Sam Zell’s investments span industries and continents, and
include interests in finance, energy, transportation, communications,
and real estate. He maintains substantial interests in, and is
the chairman of, five public companies listed on the New York
Stock Exchange: Equity Residential Properties Trust (EQR), the
largest apartment real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United
States; Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS), an equity real estate
investment trust that owns and operates manufactured home communities
in 26 states; Capital Trust (CT), a specialized real estate finance
company; Covanta Holding Corp. (CVA), an international leader
in converting waste to energy; and Anixter (AXE), a value-add
provider of integrated networking and cabling solutions that support
business information and network infrastructure requirements.
In April 2007, Mr. Zell submitted a proposal to finance the
sale of the Tribune Company to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan
(ESOP). As part of this transaction, he was named to the board
in May 2007. Upon close of the transaction, Mr. Zell will be
appointed chairman of the board.
Recently, Mr. Zell also served as chairman for Equity Office
Properties Trust (EOP), the largest office REIT in the U.S.
EOP was sold in February 2007 to The Blackstone Group for $39
billion in the largest private equity transaction in history.
Mr. Zell is also the chairman of his private entrepreneurial
investment firm, Equity Group Investments, which was the originator
of three of the largest REITs in the real estate industry, and
he is the chairman of Equity International, a privately held,
leading investor in real estate-related businesses outside of
the United States. Equity International originated the public
offerings for three international companies, in which Mr. Zell
maintains substantial interests: Gafisa, the leading homebuilder
in Brazil; BR Malls, one of the largest shopping center owners
and operators in Brazil; and Homex, the fastest growing homebuilder
in Mexico.
He serves on the JPMorgan National Advisory Board; the Eurohypo
International Advisory Board; the President’s Advisory
Board at the University of Michigan; the Visitor’s Committee
at the University of Michigan Law School; and with the combined
efforts of the University of Michigan Business School, he established
the Zell/Lurie Entrepreneurial Center. Mr. Zell’s continual
assistance to Michigan’s MBA program has also enhanced
the Business School’s Polish Studies Program. He was appointed
a DeRoy Visiting Professor in Honors at the College of Literature,
Science and the Arts at the University of Michigan. He is a
long-standing supporter of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton
Real Estate Center, and has endowed the Samuel Zell/Robert Lurie
Real Estate Center at Wharton. Mr. Zell has also endowed the
Northwestern University Center for Risk Management.
A native Chicagoan, Mr. Zell is a graduate of the University
of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School. He began
his career in real estate while an undergraduate at the University
by managing apartment buildings throughout Southeast Michigan.
Mr. Zell is an avid skier, racquetball player and enjoys riding
motorcycles. He is a frequent contributor of articles to various
publications and is often heard as keynote speaker throughout
the United States and Europe.