Family Time

Q and her friend Travis came out and spent four days trimming and tying up vines, punctuated by regular dips in the lake, trips to town for shave ice, and sunset dinners on the patio. They put in some good work in near-100 degree temps. She's off to college this fall, so great to have some solid time together.

Grapes are looking good. Had an attack of leafhoppers this summer. I could have sprayed and knocked them out, but decided to go the less-invasive route and place 10,000 lacewing eggs (mounted on cardboard tabs) throughout the vineyard. The lacewing larvae feed on leafhopper eggs. The leafhoppers have done some damage and for a while the issue was in doubt, but it looks like the good guys are winning the battle.

The lawn was hydroseeded last week and is coming in nicely. I'll post updated photos shortly.

The Man, The Legend, The Builder

Bruce Preston, here with his son Joe. If you are building in Grant County, don't even think about using someone else. I could go on at length about Bruce's talents and the quality and value he has incoporated into this house, but I will limit myself to this: He is honest, and he is a master builder in every sense of the word. www.bruceprestonhomes.com

Genie Industries Ramping Up

Lynne Lynch/Columbia Basin Herald

Glenn Gere, of Genie Industries, updates business and community leaders about the company's Moses Lake operations Thursday during a luncheon at Big Bend Community College's ATEC Center.

 

By Tiffany Sukola, Herald staff writer

Columbia Basin Herald 

 

MOSES LAKE - Although unfavorable market conditions a few years back forced layoffs at Genie Industries, a steady increase in demand for Genie products brought those jobs back.

 Glenn Gere, director of operations for Genie's Moses Lake facility, said the plant has seen significant growth over the last few years. Gere spoke at a Grant County Economic Development Council luncheon at Big Bend Community College Thursday.

 In 2007, Genie employed about 1,000 Basin residents, Gere said. The economic downturn then caused many of Genie's customers to rethink their purchasing, according to a previous Columbia Basin Herald article. As a result of reduced production, the plant began laying off employees and reducing company executives' salaries in 2009.

"We went into that economic situation and went down to 200 team members," said Gere. "We were all trying to survive at that time."

He said business began to recover in late 2009. "Almost immediately after we let the last group go, orders started coming in," he said.

In 2010, Genie brought back the first group of employees that were laid off, Gere said.

"We've been on the steady incline since then," he said. "We've had a rapid growth back to about 1,200 team members in a very short period of time."

In 2007, the plant produced about 30 machines each day, Gere said. Employees currently crank out 38 machines a day, he said.

"That's 60 percent of our capacity right now," Gere said. He expects production to continue to increase over the next few years.

Genie currently occupies a 500,000 square-foot building at the Port of Moses Lake. Gere said the plant manufactures about 16 different models of machines.

The facility contains different assembly areas for various product lines, he said. One of those areas will soon handle production of Genie's new Sx-180 boom lift.

Genie recently introduced the SX-180 lift at a trade show in Munich, Germany, said Gere. At 180 feet, it is the world's tallest self-propelled boom lift, he said.

"We already have orders for 200 to 300 of them and we haven't even built the first one," said Gere. "People can't wait to get their hands on them."

Gere said Genie recently invested in a new paint system which will allow employees to keep up with the anticipated demand. He also said Genie plans to lease another building from the port to house the company's product development team. Genie plans to build a new structure on site within the next few years and bring the development team back to that building.The goal is increase manufacturing space inside Genie's current building, he said.

"There's a lot of growth going on," Gere said.

Painting Finally Completed

...after spending the winter half finished.

We love the red and the white trim. The greige accent is OK. I would like to have kept the upper story white, but the upper trim disappears so we went with the third color and matched it on the shop. With a little online help from Vancouver, BC color consultant Maria Killam http://www.mariakillam.com/.

As you can see I've put in a rock retaining wall out back, which separates the lawn & living area from the vineyard. I've got a John Deer 3005 (27 horse) tractor and man is that a great little machine! Really showed it's stuff moving those boulders around.

Next step is getting the lawn in, and that will pretty much finish it.

Driveway Goes In

Quality Paving, Inc. - Scott Walker & crew.

Good guy, good crew, fair price, great work.

This Place is Cool

Tiffany Sukola/Columbia Basin Herald

Rock Top Burgers & Brew

Customers look over the menu at Rock Top Burgers & Brew during the Moses Lake restaurant's opening day Friday.
 

MOSES LAKE - It didn't take long for word to get out that Rock Top Burgers & Brew in Moses Lake had officially opened its doors for business.

 Hundreds of Basin residents visited the gourmet burger joint on its opening day Friday. Shortly after the doors opened at 10:30 a.m., a majority of the restaurant's tables were already filled.

 And the crowds kept coming throughout the weekend, said Jordan Hamilton, one of the new business's owners.

"We were very well-received by the community and we served a lot of people," he said Tuesday. "We had about 800 people come in each day during the first three days."

If you throw in guests who came on Monday, he said, Rock Top has served almost 3,000 people since opening day.

Rock Top occupies the former Golden Corral building on North Stratford Road. It is also the third dining establishment operated by the Hamilton family, joining Michael's on the Lake and Michael's Market & Bistro.

Lindsey Frey is Rock Top's general manager, and Adam Sawyer is the restaurant's assistant manager.

Hamilton said opening a restaurant that specialized in gourmet burgers had always been in the picture.

"We've had this concept and have wanted to do it for the past several years," he said. "There wasn't really a burger place like this in Moses Lake."

Hamilton said he wants customers to view Rock Top as a casual, family-friendly establishment.

While Rock Top does have a bar, he said, there is plenty of seating on the other side of the restaurant for families. There are also two outdoor seating areas at Rock Top, one near the bar for those older than 21 and one on the opposite side for families.

Although Rock Top has only been open for a handful of days, Hamilton said customer favorites are already starting to emerge.

The Officer Rodriguez 5-0 burger, with bleu cheese, bacon, grilled onions and avocado, among other ingredients, was one of the most commonly ordered burgers this past weekend, he said. It is named after Juan Rodriguez, a Moses Lake police officer.

"We had a contest back in December to see who could come up with the best burger recipe," said Hamilton. "And Juan Rodriguez won that, so we put that on the menu."

Hamilton said he also recommends the Rock Top Rumbler and Pacific Northwest burgers.
On the appetizer side, Hamilton said the restaurant's cheeseburger dip was another big hit over opening weekend. As the name suggests, the dip tastes like a gourmet hamburger, he said.

Rock Top also has an extensive salad, sandwich and dessert selection, said Hamilton.

Hamilton said the first few days of business went a lot smoother than he expected. He credits that to Rock Top's staff of about 70, a majority of which were new hires.

"You have 70 people who have never worked together, cooking a menu they've never cooked, in a building they've never worked in," he said. "No matter how prepared you think you are, you're still challenged."

Hamilton said he was proud of how quickly the team worked out various kinks.

"They've put in a lot of hours and they've worked a lot," he said. "To go from where we were on Friday, to where we're at today, it's better than I expected."

Rock Top Burgers & Brew is located at 930 N. Stratford Rd. in Moses Lake. They are open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/business/article_9e215342-a21f-11e2-8df1-001a4bcf887a.html