CHICAGO — For the second consecutive year, Fast Company has recognized Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) as one of the world’s most innovative companies. This year, SOM is one of 59 Innovation All-Stars, which is culled from past Top 50 honorees. In 2009 SOM was ranked number 32 on the 50 most innovative companies list, the only architecture firm listed, and number one on its list of the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Architecture.

The Innovative All-Stars list recognizes “The companies, featured on [the magazine’s] 2008 and 2009 honor rolls, fought a dour economy with renewed creativity and bold initiatives.”

In describing SOM, the magazine’s listing states, “The honor of designing the world’s tallest building is prestigious but fleeting. Chicago’s SOM is the current champ: On January 4, the Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai — all 2,717 feet…The firm also broke ground in November on the Digital Media City Landmark Tower in Seoul, Korea. At 2,100 feet, it will be East Asia’s tallest tower when it’s finished in 2014.”

According to Fast Company’s press release, “to create this year’s Most Innovative Companies issue, Fast Company’s editorial team analyzed information on thousands of businesses across the globe. It’s not just about revenue growth and profit margins; it’s about identifying creative models and progressive cultures — to define the many forms of innovation that exist across the business landscape.”

The complete list and related stories appear in the March 2010 issue of Fast Company magazine and at www.fastcompany.com/MIC.