NW companies

Thursday, March 7, 2013 - Page updated at 11:43 a.m.

The Seattle Times' 21st annual ranking of the region's top public companies

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  JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

  A groundcrew member guides an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 into its terminal at Sea-Tac Airport recently.

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  Alaska Airlines

  The airline's success, using a buckle-down-and-eat-your-peas approach, stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the industry.
  Read story →

  
  

  Founded: 1985, though subsidiary Alaska Airlines dates back to 1942
  Headquarters: SeaTac
  CEO: Bradley Tilden
  Employees: 12,806
  What they do: Air service to more than 100 destinations, mainly along the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii
  What sets them apart: Relatively low expenses, a strong balance sheet and an emphasis on profitable growth
  
  
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  JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

  Brent Nikolaus, left, and Dan Gibson, engineers with InfoSpace, are seen in the Bellevue-based company's command center.

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  InfoSpace

  The tech company, which has spent much of its 16-year life reinventing itself, is in the midst of one more transformation. Read story →

  
  

  Founded: 1996; has changed name to Blucora
  Headquarters: Bellevue
  Major operations: Bellevue; Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  CEO: William Ruckelshaus
  Employees: 198
  What they do: Internet search, online tax preparation
  What sets them apart: $785 million in accumulated net operating loss carry forwards, which means the company likely won't have to pay cash federal income taxes for the rest of this decade.
  
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  JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

  Buck Cawyer helps customer Flower Walker with a shoe purchase at Nordstrom in downtown Seattle. The company is counting on its Rack stores and e-commerce segment for much of its future growth.

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  Nordstrom

  The retailer is counting on its discount Rack stores and nascent e-commerce segment for much of its future growth. Read story →

  
  

  Founded: 1901, as Wallin & Nordstrom shoe store (present company incorporated in 1946)
  Headquarters: Seattle
  Major operations: 231 stores in 31 states and Washington, D.C.; California has the most, with 61
  President: Blake Nordstrom
  Employees: 56,500
  What they do: Fashion retailer, through 117 full-line stores, 110 Rack stores and one clearance store
  
  
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  JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

  Expedia employee Rachel Wollnik, who works in the finance department, is seen at the company's headquarters in Bellevue.

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  Expedia

  Since its 1994 origin as a project within Microsoft, Expedia has grown into the world's largest online travel agency. Read story →

  
  

  Founded: 1994
  Headquarters: Bellevue
  Major operations: Offices in 12 states (besides Washington) and 27 foreign countries
  CEO: Dara Khosrowshahi
  Employees: 9,480
  What they do: Online travel agency
  What sets them apart: The biggest player in a large but extremely fragmented market
  
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  JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

  Charles Dillion prepares boxes for shipment at Gensco in Fife recently. Barrett Business Services provided Gensco, an HVAC sheet-metal fabricator, with laborers, including Dillion.

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  Barrett Business Services

  For a low-profile company in an obscure business, 2011 was by any measure an eventful year for Barrett. Read story →

  
  

  Founded: 1965
  Major operations: 16 of its 43 branch offices are in California; 8 are in Oregon
  Employees: 358, not counting staffing and PEO employees
  What they do: Staffing, outsourced human-resources services
  What sets them apart: A pioneer in "professional employer organization" services, in which Barrett becomes co-employer of a client's workers for workers' comp and other purposes
  
  
  

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Jon Talton

Northwest companies shine despite a slow economy. But can they keep scoring as the game gets tougher?