Angel to business startups and civic causes is 2026 Tri-Citian of the Year
A successful Tri-Cities tech entrepreneur who has devoted decades to supporting startups and nonprofits is the 2026 Tri-Citian of the Year.
Phil Ohl, who leads the Tri-Cities Angel Alliance, was honored at the annual Tri-Citian of the Year banquet Thursday night at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick.
By tradition, his identity was kept secret until it was announced by the 2025 honoree, retired Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller.
The award is presented annually by local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs to a citizen who best exemplifies the standard “service above self.” Tri-Citian of the Year is the community’s top civic honor.
“Phil’s legacy of community service goes far beyond his professional contributions over 40 years as a Tri-Citian,” wrote Mark Griffin, who submitted the nomination with endorsements by nine previous Tri-Citians of the Year and dozens of business and civic leaders.
One local port executive said Ohl is her first call when a young business needs support.
He was one of 21 nominees for 2026, organizers said.
Hanford engineer
Ohl grew up in Spokane and moved to the Tri-Cities with his wife, Diane, in the 1980s after graduating from Washington State University. He worked at Hanford, first at Westinghouse Hanford Co. and then, Lockheed Martin Hanford Co.
He left to establish Vista Engineering Technologies, which focused on the major subcontractors at the Hanford site as well the Umatilla Chemical Depot.
He sold the company in 2014 to Kurion, a contractor focused on developing nuclear and hazardous waste vitrification technology in Richland with ties to Veolia.
Ohl remained with Kurion as chief operating officer for a time, but began focusing on various civic causes and helping young companies find investors in what he called his early retirement.
The latter began with Ohl and partners conducting regular “Shark Lunches,” where local businesses pitched themselves to investors. The Shark Lunches became the Tri-Cities Angel Alliance in 2023.
It works closely with Fuse SPC, the regional chamber and the Tri-Cities Development Council to help local companies secure investments to commercialize their ideas.
It has hosted 30 meetings with 40 accredited investors, leading to more than $700,000 in investment capital.
Griffin singled out Ohl’s work to support local scouting after the COVID-19 crisis threatened its future.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say there would be no Scouting America Blue Mountain Council in 2026 without the planning, leadership and coordination Phil gave to the council’s stabilization and emergency fundraising efforts in 2025,” Griffin wrote.
Ohl served as founding president of the Washington State STEM Education Foundation and supports STEM education throughout the region.
He is active in the business community as well, serving as chair of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce MyTri2030 Prosperity Council and working with the American Red Cross, local service clubs and the Art Center Task Force.
In the news
Long before he took his place among the community’s business leaders, Ohl was making a mark on the community.
Tri-City Herald archives are peppered with letters to the editor from Ohl.
He praised political candidates, said he supported consolidating the three Tri-Cities and, in one particularly poignant letter, joined his wife in publicly thanking the emergency responders who saved their daughter’s life after a rollover car crash.
He was featured in the news on occasion as well, as when he lobbied Bechtel National to donate $250,000 to construct Delta High School.
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In 2000, he played a supporting role in a story that riveted Tri-Citians and the nation. Pete Rieke, a Pasco chemist, became the first paralyzed climber to reach Mount Rainier’s Columbia Crest Summit.
Ohl, serving as spokesman for the Crank Rainier expedition, told the world that Rieke and his team reached their goal at 12:23 p.m., Father’s Day.
Ohl reported supporters at base camp were choked up by the news, but would honor the mountaineering tradition of waiting until the Crank crew descended to celebrate.
Endorsements
“Phil is an advocate for community in the broadest sense, working to bring people together to lift the quality of life for all,” said Brian Ace, Boys and Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties.
“Phil’s generosity of his time, talent and resources are given in the spirit of making the Tri-Cities a far better place to live, work and raise our families,” said Bill Lampson, Lampson International.
“Phil and the Ohl Family Foundation have made a significant investment in the (Washington State University Tri-Cities) campus by becoming the founding donors to the Impact Scholars,“ said Sandra Haynes, chancellor.
This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 8:45 PM.