Elite Construction & Development is proud to welcome Kyler Davenport as Government Safety Specialist. As an experienced safety leader, Kyler brings an impressive record of safely executed government contracts to Elite, a private sector company with an 11-year perfect safety record.

Kyler brings experience managing safety at the highest levels, including work for WRPS at the AP Tank Farm. While working at the AP Tank Farm, Kyler earned his Safety Trained Supervisor Construction certification and his Construction Health & Safety Technician certification from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Kyler was also a part of the safety team at WRPS on the award-winning exhauster project, winning the Project Excellence Award from the Project Management Institute.

“Kyler’s safety record and drive make him a natural fit for our company,” said Elite Construction & Development President and CEO Trini Garibay. Adding “Safety continues to benefit company and clients and with Kyler’s leadership we plan to continue to refine our approach to safety.”

“I am excited about the opportunity to join the safety-focused team at Elite.“ said Kyler Davenport, Elite Construction and Development Government Safety Specialist. “Their investment in safety and professional development makes this an exciting role.”

Join Century 21 Tri-Cities and Pahlisch Homes for the Grand Opening of Columbia Terrace Phase 2! One mile north off Interstate 182, Pahlisch Homes has created the new rural retreat. The moniker taken from the nearby Columbia River speaks to the regional topography highlights. The farmlands’ varied colors of green and tan surround Columbia Terrace. The community will be built in a few phases, all with single-family residences that span one- and two-story styles. Columbia Terrace is a great new home neighborhood for those looking to maximize their investment in first-time homeownership. Pahlisch Homes prides itself on value-added engineering and top-notch fit and finishes in alignment with an investor’s budget. Consider Columbia Terrace is an excellent community to start a family or downsize with style.

Squeeze the Day and join Pahlisch Homes and Century 21 Tri-Cities while we celebrate the Grand Opening of Columbia Terrace Phase 2!

VIP Event: May 30th from 3-5 PM Open House: May 31st - June 2nd from 1-5 PM Tour 4 Pahlisch homes and enjoy frozen lemonade, snacks and a chance to win some prizes! Century 21 Tri-Cities is a local residential and commercial real estate sales organization and broker office serving the Tri-Cities area.

For more details about Century 21 Tri-Cities, please visit www.c21-tc.com or call us at 509.572.2465.

For more information about this event, please contact Lesly Vance at [email protected] or Sydney Higgins at [email protected].

Elite Construction & Development is proud to welcome Levi
Sherman as Field Work Supervisor. As Field Work Supervisor, Levi ensures procedural compliance of all high-risk and safety-sensitive projects as Elite expands their government division.

Levi brings over 30 years construction experience as well as hand-on experience working at the highest level of safety significant projects - NQA-1. Most recently, Levi supervised the exhauster installation at the AP Tank Farm, winning the Project Excellence Award from the Project Management Institute. Prior to that Levi worked on Tank Farm automation upgrades to procure, install and test 28 tank farm safety programmable systems.

“Levi is a proven leader helping government contractors execute projects on time and under budget at the highest level of safety,” said Elite Construction & Development President and CEO Trini Garibay. Adding “With hands-on journeymen experience in all phases of construction, Levi is not just a leader but a pivotal team player poised to lead our government division.”

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead Elite’s growth into the government sector“ said Levi Sherman, Elite Construction and Development Field Work Supervisor. “Our team has the drive and detail-focused approach to build lasting government relationships.”

Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (BFCG) is pleased to announce the selection of Stephanie Seamans as its new Executive Director to lead the agency formed in 1966 into the future. The BFCG provides a regional forum for transportation planning as well as economic and community development, with 17 members including Counties, Cities, Ports and other agencies within the region. BFCG is designated as the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Regional Transportation Planning Organization for jurisdictions within Benton and Franklin Counties. Additionally, the BFCG is designated by the Economic Development Administration as an Economic Development District (EDD), which includes working with the jurisdictions on their plans and projects, and provides loans of up to $300,000 for small businesses.

“As a third generation Tri-Citian, I am so proud to be serving in the community I grew up in. This is a new chapter for BFCG and I want us to make a difference for the jurisdictions and entities we serve. I have spent time establishing relationships with our BFCG members’ leadership and staff throughout the years, and appreciate their confidence in me. We all see that there are a lot of irons in the fire in the community and a lot of work to be done. The membership agencies are doing great things on their own, but sometimes need a wider forum for discussion of regional priorities and activities. It will be my purpose to elevate our agency to bring the best service and value we can to our core activities for our members.”

After earning an accounting degree at the University of Idaho, Stephanie began her professional career as a Certified Public Accountant with Baker & Giles, in Pasco. She went on to live in
Pendleton for fifteen years working in Tribal Economic Development. Although a government position, it also involved many facets beyond finance and allowed her to dive into transportation and infrastructure development, corporate recruiting, project management, workforce development, budgets and financing, grant management, and overall business management.

During her time at the Umatilla Tribes she worked with various State and Federal agencies on local and regional projects, including working with the surrounding cities and ports. She also served as a longtime Executive Committee member and past President of Greater Eastern Oregon Economic Development Corporation, which serves seven eastern Oregon Counties. Stephanie managed the startup and operations of many of the Tribe’s non-casino businesses, including their Coyote Business Park and Cayuse Technologies. For twelve of those years, she also partnered with another CPA to operate a small CPA firm.

In late 2015, Stephanie returned home to the Tri-Cities to be closer to family and became the Community and Economic Development Manager at BFCG, working with the EDD and BFCG’s loan programs.

“After working with Ms. Seamans in her role as Interim Executive Director since October I have been able to observe her genuine caring, concern and commitment to have this agency provide the highest level of service to the communities and jurisdictions the BFCG serves. Stephanie brings a wealth of diversified experience to BFCG and is excited to implement her vision to enhance and expand the services the BFCG offers as prescribed by her Board of Directors. I, along with my fellow Board members, am excited to see how she will lead her team into a new and successful chapter in the history of the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments.” said Skip Novakovich, BFCG Board of Directors President.

Mid-Columbia Libraries proudly announces its “Inspiring Latinos / Latinos Inspiradores” videos, a project of the Tri-Cities Latino Community Network (TCLCN), was named yesterday bronze winner in the Social Video Series: Culture & Lifestyle category of the 40th Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, production companies and including Vice, Vimeo, Hearst Digital Media, BuzzFeed and A&E Networks.
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The TCLCN is a partnership of Mid-Columbia Libraries and the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce whose mission is to leverage the expertise of its members and local leaders to activate positive influence in the community. The video series, produced by Mid-Columbia Libraries’ Communications Department together with videographer Ryan Scott of Firefly Solutions, showcases the leadership, talents, generosity, and resilience of four inspirational Latinos who are making the Tri-Cities community a better place.

“Mid-Columbia Libraries is pushing the boundaries for video and television innovation and creativity at a time when the industry is rapidly changing,” said Sabrina Dridje, Managing Director of the Telly Awards. “This award is a tribute to the talent and vision of its creators and a celebration of the diversity of work being made today for all screens.”

“Mid-Columbia Libraries is humbled to receive a Telly Award for our ‘Inspiring Latinos / Latinos Inspiradores’ videos. We value our relationship with the Latino community and understand that their story is our story, which is why we will continue to invest in books, programming, and bilingual staff to meet the needs of the community,” says Kyle Cox, executive director and chief librarian for Mid-Columbia Libraries.

Yesterday’s winner’s announcement caps a year-long celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Telly Awards. Throughout 2018-2019, The Telly Awards celebrated four decades of honoring the video and television industry, whether through its inaugural international screening series or its online video interviews with industry experts. This year also saw the continued expansion of new categories further to the awards’ recent initiative to rebuild the honors for the multi-screen era. New categories included serialized Branded Content and expanded Social Video categories. Last year, The Telly Awards attracted more than 12,000 entries from top video content producers including Condé Nast, Netflix, Refinery29, RadicalMedia, T Brand Studio and Ogilvy & Mather. The full list of the 40th Annual Telly Awards winners can be found at www.tellyawards.com/winners.

The City of Kennewick and Numerica Credit Union are entering into an eight-year agreement worth $680,000 that will change the name of the Southridge Sports and Events Complex Pavilion building to the Numerica Pavilion. The agreement was approved by the City Council at yesterday’s meeting.

Carla Cicero, Numerica’s president and CEO said, “This partnership between the City of Kennewick and Numerica exemplifies our commitment to helping communities live well by coming together and celebrating the events and people that make this an amazing place to live.”

Corporate partnerships help community assets to grow and thrive, said Kennewick Parks and Recreation Director Emily Estes-Cross. This partnership will allow the City to promote upcoming special events and programs on new signage at its Highway 395 location, making it easier for patrons to find the Pavilion, which currently has no identifiable building signage.

Cicero explained that in their continued efforts to enhance lives and foster well-being in the community, Numerica will also be able to provide engagement opportunities for local non-profits and members.

“It is important to us that we give to causes, charities and community partners who share our passion to foster well-being in the lives of our members, our neighbors, and our visitors,” Cicero said. “By supporting Kennewick Parks and Recreation and the Southridge Sports and Events Complex, we’re also supporting family entertainment, community events, economic growth, and the creation of enjoyable memories that last a lifetime.”
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Estes-Cross said the sponsorship will help the Southridge Sports & Events Complex continue to be one of the Tri-Cities’ greatest assets – a place for families to enjoy for generations to come and a regional tourism driver. “Sponsorship dollars are reinvested in the Complex to maintain facilities that attract a wide audience of users, and provide better communication of our events and programs to ensure that everyone in our community can take part.”

Trios Health recently announced that Christy Kuhn has been recognized as the hospital’s 2019 Mercy Award winner. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of LifePoint Health’s hospitals who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded. 
 
The Mercy Award is an annual recognition program established in 2001 to honor the life and contributions of Scott Mercy, LifePoint’s founding chairman and chief executive officer. The award is the highest honor a LifePoint employee can receive. 
 
“At Trios Health, we share LifePoint’s commitment to Making Communities Healthier, and we recognize this is supported by the good work and service of our employees on and off the job,” said John Solheim, CEO of Trios Health. “We are extremely proud to recognize Christy for her efforts on behalf of our patients and our community. She goes above and beyond each and every day to ensure that every person she encounters receives the highest level of care and compassion.”
 
Christy is the Director of Diabetes and Nutrition Education, Nutrition Services, and Environmental Services at Trios Health. She received nominations for the Mercy Award from current and former co-workers, as well as a community member. In 2012, Christy and the Diabetes Education team spearheaded the effort to provide a camp for children diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Camp Trios is a one-of-a-kind day camp that has grown from approximately 20 campers to 50 since its inception. Christy helps to organize diabetes education into activities that are fun and engaging for the campers, help them to create lasting friendships and teach them to manage their diabetes.

In addition to her work with Camp Trios, Christy’s nominators also wrote of her willingness to volunteer, her cheerful attitude and her dedication to providing the highest quality care and excellent services to patients, visitors and staff, writing that she “is a tireless patient and staff advocate.”

Christy has worked at Trios Health for 22 years.
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Each hospital winner, including Christy, will be considered for LifePoint’s 2019 companywide Mercy Award. The companywide winner will be announced this summer and honored during a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., in August, to which Christy and all hospital winners are invited to attend.

The Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership (HDKP), held the 20th Annual Classy Chassy Show and Shine over the second weekend of May. The popular event included a record 218 registered vehicles with 28 classes including cars, trucks, motorcycles off-road, imports, and more.  Classy Chassy is a well-known downtown Kennewick staple, with music, vendors, non-profit organizations, local business participation, and fun for the entire family. Hundreds of people fill the closed downtown streets to enjoy the warm early summer weather, check out classic vehicles, and visit popular local businesses. Merchants reported the show as one of the most successful sales days for the downtown. 
  
HDKP  was pleased to honor Bruce MacKissock with the first-ever “Participants Choice Award” for his 1933 Ford Factory Five, and “Best in Show” to Adam Watters for his classic 1960 Ford Thunderbird.

“We could not ask for better early summer weather,” said Jess Stangeland,  HDKP Executive Director, “and people responded with a record turn out. We appreciate the passion of vehicle owners, our community and the volunteers who all help make this an exceptional annual event.”

HDKP is excited for the 21st Annual Classy Chassy Show and Shine to be held Friday and Saturday, May 8-9, 2020. For more information follow the event calendar at historickennewick.org. 

Benton PUD’s electric revenue bond rating was upgraded by Fitch Ratings.   The rating agency assigned an ‘AA-’ rating with a stable outlook.  This was an upgrade from Fitch’s previous rating of ‘A+’.  Benton PUD also maintains its Aa3 rating with Moody’s Investor Services, and A+ rating from S&P Global Ratings.  

“Benton PUD now has the highest bond ratings in its history,” said Jon Meyer, Director of Finance & Business Services.  “The higher bond rating enables Benton PUD to issues bonds for a lower interest rate, thereby, lowering our borrowing costs. While we currently have no immediate plans to issue new bonds, the higher rating demonstrates that Benton PUD is better positioned to navigate through volatile or adverse conditions.”

Fitch Ratings attributed the upgrade to Benton PUD’s strong financial profile, low operating and maintenance costs and ample rate flexibility.  

“Strong financial policies have resulted in building a financially sound utility while keeping our average monthly bills lower than average as compared to other utilities in the region,” said Jeff Hall, Benton PUD Commissioner. “Our bond ratings validate our goal of preserving public trust through stewardship of our assets.” 

The Fitch Ratings report on Benton PUD can be viewed at bentonpud.org.

We are pleased to announce our splash pads at Columbia Park, Highlands Grange Park, Underwood Park and the Southridge Sports and Events Complex will open the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Splash pad opening date at the Southridge Sports and Events Complex may be delayed due to construction of shade structures. Please check the Kennewick Parks and Recreation Facebook for the latest update. Splash pads are open 7 days a week 10:00am – 7:00pm and are free for public use.

During Sunset at Southridge food truck event nights, splash pad hours at the Southridge Sports and Events Complex will be extended until 8:00pm. Attend Sunset at Southridge on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Fridays, June – August.

For more information, please contact Brandon Lange at (509) 585-4279 or [email protected].