commercial building for up to 7 tenants A small project grew to 10 times its original size when the Ford Group decided to put…

Marvin Kinney, president of the Kennewick Public Hospital District Board, is looking ahead to a new mission for the board, which handed off operations to Trios Health following the sale of the public hospital system last year.

Kennewick public hospital board shifts its focus

By Robin Wojtanik | January 2019

No longer tasked with operating a large hospital, leaders of the Kennewick Public Hospital District are focusing their sights on how best to serve the community going forward. “We will…

Michael Miller, co-owner of the new Level Up Arcade Bar, which is visible outside the window above Porter’s Real Barbecue at 1021 N. Columbia Center Blvd. in Kennewick, said the new arcade-bar will feature vintage video games from the ’80s and ’90s. It’s expected to appeal to a wide range of generations when it opens in early spring. (Courtesy Level Up Arcade Bar)

Vintage video games on tap at Kennewick bar set to open in March

By Robin Wojtanik | January 2019

Level Up to combine bar with arcade above Porter’s Real Barbecue In a true blast from the past, original video game machines from the ’80s and ’90s will soon be…

iPlay Experience is expected to open in late January at 8524 W. Gage Blvd., Suite B-110, in Kennewick, next door to Fiesta Mexican Restaurant.

Indoor playground slides into vacant Kennewick building

By Robin Wojtanik | January 2019

A three-story playground will be one of the highlights at the new iPlay Experience, an indoor play center under construction in Kennewick intended for year-round use, but especially during cold…

A longtime coffee roaster and distributor is moving to Richland and expanding to offer retail sales beyond its current wholesale deliveries. Treasure Valley Coffee expects its 17,000-square-foot building to be finished in late summer.

Kennewick coffee roaster to expand, open shop in Richland

By Robin Wojtanik | January 2019

A massive coffee bean roaster will need to be disassembled and moved to a new building in north Richland when Treasure Valley Coffee of the Columbia Basin opens its new…

Packaging Corporation of America is set to close a deal with the city of Richland on a 42-acre site at 3003 Kingsgate Way in the Horn Rapids area. The Illinois-based company plans to build a 400,000-square-foot to 450,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.

$1.9M land sale pending for packaging plant

By Robin Wojtanik | December 2018

A Midwest paper processing giant is preparing to build a large manufacturing plant in the Horn Rapids area of Richland, bringing with it about 150 family-wage jobs. Packaging Corporation of…

The Heatherstone Apartment complex in east Kennewick is undergoing a large remodel that will update all 455 units, thanks to a $19.8 million investment. New owners spent $41.6 million recently to buy the affordable housing complex that spans nearly 25 acres near Park Middle School. (Courtesy Security Properties Inc.)

New owners of Kennewick apartments to invest $19.8M to overhaul 455 units

By Robin Wojtanik | December 2018

A massive remodel totaling $19.8 million in improvements is underway at the Heatherstone Apartments in Kennewick, where work will continue through late spring 2020. All 38 residential buildings will receive…

Remodeling is underway for the Tri-Cities’ second Bath & Body Works store. The store at Richland’s Vintner Square off Queensgate Drive will be in the western corner unit of the building that also houses Starbucks, Jamba Juice, GameStop and Fiesta Mexican Restaurant.

Bath & Body Works store to open in Richland next year

By Robin Wojtanik | November 2018

Construction is underway on the Tri-Cities’ second Bath & Body Works store, planned for the Queensgate area of Richland. The company’s corporate office said the store is scheduled to open…

As the lone regional, indoor shopping center, the Columbia Center mall in Kennewick fills with shoppers each holiday season. The National Retail Federation’s predicts a 4.1 percent increase in consumer spending for the 2018 holiday shopping season compared to last year.

Retail outlook strong for holiday season

By Robin Wojtanik | November 2018

Tri-City retailers are optimistic about the upcoming holiday shopping season. “Our market usually outperforms the national trend due to our strong local economy,” said Barbara Johnson, general manager of Columbia…

After 100 years as a family business, Kennewick’s True Value Washington Furniture and Hardware owner and general manager John Gravenslund has decided to pare back the store’s inventory and hours.

Kennewick hardware store changing gears after 100 years

By Robin Wojtanik | November 2018

The owner of a 100-year-old retail mainstay in downtown Kennewick is winding down operations. “Age and time and generations running out; the business is healthy, happy and doing great, but…

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