Fortune Magazine Ranks Valero Energy Corporation No. 1 On Its New "Best Big Companies To Work For"

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) is pleased to announce a new ranking, issued by Fortune magazine, that highlights the company’s commitment to safety and its staying power as one of the nation’s top employers.

Fortune magazine – publisher of the annual “Fortune 500” and “100 Best Companies to Work For” lists – has ranked Valero No. 1 on its new “Best Big Companies to Work For” list. Posted on the magazine’s Web site, the composite showcases the 37 companies that placed on both the Fortune 1000 and the 100 Best Companies lists. This year, Valero ranked No. 16 on Fortune’s main list and ranked No. 22 among the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Valero is the only refining company to make the new list.

“Being named America’s best big company is particularly exciting and a true testament to our employees’ hard work and dedication,” said Bill Klesse, Valero Chairman and CEO. “The ranking highlights Valero’s commitment to a safe workplace, which from the beginning has been a core value for our company.”

The Web site references Valero’s participation in the OSHA-sponsored Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), which is a voluntary list of standards that promote workplace safety and health. Valero is the only refiner to commit all of its refineries to achieve certification through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s VPP program. To date, 11 Valero refineries have achieved Star Site certification in VPP. Currently, only 23 out of 149 refineries in the U.S. have earned this prestigious designation, and Valero owns nearly half of those VPP sites.

Valero is proud to have earned a number of industry awards over the years, including spots on Forbes’ Platinum 400 Best Big Companies list, the “BusinessWeek 50” and BusinessWeek “Best Performing Companies” lists, and the 2006 Convenience Store Chain of the Year award by Convenience Store Decisions magazine. Valero also has ranked No. 1 among the world’s refining and marketing companies for the past two years at the Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company awards.

Valero’s latest rankings are expected to be included in Fortune’s April 30 issue.