Arizona Business Magazine and BestCompaniesAZ are honored to unveil the winners of our inaugural Arizona’s Most Admired Companies Awards.

With 60 winners, we think you’ll agree the awards selection committee has done an outstanding job in determining some of the most admired companies in our state. Our primary goal in developing this program was to find those organizations that excel in four key areas: workplace culture, leadership excellence, social responsibility and customer opinion. This list features the most prestigious companies in our state, providing us the opportunity to learn from the best.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction
HEADQUARTERS: Minnesota
YEAR EST.: 1991
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 66
RECENT AWARD: Best Places to Work
Web: www.a-p.com
Facebook: apConstruction
Twitter: APConstruction

Aerotek
HEADQUARTERS: Baltimore
YEAR EST.: 1983
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 90
RECENT AWARD: Inavero’s 2011 Best Staffing Client Winner
Web: www.aerotek.com
Facebook: Aerotek
Twitter: Aerotek Labor

AlliedBarton Security Services
HEADQUARTERS: Conshohocken, Pa.
YEAR EST.: 1957
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 1,050
RECENT AWARD: Chief Learning Officer Magazine Learning Elite Award 2011
Web: MyAlliedBarton.com
Facebook: alliedbartonsecurityservices
Twitter: alliedbarton

American Express
HEADQUARTERS: New York
YEAR EST.: 1850
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 7,400
RECENT AWARD: 2011 Most Admired Companies — Fortune Magazine
Web: www.americanexpress.com
Facebook: americanexpress
Twitter: americanexpress

Arizona Charter Academy
HEADQUARTERS: Surprise
YEAR EST.: 2001
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 72
RECENT AWARD: 25 Best Workplaces for Women
Web: www.azcharteracademy.com
Facebook: azcharteracademy
Twitter: acabulldogs

Arizona Diamondbacks
HEADQUARTERS: Phoenix
YEAR EST.: 1998
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 225
RECENT AWARD: 2010 United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award
Web: www.dbacks.com
Facebook: D-backs
Twitter:  dbacks

Banner Health
HEADQUARTERS: Phoenix
YEAR EST.: 1999
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 28,397
RECENT AWARD: Best Places to Work in the Valley 2010 BestCompaniesAZ
Web: www.bannerhealth.com
Facebook: BannerHealth
Twitter:  BannerHealth

BeachFleischman PC
HEADQUARTERS: Tucson
YEAR EST.: 1991
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 101
RECENT AWARD: Workplace Culture 2010
Web: www.beachfleischman.com

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
HEADQUARTERS: Phoenix
YEAR EST.: 1960
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 1,476
RECENT AWARD: Phoenix Business Journal’s Healthiest Employers Award
Web: www.azblue.com

CB Richard Ellis
HEADQUARTERS: Los Angeles
YEAR EST.: 1952 (in Arizona)
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 450
RECENT AWARD: Ranking Arizona No. 1 Commercial Brokerage Firm
Web: www.cbre.com
Facebook: CB Richard Ellis
Twitter:  CB Richard Ellis

CHW Arizona
HEADQUARTERS: San Francisco
YEAR EST.: 1961
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 8,682
RECENT AWARD: 2011 Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center Award
Web: www.chwhealth.org 
Facebook: CHWHealth
Twitter:  CHWHealth

Cigna Healthcare of Arizona
HEADQUARTERS: Blue Bell, Pa.
YEAR EST.: 1792
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 2,674
RECENT AWARD: Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Platinum Award
Web: www.cigna.com
Facebook: CIGNA
Twitter: CIGNA

Clifton Gunderson LLP
HEADQUARTERS: Milwaukee, Wisc.
YEAR EST.: 1960
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 230
RECENT AWARD: Alfred P. Sloan, Best Place to Work
Web: www.cliftoncpa.com
Facebook: Clifton CPA

Cox Communications
HEADQUARTERS: Atlanta, Ga.
YEAR EST.: 1962
NO. OF EMPLOYEES IN AZ: 3,000+
RECENT AWARD: 2011 JD Power and Associates Award “U.S. Major Provider Business Telecommunications-Data Service”
Web: www.cox.com
Facebook: CoxComm
Twitter: CoxComm