Some good news for embattled commuters in Utah County: The project to rebuild Interstate 15 there is now officially halfway complete — and on schedule to be finished in December 2012.

The Utah Department of Transportation said the project reached that milestone on Monday. It began construction in April 2010.

This is probably the first time you'll read an article about a pavement maintenance contractor who projects to reach $1 billion in sales in 10 years. That's right, billion. Rabine Group, an umbrella organization for nine companies - six directly related to paving and pavement maintenance - has set $1 billion as its 2021 target, and based on recent growth and plans already underway, CEO Gary Rabine says it's a very reachable goal.

Stander was among the founders of The Ohio State University-Mansfield. He and his father, Carl, donated land for part of the campus, now shared with North Central State College. In recent years, he donated more than 30 wooded acres for academic purposes, including an ecology research site. The local OSU-Mansfield campus named Stander Plaza for him.

Stander earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from The Ohio State University in 1940.

In 2005, Stander received the university's Distinguished Service Award at summer commencement.

John Riedl, a former dean and director of OSU-Mansfield, said Stander was a key supporter of the local campus.

"He was delighted to learn we were starting the first year of the engineering program here, and he had toured the laboratory," he said. "He was very, very pleased that was happening."