He’s been called “the greatest investor in history”…
“The most fascinating American success story of our time”….
“The inventor and caretaker of a rare persona that has no equivalent in American business”…
Who is he?
No, sorry…it’s not Ashton Kutcher—not this time, or at least, not quite yet.
Good guess though.
50 Cent? Nas? Jared Leto?…Troy Carter?
Sorry again: turns out it’s actually just Warren Buffett…
The Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting returns tomorrow after a two-year hiatus to its Omaha-based, non-virtual format.
But with some changes.
Berkshire projects “considerably less” than the pre-pandemic 40,000-attendee turnout of 2019; and some events have been trimmed, including the popular newspaper toss, which had showcased skills Buffett honed as a paperboy.
As we do every year, we’ve included here some of the Buffett-related deals The Corporate Presence has commemorated in our 40-year history.
So get in the spirit of “Woodstock for capitalists”. Take our quick visual tour now.
In 2006 Berkshire Hathaway paid $4 billion for an 80% stake in ISCAR–at the time, the firm’s largest investment outside the U.S. BH bought the remaining 20% of the Israeli tool firm in 2013.
The 2013 deal put the total value of ISCAR (now formally known as International Metalworking, or IMC) at approximately $10 billion—or roughly twice its 2006 valuation.
Competition in the athletic apparel sector has become increasingly fierce since this 2006 acquisition–especially due to Under Armour. Even so, Russell’s margins benefit from BH’s status as one of the world’s largest cotton buyers (in addition to Russell parent Fruit of the Loom, it also owns children’s clothing company Garanimals).
Looking for fresh insight into this 2013 $23-billion mega-deal? Check out Malcolm Gladwell’s essay identifying The Ketchup Conundrum: while mustard brands have proliferated over the years, ketchup sales still disproportionately favor just two brands—-Heinz and Hunts. The essay was written in 2004.
Baseball fans may want to check out Benjamin Moore’s Fenway Collection. Color selections include Foul Pole Yellow, Baseline White, and, of course, Green Monster.
A Guardian columnist recently listed interior design disputes among the top-10 reasons couples fight. It ranked just ahead of money and relatives.