This year's list is chock full of companies that are rewriting the rules in their industries. They are the agitators, the pioneers, and the game-changers that are leading the way in the 21st century
CEO Larry Ellison engineered a string of acquisitions that have given a boost to the software giant's revenues. Now he must prove he can manage a bigger, more complex company.
Profits at the artificial joint maker are soaring as aging boomers refuse to be sidelined by wear and tear. Credit a CEO who has galvanized both the sales force and R&D.
It's a lead underwriter of the first U.S. hedge-fund IPO--and has a stake in what could be the largest private-equity deal ever. The house that bonds built has come a long way.
The specialty metals company has seen a dramatic reversal of fortune since 2003, thanks to demand from hot industries such as aerospace, oil and gas, and nuclear power.
A healthy global economy and a boom in commercial sales are helping the world's largest real estate services company thrive as the market grows more complex.
