Items25The creator’s order
  1. 1Donald BrenDonald BrenBorn 11 May 1932Bren's consolidation of Irvine Company ownership is unusually clear: he joined the investor group that bought it in 1977, became majority owner in 1983 and sole shareholder in 1996. The company's master-planned communities and retained commercial properties connected development to long-term…0
  2. 2Stephen M. RossStephen M. RossBorn 10 May 1940Ross founded Related Companies in 1972 as a financier and developer of affordable housing. It expanded into market-rate homes, offices and mixed-use projects, with finance and partnerships helping support much larger schemes. His ownership in the private developer became a major source of wealth.…0i
  3. 3Jorge M. PérezJorge M. PérezBorn 17 Oct 1949Pérez built Related Group around housing in South Florida, moving from affordable apartments into major condominium and mixed-use developments. His family's interest in the privately owned developer connects that construction activity to wealth. Selling individual homes produces a different stream…0i
  4. 4Gerald D. HinesGerald D. HinesHines made architectural quality part of an office-development business founded in 1957. The firm combined development and ownership with investment management as it expanded internationally. Its 2017 report identified Gerald and his son Jeffrey as the owners of the main partnership, while also…0i
  5. 5Trammell CrowTrammell CrowBorn 10 Jun 1914A warehouse in Dallas launched Crow's commercial-property career. He expanded through partnerships and projects that included both premises tailored to a tenant and speculative buildings constructed before a tenant was secured. Owning interests in those developments made him a major private…0i
  6. 6Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.Born 17 May 1909Shopping centres turned DeBartolo's construction background into a substantial family fortune. He developed suburban retail sites as population and car ownership expanded, with Boardman Plaza among the early projects. Owning the places where retailers traded created income beyond the construction…0i
  7. 7William LevittWilliam LevittBorn 11 Feb 1907Levitt applied repeatable construction methods to large housing developments within the family firm, Levitt & Sons. Its sale to ITT converted the business into a substantial stock-based fortune, much of which he subsequently lost. His example joins the economics of mass homebuilding to two limits:…0i
  8. 8Eli BroadEli BroadBorn 6 Jun 1933Broad and Donald Kaufman built their homebuilding business around relatively affordable houses for a growing post-war market. Efficient construction and a repeatable offer helped create the ownership value behind Broad's first business success. He later diversified into insurance and retirement…0i
  9. 9Samuel J. LeFrakSamuel J. LeFrakLeFrak expanded an existing family building business into a major owner of housing, including the apartment complex bearing the family's name in Queens. Retaining developments made recurring rental income part of the wealth-building model. Later work on the New Jersey waterfront extended that…0
  10. 10A. Alfred TaubmanA. Alfred TaubmanBorn 31 Jan 1924Taubman moved from construction into ownership of shopping centres, paying close attention to how design affected shopping and tenant performance. The portfolio behind his wealth included institutional partners as well as his own interests. Its 1992 public offering used an umbrella partnership…0i