Top of VirginiaTwo recent and independent assessments show that the population of northern Virginia has access to some of the best medical treatment to be found anywhere, as Jeff Daniels learns. Last year 3,066 babies were delivered at the five hospitals making up Valley HealthÔÇöa group of not-for-profit healthcare providers located along a 100-mile stretch of the Shenandoah Valley running through rural Virginia, West Virginia and even into Maryland.

The living hospital┬áThe Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, a keynote project for Detroit and southeastern Michigan, is soon to be handed over by Turner Construction Company, John OÔÇÖHanlon learns from project manager Jay McKee. Founded in 1902, Turner Construction CompanyÔÇÖs first job was to build reinforced concrete stairs in the New York City subway system. A century later itÔÇÖs a multibillion-dollar business spread across 43 offices in the United States and realizing projects in the Middle East, Europe, China and India as well.

A moving experience┬áThe aviation industry has been hit harder than most over the last year, but ground support equipment maker TUG Technologies has been weathering the storm. CEO Stefaan Ver Eecke tells Gay Sutton how the implementation of lean manufacturing has made all the difference. Chances are that if youÔÇÖre flying anywhere in the world on business or for pleasure, your baggage and quite probably your plane will be maneuvered around the airport by ground support equipment (GSE) manufactured by TUG Technologies.

It's good to talk┬áWill Smith, vice president of development and construction for The Strategic Group, AlbertaÔÇÖs largest private owners and developers of commercial real estate, explains to Gay Sutton why this young company is both a long-term player and an expert communicator.  The Strategic Group has been in existence for a little under six years, and during that time its activities have mirrored the property boom in Canada.

The compassion to heal┬áSt. PeterÔÇÖs Health Care embarks on its third major expansion over the past 40 years, with an eye on long-term growth and quality patient care, Linda Seid Frembes reports. St. PeterÔÇÖs Health Care Services of Albany is a well-known regional healthcare center in upstate New York. As part of Catholic Health East (CHE), a multi-institutional Catholic health system based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, representing over 20 hospitals from Florida to Maine, St. PeterÔÇÖs consistently ranks as a top performer in the system.

Putting cities back on the map┬áWith a focus on true mixed use and sustainable design, Sand Hill Property Company is helping to bring sunny days back to one California downtown area with its Downtown Sunnyvale project, as Andrew Pelis learns from Reed Moulds. ┬áWith the current economic climate, it seems that every town has a tale of woe to tell.  One city that has been through the mire but is now re-emerging is Sunnyvale, California.

Filling a need┬áKeith Regan learns how staying ahead of technological trends and a focus on training has kept Quality Inspection Services growing.  Few industrial enterprises, manufacturers or construction companies today can avoid the need to closely monitor, test and document their work. The quest for ever-increasing standards of quality, insurance carrier requirements for safety checks and regulatorsÔÇÖ demands have all made testing a top priority at a wide range of industrial and commercial enterprises.

Cracking the nut┬áThroughout the UK, Europe, Australia and Canada, public-private partnerships are an accepted way of procuring new public buildings, but there is still resistance in the US, as Alan T Swaby learns. In a nutshell, public-private partnerships are a way to design, build, finance and maintain community assets such as schools, hospitals or roads, but unlike other financing options, there is then an obligation to provide ongoing maintenance for a certain period of timeÔÇöusually 20 or 30 years.┬á  The public side of the partnership gets what i

Catch the wind┬áA wind of change is blowing through the energy generation sector in Canada, as the St. Lawrence Wind Project attests. You need to be a certain age to remember this, but the British folk singer Donovan had a mega-hit single in 1965 with a song called Catch the Wind. It was a love song, of course, not an environmental statement, but 40-odd years later the world has suddenly fallen in love with the wind. Wind is by no means a new source of energy.

Breaking new ground┬áA new health facility in British Columbia has raised the bar for quality and speed of service as well as maximum value for money, as Alan T Swaby learns. Bringing any major construction project in on time and on budget is something of a feat and should be applauded.