Andrew Pelis learns how improved facilities, a focus on innovation and a booming market add up to a promising future for IDEXX LaboratoriesPet care specialist IDEXX Laboratories is undertaking the renovation phase of a $75 million project to expand and update its flagship facilities in Westbrook, Maine.The need for expansion has been driven by the companyÔÇÖs success in adopting a blueprint formulated by Jonathan W.

You can bet on it┬áThe new Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, is unique in several respects, Indiana president and general manager Rick Mazer explains to Gary Toushek. Rick Mazer learned the casino business the old-fashioned, effective way, by working his way up from near the bottom. He began by training as a table games dealer at the Caesars Boardwalk Regency Hotel, which opened in 1979 as Atlantic CityÔÇÖs second casino.

Richard Stolle, president and COO of Homburg Invest, explains to Gay Sutton how anticipating growth markets has enabled the company to build a strong and wide portfolio that provides security in the current difficult timesThink property now and you think of falling prices and increasing losses.

Built to last Quick to see and exploit new opportunities, Heyl & Patterson Inc. is nevertheless a company that nurtures its people.

Repeaing the rewards of reputation┬áHelix Electric of Nevada is now enjoying the results of its steady growth and track record for solid work, with its name up in lights on some of Las VegasÔÇÖs highest-profile projects, as Keith Regan explains. In 1995 Helix Electric was the new kid on the block in the Las Vegas electrical contracting market, a startup eager to prove its merit with the cityÔÇÖs top builders and project owners.

High opportunities┬áDeveloping urban villages in appropriate cities is a priority for Harvard Developments, Gary Toushek learns. Regina, SaskatchewanÔÇôbased Harvard Developments Inc., the primary operating entity of the family-owned Hill Companies (established in 1903), manages and owns property, and develops commercial, retail and residential real estate in parts of western Canada and the US.

Patient privacy┬áKeith Regan learns how Halifax Medical CenterÔÇÖs building project modernizes healthcare delivery to the fast-growing Florida population without losing touch with the past. Halifax Medical Center of Daytona Beach is the Florida coastal cityÔÇÖs primary hospital, featuring the areaÔÇÖs only Level II trauma center and the only pediatrics emergency department.

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.