Desert Labor is owned by Jody Barker, a CHS 1988 graduate and local farmer. Desert Labor is an agricultural labor contracting business that opened in 2008. Jody works with area farmers and orchard owners to provide the best much needed temporary farm labor and services.

Desert Labor has 5 full time employees and about 100+ seasonal employees. Many of the laborers are local to the area/community but some come with work visa’s. When asked about expanding Desert Labor Jody stated “Yes, as a business I am always looking into ways to expand. We would love to work with more farmers and orchard owner’s and be able to offer more labor and services to the local agricultural community.” His main motivation for starting Desert Labor came from the shortage of seasonal and year-round labor in the area. Opening a business was a way to bring jobs to the area and add relief to the shortage. Jody also stated that he likes to add to the community, “we provide employment opportunities to the community, keeping good paying jobs local, if anyone is interested have them come by and apply.” You must be 18+ years old to apply. Jody enjoys working hand in hand with farmers and being involved in different aspects of the local agriculture. The idea of Desert Labor came when he was weeding his own field by hand with a few labor helpers and then it grew from an idea and expanded into a business from there. He provides the transportation for his groups to go out to fields/orchards.

In addition to Desert Labor, Jody also owns a separate business, Mid Basin Labor. Mid Basin offers services with H2A – which are seasonal laborers that come from Mexico with work visas. Most are here primarily for the harvesting of orchards and corn harvest during June – November. The H2A project provides housing, transportation and employment. There is currently H2A housing being planned in Connell that will be ready to be utilized for next year’s harvest season. With that, Jody looks forward to bringing more people to the area to shop and be a part of the community if only for a few months of the year. Bringing more commerce to Connell will add to the community and help businesses be successful too.

Jody and his wife Cristi live on a farm outside of Connell. Both grew up in Connell and are still very active within the community with the Chamber of Commerce, Community Club, Fall Festival Group and more. Desert Labor has supported both the Firework Show and Fall Festival for our community for several years.

Desert Labor also provides the services of purchasing tabs for auto, boat, RV, trailers, and recreational vehicles. The office is located at 133 N Columbia Ave in the center of Connell and is open from Monday – Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. You can visit their Facebook site “Desert Labor” or the website desertlabor.com for more information or call them at 509-234-9596.

CHS SunBasin Growers is a cooperative and one of many company-owned, locally-governed ag service centers within the CHS Inc. It is the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative, with ties going back to 1929, and is committed to delivering value and helping it’s owners grow. CHS offers services to farmers in grain, energy, agronomy and seed. The CHS commitment is adding value for farmers, ranchers and local cooperatives that began more than eight decades ago in rural America. CHS has grown considerably since its beginnings with operations now spanning the globe in the businesses of agriculture, energy, and food.

CHS Inc. headquarters is in Inver Grover Heights, Minnesota but they have locations all over the world (US, Canada, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia). The main office for CHS SunBasin Growers is located in Quincy with other locations across central Washington. Tyson Chick is the general manager of Connell.

CHS SunBasin Growers offers grain, energy, crop protection, crop nutrients, precision agriculture, agronomy application, seed and refined fuels and lubricants. They have approximately 200 employees that are comprised of full time, part time, and seasonal. CHS SunBasin is always looking for ways to expand as a business and provide more opportunities to help the local farmer-owners grow their operations. CHS’s priority is to help their farmer-owners grow; with products, programs, and services to help them from planning to planting and harvesting and marketing their crops.

CHS offers to the community a platform or partnership and shared success. They build lasting and mutually rewarding customer relationships while managing their business safely and with the highest integrity. They strive to be responsible stewards in the communities and value their employees and innovative spirit. CHS owns two refineries, one in Laurel, Montana and one in McPherson Kansas. Cenex fuels are a brand of CHS Inc. In the beginning, CHS started in the Pacific Northwest when the North Pacific Grain Growers (NPGG) organized as a regional cooperative in 1929 with its first meeting in Lewiston, Idaho.

The Connell office location is at 433 N Columbia on the North end of town. The office is open Monday – Friday 8am -5pm and on weekends and evenings during harvest. For more information you can visit chssunbasingrowers.com or call the 509-787-3511.

B&R Aerial Crop Care, Inc is owned by Chris & Becky Eskildsen. It is located just 1 mile east of Connell at what was once the City municipal Airport and is now privately owned. B&R Aerial Crop Care, Inc., was started in 1977 by Bernie Eskildsen and Richard Griffits, which is how it was named B & R. In the beginning, B&R started out flying off a dirt strip of Feathers Thompson on FishHook-Elgin Rd about 10 miles East of Connell. About 15 years ago, Chris took over the company from his father. Bernie continued to fly for the company as a pilot up until 3 years ago. For a couple years, Chris and Becky’s son, Jase, flew for company. So at one time there were 3 generations of Eskildsen pilots flying for B&R. As Chris's grandfather also flew but mostly for fun, it can be rightfully claimed that they have had 4 generations of pilots.

Chris is 1 of the 2 full time pilots. In addition, they also have two full time ground crew–one of which is Craig Millage who is a master of all things and is also a certified Airplane Mechanic. Becky does all of the office work.

B&R Crop Care mainly sprays fungicides, insecticides, herbicides and foliar feeds to conventional and organic crops. They also do dry seeding and fertilizing. They fly about a 30 mile radius of Connell but they also have a strip in Mattawa to fly around and land at too. They work from just before sun-up to sundown during their busy season. They can fly and work up to 6 days as week. They don't fly on Sunday as they want to have one consistent day off for their employees.

One thing that the public doesn't always realize is that aerial applicators in general, and something B&R Crop Care focuses on specifically, is that pilots are very aware of what and where people, animals and objects are at and around when they are making an application. They are very conscious about wind direction, drift, and the safety of those close by. Pilots will go out of their way to go around if they see people nearby. So, if you see an aerial applicator doing his work, please don't get close as they are most likely aware of you and will not be able to finish their job.

B&R has the pleasure of working closely with our area’s farmers and feel that they are an important support role in our area’s food supply and agriculture community. B&R Aerial Crop Care, Inc. is located at 409 Airport Lane, Connell, WA 99326. You can contact Chris or Becky at (509) 234-7791 or by emailing them at br.cropcare@gmail.com

Our Chamber of Commerce includes local clubs and organization in addition to businesses – one of these is the Connell Community Club which was formerly the Lions Club in Connell. The Connell Community Club currently has approximately 25 members that meet monthly at Michael Jays. They have a Board of Directors and officers including: Helen Tobin, President; Carol Lindner, Vice-President; Terry Eagy, Secretary; and Laurie Mandler, Treasurer. These officers and Larry Smith, member-at-large, make up their Governing Board. Members can join throughout the year but the main membership drive/renewal is at the beginning of the year – membership is $10 each or $20 per family.

The Connell Community Club’s primary focus is to offer high school scholarships to graduating seniors each year. In addition to that, though, they have realized other important ways to serve our community as a whole. Several years ago, they assumed the organization of the Connell Winterfest Celebration in December which brings the community together to celebrate the holiday season. Their Chili Fries by the Fireside (Winterfest activity) was a great hit last year and they are expecting it will be even better this year! They also host the Annual First Responders BBQ in the fall – this year will be the 3rd year that they have organized a dinner to support and thank our community volunteers and heroes….a long overdue recognition that has been very well received and provides an opportunity for our community to show their appreciation. This coming year they plan on moving the event to the Community Center to accommodate the ever-growing crowd and is scheduled for Tuesday, September 18th.

In October 2017, the Community Club hosted the first ever “Candidates Meet &Greet”. This type of forum provides an opportunity for community members and political candidates to gather together to share ideas, thoughts, and opinions about the future of our local political issues. The event will take place again this fall on October 2nd at the Connell Community Center.

Community Club members organize various fundraisers to raise money for the scholarships and other community funded projects that come up throughout the year. In previous years, one of the big fundraiser activities has been providing cookies and goodies, coffee, hot chocolate and water, by donation, to travelers at the Rest Area on Highways 26 and 395 on the busy weekends of WSU Dad’s weekend in the fall and Mom’s weekend in the spring. One of the current projects they are lending support to, in conjunction with the Greater Connell Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Connell and Connell Downtown Development, is replacing the current well-used Community Bulletin Board at the Post Office with a new and much larger constructed one that will better serve the growing needs of our community. The group also schedules and advertises for the All City-Wide Yard Sale that takes place each June. They also have cleaned up graffiti in Connell and do other random “Good Neighbor” activities around town.

They are a very active group and have a lot of fun supporting this community.They recently just got Connell Community Club t-shirts that will help identify them as a group at the community functions. They welcome everyone to join in and see for yourselves what a great time they have! Connell Community Club meets the 3rd Thursday of the month at Michael Jays at 6:30pm, or if you want to come for dinner, come and join them at 5:30pm. If you have any questions or would like information on new memberships, please contact President Helen Tobin at 509-318-0113.

Lamb Weston first started in 1950 as a family business when F. Gilbert “Gib” Lamb purchased a defunct co-op plant in Weston, Or and incorporated it. He renovated the facility to become the most advanced pea processing plant in the US. In 1960, the water gun knife was invented – the first device to slice French fries in a high-velocity water flow – this quickly became the worldwide industry standard. They would have many inventions to come over the years. At Lamb Weston, they apply their inventive thinking to everything they do.

In 1961, Lamb Weston officially entered the domestic potato processing market with the construction of a new processing plant in American Falls, ID. Over the next 10 years, the company developed additional processing plants in Connell and Quincy, WA and Hermiston, OR. New products were introduced over the years as well as new processing plants and expansions. They’ve earned and continue to earn – a reputation as an industry pioneer and one of the world’s leading suppliers of frozen potato products.

One of the largest employers in our community, the Connell plant employees approximately 375 people. The Connell plant used to fluctuate in the number of employees from harvest season to winter season but that is not longer the case. The Connell Lamb Weston plant runs approximately 300 days a year processing about 1,100 tons of potatoes a day! There are about 25 growers from the Columbia Basin and surrounding area that sell their crop to Lamb Weston. Offering many different potato products in their line – they have 30 different cut styles and 150 products. A few of the favorite products are lattice chips, crinkle cut fries, diced potatoes, and natural fries. Lamb Weston products are shipped all over the US as well as internationally. On August 14th, Connell Lamb Weston will be celebrating their 50th anniversary.

Visit their website lambweston.com for more information on products, recipes, resources, and the history and story of Lamb Weston. Lamb Weston is located at 811 West Gum Street on the south side of Connell. The office phone is 234-5511. They are open Monday through Friday from 8am – 5pm.

Photo provided by: Lamb Weston-Connell

RE Powell is a privately-owned company and is one of the largest in Washington state. Originally started in 1980 by Gary and Annette Christensen when they purchased the company, a small fuel distributor located in Grandview, WA. Over the last 38 years the company has grown to over $350 million in annual sales. President of the company is Tony Christensen, CFO Dan Breen, and owned by the 7 members of the Christensen Family. They have 250 employees.

RE Powell has 4 types of services: Commercial - focuses on the sale and distribution of fuel, lubricants and propane to a broad range of small-large commercial/industrial customers. Retail Sales – they are a distributor for Chevron, Shell, Philips 66, Tesoro, Motorcraft and ExxonMobil. In addition, they supply fuel to over 200 retail fuel sites located primarily in Washington and Oregon. Fleet Cards - they supply small-large sized fleet operators with fuel access cards, which provide access to fuel to large networks of both commercial card lock and retail fuel sites. Common Carrier - fleet of bulk transport trucks, which support the bulk fuel and lubricant hauling needs of Christensen’s 3 core operating divisions.

RE Powell is a family owned business and the roots of the company remain in its core fuel, lubricant and propane distribution business. The company also ventured into the ownership and operation of convenience stores (AmeriStar), Fleet Card (AmeriFuel), and select residential and commercial real estate including self-storage units (AmeriStorage), car washes, 1 truck stop (Gear Jammer located in Yakima), and a car dealership (Mid Valley Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram located in Grandview). The company’s growth and success has benefited from prudent financial management, whereby Gary and Annette routinely reinvested most and sometimes all available funds back into the company, as well as making prudent opportunistic acquisitions to fuel the company’s growth.

Over the years, the company has grown, utilizing a strategy of aggressive organic growth as well as targeted acquisitions. Between 1980 and 2010 the company made several acquisitions of competing petroleum distributors in Eastern Washington. As the company grew and built a capacity for effectively managing growth, the company began targeting growth in Western Washington and Oregon. Between 2010 and 2013 the company completed four acquisitions in Western Washington including acquiring key assets from Seaport Petroleum, Shell Lubricants/Pennzoil, 4Refuel, and Schultz Distributing. In 2016, the company acquired Don Thomas Petroleum in Portland, Oregon, which expanded the company’s footprint in Oregon and Southwestern Washington. These acquisitions, combined with consistent organic growth have led to the Christensen Company becoming one of the largest wholesale distributors of fuel, lubricants and propane in the Northwestern U.S.

As Gary and Annette were growing the company, they were also growing the company’s leadership talent by involving and grooming three of their sons over the last 15 to 20 years to be prepared to take on key leadership roles in the company. In 2014, the family introduced a deliberate transition plan, whereby they approached Tony Christensen to serve as the company’s President. In addition to Tony’s participation, the family’s eldest child, Brandon Christensen holds the role of Vice President of Physical Assets, Justin Christensen serves as Vice President for the company’s Retail Fuels division, and Quentin Christensen serves as Director of Information Technology.

RE Powell’s Purpose is – To be a company where passion for life grows as a result of celebrating our successes and failures, discovering our unique talents and shortcomings, and bringing out the best in each other. Unlike a goal or strategy, Christensen’s purpose is not meant to be fulfilled or achieved; it is like a lighthouse on the shore guiding the team to a brighter and better future.
RE Powell’s Core Values are – Be Courageous, Do What I Say I’m Going to Do, Enjoy Serving Others, and Have Fun. Serving to channel the energy and creativity of its team members, RE Powell’s core values guide its team members behaviors. RE Powell strives to provide value for their team members, customers, and shareholders.

RE Powell Distributing office is located at 1060 Jadwin Ave Richland, WA 99352. To place an order, become a new customer or for inquiries, please call 509-882-2115. To learn more about the company and the services, visit their website christensenusa.com

US Bank is one of two banks in Connell. Serving customers as a bank location for 40+ years it has been a branch of US Bank for 25+ years. The Connell branch offers their customers online banking, personal/business accounts, loans, mortgages, private banking, wealth management investments, debit and credit cards, a convenient drive through, and a 24/7 outdoor ATM.

Connell branch Manager, Teresa Steele, has been at US Bank for 3 ½ years and just celebrated 1 year as Branch Manager. There are 4 other full-time employees at Connell, who are all from the local area. They are excited to now offer free Wi-Fi to their customers inside the bank. US Bank is working on expanding and improving their technology – online and in apps for ease of customer banking. One goal Teresa stated was “We want to build our community and build within the community, offering as many options to them to meet their needs.”

Years ago, the motivation to bring US Bank to Connell, as there was only 1 other bank in town at the time, was they wanted to be closer to their existing rural customers and to offer additional banking options to the other demographics in the community. US Bank offers everyone excellent customer service, opportunities to expand personally or as a business, and with a small town feel they like to “know” their customers so that they can help and best serve them. US Bank is also very involved in the community – they have staff volunteer days throughout the year as well as hosting the Senior Graduation BBQ for students from Connell, Kahlotus and Palouse Junction.

Currently, US Bank has a special offer on personal loans this summer (ends in early September). Throughout the year, they also have holiday customer contests, and 5th Friday Funday – where treats/snacks are set out and served to customers. As always, they have candy and dog treats, too, for those who come in or go through the drive through.

US Bank has supported the various Chamber of Commerce events and community events for years, as well as helping other groups in the community. US Bank is open Monday – Thursday from 9:30-5:00pm and Fridays 9:30-6:00pm. Located at 800 South Columbia Ave, right off Hwy 395 and Hwy 260. Go in and visit about how they can help you with your money and banking needs or call 509-234-9781.

North Franklin School District will resume school later this month under new leadership and new Superintendent Jim Jacobs who is ready for the 2018-2019 school year. As we bid a fond farewell and thanks to Gregg Taylor for his 25 years at NFSD (the past 11 as Superintendent), we warmly welcome Mr. Jacobs, who started his career with NFSD in 1996.

Jim started his career in education after serving in the Army and attending college. In 1996, an opening at the Camp Outlook Bootcamp, where he fit the criteria to a T, brought him and his wife, Amy, to Connell. After living in different places around the US, “it was the people and the community that made us want to stay here and raise a family” stated Jacobs. He spent 3 years working at Camp Outlook Bootcamp then moved throughout the district in various positions including: Connell High School Librarian (1 yr), Mesa Elementary Principal (3 years), Basin City Elementary Principal (4 years), and for the last 11 years has led the Olds Jr High as Principal.

North Franklin School District is a PreK-12 school system with 1 Preschool, 3 elementary schools, 1 Jr High, 1 High School, and 1 Alternative High School. NFSD employs approximately 300 people and serves over 2100 students. Jacob's goal is to continue the upward trajectory as one of the best districts in Eastern Washington. He wants to keep pushing forward, leading students, staff, and parents to success. In the NFSD newsletter Jim stated “Our goal is to have our students prepared for college, the military, or the career of their choice after graduation. We have a very high graduation rate that is due to the many levels of support, enrichment and intervention that our schools and community provide to our students throughout their educational journey.” One of his many goals is to keep adding layers to the NFSD system – customer satisfaction and responsiveness are at the top of making the following layers possible. He also plans on continuing the expansion, additions, and renovations to the district that Taylor had set in place and started during his time.

Superintendent Jim Jacobs says he offers the community “good leadership, years of personal relationships across the community, and most of all a passion for others success – students, staff, and parents, who are all working towards their own goals.”

The Jacobs family lives in Eltopia. Jim’s wife, Amy, has been at Mesa Elementary for 12 years as a Para-Ed and Food Clerk. They have 2 daughters that have both graduated from Connell High School. Maddy is a Junior at Whitworth planning to follow in her parent’s footsteps and go into elementary education. Jamie is a Sophomore at Eastern Oregon University studying Physical Therapy. When asked what Jim would have done if he hadn’t gone into public education he said “I would be doing something in technology in corporate business.”

The 2018-2019 school year starts for students 1st-6th, 7th, and 9th grade on August 27th. All students 1st-12th will attend classes on August 28th. The Eagles Nest BBQ will be on August 30th at 5:00pm at the CHS campus. All School offices open on August 14th. Check out nfsd.org for school contact information, NFSD news, updates and upcoming events.

Coulee Flats Dairy is located just a few miles outside Mesa, WA. The dairy has been here for 10 years now but Coulee Flats Dairy in Sunnyside was started 15 years ago. Case VanderMeulen, the owner of Coulee Flats Dairy, and his family live near the dairy. Case grew up on a family dairy in Holland, which his brother still runs. He came to the US in 1989 first finding dairy work in California.

Coulee Flats Dairy was originally two dairies in Sunnyside. When there was no room to expand and grow, the two operations combined and then built into becoming Coulee Flats Dairy with 2,300 head. Upon expanding the Coulee Flats Dairy to Mesa in 2008, they started out with 3,000 head have grown to now have 6,800 head of Holstein cows. In the beginning, they employed 45 workers but have grown their operation to now providing 95 jobs locally.

Being one of many dairy’s in the area – Coulee Flats sells all their milk to the Darigold Co-Op to then be processed and marketed to consumers. They also offer organic Gold Compost to farmers and individuals as well. The Mesa Coulee Flats Dairy runs 24/7, with the cows on a schedule to be milked 3 times a day on rotation in the parallel double 50 and double 30 milking parlors. Cows take a 45-day maternity leave and have their calves under staff supervision in the special maternity barn.

When talking about expanding the Coulee Flats Dairy, Case stated “If there is one constant, change never stops.” Case and his team of employee’s live by the motto “Our Teamwork makes the Dream work.” Case enjoys talking about the dairy and his passion to people and loves visiting and showing the dairy to those who come by to learn more about the process and production of dairy products. In his spare time, Case enjoys reading and researching the original farmers and the history of the Columbia Basin. In addition to running a business, Case is very generous in supporting various community events including being a premium donor for the Connell Fireworks Extravaganza, Fall Festival, and the Harvest Festival, just to name a few. For several years, he previously had teamed with the local grocery store in Mesa, to raise money for Mesa Elementary through milk sales.

To find out more information about the Coulee Flats Dairy, I encourage you to look at their website cfdairy.com. If you have time and want even more hands on information and possibly a tour please call their office beforehand at 509-205-2077. The office is open Monday – Friday from 8am-4pm. Coulee Flats Dairy is located at 1321 Pepiot Rd, Mesa WA.

Avista is a utility company that serves eastern Washington, portions of southern Oregon and northern Idaho and Sanders County, Montana. The company has been around since 1889. The energy they produce at Avista-owned generating facilities and their long-term contracts ranks the company as one of the cleanest utilities when it comes to greenhouse gases, and their prices are among the lowest in the nation among investor-owned utilities.
Their diverse energy mix as of December 2016 at Avista-owned generating facilities and long-term contracts balances reliability with renewable energy sources while managing costs for customers. Avista’s energy mix consists of coal, wind, biomass, hydro, and natural gas.
Their mission statement speaks to the quality of partnerships they seek. They want to: Provide efficient and effective services through best practices, increase financial value and minimize risk, and maintain Avista’s core values of trust, integrity, honesty, and collaboration to best serve our employees, customers and community.

Avista offers many avenues to give back to the community through assistance programs, scholarships, sponsoring community programs, as well as offering education and outreach classes/sessions to the community.

The myavista.com website offers an abundance of information about the company, additional services they offer, safety information, a kid’s zone, access to account/bill management, energy saving tips, articles, updates on current outages and projects that may be happening in your area.