Meet buyers from general contracting companies

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce invites businesspeople to meet representatives from local general contracting companies, including Bouten Construction and Fowler General Construction, at a free workshop on Dec. 19. 

Local general contractors buy millions of dollars’ worth of products and services from area businesses each year. Attendees will learn how to sell to local general contractors and be better prepared to participate in the construction marketplace. 

The Meet the Buyer – Doing Business with General Contractors event will be in the Bechtel Board Room inside the Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center at 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd. in Kennewick. The workshop is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon.  

The workshop is free to attend, but attendees are required to RSVP online at washingtonapex.ecenterdirect.com/events, as space is limited. 

For questions, please contact Maria Alleman, Washington APEX accelerator counselor, at 509-491-3231 or maria.alleman@tricityregionalchamber.com. 

The Meet the Buyer program is sponsored by Washington River Protection Solutions and presented by Washington APEX Accelerator and the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

APEX Accelerator, formerly Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), advises businesses on how to win government contracts and subcontracts. 

Apprenticeship readiness program is focus of new nonprofit 

 A new Tri-Cities-based nonprofit is working to create an accredited pre-apprenticeship training program to help low-income and historically underserved populations, including women and minorities, find success in building trades.  

The Central Washington Building Pathways nonprofit “aims to build a new and diverse talent pipeline by ensuring individuals are prepared and successful in formal apprenticeships to replace an aging construction workforce and meet the region’s labor demands,” a news release said. 

Founding directors of the board include: Nickolas Bumpaous, president of the Central Washington Building Trades Council; Karl Dye, president and CEO of TRIDEC; John Eschenberg, senior vice president for Amentum and president of Central Plateau Cleanup Company; Greg Gales, treasurer of the Central Washington Building Trades Council; Kolby Hanson, business manager at SMART Local 55; Rick Holmes, vit plant site director and general manager at the Waste Treatment Completion Company, a subcontractor to Bechtel; Diahann Howard, executive director of Port of Benton and acting director of VERTical; William Hughes, business representative at UA Local 598; and Travis Swayze, business manager at IBEW 112. 

The board’s first meeting was Nov. 13. 

City receives $75,000 to increase ‘middle housing’ 

The state Department of Commerce is awarding $3 million to 54 cities in Washington— including Kennewick — to increase “middle housing.” Kennewick is receiving $75,000. 

The money will help support the adoption of policies and zoning codes that make way for middle housing, which includes duplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, courtyard apartments, cottage housing and more.  

All communities planning under Washington state’s Growth Management Act are required to adopt policies for these types of moderate-density housing. 

Construction underway on I-182 interchange  

Construction on a traffic circle at the Broadmoor Boulevard and Interstate 182 interchange in Pasco is underway, and drivers can expect intermittent delays throughout the yearlong project.  

The project is part of the city’s nearly $40 million investment in the Broadmoor area. 

Future projects include intersection enhancements at Burns and Broadmoor, widening of Broadmoor, extension of Sandifur Parkway to the west, and upgrades to the westbound off-ramp. Improved pedestrian and cyclist safety amenities are also included. 

Go to: broadmoorinterchange.com/project-updates.html.