2010 Sponsors

ACUITY

ACUITY, headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is a property and casualty insurer that operates in 19 states, writes $750 million in premium annually through 900 independent agencies, manages $2 billion in assets, and employs 850 people. ACUITY has been named to the Ward Top 50 benchmarking of best run insurers in the nation for nine consecutive years and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's.  The word "acuity" is defined as "keenness or sharpness of perception." It also describes our strength of vision for insurance products and services.

Baird

Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in 1919, Baird has more than 2,400 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird oversees and manages client assets of more than $75 billion. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranks number 11 on FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list in 2010 -- its seventh consecutive year on the list.  Baird's principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Baird's private equity operations. For more information, please visit Baird's Web site at http://www.rwbaird.com/.

Bright Horizons

Bright Horizons Family Solutions® (http://www.brighthorizons.com) is the world's leading provider of employer-sponsored child care and early education, back-up care and work/life solutions. The company operates more than 700 child care and early education centers across the U.S., in Europe, and Canada. Bright Horizons® has been recognized for its contributions to the community as the recipient of the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Citizenship. Bright Horizons serves more than 100,000 children and more than 800 clients worldwide, including more than 120 of the FORTUNE 500 and 75 of the "Best Companies to Work For in America" as designated by Working Mother magazine. Bright Horizons was recently named one of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For in America."

CarMax

CarMax is headquartered in Richmond, Va. and currently operates 100 used car superstores. CarMax hires people with the highest levels of personal honesty and professional integrity.  Associates are at the core of our culture. CarMax associates treat everyone with the same level of integrity and trust we want communicated to our customers. The CarMax consumer offer is structured around four customer benefits: low, no-haggle prices; a broad selection; high quality vehicles; and a customer-friendly sales process. "CarMax Cares" is not only The CarMax Foundation's main slogan, but also represents the company's care for customers, associates, and shareholders.  For more information, access the CarMax website at http://www.carmax.com/

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

Chesapeake Energy Corporation is one of the largest producers of natural gas in the nation and the most active driller of new wells in the U.S. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, our strategy is focused on discovering, acquiring and developing conventional and unconventional natural gas reserves onshore in the U.S. With more than 8,000 employees and an enterprise value of approximately $30 billion, Chesapeake intends to continue leading the industry in developing greater supplies of U.S. natural gas in the years ahead.

Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 144,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit www.ey.com.

JM Family

JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (JM Family) (http://www.jmfamily.com/), founded by Jim Moran in 1968, is a diversified automotive company ranked by Forbes as the 30^th-largest privately held corporation in the U.S.  It is currently ranked No. 28 by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, its 12^th consecutive year on the list.  The company is also ranked No. 8 on Computerworld's list of "100 Best Places to Work in IT."  Primary subsidiaries include: Southeast Toyota Distributors, the world's largest independent distributor of Toyota and Scion vehicles; World Omni Financial Corp., a diversified financial services company; JM&A Group, one of the largest independent providers of finance and insurance (F&I) products in the automotive industry; JM Service Center, the company's internal shared services center; and JM Lexus, the largest volume Lexus dealership in the world.  Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Fla., JM Family has major operations in Jacksonville and Margate, Fla.; Commerce and Alpharetta, Ga.; Mobile, Ala.; and St. Louis, Mo.

Mattel

Mattel, Inc., (NASDAQ: MAT, www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. The Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever introduced, Hot Wheels®, Matchbox®, American Girl®, Radica® and Tyco R/C®, as well as Fisher-Price® brands, including Little People®, Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. In 2009, Mattel was recognized among the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" and as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies." In 2010, for the third year in a row, Mattel was named as one of FORTUNE Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For." With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs approximately 27,000 people in 43 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 nations. Mattel's vision is to be the world's premier toy brands-today and tomorrow.

NetApp

 

NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that help our customers accelerate business breakthroughs and achieve outstanding cost efficiency. Our dedication to principles of simplicity, innovation, and customer success has made us one of the fastest-growing storage and data management providers today.  Founded in 1992, NetApp employs approximately 8,300 employees globally and has revenues of over $3.3 billion.  NetApp was ranked the #1 Best Company to Work for by FORTUNE Magazine in 2009, and has been on the "100 Best" list for eight consecutive years.  Discover NetApp's passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at http://www.netapp.com/.

 

Stew Leonard's

Stew Leonard's, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has four stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y.  Stew's earned its nickname, the "Disneyland of dairy stores" because of its country-fair atmosphere, with costumed characters and animated entertainment throughout the store that keep children entertained while parents shop.  Stew Leonard's legion of loyal shoppers is largely due to the stores' passionate approach to customer service: "Rule #1 -- The Customer is Always Right"; Rule #2 - If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1."  This principle is so essential to the foundation of the company that it is etched in a three-ton granite rock at each store's entrance.   The company's culture is built around an acronym for S.T.E.W.: Satisfy the customer; Teamwork gets it done; Excellence makes it better; WOW makes it fun.  Stew Leonard's has been named on Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for 9 consecutive years. For more information, visit Stew Leonard's website at www.stewleonards.com.