Have you filled out your census form yet? How about your Star 200 survey?
Though it pales in comparison to the U.S. census in terms of size and scope, the Star 200 is no less important in terms of what it says about our community, specifically our business community.
Each year since 1981, the Star has charted the growth - and contraction - of the region's biggest employers.
And "biggest" doesn't necessarily mean big.
Nearly half of the Star 200 employers have 500 employees or fewer - "small" businesses by some federal definitions - while about 40 have 200 or fewer workers.
Most companies are happy to respond to the survey and don't want to be left out.
But some companies, for various reasons - or for no apparent reason - are reluctant to participate.
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Last year, some companies told us they felt bad showing a big drop-off in payrolls, though most companies are similarly shrinking.
This year brought a new wrinkle.
IBM Corp., which has responded to the survey every year since at least 1993 (the limit of our current database), said it no longer provides local employment figures.
Instead, IBM reports only "global" numbers - the number of employees worldwide.
The rationale from IBM is: We're a global company, so we report global numbers.
OK, we get that.
But IBM is also a member of the local community, and the company and its employees give money and countless hours back to community.
I recall meeting Cindy Grossman, who runs the Tucson IBM operations as vice president of tape and archive storage, for the first time a few years ago. It wasn't in a boardroom - it was on Mount Lemmon, where we were both getting our hands dirty spiffing up a Girl Scout camp as part of the United Way's Days of Caring.
Never mind that IBM has been among the companies pilloried by unions and, to some extent, the media for cutting its U.S. staff and sending work overseas.
Big Blue still provides about 1,400 good jobs - and good people - in this community. Let's hope IBM reconsiders its stance on telling that story.
In the meantime, we'd like to give our heartfelt thanks to those who diligently submitted Star 200 responses.
Whether you're a global corporation or a neighborhood business, by standing up and being counted, you show you're part of the larger community that defines us all.
