Case Studies Region: West

Zeek Szidon wasn’t necessarily having a career crisis at Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods Inc. However, he wasn’t happy with his third-shift job in milling and bagging operations because he disliked the hours and the dust aggravated his asthma. This was in 1996, and after Szidon gave two weeks’ notice, he had a conversation with […]

Every spring, it’s common for college athletic coaches and their assistants to hit the road in search of athletes to recruit. Dr. Farzad Shahbodaghlou, a professor and the founding director of the construction management program at California State University, East Bay, took a recruiting trip in April, too. Only he went to India to recruit […]

Cancer is a frightening diagnosis, so when Michael Monaldo sat down with his team and with clinicians at John Muir Health, they developed a concept for a new treatment center environment that would uplift patients and make it easy for them to find their way to care. The UCSF-John Muir Health Cancer Center will sit […]

By many measures, Blue Arc Electric of Campbell, California, was a thriving business as it neared its 20th anniversary.  It was founded in 2003 by Jared Kroner, who began his career as a journeyman electrician and had become project manager and sales associate at SDB Electric Inc. before launching his company.  About six years after […]

As another Colorado winter inched toward spring, Shon Sparks was counting the days until his favorite annual convention, Connect (X). He’d find himself in good company with other forward-thinking technology innovators and likely rope in more partners for his employer’s ambitious agenda. Director of national real estate at DISH Wireless, Sparks is among those spearheading […]

Houses in the Salt Lake City area run the gamut from historic Victorians to boxy modern custom builds, but one type of architecture that’s not as common is the Arts and Crafts-style home, with its signature sloped roof, wide eave overhangs, front-facing columns and front porch. AMH Living, formerly operating as American Homes 4 Rent, […]

In the world of architecture, engineering and construction, working from home typically isn’t feasible. No one can lay bricks or properly evaluate a metal and concrete foundation from their sofa. Yet, as the adage goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” For Marc Goldman and the AEC industry, that necessity came in the form of […]

Karren Jamaca was working for the biotechnology company Fluidigm (now Standard BioTools) when an explosion on a neighboring floor rocked the company’s offices. Flames engulfed the upstairs tenant’s chemical hood, setting off overhead sprinklers, which sent sooty toxic chemicals raining down on Fluidigm’s server room and multiple laboratories with delicate biomedical equipment. Contaminated water flooded […]

When most students eat their school-issued lunches, they don’t know where the food comes from. Typically, they can assume it’s been mass-produced, frozen or canned. Students at Santa Clara Unified School District, however, don’t need to guess. Their food is grown on campus. “We run a farm here where we grow the food ourselves, harvest […]

Time was when Earl Strotman would have a hands-on role while overseeing facilities for other California healthcare providers. This hasn’t been the case so much at Salinas Valley Health. “Now the union won’t let me touch anything,” the good-natured Strotman says with a chuckle. “I’ve got to wear a suit and tie these days and […]