┬áObsessive propulsionMarine propulsion systems designed and manufactured by Thrustmaster of Texas are used all over the world, Gary Toushek learns. When it was founded in Houston in 1984 by owner and president Joe Bekker, Thrustmaster of Texas was a small manufacturer of outboard, deck-mounted propulsion units. Bekker is a graduate (with a degree in mechanical engineering) of the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands and was always interested in propellers and propulsion systems, especially for marine applications.

The public is watchingImproving the transportation infrastructure in East Texas is a public service requiring responsibility and accountability from everyone involved. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) describes its mission as being ÔÇ£to work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods.ÔÇØ It aspires to the vision of being ÔÇ£a progressive state transportation agency recognized and respected by the citizens of Texas.ÔÇØ One of TxDOTÔÇÖs 25 districts that certainly lives up to that vision is the Bryan

A new hospital for a new centuryIt has served the people of Illinois right through the 20th century; now Sherman Hospital is relocating to a new campus that will see it through the 21st. John OÔÇÖHanlon gets the full story from project specialist Dawn Stoner. Sherman Hospital treated its first patients in 1888, with four beds and one treatment room.

The greening of QueenÔÇÖsOntarioÔÇÖs QueenÔÇÖs University takes a realistic approach to sustainability, Jenn Monroe reports. In one year, September 2009, QueenÔÇÖs University in Kingston, Ontario, is planning to celebrate the completion of Phase I of its QueenÔÇÖs Centre, a new athletics, recreational and student life complex that will feature the new School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, a varsity gymnasium, an aquatic center, a fitness and weight center, and an underground parking garage.

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

The winning formulaThe oil and gas production business is enjoying good times on the back of high demand, but Pure Energy is investing in the future as well. Ruari McCallion takes a closer look. Time, money and energy sounds like something Albert Einstein would have developed a formula to describe. Superficially simple, like E = MC2, behind it would be calculations and theories that would make your brain hurt. There is, however, a purer simplicity about the relationship between time (T), money ($) and energy (E): TE = $.

Better healthcare by designOWP/PÔÇÖs healthcare practice director Deb Sheehan tells Keith Regan that the firm focuses on the care itself first and the bricks and mortar second. OWP/P has carved out a global reputation for its integrated architecture, interior design, engineering and consulting work to clients worldwide.

A reputation for innovationKeith Regan learns how North American Development GroupÔÇÖs comfort level with more complex projects has helped it add some innovative developments to its portfolio. North American Development Group (NADG) has been in the business of developing retail centers for more than 30 years and over that time has had a hand in developing, redeveloping or acquiring some 17 million square feet of retail and related space.

A healing environmentDon Marty shares with Jenn Monroe MeritCareÔÇÖs vision of healing and sustainability. As it celebrates a century of serving the healthcare needs of the greater Fargo, North Dakota, region, MeritCare is already making plans for the next 100 years. Since it was established in the early 1900s as Fargo Clinic and St. LukeÔÇÖs Hospital, MeritCare has expanded its service area 250 miles west to east, from Jamestown, North Dakota to Bemidji, Minnesota.

A diversified portfolioFor over a century, Seattle-based Lease Crutcher Lewis has ridden out the ups and downs of the economy through a diversified portfolio of work, innovation, and an adaptable approach to meeting client needs, Gary Toushek learns. In 1886 in Great Falls, Montana, carpenter Newton Lease and a partner formed general contractor Lease & Leigland. Soon this was a leading Montana contractor, building projects such as the Cascade County Courthouse.