Cover-All Building Systems Inc., headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has halted production and laid off hundreds of workers after being granted protection from its creditors by the Court of Queen’s Bench in Alberta on March 25. Most of the company’s 483 employees work in Saskatoon, with the rest located in Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, the United [...]

Tri Vantage offers version 4.12 of Canvas Link Awning Composer, an updated version of its popular awning design software that includes many new and enhanced features to make the program more powerful, versatile and easier to use. Among the enhancements to the new software is a casual furniture component, which allows users to fully customize [...]

A historic, three-story brick carriage house at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, Va., needed updating, repair and an image makeover to attract graduate students in advertising and media. Instead of breaking down the old, VCU integrated the new—an open space with noise-damping, tent-like walls that can be reconfigured to customize classrooms and conference space at [...]

Even during a lingering recession, it’s business as usual for A&R Tarpaulins Inc., which recently expanded its facilities in Fontana, Calif., to add new workspace and renovate buildings. Business remains robust for the engineered fabric product manufacturer; the company recently passed its ISO 9001 and AS9100 certification reviews with zero corrections, certifying that A&R operates [...]

Approximately 100 shipwrecked vessels in the Baltic Sea are infested with shipworms, a species of bivalve mussel often called the “termites of the sea” because they break down wood structures immersed in water. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, estimate that 100,000 well-preserved shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea—many of them studied by archaeologists who [...]

Earthquake survivors struggling to find food, water and shelter in Jacmel, an area in southern Haiti, received 250 boxes from an organization founded by the Rotarians. The unassuming-looking 110-pound ShelterBox can be used as a 49-gallon water tank, food box or cot. Its contents include a 10-person tent, vinyl-insulated sleeping mats, thermal blankets, water purification [...]

More than 3.5 billion people worldwide tuned into the 2010 Olympic Winter Games during 17 magical days in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Alpine skiing champion Lindsey Vonn’s uncle knew the world would be watching, and worked with Banner Creations, Minneapolis, Minn., to create a memorable message of support for the gold medal winner. The banners [...]

Each destination at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver featured a 40-foot wayfinding tower changing from red to white to blue, showing visitors the way to Cypress Mountain, Whistler Olympic Park, BC Place and nine other competition venues. The “Nordic combined” cross-border team landing the bid for the towers and 200 custom signs consisted of [...]

The Cubicle Curtain Factory, West Palm Beach, Fla., continues its quest to bring privacy and cost savings to health care facilities with its Simply 66 curtains. The modular product installs without a ladder (reducing worker falls and injuries), can allow replacement of just one panel instead of re-washing an entire curtain, and comes in antimicrobial [...]

Experts estimate that one of ten hospitalized patients acquires an infection, despite scrupulous cleaning and infection control measures in health-care facilities. A disinfecting wipe is effective only if its fibers are small enough to capture bacteria, blood-borne pathogens and other microscopic infectious agents. UMF Corp., Wilmette, Ill., has developed wipes with high-performance three-micron ultramicrofibers™—300 miles [...]