A new program adopted by the Washington State Legislature in the Spring of 2022 has found success in Richland’s Horn Rapids Industrial Area when ATI Inc.’s application for Targeted Urban Area (TUA) tax exemption was approved by City Council last night.
The TUA is a tax exemption program that encourages manufacturers to build or expand to urban areas in Washington State. To qualify, the project must have a valuation of $800,000 or more and create 25 or more jobs that pay above the state-designated living wage. Richland’s Targeted Urban Area, which includes all areas of the Horn Rapids Industrial Park and the surrounding Richland Airport, was identified and adopted by Council in January 2023. The exemption includes the City’s portion of property tax on improvements for up to ten years. The company still pays the property tax on the land and existing improvements. Karl Dye, President and CEO of the Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) is excited to have this state program and to see it succeed in Richland, “This not only helps the City, but it helps our entire region be competitive on a national scale with the recruitment of manufacturing jobs,” states Karl. ATI, a Dallas, Texas-based specialty materials company that supports the aerospace and defense industries already has a facility in the Horn Rapids Area at 3101 Kingsgate Way. Seeking to expand its manufacturing operations, ATI was considering other states for expansion. With the new incentive program and committed leadership, ATI is now planning to double its Richland Operations, investing in state-of-the-art assets to produce aerospace and defense-grade titanium. “Twenty-five years after the Richland facility was first commissioned, it’s exciting to expand our presence there,” said Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer Bob Wetherbee. “We appreciate the region’s strong support and are honored to be the City of Richland’s first recipient of the Manufacturing Property Tax Exemption.” The City of Richland is proud to collaborate with ATI on this valuable program and is eager to proceed with future opportunities.
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The City of Richland invites all citizens to attend the annual National Night Out and City Fair event on Tuesday, August 1, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event is in Howard Amon Park, 500 Amon Park Drive, near the Fingernail Stage.
National Night Out is a national community-building campaign to bring neighbors and law enforcement together to focus on community safety and strengthen relationships between the public and emergency services. In addition to public safety personnel, citizens will also have the opportunity to visit with other city department representatives and learn more about all City services and resources. Attendees will enjoy fun activities, learn more about City services, and participate in department demonstrations. The opening ceremony will begin at 5:00 p.m. on the Fingernail Stage. After the ceremony, kids twelve and under are encouraged to complete a City Pass to be eligible for prizes. Entertainment will be provided by the Knutzen Brothers. Richland Fire & Emergency Services will present HeartSafe Richland / Hands-Only CPR Training where kids and adults can easily learn this life-saving skill. The free demonstration will take place at the Fingernail Stage at 6:00 p.m. Lee Boulevard at Amon Park Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic. Parking is available near the Richland Community Center, along the park, and in the parking lot of City Hall, 625 Swift Boulevard. Foot and bicycle transportation is encouraged. Food vendors and park concessionaires will have items available for purchase. For more information visit www.ci.richland.wa.us/nno or follow the City of Richland on Facebook. During its regular Commission meeting, Port of Kennewick Chief Executive Officer, Tim Arntzen announced promotion of Chief Financial Officer, Nick Kooiker to Deputy CEO. The announcement is part of the succession planning Arntzen has been working on for several years, with a goal of ensuring long term success with staff transitions. Stated Arntzen, “I’ve been working to ensure that we have people identified and in place well in advance of, and to help mitigate for, any transitions in employment.” Continued Arntzen, “This decision has the full support of the entire team, and because we have several people who are nearing retirement, including Deputy CEO, Tana Bader Inglima who has expressed her desire to retire in a few years, we want to ensure we have a solid plan in place as we consider future staffing needs.” Kooiker will remain the port’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and, in his new role, will expand involvement with its Board of Commissioners including helping staff board meetings, setting agendas, and increased meetings with individual Commissioners and organizational partners as appropriate. Kooiker joined the Port of Kennewick as assistant auditor/accountant in 2013 after working for Benton County as a revenue systems accountant. Following the retirement of its then CFO in 2016, Kooiker was promoted to Chief Financial Officer for the Port. Kooiker earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 2021 from Eastern Washington University; and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from that same university. Kooiker is a licensed Real Estate Broker having held that certification for 16 years; with Arntzen acknowledging such specialized knowledge and experience is extremely useful as the port works to sell, lease, or develop property on behalf of its taxpayers. Arntzen recognized that Kooiker had taken on ever-increasing responsibilities including oversight of important capital projects, saying the promotion will allow Kooiker to cultivate additional skills with an eye toward future port leadership. Arntzen stated, “Yes, with this promotion, the port now has two Deputy CEOs. However, I feel that is going to give us the depth of bench necessary to meet future demands, and to respond quickly to any transition in employment whether that be from a staff person leaving the company, internal adjustments, death, or retirement.” 3 Rivers Community Foundation (3RCF) focuses its effort each year on an annual grant cycle, offering a funding opportunity to 501c3 nonprofit organizations across Benton and Franklin Counties. The application and additional information, including exclusions, is available at www.3rcf.org under “Nonprofits” beginning July 31, 2023. The application deadline is Friday, September 15th at 5:00 PM.
“Our nonprofit community is feeling the impacts of inflation, in many different ways,” says Abbey Cameron, CEO of 3RCF. “Some organizations are seeing a spike in demand for their services or are having to adapt their programs to reflect increased prices, all of which adds to the stress of staying in operation. 3RCF purposefully offers a broad call for applications to try to put dollars where they are needed.” The funding for this grant program comes from a percentage of 3RCF’s $8M endowment in addition to direct donations. Donors may direct their dollars to be unrestricted which means they will go to the areas of greatest need, or to specific causes they are passionate about, such as food security, housing, or healthcare. The 3RCF Board reviews, evaluates, and interviews applicants to make sure dollars will be effectively used to support our community. In 2023, just over $270,000 was distributed to 59 Benton and Franklin County non-profit organizations. This year two ZOOM call tutorials will be offered. The first call on July 26 (9:00 AM) will focus on how to complete the online grant form. The second on August 2 (9:00 AM) will answer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) applicants have about the grant cycle process. Links for joining the call are found on our website at htps://www.3rcf.org/annual-grant-cycle/ Donations to the 3RCF Annual Grant Fund received by the end of September will be included in this grant cycle. To support this fund, visit www.3rcf.org and click “Make a Donation.” Join us in congratulating Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) as a recipient of the WorkSource Columbia Basin’s YesVets Award.
Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) continues to hire and retain veterans and spouses of veterans to their workforce for the Hanford Cleanup efforts. Veterans make up 13.4% of the WRPS workforce, and the organization strives to continue recruiting and retaining former service members with appreciation for the value they provide. WRPS is heavily involved in using WorkSource as a veteran recruitment resource. Additionally, the company has given back to the veteran community by facilitating the Veteran Resume Workshop taught at WorkSource every 2nd Wednesday of the month, from 2:00-4:00 P.M. and provides veteran mock interviews. For more information about how you can let your customers know that you support hiring veterans, please contact us! Jose Sandoval: 509.734.5298 or Jose.Sandoval@esd.wa.gov This year’s Slurry Seal pavement preservation project is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 10, and should take approximately 2 weeks to complete. The project will treat streets primarily in the Hills West and Orchard area neighborhoods.
Slurry Seal is a mixture of fine aggregate and emulsified asphalt that is applied to residential roads. This preventative maintenance extends the life of existing asphalt while sealing it from the harmful effects of water penetration and sun. Slurry Seal is a cost-effective treatment that provides a new wearing surface that lasts five to ten years. The application usually requires a one-day road closure. Residents will be given notices by the contractor, One-Way-Trigger from Sacramento, California, both one week and the day before work will begin on their streets. Additionally, no parking signs will be in place a few days before, warning about parking on the streets. Contact information for One-Way-Trigger is included on the notices. To minimize damage to the slurry seal mix and to avoid tracking oil on cars, bikes, and shoes, residents are encouraged to obey posted construction signs and stay off the street until it fully reopens. For more information, including a detailed map, visit www.ci.richland.wa.us/slurryseal23. Mid-Columbia Children’s Museum (MCCM) is one of the newest members of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce thanks to the support of Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS).
WRPS, who is a Stakeholder chamber member, selected MCCM as its sponsored member for the year. The membership will give the children’s museum’s organizers more opportunities to share their message and further the mission to create an engaging, accessible, sustainable and permanent space for children and families. “Membership in the regional chamber offers so much, from connecting with other community leaders and even seeking grants to make our vision a reality,” said Chelsea Blair, president of the board of the children’s museum. “We are exceptionally grateful to WRPS for opening this door for us.” The effort to establish a children’s museum began in the winter of 2022 when a group of individuals connected on social media over their desire to see more engaging and educational experiences for kids in the Tri-Cities. Organizers are conducting an awareness campaign throughout the Tri-Cities by bringing sample exhibits and activities for kids and information to community events. A list of those confirmed events can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/mccmuseum/events MCCM is a non-profit and organizers are seeking 501(c)3 status. 3 Rivers Community Foundation has signed on as the non-profit’s fiscal sponsor so tax deductible donations can be made for fundraising efforts until 501(c)3 status is granted. More information about MCCM, including a sign-up for email updates and forms for a community survey and volunteer opportunities, can be found at mccmuseum.org. Media requests for information may be sent to info@mccmuseum.org. Gesa, a community-focused credit union, is excited to announce it is celebrating its 70th anniversary on July 9, 2023. The credit union has come a long way since it opened out of a shoebox in Richland in 1953. Today, it has grown to one of the largest credit unions in Washington with more than 285,000 members, and in 2022 alone, gave $3.8 million to community organizations and causes across Washington, as well as reached $1 million in total giveback to local schools over seven decades.
“I think back to our founders who had the vision to start Gesa and to all our leaders and team members over the years that weathered headwinds and maintained the course to grow us to where we are as an organization today,” said Don Miller, President and CEO of Gesa Credit Union. “I am beyond proud of the collective work we do in service to our members and the community. We’ll take some time to celebrate our first 70 years, then it’s back to work ensuring the next 70 are even better.” To celebrate the milestone, Gesa is running a 70th Birthday Cash Giveaway promotion, where members can use their Gesa Debit Card to enter to win some of the $25,000 in cash prizes available. Now through August 30, members will earn one entry every time they use their debit card—and double entries with their affinity cards. More information and official promotion rules can be found at www.gesa.com/promotions/70th-birthday/. In 2022, Gesa provided more than $3.8 million in total giveback to communities across Washington. Gesa’s community-focused support has led to the creation of several charitable programs, including its Affinity Debit Card Program, which empowers its members to give back to local heroes, schools, or community organizations. Every time a member swipes their co-branded Affinity Debit Card, Gesa funds grants that support that cause. Through the program, Gesa has raised more than $1 million for local schools, and more than $600,000 for its Local Heroes Grant Program, which provides grants to organizations that support local heroes in Washington, including firefighters, law enforcement, educators, veterans, and healthcare workers. In 2022, the credit union launched the Gesa Community Foundation, which further supports the credit union’s ongoing commitment to local communities and charitable giving. Another key element of Gesa’s community involvement revolves around educational outreach. In addition to providing free financial and educational resources available to members and the general public, and more than $1 million in scholarships, the credit union supports 12 student-operated high school branches across the state through its High School Credit Union Program, which has provided hands-on, real-life financial industry experience for high school students since 2000. Last year, Gesa’s High School Credit Union Program made history as the first Financial Sector Career Launch endorsed program in the State of Washington through Career Connect Washington. Today Gesa has 28 branches across Washington, with its 29th coming later this year to Post Falls, Idaho. This will be the credit union’s first full-service branch outside of Washington state, and it will serve as a hub branch for Gesa’s growing Idaho market. In addition to its full-service branches and student-operated high-school branches, the credit union also operates three loan centers and two full-service student-operated campus branches at Washington State University. |
Have News?Email your press release and a photo to Austin Regimbal, Marketing & Communications Director. Press releases are posted in their entirety. This is a free benefit for members of the Tri-City Regional Chamber. Archives
May 2024
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