Early Life
George M. Marcus was born in Euboea, Greece, in 1941 and immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of four in 1945. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from San Francisco State University in 1965.
Rise to Success
Marcus co-founded Marcus & Millichap with William A. Millichap in 1971. Marcus also founded Essex Property Trust. He served as a trustee of the California State University during the 1980s and was a member of the CSU Foundation's board of governors. He also served 12 years as a University of California regent.
Key Business Strategies
The core strategy has always been specialization. Marcus & Millichap's transformative moments were about scaling that model and diversifying revenue. Establishing Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (MMCC) in 1984 fundamentally changed the client offering, providing a one-stop shop for both investment sales and financing.
Philanthropy
George and Judy Marcus have contributed generously to various philanthropic causes, particularly in education and religious institutions. In 2018, they established the International Center for the Arts at San Francisco State University with a contribution of $25 million. In 2020, Marcus donated $2 million to the reconstruction of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at the World Trade Center in New York City.