Articles by Robin Wojtanik
Porter’s Real Barbecue plans to open Columbia Center Boulevard restaurant
Owner-brothers building Temple of ’Cue with capacity to smoke 3,000 pounds of meat at a time A second Porter’s Real Barbecue restaurant set to open this spring in Kennewick is only the tri-tip of the meaty master plan. Brothers Porter and Reed Kinney have plans to launch two more restaurants within the next couple of…
CBC to launch new hospitality program to train workers
Columbia Basin College will launch a hospitality training program in January to better prepare workers to join the ranks of more than 6,000 people who work in the growing industry in Benton and Franklin counties. The new program was created in direct response to the increased demand for skilled restaurant and hotel workers. “There’s a…
Kennewick meal prep service provides homemade option for busy families
“I am meal planning inept,” joked Lisa Maloof as she put together loaded barbecue pulled pork bites at a Kennewick meal-prep store. “It’s not my thing and it never has been,” she said. Combine this with a husband she describes as “extremely picky,” Maloof said she relies on Dream Dinners to fill her freezer with…
Capital campaign underway for new Boys and Girls clubhouse
The enthusiasm Craig Eerkes feels for his community is unmistakable when he talks about the plan to build a new clubhouse in Kennewick for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties. “This whole thing is to be proactive with kids,” Eerkes said, his voice filled with pride, and even awe, as he…
Kennedy Road orchards face re-zoning for development
State leases 334 acres behind Richland Target; lease expires in 2021 Agricultural land owned by the state of Washington since the beginning of statehood may eventually be for sale following the completion of the current lease terms. The land on Kennedy Road, north of Vintner Square and behind the Richland Target, includes two leases with…
Seniors temporarily displaced during extensive remodeling project
An extensive remodel is underway at an affordable senior housing complex in east Kennewick that’s requiring residents to be temporarily relocated and their belongings packed up. The lengthy list of improvements coming to the Kennewick Garden Apartments on West Fifth Avenue includes new flooring, lighting, millwork, doors, appliances and landscaping. [blockquote quote=”We want to create…
Underused north Richland Gesa branch to close in October
The Gesa Credit Union branch in north Richland will be closing permanently Oct. 31. Gesa reports that the 808 Dalton St. branch is “underutilized” and its “transaction volumes are low” compared to other locations in the Tri-Cities. As a nonprofit cooperative, the credit union determined it wasn’t a good use of members’ resources to keep…
Sale of Walla Walla County farmland expected to draw national interest
The deadline to snap up 6,000 acres well suited for crops or a destination vineyard is fast approaching. The Walla Walla County property owned by the Weidert family is northwest of Touchet, straddling Highway 12, about 20 miles from Pasco. Iowa-based Peoples Company is accepting sealed bids expected to be valued in the millions. Peoples…
$4 million warehouse project underway in Vista Field Industrial Park
A new warehouse is under construction in the Vista Field Industrial Park in Kennewick will look similar to four others nearby. [blockquote quote=”I believe Vista Field is the hub of the Tri-Cities.” source=”Tom O’Brien, owner of O’Brien Construction” align=”right” max_width=”300px”] O’Brien Construction plans two warehouses, totaling 80,000-square-feet of space, called Vista III north of Quay…
Papé Machinery Construction buys Pasco John Deere dealership
A multi-million dollar new building is planned in Pasco following the sale of the John Deere dealership. The recent acquisition of Rowand Machinery, which owned John Deere dealerships in Pasco and Spokane, by Papé Machinery Construction & Forestry has resulted in a rebranding of the location on East James Street. Prior to the sale in…
