CHICAGO - Grainger announced that it has been named to the 2011 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. Grainger is a leading supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products serving businesses and institutions.

Fortune selects 100 companies across the U.S. for inclusion on its list based on employee feedback as well as company practices and culture.

“We are honored that our team’s input has helped us gain recognition as a top workplace in the United States,” said Grainger chairman, president and chief executive officer, Jim Ryan. “Our company values have always focused on doing what is right for customers, the community and our team. Our people differentiate us from the competition. Their positive feedback shows that employees are proud of Grainger and its direction, and find it a workplace where they can grow professionally. This has been the foundation of our success for more than 80 years.”

The recognition by Fortune magazine is the latest honor Grainger has received in recent months. In 2010, the company was also ranked No. 1 among diversified wholesalers on Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, and a top workplace by the Chicago Tribune and Computerworld Magazine. It also was named to the “Most Admired Companies for Human Resources” list by HR Executive Magazine.

Grainger was founded in 1927 in Chicago; of its more than 18,000 global employees, more than 16,000 are located in approximately 400 facilities across the United States. Grainger’s average employee tenure in the United States is 9.5 years, more than twice that of other companies in the private sector, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For more information, visit www.grainger.com.

Publication date: 02/21/2011