A Delone by any other name

Port commissioner to take on board presidency, again

MOSES LAKE — In his lifetime, Delone Krueger has been called a lot of names.

He's not quite sure why his parents chose to name him Delone, seeing as how his siblings are named Gene, Charles, Dave, Bob and Nancy.

"It's a French name," he said of his moniker.

In school, he said, his friends would like to wait for the teachers to garble it, and when people call, he gets all sorts of interesting variations from people who are certain his actual name is a misspelling of something else.

But make no mistake — he is Delone Krueger, and next year, that will mean he is president of the Port of Moses Lake Board of Commissioners again, as that title rotates amongst the three commissioners each year.

Krueger assumes the title from Larry Peterson, who will become secretary. Kent Jones will replace Krueger as vice president. All officials were sworn in at the port meeting Monday afternoon.

Krueger said that as president, he hopes for continuity for the port in the next year. That includes continued work on relocation of rail service from the Wheeler corridor and extended onto the port's industrial park.

Without rail service, the port does not even have the chance to talk to some companies, he noted. Krueger said he remembers when Moses Lake was considered as a site to house Boeing's 787 project. It was predicated on having a viable, operational rail line in town.

That project is in the study stage now, Krueger said. More will be known in the first quarter of the new year.

Other projects include continuing to better utilization of Grant County International Airport. One tech-stop program would allow a cargo freighter to fly in from the Far East — Taiwan, Japan and the like — stop at the airport to offload some products and refuel before continuing on to the east coast, he said. The Port continues to work with people in Taiwan to develop the program, Krueger said.

The year also saw the port's efforts to maintain its Essential Air Service with Big Sky Airlines, changing from flights to Seattle to flights to Portland and Boise. The Boise flight has proven popular, Krueger said, adding the port would like to see more flights per day, but it's a matter of demand.

The port did not see a lot of direct growth in 2005, he said. Projects are ongoing. He extended kudos to Peterson and to port manager Craig Baldwin.

Krueger was approached to join the port district about 20 years ago, through people in the Rotary Club, he said.

He moved to Moses Lake with his family in 1946, as his father began the Columbia Basin Machine Company with a partner, in a building which still houses the operation today.

Moses Lake was not a very large city, not even a town, at that point, he noted, and Delone would often be on site at his father's business.

Krueger attended Washington State University in 1962, majoring in business, and went into the Army, first on active duty and then as an enlisted reservist.

He pursued a career as an airline pilot, obtaining his private and commercial license and setting out to present himself to airlines. But the Korean War had ended and many of the military pilots were seeking employment, so the airlines were "not real interested" in a single-engine pilot, Krueger recalled.

At that time, he talked with his father about being more involved with the family company. Ultimately, he decided to stay and presently holds the title of owner and president at Columbia Basin Machine.

Krueger said he enjoys the challenges of working with metal products and helping people with their needs. Many times their frustrations are repairable, he said. Krueger is able to fix something with a fourth of what his customers would have to put into it.

He married wife Eileen in 1968. They have three daughters: Lisa, Kimberly and Michelle.

Kent Jones said when he was originally selected by Krueger and Larry Peterson to fill a vacant position on the port's board of commissioners, he told them he thought it was extremely important for the three people on a three-person commission to get along. Years later, that still exists for the port board, Jones said.

"Delone is one of those guys that I learn how to be more polite and courteous to people," he said, noting his tendency is to be more direct. "When I watch Delone, I get to learn that part."

"As he has done before when he's been president, he will do an excellent job," Peterson said of Krueger. "He's been devoted to the port and to the things we're trying to accomplish."