THE BOSTON GLOBE PUBLISHES GLOBE 100 MAGAZINE

Bob Powers, V.P. Communications and Public Affairs 617-929-2270 powers@globe.com

Boston, MA, 2009-05-19 - The Boston Globe today published its annual Globe 100 magazine, a ranking of the best-performing public companies based in Massachusetts, and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Lexington biotechnology firm, topped the list. The magazine appears in The Boston Globe and on Boston.com.

Cubist snagged the no. 1 spot on the strength of its top-selling drug, Cubicin, which fights infections caused by the stubborn form of bacteria called MRSA, for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

As a dramatic indication of their success in a difficult economy, three of the four top companies in this year’s Globe 100 did not even make the list a year ago: Cubist (#1), technology and marketing services firm Sapient Corp. of Boston (#3), and cell phone infrastructure provider Starent Networks Corp. of Tewksbury (#4).  Boston's State Street Corp. ranked #2 and is the only financial services company in the top 20.

The state’s world-renowned life sciences and biotechnology industries posted four companies in the top ten list: Cubist (#1), Sepracor Inc. of Marlborough  (#6), Parexel International Corp. of Waltham (#10), and Biogen Idec Inc. of Cambridge (#7). No other industry sector had more than one representative in the top ten.

Rounding out the top ten are business printing and marketing services company VistaPrint Ltd. of Lexington (#5), construction materials supplier Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. of Peabody (#8), and retailer TJX Cos. of Framingham (#9).

"Congratulations to the companies that made this year's Globe 100," said Shirley Leung, Boston Globe business editor.  "2008 was a tough year. The list truly reflects the best of Massachusetts business -- from technology to retail to other services -- and how success can be created in a challenging environment."

The Globe 100 Web site (boston.com/globe100) contains all of the magazine’s coverage along with video, interactive charts, and other multimedia presentations of major features.

About the Globe 100 ranking methodology
The Globe 100 ranks Massachusetts-based public companies based on financial data from the four quarters ending closest to December 31, 2008, and for corresponding quarters a year earlier.  To be eligible, the company must be traded publicly for the entire 2008 calendar year on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq or the American Stock Exchange and report revenue and profit for both 2007 and 2008.  Companies are ranked on four criteria: return on average equity, one-year percentage change in revenue, one-year percentage change in profit margin and 2008 revenue.

About The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is wholly owned by The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2008 revenues of $2.9 billion, which includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com.  The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.