Donald Bren
CHAIRMAN
IRVINE CO.
THE WEALTH: Bren heads Orange County’s largest real estate company, with one of the largest portfolios of apartments and offices in California, among other notable holdings. Holdings consist of 129M square feet and include more than 590 office buildings, 125 apartment communities with 65K units, 40 retail centers, one coastal resort, three golf courses and five marinas, according to Irvine Co. Buildings largely in OC, with about 35% of the portfolio in Silicon Valley, San Diego, West Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City.
BIG BREAK: Bren got his start as a homebuilder in 1958. In 1977, he was part of a group that purchased Irvine Co. from the founding family, the successor to the 93,000-acre ranch bought by James Irvine in 1864. Bren bought out most of his partners in 1983. Became sole owner in 1996. Bren has been the steward of the Irvine Ranch Master Plan, professionally planning and building the City of Irvine and the Newport Coast.
PELICAN HILL: Irvine. Co. last month turned over management of The Resort at Pelican Hill, widely considered one of the most valuable assets in Bren’s portfolio, to Marriott International Inc. Set to join the hotel firm’s St. Regis brand portfolio. The 332-key resort spans 504 acres and includes the Pelican Hill Golf Club, a 23K-square-foot spa and Italian restaurant Andrea.
LOCAL HOLDINGS: Fashion Island, Newport Center, half of 185-acre UCI Research Park in Irvine, Jamboree Center, MacArthur Court and large parts of the 5,000-acre Irvine Spectrum.
PHILANTHROPY: Lifetime giving estimated at more than $2.1B, with over $265M going toward education. In April, donated $2M gift to Irvine Unified School District. Gift is part of a 20-year, $50M commitment by Irvine Co. and the Donald Bren Foundation to boost IUSD’s art, music and science programs at elementary schools. Irvine Co. last year also gifted 475 acres of land, worth about $330M, to the city of Irvine in a deal that closed the city’s All American Asphalt plant, due to complaints from residents. Around 80 acres of that gifted land will be allocated for housing.