Treat employees like they make a difference and they will.

SAS ranks No.1 on the FORTUNE '100 Best Companies to Work For' 2010 list.

"SAS starts with the belief that we are in the business of people – whether that is with customers, employees or business contacts." —Jim Goodnight, CEO, SAS

I enjoyed a brief professional relationship with JG and Co. about a decade ago, when the company was making the transition to a web-based solutions outfit. They've earned and genuinely deserve this latest recognition. Kudos to the whole team. And thanks for sharing the power to know with us all.

Here are some highlights from the company news release:

SAS offers an environment that inspires employees, allowing them to build long-term relationships with customers and focus on solving their business problems. In the face of economic uncertainty and market consolidation, SAS continues its 34-year history of growth and profitability. Our customers use SAS for everything from minimizing credit losses to improving patient outcomes – and contribute to a lively, active SAS community worldwide.

This marks the 13th year SAS has been ranked on the FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For" list in the US. The more than 400 global offices have achieved considerable workplace awards as well. It’s no wonder SAS is the leader in business analytics: software that allows companies to glean greater value from one of their most important, yet elusive, assets – the huge volumes of data they collect.

Iterating is stupid.

This is what greets you when the Pachnoda sinuata or, garden fruit chafer, has its head buried into a flower while feeding. And you wonder if God has a sense of humor?!

Very cool infographic from GigaOm

see the full 600x4200 graphic.

Who's counting?

Yep, (product) art imitating life.

Saw this post on NYTimes Bits Blog this morning and couldn't constrain the smile that it brought thinking back to a bit of musing I posted here on Jan 2 of a year ago. I'm not trying to make a serious connection here. That would be absurd. But it's fun to imagine.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Just a thought in the vein of thinking different.
Sure, it's quite possible that Steve Jobs' health is failing. Then again, insanely great leaders don't just yak about their company or brand strategies, they live them. Passionately. Completely. Just a thought, as I slide my Touch back in my pocket and live on.

Goodnight Tom, wherever you are. Here's hoping your new wings fit better than your 501s.

Double Happiness in the Land of Cleves.

So tonight the NBA announced that Tsingtao has been named the Official Chinese Beer of the Cleveland Cavs. Might seem odd, until you consider how big King James is in China. Looking forward to seeing the Double Happiness slogan appearing at the Q arena next year.

And speaking of Double Happiness, also saw tonight, courtesy of a link via Lev Gonick, that Corning (NYSE:GLW) is stepping up, as I'd hoped, to supply product and design assistance to Case Western Reserve University and 40 community partners in a historic initiative to "test the power of super-high-speed Internet access to change people’s lives in inner-city neighborhoods."

Quoting the news release:

Other organizations joining Case in the initiative include University Hospitals, The Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Hospital System, the City of Cleveland, OneCommunity, the Great Lakes Science Center and a coalition of public safety forces. At full capacity, the program seeks to connect more than 25,000 residents of the city. “Sustainable use and adoption of super-high- speed Internet connectivity in our neighborhoods is about basic human needs,” Gonick says. “If broadband doesn’t speak to the urgent needs around public and personal safety, health and wellness and a wide range of educational initiatives, then Internet access will remain largely irrelevant to a large segment of our population. We are aiming high with this initiative and we are very much looking forward to working with Corning and benefiting from their expertise.”I guess that makes this a day of Double-Double Happiness. Oh, wait, I forgot this morning's freelance gig on a certain brand of Happiness. Not to be greedy, but make mine a Triple-Double.

Just desserts around the breakfast table in Orrville.

It was nice to see this announcement Thursday morning (12/3). I didn't have time to post about it then, but I remember sending out a Tweet to the effect of "The joys of simple plans," linking to the full article.

Reading this article prompted me to go back and revisit the quick pre-invest analysis I posted my way through 11 months prior . It was fun to compare thoughts then and now and to reflect on the value of values. I know it may sound passe, but I never tire of appreciating the strength and undeniability of authentic values stories. This is another shining example, rooted in genuine humility.