Technology at a premiumMichael Browne, president and chief executive officer, tells Andrew Pelis how new technology creates a competitive edge in the insurance business. Having started out in 1917, Harleysville Insurance has gone from strength to strength, with innovation and technology set to play a prominent role as the insurance group heads towards its centenary. Today the company is represented by approximately 1,800 employees and works with about 1,400 agencies across 32 states.

Claude Lemasson tells Gary Toushek how people-centric policies have helped Goldcorp go from junior miner to the worldÔÇÖs second-largest gold companyThese days Claude Lemasson spends a lot of time traveling between his Toronto office and the James Bay area of northern Qu├®bec, looking after his current priority, the ├ël├®onore project, a major new gold discovery situated within a relatively unexplored area of James Bay, in Cree Nation of Wemindji territory.

While lean and continuous improvement have been part of the culture for some time at Flowserve Corp., Keith Regan learns how the company is looking to extend its initiatives into supply chain and logisticsAlthough Flowserve Corp. celebrated its 10th anniversary only recently, the companyÔÇÖs roots reach back more than 200 years to the 1790 founding of Simpson & Thompson. TodayÔÇÖs Flowserve, based in Irving, Texas, was formed by the merger in 1997 of BW/IP and Durco International.

Traditional food for the massesKeith Regan learns how the passion of FGF BrandsÔÇÖ founders is being carried into the future by two generations who share the same philosophies. When Sam Ajmera and Jim White co-founded FGF Brands in mid-2004, the duo was bringing decades of experience in the food industry to bear on their new venture.

Riders on the stormSteve Holcomb of Emerald Coast Utilities Authority explains to Andrew Pelis the steps the authority is taking to recover from the damage from recent hurricanes. Florida has endured more than its fair share of hurricane damage over the past decade.

Nothing but upside When Compton Petroleum learned of cutting-edge technology that could increase safety, protect the environment and save money, the company moved quickly, as Keith Regan explains. When John Kendrick, manager of environmental, health and safety at Compton Petroleum Corporation learned of a new infrared camera technology that could help pinpoint gas leaks, he began to do his homework and prepare a case for laying out the capital expenditure to acquire the technology. ÔÇ£I put together a PowerPoint presentation with maybe 20 slides or so,ÔÇ

Quality people, quality productThe Conlan CompanyÔÇÖs founder tells Keith Regan that the firmÔÇÖs growth came by focusing on the safety and happiness of the people who make the company tick. When the Conlan Company got its start in 1987, the construction firm focused on office and light industrial projects in the Atlanta region. Later it began to add medical facilities to its expertise. As it grew, it continued to focus on delivering quality projects each and every time out, says Gary Condron, the companyÔÇÖs founder and chief executive officer.

Choate Construction has never missed a deadline, which may help explain its strong and steady growth. Company founder and CEO Millard Choate tells Keith Regan how strong internal process controls ensure projects are done right first timeSince being founded in Millard ChoateÔÇÖs basement in 1989, Choate Construction has experienced dizzying growth.

Forty years after being founded by three like-minded architects, CBT remains focused on creating a strong culture where leadership is valued and creativity fosteredCBT Architects began as a part-time collaboration between three founding principals, Maurice Childs, Richard Bertman, and Charles Tseckares, and secured two early projects, one a small art gallery in Boston, the other, a Greek Orthodox Church in a suburb north of Boston.

Balancing actBeing a construction project manager means juggling a routine with shifting priorities, Matt Irwin explains to Gary Toushek. Matt Irwin has just come from the job site of the project heÔÇÖs working on at the moment, adjacent towers of residential housingÔÇöa 12-story, 136-unit, design-build, low-income family building (designed by architects Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz) and an 11-story, 107-unit seniors building (designed by KMD Associates, local architecture firm Kodama Diseno)ÔÇöin downtown San Francisco.