I, too, was curious. A quick check on Flightaware.com revealed that NetJets Flight 145 left Omaha at 7:14 AM on August 4, stopped in Des Moines (apparently to pick up Greg Abel), then stopped in Decatur, IL (apparently to pick up Howard Buffett), then flew to Madison, WI (15 minutes from Bell Laboratories offices in Windsor), arriving at 10:09 AM. Three hours later at 1:19 PM, NetJets Flight 130 left Madison, stopped in Decatur, IL, and then returned to Omaha at 3:21 PM (apparently carrying Warren Buffett and Abel).
Al, this is incredible! Thanks so much for checking this all out. In next week's newsletter, I'll be sure to link to this comment so everyone can see what certainly looks like pretty convincing evidence about the Bell Labs story.
The Bell deal seems very small for Berkshire and more like a “bolt on” for a subsidiary so it’s odd that Warren, Greg, and Howard all went to see the business. But pest control seems like a boring perennial business they would like.
I thought the same thing — a small acquisition by one of the subsidiary’s with Bell just playing it up by saying they were acquired by Berkshire Hathaway itself (or a misunderstanding on the part of the trade publications). But the news about Buffett and Abel visiting — and the CEO’s quotes about talking directly with Buffett — seems to go against that. I hope we get some definitive answer before the next 10-Q.
" the tragic murder of CEO Brian Thompson, the subsequent (and sudden) resignation of his successor a few months ago," That's a little mixed up. Brian Thompson wasn't the CEO of the parent company, UnitedHealth Group. He was the CEO of the subsidiary UnitedHealthcare. So Andrew Witty, who abruptly resigned, was not Brian Thompson's successor, he was his former boss. But, yes, through the ringer as they say
I, too, was curious. A quick check on Flightaware.com revealed that NetJets Flight 145 left Omaha at 7:14 AM on August 4, stopped in Des Moines (apparently to pick up Greg Abel), then stopped in Decatur, IL (apparently to pick up Howard Buffett), then flew to Madison, WI (15 minutes from Bell Laboratories offices in Windsor), arriving at 10:09 AM. Three hours later at 1:19 PM, NetJets Flight 130 left Madison, stopped in Decatur, IL, and then returned to Omaha at 3:21 PM (apparently carrying Warren Buffett and Abel).
Al, this is incredible! Thanks so much for checking this all out. In next week's newsletter, I'll be sure to link to this comment so everyone can see what certainly looks like pretty convincing evidence about the Bell Labs story.
The Bell deal seems very small for Berkshire and more like a “bolt on” for a subsidiary so it’s odd that Warren, Greg, and Howard all went to see the business. But pest control seems like a boring perennial business they would like.
I thought the same thing — a small acquisition by one of the subsidiary’s with Bell just playing it up by saying they were acquired by Berkshire Hathaway itself (or a misunderstanding on the part of the trade publications). But the news about Buffett and Abel visiting — and the CEO’s quotes about talking directly with Buffett — seems to go against that. I hope we get some definitive answer before the next 10-Q.
" the tragic murder of CEO Brian Thompson, the subsequent (and sudden) resignation of his successor a few months ago," That's a little mixed up. Brian Thompson wasn't the CEO of the parent company, UnitedHealth Group. He was the CEO of the subsidiary UnitedHealthcare. So Andrew Witty, who abruptly resigned, was not Brian Thompson's successor, he was his former boss. But, yes, through the ringer as they say
That’s true. Good point. I’ll edit that and clear it up in a minute. Thanks for the heads-up!
I still don't see the value in Pool Corp. Can anyone shed some light on what I'm missing?