3 from N.J. make Fortune’s 50 Most Admired Companies

Three New Jersey companies made the 2018 version of Fortune magazine’s 50 Most Admired Companies list, while more than a dozen others were included on specific industry lists.

The list was picked out of initial poll of more than 1,500 companies.

Johnson & Johnson, BMW and Unilever all earned spots on the coveted Top 50 list.

Johnson & Johnson, based in New Brunswick, was the highest of the New Jersey picks, at No. 17 overall. It was No. 1 among pharmaceuticals.

BMW, which has its North American headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, came in at No. 19. It was No. 1 among motor vehicles.

Unilever, headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, came in at No. 44. It was No. 1 among soaps and cosmetics.

Here is the list of U.S. companies based in New Jersey, or companies which make their North American or U.S. headquarters in the state, that made various industry lists:

  • ADP (Roseland): No. 2 in financial data services;
  • BASF (Florham Park): No. 1 in chemicals;
  • Bayer (Whippany): No. 7 in pharmaceuticals;
  • Cognizant Technology Solutions (Teaneck): No. 5 in information technology services;
  • Honeywell International (Morris Plains): No. 1 in technology;
  • LG Electronics (Englewood Cliffs): No. 7 in electronics;
  • Maersk Group (Florham Park): No. 2 in trucking, transportation and logistics;
  • Merck (Kenilworth): No. 2 in pharmaceuticals;
  • Mondelez (East Hanover): No. 5 in consumer food products;
  • Munich Re (Princeton): No. 7 in insurance: property and casualty
  • Newell Brands (Hoboken): No. 6 in home equipment, furnishings;
  • Novartis (East Hanover): No. 3 in pharmaceuticals;
  • Prudential Financial (Newark): No. 1 in insurance: life and health;
  • Quest Diagnostics (Secaucus): No. 3 in health care: pharmacy and other services;
  • Samsung Electronics (Ridgefield Park): No. 2 in electronics;
  • Siemens Healthcare (Flanders): No. 1 in industrial machinery.

According to the Fortune website, here is the methodology used to compile the list.

“As we have in the past, Fortune collaborated with our partner Korn Ferry on this survey of corporate reputations. We began with a universe of about 1,500 candidates; the 1,000 largest U.S. companies ranked by revenue, along with non-U.S. companies in Fortune’s Global 500 database that have revenues of $10 billion or more. We then winnowed the assortment to the highest-revenue corporations in each industry, a total of 680 in 29 countries. The top-rated companies were picked from a poll of 680; the executives who voted worked at the companies in that group.”