David Lichtenstein

Since buying his first building on a credit card, David Lichtenstein (1960-) has gone on to become one of the largest private landlords in the United States. His company, The Lightstone Group, recently purchased 2 publicly traded real estate companies, Prime Retail and Prime Group Realty Trust.

In May 2007, The Lightstone Group closed on the $8 billion acquisition of Extended Stay Hotels from the Blackstone Group.