After writing last year about De BeersÔÇÖ progress towards its first diamond mine in Canada, Martin Ashcroft finally has the opportunity to cover not one, but two official openingsAlong and winding road reached a milestone in July with the historic official opening of two new diamond mines in Canada. On Friday 25 July, De Beers Canada cut the ribbon on its Snap Lake mine, located 220-kilometres northeast of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

Mind over materialsDearborn Fabricating & Engineering Corp. and Mid-West Conveyor Co., two companies founded in 1947, merged in 1995 to become Dearborn Mid-West Conveyor Company. John OÔÇÖHanlon speaks to company president Frank Warmoth about the challenges facing the materials handling industry today. Dearborn Mid-West has spent most of the last 20 years as part of a UK industrial group, Tomkins plc.

The power of customer focusKeith 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. ┬áConnecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) handles the distribution of electric power to 1.2 million customers in 149 communities across Connecticut.

Healthy outlookChristina Ayers, director of the Office for a Healthy Environment at Cleveland Clinic, one of the top five healthcare providers in the US, speaks to Ruari McCallion about sustainable improvement in the built and operating environment. You can tell a lot about the health of an organization by looking at its production of waste.   ┬áIf everything is going into the same waste stream, regardless of source, quality or content, then expect malfunction inside the walls.

Living largeIn a depressed residential market, Signature Place rises above other condo developments, Fred Gordon learns. In Florida, a state currently undergoing a dismal residential market, where at least 75 percent of condominium towers sit in various stages of construction, some completed but most empty, Signature Place, a $170 million development by Tampa Bay-based Cantor Development in downtown St. Petersburg is in its final phase of construction and about 80 percent sold. Why?

A cut aboveCanfor Corporation, a Canadian forest products company based in Vancouver, utilizes every aspect of forestry to maintain a lucrative portfolio of lumber and pulp products. Kate Sawyer reports. As the largest producer of softwood lumber in Canada, Canfor Corporation understands that what gives a company success and longevity is a reactive business model that responds to changing economic conditions.

Already thereAmeriCold Logistics is the largest provider of temperature-controlled warehousing and distribution services in the United States. John OÔÇÖHanlon asks transportation director Greg Bryan how it continues to grow despite the general downturn. From its Atlanta headquarters, AmeriColdÔÇÖs network covers all 50 states, with more than 110 warehouse locations. Efficient management of these storage, loading and transportation interchange points is one of its great strengths.

An environment for healingKeith Regan learns how Altru Health SystemÔÇÖs decision to focus on patient comfort and aesthetics when it renovated and expanded its Cancer Center resulted in a place where patients and families can feel comfortable as they undergo their often lengthy treatments.┬á┬á  Altru Health System provides health services to parts of northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, with 1.5 million square feet of facilities space on its medical park campus.

Gas from grassAlliant Energy is looking at some unexpected sources for electricity and gas, and it is building two hybrid generating plants to take advantage of sustainable fuels. John OÔÇÖHanlon speaks to the man responsible for creating a whole new market. You have to envy Bill Johnson.

A┬ápeople businessAker Construction may be part of a multibillion-dollar global conglomerate, but as Keith Regan learns from two top executives, treating employees like part of a family is a key component in its success. Aker Construction Inc. is the union construction arm of Aker Solutions, which provides a full range of construction, maintenance and renovation services to the North American industrial sector.