Richland, WA – October 7, 2020 – Port of Benton is pleased to announce the selection of Ron Branine, CPMM (Certified Professional Maintenance Manager) to fill the position of Facilities Manager.

Mr. Branine has almost thirty years of facilities management experience, with his most recent position being that of Facilities Manager for Walla Walla County, where he was responsible for all property maintenance and developing and implementing an in-depth preventative maintenance program for most of the County’s buildings and properties including the jail, Courthouse and a myriad of other multi-use buildings and grounds. Prior to coming to Washington State he was Chief of Engineering/Facilities Management at Xanterra Parks and Resorts of Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, where he was responsible for all property maintenance and developing and implementing an in-depth preventative maintenance program on over 500,000 square feet of buildings including an historic lodge, convenience store, campgrounds, restaurants, gift shops, dormitories, RV parks, and offsite employee housing. All things related to grounds, structures, sustainability, and safety fell under his purview, and he also served as liaison to the National Park Service. He has years of experience in oversight of construction projects; custodial and maintenance duties; budgets and budgeting; inventory processes; purchasing; writing proposals; contracts and contract review; work order and asset management systems; safety and security programs and procedures; and working with, training, and supervising a large staff, as well as a myriad of other departmental-related needs.

Mr. Branine was involved in the emergency management field for six years with Grant County, Kansas; has been a volunteer firefighter for twenty years; has experience with hazardous materials, radiological monitoring, was a First Aid CPR/AED Instructor; and has taken and completed many courses related to these fields for risk and damage assessment and emergencies, as well as completing OSHA classes.

His experience in facilities maintenance and working with heavy and light equipment and maintaining large commercial buildings, plus budgeting, contracts and bids and bidding and related fields, as well as compliance with local, state and federal guidelines or regulations is a huge factor. His varied background in working with CEOs to inspectors and chairing safety committees, as well as volunteering in the fields of emergency management, Search & Rescue, reserve law enforcement, and serving with several fire departments are just some of the extraordinary assets he will bring to the Port.

Mr. Branine said “I’m honored to have been selected to fill this position and become a member of the Port of Benton team. I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest many years ago and I am excited about the opportunity to make this area my new home.

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