Yesterday, FORTUNE Magazine ranked SAS the #3 best company to work for in U.S. There was a palpable buzz all day around the Cary campus and on social media channels (if you’re on Twitter, search on the hashtag #ILoveSAS).  It’s admittedly exciting working for a company that is consistently and publicly lauded as one of the top companies to work for . However, internal validation of why SAS ranks so high among its employees is apparent every day.

On that note, I invited several Publications colleagues to share their thoughts about yesterday’s big announcement:

Kathy Council, Vice President, SAS Publications
Being one of Fortune’s top places to work is important when you work in one of those top companies. For me, it just confirms for me that I really AM lucky to have such a great place to come every morning. I’ve worked at SAS almost 35 years and it has been a great place since the first day I walked in. The company owners say and really believe that their employees are the company’s biggest asset. What more could you possibly ask for than to be appreciated like that?

Emily Scheviak-Livesay, Marketing Operations Specialist
I knew the announcement for the best place to work would be today and was anxious to get on campus to see the banner in front of F to see how we fared. 3 or #103, SAS has always been #1 in my book! So lucky (and proud!) to be a part of the SAS family.

Shelley Sessoms, Acquisitions Editor
Seeing that SAS ranks #3 in the Best Companies to Work For in the U.S. is no surprise to me. I’ve been here for 10 years, and it has always ranked #1 in my book. We have the best employees, software, facilities, and customers! It’s a joy to drive on campus every day.

Jeanine Goodwin, Marketing Specialist
SAS may be ranked #3 on FORTUNE Magazine’s 100 Best Companies, but  will always be #1 in my eyes!  Thanks SAS for making my 26 year career the best.

John West, Acquisitions Editor
SAS is truly the best company to work for!! Not just for the benefits but for having a culture that promotes creativity, honesty, trust, and loyalty among the employees. Congratulations, SAS!!!

Sean Gargan, Director, SAS Publishing
Receiving this accolade is validation that the SAS business model works!  We set the standard for work-life balance and maintain laser focus on providing our customers with exceptional software and service. It's an honor to be part of this great organization and to be recognized as one of the best places to work!

Jennifer Dilley, Technical Publishing Specialist
Somebody pinch me! Being a part of SAS is one of my dreams come true. The high rankings are well deserved--what an exceptional place to be!

Mary Beth Steinbach, Managing Editor
For me, being # three means that for close to 10 years I have worked with people  who are approachable, customer-driven, swift and agile, innovative, and trustworthy. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Julie Platt, Editor-in-Chief, SAS Press
SAS ranked #3 on Fortune Magazine’s Top Places to Work? No matter where we are ranked on the list, SAS is an awesome place to work—interesting work, a corporate culture that supports creativity and innovation, and terrific customers and coworkers to work with. That combination sounds like perfection to me!

Sandy Varner, Operations Manager, SAS Publishing
It’s great that we’re #3 this year and that we’ve been on Fortune Magazine’s top 100 Best Places to Work list for the last 15 years! But really….it doesn’t take a magazine to tell me that I’m working for the best company in the world.  I joined SAS in late 1980 and from day one you could feel the positive energy and passion in the work force. On my first day, my training consisted of ‘answer the phone, get the customer name and address and find out what color book they want to order’.  SAS was growing fast and that’s an example of how busy my manager was. A theme of the early days was ‘learn as you go’ but always do your best for the customer. SAS mixed fun with work and as an employee, I felt valued and appreciated.

Dr. Goodnight dared to dream big; he persevered even when making some tough decisions (like going public or not); and he always placed people above projects. Working at SAS has enabled me to stay fit and healthy (Health Care and Café). I’m surrounded by enthusiastic and innovative individuals. Looking back on my life, getting hired by SAS was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. SAS is the #1 best place to work in my book.  So Fortune Magazine, rank us #3, or #1 or even #100 but believe me, those of us lucky enough to work here know we’re at THE best place to work!