Globe 100 Top 3 1. Akamai 2. American Science 3. Genzyme Full list Related story

Most profitable 1. EMC 2. State Street 3. Raytheon Full list Related story

Fastest growth 1. Anika 2. Palomar Medical 2. First Marblehead Full list Related story

Hottest stocks 1. BTU Int. 2. Advanced Magnetics 3. Neurometrix Full list Related story

Survivor Akamai Technologies rises again

When the dot-com mania of 1999-2000 turned into a stock market blood bath, true believers who held that ''the Internet is changing everything" insisted they weren't wrong. Just early. Probably no local company better epitomizes the cycle than Akamai Technologies Inc. of Cambridge.

Outside firms love Mass. brainpower but not costs Massachusetts: Nice place to think. But you wouldn't want to meet a big payroll there. Put starkly, that's how the state often is seen by the growing number of corporate giants. Of the state's top 100 employers, nearly 40 percent are based outside the state. Mac-Gray is cleaning up in world of wash and dry Firm is innovator in laundromats A $260 million Cambridge company has expanded by leaps and bounds. It occupies the top tier of its market and sells a product that is in heavy demand. What's behind the success of Mac-Gray Corp.? Water and soap.

Images of sector success Massachusetts' economy was thriving in a variety of different sectors in 2005, including biotechnology. Biotech company Charles River Laboratories breeds these mice for medical research.

How The Globe 100 is determined  A new addition for 2006: The National 25  Interactive Globe 100 chart

Complete list of Globe 100 stories  Complete list of charts

CEOs speak out The Globe conducted a survey of chief executives on a variety of economic topics. See what CEOs are thinking about the state of things in Massachusetts.  Globe 100 Survey Quiz Answer some of the same questions we asked top executives and compare your responses to theirs.

Making it in Massachusetts How do big US companies see Massachusetts? We convened executives from three major players to find out.  Executive roundtable Part I  Executive roundtable Part II  Executive roundtable Part III  Download to your MP3 player

Going public has gotten better in Mass. The market for initial public stock offerings improved significantly for Massachusetts companies in 2005, boosted by a brightening economic outlook and growing hunger among investors for bigger returns. Focused strategy brews profitability for Sam Adams The makers of Samuel Adams Beer say they fly coach so you can drink first class. But Boston Beer Co. is still moving closer to the front. It's climbed to number 39 on the Globe 100 list, up from the 60th slot a year ago.