Money and Finance
A Rising Star Emerges at Berkshire
When Tracy Britt arrived in Omaha, Neb., in 2009 to meet with Warren Buffett, she brought a Harvard M.B.A., a glittering resume and a boatload of ambition. But she also brought the famed investor a gift to highlight their shared Midwestern roots: a bushel of corn and a batch of tomatoes.
The seed Ms. Britt planted that day yielded quick results: a job for Ms. Britt as Mr. Buffett's financial assistant at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Almost four years later, it has blossomed further, with Ms. Britt emerging as one of Mr. Buffett's top lieutenants and even serving as chairman of four companies within his $284 billion conglomerate.
Ms. Britt, now 28 years old and more than five decades younger than her boss, occupies a role unlike any other within Berkshire. With an office next to Mr. Buffett's at Berkshire's headquarters, Ms. Britt helps with financial research, accompanies Mr. Buffett to meetings and occasionally drives him around town. The billionaire gradually tacked on additional responsibilities.
The firms in which she serves as chairman, including building-products company Johns Manville Corp. and paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore & Co., total more than $4 billion in annual sales. In March, a few weeks after Berkshire and Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital said they would buy ketchup maker H.J. Heinz & Co. for $23 billion, Mr. Buffett sent Ms. Britt to Brazil, according to people familiar with the matter.
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Buffett Leans On 29-year-old Cool To Oversee Problems
Thanks to Matt for passing this along. When Warren Buffett bought half of a commercial mortgage finance company in 2009, he hired a 25-year-old fresh out of business school to keep tabs on the investment. Since then, Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC has...
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Tracy Britt Cool On Management Lessons From Warren Buffett
Thanks to Matt for passing this along. Tracy Britt Cool, Warren Buffett‘s financial assistant at Berkshire Hathaway, says she was already familiar with the billionaire’s investing style when she joined the company in 2009, but working by his side...
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The Brazilian Billionaire Who Controls Your Beer, Your Condiments, And Your Whopper
Found via the Corner of Berkshire & Fairfax. After they sold H.J. Heinz to Warren Buffett and a bunch of Brazilians in June, the ketchup manufacturer’s outgoing board of directors met for dinner at Pittsburgh’s Duquesne Club to congratulate themselves...
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Buffett Says Banks Cleared Of Excess Risk Pose No Threat To U.s.
Thanks to Will for passing this along. Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor who oversees stakes in some of the largest U.S. banks, said the nation’s lenders have rebuilt capital to the point where they no longer pose a threat to the economy. “The...
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David Sokol Resigns From Berkshire
A top executive of Berkshire Hathaway who was believed to be on the inside track to one day succeed billionaire Warren Buffett as CEO has resigned suddenly. Buffett said Wednesday that David Sokol's resignation letter, delivered by his assistant late...
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