Which global metropolitan area has the highest concentration of companies excelling in leadership development? New York, London, Tokyo, Chicago? How about the Twin Cities?

Fortune Magazine’s most recent ranking of the companies best at developing leaders reveals the Twin Cities area has the single greatest concentration of highly ranked companies in the world. General Mills (No. 3), 3M (16) and Cargill (17) made the top 25 globally. Mumbai, India, with two in the top 25, was the only other city with more than one firm.

Factoring in American Express(21), with a large employee contingent in Minneapolis, and Target, which made the top 25 list for North America, the metro region clearly stands out as an incubator of business leadership. The top-rated companies emphasize global experience and stretching emerging leaders into challenging assignments and out of their “comfort zone,” according to the magazine.

See the full list here.

To create the ranking, Fortune surveyed more than 500 global companies that had responded to a detailed questionnaire examining the factors influencing both the depth and quality of leadership. After analysis and interviews, 217 finalist companies were judged by authors, academics and journalists, who considered variables in selecting and ranking the lists, including survey and interview data, company reputation, leadership culture and values, and business performance over a five-year period, according to Fortune.

Pillsbury estate, on auction block, gets national attention
Southways, the former Pillsbury Estate on Lake Minnetonka that goes up for sale in a sealed bid auction Dec. 9, has attracted lots of attention in the real estate circles, because this is only the second time the property has come up for sale. It also recently shared the spotlight with notable properties as one of the week’s luxury real estate deals on TopTenRealEstateDeals.com website.

Probably the quirkiest one on that week’s list was the Vancouver, British Columbia, “Cullen House,” shown in the recent vampire hit movie “Twilight: New Moon.”

“The Pillsbury property, which includes formal gardens, a pool, tennis complex, tea house, caretaker's house and greenhouse, was on the market for $53.5 million last year but did not sell,” the Star Tribune reported last month.

According to the website promoting the property, “Southways is the finest lakefront estate on world-renowned Lake Minnetonka. Designed by noted architect Harrie T. Lindeberg and renovated by accomplished Beyer Blinder Belle, this 40,000 sq. ft. masterpiece encompasses 13-acres on fable Brackett’s Point and offers 1,700 feet of lake frontage on Smith’s and Brown’s Bay. For only the second time, this estate can be purchased and is being offered in its entirety, or as separate waterfront sites.”