Medical group finds a home, box maker buys land, and is housing replacing a Lacey store?
After months of offering medical services via telehealth technology, Harkness Medical Group PLLC has a place of its own, said nurse practitioner and co-owner Kellie Harkness.
In August, the fledgling family medical practice put down roots in west Olympia at 412 Black Hills Lane SW, Suite A.
Harkness, 41, grew up in Olympia, attended North Thurston High School and later got married to a husband in the military. They were transferred to Kansas where she became a nurse practitioner. They moved back to the area in 2019 and she went to work for Littlerock Family Medicine, then decided to open her own practice after Littlerock’s Dr. William Harris retired.
Harkness works with another nurse practitioner, a doctor and a staff of five, she said. Since opening, she has picked up a number of patients, partly because she’s aware of nine family medical practices that have closed, either because those involved retired or because the business has become complex.
Over Thanksgiving, the medical practice prepared Thanksgiving dishes that they made available to patients to take home for the holidays. They plan to do it again, Harkness said.
Harkness Medical Group is open 8-5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8-noon Fridays. A four-hour Saturday clinic is in the works, she said.
For more about Harkness Medical Group, go to: https://www.harknessmed.com/.
Other business happenings
Georgia-Pacific, which operates a corrugated packaging operation on Fones Road in Olympia, has acquired property in Centralia with plans to expand packaging operations in the Pacific Northwest, the company announced.
The property in Centralia is convenient to the I-5 corridor and would complement the company’s existing operation in Olympia. The new facility is expected to create about 85 new jobs.
“The solid performance of our Olympia plant gives us confidence in the ability to expand business in the region,” said vice president Travis Dawson in a statement.
Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord has received a $1 million federal contract from the Army for newborn screening services, according to Targeted News Service, which tracks federal contract news.
In the works
A Bellevue developer is exploring a proposal that would bring 350 apartments to 5600 Martin Way E. in Lacey, the same address as the retailer Burlington, previously known as Burlington Coat Factory.
Is that store going away? A project description suggests that’s the case.
“The existing retail building on site is approximately 67,230 square feet and has served as a Top Food grocery store and a Burlington Coat Factory retail store in the past,” the project description reads. “The existing building will be demolished and the site will be redeveloped into a 5-story multifamily development containing approximately 350 units.”
Oak Harbor Freight Lines is exploring a new trucking facility on 10 acres at 9801 Lathrop Industrial Drive, on the west side of Interstate 5 south of 93rd Avenue, according to city of Tumwater information.
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
