Softchoice Corporation (TSX: SO), a North American provider of technology solutions and services, has been named to the Globe and Mail’s 2008 list of the "Best Workplaces in Canada" for the third year in a row. The annual award recognizes employers across the country with exemplary workplace environments based primarily on employee survey responses and feedback.

Softchoice has long placed a premium on trust, individual responsibility, and personal growth and development. One of the more interesting examples of these principles in action is Softchoice Cares, the Company’s employee-led philanthropic outreach program. Guided by a board of 12 employees, in 2007 Softchoice employees organized dozens of fundraising activities and events, dedicating more than 3500 hours in volunteer hours. In partnership with grassroots organizations like Room to Read, Softchoice is using the donations from these activities to establish new computer labs in Laos, Nepal and Cambodia with eight more slated for completion before the end of 2008.

Softchoice’s focus on having exceptional, well-trained people deliver strategic IT advice to customers in person has contributed to consistent, above-market growth. In 2007, Softchoice’s revenues increased to US$777.1 million, while earnings grew by 38 percent. The Company has also continued to enhance the value it provides customers with the introduction of new solutions and professional services capabilities. In the process, Softchoice has laid the foundation for a promising future while creating new opportunities for career advancement within the organization.

The list of "Best Workplaces in Canada" is compiled for the Globe and Mail by the Great Place to Work Institute of Canada. The model has served as the basis for Fortune’s annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work in the U.S. since 1998, and is now used in 28 other countries. According to the Institute, a great place to work is "a place where employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with". Considered the ’gold standard’ for evaluating workplace culture, companies that have been recognized by this model have been shown to consistently outperform their peers on the stock market over the long run.

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