Business
Business

Coca-Cola, UPS make Fortune's most admired companies list

By Leon Stafford
March 1, 2012

Coca-Cola and UPS once again made Fortune magazine's Top 50 list of most admired companies, with both Atlanta-based businesses moving up a spot or two in the 2012 standings.

Coke ranked No. 4, up from No.6 in 2011, while UPS moved from No. 30 to No. 29 in this year's survey. Both were No. 1 in their categories -- beverages and delivery.

No. 1 honors went to consumer electronics giant Apple, a spot the company also held in 2011. Fellow electronics companies Google and Amazon were Nos. 2 and 3 respectively.

Fortune said to get the results, it asked businesspeople to vote for companies they admired most from any industry.

Delta Air Lines, which was No. 1 last year in the airline category, dropped to 4th for 2012. United Continental Holdings grabbed the top spot.

About the Author

Leon Stafford covers south metro government

More Stories

Keep Reading

Postcard depicting the predecessor to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Candler Field, c. 1927. The city signed a lease with Asa Candler to open the airfield in 1925. (Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center)

The world’s busiest airport: A 100-year journey

The story of Hartsfield-Jackson, the city’s most famous landmark, is emblematic of Atlanta's signature boosterism: aiming high without letting the odds get in the way.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Delta turns 100: It all started with the boll weevil

Delta has grown from a crop duster to Atlanta’s largest private employer and the nation’s most profitable airline.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Two centennials, one story: Delta and the Atlanta airport

Delta Air Lines and Hartsfield-Jackson both turn 100 this year, and you can’t tell the story of one without the other.

The Latest

Unsold 2025 Gladiator pickup trucks sit on display outside a Jeep dealership Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Englewood, Colo. (David Zalubowski/AP)

Credit: AP

OPINION

December car sales are good but not magic

In the market for a luxury vehicle? You might reconsider Lincoln.

Beyond the odometer: What matters most in a used car

Featured

Managing Partner at Atlantica Properties, Darion Dunn (center) talks with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during a tour following the ribbon cutting of Waterworks Village as part of the third phase of the city’s Rapid Housing Initiative on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Atlanta opens door on first modular rapid-housing for homeless residents

The first-of-its-kind development, Waterworks Village, overlooks the nearby reservoir. It's part of Mayor Andre Dickens' initiative to build 500 units of for the unhoused.

POLITICALLY GEORGIA

Local GOP sees ‘danger’ in a chaotic race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene

Republican leaders in Georgia's 14th Congressional District worry a crowded field in a special election could give Democrats a chance to win.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Two centennials, one story: Delta and the Atlanta airport

Delta Air Lines and Hartsfield-Jackson both turn 100 this year, and you can’t tell the story of one without the other.