Articles by Robin Wojtanik
Port of Pasco: Industrial expansion targets open land
The Port of Pasco is set to become the home base for the largest milk protein facility in North America – employing hundreds of people with well-paying jobs at a new Darigold facility that will anchor the Reimann Industrial Center. Darigold Inc. expects the project to employ more than 1,000. Those at the plant will…
Tri-Cities Airport: Pandemic has air travel in a holding pattern
Covid-19 has taken a bite out of air travel at the Port of Pasco-operated Tri-Cities Airport, which hasn’t rebounded as hoped, just as the end of summer tends to “dry up” leisure travel, said Airport Director Buck Taft. “I don’t have the confidence to say anything for certain. It’s taking a dip as of right…
Pasco businesswoman discovers hidden cake decorating talent
Pilar “Angelica” Hernandez had already earned her cosmetology license and commercial driver’s license before realizing she had a hidden talent as a cake decorator. Now, the Pasco businesswoman owns Delicakes by Angelica, operating out of the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and providing elaborate cakes for weddings, birthdays, quinceañeras, baby showers and other celebrations. But don’t expect…
Spudnut remodels to meet ADA requirements after suit
Modern updates have come to Richland’s famed Spudnut Shop, but not from a voluntary desire to change the space that hadn’t been remodeled since 1965. Valerie Driver, the second-generation owner of the iconic Richland restaurant, said she spent tens of thousands of dollars to update the shop after she and several neighbors in the Uptown…
Delta High grad-turned-entrepreneur solves problems with design
Arthur Baranovskiy, who credits YouTube and Pasco’s Delta High School for propelling him into technical drawing, is building a successful business offering drafting and related services to Tri-City businesses. Baranovskiy, 24, isn’t shy about touting AYB Drafting, which offers drafting and design services, including technical drawings, blueprints for high-end custom homes and mechanical shop work.…
Couple transform Flat Top Mountain property into lavender farm
An unassuming West Richland lavender farm brims with purple and possibility as the owners dream well beyond U-pick bunches to becoming the largest lavender-cutting supplier in the state. Terri and Steve Szendre operate SunKissed Lavender on Flat Top Mountain, off Collins Road, where they nurture 2,000 lavender plants, land once covered with weeds and sagebrush.…
Consumers crave their fresh fruit
The 2021 cherry crop is shaping up to be larger than last year’s but with the usual caveat for the sweet, fragile fruit: A single weekend of wind or rain could cause widespread devastation. The cherry industry didn’t miss a beat when the Covid-19 pandemic arrived a year ago. Washington growers harvested nearly 20 million…
Fewer apples heading to market
Fewer apples are going to market in 2021, but this isn’t really a complaint. “This has proven to be very advantageous as far as Covid and trade issues go,” said Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission. The industry expects to harvest 122 million bushels in 2021, compared to 134 million in 2020. Apple…
Hop output lower with changes
in beer demand, distribution
After a chaotic year, Washington’s hop industry is looking for a win. “Things are starting to get rocking and rolling again,” said Jaki Brophy, communications director for the Washington Hop Commission, following a year of Covid-19 restrictions, lower beer sales and punishment by Mother Nature. Wildfires and windstorms took a toll on hop crops in…
Beekeeper pollinates Northwest crops, sells varietal honey
In just a few short years, Aaron Brink went from an annoyed homeowner, frequently stung by bees while mowing, to a commercial beekeeper who laughs off daily stings while tending to hundreds of beehives. “I’m immune to bee stings,” said Brink, owner of Brink’s Bees. “I got into the bees as a hobby, not a…
