WNG Washington Grp Int#

BOISE, Idaho, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Washington Group International (NYSE:WNG), a leading engineering, construction, and management solutions company, has been named one of "North America's Top Companies for Leaders" by Hewitt Associates, FORTUNE magazine, and The RBL Group. Washington Group was ranked eighth in the list recognizing strength of leadership development practices and business performance. Joining Washington Group in the top 10 were companies including General Electric, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. Global human resources services company Hewitt Associates, in partnership with FORTUNE magazine and human resources consulting firm The RBL Group, announced the list of the top 20 companies today. More than 200 leading companies in the United States and Canada were considered for the in-depth study based on criteria including leadership practices, company reputation, leadership culture and values, and business performance. The top 20 were chosen and ranked by an esteemed panel of judges that included authors, professors, business executives, and executive coaches. Washington Group was also named one of the "Top 20 U.S. Companies for Leaders" in the last such study by Hewitt, which was in 2005. "We are honored to have Washington Group International continue to be recognized as a top company for excellence in leadership and performance," said Stephen G. Hanks, Washington Group's president and chief executive officer. "Our intense focus on employee development makes Washington Group a company that not only delivers superior performance for customers and stockholders, but also makes it a great place to work and grow." "Hewitt would like to congratulate Washington Group International on being named one of the Top Companies for Leaders in North America," said Bob Gandossy, principal and global practice leader of Hewitt's Consulting business. "While many companies in this region have made significant strides in building leadership capabilities, our research reveals that Top Companies such as Washington Group have cultures that cultivate and nurture their talent and a reputation for doing it well. In an increasingly complex and global marketplace, these characteristics differentiate successful businesses from unsuccessful ones." Hewitt reported that it found one overarching characteristic that set Top Companies for Leaders in North America apart from the rest -- they make leadership a critical part of the company's organizational fabric. Specifically, the study found that leadership practices at Top Companies in North America are an inherent part of the culture, and that developing future leaders is simply a way of operating that must be intertwined with running the business. "We see developing and deploying talent as a key differentiator for Washington Group International," said Larry Myers, Washington Group's senior vice president of human resources. Washington Group International was the only Idaho-based company and the only engineering company to earn a spot on the list. The company's employee-development initiatives have also been recognized as best practices by other organizations. In August, Washington Group earned the Construction Industry Institute's Professional Development Award for its leadership in employee development. And, in 2006, the American Productivity and Quality Center benchmarked the company's leadership-development practices along with Caterpillar, PepsiCo, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Cisco. "Our leadership and employee-development efforts extend throughout the company," Myers said. "Each year we sponsor and deliver more than 1.5 million hours of training to employees in areas including project management, safety, technical disciplines, and leadership skills." The company has extensive, semi-annual talent reviews and a comprehensive succession-planning process in all business units and corporate functions. Its development programs include weeklong Leaders Forums where participants focus on the company's business and strategy while refining their leadership skills. In Washington Group's School of Project Management Excellence, project managers undergo 360-degrees skills reviews and participate in customized project simulations to enhance their leadership and decision-making skills. In its Executive Roundtables, high-potential employees address and solve current issues in the company through an action learning process with executive officer sponsorship. "These investments have direct benefit to delivering excellent performance to our clients, while providing employees with the opportunity to continually enhance their careers," Myers added. Washington Group International (NYSE:WNG) provides the talent, innovation, and proven performance to deliver integrated engineering, construction, and management solutions for businesses and governments worldwide. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, with more than $3 billion in annual revenue, the company has approximately 25,000 people at work around the world providing solutions in power, environmental management, defense, oil and gas processing, mining, industrial facilities, transportation, and water resources. For more information, visit http://www.wgint.com/. About the "Top Companies for Leaders" Survey The Top Companies for Leaders Study is based on approximately 550 global organizations with an average employee size of 27,000. Almost 70 percent of the participating companies had revenues of $500 million or more. A three-step screening process was used to identify the finalist companies. A panel of expert judges in four regions then selected and ranked the 2007 Top Companies for Leaders in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Companies selected as the 2007 North American Top Companies for Leaders include, in order: 1. General Electric Company 2. Capital One Financial Corporation 3. The Procter & Gamble Company 4. General Mills, Inc. 5. McKinsey & Company 6. IBM 7. Medtronic, Inc. 8. Washington Group International 9. Eli Lily and Company 10. Avery Dennison Corporation 11. McDonald's Corporation 12. Whirlpool Corporation 13. Lockheed Martin Corporation 14. Cummins Inc. 15. Caterpillar Inc. 16. Colgate-Palmolive Company 17. Sonoco Products Company 18. 3M Company 19. American Express Company 20. Liz Claiborne, Inc. DATASOURCE: Washington Group International CONTACT: Jerry Holloway, or Laurie Spiegelberg, +1-208-386-5255, both of Washington Group International Web site: http://www.wgint.com/

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