Type: Public
On the web: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com
Employees: 260,000
Employee growth: 1.2%

Berkshire Hathaway is where Warren Buffett, the world's third-richest man (behind Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and Warren's good buddy Bill Gates), spreads his risk by investing in a variety of industries, from insurance and utilities to apparel and food, and building materials to jewelry and furniture retailers. Its core insurance subsidiaries include GEICO, National Indemnity, and reinsurance giant General Re. The company's other largest holdings include Marmon Group, McLane Company, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, and Shaw Industries. Known as the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett holds about a quarter of Berkshire Hathaway, which owns more than 70 firms and has stakes in more than a dozen others.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2010:
Sales: $136,185.0M
One year growth: 21.1%
Net income: $12,967.0M
Income growth: 61.0%

Officers:
Chairman and CEO: Warren E. Buffett
SVP and CFO: Reinsurance Carriers

Competitors:
Blackstone Group
HM Capital Partners
KKR

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