Well, the annual beauty contest winners were just announced. Every year, Fortune magazine surveys businesspeople to find out which companies they most admire. The results read like a who's who of the Fortune 500. Gee, I wonder why. Could it be that these are the companies that are the most well known? Does it make them better than a small, local company that provides outstanding service to its clients, treats its vendors with respect, is honorable to its employees, and provides a great return on investment for its shareholders? Of course not. But if you're the type of person who takes pride in working for an organization with a well known and well respected name, then pull out your resume and mail it to:

1 General Electric
2 FedEx
3 Southwest Airlines
4 Procter & Gamble
5 Starbucks
6 Johnson & Johnson
7 Berkshire Hathaway
8 Dell
9 Toyota Motor
10 Microsoft
11 Apple Computer
12 Wal-Mart Stores
13* United Parcel Service
13* Home Depot
15* PepsiCo
15* Costco Wholesale
17 American Express
18 Goldman Sachs Group
19 Intl. Business Machines
20 3M

* Tied. Aren't ties kind of like kissing your sister? Sure, it is a kiss. But it is your sister.