Thanks to funding from the WA State Microenterprise Association, the Tri-Cities Diversity & Inclusion Council is offering a no-cost DEI 101 webinar to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and microenterprises who want to jump start their team's diversity, equity and inclusion work. Gemini Corps is proud to collaborate with TCD&IC on this exciting opportunity hosted on June 28th, 2021 at Noon PST or June 29th, 2021 at 6pm PST. Registration is now open:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vcO2grjMpE93ke95yFl7yLc9WlriBcQSD.

Gemini Corps, LLC in partnership with Tri-Cities Diversity & Inclusion Council provide DEI consulting and training. To learn more about their unique approach visit: https://www.geminicorps.com/news/announcement-collaboration-with-the-tri-cities-diversity-amp-inclusion-council For further details, visit www.geminicorps.com/dei-collaboration or call 541.595.8818.

J-U-B ENGINEERS, Inc. is pleased to announce the relocation of our Kennewick, WA office. Beginning June 21, 2021 we will be operating from a beautiful new building located at 3611 S. Zintel Way, Kennewick, WA 99337. Our telephone number, (509) 783-2144, will remain the same.

The move stems from J-U-B’s growth in the Tri-Cities area and will enable J-U-B to provide new, high quality meeting space for clients and staff to enjoy. Since 1977, J-U-B’s Kennewick office team has been a shining example of our purpose, “helping each other create better communities.” We are excited to continue to build on the legacy we’ve created in the Tri-Cities area.

“We are thrilled for this move to a new building that provides a clean and comfortable work environment and several common areas for collaboration. We feel truly blessed that J-U-B has made this significant investment in our employees and in our community. We will host an open house later this summer where we will invite our friends, families, and clients to come visit our new space!” -Alex Fazzari, PE, Kennewick Area Manager

Trios Health is pleased to announce that Crystal Sullivan, a Medical Assistant at the Trios Spine & Interventional Clinic, has been recognized as the hospital’s 2021 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 2002 to honor the life and contributions of Scott Mercy, LifePoint’s founding chairman and chief executive officer. The award is considered 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 Crystal 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.”

Crystal and her family strive to be involved in the community and have started a non-profit organization, Grateful Soles, to be able to give socks and shoes to children who need them through local schools. They have for several years, out of their own pockets, bought coats, clothes, food, and Christmas presents for families in need. She and her husband recently adopted a baby girl from a family member who was unable to care for the child.

Crystal’s daughters participate in pageants, and Crystal makes sure it is not about dressing up and looking good, but about giving back to the community. She is also very active in her church and is working toward becoming a co-pastor alongside her husband, who is the pastor.

“Crystal is well-loved at Trios and in our community. She treats every patient as if they are family, and makes them feel like the most important patient in her day. She also shares her desire to help others out in the community and regularly recruits her co-workers to participate in her non-profit fundraisers as well,” Solheim said. “She inspires everyone she meets, and encourages those around her to work harder and go above and beyond in their work and in their community."
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Each hospital winner, including Crystal, will be considered for LifePoint’s 2021 companywide Mercy Award. The companywide winner will be announced this summer and honored during a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., in August, to which Crystal and all hospital winners are invited to attend.

Trios Health is pleased to announce that $10 sports physicals will be offered from June 11-Aug. 13 at the Trios Urgent Care, located at 7201 W. Grandridge Blvd. in Kennewick. 

All of the proceeds from the sports physicals will be donated back to students’ respective school sports programs.

“It is very important to us at Trios to conduct these sports physicals for our community and to be able to give back to our local schools through this program,” said Lorie Orozco, Trios Medical Group Director. “We are excited to be able to offer these physicals every day and increase affordability and access for our community to this service.”

Patients are able to schedule by phone at 509.221.6900 or online at trioshealth.org/Online-Scheduling. Patients can also walk-in between 8 a.m.-7:45 p.m. 

The physicals, for all middle and high school students, will be completed by Trios medical providers, and students may bring their completed physical form to the appointment or access a generic sports physical form online at trioshealth.org/Sports-Physicals or at the Urgent Care.

Gesa Credit Union today announced the launch of its Local Heroes Grant Program, with more than $100,000 available in grants for organizations that support local heroes including firefighters, law enforcement, teachers and veterans in the state of Washington. Starting today, organizations that support these local heroes can apply for up to $5,000 in grants to support their needs.

To kick-off the grant program, Gesa has given five $1,000 spark donations over the past week to five organizations that support local hero populations in Washington state. The recipients of a spark donation include: The Foundation for Edmonds School District, the Walla Walla Fire Department, the Volunteers of America Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, the Pasco Police Department Foundation, and the Wellness House in Yakima.

“Gesa recognizes local heroes who serve our communities across Washington state and we are always looking for new ways to honor the hard work they’ve done for us all,” said Don Miller, President and CEO of Gesa Credit Union. “The new Gesa Grant Program gives us a chance to expand on the number of local organizations we can support, so that these organizations have more resources that will best serve our local heroes.”

To qualify for a grant under the new program, applicants must provide proof the grant money requested will directly support one of Gesa’s outlined Local Heroes populations in a Gesa community. A Gesa community is defined as a community where Gesa has a physical location. For more information on grant eligibility and to apply, visit https://www.gesa.com/community/local-heroes. 

The summer travel season has begun. As more people resume traveling, The Tri-Cities Airport asks passengers to keep in mind the following:
 
Face coverings are required. Even if vaccinated, all visitors aged two and older are required to wear a mask or face covering while at the airport or on the plane.  
 
Health and safety measures are in place. In addition to a mask requirement, the Tri-Cities Airport has installed several features to minimize person-to-person contact, including social distance markers, plexiglass windows, and restricted seating.
 
COVID-19 precautions may vary. All airlines have COVID-19 policies in place, and your destination may have additional requirements regarding masks, testing, and vaccinations. For the latest on traveling requirements, visit the CDC website.
 
Go somewhere new. The Tri-Cities Airport has increased its nonstop offerings, including new service to San Diego and Hollywood-Burbank. See all of the destinations you can fly to at www.flytricities.com/fly/nonstop. 
 
Arrive early. The airport anticipates a busy summer, which may mean lines at the security checkpoint or airline ticket counters. Please arrive at least 1.5 hours before your scheduled departure to ensure a smooth journey.
 
Dining options are available. The airport’s concessionaires are providing seated dining as well as grab-and-go food options, and the airport store offers a variety of snacks, bottled drinks, and other items. Or take advantage of our new delivery service, which allows you to order food from your smart device and have it brought to you at the gate!
 
Think 3-1-1. When going through the security checkpoint, come prepared to follow the 3-1-1 rule for your liquids and gels: 3 ounces of liquid in a 1 quart bag, 1 bag per person. Higher quantities of breast milk, medicines, and hand sanitizer are permitted but may require further inspection. 
 
Greet passengers on the curb. When picking up someone from the airport, please use the cell phone lot and have the passenger call you when they arrive and have their bags. You can then pick them up on the curb. If you
need to come into the airport, we ask that only one person comes in to meet the passenger and to comply with health and safety requirements.
 
Plan ahead. The airport has created a fun and informative video that details the new travel procedures in place. Prepare for your trip by watching the video here.
 
For additional details on how the Tri-Cities Airport is responding to COVID-19, please visit our website.  

The Kadlec Tri-Cities Cancer Center is excited to announce that on Friday, June 25th from 3 to 4PM, in honor of National Cancer Survivor Month, we will be hosting a virtual cancer survivorship session with Robb D. Dye, a licensed clinical social worker at the Portneuf Cancer Center in Pocatello, Idaho.

Many cancer survivors across the world have a fear that their cancer will return. The fear of recurrence is normal and something that can be managed with the help of a professional.

During the session, participants will meet four cancer survivors with unique experiences and observe Mr. Dye as he uses psychotherapeutic counseling to address concerns from the survivors. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions with Mr. Dye following the presentation.

Registration is required. The event is free to anyone in our community and registrants will receive a link to join the event virtually via email. If you have any questions, please call (509) 737-3483. To register, please visit https://tinyurl.com/survivorsevent.

When: Friday, June 25th from 3 to 4PM
Where: Comfort of your own home over Zoom
Cost: Free for anyone in our community
Register: Visit https://tinyurl.com/survivorsevent

Lourdes Health and Trios Health are excited to announce the launch of HealthyHub™ Find a Doctor, a new provider referral service (PRL).

This new tool will make it easier for patients to find the health care services they need within our community. 
 
“This program will provide our community with a better opportunity to seek and receive the health care they need and are looking for in a convenient and efficient manner,” said John Solheim, Trios Health Chief Executive Officer. “By calling the PRL, callers will be able to work directly with a representative who can help them request a provider based on their preferences, including location, specialty, insurance, or gender.”
 
The PRL service will include both hospital services and services of participating health care providers on the Lourdes Health and Trios Health medical staffs. When calling the PRL, patients will be greeted by a representative who will transfer them directly to the physician’s office to make an appointment. Following the call, patients will receive follow-up communication via text message and email.
 
“We are excited to launch this new service and enhance the ability for our community to engage with our health systems and providers,” said Joanie White-Wagoner, Lourdes Health Chief Executive Officer. “Our hope is that this program will allow our community to better seek and receive the health care they need, while staying close to home.”

Callers can reach the Lourdes Health PRL at 509.699.7193 and the Trios Health PRL at 509.794.2117. 

Companies are prioritizing the health & safety of their employees by choosing Lucas OPT as their training partner.  Since September, the OPT has been safely training clientele, on a contract basis, in our Richland Headquarters on CPR, Fire Safety and our ADDIE model training course called Train the Trainer. "We had to change the way we teach due to the new controls with COVID, but we adapted and re-opened our facility because employee development is important. Helping people learn new skills and techniques in safety is our priority," states Joe Estey, Jr., Performance Improvement Specialist.  Lucas is excited to formally announce a return to open enrollment for three of our most sought after HPI courses: HPI Tools & Techniques Workshop, HPI Leadership Fundamentals and Incident Evaluation & Causal Analysis Fundamentals.  The courses are scheduled for July and August 2021. Spaces are filling fast due to continued Washington State COVID Protocols. 

"The return to an open enrollment, in person training, environment is exciting!” says Chris Lucas, VP & COO at Lucas.  “The safety measures we put in place late last year for our contract clients have worked.  Being a part of this business sector, is a responsibility we take seriously. The OPT teaches techniques to reduce error, I was impressed by the adaptation of our internal processes to promote the safety of our students, trainers and staff.”
  
In-person, open enrollment does not mean Lucas will stop innovating training techniques.  There are some new realities in business operations; one of these is a continued prioritization of virtual environments.  Lucas, in an effort to reach all our clientele’s training needs, is developing a system of hybrid learning environments.  These environments aim to further incorporate virtual attendees into the classroom.  “We’ve invested in new technology, developed video & digital content and offered high quality training this past year.  Why would we slow our momentum just as the business community reaches the uphill slope of another operational change?”, continues Lucas. The introduction of the Matterport technology and the licensing of ON24 software is just the beginning. Virtual worksite modeling and OnDemand training are exciting developments.   

Safety professionals, business owners and individuals looking to further their knowledge & career, are encouraged to visit www.lucasopt.com/open-enrollment for more information and to register for these courses. 

The Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business is accepting applications for its 14th annual Young Professionals contest.

The annual program honors local professionals 40 and under for their professional and civic accomplishments. It has honored 112 exceptional young Tri-Citians in a diverse array of occupations since the program debuted in 2008.

The nomination deadline is July 2. Candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by their employers, friends or family.

Judges will evaluate candidates based on their career accomplishments and for their work to make the community better. The winners will be featured in our annual Young Professionals publication, which will be inserted into the August edition of the Journal of Business.

Go to tcjournal.biz/yp for nomination forms. Whether you’re nominating yourself or someone else, please be thorough since the application will form the basis for scrutinizing the nominees.

Our 2020 honorees were Cinthia Alvarez Lucatero (Columbia Basin College), Brian Campbell (Campbell & Co.), Elizabeth McLaughlin (Tri-Cities Cancer Center Foundation), Neilan McPartland (Numerica Credit Union), Francisco Mendoza (Meier Architecture Engineering), Shelby Moore (Heartlinks Hospice & Palliative Care), Flavien Sawadogo (MMEC Architecture
& Interiors), Dr. Jessica Schneider (Empowered health Institute), Tracy Spooner (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) and Justin Toner (Basin Pacific Insurance and Benefits).