A tale of twin citiesA commuter rail system for Minneapolis and St. Paul might never have been accomplished without collaboration among multiple public agencies, Gary Toushek learns. The various organizations with political will who had the determination to push ahead with plans for a commuter rail network for Minnesota look like geniuses today, as the cost of gasoline passes the psychological marker of $4 per gallon.

Conserve and protect┬áMichiganÔÇÖs state prisons are conserving energy with new technologies and the pragmatism of Jerry Elmblad, Gary Toushek learns. Jerry Elmblad is one busy guy these days. HeÔÇÖs on the road a lot, driving from one Michigan state prison to another in his capacity as energy use reduction coordinator for the Michigan Department of Corrections (part of his official role as Building Construction Specialist). There are 41 prisons, some as old as a century, and eight prison camps as well.

Oiling the wheelsOriginally purely a farmersÔÇÖ cooperative, MFA Oil Company has expanded its markets and is investing in technology to drive operating costs down, Ruari McCallion learns from Jerry Taylor, company president and CEO. As the tumult and upheaval of the 1920s reached its pre-Wall Street Crash peak in 1929, a group of farmers in Missouri saw the need for a reliable source of fuel for their machines of the futureÔÇögas- and diesel-powered tractors and harvesters.

Swinging for the fenceWith an enviable cash flow, Highpine Oil & Gas is looking for new opportunities, reports Gary Toushek. Highpine Oil & Gas Limited is a Calgary-based company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas, and gas liquids in western Canada, and currently focused on the Pembina Nisku Fairway in central Alberta. It was incorporated as a private company in 1998 and went public three years ago.

Paving the wayInterstate 95 through Georgia is one of the stateÔÇÖs busiest highways, a well-worn path to the Sunshine State for travelers from the Northeast. Keith Regan learns how the Georgia Department of Transportation is paving the way for growth with an ambitious widening program. As it winds its way from Maine to Florida, Interstate 95 travels 112 miles through the state of Georgia. One of the stateÔÇÖs two major north-south thoroughfares, the highway is a key economic link for the state and its neighbors.

Bentley CollegeBentley College gets the green light for its sustainability efforts, Jenn Monroe reports. As a leader in business education, Bentley College seems a perfect place to calculate the costs and benefits of going green first-hand. The Waltham, Massachusetts, collegeÔÇÖs president, Gloria C. Larson, recently signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging to eliminate the campusÔÇÖs greenhouse gas emissions over time, among other initiatives.

Putting the pieces togetherAmerican Civil Constructors was built by combining five companies with different but complementary strengths, Gary Toushek learns. In the first year of this new millennium, five construction companies, each with its particular specialty, amalgamated to form American Civil Constructors (ACC):  West Coast Bridge, founded in 1986 in San Francisco, specialized in seismic bridge retrofitting and tunnel rehabilitation, mainly in Northern California.

That small-town feelModern life has all but abolished the sense of community that residents in many large urban areas crave. This Canadian superpower has drawn up some creative plans for a derelict downtown area. Kate Sawyer reports. Devimco, a commercial developer based in the province of Quebec, Canada, has taken on the biggest project in its historyÔÇöthe $1.3 billion restoration of Griffintown, the partially abandoned ÔÇ£old canalÔÇØ district of Montreal.  ÔÇ£We are offering Montrealers a unique urban project.

A sparkling new realityDianor Resources Inc. has been focusing exclusively on diamond exploration for several years now to help meet the worldwide demand for diamonds. Keith Regan gets the details from the companyÔÇÖs CEO. For decades the diamond market was dominated and controlled by the DeBeers cartel, which was able to set prices and help determine which types of diamonds were most sought after by consumers.

Good medicineInvestments in facilities, training and technology are helping Jewish General Hospital in Montreal to remain in the forefront of medicine in Canada, Philippe Castiel tells Ruari McCallion. ThereÔÇÖs always the danger that the presence of a renowned institution can overshadow neighboring organizations, but that doesnÔÇÖt seem to be a problem for MontrealÔÇÖs Jewish General Hospital (JGH). It cooperates well with nearby McGill University Health Centre in teaching and has been hugely successful in attracting and retaining specialist staff.