Arabtec Construction, the UAEÔÇÖs largest contractor by market value, has started groundwork on its first building project in Saudi Arabia, according to chairman Riad Kamal.Excavating started last week on a development in Riyadh, while the company was already seeking further opportunities for contracts in the country, Kamal said in an interview. ┬á┬áArabtec Construction, a subsidiary of Arabtec Holding, is eager to tap growth opportunities in the GulfÔÇÖs largest economy as Dubai's property sector slows.

Conventional wisdomAs part of a resort project in British Columbia, Darwin Construction is building a conference facility to lure conventions to a small resort town, bringing jobs to the area, both construction and post-construction, Andrew Pelis learns. Located in CanadaÔÇÖs only official desert, a boom in property construction is unfolding. The town of Osoyoos is situated in British Columbia, with the picturesque setting of Lake Osoyoos only four minutes from the US border; indeed, the lake itself sits in both countries.

A minnow among whales┬áCanada Energy PartnersÔÇÖ CEO Ben Jones tells Gary Toushek how he left the exploited petroleum fields of Louisiana to explore coalbed methane in the wilds of British Columbia. Ben Jones seems like a down-to-earth character with a charming southern drawl and a drive to succeed. He considers himself a strange mixture, with a degree in engineering and another in theology. His career stomping ground for about 25 years was southern Louisiana, where he was a petroleum ÔÇ£explorationistÔÇØ in the Gulf coast region.

Ethical jewelry┬áWith increased awareness of the environmental damage caused by irresponsible gold mining, Birks & Mayors is among a growing number of retailers who are providing customers with an ethical alternative, as Alan T Swaby learns. In difficult trading times, the conventional wisdom is to cut costs. So why then would an organization choose a path that increases the cost and effort involved in producing its goods, for no appreciable economic benefit?

The nine largest U.S. airlines, including Delta Airlines Inc.

Homes, sweet homes┬áAs New Orleans emerges from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, senior project manager Lane Louque talks to Gay Sutton about the role Woodward Design + Build is playing in revitalizing the local community. Orleans, one of the greatest music centers of the world, was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in what has been described as the worst engineering disaster in the history of the United States.

Thinking beyond the mountain┬áWhistler & Blackcomb Mountain Resort got an environmental wake-up call in the early 1990s and is now on a journey toward becoming truly sustainable. Keith Regan learns how partnerships are a key part of that long-term strategy. When the Olympic Winter Games descend on British Columbia in early 2010, a global spotlight will be on the region and on Whistler & Blackcomb Mountain ResortÔÇöone of the top skiing and snowboarding destinations in North America and the site of many of the gamesÔÇÖ skiing and sledding events.

Finding the right speed┬áWheatland Tube is fortunate enough to be able to face softening demand for its products confidently, thanks to a well-embedded continuous improvement program that it started in the good times, as John OÔÇÖHanlon discovers. From the railings that keep you from falling into the Grand Canyon to the structural columns that hold up your building, there are, when you think about it, a lot of varieties of steel tube and a lot of uses for it.

Try and catch the wind┬áWePOWER is feeling the wind in its sails with an innovative design and a supportive administration in Washington, as founder, chairman and CEO Marvin Winkler explains to Gary Toushek. ÔÇ£There is a focused, dual meaning behind the ÔÇÿweÔÇÖ in WePOWER,ÔÇØ explains Marvin Winkler. ÔÇ£The ÔÇÿweÔÇÖ stands for ÔÇÿwind energyÔÇÖ and also ÔÇÿweÔÇÖ as in ÔÇÿus,ÔÇÖ united for a wind-dependent future. ÔÇ£I view this new era of alternative energy as being analogous to the mainframe and the personal computer,ÔÇØ Winkler continues.

A breath of fresh air┬áThe US Army post at Fort Carson is being greatly expanded under the militaryÔÇÖs Base Realignment and Closure Program. Major Mark Himes of the US Army Corps of Engineers tells Ruari McCallion about the changes. Southwest of Colorado Springs, Colorado, between Interstate 25 and Highway 115, is the US ArmyÔÇÖs Fort Carson. Known as ÔÇ£the Mountain Post,ÔÇØ it has been described as the best hometown in the Army.