The Boston Globe unveiled today its annual Globe 100 list ranking the best-performing public companies in Massachusetts, and Momenta Pharmaceuticals claims the number one spot. For the first time in three years, the Globe 100 list features 100 companies. The recession took its toll on Bay State firms in 2009 and 2010, making it difficult for many of them to qualify for the Globe 100.

In this year's 44-page Globe 100 Magazine, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Cambridge earned top honors, claiming the number one ranking. The biotech company returns to the list after a two-year absence. It boosted its revenues last year with its generic version of the anti-blood-clotting drug Lovenox, which has already generated $1.5 billion in sales since its approval by the Food and Drug Adminstration in the summer of 2010.

"The positive momentum we are seeing in the economic recovery is illustrated by the Globe 100 returning to full strength," said Shirley Leung, business editor of The Boston Globe. "It's a powerful testament to the resiliency of Massachusetts' businesses."

Rounding out the top five companies are businesses in the telecommunications, industrial, services and technology sectors. They were IPG Photonics Corp. (#2); Altra Holdings (#3); Sapient Corp. (#4); and Parametric Technology Corp. (#5).

The annual ranking of companies will be published on Sunday, May 20 in The Boston Sunday Globe and at BostonGlobe.com/Globe100. For the second year, the publication will also recognize the Most Innovative in Massachusetts - men and women across a wide range of industries who have contributed to our economy and community in innovative ways over the past year, from the inventor of a bionic ankle to the banker who mobilized the community to stop violence after a family tragedy.

The Globe assembled a panel of six esteemed judges to choose the state's 12 best innovators from a pool of 186 qualified nominees in a variety of key industries. Judges included Henri Termeer, former CEO of biotech giant Genzyme Corp., Greg Selkoe, founder of online streetware retailer Karmaloop, and well-known philanthropist Dan Pallotta, among others.

Innovators profiled include Mothers for Justice and Equality founder Monalisa Smith, a banker who turned a family tragedy into a grassroots peace movement to fight violence in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston; Matt Coates, innovation consultant at Invention Machine Corp. in Boston, who has been working to create tools for eye surgery, new ways to extract oil, and a product for fresher breath; and veteran healthcare entrepreneur Donato Tramuto, who started the nonprofit Health eVillages to introduce smartphone technology to caregivers in developing countries.

As part of the Globe 100, the Globe also convened an executive roundtable to address the benefits and challenges of running post-IPO companies, featuring Jeremy Allaire, chief executive of Boston-based video services provider Brightcove Inc.; Robert Forrester, chief operating officer at Verastem Inc. in Cambridge; and David Friend, chief executive of Boston-based online computer back-up company Carbonite Inc. Plus, the issue includes a feature on the unique job titles found in the tech world.

BostonGlobe.com/Globe100 will feature all of the magazine's coverage, along with video from inside the best companies, videos of the innovators, photo galleries, charts and more. Boston.com/Globe100 will also feature highlights of the magazine's content. Readers can follow updates on Twitter at @GlobeBiz and #globe100.

About the Globe 100 ranking methodology

The Globe 100 ranks Massachusetts-based public companies based on financial data from the four quarters ending December 31, 2011. To be eligible, the company must be traded publicly for the entire 2011 calendar year on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq or the American Stock Exchange and report revenue and profit for both 2010 and 2011. Companies are ranked on four criteria: return on average equity, one-year percentage change in revenue, one-year percentage change in profit margin and 2011 revenue.

About The Boston Globe:

The Boston Globe is wholly owned by the New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading, global multimedia news and information company with 2011 revenues of $2.3 billion, that includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, NYTimes.com, BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com, About.com and related properties. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

Boston Globe
Jenny Long, 617-929-2645
Director Consumer Marketing
jclong@globe.com
Follow Boston Globe Corporate Communications on Twitter @BGlobeComm