Warren Buffett’s Woodstock for Capitalists

In case you don’t know who Warren Buffett is (Do you live under a rock?) or what I’m even talking about.. Warren is the world’s most brilliant and successful investor. He also started and continues to run a holding company called Berkshire Hathaway. They own companies like: Dairy Queen, GEICO, and Fruit of the Loom (as well as several others). Once a year, they have a shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. 

​Normally I go as a shareholder, but this year I’ve decided to switch it up a little bit. This year I’ll be attending the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting as a member of the Event Staff. I’m more than happy to help out with everything they have going on. I’d be lying if I said that I’m not a fan of the guy. Look at his record or just listen to him talk. This guy is someone that everyone can learn something from. In many ways, he’s a great teacher. He’s not like most of the world’s wealthy people. He’s very frugal and I really think he cares about people. I’m not going to write about his life. Though it has been quite interesting.

Growing up in the Omaha metro means you get to hear a lot about Warren Buffett. Why? Well, Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest people in the world lives in Omaha, Nebraska! My life-long dream has been to meet the oracle himself and possibly even get a photo with him. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m confident that it will eventually. 

Anyways! Woodstock for Capitalists! The annual meeting for Berkshire Hathaway shareholders everywhere is upcoming weekend and rather than just attend it, I’ve decided to work it. Don’t get me wrong. The annual meetings are a lot of fun (whether or not you like investing), because there is so much to do. You know those CocaCola Freestyle machines that are seemingly everywhere now? They’re really cool, right? Well, every shareholder who attended the 2011 annual meeting had the opportunity to test out the machine before the general public had even heard of them. My favorite thing to do is visit the Fruit of the Loom store. There you can buy limited edition Berkshire Hathaway clothing and accessories. It’s the one day a year that Fruit of the Loom has its own retail store. Oh & everything is relatively inexpensive too, so that’s a big plus (if you’re poor like me). As if none of this is cool enough, you get the opportunity to mingle with some of the most brilliant people in the world. 

Chances are pretty good that you’ll see Warren Buffett walking around, eating a Dilly Bar (from Dairy Queen of course), and making a lot of people laugh. At 82 years of age, you’d think Warren would be slowing down. In reality though, he’s doing just the opposite. In fact, at last year’s annual meeting he played Ariel Hsing in a game of Ping Pong with Bill Gates. In case you don’t know, Ariel is a U.S. Olympic Ping Pong athlete and is also the best ping pong player in the nation (of those below 18). I don’t think Buffett knows how to slow down.

I apologize for bouncing around so much. There’s a lot of information that I could be squeezing into this (if I had the time) and I’m doing my best to cover all of the best parts. I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to work for Buffett this weekend. Fun fact: the event staff gets free breakfast and lunch as well as a pretty sick T-shirt. Be jealous. When it comes to swag, Warren knows how to wear it.

Post any questions or comments below. 

Stay fresh & smile often.