The Top 100: Anxious for opportunities

Anxiety and the Top 100 go hand in hand. We frequently get calls from companiesanxious to learn their ranking. For the record, we don't tell them before the issueis published.This year, the market itself seems anxious.At the very least, the market is in a period of transitionas the Bush administration winds down. No oneknows who will head the next administration and whatnew priorities will come forward.The normal uncertainties and anxieties of a transitionyear are compounded by a weak economyand budget deficits.For the companies on the Top 100, the year isfraught with risk and opportunity.Politics and how it affects business and emergingopportunities are very much on people's minds.Flexibility and partnership are even more importanttoday because there are so many unknowns atwork.You can read about what the companies are doing in our feature stories andthe profiles of the top 20 companies.On our Web site, you'll find more Top 100 features, and I'll be presenting ane-seminar May 22.Each year, we rely on the skills and expertise of market research firmFedSources, which crunches the data for us. I want to thank their analysts fortheir hard work.