MBA group has lunch with Warren Buffett - Manderson Graduate School of Business

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MBA group has lunch with Warren Buffett

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

MBA group travels to Omaha to meet the World's
2nd richest man, Warren Buffett.

    On October 19th, First and Second Year MBA's, faculty members Susan West, Dr. Ron Dulek and Dr. Anup Agrawal, along with Undergraduate Business Honors students recently had the opportunity to fly to Omaha and have a question-and-answer lunch session with Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and ranked by Forbes as the 2nd riches person in the world. Alabama's Manderson Graduate School, Texas Christian University, and The University of Nebraska were all invited to meet in Omaha, Nebraska and be a part of the opportunity of a lifetime.

    The select group of students from Alabama attended three prep sessions about Mr. Buffett and his investment strategies in order to get ready for the trip. In Omaha, the group toured a Berkshire Hathaway business and learned more about the way Mr. Buffett conducted investments. Traveling by bus, the group then joined the other two Universities and Mr. Buffett at a golf club for an informal question-and-answer luncheon. When the students entered the ballroom-dining hall, Mr. Buffett was standing just past the entrance and ready to personally meet each student and shake their hand. This first impression for the visitors exemplified his character as a personable, informal and genuine individual who could be your next-door neighbor ... even though his personal net worth is valued around $52 Billion.

    He stood at the front of the ballroom armed with only a wired microphone and bottle of Coca-Cola (he only drinks Coke because he owns over $1 Billion of stock in the company). After opening the session with a joke, Mr. Buffett told the audience he would answer questions in depth but could not field questions about his current investments. The questions asked ranged from his investment strategies to worldwide economic outlook to advice for people entering the workforce. During the lunch break, Mr. Buffett spent the whole time at a table with Alabama students and faculty where he entertained more questions and told more jokes. When asked about what he did with his personal time, he said that he enjoys playing bridge on- with Bill Gates and that his screen name is "T-Bone." The students inquired about his most important lesson in life and his answer was simply, "Marry the right person." After the session wrapped up, the visitors had the opportunity to leave books for him to sign and take pictures with him. This opportunity afforded to the Alabama students is another great reason why the Manderson Graduate School is one consistently ranked as of the best in the country.

Written by: Shane A. Autrey (Oct. 24, 2007)