Articles by Robin Wojtanik
Tri-City hotel mogul buys Kolzig mansion for $3.5M
A prominent Tri-City mansion recently sold to a local hotel mogul for $3.5 million. The new owner of the home built by hockey legend Olie Kolzig is Gurbir Sandhu, president of the hospitality group Ignite Hotels LLC. Sandhu said he intends to deed the Kennewick property to an LLC that has not yet been formed…
Market overview: Relief on horizon for housing shortage as prices skyrocket
The Tri-City construction market continues to add millions of dollars in new projects as home and commercial lease prices skyrocket. The average Tri-City home sale price did not dip below $300,000 for the first eight months of 2019. But area real estate experts say prices could begin to level off in 2020. “I think we’re…
Commercial real estate: Costs continue to drive up prices
Commercial real estate agents cite years of ongoing growth for the Tri-Cities’ especially tight market today. “There’s a lot of leasing, a lot of sales, a lot of new construction going on,” said Rob Ellsworth, senior advisor at SVN | Retter & Co. in Kennewick. “Our market might even be too strong right now because…
City of Richland: New bridge, developments to boost central district
Transformational projects in central Richland will add new housing options, transportation routes and businesses to the city’s core. The long-anticipated Duportail Street bridge is expected to open in fall 2020. The route will connect drivers from the Stevens Drive corridor to the Queensgate Drive retail hub, and provide easier access to locations in central Richland,…
Multimillion dollar hotel projects offer visitors more getaway choices
The Tri-Cities will add more than 300 hotel rooms to the market when multiple hotels open in the next year. And more rooms will be available in 2021 and beyond, with other hotel projects currently in the planning stages. The opening of three hotels with a combined value of $21.5 million will increase the number of available…
Richland YouTube celebrity trades 9-to-5 life for professional gamer gig
It’s not easy to describe what Richland’s Lance Frisbee does for a living. He’s a gaming celebrity, social media influencer and YouTuber. “There are a lot of people who are really curious about my line of work. They want to know why I travel all over the world. I am still working on my elevator…
Kennewick company plans to go public this fall
A Kennewick company already selling a popular soil-test kit on Amazon is poised to grow its success when it goes public this fall. “What I see this company doing is going from several million in sales to a whole lot more,” said James Katzaroff, senior vice president for finance for UNIBEST International. “We’re going to…
In-home care employer shift now underway
A Montana-based company soon will manage individual providers who offer in-home care to clients through the state’s Department of Social and Health Services. It’s a switch from the current system that has DSHS handling all administrative functions. Now, Consumer Direct Care Network out of Missoula will become responsible for 20,000 individual care providers across 22…
Restaurant supply store moves, expands showroom
The store may include “restaurant” in its name, but Western Restaurant Supply & Design also is hoping to serve home chefs at its new 10,000-square-foot Richland showroom. “If you’re looking for a $15 knife, I got those, or if you want a $400 knife, I got those, too. We’re always looking to reignite or ignite…
Costco’s busy food court gets overhaul
Renovation means new counter location, more space for workers, equipment Costco’s food court window is rotating toward the entrance of the store, intending to alleviate backups near the registers while improving efficiencies for workers who are constantly taking and filling orders behind the counter. “It will create internal efficiencies and make it easier for our…
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