It’s no secret that airlines and airplane manufacturers have been clobbered by the coronavirus pandemic.International flights traditionally flown by jumbo jets are particularly hard hit. Borders are closed and people aren’t flying.There is a small silver-lining. Just as restaurants started take-out service to survive, airlines are filling planes with freight.U.S....
It’s no secret the Covid-19 pandemic has made a huge impact on how Washington retailers and restaurants operate. With additional restrictions implemented at the start of the holiday season as cases surged, it’s another challenge for local small businesses.But that’s where we as a community can step in.Small retailers and...
About a year ago I was contacted by an executive search firm to apply for the president/CEO position at the Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC.After a two-month process, I was selected. We sold our house in Lewiston and moved down the Snake River to start the best job I have...
2020 has been a turbulent year for tourism as it has been for so many industries and individuals.Tourism is a significant economic engine for our community, driving half a billion dollars in visitor spending and supporting more than 5,600 jobs.Tourism helps small businesses not only survive but thrive and helps...
Making it through a worldwide pandemic has been both a challenge and an opportunity for the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce – requiring a great deal of “out of the box thinking.”Covid-19 offered little choice for chambers and associations but to retool the programs, products, events and services we offer,...
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Port of Kennewick spent 2020 engaging in transparent urban planning; working to revitalize Kennewick’s historic waterfront district; and constructing a regional town center in place of the former Vista Field airport.At Vista Field the port is following a community-driven master plan to create a pedestrian-focused development...
The Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (TCHCC) began, like I’m sure many other organizations, with great hopes and plans for 2020.We had a new board that was a good mix of seasoned and new directors. I also was optimistic as I took over the president’s position since our finances were...
When we look back 20 years from now at the year 2020, I hope we will see this was a launching point for major achievements for our region and nation.I believe there will be a change in how we continue to live our lives, and history points to shifts in...
2020 started as a year of transition, followed by a global pandemic and an unprecedented new way of doing business.Your Port of Benton team stepped up, setting the bar high by delivering a new website and accelerating digital communications, key capital projects and organizational improvements.These achievements demonstrate the team’s flexibility...
As we close out a tumultuous year where the pandemic has stolen so much of our attention, it might help to step back from the daily challenges and appreciate a fundamental demographic of life here: the greater Tri-Cities continue to grow.Demographics may not drive destiny, but they certainly influence it.Unlike...
