Ground has been broken on a new Tri-City Title and Escrow office in the Grandridge Business Park in Kennewick.

After learning their current office at 8131 W. Grandridge Blvd. had sold, owners Linda Denchel and Chris Willson decided to build their own office to better suit their workflow and customers’ needs.

“We’re really excited and anticipating the completion,” Willson said.

They hope to be in the new building by Aug. 1.

Title and Escrow’s current space totals about 4,000 to 4,500 square feet, but is spread out and shares a common lobby with other businesses.

The new office will provide 5,500 square feet of space, as well as an additional 2,000-square-foot suite, which will be available for lease. It’s just down the street from their current location.

“We look forward to having a comfortable, warm environment to welcome (customers),” Willson said.

The $1.3 million project is being built by Booth & Sons Construction of Richland. Archibald and Co. of Richland designed the building.

Community First Bank bought the building that Title and Escrow presently occupies. The locally-owned bank plans to move its administration team as well as its sister company, HFG Trust, there.

Community First Bank paid $2.8 million for the building, previously owned by a group of individual investors, and expects to make up to $500,000 in renovations.

Denchel and Willson said their business’ focus on customer service sets them apart from their competition and enabled them to thrive since the company began in 2001.

“Our goal is to offer them exceptional customer service where everyone has a good experience with no surprises. And we can offer that because of our staff,” Willson said.

“We have a lot of knowledgeable, experienced employees—the best of the best,” Denchel said.

Denchel has been in the business since 1991 and retains her limited practice officer, or LPO, license, while Willson was a real estate agent for 21 years before joining Tri-City Title and Escrow with her husband in 2014.

The company’s title and escrow department managers are both LPOs and boast 25 and 28 years of experience in the industry, respectively.

Four out of five of their closers are also LPOs, which, as the owners explained, are held to a high standard. LPO licensure enables them to practice law within the scope of escrow.

Willson said about 40 percent of applicants pass the qualifying exam to earn LPO status. Both owners said it is a testament to the joint expertise of their team that so many of their officers have accomplished this feat.

Tri-City Title and Escrow provides regular training for area realtors, loan officers and other related professionals to explain what title and escrow is all about.

“We are a neutral third party to transactions and follow the direction of purchasing and sale agreements,” Willson said.

“Real estate agents write up the purchase and sale agreements, bring them to us and we order a title. We clear all liens and handle fund distribution. Lenders send us all their documents and any questions to make sure the house closes on time,” Denchel said.

“We’ve also been told we’re more flexible in accommodating realtors’ clients,” Willson said. After-hours signing isn’t uncommon at Title and Escrow, because the staff strives to make the process convenient for buyers, real estate agents and loan officers.

“Our business is dictated by lenders and agents,who like to work with a select group they know they can trust,” Denchel said.

Jamie Nettles, a loan officer at Desert Canyon Mortgage, said she received her first introduction to Tri-City Title and Escrow when she took one of Chris Willson’s orientation classes about title and escrow.

She said she identified value in how Title and Escrow communicates with the realtors they work with.

“Every time I’ve had closings there, they’ve gone really well,” she said.

“I really enjoy working with them, especially because they’re a local company,” she continued. “It’s more of a relationship with them; it doesn’t feel like just another place to do business. I really like the way they communicate — it’s more like a friendship, it’s not just going through another step in the process.”

Willson also explained how Tri-City Title and Escrow has in place an electronic filing system, so that a customer’s file can be accessed by any of their escrow officers and LPOs. Not only is it environmentally-friendly by being paperless, but it also ensures continuity for customers.

“If one of our closers is gone for any reason, their file is given to another closer so it can continue,” Willson said. The system helps make sure closing deadlines are met and customers aren’t left hanging.

Though construction of the new office currently occupies their horizon,

Willson said the new building has been designed to accommodate further growth and expansion down the road. Denchel said it’s always good to anticipate growth.

“We won’t take on more business than we can handle; we would rather stay small in order to take care of our clients well,” Willson said.

Tri-City Title and Escrow’s new address will be at 8109 W. Grandridge Blvd. in Kennewick. For more information visit tctitleco.com; 509-734-9231; Facebook.