Several of the Triangle's biggest employers made the BusinessWeek list of "Best Places to Launch a Career."

IBM comes in at No. 8, with Cisco Systems at No. 31 and Wachovia at No. 42. Each year, the magazine asks career-services directors at U.S. colleges for their lists of top employers. It then has employers complete surveys on hiring, pay, benefits and training programs. It also factors in a survey of 40,000 U.S. undergraduates, who are asked to identify their most desirable employers.

The final list looks at companies that are making extra efforts "to lure and keep young talent when cash is tight."

The top of the list is dominated by accounting firms such as Ernst & Young and KPMG. Google, Marriott and Microsoft also rank high.

The full list is in the latest issue of BusinessWeek, or you can see it at www.businessweek.com.

Awards, recognitions, certifications

The Special Event Co. , a meeting and event management company based in Durham and London, received nominations for three awards from the International Special Events Society. Sally Webb, founder and managing director, has been awarded the Event Industry Lifetime Achievement & Outstanding Contribution Award in Europe.

Dr. Ginette Archinal, a partner in Cary Family Healthcare, was named among the Best Doctors in America according to Best Doctors (www.bestdoctors.com). Archinal is the only board-certified, family practice physician in Cary to be included on the list.

Kerry Catherine Jewelry in North Hills was named one of America's Coolest Stores 2008 by Instore Magazine. It is one of five winners in the small-store category.

Antonio Morgan-Lopez, a research quantitative psychologist at RTI International, was honored with the Enoch Gordis Research Recognition Award. The award is given by the Research Society on Alcoholism and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in recognition of outstanding biomedical and psychosocial research.

Murat Kaptanoglu, a senior adviser in the Raleigh office of Ameriprise Financial, ranked in the top 9 percent of 2,608 participating advisers in the Ameriprise Financial Advisor client satisfaction survey. Advisers are ranked according to clients' overall satisfaction with the adviser and the amount of contact the client received from the adviser.

Canvas on Demand in Raleigh was ranked 283 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies. The company had a three-year sales growth of 972.2 percent. Rockett Interactive in Cary was No. 87 on the magazine's list.

SciQuest in Cary was named to Inc. magazine's second annual ranking of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the country. Others on the list include Signalscape and HumanCentric, both of Cary. Inc. 5000 companies must be privately held and have been based in the U.S. in December 2007. They must have had a least $200,000 in revenue in 2004 and $2 million in revenue in 2007.

Rex Healthcare was named to the 2007 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals Performance Improvement Leaders list for its continued commitment to quality and patient safety. The designation places Rex among 16 hospitals that made two Thomson Reuters lists: the 100 Top Hospitals in the Country and Top 100 Hospitals Performance Improvement Leaders.

Erin Uncapher, commercial account manager at TriSure in Raleigh, has earned the certified risk manager credential.

Michael Dean's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar in Raleigh has been named one of the most booked restaurants in the Triangle by OpenTable Diners' Choice.

Hunton & Williams was selected as one of the top 50 Best Law Firms for Women by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers.

SAS was included in the Best of the Best in IT ranking by information technology journalists. The company was listed as one of the top tech communicators for corporate public relations departments this year.

Betsy Clark, owner of DiamondWater, which has offices in Willow Spring and Wilmington, graduated from the N.C. Center for Women in Public Service's 2008 Summer Institute. The organization prepares women to seek elected and appointed office and serve.

CKS Kitchens & Design clients Tanja Vujic and Tim Profeta are the winners in the 2008 kitchen category for Better Homes & Gardens national home improvement challenge. The kitchen is featured in the September issue.

Employees at Southern Industrial Constructors in Raleigh and Southern Crane worked one year -- nearly 1.3 million hours -- without a lost-time incident. Because of their safety records, Southern Industrial and Southern Crane are recognized as Star contractors by the state Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Randy Brame , president of Brame Specialty Co. in Durham, will receive the Jack D. Ramaley Industry Distinguished Service Award at ISSA/Interclean North America's annual meeting on Sept. 11. The award honors members who have served a minimum of 10 years in the cleaning industry and demonstrated leadership, professionalism and exceptional service.

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