Berkshire Hathaway 2002 Annual Report Download - page 23

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owners themselves take on the responsibility for their personal charities). In aggregate, our subsidiaries made
contributions of $24 million in 2002, including in-kind donations of $4 million.
To participate in future programs, you must own Class A shares that are registered in the name of
the actual owner, not the nominee name of a broker, bank or depository. Shares not so registered on August
31, 2003 will be ineligible for the 2003 program. When you get the contributions form from us, return it
promptly so that it does not get put aside or forgotten. Designations received after the due date will not be
honored.
The Annual Meeting
This year’ s annual meeting will be held on Saturday, May 3, and once again we will be at the Civic
Auditorium. The doors will open at 7 a.m., the movie will begin at 8:30, and the meeting itself will
commence at 9:30. There will be a short break at noon for food. (Sandwiches will be available at the Civic’ s
concession stands.) That interlude aside, Charlie and I will answer questions until 3:30. Give us your best
shot.
An attachment to the proxy material that is enclosed with this report explains how you can obtain the
credential you will need for admission to the meeting and other events. As for plane, hotel and car
reservations, we have again signed up American Express (800-799-6634) to give you special help. They do a
terrific job for us each year, and I thank them for it.
In our usual fashion, we will run vans from the larger hotels to the meeting. Afterwards, the vans
will make trips back to the hotels and to Nebraska Furniture Mart, Borsheim’ s and the airport. Even so, you
are likely to find a car useful.
Our exhibit area for Berkshire goods and services will be bigger and better than ever this year. So be
prepared to spend. I think you will particularly enjoy visiting The Pampered Chef display, where you may
run into Doris and Sheila.
GEICO will have a booth staffed by a number of its top counselors from around the country, all of
them ready to supply you with auto insurance quotes. In most cases, GEICO will be able to give you a
special shareholder discount (usually 8%). This special offer is permitted by 41 of the 49 jurisdictions in
which we operate. Bring the details of your existing insurance and check out whether we can save you
money.
On Saturday, at the Omaha airport, we will have the usual array of aircraft from NetJets® available
for your inspection. Just ask a representative at the Civic about viewing any of these planes. If you buy what
we consider an appropriate number of items during the weekend, you may well need your own plane to take
them home. Furthermore, if you buy a fraction of a plane, I’ ll personally see that you get a three-pack of
briefs from Fruit of the Loom.
At Nebraska Furniture Mart, located on a 77-acre site on 72nd Street between Dodge and Pacific, we
will again be having “Berkshire Weekend” pricing, which means we will be offering our shareholders a
discount that is customarily given only to employees. We initiated this special pricing at NFM six years ago,
and sales during the “Weekend” grew from $5.3 million in 1997 to $14.2 million in 2002.
To get the discount, you must make your purchases during the Thursday, May 1 through Monday,
May 5 period and also present your meeting credential. The period’ s special pricing will even apply to the
products of several prestigious manufacturers that normally have ironclad rules against discounting but that,
in the spirit of our shareholder weekend, have made an exception for you. We appreciate their cooperation.
NFM is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. On Saturday this year,
from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., we are having a special affair for shareholders only. I’ ll be there, eating hot dogs and
drinking Coke.
Borsheim’ s  the largest jewelry store in the country except for Tiffany’ s Manhattan store  will
have two shareholder-only events. The first will be a cocktail reception from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday,
May 2. The second, the main gala, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 4. Ask Charlie to
autograph your sales ticket.
Shareholder prices will be available Thursday through Monday, so if you wish to avoid the large
crowds that will assemble on Friday evening and Sunday, come at other times and identify yourself as a