Virtual business A virtual business model is at the heart of Treasure Valley Business GroupÔÇÖs continuing growth, Ruari McCallion learns from president and CEO Gary Lim. Back in 1994, Treasure ValleyÔÇÖs first sale was buying excess frozen potatoes from a manufacturer and having them packed under its new brand, TJ Farms. It then sold them to a grocery chain in the Midwest and made a modest profit. That was the beginning of Treasure ValleyÔÇÖs journey to become a global food marketing company conducting business in the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Asia.

Driving changes Few industry sectors have been hit harder than the trucking industry during the recent economic downturn. And if recession wasnÔÇÖt enough, the rising cost of fuel combined with waves of new regulations make 2010 a tough time for road haulers. But Andrew Pelis tells one tale of continued growth, courtesy of Southern Cal Transport out of Birmingham, Alabama. ÔÇ£The industry on the whole has seen a downturn in volume since late 2006 that only began to pick up in the last quarter of 2009.

Deep science for everyone Deep beneath the earth in South Dakota, engineers are building what will be the largest underground research lab in the world. The director of operations for the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority talks to Gay Sutton about the challenges of rehabilitating an old mine for science. The Homestake mine in South Dakota is rapidly returning from closure with a new and ambitious purpose. No longer are its operators searching for gold; the mine is being reopened and refitted with state-of-the-art research laboratories.

Engineering continuous improvement The Ruhlin Company is one of OhioÔÇÖs largest construction companies, and its Civil Division is a major go-to contractor for the Ohio Department of Transportation and other infrastructure clients.

Extending excellence  PERI Formwork Systems is a global market leader in quality and innovation, using German manufacturing excellence to create concrete forms and scaffolding products that serve the construction industry worldwide. Keith Regan learns how efforts under way at PERI Canada seek to extend that level of excellence through the sales, service and support organization as well.

Extending excellence PERI Formwork Systems is a global market leader in quality and innovation, using German manufacturing excellence to create concrete forms and scaffolding products that serve the construction industry worldwide.

Drilling deeper  Orbit Garant Drilling was formed by merger in 2007 and now is one of the top surface and underground diamond drilling service providers to the mining industry in Canada and around the world. Keith Regan learns how vertical integration and customer satisfaction excellence have helped the driller stay busy during down times and position itself for growth as the economy rebounds.  When a mining company needed to quickly commence drilling at a remote gold mining site in Nunavut, it turned to Orbit Garant.

Drilling deeper  Orbit Garant Drilling was formed by merger in 2007 and now is one of the top surface and underground diamond drilling service providers to the mining industry in Canada and around the world. Keith Regan learns how vertical integration and customer satisfaction excellence have helped the driller stay busy during down times and position itself for growth as the economy rebounds.  When a mining company needed to quickly commence drilling at a remote gold mining site in Nunavut, it turned to Orbit Garant.

Building on trust Building an outstanding reputation for construction in the San Francisco Bay Area is a challenge fraught with pitfalls. Yet for Nibbi Brothers General Contractors, the idiosyncrasies of each project represent a labor of love, as Andrew Pelis learns. Nibbi Brothers General Contractors was established back in 1950 when Marino Nibbi, who at the time worked as a carpenter for another general contractor, decided to start his own construction company. Shortly thereafter, his brother Pete joined the business, as did his son Sergio in the late 1950s.

Totally nuts  In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, a fourth-generation family-run nut supplier recently chalked up its second-best quarterly net income since going public in 1991, as Pam Derringer learns.  Jeffrey T. Sanfilippo, chairman and CEO of John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc., says the companyÔÇÖs near-record quarterly results for the $554 million company were due, among other factors, to better inventory controls and a whopping $3.4 million in savings from facility consolidations.