Starbucks Corporation has announced the closure of approximately 600 underperforming company-operated stores in the US, as the next step in its plan to transform the company.  ┬á The Seattle-based coffee chain had already announced plans to close 100 US stores. The decision to add another 500 to that figure is the result of ÔÇ£a rigorous evaluation of the US company-operated store portfolio,ÔÇØ the company said.┬á┬á The majority of the store closures are scheduled to occur from now until mid-2009.

Colorado CollegeSustainability through conservation and renewable energy is underpinning the curriculum and inspiring the students at Colorado College, Gary Toushek discovers from George Eckhardt, assistant director of facilities services. Colorado College is a private liberal arts college located at the foot of PikeÔÇÖs Peak in the Rocky Mountains, at the edge of Colorado Springs on 90 acres of land with a campus of two million square feet for the approximately 1,945 undergraduate students.

Staying out of the redSenior director of capital planning Rick Gowrie tells Jenn Monroe how Rouge Valley Health System builds a healthier future for its community. Renovation projects are rarely convenient, but the Rouge Valley Health SystemÔÇÖs capital projects and facilities staff has found a good way to stay focused. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm a planner by background and education,ÔÇØ says Rick Gowrie,┬áÔÇ£and the focus of our group is the end resultÔÇöthe improvement to patient care and service delivery.

Terminal careThe ÔÇ£newÔÇØ president and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority, Patrice Pelletier, has a vision for the future, which he shares with Gary Toushek. The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) operates the worldÔÇÖs largest inland port year round, covering a 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) spread on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The MPA operates its own 100-km rail network, providing direct access to berths, and is linked to two major railways (Canadian National and Canadian Pacific) and a highway system.

Refining the processPasadena Refining SystemÔÇÖs Capital program follows a strong set of management principles based on accountability and anticipating potential problems, Keith Regan reports. Like other petroleum refiners, Pasadena Refining System, Inc. (PRSI) of Pasadena, Texas, was facing a mandate from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to produce gasoline with lower sulfur content.

A century in the makingThe Second Avenue subway project has been on the drawing board since before the Great Depression. Now, as progress finally is being made on the massive project, Keith Regan learns how the agency overseeing construction is managing the challenges. For decades starting in 1881, the East Side of Manhattan was served by north-south public transit lines that ran on elevated tracks.

Climbing the rankingsG&D Integrated began as a trucking company, but it has found most of its growth from offering supply chain and manufacturing logistics support to its customers, Keith Regan reports.┬á Although it has a long history that stretches to its roots as a freight hauler in the horse-and-wagon days of the 1880s, Morton, IllinoisÔÇôbased G&D Integrated has rapidly become a top-tier provider of inbound supply chain logistics.

Performing assetsStephen R. Brunner shares with Martin Ashcroft his strategy for turning Constellation Energy Partners into a top performing oil and gas production company. Stephen Brunner was appointed chief operating officer of publicly held Constellation Energy Partners LLC in February this year. Before the end of March, the roles of president and CEO were added to his responsibilities.

Serious about sustainabilityBill Yarwood and Pat Nahan tell Keith Regan how Central Washington University has dramatically reduced energy consumption, even as its campus has grown. If anyone doubts that focusing on sustainability can help an organizationÔÇÖs bottom line, the story of Central Washington University should change their minds.

I am hugely impressed with the involvement of the current generation of college students in sustainability and environmental initiatives.