Berkshire Hathaway 2015 Annual Report Download - page 29

Last year we increased the number of hours available for shopping at the CenturyLink. Sales skyrocketed –
so, naturally, we will stay with the new schedule. On Friday, April 29th you can shop between noon and 5 p.m., and
on Saturday exhibits and stores will be open from 7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
On Saturday morning, we will have our fifth International Newspaper Tossing Challenge. Our target will
again be a Clayton Home porch, located precisely 35 feet from the throwing line. When I was a teenager – in my
one brief flirtation with honest labor – I delivered about 500,000 papers. So I think I’m pretty good at this game.
Challenge me! Humiliate me! Knock me down a peg! The papers will run 36 to 42 pages, and you must fold them
yourself (no rubber bands allowed).
The competition begins at 7:15, when contestants will make preliminary tosses. The eight throws judged
most accurate – four made by contestants 12 or under, and four made by the older set – will compete against me at
7:45. The young challengers will each receive a prize. But the older ones will have to beat me to take anything
home.
And be sure to check out the Clayton home itself. It can be purchased for $78,900, fully installed on land
you provide. In past years, we’ve made many sales on the meeting day. Kevin Clayton will be on hand with his
order book.
At 8:30 a.m., a new Berkshire movie will be shown. An hour later, we will start the question-and-answer
period, which (including a break for lunch at CenturyLink’s stands) will last until 3:30 p.m. After a short recess,
Charlie and I will convene the annual meeting at 3:45 p.m. This business session typically lasts only a half hour or
so and can safely be skipped by those craving a little last-minute shopping.
Your venue for shopping will be the 194,300-square-foot hall that adjoins the meeting and in which
products from dozens of Berkshire subsidiaries will be for sale. Say hello to the many Berkshire managers who will
be captaining their exhibits. And be sure to view the terrific BNSF railroad layout that salutes all of our subsidiaries.
Your children (and you!) will be enchanted with it.
We will have a new and very special exhibit in the hall this year: a full-size model of the world’s largest
aircraft engine, for which Precision Castparts makes many key components. The real engines weigh about 20,000
pounds and are ten feet in diameter and 22 feet in length. The bisected model at the meeting will give you a good
look at many PCC components that help power your flights.
Brooks, our running-shoe company, will again have a special commemorative shoe to offer at the meeting.
After you purchase a pair, wear them on Sunday at our fourth annual “Berkshire 5K,” an 8 a.m. race starting at the
CenturyLink. Full details for participating will be included in the Visitor’s Guide that will be sent to you with your
meeting credentials. Entrants in the race will find themselves running alongside many of Berkshire’s managers,
directors and associates. (Charlie and I, however, will sleep in; the fudge and peanut brittle take their toll.)
Participation in the 5K grows every year. Help us set another record.
A GEICO booth in the shopping area will be staffed by a number of the company’s top counselors from
around the country. Stop by for a quote. In most cases, GEICO will be able to give you a shareholder discount
(usually 8%). This special offer is permitted by 44 of the 51 jurisdictions in which we operate. (One supplemental
point: The discount is not additive if you qualify for another discount, such as that available to certain groups.)
Bring the details of your existing insurance and check out our price. We can save many of you real money. Spend
the savings on our other products.
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