A reputation for innovationKeith Regan learns how North American Development GroupÔÇÖs comfort level with more complex projects has helped it add some innovative developments to its portfolio. North American Development Group (NADG) has been in the business of developing retail centers for more than 30 years and over that time has had a hand in developing, redeveloping or acquiring some 17 million square feet of retail and related space.

A healing environmentDon Marty shares with Jenn Monroe MeritCareÔÇÖs vision of healing and sustainability. As it celebrates a century of serving the healthcare needs of the greater Fargo, North Dakota, region, MeritCare is already making plans for the next 100 years. Since it was established in the early 1900s as Fargo Clinic and St. LukeÔÇÖs Hospital, MeritCare has expanded its service area 250 miles west to east, from Jamestown, North Dakota to Bemidji, Minnesota.

A diversified portfolioFor over a century, Seattle-based Lease Crutcher Lewis has ridden out the ups and downs of the economy through a diversified portfolio of work, innovation, and an adaptable approach to meeting client needs, Gary Toushek learns. In 1886 in Great Falls, Montana, carpenter Newton Lease and a partner formed general contractor Lease & Leigland. Soon this was a leading Montana contractor, building projects such as the Cascade County Courthouse.

A private construction company financing a public sector highway project? ItÔÇÖs happening out in the West Texas town of El Paso. Gary Toushek drives up for a closer lookForty-two years after being founded by James D. Abrams Sr. in El Paso, Texas, heavy civil construction firm J.D. Abrams, L.P. is deeply entrenched in the city, building infrastructure for an expansion of the area.

Building the future of healthcare Keith Regan learns how Iowa HealthÔÇôDes MoinesÔÇÖ building program rises on a foundation of thinking first about patientsÔÇÖ comfort, safety and satisfaction. Iowa HealthÔÇôDes Moines has long recognized the need to grow beyond the three major hospitals already in its networkÔÇöIowa Methodist Medical Center, Blank ChildrenÔÇÖs Hospital and Iowa Lutheran Hospital. In fact, plans for a fourth major hospital have been on the drawing board since 2002.

A strong currentAs the official energy supplier to the Province of Qu├®bec, Hydro-Qu├®bec finds energy in both the water and the air. Hydro-Qu├®bec owns and operates 53 power generating facilities across the Province. In 1944, the Qu├®bec Hydro-Electric Commission was created by the provincial government from the electric and gas assets of Montreal Light, Heat and Power Company Consolidated.

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.