In Boston, Annual Globe 100 is Only 82 for 2009

The Boston Globe and Boston.com will publish Tuesday its annual Globe 100 magazine, which ranks the best-performing public companies based in Massachusetts, with Framingham-based apparel giant TJX Cos. receiving top honors for its 2009 financial performance.

This year's 52-page Globe 100 shows the Great Recession's effects: For the first time in 22 years, fewer than 100 companies qualified for the list. Only 82 met the required two consecutive profitable years.

At the same time, TJX Cos. (its outlets include TJ Maxx and Marshalls) set a record of 21 appearances since the list was launched in 1989. The retailer outmaneuvered the recession and increased profits by 29% by adding U.S. and overseas stores and capitalizing on demand for inexpensive apparel.

Among top companies were high-tech manufacturer Raytheon and Hanover Insurance Group, which saw profit rise of 805%, according to the Globe.

As part of the Globe 100, Business Editor Shirley Leung conducted an economic roundtable exclusively featuring female top executives from Massachusetts companies, ranging from banking and technology to hospitality, and examining dynamics of an economic turnaround, challenges still facing all the state's companies, and the need to ensure true diversity in boardrooms of the state's businesses.

In addition to financial performance, this year's Globe 100 Magazine also celebrates Massachusetts companies have thrived for at least 100 years and companies with the most creative and effective green initiatives. It also looks at "must-have gadgets necessary for every road warrior."

Besides the magazine's coverage, the Globe 100 Website features video from inside the best companies, photo galleries, charts and multimedia presentations.

Globe 100 rankings reflect data from the four quarters ending closest to Dec. 31, 2009, and for corresponding quarters a year earlier. To be eligible, a company must be traded publicly for the entire 2009 calendar year on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq or the American Stock Exchange and report revenue and profit for both 2008 and 2009. Four criteria are used: return on average equity, one-year percentage change in revenue, one-year percentage change in profit margin and 2009 revenue.