W. L. Gore & Associates Marks 12th Year as One of Nation's Best
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Company Earns #15 Position on FORTUNE'S 2009 "100 Best Companies to Work For" List
Newark, DE (January 22, 2009)-W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., maker of GORE-TEX® fabric and thousands of other innovative products, today announced it has earned a position on FORTUNE magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the 12th consecutive year. Gore is ranked No. 15. The full list and related stories appear in the February 2 issue of FORTUNE, available on newsstands on Monday, January 26, and now at FORTUNE.com/bestcompanies.
"Gore is honored to once again earn recognition as one of the best workplaces in America," says company president and CEO Terri Kelly. "Thanks largely to the pioneering corporate culture established by our founders more than 50 years ago, Gore is a place where innovation thrives and where every individual has the ability to contribute to the success of the enterprise. I strongly believe that our culture is our biggest competitive advantage. It directly contributes to our business success and drives associate satisfaction."
According to FORTUNE, a driving factor for the companies on this year's list is that they excel at creating jobs. Of the 100 companies on the 2009 list, 73 are currently hiring.
In his FORTUNE.com blog, managing editor Andy Serwer writes, "No matter what happens with the economy, the demand for talent will remain. Great companies know that super-motivated, happy, world-class employees are an incredible competitive advantage."
Gore is one of only a handful of companies to appear on all of the U.S. "100 Best Companies to Work For" lists since the rankings were introduced in 1984. This includes all 12 FORTUNE magazine lists and all three "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" books. For the past several years, Gore's facilities in the UK, France, Italy and Germany have also been named as one of the Best Companies to Work For in those countries.
About W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
Perhaps best known for its consumer products like GORE-TEX® fabric and ELIXIR® guitar strings, Gore is a leading manufacturer of thousands of advanced technology products for the electronics, industrial, fabrics and medical markets. The company is headquartered in Newark, Del., posts annual sales of more than $2 billion, and employs more than 8,500 associates in nearly 50 facilities throughout the world.
About the FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For" List
Authors Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco initiated the collection in 1984 with a best-selling book, "100 Best Companies to Work For in America." Selection and ranking for this year's list were based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of each company, and the opinions of the company's employees. The latter is given more weight; two-thirds of the total score comes from employee responses to a 57-question survey which goes to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees from each company. More than 81,000 employees from 353 companies participated in the survey this year. It asks about things such as attitudes towards management, job satisfaction, and camaraderie within the organization. The remaining one-third of the score is based on an evaluation of each company's demographic makeup, pay and benefits programs, and culture. Information about applying for the next list can be found at greatplacetowork-100best.com.
About FORTUNE
FORTUNE is a global leader in business journalism with a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million and a readership of nearly 5 million, with major franchises including the FORTUNE 500 and the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For. FORTUNE Live Media extends the brand's mission into live settings, hosting a wide range of annual conferences, including the FORTUNE Global Forum. FORTUNE magazine's online home is CNNMoney.com, the most visited and utilized business destination website.
Contact
Jenny Maher
302.292.4574
jmaher@wlgore.com
gore.com
