Century-old City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) is rebuilding from the ground up.

Many reasons can explain why Indianapolis-based electrical contractor ERMCO Inc. has emerged as the go-to firm for high-wattage projects in the region, but Greg Gossett, the firm's vice president of operations, says rocket science isn't among them.

It wasn't that long ago that BMW Constructors Inc., an Indianapolis builder known for down-and-dirty industrial projects, wasn't especially well known among up-and-coming talent in the region.

Trends ranging from resurgent residential markets to emerging energy markets could prove profitable to many Midwest builders and help the region's construction industry heal its wounds after a long downturn.

By its own admission, Kansas City, Mo.-based designer Burns & McDonnell can be a bit of a plodder when branching into new practice areas, a tendency it says sometimes requires patience from management.

In 45 seconds it came and went. Ballast from atop the roof rained down, shattering windows, sending glass shards flying.

For better and for worse, the Midwest is emerging as a tale of two regions: the one that is regaining momentum on the strength of a resurgent manufacturing sector and the other that is idling on the tracks of a derailed economy.

By late August, as the sun set on one of the most scorching summers in U.S. history, it became clear that Monroe, Ohio-based Baker Concrete Construction Co. just might achieve its goal of registering zero OSHA recordable incidents of heat-related injury or illness this season, despite punishing conditions on sites such as that of the new Meldahl Hydroelectric Plant, located east of Cincinnati.

Looks can be deceiving. On paper, the companies on the ENR Midwest Top Contractors list seemed to defy gravity in 2011.

It might sound like hyperbole, but not so long ago Neenah, Wis.-based Miron Construction Co. built the greenest school on earth.