SAS on FORTUNE Best Companies to Work For list in US

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Business analytics leader proves great workplace is good for business

CARY, NC  (Jan. 19, 2012)  – Business analytics leader SASis No. 3 on FORTUNE magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in the US, marking the ninth time the company has been ranked in the top 10. A mainstay onFortune's list every year since its 1998 inception, SAS was praised for work-life balance, health care and child care. Consistently recognized for benefits and work-life programs, SAS believes that happy, healthy employees are the key to the innovation that supports SAS' leadership in business analytics.

"Our employees are the lifeblood of our success," said SAS CEO and co-founder Jim Goodnight. "This caps a tremendous year for us at SAS. We achieved our 36^th year of record revenue, grew our workforce by 9.2 percent and delivered more software in 2011 than ever before. Entering another year, we will continue our deep investment in employee satisfaction."

Jenn Mann, Vice President of Human Resources at SAS, said, "SAS employees understand how important their contribution is for the company's success. Our stimulating work environment and high levels of trust provide employees with the freedom to test new ideas, while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This recognition proves yet again that happy, creative employees drive results."

SAS helps reduce distractions by providing on-site amenities such as health care, a fitness center, subsidized child care, and numerous wellness programs. As a result, SAS boasts one of the lowest employee turnover rates in the industry: 3.3 percent versus theindustry norm of 22 percent. By reducing turnover, SAS reduces recruitment costs, retains knowledge and delivers deeper, longer-term customer relationships. SAS sees a strong connection between employee loyalty and business success, evidenced bythe announcement todaythat the company’s 2011 revenue totaled US$2.725 billion, a 12 percent increase over 2010. These results continue a 36-year string of revenue growth and profitability.

"One of the most difficult-to-achieve traits of a great workplace culture is trust. This quality is something you must focus on perpetually, not just in boom times," said Goodnight. "I believe this characteristic is why SAS remains at the top of great workplace lists."

In 2011, SAS secured the No. 2 spot on the elite "Top 25 World's Best Multinational Workplaces" inaugural list fromGreat Place to Work

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Founded in 1976, SAS' philosophy is "if you treat employees as if they make a difference to the company, they will make a difference." At the heart of the business model is a simple idea: Satisfied employees create satisfied customers.

The full list and related stories will appear in the Feb. 6 issue of FORTUNE and can be accessed now atwww.Fortune.com/bestcompanies.

To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Fortune partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America; 280 firms participated in this year’s survey. More than 246,000 employees at those companies responded to a survey created by the institute, a global research and consulting firm operating in 45 countries around the world. Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on the results of the institute’s Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management’s credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the institute’s Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts. Any company that is at least five years old and has more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in

business analytics

software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions, SAS helps customers at more than 55,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world

The Power to Know^®

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