Categories: BusinessWorld

Billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell dies at 81

 Billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell has died at the age of 81 due to complications from a recent illness, according to statements from the two real estate investment trusts (REITs) that he chaired.

Known for his bets on distressed assets and for popularizing the REIT structure in the 1990s, Zell founded the company that was a precursor to Equity Residential and took it public in 1993.

The Chicago property czar also invested in a wide range of businesses including manufacturing, travel, retail, healthcare and energy through Equity Group Investments, the private investment firm that he founded more than 50 years ago.

Zell had a net worth of $5.2 billion, according to Forbes. In 2007,he sold Equity Office Properties to Blackstone Inc for $39 billion in one of the largest real estate deals ever.

Soon after, he took media giant Tribune Co private in an $8.2 billion highly leveraged deal that saddled the company with too much debt.

Tribune filed for bankruptcy protection a year later during the global financial crisis after advertising revenue tumbled as more readers began getting their news online.

Zell had famously dubbed the acquisition a “deal from hell”.

Source : Reuters

GLOBAL BUSINESS AND FINANCE MAGAZINE

Recent Posts

Why detours improve development outcomes

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus does not reach home by following a flawless plan. His journey is…

2 days ago

Who is Raising Our Children? Screens, Baby Shark, and the Impact on Early Childhood

Sixteen billion. That’s how many times the popular children’s song Baby Shark has been viewed on YouTube.…

2 days ago

How traffic demand management can improve access, equity, and jobs in transit-oriented cities

Cities around the world are grappling with how to expand access to jobs and services…

2 days ago

Six ways to make tourism projects work for people, places, and prosperity

Tourism generates 10 percent of global GDP and supports 1 in 10 jobs worldwide. Because…

2 days ago

Elevating the knowledge agenda for women entrepreneurs to boost jobs, growth, and access to finance

Women entrepreneurs represent a powerful yet largely untapped source of job creation and economic growth. Removing…

2 days ago

A silver lining to the European energy crisis: Energy efficiency, productivity, and potential output

The 2022 natural gas price shock triggered the largest rise in fossil fuel prices in…

2 days ago