Publicly traded Tarragon, based in New York City but concentrating its operations mostly in Florida, made one of the biggest moves on the Giants list, rocketing from No. 285 last year to 70.
While the largest Giants use size to their advantage, smaller Giants, many of which compete head-on with the big boys, have learned out of necessity how to keep good people and how to seize unique niches and market opportunities.
With 18 of the top 20 builders traded publicly, this elite group merits a separate discussion not only for the magnitude of their operations and industry leadership, but also because they are, to a degree, aligned around the needs of a different kind o..