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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 2016)
A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 Herald Business Follow us on Twitter @HermistonHerald New real estate company opens Hermiston residents have another option for their real estate needs with the recent opening of Christianson Realty Group. The new company is located at 702 E. Main St., Hermiston, in the Sim- mons Insurance building. Principal broker Ben- nett Christianson said the two companies are sep- arate businesses but will work together to provide clients with a complete package of services all in one place. “We’re trying to cover as many needs for people under one roof as possi- ble,” he said. Christianson Realty Group offers help buying and selling commercial and residential proper- ties. They will also offer a one-stop-shop partnership with Simmons Insurance for services such as home- owners insurance and in- vesting. Christianson said he grew up in Hermiston, and he and his father, Wayne Christianson, moved to the coast in 2007 to start a real estate career together. Nine years later they have moved back to Hermis- ton and teamed up with former American West broker Melissa Mercer to form Christianson Realty Group. Christianson said he and his father are excited to be back in the area and looking forward to doing business here. “It’s good to be back and reconnect with people in town,” he said. For more information, call the company at 971- 237-1403. Lamb Weston to split from ConAgra Foods By GEORGE PLAVEN Staff Writer STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL Eastside Market owner Joe Thompson stands by some of the local athletics photos on display at the market. JOE THOMPSON RETIRES FROM EASTSIDE MARKET, BUT NOT COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer After 30 years run- ning Eastside Market in downtown Hermiston, Joe Thompson is retiring. He plans to inalize sale of the business and step down at the end of this week. Thompson said he and his wife Sherry plan to stick around Hermiston, so people will still see him — or “hear” him — as he an- nounces Hermiston High School football games and other local events. “I think oftentimes Hermiston doesn’t get the reputation it deserves as a top-notch town with a spe- cial group of citizens,” he said. Even though he plans to stay involved with the community through local sports, he said he will miss the people of the Eastside Market most, from regular customers to employees. All sorts of people have started their day or whiled away an afternoon over cups of coffee at the tables in the front corner of the market. Overlooking those ta- bles are two walls of pho- tos and plaques from local athletes. Some, like former shot-putting standout My- kael Bothum, are Herm- iston residents Thompson watched grow up who now bring their own children into the market. Thompson said the col- lection started with a photo that a Little League team brought by years ago as a thank you to the market for helping them purchase uni- forms. “That was the start, and I kind of took it from there,” he said. “I have twice as many in the back.” Thompson’s parents owned Eastside Market before him. They bought it after he graduated high school. In 1985 when Thompson returned to Hermiston as an adult, he took over operations at the store. It was nice having his parents available for advice, he said, but there was still a steep learning curve. Even after he had a handle on what he was STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST Sheriff Terry Rowan talks with Larry Storment and Sonny Liebe earlier this summer at Eastside Market in Hermiston. The market has become a regular hangout and gathering place for some members of the community under Thompson’s ownership. doing, Thompson said the job required a lot of long hours over the years. The store is open 17 hours a day or more. “It’s seven days a week, basically, because you’re keeping tabs on things,” he said. “You sleep with your phone.” He has tweaked a few things over the years, but the overall formula has stayed the same. Lately Eastside Mar- ket has been a good luck charm for Hermiston residents. The market sold a string of winning lottery tickets over the course of the summer, in- cluding three Scratch-It wins worth a combined $175,000. When the market’s Facebook page posted an announcement that Thompson was leaving, it was looded with com- ments reminiscing about good times there. “I can vividly remem- ber going into Eastside Market when I was a young kid, and my chil- dren grew up right down the street from Eastside Market,” Jeremy Kile wrote. “I feel privileged to have been able to enjoy the little market that never was a ‘convenience’ store, but rather a ‘neighborhood market.’” “I’ve spent so many weekends in there getting food and drinks with my sister and father before he passed,” Adam Briley wrote. “Each time I remem- ber Joe being the man on the scene. Times are a changing. Gonna miss you.” Thompson said he’ll miss everyone as well, es- pecially those who helped the market in various ways over the years. “There’s a lot of people who helped us get things squared away,” he said. “We won’t ever forget them and what they’ve done for our family here.” Want Year Around Outdoor Space? W e’ve Got A Solution! FREE Estimates! 541-720-0772 Visit our showroom: 102 E Columbia Dr. Kennewick, WA 99336 Patio Rooms Sunrooms · Pergolas Patio Covers · Drop Shades · Solar Screens & More! G O O D Lamb Weston, the fro- zen potato titan with french fry plants in Hermiston and Board- man, willo spin off from ConAgra Foods later this fall to become its own independent and publicly traded company. The move was orig- inally announced by ConAgra oficials in November 2015, and a registration statement for Lamb Weston Holdings was iled with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in July. A spokeswoman said the separation will not affect any of the local manufacturing facilities. Lamb Weston employs more than 1,500 people in Oregon. In 2014, Lamb Weston expanded its opera- tions at the Port of Mor- row by opening a new 192,000-square-foot plant with the capacity to make 1 million pounds of fries every day. Cor- porate ofices are located in nearby Kennewick, Washington, and Boise. 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Gilbert “Gib” Lamb as a frozen foods processing company. Lamb is cred- ited with revolutionizing the potato processing in- dustry with his invention of the water gun knife in 1960, which shot po- tatoes, using water pres- sure, into a cutting grid to slice potatoes into french fries, and Lamb Weston began processing frozen french fries by 1961. Lamb Weston is scheduled to re-emerge as an independent com- pany next month. Lamb Weston generated $2.9 billion in sales in 2015. ” Welcoming New Patients Good Shepherd Women’s Center 541.667.3801 620 NW 11th Street, Suite 103 Hermiston, OR 97838
