Check out the boss's pay package in the Star Tribune's annual executive compensation survey. Median total pay of chief executive officers in recession-racked 2008 was down about 38 percent from 2007. Here are the 100 largest CEO pay packages among the public companies we examined.

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Standouts among the top 100

Highest Total Compensation: Daniel Starks, CEO, St. Jude: $32.2 million

Biggest Gain from stock option exercise: Daniel Starks, CEO, St. Jude: 29.8 million

Highest Salary: George Buckley, 3M CEO: $1.72 million

Biggest Bonus: Jay Fishman, CEO, Travelers Companies Inc.: $5 million

Highest present value of new options: Daniel Starks, CEO, St. Jude: $6.4 million

The trend within a trend

Median total compensation for Minnesota's 100 highest-paid CEOs dropped nearly 40 percent in 2008, sending median pay below $1 million for the first time in four years. Total compensation includes salary, bonus and other compensation including gains from the exercise of previously issued stock options and shares vested during the year.

Median cash compensation

The median salary-plus-bonus for Minnesota executives declined 9.7 percent in 2008 to $613,233. The comparable figure for 200 CEOs surveyed by the Wall Street Journal dropped 8.5 percent to $2.24 million.

Midwest salary sampler

Average salaries for rank-and-file hourly and salaried workers in the Midwest rose about 3 percent in 2008, the smallest annual pay raises since 2001, according to a survey of about 1,300 employers by WorldatWork, a salary- tracking association. The Midwest region includes Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Kansas City.

Top 100 CEOs

Top female executives

Top non-CEOs

2008 total comp.

2007 total comp.

1-year percent change

1-year percent stock change

Bahram Akradi

Life Time Fitness Inc.

2,618,359

4,587,663

-42.9

-73.8

Bernard Aldrich

Rimage Corp.

906,258

1,775,470

-49.0

-48.2

Bradbury Anderson

Best Buy Co. Inc.

8,752,478

49,261,495

-82.2

-34.7

Gideon Argov

Entegris Inc.

1,092,244

1,954,702

-44.1

-74.5

Kenneth Aubrey

Image Sensing Systems Inc.

321,882

-63.2

Douglas Baker

Ecolab Inc.

2,554,560

8,199,704

-68.8

-30.5

Elmer Baldwin

Analysts International Corp.

542,148

-62.2

Bruce Barclay

SurModics Inc.

1,891,610

632,403

199.1

-35.5

Jeffrey Berg

Communications Systems Inc.

904,701

553,158

63.6

-30.8

Lyle Berman

Lakes Entertainment Inc.

4,079,250

831,217

390.8

-39.2

Anthony Bihl

American Medical Systems Holdings Inc.

759,744

-37.7

Richard Braun

Medtox Scientific Inc.

1,642,185

5,229,658

-68.6

-54.4

George Buckley

3M Co.

5,476,950

7,502,416

-27.0

-29.7

Edward Cameron

Appliance Recycling Centers of America

340,050

-66.9

Michael Carrel

Vital Images Inc.

455,379

-23.0

Sean Casey

Virtual Radiologic Corp.

519,705

22,930,799

-97.7

-58.1

Anthony Conway

Rochester Medical Corp.

631,284

460,266

37.2

-26.8

William Cook

Donaldson Co. Inc.

6,955,744

4,399,349

58.1

25.1

William Cooper

TCF Financial Corp.

4,383,913

-19.0

John Coughlan

XATA Corp.

592,770

35.1

Alec Covington

Nash Finch Co.

4,967,621

2,595,328

91.4

29.6

James Cracchiolo

Ameriprise Financial Inc.

5,761,788

17,227,600

-66.6

-56.8

Michael Dale

ATS Medical Inc.

781,123

596,885

30.9

25.7

Terry Dauenhauer

Innovex Inc.

326,787

-74.7

Richard Davis

U.S. Bancorp

4,034,824

1,723,072

134.2

-16.5

Cary Deacon

Navarre Corp.

564,723

-52.9

Harry Debes

Lawson Software Inc.

1,621,940

1,105,035

46.8

-5.0

Michael Degen

Nortech Systems Inc.

482,862

367,404

31.4

-37.7

Robert Demorest

Mocon Inc.

522,312

445,185

17.3

-19.9

James Dolan

Dolan Media Co.

669,460

1,009,139

-33.7

-77.3

Scott Drill

Insignia Systems Inc.

433,397

100

345,190

25.6

-65.0

Andrew Duff

Piper Jaffray Companies

2,175,560

2,368,151

-8.1

-14.2

Joseph Dunsmore

Digi International Inc.

527,323

1,003,262

-47.4

-28.2

John Erickson

Otter Tail Corp.

1,710,560

1,495,805

14.4

-29.8

Jeffrey Ettinger

Hormel Foods Corp.

5,386,991

3,740,537

44.0

-20.9

John Finke

HickoryTech Corp.

585,491

630,477

-7.1

-37.6

Paul Finkelstein

Regis Corp.

5,821,472

2,319,588

151.0

-30.6

Jay Fishman

Travelers Companies Inc.

12,849,043

9,373,007

37.1

-13.7

Paul Foley

MAIR Holdings Inc.

681,708

1,070,241

-36.3

-42.0

Wayne Fortun

Hutchinson Technology Inc.

643,863

1,857,448

-65.3

-52.6

Mark Gorder

IntriCon Corp.

378,668

401,747

-5.7

-71.1

Jerry Grabowski

Zareba Systems Inc.

569,896

370,590

53.8

-68.3

Mark Greene

Fair Isaac Corp.

945,987

-35.9

Laura Hamilton

MTS Systems Corp.

930,782

697,913

33.4

2.8

John Hawkins

Hawkins Inc.

618,389

456,153

35.6

6.5

William Hawkins

Medtronic Inc.

3,968,161

-7.1

Stephen Hemsley

UnitedHealth Group Inc.

9,474,880

5,029,838

88.4

-54.2

Michael Hoffman

The Toro Co.

2,056,813

2,352,797

-12.6

-38.6

Randall Hogan

Pentair Inc.

4,979,305

10,503,566

-52.6

-30.5

Russell Huffer

Apogee Enterprises Inc.

3,301,478

2,000,904

65.0

-25.7

Kathleen Iverson

CyberOptics Corp.

291,158

349,453

-16.7

-56.5

David Kaysen

Uroplasty Inc.

455,500

18.3

Richard Kelly

Xcel Energy Inc.

4,315,710

6,903,404

-37.5

-13.7

H. Chris Killingstad

Tennant Co.

695,697

1,652,818

-57.9

-64.5

Mark Knudson

Enteromedics Inc.

495,851

420,610

17.9

-81.8

Richard Kramp

Synovis Life Technologies Inc.

501,043

387,612

29.3

-26.8

Gregg Lehman

Health Fitness Corp.

506,226

-58.8

Joseph Levesque

Aetrium Inc.

100

289,552

350,192

-17.3

-67.3

G. Patrick Lynch

Northern Technologies Intl. Corp.

329,255

34.1

Rosalyn Mallet

Caribou Coffee Co. Inc.

539,497

-66.0

William Mansfield

Valspar Corp.

2,975,508

2,025,563

46.9

-16.0

Richard Marcantonio

G&K Services Inc.

1,954,506

1,509,568

29.5

-22.4

Patrick McHale

Graco Inc.

637,593

598,057

6.6

-34.8

Michael McNeil

HMN Financial Inc.

426,294

579,231

-26.4

-82.2

Donald Mitchell

FSI International Inc.

472,254

465,405

1.5

-56.3

Michael Morache

Plato Learning Inc.

593,647

586,553

1.2

-60.3

John Morgan

Winmark Corp.

368,961

362,811

1.7

-45.3

Daniel Murphy

Alliant Techsystems

6,825,006

13,436,507

-49.2

17.6

Jeffrey Noddle

Supervalu Inc.

11,489,001

8,417,722

36.5

-27.6

Willard Oberton

Fastenal Co.

1,710,895

1,405,873

21.7

-12.1

Thomas Oland

Techne Corp.

289,978

109

277,904

4.3

35.1

Bill Otis

New Ulm Telecom Inc.

296,580

110

276,327

7.3

-30.7

Robert Palmisano

EV3 Inc.

1,063,489

-51.9

Fred Parks

Urologix Inc.

408,273

104

330,000

23.7

-20.5

Cheri Beranek Podzimek

Clearfield Inc.

301,154

11.4

Robert Pohlad

PepsiAmericas Inc.

4,656,390

3,430,901

35.7

-37.3

Kendall Powell

General Mills Inc.

4,040,238

6.0

Jim Prokopanko

Mosaic Co.

3,263,890

256.7

Michael Pudil

WSI Industries Inc.

384,029

101

344,495

11.5

70.4

Joel Ronning

Digital River Inc.

5,748,079

32,689,166

-82.4

-24.9

Howard Root

Vascular Solutions Inc.

682,988

537,596

27.0

38.6

Frank Russomanno

Imation Corp.

1,118,895

1,185,828

-5.6

-33.5

Anthony Ryan

MoneyGram International Inc.

986,659

-93.3

Lee Schram

Deluxe Corp.

1,951,793

2,011,261

-3.0

-51.8

Stephen Shank

Capella Education Company

1,620,513

11,148,339

-85.5

-10.2

Donald Shippar

Allete Inc.

1,120,208

981,567

14.1

-14.7

Sally Smith

Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.

1,639,370

4,108,790

-60.1

10.4

Philip Soran

Compellent Technologies Inc.

949,818

986,483

-3.7

-20.0

Daniel Starks

St. Jude Medical Inc.

32,241,851

8,637,475

273.3

-18.9

Gregg Steinhafel

Target Corp.

2,428,233

12,927,857

-81.2

-42.9

Robert Switz

ADC Telecommunications Inc.

1,754,110

1,830,439

-4.2

-66.1

Thomas Tiller

Polaris Industries Inc.

11,481,783

4,956,834

131.6

-37.6

Randy Tofteland

SoftBrands Inc.

629,093

458,159

37.3

-49.1

Christopher Twomey

Arctic Cat Inc.

1,411,511

858,066

64.5

-61.6

Michele Volpi

H.B. Fuller Co.

1,453,433

1,459,093

-0.4

-29.0

Steven Wagenheim

Granite City Food & Brewery Ltd.

390,305

364,918

7.0

-87.6

Charles Westling

Datalink Corp.

634,153

581,550

9.0

-13.2

John Wiehoff

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.

5,677,699

9,533,649

-40.4

3.4

James Wiltz

Patterson Companies Inc.

837,805

838,803

-0.1

-5.1

Rodney Young

Angeion Corp.

349,781

963,167

-63.7

-50.9

The Star Tribune examined annual proxy statements and 10-K filings for the 130 largest publicly held companies in Minnesota. All data are for the most recently completed fiscal year, which in most cases was the 2008 calendar year. Some executives were not included if their pay information was not available at press time. Executives are ranked based on total compensation. The Star Tribune counts salary, bonus, other compensation, the value of restricted stock that vested during the year and the value of options that were exercised during the year.

ABBREVIATIONS:
Ch - Chairman
Chw - Chairwoman
CEO - Chief Executive Officer
P - President
COO - Chief Operating Officer
Sec. - Secretary
NM - Not meaningful
NR - Not ranked
- Means not available
Source: Company reports, Bloomberg News