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2011 Warren Buffet Recap
1. The Warren Buffett Trip
Smart Woman Securities presents
INSIDE
MARCH 31st:
Union Pacific Visit
TD Ameritrade Visit
Page 2
Executives Reception and
Dinner
Page 3
APRIL 1st:
Nebraska Furniture Mart Visit
Q&A with Warren Buffett
Page 4
Lunch at Piccolo Peteâs with
Warren Buffett
ConAgra Foods Visit
Page 5
SWS Exclusive Dinner with
Warren Buffett
Personal Reflection
Page 6
APRIL 2nd:
SWS Interactive Event
Page 7
On March 31st, we wel-
comed 20 members from the
eight current chapters of Smart
Woman Securities to Omaha,
Nebraska. This was the fifth
annual SWS trip to visit Warren
Buffett, and all the students
were excited to hear Mr. Buf-
fett's insights on business, in-
vesting, careers, and life in gen-
eral. Mr. Buffett fielded ques-
tions in a two-hour Q&A ses-
sion and graciously answered
questions over steak and root
beer floats during an exclusive
dinner with SWS members.
In addition to spending time
with Mr. Buffett, SWS mem-
bers visited ConAgra Foods,
Nebraska Furniture Mart, TD
Ameritrade, and Union Pacific,
where students heard from a
variety of business profession-
als. SWS members also inter-
acted with industry leaders at
the Business Executives Din-
ner, which was a great oppor-
tunity for students to engage
with executives on a one-on-
one basis. The trip concluded
with an SWS Interactive Event,
where members shared best
practices across the eight cur-
rent chapters. The trip gave
SWS members a well-rounded
sense of different experiences
and perspectives in the busi-
ness and investing worlds.
We would like to extend our
sincerest gratitude to Mr. Buf-
fett for his willingness to host
SWS members for our fifth
visit. It was a tremendous hon-
or to be invited back again. We
would also like to thank Carrie
Kizer in Mr. Buffettâs office for
her help in planning the trip.
Additionally, we would like to
thank our various speakers and
dinner guests for sharing their
experiences with SWS mem-
bers. Lastly, we wish to thank
the SWS Chapter Trip Direc-
tors â Rebecca Horne, Ford-
ham; Bridgette Taylor, Dart-
mouth; and Lisa Yu, Harvard â
who committed their time,
energy, and ideas to ensure that
this trip was successful. Please
read on to learn more about the
experiences during this yearâs
trip.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Niver, Teresa Hsiao,
and Tracy Britt
Smart Woman Securities
National
Let ter fro m SWS Nat io nal
March 31, 2011 - April 2, 2011 ï” Omaha, Nebraska
Overheard in Omaha
âI like to evaluate
things in a vacu-
um... If I donât know
enough to come to
my own opinion
about it, I donât want
to learn someone
elseâs opinion.â
- Warren Buffett
âWhen hiring someone, I
have three criteria I am
looking for them to meet. I
call them the three I's. One is
intellectual curiosity. If they
get the interview, they are
smart, but I want to know if
they want to learn more.
Two is intensity - do they
have the passion and drive?
And three is integrity.â
- Dean Hollis
2. âDon't worry about hav-
ing an impact right away.
If you love what you do, it
will impact the world.â
- Joe Moglia
By ALYSSA DENNING, YALE â13
The twenty representatives of the
eight chapters of SWS embarked on their
first company visit to Union Pacific, one
of the largest freight rail companies in
America and a competitor of Berkshire
Hathawayâs recently acquired Burlington
Northern Santa Fe. The first stop was
the Harriman Dispatch Center, often
called the âBunkerâ because of its ability
to withstand natural disasters, which
coordinates Union Pacificâs around-the-
clock operations to move 2,000 trains
across the country each day.
SWS delegates gathered in a glass-
enclosed room looking over a floor of
dispatchers, each surrounded by four to
eleven computer monitors. Union
Pacificâs remote dispatching of trains
requires a delicate balance between tech-
nology and employees to keep traffic
flowing and efficient. Rebecca Horne, a
Fordham sophomore, later summed up
everyoneâs first impression: âIt looked
like a trading floor!â
After a short video on Union Pacificâs
history and a question and answer ses-
sion, students followed Charles Eisele,
Senior VP of Strategic Planning and Ad-
ministration, to the Heritage Fleet in
Council Bluffs, IA. This site contains
historic Union Pacific trains that have
TD Ameritrade
Union Pacific
PAGE 2
By: REBECCA HORNE, FORDHAM
â13
Rather than taking a more traditional
tour of TD Ameritradeâs headquarters,
trip participants were treated to an inti-
mate discussion with one of the most
formative executives in the firmâs histo-
ry. Joe Moglia, the firmâs current Chair-
man of the Board and former Chief Ex-
ecutive Officer, spoke at length on topics
ranging from career advice to romance
to life philosophy.
First, Mr. Moglia spoke about the
state of TD Ameritrade when he joined
as CEO in 2001. Rather than being dis-
tracted by all of the problems at hand,
Mr. Moglia chose to focus on three pri-
orities: clients, shareholders, and associ-
ates. By creating âan energyâ surround-
ing this three-pronged approach to busi-
ness, Mr. Moglia was able to âseparate
this firm from every other financial firm
in the world.â With this key differentia-
tion on its side, TD Ameritradeâs assets
under management grew from $24 bil-
lion to $400 billion under Mr. Mogliaâs
leadership.
Through his experiences with TD
Ameritrade, his football coaching ca-
reer, and numerous personal obstacles,
Mr. Moglia developed his personal phi-
losophy of âspiritual soundness.â Pro-
fessionally, a spiritually sound person
leverages his or her core competencies
as competitive advantages. In a personal
sense, Mr. Moglia claims that spiritual
soundness means âgetting to know who
you are, what you are good at, and what
you like.â
âHe overcame so many
obstacles . . . and stuck to
his principles of spiritual
soundness throughout his
entire life,â said Jiaxi Huang,
a sophomore from Cornell.
âHe is a very reflective per-
son.â
Finally, Mr. Moglia left
SWS with some tips for
interview success. Among
other skills, he stressed that
âhow you handle yourself
under stress will differenti-
ate you from everyone else.â
These comments capped off
what proved to be a very
memorable experience for
all of the ladies in attend-
ance.
Overheard...
THURSDAY | MARCH 31, 2011THE FIFTH ANNUAL WARREN BUFFETT TRIP
been refurbished to look like original
passenger cars from different historical
eras. Car designs ranged from sleepers
paneled with African mahogany to old
cargo cars turned into exercise rooms.
Nicole DâSouza, a sophomore at Ford-
ham, excitedly noted her fascination: âI
take the [New York] train home all the
time, and I never realized trains could
look like this.â
4. By CINDY FAN, COLUMBIA â12
On a sunny Saturday, after visiting the
Nebraska Furniture Market, we had our
first meeting with Warren Buffett. The
Q&A session began with Mr. Buffett
reading aloud from his two-page contract
with Mrs. B, the former owner of Ne-
braska Furniture Mart. The important
thing to remember, he concluded, is that
âmistakes are not made by environmen-
tal liabilities or some legal contract. Mis-
takes in deals are made by miscalculating
the future economic atmosphere of the
industry.â With intelligent insights and
interesting personal anecdotes, Mr. Buf-
fett expressed his opinion on a broad range
of topics, focusing especially on his criteria
for looking for good businesses around the
globe: competitive dynamics of the compa-
ny in the industry, reliable management,
and a price that is undervalued in relation
to future earnings power. When asked
about his success, he emphasized the im-
portance of communication skills. âLearn
how to communicate, and you will make
yourself at least 50% more valuable.â Mr.
Buffett weaved his vivid story into several
philosophies he holds in both investing and
his personal life. Cracking jokes, Mr. Buf-
fett illustrated the importance of pricing
power with an example using Seeâs Candy:
âPricing [of candy] really does not make a
difference [in demand]. Every fall I walk
into my bathroom and say âMirror, mirror
on the wall, how much should I raise the
price of candy this fall?â And the mirror
says, âA lot.â If the mirror does not say âa
lotâ, I will get a new mirror.â With his fa-
vorite Coke in hand, Mr. Buffett spoke
with a high level of energy that excited
everyone listening. Lisa Yu, a senior from
Harvard, remarked, âMr. Buffett is so pas-
sionate when he conveys his thoughts that
I canât help but feel excited and want to
learn more.â
Buffett said
he wasn't sure
whether or
not Mr. Gra-
ham was alive
when he first
learned about
him.â
Questions
ranged from
his profes-
sional views
on investing
international-
l y , h i s
thoughts on
quality man-
agement and the recent Lubrizol acquisition
to more social issues such as American poli-
tics and philanthropy. His sunny optimism
in life permeated throughout his answers,
especially when he defended the future of
America, reminding us of the mechanisms
that first made America a land of oppor-
tunity for all. He also touched us greatly
with his thankful attitude towards his lot in
CORNELL PERSPECTIVE
By JIAXI HUANG, CORNELL â13
Walking briskly into the ballroom of
the historic Field Club, Warren Buffett
introduced himself to the audience with a
genial wave - one never would have
guessed that he was a day over 60. The
moment he entered, students in attend-
ance from various schools across the
world were immediately warmed by his
positive energy and enthusiasm. It was
hard not to be impressed with his elo-
quence and charisma, a quantum leap
from the days when young Mr. Buffett
was once terrified of public speaking.
Throughout the two hour session, Mr.
Buffett never showed any signs of fa-
tigue, answering each of the questions
comprehensively, peppering his answers
with personal anecdotes, clear and in-
sightful analysis, and jokes with his down
-to-earth sense of humor and wit. Melba
Madrigal, a junior from Cornell, gives an
example: âI loved hearing the story about
Mr. Buffettâs first interaction with Ben
Graham. It was really funny when Mr.
life through the question he posed to each
member of the audience â âSuppose you
were offered a chance to change your posi-
tion in life by forfeiting your lot in the life
lottery and randomly picking any other 100
lots. Would you take that offer? Most of
you wouldnât because you are the upper 1%
of humanity. And for that, you should be
grateful.â
Q&A with Mr. Buffett
PAGE 4 FRIDAY | APRIL 1, 2011THE FIFTH ANNUAL WARREN BUFFETT TRIP
By AMY HINZ, BOSTON COLLEGE
â13
On Friday, SWS members, along with
students from seven business schools,
toured the largest home furnishing store
in the United States, Nebraska Furniture
Mart. The Executive Vice President,
Robert Batt, kindly gave us a tour of the
facilities and a glimpse of the friendly
culture that keeps
customers coming
back time and
time again. Paulina Karpis, a sophomore
from Dartmouth, commented, âIt was an
extraordinary store and lived up to Mr. Battâs
description of it as the âDisneyland of the
Midwest.ââ The furniture department was
state of the art, with bright yellow walls, bold
signs, and a convenient layout. Throughout
the tour, Mr. Batt emphasized the companyâs
mission to satisfy all customers, no matter
what their price point or style. For that rea-
son, Nebraska Furniture Mart offers âthe
good, better, best, and the really best.â The
fact that all 200 visitors were able to sit in a
different recliner chair served as an exam-
ple of Nebraska Furniture Martâs dedica-
tion to supplying customers with variety.
The appliance and electronics department,
added to expand the companyâs economic
moat, was just as impressive and massive.
The company appears to have a bright fu-
ture ahead and as Jiaxi Huang, a sopho-
more from Cornell, stated, âMrs. B really
created a great legacy!â
Nebraska Furniture Mart
5. HARVARD PERSPECTIVE
By BEATRICE LIEM, HARVARD â11
As a senior whoâs attended more than her fair share of lunch
-with-professionals events, I expected our lunch with Warren
Buffett to the same: Someone would say a few words, Mr. Buf-
fett would talk, weâd sit down to an Omaha steak while watching
Mr. Buffett from afar, and weâd thank him for his time before
leaving Piccolo Peteâs. But as with everything, Mr. Buffett has
never been one to be categorized as âordinary.â Throughout
lunch, Mr. Buffett smiled happily through a barrage of photo-
graphs that might have tested a lesser manâs endurance. âHe was
so patient,â says Lily Mu, a freshman from Yale.
After lunch, the photos continued as Mr. Buffett merrily
posed for pictures with each of the two hundred plus attendees.
When it was our turn, Mr. Buffett demonstrated his extraordi-
nary sense of humor by hugging, kissing, high-fiving, and even
proposing to the girls in their photos! âIf I were him, Iâd get so
annoyed by the picture after picture after picture, but he wasnât.â
says Boston College sophomore Amy Hinz. Instead, Mr. Buffett
did what he always
seems to doâhe en-
joyed himself.
Mr. Buffettâs man-
ners are so different
from those of the ste-
reotypical no-nonsense
businessman, and it is
refreshing to see an
eighty-year-old man
acting with the energy
of a teenager. He ex-
ceeds all expectations
and is one of the nic-
est, most genuine, in-
telligent, down-to-
earth, and funny peo-
ple I will ever have the
pleasure of meeting.
Lunch with Mr. Buffett
PAGE 5
FORDHAM PERSPECTIVE
By NICOLE DâSOUZA, FORDHAM â13
The lunch with Mr. Buffett was the first time the other stu-
dents and I witnessed the way Mr. Buffett interacted with oth-
ers, and I felt it demonstrated how patient, kind and funny he
truly is. Given Mr. Buffettâs fame and success, it can be intimi-
dating being in his presence, let alone speaking with him. How-
ever, his easygoing nature and friendly attitude made me feel
comfortable. During lunch, we were able to get a sense of his
gracious personality and great sense of humor by simply watch-
ing how he interacted with all of the students.
Conversation at the SWS table revolved around each stu-
dentâs experiences and plans for the future. The SWS National
members also took the time to share their personal stories,
providing anecdotes of finding new interests through recruiting
and working. I was very motivated by the stories of how each
of the three SWS National members found her current job and
passion. The recounting of these experiences reminded me of
the importance of taking risks and exploring new interests when
seeking a passion that
will make me want to
tap dance to work
each day.
Following lunch,
Mr. Buffett took the
time to take individu-
al photos with all of
the 200+ students. I
am so grateful to Mr.
Buffett for taking the
time for an amazing
Q&A session, a deli-
cious lunch, and a
very special photo. It
will be something that
all of us in Smart
Woman Securities will
remember forever.
By GWENDOLYN TILGHMAN,
YALE â14
On Friday afternoon, Smart Woman
Securities visited ConAgra Foods, an
amalgamation of 90 different operating
companies. Cori Reed of the ConAgra
Foods Foundation first emphasized
ConAgraâs presence in the American
food industry: âWe are in almost every
shelf and aisle across a typical grocery
store and are in 98% of households.â
Rich McArdle, Vice President of Re-
search & Development, reflected on his
role as an innovative thinker, generating
new ideas for products such as the âPop
Up Bowl,â which is microwave popcorn
that actually pops in a bowl instead of a
bag to avoid messiness.
Brand Director of Marie Callendarâs,
Jenn Freeman, emphasized the importance
of âdriving shareholder value by delivering
the brand.â To strengthen the Marie
Callender Brand, ConAgra recently bought
Marie Callenderâs pies and has increased
sales by 13% in the past year. Finally,
Stacey Taylor, Vice President, Non-
Commodity Ingredient Procurement de-
scribed the process of cultivating toma-
toes from farmers for use in ConAgra
products.
At the end of the presentation, the
ConAgra representatives were asked about
how they balance work and family life.
Upon learning that two of the women
employees are supported by stay-at-home
fathers, Paulina Karpis, a sophomore at
Dartmouth, remarked, âIt was really inter-
esting to see how the women at ConAgra
had adapted to the 21st century in that
their husbands stay at home with the chil-
dren. Overall the experience was really
inspiring.â
ConAgra Foods
FRIDAY | APRIL 1, 2011 THE FIFTH ANNUAL WARREN BUFFETT TRIP
6. YALE PERSPECTIVE
By LILY MU, YALE â14
Everyone in Smart Woman Securities
was thrilled to have an exclusive dinner
with Warren Buffett at one of his favorite
restaurants, Goratâs Steakhouse.
The dinner was set up so that Mr.
Buffett would rotate between three ta-
bles, in order for each of us to ask him
our individual questions and interact with
him on a closer level. As Mr. Buffett sat
down at our table, he jokingly proclaimed,
âLooks like I just got voted off the other
island,â causing everyone to break into
laughter.
The topics of conversations were diverse,
ranging from Mr. Buffettâs view on the me-
dia, the Lubrizol deal, to playing bridge
fourteen hours every week. Mr. Buffettâs
story-telling abilities were a testament to his
intelligence, charisma, good humor and
warmth. With jokes and laughter, quiet tales
of contemplation and reflection, Mr. Buffett
kept us all captivated with his intriguing
and often humorous tales.
As the evening came to an end, Mr.
Buffett shared a very personal story with
us. He told us about his wifeâs love and
warmth and how she had helped him con-
nect with others and appreciate the world,
making him into the man he is today. Per-
haps one of the most valuable lessons to
take away from the dinner is our capacity as
humans to form trustworthy relationships
with others.
at ease. Questions about the industry, his
personal life, and his marriage philosophy
all came forth in conversation.
Paulina Karpis, a sophomore at Dart-
mouth, said, âWarren Buffett is the most
extraordinary person I have ever met, and I
valued the time I spent with him at the
dinner. He had a great story for every ques-
tion, whether it was about investing in In-
dia or marriage advice.â
Julia Yue, a sophomore at Princeton,
offered a similar perspective; âIt was amaz-
ing having dinner with Warren Buffett. I
really liked talking to him in a more per-
PRINCETON PERSPEC-
TIVE
By TUGBA RONA, PRINCETON â14
Dispersed around three tables at Go-
ratâs Steakhouse, we were all excitedly
awaiting Warren Buffettâs arrival. Mr.
Buffett rotated from table to table, taking
the time to personally interact with each
SWS member. At every table, he asked
each member to introduce herself with
both her background and future plans.
He was genuinely interested in everyone
and despite the nerves prior to his arri-
val, his amiable nature soon put everyone
sonal context and hearing his advice not
only about investing and careers but also
personal life. Heâs extremely personable
and truly an amazing individual in every
aspect.â
Our interactions and conversations with
Mr. Buffett were very pleasant and relaxed
but also extremely enlightening. Mr. Buffett
answered each of our questions with de-
tailed stories, bringing a different perspec-
tive to many frequently asked questions. I
am sure I speak for all the members of
SWS when I say that this is a dinner I will
never forget.
SWS Exclusive Dinner with Mr. Buffett
PAGE 6
greatest take-aways from the trip.
Meeting Mr. Buffett was fantastic. I
learned so much from hearing him an-
swer questions at the Q&A session and
at the SWS exclusive dinner. He revealed
the significance of being in a position
where your work is your passion. Hear-
ing his candor, watching his jolly nature,
and understanding the basis of his suc-
cess inspired me to be as honest as pos-
sible with my qualifications when decid-
ing on a career field.
The lessons learned from Mr. Buffett
were also emphasized during the SWS
dinner with Omahaâs successful business
By SARAH OLSON, BOSTON COL-
LEGE â13
Being as this was my first stay in
Omaha and my first time meeting stu-
dents from other chapters of SWS, I had
no idea what to expect. Little did I know
how these three days would change my
life perspective. The company visits were
informative, as the companies operate in
industries I knew very little about.
Conversations with Warren Buffett
and various CEOs, however, were the
leaders. Joe Mogliaâs remarks on spiritual
soundness encouraged me to focus on my
core competencies and find my passions in
my strengths.
Personal Reflection
FRIDAY | APRIL 1, 2011THE FIFTH ANNUAL WARREN BUFFETT TRIP
7. By MELBA MADRIGAL, CORNELL
â12
From ice breakers, to group activities,
to the individual chapter brainstorming,
the interactive event was the perfect
opportunity for everyone to learn from
one another and share experiences to
improve each SWS chapter. With mem-
bers from all eight schools, we started
the morning with casual icebreakers to
warm up, so that we would be ready to
dive deeper into improving our chapters.
Next, we moved on to building our
financial analysis skills by evaluating
anonymous industries solely based on
key financial ratios. My group was deter-
mined to quickly and correctly match the
unknown numbers to the correct indus-
try. After Teresa Hsiao, SWS Co-
Founder and a member of SWS Nation-
al, asked how we were doing and left our
group without much criticism, I could
see the confidence and passion build
within the members of our group. Nicole
DâSouza, a sophomore from Fordham,
was excited: âWe are good at this... I like
it!â We decided that we could incorpo-
rate similar hands-on activities into our
chapter's educational curriculum.
The bulk of the morning was spent
on evaluating our chapters and brain-
storming ways to improve them. Every-
one found these sessions useful as we
learned how to address our weaknesses
as well as benefit from the experiences
of other chapters. Lauren Wallace, a
sophomore at Boston College stated, âIt
was helpful to hear what the other chap-
ters were doing and this event gave me
insight into new initiatives our chapter
can take on.â
Boston College
Amy Hinz â13
Sarah Olson â13
Lauren Wallace â13
Columbia
Cindy Xinyi Fan â12
Lilya Mukhamadyarova â12
Cornell
Jiaxi Huang â13
Melba Madrigal â12
Dartmouth
Paulina Karpis â13
*Bridgette Taylor â13
Jenna Zerker â13
SWS Interactive Event
Participants
PAGE 7
Final Impressions
SATURDAY | APRIL 2, 2011 THE FIFTH ANNUAL WARREN BUFFETT TRIP
Fordham
Nicole DâSouza â13
*Rebecca Horne â13
Harvard
Connie Choi â12
Beatrice Liem â11
*Lisa Yu â11
Princeton
Tugba Rona â14
Julia Yue â13
Yale
Alyssa Denning â13
Lily Mu â14
Gwendolyn Tilghman â14
*Trip Director
âIt was so great to finally meet
the man behind the legend.
With his down-to-earth personality
and his great sense of humor, War-
ren Buffett made an excellent din-
ner guest. In this short time, I was
given his insights on love, the insur-
ance business, the bright future of
America, and the best steakhouses
in Omaha. The experience was truly
unforgettable.â
-Amy Hinz, Boston College â13
âMr. Buffett and the various business
executives were extremely generous
with their time. They gave us compre-
hensive and detailed answers to all of
our questions. Iâm really thankful that
they were willing to do that for us.â
-Lily Mu, Yale â14
âIf there was anything that could con-
vince one about the importance of find-
ing oneâs passion in life, it would be meeting
Mr. Buffett in person. You could feel the
passion burning within him that powers his
mental agility as well as his love for life,
investing, and the people around him. Wit-
nessing his larger than life personality was
the best part of the trip and this could never
have been adequately captured by any auto-
biography or trip recap.â
-Jiaxi Huang, Cornell â13
Special thank you to Lisa Yu, Harvard Trip Director, for overseeing and editing this Warren Buffett Trip Recap Project.