9. Sam Zell
Net Worth: $4.7 billion
Forbes 400 position: 117
A son of the Jewish jewelers who emigrated from Poland in the eve of the German invasion in 1939 via Tokyo, Sam Zell got his start in real estate while attending University of Michigan. In return for free boarding, he was managing an apartment building with 15 units. The owner was so impressed with Zell that he hired him to manage his other properties as well. By the time he got his degree, he and his partner Robert H. Lurie were managing some 4,000 apartments in Ann Arbor. Between 100 and 200 units of those were owned by their company. He then moved to Chicago and founded Equity Group, which grew to be the largest apartment owner and the largest office owner in the United States.
