Ahead in the sandsBantrel provides a wide range of services for its petroleum clients in the oil sands of Alberta, Gary Toushek discovers. Bantrel began 25 years ago as a small group of engineers with the objective of pursuing gas and oil projects in the Beaufort Sea, north of the Arctic Circle. When a drilling moratorium was put on that region, the group began working for some of the emerging oil sands giants in Alberta, such as Suncor and Syncrude, and as the oil sands grew, Bantrel grew as well.

Amazon.com Inc.

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Making tracksDenverÔÇÖs Regional Transportation District puts light rail expansion on the fast track, Jenn Monroe reports. When first introduced, light rail was not an easy sell in the greater Denver area. Bill Van Meter was a junior transportation planner for the Regional Transportation District of Denver at the time. ÔÇ£When we started the central corridor, one of the big challenges was proving the concept,ÔÇØ he remembers.

A tale of twin citiesA commuter rail system for Minneapolis and St. Paul might never have been accomplished without collaboration among multiple public agencies, Gary Toushek learns. The various organizations with political will who had the determination to push ahead with plans for a commuter rail network for Minnesota look like geniuses today, as the cost of gasoline passes the psychological marker of $4 per gallon.

Conserve and protect┬áMichiganÔÇÖs state prisons are conserving energy with new technologies and the pragmatism of Jerry Elmblad, Gary Toushek learns. Jerry Elmblad is one busy guy these days. HeÔÇÖs on the road a lot, driving from one Michigan state prison to another in his capacity as energy use reduction coordinator for the Michigan Department of Corrections (part of his official role as Building Construction Specialist). There are 41 prisons, some as old as a century, and eight prison camps as well.

Oiling the wheelsOriginally purely a farmersÔÇÖ cooperative, MFA Oil Company has expanded its markets and is investing in technology to drive operating costs down, Ruari McCallion learns from Jerry Taylor, company president and CEO. As the tumult and upheaval of the 1920s reached its pre-Wall Street Crash peak in 1929, a group of farmers in Missouri saw the need for a reliable source of fuel for their machines of the futureÔÇögas- and diesel-powered tractors and harvesters.

Swinging for the fenceWith an enviable cash flow, Highpine Oil & Gas is looking for new opportunities, reports Gary Toushek. Highpine Oil & Gas Limited is a Calgary-based company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas, and gas liquids in western Canada, and currently focused on the Pembina Nisku Fairway in central Alberta. It was incorporated as a private company in 1998 and went public three years ago.

Paving the wayInterstate 95 through Georgia is one of the stateÔÇÖs busiest highways, a well-worn path to the Sunshine State for travelers from the Northeast. Keith Regan learns how the Georgia Department of Transportation is paving the way for growth with an ambitious widening program. As it winds its way from Maine to Florida, Interstate 95 travels 112 miles through the state of Georgia. One of the stateÔÇÖs two major north-south thoroughfares, the highway is a key economic link for the state and its neighbors.

Bentley CollegeBentley College gets the green light for its sustainability efforts, Jenn Monroe reports. As a leader in business education, Bentley College seems a perfect place to calculate the costs and benefits of going green first-hand. The Waltham, Massachusetts, collegeÔÇÖs president, Gloria C. Larson, recently signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging to eliminate the campusÔÇÖs greenhouse gas emissions over time, among other initiatives.