David Lengacher, a six sigma master black belt, tells us what high dollar consulting firms donÔÇÖt want us to knowÔÇöthere is little return from expensive training programs. The answer is to find the ÔÇ£pullÔÇØ from within. Traditional analysis tools common to continuous improvement initiatives are long overdue for an upgrade, as is the method for selecting those who should be trained in these tools. In todayÔÇÖs business environment, companies are collecting more customer, supplier, and operational data than ever before.

The business of remembrance┬áWilbert Funeral Services, Inc. is the largest supplier of concrete vaults and memorials to funeral directors throughout North America. John OÔÇÖHanlon talks to vice president of manufacturing Denny Knigga about how he is bringing kaizen thinking to the most traditional of professions. The funeral industry deals in bereavement and loss; its image is a timeless one, and nobody would want that to be otherwise.

The green dimension┬áAndy Ball and Phil Williams tell Martin Ashcroft how green building has become a way of life at California-based Webcor Builders. A year ago, when I first encountered Andy Ball, president and CEO of Webcor Builders, he told me that the construction industry was slow to change.

Castles in the sky┬áIt is often said that every manÔÇÖs home is his castle. In San Francisco, new residential castles are nearing completion at One Rincon Hill, despite local concerns about seismic disturbance.  One Rincon Hill is a two-tower residential complex currently under development in the capable expertise of Urban West Associates. Upon completion, the two towers and townhomes will contain a total of 709 residential units.

Campus for the future┬áKeith Regan reports on how the building and renovation projects at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are coming together to create a campus built for todayÔÇÖs students and tomorrowÔÇÖs discoveries. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has long been known for its hugely successful athletics program and increasingly as an internationally prominent center of academic and research excellence. But for most of this decade, the University has also been known for its construction cranes and renovation projects.

Road renovation┬áTransports Qu├®bec, the agency charged with ensuring the safe passage of people and goods throughout the Canadian province, is literally building new lanes to the future, Kate Sawyer reports. Reliable delivery is a crucial element of modern business.

Growth in good times and bad┬áKeith Regan learns how investments in technology made by Towne Air Freight during past economic downturns have set the company up for success and set the stage for a repeat performance. The air freight trucking business is no place for companies that enjoy longevity, with volatile fuel costs, constant consolidation and other challenges creating constant change. Towne Air Freight is an exception to that rule.

Cracking on┬áA year after our first article on Technip Claremont, Martin Ashcroft finds Jeroen Snijder, vice president of operations, very happy about the companyÔÇÖs growth, its ventures into new technologies and the consolidation of its reputation for safety. Since I first spoke to Jeroen Snijder, vice president of operations for Technip Claremont, the company has enjoyed a period of solid growth. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve almost reached 500 employees now,ÔÇØ says Snijder.

Degree of┬átrust┬áWith university degrees being almost compulsory within the modern corporate structure, itÔÇÖs interesting to see that businesses can still be hugely successful when guided by men of vision, if not holders of MBAs, as Alan T Swaby learns. ItÔÇÖs probably fair to say that when Richard Purkey established his metalworking business back in 1978, the last thing he expected was to see it develop into the substantial international business it has become today.┬á Back in the late 1970s, PurkeyÔÇÖs grassroots way of doing businessÔÇöfabricating w

An integrated team┬áVice president of facilities Brad Pollitt tells Gay Sutton how he has successfully shielded Shands HealthCareÔÇÖs latest project from the soaring cost of raw material, while creating an environment that nurtures patients, staff and the environment. A private not-for-profit organization, Shands HealthCare operates eight hospitals and a host of outpatient facilities in Florida and is currently engaged in the first phase of an ambitious expansion program at its thriving and highly regarded University of Florida academic medical center ca