(September 17, 2009) - It is hard enough to become one of the Baltimore Business Journal's “Best Places to Work” in boom times. But to capture that honor in the Great Recession, where resources are dwindling and layoffs persist, is a real feat.

As you may know, this is not a popularity contest, fueled only by nominations from your employees, friends and family. That's how the process starts. But the results are based on an employee-satisfaction survey conducted by outside research firm, Quantum Workplace, for the BBJ. In essence, the opinions of employees have catapulted companies to the winner's circle. The survey, which included 38 questions, required employees to gauge agreement with statements ranging from the trustworthiness of bosses to their own job performance. Neither the surveys nor their questions were released by the Business Journal in advance – or at any time – to protect the integrity of the process. And it's important to note that all surveys were anonymous and never released.

Many of this year's winners have been impacted by the prolonged downturn, but still manage to keep their workers happy. Others, a lucky handful, have benefited from the recession.

Read more by downloading the rankings on the pdf file below.