Circle of knowledge┬áEllisDon is constructing a state-of-the-art LEED Gold-certified building for Nova Scotia Community College that will educate students in the building trades. Grab your composition pad and come along with April Terreri to learn more. Some might describe the construction of the Centre for the Built Environment (CBE) at Nova Scotia Community College in Dartmouth, near Halifax, as a veritable learning lab.

A SMART┬áapproach┬áDixon Ticonderoga is best known for making the No. 2 pencils used by millions of students on standardized tests. As Keith Regan learns, Dixon is focusing on operational excellence and restoring employee pride in a formidable 200-year-old brand using lean six sigma methodologies. The Dixon Ticonderoga Company traces its roots back to 1795. Today, itÔÇÖs part of the FILA family of companies and manufactures and distributes a host of office supplies and promotional items, including the No.

Growing in all directions┬áIn May of 2004, Dallas County voters backed a $450 million bond issue to support the growth and expansion of the Dallas County Community College District. Greg Andrews explains how the district is managing that work and reaching out to the design and construction industry to forge lasting partnerships. The Dallas County Community College District was formed in 1965 and today serves a sprawling metropolitan area of some 2.4 million people and 860 square miles.

Linger and learn┬áAs it wraps up a 2002 bond program and gets into the heart of a 2006 bond issue for building and renovation work, Contra Costa Community College District in California is focusing on harnessing the power of targeted investment to transform campuses and the communities that host them, Keith Regan finds out.  As part of a 2002 bond issue to upgrade and expand the facilities of the Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD), Contra Costa College and Diablo Valley College received several new and renovated buildings.

Reaching out┬áKeith Regan learns how CalgaryÔÇÖs light rail transit system is growing in a green manner, roaring past construction and design challenges and keeping community relations in the front car.  The residents of Calgary, Alberta, have consistently shown that theyÔÇÖll use the Calgary Light Rail Transit, or CTrain system, from the time the first station and small section of track line opened to riders from 7th Avenue in downtown to Anderson Road in 1981.

The learning curve Managing the construction and renovation of public schools in one of the fastest-growing counties in the country is no small task.

Everything old is new again┬áKeith Regan learns from two senior bridge engineers how the California Department of Transportation is eager to work with contractors to bring new and little-used techniques into the mix to help address environmental and other constraints.  The stretch of State Route 1 that runs between the Northern California communities of Pacifica and Montara about 20 miles south of San Francisco is one of the most breathtaking parts of the famous Pacific Coast Highway, which has been memorialized in song, photographs and films.

Current affairs┬áThe twentieth century saw great advances in the generation of power. Throughout that period C&D Technologies has been one of AmericaÔÇÖs pioneering electrical businesses, helping to energize industry through innovation. C&D Technologies, steeped in history, has today become a global entity and continues to push the boundaries of new technology from its world headquarters, located in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

The problem solvers┬áLife as a bridge engineer and designer is never dull. Peter Taylor, co-founder of Buckland & Taylor, talks to Gay Sutton about the challenges of solving modern bridge engineering problems. Bridge designers are achieving some tremendous feats of engineering, and the science of bridge design is growing fast. Take the Rion-Antirion Bridge in Greece, a structure over three kilometers in length that spans the narrowest section of the western end of the Gulf of Corinth, joining the Peloponnese with the Greek mainland.

Homing in┬áStarting up a business in the current economic climate might seem a risky proposition, but 30 years of construction management experience and a sky-high reputation for building high-rise apartments have provided firm foundations for a burgeoning business, Andrew Pelis learns. Bluescape Construction Management came to fruition around a year ago, but principals Pat Sena and Louis J. Hack had worked together for over five years previously.