Free to grow┬áThe South Carolina Department of Transportation has accelerated an ambitious highway development program to relieve congestion, and John OÔÇÖHanlon learns about progress on its concluding phase, the Palmetto Parkway/Interstate 520, from project manager Claude Ipock. South Carolina is the 11th fastest-growing state in the country, outpacing the national average in terms of major economic indicators.  Growth driven by tourism, business services and international trade has created pressures on the stateÔÇÖs transportation infrastructure.

In a new white paper, Delta Partners, a telecom advisory and investment firm, claims telecommunications operators in the MEA (Middle East and Africa) region could save $8 billion over the next five years by sharing their towers. ┬á┬á "Network sharing is not a recent trend, but the current economic environment, increasing competition and pressure on margins across M markets, is making operators consider it in order to achieve significant savings in capex and opex,ÔÇØ says Victor Font, managing partner.

Future impact┬áA massive $1.555 billion effort is under way to transform the nationÔÇÖs sixth-largest community college district, Gary Toushek learns. The San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) serves approximately 100,000 students each semester at three two-year college campusesÔÇöCity, Mesa and MiramarÔÇöand six continuing education campuses in San Diego.

Sticking to the plan┬áA forward-looking facilities master plan has helped guide the renovation and maintenance decisions of Tarrant County College District for the past five years and will do so for years into the future, Andrew Pelis discovers. Education is one of the cornerstones of society. Maintaining learning centers in the face of growing demand, increasing population and aging buildings can present real challenges to the community. Such has been the experience in one corner of Texas.

Expertise and elbow grease┬áProcon Mining & Tunnelling Ltd. has become a leading provider of mining contracting services in North America and beyond, dispatching its labor force and equipment to remote locations to aid the exploration and mining activities of small and large clients alike, Keith Regan learns.  When Ed Yurkowski and Jim Dales formed Procon Mining & Tunnelling Ltd.

The public face┬áIn less than ten years, Permasteelisa has grown from nothing in North America to a leader in its field, thanks to an impressive international reputation, as Alan T Swaby learns. The staggering amount of rebuilding around the World Trade Center in New York City has kept many curtain wall suppliers busy.

As the economic crisis rattles the US oil and natural gas industry, one company is poised for peak performance when markets recover, reports Brendan A. Smith Peak USA Energy Services helps oil and gas firms reach optimum production levels. Specializing in rig moving, custom heavy hauling, crane and rigging services, general freight, hot shot deliveries, and oilfield transportation, Peak offers more than 20 years of experience backed by a world-class fleet of over 250 trucks.

Long journey, short term results Paper Converting Machine Company got serious about getting lean shortly after it was acquired in 2005 and has since turned in some of the best financial years in its history. Keith Regan learns how the journey is viewed as ongoing, but one capable of producing powerful results along the way.

Be prepared┬áThings donÔÇÖt always go exactly to plan, so having a fallback position is an essential requirement for survival, as Alan T Swaby learns. Coping with adverse trading conditions calls for strategies that have additional benefits to the customer or that set one particular organization apart from the rest. Sometimes they need to be created; at other times they are already in place and simply need switching on.Take the Opus Corporation as an example.

Building a better system together┬áA decision to merge what were once seven hospitals under two systems helped pave the way for London Health Sciences Centre and St. JosephÔÇÖs Health Care, London, to begin a wave of construction that continues today, Keith Regan learns.  Nearly a billion dollarsÔÇÖ worth of new construction and renovation is coming together on the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St.