Billionaire Sam Zell is considered the father of the modern real estate industry in the United States.
His empire began more than 50 years ago with the founding of Equity Group Investments. Over the decades, his real estate investment firm has — at some point — been the largest apartment owner in the US (Equity Residential) and the largest office owner in the US (EQ Office).
To round out the real estate dominance, Zell also controls Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS), the largest campground, recreational vehicle (RV), and manufactured home (MH) park owner in America.
