Road ready┬áThe new Powertrain Engineering Development Center at General Motors offers high-tech testing cells combined with modern energy management and green design, Linda Seid Frembes finds out. As the worldÔÇÖs largest automaker, General Motors Corporation (GM) knows a thing or two about cars.

Support for the soldiers┬áAs part of the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) program, Fort Lee Garrison and the Corps of Engineers had six years to create more than 7 million square feet of new facilities. John OÔÇÖHanlon asks Bill Robson how this seeming miracle is being performed. November 2005 may seem a long time ago, but when you see the progress made since Congress approved the BRAC CommissionÔÇÖs plans for a thorough overhaul of the nationÔÇÖs military infrastructure, the three years compress dramatically.

The right direction┬áKeith Regan details how an aggressive acquisition strategy has made it possible for Eveready Directional Boring to be a full-service provider to oil fields and other industries. When Lyle Jeffries first launched his directional boring business in the Canadian province of Alberta, it was with a single piece of equipment capable mainly of helping contractors install utilities without digging open trenches.

Coordinated construction┬áDowntown Calgary is in the midst of a changing skyline. The construction of the Jamieson Place complex will provide the city with cutting-edge design and technologyÔÇöand one of its first LEED Silver buildings, Andrew Pelis learns.

Order in the court┬áOntarioÔÇÖs new state-of-the-art consolidated courthouse is a model for government involvement in infrastructure development and environmentally friendly green construction, Linda Seid Frembes finds. There is a bit of a revival going on in Oshawa, Ontario. Located approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Toronto, OshawaÔÇÖs downtown area is seeing new life with infrastructure projects like a new arena, a new streetscape design, and the debut of the state-of-the-art 450,000-square-foot Durham Consolidated Courthouse.

Keith Regan learns how Connecticut Light & Power CompanyÔÇÖs focus on the delivery side of the industry has enabled it to improve its customer service both in quiet times and during the worst storm events Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) handles the distribution of electric power to 1.2 million customers in 149 communities across Connecticut. Part of publicly traded Northeast Utilities, CL&P, according to Ken Bowes, vice president of customer operations, has a laser-like focus on delivering customers what they want and need.

Sharing the road┬áCRST Malone has carved out a niche for itself as a top flatbed carrier. Keith Regan finds out how an independent contractor model has helped create a culture of customer service excellence and also poses its own challenges, especially in tough times. With roots as far back as the 1920s, CRST Malone has a long history of providing flatbed and specialty trucking services across a large swath of the United States, serving both national accounts and smaller clients.

Suburban green┬áCOPT focuses on environmentally sensitive and sustainable office parks as a key differentiator in its field of commercial development and construction, Linda Seid Frembes learns. According to the US Census Bureau, Americans are spending more than 100 hours per year commuting to and from work, and the nationÔÇÖs longest commutes are in urban centers like New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.  The trend toward suburban office space in urban submarkets has risen over the last decade, partly to alleviate the frustration of urban commuters.

Power in the back office┬áHaving robust technology is vital to the gas or electricity retailer that wants to keep its customers, Commerce EnergyÔÇÖs Mark Podorsky tells John OÔÇÖHanlon. Commerce Energy Group provides energy to both commercial and retail customers. Its headquarters and customer service team are based in Costa Mesa, California, but its operation team is located in Dallas, Texas, which is where I caught up with Mark Podorsky, vice president of operations.

Breaking new ground┬áThe Ann & Robert H. Lurie ChildrenÔÇÖs Hospital of Chicago, the new state-of-the-art childrenÔÇÖs hospital soon to replace ChildrenÔÇÖs Memorial Hospital, will set new standards in pediatric healthcare, Ruari McCallion reports. The feet that stood on the shovel that broke the ground for the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie ChildrenÔÇÖs Hospital of Chicago on April 21, 2008, may have been just regular-sized but they represented a huge step forward in child health in the whole of North America.