I moved to Tri-Cities in February 2021 when I was hired as the new executive director for the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (BFCOG). Everyone I have met is so welcoming. Their first question is always to ask where I work. When I tell them, their next statement is nearly always,...
A third generation is poised to take over KIE Supply Corp., the iconic 67-year-old Kennewick business.KIE, established in 1955 by Augustan Kittson Sr., is a longtime supplier of irrigation, plumbing, electrical, lighting, appliance and bathroom fixtures for contractors and DIYers through stores in Kennewick, Hermiston, Sunnyside and elsewhere.Its gleaming fixtures...
A Tri-City developer has shelved The Nineteen, a luxury office-and-apartment project planned for downtown Kennewick, after a key lender cut funding by more than two-thirds.Andrew Klein and Brian Griffith, operating as Klein Griffith Properties Group, said the project was “effectively killed” in October when the Hanford Area Economic Investment Fund...
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...
Plans are underway to replace a traffic circle with traffic lights at a key intersection connecting Richland to West Richland.The city of West Richland wants to remove the circle where Bombing Range and Keene roads intersect to reduce backups and delays.Designed in 2001, the traffic circle was intended to last...
Carlos OlivaresYakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic’s longtime CEO Carlos Olivares resigned from his position amid an investigation of sexual harassment allegations, the organization announced Dec. 10.His resignation took effect Dec. 4, a week before the nonprofit agency announced the news.The Yakima Valley Farm Workers said in a release that it...
State increases workers comp rates by over 3%Workers compensation premiums will rise by an average of 3.1% in 2022, the Washington Department of Labor & Industries announced.It said the increase is driven by rising costs associated with cost-of-living adjustments for long-term cases and are tied to Washington’s increasing average wages.The...
Each December, the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business invites some of the region’s most insightful leaders to help us review the highlights of the past year.This month, they came through.The Tri-Cities tallied an astonishing list of wins in the second year clouded by Covid-19.As the year closes, we look back...
Throughout Washington, the leaders of local chambers of commerce are busy delivering bags of toys to rural fire departments, enabling the firefighters to play Santa Claus for the children who live in their communities.For the fire departments, this is nothing new. They have been giving out toys and food every...
To “Build Back America” people must return to work!In a U.S. Chamber of Commerce poll released in early December, the findings spell trouble for America’s employers whether they are in the private or public sectors. It found that over 60% of the respondents are in no hurry to return to...
