blow out reduction

Usually it's best to avoid the situation altogether and just re-position your subject/background. One way to combat it would be to bring in a light(s) to cut down the stop differential between the subject and the background. It'd have to be a lot of light though since you're competing with the sun. If the sun is offset behind the subject, you could use a reflector to bounce light back on to them as well, but depending on how bright the background is it might not do much at all.

In flash/strobist photography, you first expose the background to the desired amount, then bring in the strobes to light your subject.
 
A shiny board could get you another couple of stops, which would allow you to really close the gap between foreground and background. Big productions simply throw as much light on the foreground subject as it takes to equalize the subject to the background. Or, conversely, they find a way to control the background. Depending on the size of the background, this can be tough, though it isn't uncommon for big productions to tarp across entire streets to completely control their lighting scenario and assure continuity no matter where the sun is.

Another alternative is to rotate the entire set-up so your background is in shadow (at least two sides of the same building in this example would be!) and then you need relatively little light on your foreground subject to make them pop.

There is no one piece of magic equipment that does this. Okay, in a studio setting, there is, and it is called RoscoView. For location work, there is not. It is all about camera placement, lighting ratio / contrast control and exposure.
 
While not the optimum solution there is always the "backlight" button. Which is "User 1" if you haven't changed the default. May help in an emergency.
 
You can get shiny board, foamcore and collapsible reflectors at Barbizon Atlanta. Tell them DVXUser sent you for a discount!

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