# CES Family of Companies

CES Family of Companies is an Asset Manager based in Chicago, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Chicago, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Chicago, IL, United States
- **Founded:** 1901
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** cesfamilyofcompanies.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/ces-family-of-companies

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

CES Family of Companies is a Chicago-based company that provides food equipment, supplies, and services to various sectors. Its offerings include food equipment, packaging, expendables, and maintenance services for the food service, retail grocery, hospitality, convenience stores, and meat processing industries. The company serves these sectors through its presence in Chicago, Illinois.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Private Credit
- Media & Entertainment

## People

- Joseph P. Kennedy — Founder

## Questions

### Who founded CES Family of Companies, and how was the original wealth created?

Joseph P. Kennedy founded the firm in 1901. The original wealth derived from merchant banking activities, most notably through syndicating financing for Hollywood film studios and theater chains during the industry's early expansion. This gave the firm a structural position in entertainment financing that prefigured modern media-focused private equity.

### What asset classes does CES Family of Companies invest in?

Deployment concentrates on three primary asset classes: commercial real estate, private credit, and direct equity investments in operating companies. Within real estate, the focus is on income-producing office, retail, and industrial properties, predominantly in the Midwest. Private credit activity skews toward senior secured lending to middle-market businesses, while equity investments favor control-oriented positions.

### Is CES Family of Companies still involved in media and entertainment?

Specific current holdings in media and entertainment are not publicly disclosed. However, given the firm's historic depth in film financing and its multi-decade holding patterns, ongoing exposure to content production or distribution assets is plausible. The firm does not publicize its portfolio, so any current media positions remain unconfirmed.

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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