USA and Canada

SunPower Corp., together with NRG Energy and community leaders, have officially marked the start of construction at the 250 MW California Valley Solar Ranch.

Situated in San Luis Obispo, California, the plant is one of the first and largest central station solar power plants in the world.

The utility-scale solar project is creating 350 construction jobs, driving $315 million into the local economy and generating clean, renewable electricity to PG&E for 100,000 homes.

The first 25 MW is expected to go online in the spring of 2012.

Sweden’s SCA has made a binding offer to acquire the EMEA operations of US-based manufacturer Georgia-Pacific, it has been announced.

The price offered by SCA is €1.32 billion.

The proposed transaction includes Georgia-Pacific's consumer and away-from-home tissue paper products and personal care businesses and manufacturing assets across Europe, including consumer brands as well as away-from-home and private label products.

After several years studying renewable energy resources, the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories has announced that construction has begun on a wind farm at the mine site.

Diavik currently relies on diesel fuel for all its energy needs, but the construction of four 2.3 megawatt turbines will provide a capacity of 9.2 megawatts of electricity.

Fortune Minerals Limited and the Tlicho Government have signed a co-operative relationship agreement for the NICO gold-cobalt-bismuth-copper project in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Greg Crabtree shares his ideas on how to simplify the overcomplicated US tax system, for the benefit of entrepreneurs and the economy as a whole.

As an accountant, I have a unique vantage point to observe how entrepreneurs change their decisions based on tax policy. My focus as a business advisor is making businesses more profitable first, then dealing with the tax implications of profit.

Bob Gannicott, Chairman and CEO of Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, and Frédéric de Narp, CEO of the luxury brand Harry Winston Inc, talk about a unique business model, the expansion of an exclusive brand, and about living up to its founder’s commitment to giving back.

The latest technology, the finest materials, the best people and an uncompromising approach to customer service combine to promote growth, as Greg Knight and Jim Wolf explain to John O’Hanlon.

Pontoon boats are becoming an increasingly familiar sight on the lakes and inland waterways of the United States, thanks in no small measure to the innovative approach and dedication to customer service offered by Avalon & Tahoe Manufacturing, a company with a 40-year reputation for building the finest US-made pontoon boats.

From the earliest days of exploration around Lac de Gras in Canada’s Northwest Territories, the Diavik Diamond Mine has worked closely with the Aboriginal people to protect their environment and share the revenue from the mine. Gay Sutton reports

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. today announced the acquisition of Intalite Inc., operating under the name Simplex and based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Simplex designs, develops and manufactures specialty metal ceiling systems for a wide range of market segments and applications, with sales primarily in the United States and Canada.