Headquarters:
Cary, N.C., USA
2011 revenues:
$2.7 billion
2011 rank:
2
Software company SAS climbed to the top of the global list this year, edging up from the No. 2 spot it held last year. So what makes this company so great to work for? Well, for one thing, its leaders are certainly accessible. CEO Jim Goodnight hosts monthly "Conversations Over Coffee," unscripted breakfast meetings that are open to all employees. Any topic is fair game. These conversations are so popular that other division heads have begun to hold similar events for their employees. SAS has an extremely low voluntary turnover rate of 2.6%, in part because of its positive working environment. "I haven't felt so intellectually alive in any other place I have worked," says one employee.
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