Star quality┬áDreams Inc. believes that building a talented team and designing an innovative game plan works as well in selling sports gear as it does in sports itself, Keith Regan learns. Thanks to an almost insatiable appetite by consumers for the apparel and related gear of their favorite teams and players, the sports licensed product and memorabilia business is a massive one, worth approximately $14.5 billion a year. But the traditional nature of the business has often made it a challenging one as well.

Diversify and save┬áCleco Power LLC is investing $1 billion in a new 660-megawatt generator that can burn a variety of solid fuels. Keith Regan learns how that fuel flexibility could enable the Louisiana utilityÔÇÖs customers to save billions over the life of the project.  Seventy percent of the generating capacity at Cleco Power LLC comes from natural-gas-fired generators.

Making a magnet┬áA California city has developed innovative ways of improving public amenities, as Alan T Swaby learns. Forty-five miles east of Los Angeles is the city of Ontario, small fry compared to LA, but nevertheless a city with big ambitions.In actual fact, Ontario is not really that small.

Mining for knowledge┬áCarleton University is leading the expansion of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory to create a major underground particle astrophysics research site. Darryl Boyce talks to Gay Sutton about the challenges of undertaking construction and research in an active nickel mine. Carleton University, situated just a few miles from the center of Ottawa between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River in Ontario, is an attractive site for academic study and research work.

Riding high┬áCaravan Logistics is poised for double-digit growth even in the face of a slowing economy. Keith Regan learns how the company is using hard data and a well-trained and carefully selected staff to drive that growth. For many businesses, outsourcing transportation and logistics is a logical way to contain costs and focus resources on core activities.   The decision to contract out those operations can also be a risky one if the logistics partner doesnÔÇÖt share the same values.

Endless possibilities┬áThe University of Calgary is enjoying the biggest phase of expansion in its 43-year history. Steve Dantzer talks to Gay Sutton about the revolutionary digital library project and why multidisciplinary facilities could stimulate groundbreaking research. In recent years the population of the province of Alberta has been increasing at a tremendous rate, driven by the expanding needs of the regionÔÇÖs huge oil and gas exploration industry.

Gateway to the future┬áBow Valley College is designing its future into its new campus, Jenn Monroe reports. In considering the design of its renovated and expanded main campus, Bow Valley College (BVC) wanted to make sure key components of its mission were represented. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre not trying to make the building into a showcase,ÔÇØ says Bernard Benning, vice president of campus development. ÔÇ£There are no towers and no unbelievable artwork. ItÔÇÖs very comprehensive and businesslike.

The aging Shearwater helicopter base at Halifax, Nova Scotia is getting a new lease on life with a fast-track design-build contract awarded to Bird Construction. John OÔÇÖHanlon gets the story from project manager Bill ZisterBird Construction, established over 80 years ago, serves most market sectors, but having established a niche in military construction projects during the Second World War, it retains a special foothold and expertise in projects for the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND).

The Bank of Montreal goes back nearly 200 years, and now more than ever BMO Financial Group is heavily focused on ÔÇ£making money make senseÔÇØ for its customers, John OÔÇÖHanlon learns from senior executivesNo one needs reminding that ill winds are blowing through financial markets, and BMO has weathered economic cycles in the past. ÔÇ£We understand them, and we know how to manage through the downturns,ÔÇØ said BMOÔÇÖs president and CEO Bill Downe to industry analysts in September.

Performance excellence┬áMartin Ashcroft finds lean returning home to automotive through process improvements in a vehicle rental business. The business philosophy we now know as ÔÇ£leanÔÇØ has its roots in automotive manufacturing with Toyota. Many other industries have since seen its value, and the language of lean can now be heard in the corridors of healthcare facilities and financial institutions ÔÇö anywhere, in fact, where waste can be eliminated from processes.