It’s About the Bottom Line

Estée Lauder New York CityFinancial snapshot: The cosmetics company ended its
2008 fiscal year in August with $7.91 billion in net
sales, an increase of 12% over 2007.

A gay-friendly
company in a gay-friendly industry, Estée
Lauder’s stock surged in August thanks to
strong international sales. As the dollar regains
ground against the euro, sales could stall. But for now the
company that owns Aveda, Clinique, and M.A.C. is in a strong
position.

Kimpton Hotels San FranciscoFinancial snapshot: The hotel group is on track to
gross $600 million again this year.

Another
beneficiary of the strong euro, the boutique hotel company
plans to open 15 additional hotels in major
metropolitan areas in 2009, on top of the 42
properties it operates at present. And unlike some of the
employers on this list, Kimpton typically has positions
available for workers at all levels in terms of skills
and income.

Intel Santa Clara, Calif.Financial snapshot: In July the computer chip maker
announced second-quarter revenue of $9.5 billion, up
9% from the second quarter of 2007.

After a few bad
years in which its sales and stock price dipped, Intel
has been rebounding of late, thanks to strong growth in
demand for tiny microprocessors for notebook computers
and for mobile devices.