The honor is well-earned.

Too, the 365-day-a-year job that homebuilding leaders do, which often underlies annual "best company" recognition awards, is usually unsung.

Century Communities, one of America’s top 10 homebuilders, now holds a spot on the 2025 U.S. News & World Report list of Best Companies to Work For — recognition that adds to its ongoing acknowledgment by Newsweek as one of the most trustworthy companies in the world.

Among other household enterprise-level names in homebuilding, U.S. News & World Report also recognized: Beazer Homes, Meritage, Invitation Homes, Taylor Morrison, Tri Pointe Homes, LGI Homes, Lennar, NVR, Pulte, Toll Brothers.

In today’s unforgiving new-home market, that recognition – and, more importantly, the leadership investment and commitment that underpins it – means something more profound than a marketing moment or a PR boost.

It affirms a core leadership conviction and an unrelenting commitment to accountability: that in the face of volatility, cost pressure, and buyer uncertainty, sustained performance requires a people-first culture not as an initiative, but as the business model.

We’re honored to be recognized as one of the best places to work,” says Jim Francescon, Executive Vice President of Century Communities. “It’s a meaningful reflection of the family company culture we work to build together — one where our team members feel supported, valued, and connected.”

In this year of headwinds — stubbornly high interest rates, wavering consumer confidence, rising input costs, and margin squeeze — Century’s leadership is doubling down on its team, not pulling back.

Trust and Shared Purpose: The Culture Behind Execution

For Francescon, this is not just about atmosphere. Culture is operational; it's the day-to-day.

We’re in the business of building homes,” he says, “but we’ve never lost sight of the fact that everything we do is built on relationships and trust — with our team, our customers, our trade partners, and all of our stakeholders.”

That language — relationships, trust, shared purpose — comes up again and again. And it’s not fluff. It’s strategy. It's doing what you say you're going to do, and saying what you mean. It’s the connective tissue that allows Century to act as a unified team in markets where acting fast and performing consistently are mandatory.

In markets like today, all of that resonates and stands true,” Francescon says. “It’s not the easiest time out there. But a strong foundation — a family company culture with a people-first mentality — helps us move forward and achieve our mission of providing a home for every dream.”

Why Recognition Reflects Readiness

The U.S. News recognition comes as homebuilders everywhere strive to keep their teams energized amid a cloud of uncertainty, from hesitant buyers to cautious land sellers to trade partners seeking predictability.

For us here at Century,” Francescon explains, “we’ve got a very deep sense of shared purpose. We’re focused on the entry level and affordability. We give our customers a great experience — but that starts with a culture that drives excellence internally and externally.”

And in an industry built on coordination across thousands of job sites, vendors, and stakeholders, that culture must scale quickly and work seamlessly.

It’s truly our people that make Century a great place to work by creating a culture of excellence,” Francescon says. “This honor belongs to the team.”

Benefits Power Execution, Commitment, Performance

Programs like paid volunteer days, mental health support, and new-home purchase discounts may seem like perks. But at Century, they’re part of the engine.

We’ve been intentional about our benefit program,” Francescon says. “It ranges from 401(k) matching and tuition assistance to strong wellness benefits. We’ve added programs such as paid time off for volunteering and employee home purchase discounts. These programs matter — they’re valued, and they help energize our team.”

That energy translates directly to performance. In an environment where every job site interaction affects schedule, budget, and customer experience, fully engaged team members are a competitive advantage.

M&A Integration: A People-Centric Playbook

Francescon has helped lead Century through a series of M&A deals — most recently the acquisitions of Landmark Homes and Anglia Homes. Integrating entrepreneurial builders into a public company framework is never easy. Doing it in this market and doing it well requires discipline, empathy, and speed.

When it comes to M&A, we’re very focused on being transparent, building trust quickly, and welcoming new team members into Century,” Francescon says. “On day one, we get everybody together. We give a detailed overview of Century — our values, how we work, what our benefits are — and we do a team event that same day.”

The goal? Immediate inclusion.

We want people to feel at home at Century,” he says. “We move quickly to integrate and underscore our people-first mentality — a culture based on trust, support, and empowerment.”

That approach pays off in consistency. As Francescon explains,

It comes down to our people. They’re out there making it happen every day.”

Digital Transformation, Grounded in People

As much as Century talks about culture, it also walks the walk in terms of technology and data. But it never forgets who it’s for.

We’re very data-driven in how we operate the business,” Francescon says. “It allows us to make better decisions, improve efficiency, and create a better offering.”

This isn’t transformation for its own sake. It’s about empowering both customers and employees.

Our online ‘Buy Now’ program is a great example,” Francescon explains. “It brings transparency and efficiency. It empowers customers. And it empowers our team members to serve in new ways.”

The Capability That Matters Most

When asked what internal capability will matter most for builders in 2026 and beyond, Francescon doesn’t miss a beat.

I’d answer that from a cultural standpoint,” he says. “What will matter most is cultivating a strong people-first culture — both internally with team members and externally with customers and trade partners.”

In a market where things are shifting constantly, Francescon believes success comes down to consistency in a few key values.

The companies that are going to continue to stand out,” he says, “are the ones that stay grounded in trust, transparency, and shared purpose.”

A Simple Takeaway

Century’s recognition by U.S. News is not just a feather in its corporate cap.

It’s a signal flare for an industry challenged each day to get better. Better for consumer customers. Better for team member associates. Better for channel trade partners. Better for land sellers and local jurisdictions. Better for their stakeholder owners.

Homebuilder-of-preference is no buzzword. It's a business maker or breaker.

In a 2025 housing market where margin compression, affordability pressures, and capital constraints are eroding performance, builders looking to weather the storm — and thrive beyond it — need to double down on people, not just processes.

This means leadership that invests in trust as infrastructure. That views integration not as absorption, but as inclusion. That sees culture not as brand, but as bandwidth — the thing that allows organizations to stretch, flex, and keep executing under pressure.

Jim Francescon sums it up as have the leaders – like Jim's father and uncle Rob and Dale Francescon – on whose shoulders he stands:

At the end of the day, it’s a people business.”

In 2025, that’s not a soft idea. It’s a hard edge. The builders who get that — and live it — are the ones who’ll be around to win the next market, not just this one.