Equity Office Properties Trust · Chicago, IL United States

All else being equal, Equity Office is one of the largest commercial landlords in the US. The company owns more than 60 million sq. ft. of premiere Class A office space in the country's top markets, including Boston, Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Northern California. Former chairman Sam "Grave Dancer" Zell founded Equity Office in 1976. After a fierce bidding war against Vornado Realty, The Blackstone Group acquired Equity Office for some $39 billion in 2007; it was one of the largest private equity transactions ever. Blackstone combined the newly acquired portfolio with its own holdings, which included assets purchased from CarrAmerica and Trizec Properties. To read the full description, subscribe now.