Essential elements┬áAndrew Pelis learns how Great Western Minerals Group is striving not only to meet the demand for rare earth elements but also to educate the world about their importance for the future. The clamor for oil and the fear of shortages has become a permanent feature of the Western world. Less obvious is the shortage of rare earth elements and the impact this will have on things we take for granted. The challenge for companies like Great Western Minerals Group Ltd.

A healthy transition┬áMike Schipper explains to Gay Sutton how the newly opened rapid transit system in Cleveland is changing the face of the communities and business districts it services and is leading the way in transport thinking. ClevelandÔÇÖs new $200 million rapid transit system known as the HealthLine BRT (bus rapid transit) was opened to the public in October 2008, two months ahead of schedule, and is the result of 30 months of construction work and traffic disruption.

Big picture results┬áKeith Regan learns how Grantec Engineering Consultants Inc. is working on projects from mine countermeasures to the capturing of wave energy and how it helped the Spallation Neutron Source project bring its Sequoia Spectrometer Instrument online. After nearly 25-yearsÔÇÖ experience performing advanced engineering in the areas of structures, mechanical systems and naval architecture, including his work as the principal structural analyst for the design of the Canadian NavyÔÇÖs Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel (MCDV), Richard M.

As British ColumbiaÔÇÖs largest bridge construction project in over 20 years nears completion, project director Norm Tennock talks to Gay Sutton about the surprises and challenges of building an aesthetically pleasing structure that will ease congestion and complement the beauty of the surrounding areaJust to the east of Vancouver and set into a landscape of forests, meadows, watercourses and majestic mountains, the communities of Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge to the north and Langley and Surrey to the south are separated by the mighty Fraser River. But not for long.

Smart growth┬áWith student enrollment growing as much as 30 percent in some recent years, the Frisco Independent School District has undertaken an aggressive long-term building plan to meet the need for new educational and support space, Keith Regan learns. Located 30 miles north of Dallas, Texas, the Frisco Independent School District has been one of the fastest growing in the United States over the past decade, with 30 percent enrollment spikes in some recent years.  Even as the economy has slowed, growth has remained in the double-digit range.

Flying┬áhigh┬áThe Logistics Center of the FAAÔÇÖs Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center must move people, parts and heavy equipment at a momentÔÇÖs notice, Linda Seid Frembes finds out. The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City is one of only two centers for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and serves as the central logistics organization for the FAA and the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Gateway to the north Phenomenal growth over the past five years has presented Edmonton International Airport (EIA) with some delicious dilemmas.

On the fast┬átrack┬áThe Richmond Oval, built for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in nearby Vancouver, will benefit the City of Richmond long after the games are over, Alan Nicholson tells John OÔÇÖHanlon. When Vancouver was selected to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the City of Richmond, located on the south side of the Fraser River from Vancouver, made an agreement to construct the Oval to host the long-track speed skating events.

View from the┬átop┬áAs Keith Regan learns, Dimeo Construction believes in constantly evolving and improving how it manages projects, as the Ocean House waterfront mixed-use project exemplifies. Dimeo Construction knows that when project owners tap it to serve as construction manager or lead contractor, they are looking to the firm to help take risk out of the project.

Sunshine State construction┬áIn 1981, three men came together to form James A. Cummings Inc., a company constructed with the right stuff, learns Brendan A. Smith.  If you have been to Miami International Airport in the past twenty years you will have seen the FAA Air Traffic Control Tower that James A. Cummings Inc. built as its first official construction project as an incorporated company. The commanding tower, reaching high into the Miami skyline, could have been a symbol of what was to come for James A. Cummings Inc.