Sam Zell is an American businessman. He is chairman of Equity Group Investments (EGI), a private investment firm he founded in the 1960s. The firm's equity interests are often in asset-intensive industries such as real estate, energy, logistics, transportation, media, and health care. EGI's holdings also include fixed-income investments in public and private companies. The firm's specialty has always been opportunistic, often contrarian, long-term investing and active ownership.