9.29.2006 - 08:14am ET

(CSRwire)
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EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2006-- Winning Workplaces announces Jeffrey Hollender, President and Chief Inspired Protagonist of Vermont-based Seventh Generation, as one of this year's Best Bosses. He is one of 18 Best Bosses nationally - dedicated, passionate and driven business leaders representing such diverse fields as investment management, equestrian products, web hosting and legal services.

The winners were announced at the Winning Workplaces conference and celebration in Chicago on Sept. 27 to mark the fourth annual Best Bosses competition. The winners were evaluated on the personal statement of the leader, and employee and customer satisfaction ratings and interviews. A related story will appear in the October 2006 issue of FORTUNE Small Business and the full list of winners are available online at winningworkplaces.org and FSB.com.

A key theme among this year's Best Bosses - fully involving their employees in the success of the organization by offering extensive training, generous benefits, open-book management and direct ownership. "The Best Bosses understand the connection between employee engagement and the bottom line," says Mary Corbitt Clark, executive director of Winning Workplaces. "Employees who are valued contribute in response." Adds Elaine Pofeldt, senior editor of FORTUNE Small Business: "The Best Bosses are listening carefully to their workers and giving them what they want: opportunities to educate themselves continually; the chance to work alongside the best people in their fields; benefits that ease the complex demands of their lives outside of work."

Jeffrey Hollender is a well-respected leader in the socially and environmentally responsible communities. Jeffrey has led Seventh Generation from its humble beginnings to its current position as the nation's leading and fastest growing brand of natural home and personal care products. One of the country's first self-declared "socially responsible" companies, Seventh Generation is focused on offering people avenues to express their idealism, passion, and commitment to causes larger than themselves at every point along its supply chain -- from suppliers and partners to shareholders, customers and its own staff. The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.

This year's winners were selected through a nomination and application process that evaluated employee satisfaction, benefits, investment in training and the leader's personal vision. The finalists were screened by a panel of judges that included Winning Workplaces management team and board members, small business owners and workplace consulting experts.

The entire class of Best Bosses for 2006:

-- Mellody Hobson, Ariel Capital Management, Chicago IL

-- Carl LaMell, Clearbrook, Arlington Heights, IL

-- Michael Lacey, Digineer, St. Louis Park, MN

-- David M. Pierce, ENA, Nashville, TN

-- Mike Faith, Headsets.com, San Francisco, CA

-- Timothy Keenan, High Performance Technologies, Inc., Reston, VA

-- Linda Dunkel, Interaction Associates, Cambridge, MA

-- Dan Hoffman, M5 Networks, New York, NY

-- David Williams, Merkle, Lanham, MD

-- Pete Snyder, New Media Strategies, Arlington, VA

-- Nicholas Thomley, Pinnacle Services, St. Louis Park, MN

-- Graham Weston, Rackspace Managed Hosting, San Antonio, TX

-- Megan Glasheen, Reno & Cavanaugh, Washington D.C.

-- Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation, Burlington, VT

-- Paal Gisholt, SmartPak Equine, Plymouth, MA

-- Henry Givray, SmithBucklin Corporation, Chicago IL

-- Keith Jacob, St. Louis Staffing, St. Louis, MO

-- Richard Caturano, Vitale, Caturano & Company, Boston MA

About Seventh Generation

For 18 years, the closely held Burlington, Vermont company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics. One of the country's first self-declared "socially responsible" companies, Seventh Generation is a business that operates according to a new and different set of principles and values that in many ways are a marked departure from those long considered "traditional." Its business practice is focused on offering people avenues to express their idealism, passion, and commitment to causes larger than themselves at every point along its supply chain -- from suppliers and partners to shareholders, customers and its own staff. The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.

Seventh Generation is committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally responsible products for a healthy home. Seventh Generation markets and distributes through natural food stores, supermarkets, on-line stores like Amazon.com and mail order catalogs in the U.S. and Canada. For more information and to find store locations, visit www.seventhgeneration.com.

About Winning Workplaces

Winning Workplaces is an Evanston, IL-based not-for-profit, whose mission is to help the leaders of small and midsize organizations create great workplaces. Founded in 2001, Winning Workplaces serves as a clearinghouse of information on workplace best practices via a website and a monthly e-newsletter; recognizes outstanding leaders of small organizations through the Best Bosses collaboration with FORTUNE Small Business magazine; provides seminars and workshops on workplace-related topics; helps organizations assess their workplaces through employee surveys and other feedback tools.

About FORTUNE Small Business

FSB: FORTUNE Small Business is the premier magazine for - and about - small business owners. FSB is published by Time Inc. and is distributed 10 times a year through a partnership with American Express, reaching 1 million owners, partners and top managers of leading companies with fewer than 100 employees. Each issue provides hard-hitting, informative, inspiring coverage of the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy. Time Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner.

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