As always, the complaints have rolled in about our Power 100 list. The grumbling is coming earlier this year—sometimes, there is a lag of a few months, catching me off guard when someone starts yelling at me during an unrelated conversation. Also, there are slightly more complaints this year, which means either we messed up on the list or people are taking the list more seriously. I'll let you decide which it is.

The complaints break down roughly like this:

--I (or my boss, my colleague, my client, my friend) am not on the list and should have been.

--I (or my boss, my colleague, my client, my friend) was cut from the list and should not have been.

--I (or my boss, my colleague, my client, my friend) dropped from X to Y in the ranking and should not have dropped that much (or at all).

-- I (or my boss, my colleague, my client, my friend) don't like what you wrote.

Here's what I tell people. The list is completely subjective. Managing Editor Joe St. Arney and I talk to dozens of people to get input, and also do our own research on list candidates. We put a lot of time and energy into the list, but in the end it's our opinion—at one point in time—of how we view New Jersey's business community. This year, we added 50 people to the list. That means 50 people came off, so anyone who got cut is in good company. We also have new names high on the list—four in the top 10 and nine in the top 20—which automatically moves other people down on the list. In many cases, people dropped not as a ding against them but because other people jumped ahead of them. In some cases, people were ranked too high last year. As for the blurbs, those are mostly compilations of quotes other people say about the state's business leaders. In New Jersey, people tell it like it is. It's one reason this state is so great.

I want to make one thing clear: reporters played no role in this list. The list is researched, ranked and written by me and Joe. So if you want to complain, contact one of us. Sharon: swaters@njbiz.com or (732) 246-5702. Joe: jarney@njbiz.com or (732) 246-5726. Don't complain to the beat reporter who covers you.

Another thing to clear up: if you're not on the list, your PR firm did nothing wrong. We always get calls from PR people who sound worried that they missed some nomination deadline. There is no formal process for submitting names. While doing our research, Joe and I reach out to well-connected people who we know will be candid with us. And, frankly, we give more weight to input from someone we reach out to than PR people who contact us to recommend their clients.

The most interesting criticism, to me, is that which doesn't involve someone who is talking about him/herself (or boss, colleague, client, friend). The main critique we heard is that Robert C. Garrett should not have been No. 2. However, people making that comment could not name someone else to take that spot. In fact, we asked everyone we spoke to during our research who should be No. 2 and no one offered a suggestion. Another critique was that Kevin O'Dowd was too high at No. 4 because he's new in his position as chief of staff. We also have been told that our list is too male and too white. That comment is 100 percent true because the sad fact is our list represents the state's business world, which is predominantly male and white. And we don't put people on the list just to reach a certain benchmark of women or minorities. On this criticism, people were unable to name another woman or minority who should have been on the list.

On a positive note, people liked our No. 100 pick of (seriously, I need to look up his name right now because I'm not 100 percent sure what it is) Christopher Costa. Well, maybe Chris Christie didn't like it.

Finally, at least one person is keeping the list in perspective. This person, who is actually on the list, admitted he/she liked being included but then asked, "This is completely subjective, right? Just whatever the NJBIZ editors think? It's not like it's the voice of God or something."

Amen to that.