FORTUNE Magazine Names Nike Among '100 Best Companies to Work For'

BEAVERTON, Ore., Jan. 10  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NIKE, Inc. announced today that it has been named by FORTUNE magazine for the first time as one of the country's "100 Best Companies to Work For." Nike is the only Oregon-based company on this year's list.

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO )

Ranking No. 100 on the list, Nike is recognized by FORTUNE for employee benefits such as campus fitness centers and a 50-percent discount on company products, as well as for the company's corporate responsibility efforts in addressing conditions in overseas contract factories. Nike also is:

   *    one of only 25 companies on the list offering paid sabbaticals for
        employees;
   *    one of the 33 companies on the list offering an on-site childcare
        center; and
   *    among the 25 "most diverse" companies, with minorities representing
        40 percent of Nike's 12,502 employees in the United States. Women
        represent about 49 percent of the company's U.S. workforce.



"Commitment to Nike employees and the communities where we live, work and play has always been at the forefront of our corporate principles," said William D. Perez, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nike, Inc. "To be recognized for this commitment from FORTUNE is truly an honor and one that reflects the years of hard work and dedication from all Nike employees globally."

"The 100 Best Companies to Work For" list is compiled for FORTUNE based on two criteria: an evaluation of the policies and culture of each company, and the opinions of the company's employees.  The latter is given more weight; two-thirds of the total score comes from employee responses to a 57-question survey, which goes to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees from each company. It asks about things such as attitudes towards management, job satisfaction, and camaraderie within the organization.  The remaining one- third of the score is based on an evaluation of each company's demographic makeup, pay and benefits programs, and culture.

Companies are scored in four areas:  credibility (communication to employees), respect (opportunities and benefits), fairness (compensation, diversity), and pride/camaraderie (philanthropy, celebrations).  Companies must be at least seven years old and must have at least 1,000 employees to be eligible for the list.

NIKE, Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, a leading designer and marketer of luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel. 

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DATASOURCE: NIKE, Inc.



CONTACT:  Joani Komlos of Nike Inc., [phone]



Web site:  http://www.nikebiz.com/ 

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