Herman Miller Again Among Fortune's 'Most Admired' March 05, 2002

Once again, Fortune magazine ranks Herman Miller the "Most Admired" company in its industry in its annual survey measuring the reputation of America's corporations. The results appear in the magazine's March 4, 2002 edition.

Herman Miller is rated as the most admired firm in the furniture industry for the 15th time in the past 16 years.

The complete news release follows.

Herman Miller, Inc., Retains Top Spot in Fortune's 'Most Admired' List

Zeeland, MI - Herman Miller, Inc., once again is ranked as the "Most Admired" company in its industry in Fortune Magazine's annual survey broadly measuring the reputation of America's corporations.

The Fortune results, published in the magazine's March 4, 2002, edition, rate Herman Miller as the most admired firm in the furniture industry for the 15th time in the last 16 years. The magazine has included the furniture industry in its rankings for the past 16 years.

The magazine characterizes the annual listing as "the definitive report card on corporate reputations." The rankings are based on survey results from more than 10,000 business leaders, including executives, directors and securities analysts. Within each industry segment, respondents (who are industry peers or industry analysts and experts) are asked to evaluate companies on the basis of eight "key attributes of reputation," including quality of products/services, long-term investment value, employee talent, quality of management, use of corporate assets, financial soundness, social responsibility and innovation.

"The Fortune ranking, especially in these challenging economic times, speaks to the enduring quality and character of Herman Miller's 8,000 employee-owners," said Michael A. Volkema, Herman Miller's chairman, president and CEO. "We have vigorously embraced the mission of creating great places to work--both for our customers and for our own corporate community."

Herman Miller creates great places to work by researching, designing, manufacturing, and distributing innovative interior furnishings that support companies, organizations, and individuals all over the world. The company's award-winning products, complemented by primary furniture-management services, generated over $2.2 billion in revenue during fiscal 2001. Herman Miller is widely recognized for both its innovative products and business practices, including the use of industry-leading, customer-focused technology. Again in 2002, Herman Miller was named "America's Most Admired" furniture company by Fortune magazine and included in Forbes magazine's "Platinum List" of best-performing large corporations. The company trades on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol MLHR.