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Special Reports

Post-Dispatch Annual Report '07

POST-DISPATCH ANNUAL REPORT 2007

Now in its 16th year, the Post-Dispatch Annual Company Report is a guide to the region's leading companies. The scoring system ranks companies on four variables: revenue, return on average equity, revenue change and profit change. The rankings were added up and divided by four to calculate a score. The lower the score, the higher a company ranks.

TOP STORY

MEMC finds success as competitors fall apart

Annual report-MEMC/top story

Kevin Manning/P-D

To understand the turnaround at MEMC Electronic Materials Inc., you should start by talking with Nabeel Gareeb. The president and chief executive of the company, based in O'Fallon, Mo., looks at things a little differently. [more]

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

About this year's annual report

METHODOLOGY: How the report was created

TOP PUBLIC COMPANIES: Forty-four St. Louis-based company rankings

LOCAL COMPANIES

EMPLOYMENT: Regional job growth slow, but steady
The metro area is expected to turn in a solid performance this year - at least by recent standards - in terms of job growth. [more]

STOCKS, COMPANY DEALS: Big deals, and one big non-deal, abounded
Most headlines involving area companies over the past year cast them as acquirers, not acquirees. [more]

STOCK MARKET: CPI takes top spot in area stock gains
Despite a falling number of net customer visits and a potential company sale looming, St. Louis-based CPI Corp. came out as the top stock gainer among St. Louis area public companies tracked by the Post-Dispatch. [more]

PROFITABILITY: 'Delightful' initiative pays of for Angelica
Angelica launched its "delightful service" initiative, focused on exceeding the expectations of the health care institutions it serves. [more]

PRIVATE COMPANIES

McCarthy building its brand across the country
Ladue-based builder's versatility has made it one of the largest in the U.S. [more]

INDUSTRY OUTLOOKS

RETAIL: Area retailers go upscale
Upscaling seems to be the operative word when it comes to St. Louis area retailing. And that includes everything from grocery stores to home furnishing boutiques and locations everywhere from Edwardsville to west St. Louis County. [more]

DEFENSE & AIRLINES: Fortunes of airlines, suppliers are taking off
After several bumpy years for the airline industry, the ride is smoothing out, at least for now. [more]

AGRICULTURE: Farmers are planting more corn, less soy
Missouri and Illinois farmers face a complex future this year, with several factors likely to influence which commodity crops and livestock will bring in the best profits. Among them are the stalled Doha Round of international trade talks, a five-year farm bill in Congress and turbulent prices for fuel that farmers must burn to tend and harvest their crops. [more]

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION: Steady year ahead for real estate, construction
Declining vacancies are causing more investment in metro market. [more]

ENERGY: Volatility is still the rule in energy
The U.S. Energy Information Administration last month predicted the average price of gasoline would peak during May at $2.87 a gallon. Just weeks later, the average pump price had soared to $3.06 a gallon — almost 20 cents a gallon higher than anticipated. [more]

TRANSPORTATION: Railroads, trucking firms are crossing some rough terrain
Transportation companies are turning to technology to tackle some of their challenges. [more]

HEALTH CARE: Area firms get bittersweet medicine
Express Scripts' non-deal for Caremark dominated health care news. Centene has struggles of its own. [more]

MANUFACTURING: Small firms fill gap as titans take a tumble
It has been easy to accentuate the negative in area manufacturing in recent years. Names like Ford, Lear, Chrysler and Federal Mogul have cut significant numbers of jobs. [more]

TECHNOLOGY, TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Both old and new technology evolve
Local biotech is getting a big boost from biofuels; Telecom sees a collision of cable TV vs. phone. [more]

FINANCIAL SERVICES: Banks and brokers see industry convergence
Brokerages offer more banking-type services; Banks, both big and small, open more branches. [more]

TOURISM: Changes coming to region's gambling industry
Before year's end, the downtown area will see the opening of two new casinos and a new era of competition. [more]

ANNUAL REPORT INDEX

TOP PUBLIC COMPANIES

JOBS
Public Company Employment • Top Area Employers

PROFITS
Profit Growth • Biggest Profit • Biggest Losses • Born Again • Nose Dives

PERFORMANCE
Revenue Leaders • Sales Growth • Return on Equity • Shareholder return • Highly Leveraged Companies • No long-term debt

STOCKS
Market Value • Dividend Yield • Wall Street Darlings • Wall Street Wallflowers • Charging Ahead • Falling Behind

OTHER
Unranked Companies • Top Private Companies

COMPANY PROFILES