French-fry plant, Costco, Chick-fil-A? Here’s Tri-Cities’ most-read business story of ‘24
Lamb Weston Holdings Inc.’s unexpected decision to close its french fry plant in Connell in October was the Tri-City Herald’s most-read business story of 2024, beating out stories about billion dollar developments, a 2nd Costco and the first Chick-fil-A.
Three of the year’s Top 10 concerned Lamb Weston and the fallout in Connell, a tiny Franklin County city of about 5,500.
10 most-read business stories
1. French-fry giant closing Eastern WA plant, laying off almost 400 Mid Columbia workers.
Lamb Weston, based in Eagle, Idaho, shocked the Mid-Columbia when it abruptly shut down its plant in Connell, one of many facilities that collectively employ about 3,000 in the region. The move cost 375 workers their jobs.
Lamb Weston disclosed the news to employees and officials on Oct. 1, the morning after it stopped processing potatoes.
2. ‘Gone for good.’ U.S. workers flee farms, leaving WA growers struggling under old rules
This April report detailed efforts by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, to advance the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to provide relief to farm worker shortages that threaten the state’s critical agriculture industry.
3. Costco files to build new $24.6 million Tri-Cities store. But there’s a big catch
Costco took a big step toward building its much-vaunted 2nd Tri-Cities store when it filed for building permits for a site in Richland’s Queensgate.
The catch: It hadn’t finalized a land lease with the state Department of Natural Resources, which owns the property. That happened in November and Costco immediately began moving dirt on the 30-acre property. The store should open by late 2025 or early 2026.
4. Proposed $5 billion data center would be transformative for this Eastern WA county
A U.S. tech giant operating behind the name “Advance Phase LLC” cut a deal to buy 500 acres at Wallula Gap Business Park from the Port of Walla Walla. The unnamed company intends to construct a cluster of 16 data center at a cost of $4.8 billion. The site is 10 miles east of Pasco.
5. ‘We’ll take anything.’ Tiny Eastern WA city is scrambling after french fry factory closes
In this followup to Lamb Weston’s decision to close a plant in Connell, the city of 5,500 was reeling from the loss of a major employer and corporate citizen. The Connell plant was one of 17 facilities where it makes frozen french fries for McDonald’s and other customers. City leaders expressed hope a new company would step in.
6. French fry giant deals Eastern WA town another blow. Will demolish closed plant.
Lamb Weston applied for permits to demolish the plant it closed in Connell. The move was expected, but it was still disappointing to officials who hoped another company would use the idled plant.
7. ‘Heart-braking decision.’ After 100 years, Farmers Exchange is closing in Kennewick
The fourth-generation owners of Kennewick’s iconic farm and garden store closed in July. Chris Ingersoll said the business “faced increasingly difficult economic conditions.”
8. U.S. tech giant shielded by alias makes deal for $5B data center in Eastern WA
In a followup to the $5 billion data center news, the Port of Walla Walla signed off on a 500-acre land sale to “Advance Phase LLC” without requiring it to publicly identify itself. Port officials described it as one of the 20 largest companies by revenue on the Fortune 500 list.
9. Nationwide retailer is closing 16 stores in WA state. One of them is in Tri-Cities.
This story brief was about the end of Big Lots, the financially distressed discount retailer with several stores in the Tri-Cities. The story took several turns after this August account looking at Washington impacts.
The company reversed some decisions. The latest: All Big Lots locations are closing.
10. 3rd-generation Eastern WA ranch sells for $18M. What’s next for T Lake Ranch
T Lake Ranch, a 13,000-acre property held by the same family for three generations, sold to a group of friends in one of the larger real estate deals in Franklin County. The Spokane owners aim to use it as a hunting and fishing retreat while continuing to lease a cattle feedlot and rangeland for grazing.
Honorable mention
Chick-fil-A coming to Tri-Cities
Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based chicken chain with a big following, confirmed plans to open its first restaurant in the Tri-Cities in March. It broke ground at 7009 W. Canal Drive, Kennewick, in November.
Vista Field takes off, for real
Vista Field, the former municipal airport in the heart of Kennewick, began its long-planned conversion into a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood when Isabelle Yuri Na broke ground on Kuki Izakaya Japanese Restaurant, the first private investment. The Port of Kennewick has worked to attract investment since closing the airport in 2013.
Colville casino sparks pushback
Plans to construct the Tri-Cities first tribal casino sparked fierce protests during a hearing held in April by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. BIA is considering a request by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to build an off-reservation casino near King City Truck Stop in Pasco. The Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation oppose the plan, saying it will harm casinos in Toppenish and near Pendleton, Ore.
Amazon delivers on Pasco promise
Amazon Inc. finally opened one of the two massive warehouses it constructed in east Pasco. The warehouse at 1351 S. Road 40 East opened as a package receiving center where incoming merchandise enters the Amazon system and is sorted and sent to fulfillment centers. The company has hired about 2,000 people since June. It offered a sneak peek inside the bustling facility in July.
Darigold rises in Pasco
Darigold Inc. continues to make significant progress on its $600+ million state-of-the-art processing plant in north Pasco. The plant will begin processing 8 million pounds of milk per day by mid-2025 and will employ several hundred.