Articles by Wendy Culverwell
FCCI named top vit plant supplier after aligning with Bechtel
A Richland company catering to U.S. Department of Energy contractors found success by aligning itself with the needs of one of the biggest operators at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation: Bechtel National Inc. Bechtel recognized Fluid Controls and Components Inc., or FCCI, with one of four 2020-21 Global Supplier Awards for its contributions to the Hanford…
X-energy swoons at opportunity to bring next-gen nuclear to Tri-Cities
J. Clay Sell had two main goals when he visited the Tri-Cities in October to participate in Energy Northwest’s annual conference in Kennewick. Sell, chief executive officer of X-energy, came to discuss a government-backed partnership that will bring a fourth-generation nuclear plant to the Energy Northwest campus north Richland. Sell spent his visit pitching his…
Reser’s construction is back on track after collapse stopped work
Reser’s Fine Foods is proceeding with construction of a food processing facility in Pasco after a framed section of the building collapsed during a windstorm. No workers were injured in the Nov. 15 incident. Reser’s, serving as its own contractor, briefly halted work. By early December, crews were operating at both ends of the massive…
Developer plans to end north Richland’s coffee desert
A Bellevue-based developer is converting a north Richland building into a coffee shop to serve residents and workers near the PNNL campus. IC University Square LLC plans to apply for permits to reconfigure the building in January, with a tentative opening date in mid-2022. The LLC is associated with Shotgun Creek Investments, a real estate-focused…
Graze makes big bet on China Café spot in Kennewick
Graze – a Place to Eat is making its biggest bet ever on the Tri-Cities with a new location planned in the former China Café spot in Kennewick. Graze owners Rebecca and John Lastoskie bought the restaurant at 131 N. Ely St. in July and expect to open it in mid-2022 following a down-to-the-studs renovation…
Educator, Hanford trainer selected for port vacancy
The Port of Benton Commission selected Christy Rasmussen, a former Christ the King School principal and current Hanford employee, to fill the board seat vacated when Robert Larson retired in October with two years left of his term. Rasmussen was one of four candidates interviewed in a special commission session on Nov. 29. She was the unanimous choice…
Richland taps interim manager for city’s top job
Jon Amundson will be Richland’s new city manager 10 months after Cindy Reents departed.
Four years ago, Carbitex bet its future on footwear – it’s paying off
Carbitex Inc., the Kennewick tech manufacturer that turns carbon fabric into flexible carbon composites, had a choice to make when it debuted in 2012. Its patented, flexible-yet-rigid composite material could be used in any number of products. Junus Khan, founder and chairman, had to figure out which one to target. Four years ago, Khan and…
New apartment project honors pioneering builder
The late developer Robert “Bob” Young liked to give his apartment complexes dignified names. The Villas. Washington Square. Broadmoor. Jadwin Stevens. Highlands. Young, who lived in San Francisco but left a mark on the Tri-City landscape, died in 2014 at age 82. The company he founded, once known as Robert Young and Associates, is now…
Veterans Court is changing lives in Benton County. Will Franklin follow?
Judge Dan Kathren expected miracles in 2019, when Benton County launched a special court to help veterans charged with crimes turn their lives around. Forty veterans and 20 graduates later, he has not been disappointed. “It’s absolutely doing what we were hoping it would,” said Kathren, a seasoned Benton County District Court judge who…
