Outside Magazine Names W. L. Gore & Associates as one of America's Best Places To Work in 2010

NEWARK, Del., April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- W. L. Gore & Associates, maker of GORE-TEX® fabric and thousands of other innovative products, today was named to Outside magazine's (www.outsideonline.com) third annual "Best Places to Work" list. Gore was ranked No. 16 out of 50 selected companies. The full list and related story will be published in the May issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands April 13, 2010.

Outside's "Best Places to Work" list was compiled with the help of the Outdoor Industry Association (outdoorindustry.org) and Best Companies Group (bestcompaniesgroup.com). The year-long selection process began with an outreach effort that identified a wide range of non-profit and for-profit organizations with at least 15 employees working in the United States. Participating companies were then sent confidential employee-satisfaction surveys and employer-questionnaires to collect information about benefits, compensation, policies, job satisfaction, environmental initiatives, and community outreach programs. All of the results were analyzed by Best Companies Group experts, who selected the 50 companies that strive to enhance their employees' enjoyment of active endeavors, and environmental and social involvement.

"Gore is a place where people do work they're passionate about," said Brian Gallagher, global footwear marketing strategist at Gore. "Our corporate culture was created to encourage individual growth and creative accomplishment, and it promotes an incredible level of ownership and involvement. Whether riding an elephant in Sri Lanka while visiting a glove factory or coordinating a photo shoot at 12,000 feet in Colorado, Gore associates are offered new experiences and encouraged to channel their talents to produce new ways to keep our customers protected, dry and comfortable."

"These 50 companies come from a vast array of industries but they're all following the same enlightened path," said Michael Roberts, Executive Editor of Outside. "They're successful businesses in a challenging economy precisely because they support a proper work-life balance. They know that benefits like on-site gyms and fitness classes, reimbursements for ski passes and sports racing fees, and support for community service efforts during work hours make their employees happier and thus more productive."

Gore has been making waterproof, breathable fabrics for outdoor use since 1978, with technologies including the GORE-TEX® Pro Shell, made with the most rugged, breathable, durably waterproof and windproof fabrics. Last summer, the company launched a campaign designed to provide an inside look at Gore's distinctive work environment and help potential candidates determine if they would be a good fit for the company. The campaign, "Join Gore & Change Your Life," is accessible at gore.com/change-life.

About W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

Gore is a leading manufacturer of thousands of advanced technology products for the electronics, fabrics, industrial and medical markets. Headquartered in Newark, Del., the company posts annual sales of $2.5 billion, and employs 9,000 associates in 30 countries worldwide. It is one of a select few workplaces to appear on all of the U.S. "100 Best Companies to Work For" lists since the rankings were introduced in 1984. This includes all 13 FORTUNE magazine lists and all three "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" books. For the past several years, Gore's facilities in the UK, France, Italy and Germany have also been named as one of the "Best Companies to Work For" in those countries. Visit www.gore.com to learn more.

ABOUT OUTSIDE MAGAZINE

Outside is America's number-one active-lifestyle magazine, with more than two million readers a month. For 30 years, we've been dedicated to covering travel, sports, adventure, health and fitness, as well as the personalities, the environment, and the style and culture of the world Outside. Along with many other accolades, Outside is the only magazine ever to receive three consecutive National Magazine Awards for General Excellence. Please visit us at www.outsideonline.com.

ABOUT THE BEST COMPANIES GROUP

Best Companies Group works with national and local partners around the country to establish and manage "Best Places to Work," "Best Companies," and "Best Employers" programs on a national, statewide, and regional basis. Through its thorough workplace assessment, utilizing employer questionnaires and employee-satisfaction surveys, BCG identifies and recognizes companies who have been successful in creating and maintaining workplace excellence.

ABOUT THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

Founded in 1989, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the premier trade association for companies in the active outdoor recreation business. OIA provides trade services for over 4000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers in the outdoor industry. Outdoor Industry Association seeks to ensure a healthy and diverse specialty retail and supply chain based on quality, innovation and service. To this end, OIA works diligently to raise the standards of the industry; increase participation in outdoor recreation to strengthen business markets; provide support services to improve member profitability; represent member interests in the legislative/regulatory process; promote professional training and education; support innovation; and offer cost-saving member benefits. Search for outdoor-industry jobs is at OIA's career center: www.outdoorindustry.org.

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE'S BEST COMPANIES OF 2010

1. Natural Habitat Adventures

2. New Belgium Brewing

3. Clif Bar & Company

4. Smith Optics

5. Amer Sports Winter & Outdoors Co.

6. Rally Software

7. Tabar, Inc.

8. LeBootCamp

9. Seventh Generation

10. Paradigm Group

11. Fitness Anywhere, Inc.

12. Osprey Packs, Inc.

13. USANA Health Sciences

14. The DREAM Program, Inc.

15. Carmichael Lynch

16. W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

17. Alaskan Brewing Co.

18. SmartWool

19. Eddie Bauer LLC

20. NatureBridge

21. Max Borges Agency

22. Nau

23. Chesapeake Energy Corporation

24. Redspin, Inc.

25. Wilderness Adventure At Eagles Landing

26. PMI (Pacific Market International)

27. River Design Group. Inc.

28. KEEN

29. Aspen Skiing Company

30. Patagonia

31. Timberland

32. LIVESTRONG

33. Pearl Izumi

34. Realeflow, LLC

35. Street Legal Industries, Inc.

36. Rutabaga

37. Horny Toad

38. Peaksware, LLC

39. Quality Bicycle Products

40. MINDBODY

41. Ruff Wear, Inc.

42. G5 Search Marketing

43. Great Harvest Bread Co.

44. NOLS

45. Adventure Life Journeys

46. OluKai Premium Footwear

47. Sambazon

48. Volcom, Inc.

49. Dominion Digital, Inc.

50. TriSports.com

GORE, GORE-TEX, are designs and trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.© 2010 W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., 295 Blue Ball Rd., Elkton, Maryland, 800-431-GORE, gore-tex.com.

SOURCE W. L. Gore & Associates