Here is a big tip of the hat to CEO Harold Korell and his whole team at Southwestern Energy Corp. in Houston. The E&P company is the only energy-related company to make the list of the 10 best performers in the S&P 500 for 2008. That's quite an honor in this year of all years. You can thank a glorious set of shale wells and acreage, and good, steady execution. The company's third-quarter results showed that its Fayetteville shale production in Arkansas was up 75% over the prior year. The stock has outperformed just about everybody--actually going up and staying up relative to other E&Ps, many of which have gone on a wild ride this year to new highs and new lows. The 52-week high was $52 and change in July--the low was $19.05 on October 10. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't own any of this stock (other than if it is buried in some of my mutual funds)--but I wish I did. The stock closed at $27.78 on Dec. 15. --Leslie Haines, Editor in chief, Oil and Gas Investor. Contact me at lhaines@hartenergy.com.