There are many power players in the real estate industry but Forbes lists 7 real estate players who have notable stories to learn from.
1. Jon Gray, Blackstone
The low-key person who manages Blackstone's $93 billion real estate operation joined the firm in 1992. Over the years his deviously humble "buy it, fix it, sell it" mantra has led to some of the most remarkable buy-outs in real estate, including the $26 billion purchase of Hilton.
2. Jeffery Hayward, Fannie Mae
Forbes reports, Jeffery Hayward is Executive Vice President & Head of Multifamily at Fannie Mae. He is responsible for financing 500,000 plus homes every year, imparting more than $30+ billion of liquidity in the mortgage market. He has spent over 25 years at the lending business.
3. Samuel Zell, Equity Group Investments
His story is an example of guts and hard work. He began while he was still studying at the University of Michigan, partnering with a local property manager to buy cheap homes to fix so student could rent them. After graduating from law school, he only practiced for one week before quitting. He started Equity Group Investments.
4. Barry Sternlicht, Starwood Capital
BarrySternlicht is the Chairman of the Starwood Capital group and he is often labelled as the "King of Hotels". He founded Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and during his time as CEO he has built several iconic brands including Sheraton, W Hotels, and St. Regis. He was notorious for his "hands on" approach. Recently, he purchased Baccarat, a crystal manufacturer and has built a luxury hotel in NYC that features crystal chandeliers.
5. Lee Shau Kee, Henderson Land Company
Lee Shau Kee founded Henderson Land Company in 1976, and as Forbes writes, is now one of the most prolific real estate developers in the world. He is also titled as "Hong Kong's Buffet". Now at 86, he has stepped down and passed his business roles to his son but he still maintains his place as chairman.
6. Jonathan Pollack, Blackstone
He currently heads Blackstone's Real Estate Debt Strategies. Forbes writes, "while the German bank was reporting losses, Pollack's group was Wall Street's largest underwriter of real estate debt." He was involved in a lot of things including the reformation hotel chains like Motel 6 and has facilitated buy-outs of Manhattans most famous sky scrapers.
7. Joseph Chetrit, Private Investor
He came to the United States from Morocco 25 years ago to expand his family's textile business. Later the extraordinarily private investor has focused on his flair for buying up properties with flexible zoning, and then repurposing these spaces to sell them at a higher price. He is known for purchasing Sears Tower, which was formerly named, Willis Tower in 2009, under a lease agreement.
