Dive Summary:

• The residential builders that have come back strongest from the recession, based on year-over-year revenues, include old names and new firms, but they all had strategies to get them where they wanted to go.
• At LGI Homes in Texas, the company grouped private funding to snap up land at recession prices, then relied on its sales and marketing force to propel closings. A special target has been renters who need to move in quickly once they decide to buy.
• In the Washington, D.C., area, EYA had to make deep staff cuts, but the company chose carefully and held onto the most experienced and valued team leaders despite the cost so it was ready to roll when the rebound began.

From the article:

Two thousand eleven may not have been a particularly banner year for the home-building industry, but, as our first annual list of Big Gainers suggests, there were plenty of firms that made significant strides in revenue growth last year. ...