When investment bankers consider a merger or acquisition, they talk about efficiency. Business 101 professors theorize about synergy. But the actual work involved in blending the strengths of two organizations, realizing efficiencies and harnessing synergies to yield bottom-line results usually takes several years and often falls on the shoulders of real people like Brian Johnson. 
 
Strategic equipment realignment
 
As general manager for Alsco Inc. in Denver, Johnson oversees operations at the company’s two processing facilities in that city. The Cook Street plant has been part of the company’s lineup since 1970. Its production has ...