SAS: His Corporate Shangri La

The front of Building U. SAS, the largest private software company, makes a product called business intelligence or business optimization software, that looks for usable nuggets of information and insights in vast quantities of data.

The Meditation Garden is provided for employees in the woods behind the free of charge gym and pool complex.

Early staff members and Dr. James Goodnight were mostly employees at North Carolina State University, located in the capital city of Raleigh, North Carolina. When NIH discontinued funding in 1972, members of the consortium agreed to chip in $5,000 apiece each year to allow NCSU to continue developing and maintaining the system and supporting their statistical analysis needs.

Aerial shot of the SAS grounds on 140-acres of land.

The open seating area of the recently completed Building C cafeteria, which offers many hot and cold lunch options for employees and guests.

Sushi chef, Namjoon Kim is one of three chefs who prepare made to order sushi rolls at lunch in the newest SAS employee cafeteria in Building C.

Elmer Gibson, talking to 4-year-old Caitlyn Fulp, plays piano at lunch in one of the SAS campus cafeterias three days a week. Meals are relatively cheap and an emphasis is put on healthy food for employees.

In the recently completed Building C cafeteria, fresh desserts are available, such as Oreo cupcakes. The cafeteria also offers several others hot and cold options.

The lobby of the R&D building.

CEO and co-founder Dr. Jim Goodnight with employees in one of the three on campus cafeterias, which feature low prices on meals for employees and guests.

SAS employees celebrated the company's 25th anniversary in 2001, right on the heels of the turn of the millennium.

Regular and peanut M&M's are available in the break rooms of every building on the SAS campus. With 22 half tons being purchased every year, SAS is the biggest corporate buyer. The peanut flavor, left, are always the first to go.

In the free primary care health center, employee Fariba Bat-haee, a software tester, gets a checkup from Gale Adcock, RN and director of corporate health services.

In the Work/Life Building, offers many resources and services to employees.

SAS employee John Pechachek, right, and his wife Michele, eat lunch with their children in one of the on campus cafeterias.

SAS has two onsite day care centers for the children of employees.

SAS also offers a summer camp for the children of employees.

Employees can blow off steam playing football, soccer, and many other sporting activities on the many fields located on the SAS campus.

An employee swims in the on campus pool, which is part of the free gym complex that SAS offers their workers.

This 75-foot pool is available for employees to swim, play water sports or simply watch movies with family and friends.

Employees take advantage of the many classes available at the indoor fitness center.

In the onsite salon, Scott Singer, who has worked at SAS for six years, gets his hair cut by stylist Pamela Painter, who has worked in the salon for nine years.

An on-campus farm provides fresh vegetables.

One of the many sculptures that adorn the lobbies and courtyards of buildings on the SAS campus.

The SAS campus contains many types of flowering plants and shrubs that add color to the buildings and lawns.

Sustainability has remained a top priority with SAS. For example, a 1-megawatt solar array at SAS global headquarters is providing clean, renewable energy to the public energy grid for the local utility.

Tim Morton, the site services manager at SAS, picks some tomatoes at the company's onsite farm, which provides many of the fresh vegetables for the cafeterias on the SAS campus.

The founding staff opened offices in a building at 2806 Hillsborough Street, across from the university.

John Sall, the executive vice president of SAS, right, meets with Jon Weisz, director of sales and marketing, in his office.

Carrie Santiago, a software developer, has worked at SAS for 16 years and spent hours decorating her new office, including curtains, when she had to move a few months ago.

One of the many pieces of sculpture that are scattered about the campus.