The 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 outAs the worldÔÇÖs largest automaker, General Motors Corporation (GM) knows a thing or two about cars. Founded 100 years ago, the company is headquartered in Detroit and employs approximately 266,000 people worldwide.

Driving smiles┬áFloridaÔÇÖs Turnpike Enterprise keeps its focus on fiscal responsibility, safety and customer service to achieve high satisfaction ratings from motorists, Linda Seid Frembes finds out. FloridaÔÇÖs Turnpike Enterprise oversees more than 460 miles of roadway that service 1.8 million drivers each day. Opened in January 1957, the nearly 52-year-old toll highway has expanded its footprint while increasing revenue and improving efficiency.

New lease on life┬áLinda Seid Frembes learns how an aging New York City skyscraper is getting a total transformation into a modern high-rise office tower, thanks to a hefty investment from private equity firm Equity Office. While most New Yorkers may know it as the old Verizon Building, the property now known as 1095 Avenue of the Americas in midtown Manhattan is a testament to how capital management and construction technology can transform an antiquated high-rise into a modern office building.

Energy independence┬áEnercon Services uses its integrated approach to help utilities navigate the process of pursuing new nuclear power plant licensing, design, construction and energy generation, Linda Seid Frembes learns. Recent spikes in the price of crude oil and subsequent hikes in gas prices have focused the nationÔÇÖs attention on alternative energy sources like nuclear power.

The glow of a bright future┬áKeith Regan learns how Ember Resources has positioned itself to weather any downturns in commodities prices and take advantage of long-term trends. The province of Alberta has become a key producer of energy for much of North America, mining and pumping natural gas to heat and cool homes and businesses across Canada and the United States.

Top honors┬áAt Cross Telecom, attaining top honors in the communications industry is more than just a goal, it is a matter of day-to-day business. Kate Sawyer reports. Cross Telecom, founded in 1996, is fast becoming the premier telecommunications provider in both the private and public sector. In the past decade, it has grown ten-fold, and has capitalized on strategic partnerships to expand and improve.

Growing green┬áColumbia Power recently completed one major power plant upgrade and is about to start work on another, setting the stage for it to help feed the growing demand for sustainable energy in British Columbia, as Keith Regan details.  Since it was formed in 1994, the mission of the Columbia Power Corporation has been to invest in hydroelectric power generation capacity. The provincial corporation and its joint venture partner, the Columbia Basin Trust, bought its first assetÔÇöthe Brilliant DamÔÇöin 1996.

Well-equipped manpower┬áCerPro Energy Services provides value for its clients by investing in its workforce and an ever-growing equipment fleet, Jaclyn Beck reports.  Four years ago, when oil prices began climbing toward $100 a barrel and exploration and drilling companies were pursuing the oil and gas boom that had started in Alberta, industry veteran Peter Pleskie saw an opportunity.

Realizing a vision┬áAs Keith Regan learns, Urban Landmarks and Carma DevelopersÔÇÖ Aurora project in downtown Edmonton is a labor of love and a result of a passion for creating a sense of community in any setting. Carma Developers has a long track record of conceiving and creating planned residential communities in the United States and Canada, with a 50-year track record of projects that blend housing and amenities in cities such as Austin, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Denver, Colorado.

COPT focuses on environmentally sensitive and sustainable office parks as a key differentiator in its field of commercial development and construction, Linda Seid Frembes learnsAccording 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.