Samuel
"Sam" Zell
US Jewish billionaire, * September 1941 in Chicago
Z. was born to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland who fled the country just before the
German invasion in 1939. Shortly after moving from Seattle to Chicago, Z.'s father Bernard changed the family name from Zielonka to
Zell. Z. received his BA in 1963 from the University of Michigan, where he was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi
fraternity. He also received a JD in 1966 from the University of Michigan Law
School.
Z., with Robert Lurie went on to found the Equity Group Investments, LLC, which spawned three real estate public
companies, including: Equity Residential, the largest apartment owner in the United
States; Equity Office Properties, the largest office owner in the country; and Manufactured Home
Communities, a mobile home company. In addition, Z. has created a number of public and private
companies. He also controls SZ Investments LLC as his investment arm. Z. is also Chairman of Capital Trust Inc., a finance and investment management company focused on the commercial real estate
industry, and Anixter International, the world's largest distributor of communication products and electrical and electronic wire and
cable. Recently, the Blackstone Group purchased Z.'s Equity Office Properties Trust for $39
billion, and sold off many of the portfolio's properties.
Between 1992 and 1999, Z.'s Chillmark fund owned Jacor Communications, Inc., a
radio broadcast group that included a television station. The company was sold to Clear Channel Communications in 1999.
IN April 2007, the 'Tribune' Company announced their acceptance of Z.'s offer to buy the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and other media
assets. In December 2007, Z. took the company private, and the following day he became the Chairman and CEO.
Z. is a long-time supporter of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he helped fund the Real Estate Department at
Wharton, as well as the Zell-Lurie Institute at the Ross School of Business at University of
Michigan, the Zell Center for Risk Research at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and the Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School.
Z. has also donated significantly to his alma mater, the University of Michigan.
Z. is a major donor to causes in Israel: The Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, the Israel Center for Social and Economic
Progress. In the United States, he has given major gifts to such Jewish causes as the American Jewish Committee and a Chicago Jewish day school named after his
father. Z. has donated to both Republican and Democratic candidates as well as to lobbying groups representing the real estate
industry.
In April 2008, Z. made a comment about the subprime mortgage crisis, where he
stated, "this country needs a cleansing. We need to clean out all those people who never should have been in houses in the first
place". In December 2008, Z. was implicated in the complaint against Illinois Governor Rod
Blagojevich. The issue in question was the firing of certain editorial staff members in exchange for tax breaks on the sale of Wrigley
Field.
Z.'s fortune is estimated at net worth of US$5 billion.
Literatur über
/ Writings concerning Z.:
Letzte Änderung / Last update: 11.12.2008
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