J.M. Smucker Co. ranks 47th among the ''100 Best Companies To Work For,'' according to the Great Places To Work Institute.

This is the 11th consecutive year Smucker has made the list, peaking in the No. 1 spot in 2004.

''We're also the top food manufacturing company on the list, and we're only one of 14 companies named to the list'' every year since its inception in 1998, Smucker spokesperson Maribeth Badertscher said.

But making the list never gets old, she said.

''We really believe that the special recognition belongs to every Smucker employee,'' she said.

The ''100 Best'' list is compiled by the San Francisco-based institute for Fortune magazine. This year, Google won top honors.

Smucker, headquartered in Orrville, employs 1,151 people with annual revenue of more than $2.1 billion.

''What makes it so great?'' asks the Fortune Web site (http://www.fortune.com.) ''Job seekers at this 111-year-old family firm are interviewed by eight to ten people. Once hired, they stay; 25 percent of the work force has been here more than 16 years.''

Two-thirds of the weight for the honor is based on employee survey data.

''The best way to find out if a company is a good employer is to ask the employees who work there,'' said Milton Moskowitz who, along with Institute co-founder Robert Levering, has co-authored the lists since 1998.

With competition for talent expected to increase in the next 10 years as baby boomers retire, ''Great places to work will be the ones that attract and retain the top talent,'' Levering said.

Three other companies with Ohio headquarters made the cut.

OhioHealth, the state's larg
est health-care provider, based in Columbus, ranked 18th.

Southern Ohio Medical Center, a Portsmouth hospital, ranked 75th.

Sherwin-Williams, the 142-year-old paint company in Cleveland, ranked 98th.

The Institute also released its 2008 Workplace Trends, based on the ''100 Best'' survey.

• Companies are finding more ways to share their profits with employees through programs such as stock options and deferred profit sharing.

• Work-family benefits continue to improve. This year, 72 companies offer domestic-partner benefits, 69 offer adoption assistance and 85 provide eldercare services.

• More companies are competing for workers by offering flexible work schedules, compressed work weeks, telecommuting and sabbaticals. Eighty-four of the ''100 Best'' allow employees to telecommute or work at home.