Articles by Robin Wojtanik
Dilapidated Parkway property coming down
High-end cocktail bar, coffee shop likely tenants in building near fountain Big plans are in the works for a building described as an eyesore in the heart of Richland’s The Parkway. A group of six local investors with Prospere Ventures bought the property and hope to begin demolition soon to build a new building valued…
Longtime Pennsylvania foundry opens in Pasco
Most hours of the day, a lathe machine is hard at work in a Pasco warehouse, creating pipe fittings for a Pennsylvania company that recently opened its first West Coast shop. Latrobe Foundry Machine & Supply Co., based near Pittsburgh, picked the Tri-Cities to be closer to its customers. The company founder’s great-grandson moved his…
Kennewick homebuilders plan new headquarters
Infinity, Promade, RP Development owners building 31,000-square-foot building near Cottonwood school The owners of Infinity Homes of Washington, Promade Homes and RP Development are building a 31,000-square-foot building at 105609 E. Wiser Parkway. The new warehouse and showroom are under construction just south of Interstate 82 in unincorporated Benton County, near CSS Mini Storage, just…
Richland Taco Time plans move for drive-thru
A new Taco Time planned for south Richland means the closure of the city’s current Taco Time franchise in Richland’s downtown core. The newest restaurant will open at 2222 Keene Road, near the busy intersection of Keene Road and Queensgate Boulevard, next door to an Chevron gas station. A wooden sign is up announcing the…
Seattle-based HVAC contractor expanding to Kennewick
MacDonald-Miller to open its Eastern Washington headquarters in fall after moving Moses Lake office A Seattle-based mechanical contractor is looking to expand its Tri-City customer base by opening a shop where customers can fulfill commercial needs for heating, ventilation and air conditioning as well as other mechanical services. MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions has plans to open…
Roasters Coffee eyes busy Richland corner
Former Circle K site at Leslie, Gage being cleaned to prep for sale The owner of Roasters Coffee wants to build a drive-thru coffee stand at the busy corner of Leslie Road and West Gage Boulevard by spring 2020, as part of his long-range goal to open 25 shops by 2023. Formerly the site of…
Richland doctor offers membership health care
Tri-City native offers nontraditional setting for personalized care A new membership-based health care clinic is available in Richland, the brainchild of a board-certified internist who wanted to offer more patient-focused care. Dr. Jessica Schneider, a Hanford High School graduate, decided to jump off the “hamster wheel” she said was inherent in traditional medical practices to…
Agriculture powerhouse: Crop value high amid trade threats
Persistent issues with international trade have been threatening Washington’s most successful crops. Ongoing trade issues with Asian markets and North American neighbors are “making farmers nervous,” said Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. “We have to have trading partners,” she said. With $6.7 billion in food and agricultural products sent…
Fruitful summer: Cherry crops a sweet success
The 2019 Washington cherry crop is expected to reach nearly 25 million boxes. These initial estimates come from about 2,100 cherry growers who are part of the Northwest Cherry Growers/Washington State Fruit Commission, a five-state group covering orchards in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah. Before cherries are picked, “there are still plenty of opportunities…
Apple action: New variety coming as tariff threats loom
As the state’s apple growers strategize to overcome international tariffs, they’re also looking ahead to introduce to the world a highly-anticipated variety — the Cosmic Crisp. The end of the 20 percent tariffs on apples shipped to Mexico in mid-May was welcome news to the state’s apple industry, which saw overall exports down 32.7 percent…
