Clear Risk move breathes new life into old JC Penney building
Renovation fulfills long-held vision by former owners.
EPHRATA — New life for an old building.
On Thursday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate a move by Clear Risk Solutions into the former J.C. Penney building in the 100 block of North Basin Street in downtown Ephrata.
Addressing the large group invited to the event, Clear Risk president Rick Templeton and former president Eric Homer said they hope that occupancy of the fully renovated building, which has long sat vacant, is viewed as both an economic and community asset in the downtown business corridor.
The Ephrata Chamber of Commerce is expected to host a “Business After Hours” in the new building later this summer, affording others an opportunity to see the improvements.
Homer said company officials are “grateful for the way this town has treated us and helped the community grow.”
Templeton thanked Clear Risk staff for their efforts in organizing Thursday’s ceremony, several contractors for their work in converting the 7,300 square-foot structure into office space, and Ephrata city officials for their assistance in the permitting process and addressing city, state, and federal code requirements.
He also thanked former owners Mike and Diane Ratigan and their family, who acquired the building from the John and Mary Lee estate in 1998. Mike Ratigan, a longtime local contractor and businessman, passed away in January 2024, but he had long envisioned it being restored in some fashion — possibly as a steak house, said Templeton.
“Mike really wanted to get something done. You could tell he absolutely loved it,” said Templeton, recalling how Ratigan pointed out the quality of the original construction during an early tour of the former retail store.
“I think Mike would be very proud,” Templeton said of the facility’s transformation, which blends contemporary interior styling with an open-ceiling industrial vibe.
He also welcomed Powell Brown, president and CEO of Brown & Brown Inc., who traveled from corporate headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida to attend the dedication ceremony. The Brown family, said Templeton, has long believed in supporting and investing in local communities where its business operations are based.
Templeton also thanked Brian Turnbull, an Ephrata-area native and former downtown business owner who now heads a corporate division of Clear Risk, for his persistence in pursuing the project.
“He made me understand how important this was,” said Templeton, then turning to Turnbull and exclaiming, “Brian, we didn’t screw it up!”
Clear Risk employs about 90 people and personnel began occupying the office about two weeks ago, Turnbull said. The company has a 10-year lease for the property, which was purchased last August from the Ratigan family for $349,000 by BB Ephrata LLC and Jon Alke LLC, a commercial real estate developer for projects in eastern Washington.
Formerly known as Canfield, Ephrata-based Clear Risk Solutions completed its name change in 2015. In operation for over 40 years, the company contracts as a third-party administrator and program manager for multiple insurance pools and carriers in the Pacific Northwest. It was acquired in 2003 by Brown & Brown Inc., one of the largest independent insurance intermediaries in the United States.
Homer now serves as executive vice president of Arrowhead Public Entity, a major business segment of Brown & Brown. Other past and current Clear Risk officials on hand last week included former president Jim Cherf; former executive vice president Phil Riche, and current executive vice president Frank Andrus.
Stephens and Sons of Yakima, who have worked on other Ephrata-area construction, were general contractors on the renovation, which included using an engineered water barrier around the foundation to obtain “dry flood proofing” certification because the building is located in the downtown’s federal designated flood zone.
Turnbull said the company used “as many local vendors as possible” and expressed appreciation in particular to Moore Furniture and Signs Now for their services.
Cost of the overall renovation was not specified.
Canfield/Clear Risk occupied its former office space — now owned by Grant PUD — on Diamond Drive near Walmart from the early 2000s up to December 2024. It then transitioned to the former Washington Trust Bank space on Basin Street under a two-year lease which expires this December.
