New Warehouse Marks Shift in Industrial District
The Kennewick District Fruit Growers Association begins construction on a massive facility near the Northern Pacific depot to modernize fruit handling.
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Work has started on the new warehouse of the Kennewick District Fruit Growers association, located north of the Northern Pacific passenger depot. This marks the beginning of a new warehouse district established by the railway. In the future, all warehouses built on the Northern Pacific will be located here, as the ground south of the track is being reserved for passenger depot grounds. Manager Desgranges stated the building will have a ground floor area of 9,800 square feet and be two stories high, designed to accommodate 250 cars of fruit. The association plans to add a cold storage plant next year. Desgranges also emphasized the use of labor-saving machinery, noting that they intend to train local talent for well-paying positions rather than importing outside experts, aiming to keep the payroll within the community. During the peak season, the warehouse expects to employ about 75 people.
“Our motto is: ‘Give service and get results for the grower.’”
This warehouse development captures the era when Kennewick cemented its role as a rail-centric shipping hub for the Columbia Basin. The emphasis on keeping skilled labor and payrolls local remains a recurring theme in the city's economic development discourse today.
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