Dallas-based AT&T has landed in the Just 100 top 10 for the first time this year thanks to high marks for how the Texas telecom treats its customers, particularly those who need help during an emergency. AT&T’s FirstNet wireless network, built after 9/11, helps firefighters and first responders communicate with each other during crises, while its $650 million disaster-recovery program sends drones to boost cell service for customers who have lost their connections after hurricanes or wildfires. CEO John Stankey, who took the reins of the $180 billion (2019 sales) giant from Randall Stephenson in July, knows there’s more to do. “We’re working with policymakers and the industry to make internet access more available and affordable through a mix of public subsidies for low-income households and smart policies that encourage new infrastructure investment in our country,” he says.
—Maggie McGrath
John Stankey
AT&T CEO
More than 25 million American workers were furloughed or laid off this spring, but Synchrony Financial’s call-center customer-service workers were not among them. Instead, they got bonuses. “Making it happen wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do,” says CEO Margaret Keane. She also set up a $1.5 million emergency fund for employees who need help with Covid related medical costs. These initiatives helped the $13 billion (2019 net revenue) company rise 27 slots to No. 20 on the 2021 Just 100 list. Supporting working parents is another priority. The Connecticut-based credit-card provider increased paid parental leave to 12 weeks in January, and in June it launched a virtual summer camp for employees’ children. “I’m a true believer in creating an environment where every employee knows that they are valued and trusted,” Keane says.
—Brianne Garrett
Margaret Keane
Synchrony CEO
Ecolab, which returns to the Just 100 for the first time since 2018 at No. 22, logged $15 billion in revenue last year from selling water-treatment chemicals and cleaning supplies, including hand sanitizer, to companies including Microsoft and Colgate-Palmolive. This spring, it modified production lines at seven of its water-treatment plants to increase its hand sanitizer output. It also donated $3 million worth of its alcohol wipes and disinfectant sprays to health-care providers in its St. Paul, Minnesota, home and around the world. “Our team is proud of the way we stepped up our efforts when our expertise was needed most,” CEO Doug Baker says. The market agrees: Ecolab is up more than 50% since stocks bottomed out in March. Bill Gates is a fan, too; the billionaire owns a 14% stake through his investment firm, Cascade.
—Maggie McGrath
Doug Baker
Ecolab CEO
Merck CEO Ken Frazier is one of four Black chief executives leading America’s largest publicly traded companies, and he’s aware of the responsibility this confers. “If you’re complacent with the status quo, you’re complicit in the structural racism and inequality that the status quo hides,” he says. In July, the New Jersey–based pharmaceutical giant—which is developing two Covid-19 vaccines and tops its industry on this year’s Just 100—stopped advertising on Facebook and Instagram, calling on the platforms to “stop hate speech, racism and discrimination.” Internally, underrepresented groups accounted for 36% of new hires in 2018, up from 22% four years earlier, and women make up 49% of its workforce. “Our goal is to ensure that the diversity of our employees mirrors the external world and our patients,” Frazier says. “We have to do more, and do better.”
—Katie Jennings
Ken Frazier
Merck CEO
More than 25 million American workers were furloughed or laid off this spring, but Synchrony Financial’s call-center customer-service workers were not among them. Instead, they got bonuses. “Making it happen wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do,” says CEO Margaret Keane. She also set up a $1.5 million emergency fund for employees who need help with Covid related medical costs. These initiatives helped the $13 billion (2019 net revenue) company rise 27 slots to No. 20 on the 2021 Just 100 list. Supporting working parents is another priority. The Connecticut-based credit-card provider increased paid parental leave to 12 weeks in January, and in June it launched a virtual summer camp for employees’ children. “I’m a true believer in creating an environment where every employee knows that they are valued and trusted,” Keane says.
—Brianne Garrett
Margaret Keane
Synchrony CEO
Ecolab, which returns to the Just 100 for the first time since 2018 at No. 22, logged $15 billion in revenue last year from selling water-treatment chemicals and cleaning supplies, including hand sanitizer, to companies including Microsoft and Colgate-Palmolive. This spring, it modified production lines at seven of its water-treatment plants to increase its hand sanitizer output. It also donated $3 million worth of its alcohol wipes and disinfectant sprays to health-care providers in its St. Paul, Minnesota, home and around the world. “Our team is proud of the way we stepped up our efforts when our expertise was needed most,” CEO Doug Baker says. The market agrees: Ecolab is up more than 50% since stocks bottomed out in March. Bill Gates is a fan, too; the billionaire owns a 14% stake through his investment firm, Cascade.
—Maggie McGrath
Doug Baker
Ecolab CEO
Merck CEO Ken Frazier is one of four Black chief executives leading America’s largest publicly traded companies, and he’s aware of the responsibility this confers. “If you’re complacent with the status quo, you’re complicit in the structural racism and inequality that the status quo hides,” he says. In July, the New Jersey–based pharmaceutical giant—which is developing two Covid-19 vaccines and tops its industry on this year’s Just 100—stopped advertising on Facebook and Instagram, calling on the platforms to “stop hate speech, racism and discrimination.” Internally, underrepresented groups accounted for 36% of new hires in 2018, up from 22% four years earlier, and women make up 49% of its workforce. “Our goal is to ensure that the diversity of our employees mirrors the external world and our patients,” Frazier says. “We have to do more, and do better.”
—Katie Jennings
Ken Frazier
Merck CEO
Illustrations by Michael Marsicano for Forbes
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