Forbes adds Aflac to 'best-managed' firms list

Forbes magazine has chosen Georgia insurance giant Aflac as one of America's best-managed firms.

This also makes the ninth year the American Family Life Insurance Company of Columbus has made the financial magazine top 400 Big Business grade.

The 53-year-old family-run business is a Fortune 500 company, with some 40 million policyholders worldwide.

Forbes editors chose the company based on an array of data covering one to five years, that include sales growth and stock market returns.

AFLAC CEO Dan Amos, last month announced he was foregoing a 13-million dollar, “golden parachute” severance package as a goodwill gesture in light of the nation's severe economic situation.

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Georgia earns two high rankings

Forbes Magazine ranks Georgia as the third best state in the nation for alternative energy from biomass. The article referenced the amount of privately owned forest in Georgia, more than any other state in the country, as a reason for the state’s ranking. The ranking comes on the heels of CNBC’s including Georgia in the top ten and second in the Southeast in its annual rankings of “America’s Top States for Business.”

Forbes ranks 5 richest Georgians

Forbes Magazine has published its list of the 400 Richest Americans, and five Georgians are on the list. The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports Cox Enterprises heiress Anne Cox Chambers is the richest person in the state. The 87-year-old is worth 12.6-billion dollars and ranks 24th. Her nephew James Kennedy ranks 50th, worth $6.3-billion. Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus ranks 239th worth $2-billion. Home Depot’s other founder and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank ranks 317th worth $1.3 billion. The fifth richest Georgian according to Forbes is Chick Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, who ranks 380th and is worth 1.3-billion dollars.