SAS Canada No. 4 on 'Best Workplaces in Canada' List

Recognized for its commitment to Environmental Sustainability, Employee Benefits, SAS Canada was also ranked No. 1 as Canada's Best Workplace for Women

TORONTO, April 13 /CNW/ - SAS Canada, the leader in business analytics (http://www.sas.com/businessanalytics/), is No. 4 on the 2010 Best Workplaces in Canada list and was also ranked No. 1 on the 2010 list of Canada's Best Workplaces for Women. SAS Canada is one of the top companies on the list, published by the Great Place to Work Institute Canada, because of its commitment to environmental sustainability, employee benefits and for providing an ideal workplace for women.

Earlier this year SAS Canada celebrated four consecutive years of double-digit growth announcing a 13 per cent increase in 2009 software revenue over the previous year. In response to this growth, SAS also announced that it is adding approximately 20 new positions to meet the continuing demand for its solutions.

"Our success is a result of a commitment to our employees and our customers," said Carl Farrell, President SAS Canada. "Making our employees a top priority makes good business sense. A dedicated staff helps us create better software and build long-term relationships with our customers."

SAS remains the overwhelming leader in the advanced analytics market, according to IDC, with 33.2 per cent market share in 2008 (IDC, June 2009). According to Gartner (http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=855612), the number one spending priority in 2009 was Business Intelligence software; a technology founded on analytics. Additionally, Gartner recently listed advanced analytics as one of the top 10 strategic technologies (http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1210613) for organizations in 2010.

"SAS has always believed that our employees are the cornerstone of our business," said Seta Kouyoumdjian, Senior Director, Human Resources for SAS Canada. "Our commitment to work/life balance, the benefits we offer to all of our employees and the awards we have received shows our dedication to this principal."

The Great Place to Work(R) Institute Canada (http://www.greatplacetowork.ca/) was launched in 2005 and is the Canadian affiliate of the U.S. based Great Place to Work(R) Institute. This is Canada's chapter of the largest programme of its kind in the world; the institute surveys over 4,000 organizations in 44 countries annually, surveying a total of over 2 million employees across the globe annually.

This list of "Best Workplaces in Canada" is compiled by The Globe and Mail's Report on Business by the Great Place to Work(R) Institute Canada. The competition process is based on two criteria: two-thirds of the total score comes from a 58-statement survey completed by a random selection of employees, along with their open-ended comments about their organization; the remaining one-third of the score comes from an in-depth review of the organization's culture, including an evaluation of HR policies and procedures. This offers a rigorous representation of the organization from an employee perspective, and an overall portrait of the workplace culture. Together they provide crucial data relative to the five trust-building dimensions of a great place to work: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie.

In addition, SAS Canada has been named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (http://www.canadastop100.com/) for eight consecutive years. Its environmentally friendly Toronto headquarters was LEED (http://www.cagbc.org/leed/what/index.php) Silver certified in 2008 and the company continues to generate public recognition for its leadership in corporate sustainability practices. SAS Canada was honored with the Award of Excellence - energy conservation - at the 2009 Green Toronto Awards (http://www.toronto.ca/greentorontoawards/index.htm). The headquarters was also the winner of the Real Estate Excellence Award (REX) for Office Development of the Year in 2005.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in business analytics (http://www.sas.com/businessanalytics/) software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions delivered within an integrated framework, SAS helps customers at more than 45,000 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(R).

The Canadian subsidiary of SAS has been in operation for 21 years. Headquartered in Toronto, SAS employs 254 people across the country at its Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City and Montréal offices. www.sas.com

About The Great Place to Work(R) Institute

The Great Place to Work(R) Institute, Inc. is a research and management consultancy based in the U.S. with International Affiliate offices throughout the world. At the Great Place to Work(R) Institute, we have been listening to employees and evaluating employers since 1980, to understand what makes a workplace great. We know that the foundation of every great workplace is trust between employees and management. Our ongoing research, measurement tools, and educational services have made us leaders in helping build high-trust workplaces.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. (R) indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright (C) 2009 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

For further information: Editorial Contact: Suzanne Sprajcar, [email protected], [phone]; Visit the SAS Press Center, www.sas.com/presscenter