Praxair — CT Numbers — Connecticut by the Numbers

Two Connecticut-based companies have been named among America’s Best Corporate Citizens. Danbury-based Praxair and Xerox, with headquarters in Norwalk, both reached The Just 100, published by Forbes magazine. Praxair, Inc., which ranked at #31 on the Just 100, is an industrial gas supplier in North and South America, with 26,000 employees in more than 50 countries. It designs, engineers, manufactures and operates facilities that produce and distribute industrial gases. The North America segment operates production facilities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The Europe segment has production facilities primarily in Italy, Spain, Germany, the Benelux region, Scandinavia, and Russia which include approximately 60 cryogenic air separation plants. The company was founded in 1907.

At #54 is Xerox, which provides business process and document management solutions. It provides document technology, services, software and supplies for graphic communication and office printing environments of any size. Xerox, founded in 1906, operates through three segments: Services, Document Technology, and Other. The Services segment is comprised of business process outsourcing and document outsourcing. The Business process outsourcing provides multi-industry offerings such as customer care, transaction processing, finance and accounting, and human resources, as well as industry focused offerings in areas such as healthcare, transportation, financial services, retail and telecommunications.

“The most admired companies understand their responsibilities are twofold – deliver a premium return on assets and make a positive impact on society,” Xerox CEO Jeff Jacobson wrote in the company’s Global Citizenship Report. “The way we see it, we have a responsibility that goes beyond our primary, economic role to helping the people living in our communities to grow and thrive.”

The top 10 were Intel, Texas Instruments, NVIDIA, Microsoft, IBM, Accenture, Cisco Systems, Alphabet, Salesforce.com, and Symantec.

According to a survey of 72,000 Americans, being a “just” company means producing quality goods, treating customers well, minimizing environmental impact, supporting the communities businesses operate in, committing to ethical (and diverse) leadership, and above all, treating workers well, Forbes explained.

With these seven metrics in mind, Forbes — in partnership with Just Capital —analyzed nearly 1,000 of the nation’s largest publicly-traded companies to determine which have the best and most just business behavior. The result is the Just 100 rankings, which will be featured in the December 26, 2017 issue of Forbes magazine.

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Google was #47. Apple was #79. Ranked at #43, Danbury headquartered Praxair surpassed both, one of two Connecticut-based companies in the top 50 on the latest Forbes® World's Most Innovative Companies list.

The highest-ranked company located in Connecticut, placing at #2 globally, was New Haven based Alexion, in the midst of a much-heralded move back to the city where it was founded. It is the second consecutive year that Alexion was ranked at #2.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on serving patients with severe and ultra-rare disorders through the development and commercialization of life-transforming therapeutic products. Its marketed product Soliris is the first and only therapeutic approved for patients with two ultra-rare and severe disorders.

A specialized chemicals company with more than 26,000 employees worldwide, Praxair improved its “innovative” position on the Forbes list, up from #46 in 2012. Praxair, Inc. products are oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, electronic gases and a range of specialty gases. Praxair Surface Technologies supplies coatings, which protect metal parts from wear, corrosion and heat.

Ranked at #73 among the world’s 100 most innovative companies according to Forbes was Amphenol Corporation, with world headquarters in Wallingford. Amphenol is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of electrical, electronic and fiber optic connectors, interconnect systems and coaxial and high-speed specialty cable. Amphenol systems are used primarily to conduct electrical and optical signals for a range of electronic applications.

Assa Abloy, at #78, is a Sweden-based company engaged in the secure door opening solutions. With operations in New Haven, the company's operations are divided into five divisions, including the supply of electronics security solutions worldwide. Assa Abloy provides secure identity solutions, contactless identification technology solutions, electronic lock systems and safes for hotels and cruise ships.

Based in Ireland, but with a strong presence in North Haven, Covidien Public Limited Company ranked at #67. Covidien is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of healthcare products for use in clinical and home settings. It operates its businesses through three segments: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Supplies.

The San Francisco Bay Area had three of the top 10 spots and six spots overall on the list of 100 companies. Companies headquartered in Connecticut, or with a strong presence in the state, had a strong presence among the world’s most innovative.

For the third year in a row, San Francisco-based Salesforce.com topped the Forbes’ list. After Alexion, the remainder of the top five were U.S. companies VMware at #3, followed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and ARM Holdings. Amazon was # 7; Starbucks was #19. The complete ranking is featured in the September 2 issue of Forbes magazine.

In compiling the list, Forbes utilizes a detailed methodology. Companies are ranked by their innovation premium: the difference between their market capitalization and a net present value of cash flows from existing businesses (based on a proprietary formula from HOLT/Credit Suisse), the magazine reported. To be included, firms need seven years of public financial data and $10 billion in market capitalization.