It is appropriate that in a city made famous by the likes of Adams, Franklin, Hancock and Jefferson, the giants of Philadelphia real estate have mead their marks here by making bold, independent decisions in the pursuit of their far-reaching visions for their firms and the growth of the city. Whether as owners, developers of investors, the following icons of this city's real estate industry share not only unbridled success in their business endeavors, but a passion to give back to their communtiy through civic and philanthropic activities.

Since becoming president and CEO in 1997 at the age of 25, Adelman has led Campus Apartments to become one of the country's largest developers, owners and managers of student housing, boasting a portfolio of over 32,000 beds in 24 states that serve more than 70 colleges and universities. His business savvy has fueled the firm's strategic acquisitions and development and rehabilitation projects that have increased revenue by 300% over the last five years. In August, the firm completed its first hotel project, Homewood Suites by Hilton-University City in Philadelphia's University City District. Adelman has led a number of major projects to improve campus student lifestyle, including the University City District, to which the firm has contributed $500,000 over 10 years.

Although born and raised in Cleveland, Adler is considered one of the region's most influential private real estate equity investors and managers. He co-founded one of Philadelphia's most powerful real estate investment firms—Lubert-Adler Partners, LP—in 1997 with his partner Ira Lubert. With Adler as CEO and head of the Investment Committee, Lubert-Adler has over $6.5 billion in equity and $16 billion of assets under management and invests on behalf of 30 major university endowments, state pension funds and major foundations, among others. He is also a partner in Independence Capital Partners, a family of funds totaling $11.7 billion in equity.

A 35-year industry veteran, Balin founded AMC Delancey Group Inc. 20 years ago. As chairman and CEO of the firm—a national private developer/manager and investor in mixed-use, multifamily, office, retail, industrial, hospitality and land—he crafted an investment vehicle that emphasizes the principle of aligning the interest between financial investors and operating partners in real estate transactions. In 1987, he co-founded Amerimar Realty Co. as the successor to a portion of the Bass real estate portfolio, and built that organization as its president and COO. Previously, he was a real estate partner and senior executive with affiliates of Bass Brothers Enterprises and Robert M. Bass Group of Fort Worth, TX.

With projects such as the Northern Liberties and Avenue North that have transformed neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Blatstein has earned the reputation of a man who gets the job done. As president and CEO of Tower Investments Inc., he's led the firm in efforts that have redeveloped vast tracts of post-industrial parcels along Columbus Boulevard into successful retail, entertainment and office properties, including Riverview Plaza and Columbus Crossing, which it sold to Cedar Wood Shopping Centers for a reported $75 million. In the Manayunk waterfront, Tower developed the largest contiguous commercial site along the Schuylkill riverfront. Blatstein is a founding member of the Waterfront Developers Council, serves on the board of trustees of Community College of Philadelphia, and the President's Advisory Board and Board of Visitors of Temple University.

Christopher Buccini is co-president of the Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. a privately held real estate development, acquisition and management company with offices in Philadelphia, Wilmington, DE, Washington DC and Baltimore. Since joining the firm in 1999, he's managed $3 billion in real estate transactions on the company's behalf. As president of BPG Real Estate Services LLC, he oversees a portfolio of more than six million square feet of office space, multifamily units in three communities, three parking facilities and commercial retail space. He's helped grow Buccini/Pollin to become the largest private office landlord in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. The company, along with Keystone Sports Entertainment LLC, built PPL Park in Chester, PA, the 18,500-seat home to the Philadelphia Union professional soccer team. Prior to joining the firm, he was the director of acquisitions and SVP of Barrow Street Capital LLC, of New York City and a VP at Eastdil Realty.

A member of PREIT and its successor firms for more than three decades, Coradino was made CEO this June. He's played an integral role in developing and executing the firm's strategic priorities, including driving ongoing improvement in the operating and sales performance of the mall portfolio. He conceptualized and led the implementation of a billion-dollar redevelopment program that transformed the company's real estate portfolio. In 2003, he led the merger integration of two multi-billiondollar public companies, which resulted in PREIT becoming one of the top 10 shopping mall owners in the US. Before the merger, he was president of the office division at the Rubin Organization. A member of the board of trustees since 2004, Coradino has also served as president of PREIT Services, and is a trustee of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a member of the executive committees of the Board of the Central Philadelphia Development Corp. and Drexel University Center for Corporate Governance.

Talk about giving back to your community and industry. Daniel M. DiLella, president and CEO of BPG Properties Ltd., funded the establishment of the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate at Villanova University. The 1973 graduate of the Villanova School of Business said during the center's 2008 opening, "It's my hope that the new DiLella Center for Real Estate will provide young people who are interested in real estate, as I was, with the resources they need to pursue successful and rewarding careers in the field." The center offers an undergraduate co-major and minor in real estate and a real estate specialization in the Villanova MBA program. Since he joined BPG in 1983, the firm's portfolio has grown to more than 24 million feet of office, retail, student housing and industrial properties and some 18,000 apartment units in over 70 communities.

The president and founder of Dranoff Properties Inc. is viewed by his peers as a civic leader, entrepreneur and urban visionary. For over 30 years he has developed luxury high-rise residential properties, mixed-use projects and adaptive reuses of historic buildings in Philadelphia and elsewhere. Some of the firm's best-known projects are Locust on the Park; the Left Bank; the Victor; Symphony House; World Café Live; Venice Lofts; and 777 South Broad, which in 2011 became Philadelphia's first mixed-use, LEED Silver-certified apartment building. He told an interviewer that as a youth in North Philadelphia he was fascinated with buildings and cities. That interest in creating has never left him. "I do it because I have a passion for buildings," he said. "The transformative nature of taking an overlooked building or abandoned lot and working with it in a way that shapes an entire neighborhood fascinates me."

The CEO and managing principal of Exeter Property Group bristled when told of his selection as one of Philadelphia's real estate icons. In fact, he said, "All the success I have enjoyed in my real estate career is due to the great mentorship provided by Philadelphia's greatest icon and visionary, Bill Rouse." He relates that he helped Rouse and his team restructure some troubled loans and, in 1994, led Rouse Associates in its successful IPO to become Liberty Property Trust. Since the late 1980s Fitzgerald has overseen the acquisition, development and management of over $5 billion of industrial and office space. Exeter Property Group, started in 2006, manages $1.5 billion in equity and has acquired or developed 40 million feet of warehouses and suburban office over the past six years on behalf of institutions, endowments, insurers and funds.

Glazer founded Keystone Property Group in 1991 with a vision to simply reinvent real estate investment. The firm grew from its real estate brokerage roots into an investment firm in 1993, to a development company in 1997 and to a real estate private equity firm in 2003. In his career, the president and CEO has invested in and developed more than six million square feet of properties. In a September 2011 interview with Globest.com, he explained Keystone's vision: "We see opportunities where reinventing real estate can create value. And location and cost basis drive every investment decision in real estate; which by the way, was completely true until the global financial crisis when we learned there was this new acronym called BLT: basis, location and timing."

The chairman, president and CEO of Liberty Property Trust has been keenly involved in some of the highest profile projects in Philadelphia during his time at Liberty, as president of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. where he served for 11 years and previously as the city's Commerce Director. Some of his notable ventures include leading negotiations on the construction of Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park in the late 1990s and the development of Liberty's 58-story Comcast Center in 2008. Another major project for Liberty is at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia, where it's developing the 70-acre Navy Yard Corporate Center in a JV with Synterra Partners. Hankowsky was appointed CEO and elected chairman of Liberty's board of trustees in 2003 after the passing of Bill Rouse.

Kelter has been involved in real estate and finance for more than 30 years. The senior partner of KTR Capital Partners began his career in 1976 at Bankers Trust Co., where he was an assistant treasurer in the corporate finance division. Prior to founding KTR, he was president, CEO and trustee of industrial REIT Keystone Property Trust. He founded the predecessor of Keystone in Philadelphia in 1982. He eventually took Keystone public in 1997 where he and the management team directed its operations until 2004, when it was sold to a JV of Eaton Vance and Prologis. Since December 2007, the KTR team has completed more than $4 billion of acquisitions and development. KTR's current funds—the $500-million Keystone Industrial Fund LP and the $700-million KTR Industrial Fund II LP—provide roughly $2 billion of investment capacity in the industrial sector.

As CEO of Korman Communities, Steve Korman leads this fourth-generation Plymouth Meeting, PA-based real estate firm that has built more than 30,000 single-family homes, 12,000 apartments and townhouses and six million feet of industrial and commercial space. The firm, a pioneer in extended-stay lodging, has seen its AKA division grow with properties in Philadelphia (AKA Rittenhouse Square and the Franklin); New York City; Washington, DC; Arlington, VA; Beverly Hills, CA; and, most recently London. It also has suburban properties in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Virginia. Chairman of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University, Korman shared his passion for real estate development in a 2009 speech to STHM students: "I love doing something unique. It's a lot of fun to take the basics and make a change. And there is no right or wrong way to do it."

They say any successful real estate investor has to be a bit of a gambler. However, Ira M. Lubert, chairman and co-founder of Lubert-Adler and co-founder of Independence Capital Partners, recently took that adage to another level. On March 31, Lubert and a group of partners opened the $150-million Valley Forge Casino resort, a King of Prussia, PA gaming and entertainment property with 486 rooms and suites. The 30-plus-year industry player also oversees several private investment funds with more than $10.5 billion in capital commitments under management, including Lubert-Adler, LLR Partners, LEM Capital, Quaker Partners, LBC Credit Partners and Patriot Capital Partners. Previously, he was the principal and founder of TL Ventures, as well as founder of Radnor Venture Partners LP.

This veteran of the Philadelphia and New York City real estate scene began his career in 1985 with Dean Witter Realty in New York City. Marshall joined Philadelphia and New York City-based Amerimar Enterprises in 1988 and now serves as the chairman, president and CEO, overseeing the acquisition, financing, redevelopment and disposition of various Amerimar assets. The firm has acquired more than 50 properties totaling 10.3 million square feet of office space, 870,000 feet of retail, 3,200 hotel rooms and 2,600 residential units since 1993. A total of 21 of those properties were either new developments or involved substantial renovations to the tune of more than $500 million. Among its current holdings in the Philadelphia area are the 488,000-square-foot International Plaza and the 1.4-millonsquare-foot Wanamaker Building on Market Street in Philadelphia.

The founder of King of Prussia, PA-based Morgan Properties, while perhaps pleased with his selection as one of Forum's icons of Philadelphia, received a high honor a few months ago when Temple University named its newest residential complex in honor of Morgan and his wife Hilarie. The naming recognizes the Morgans' support for the university, including a recent $5-million commitment. The 1,200-bed Mitchell and Hilarie Morgan Hall will be completed next year. Morgan Properties owns and manages 120 apartment communities with nearly 30,000 units in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia and Nebraska. Recently, the firm along with partner Core Properties acquired a 588-unit apartment complex in Randallstown, MD for $27.4 million and in February paid $31.4 million for a 192-unit apartment community in King of Prussia.

The founder and chairman of O'Neill Properties Group has been making a name for himself in Philadelphia and the US as a bold investor who specializes in renovating and rezoning brownfields. In 1984, he happened upon an abandoned paint factory on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Norristown, PA. He acquired the factory and transformed it into a productive property that set the tone for the company for years to come. In fact, O'Neill Properties is now the master redeveloper of Norristown and has brought its vision of revitalization to other sites in South Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. O'Neill has transformed the Conshohocken riverfront (Millennium), as well as the Lubin Film Studio property in Montgomery County. Among the firm's other achievements are the redevelopment of Eastern State Hospital in Bucks County and the Worthington Steel site in Chester County.

Over the past two decades, Pearlstein, president of Pearl Properties Corp., has guided the growth of a firm that is now considered one of the preeminent real estate investment and development companies in the Philadelphia region. The company has concentrated on investing in solely class A+ retail and multifamily properties by ground-up construction or the renovation of older buildings in key neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Chicago. Pearl Properties is currently under way on a total of 350 apartments and 60,000 square feet of prime retail at the Granary and the Sansom, with delivery of both high-profile projects scheduled for the spring of 2013.

No list of Philadelphia icons would be complete without the late Willard G. "Bill" Rouse. As a founding partner of Rouse & Associates and later as founder and chairman of the board of Liberty Property Trust, Rouse forever changed the Philadelphia skyline with the development of Liberty Place, a 3.4-million-square-foot complex that includes two high-rises of 61 and 58 stories. He was a driving force in real estate from the early 1970s until his untimely death in 2003, at the age of 60. Among his shining achievements were the development of the Great Valley Corporate Center, a 650-acre suburban business park in Malvern, PA and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Building in Downtown. Rouse was the former chairman of the Regional Performing Arts Center and was responsible for the development of one of the most ambitious projects in the history of Philadelphia, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

In early June when Joseph F. Coradino took over as CEO of PREIT, he said the following about former chairman and CEO Ronald Rubin: "I am particularly proud to follow in Ron's footsteps. He is a luminary and a pioneer in the real estate business." Rubin, CEO of PREIT since September 1997 and its chairman since 2001, is now the executive chairman of the firm. His real estate career began when he joined his father's small real estate firm in 1953. He guided the Rubin Organization to become one of the largest full-service real estate companies in the nation until its sale to PREIT 15 years ago. PREIT's current portfolio consists of 49 properties located in 13 states in the eastern half of the US.

The chairman and CEO of American Realty Capital, with offices in Jenkintown, PA and New York City, has executed in excess of 1,000 acquisitions with a transactional value of some $5 billion. American Realty Capital is a full-service investment advisory firm that sponsors a series of investment programs with an emphasis on publicly registered nontraded offerings. One of the company's offerings— American Realty Capital Trust—has been in the news of late. The real estate investment trust that specializes in single-tenant freestanding commercial properties signed a definitive agreement to merge with Realty Income Corp. in September of this year in a deal valued at $2.95 billion. Schorsch founded and formerly served as president, chief executive officer and vice chairman of American Financial Realty Trust from its inception as a REIT in September 2002 until August 2006.

Co-chairman of Scully Co., with his brother Jim and CEO daughter Jessica Michael Scully has helped expand the third-generation multifamily real estate firm since the 1970s. Although the Philadelphia-based company has properties in four states, has partnered with and managed properties for public pension funds, institutions and private investors, Scully prides himself on referring to Scully Co. as a boutique firm. He's been responsible for the acquisition of a number of apartment communities in a portfolio that includes the largest single high-rise tower in Downtown Philadelphia. "Owning and managing apartment communities people are proud to call home" is the mantra he says he lives by. He also says, "We love to compare our communities with those handled by the largest firms. We call it Scully Pride."

Brandywine Realty Trust, led by Sweeney, owns and operates the largest number of Center City "trophy" office buildings (Logan Square 1, 2 and 3, the Commerce Square properties.). The firm also built the 28-story Cira Center in 2006, the first office tower in West Philadelphia that totals more than 730,000 square feet. Sweeney has served as president, CEO and Trustee of Brandywine since 1994 and as president since 1988. He has overseen the explosive growth of Brandywine from four properties and a total market capitalization of less than $5 million to more than 34 million square feet and a total market capitalization of approximately $4.3 billion. His previous experience includes a stint as vice president of real estate development firm LCOR Inc.

The CEO and founder of WP Realty Inc. of Bryn Mawr, PA has more than 25 years in the real estate field. He provides the overall direction to the firm that owns and operates 40 shopping centers in 10 states, comprising more than 10 million square feet of space. Since its founding in 1995 the company has acquired more than 60 shopping centers, four apartment complexes and 19 office and retail buildings with a current market value approaching $1.5 billion. Its Pennsylvania shopping center holdings include: Carlisle Crossing, Columbia Mall, Dauphin Plaza, East End Centre, Mayfair Shopping Center, Plaza 15, Shamokin Plaza, Shops at Devon, Valmont Plaza and the West Side Mall. Before launching WP Realty, he was a partner in Preferred Real Estate Investments Inc. of Philadelphia. He also worked as the real estate director for Charming Shoppes, a national women's clothing retail chain.

Zuritsky began working at Parkway Corp. at the age of 12 and rose through the ranks to president in July 2002. Since then he has overseen the firm's growth in parking management and real estate development. With holdings in Downtown Philadelphia, Parkway currently operates more than 75 parking properties in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Richmond, VA and Toronto. The firm has been involved with nearly seven million square feet of office, retail, restaurants, parking and mid-rise residential projects through development, acquisition and redevelopment. Those projects included The Pearl condominiums in Chinatown, the luxury residential condominiums at 1706 Rittenhouse and the American Loft tower in Northern Liberties. The company broke ground a year ago on a new 246-room Hilton Home2 Suites hotel in Center City adjacent to the Pennsylvania Convention Center.