UI students set to meet Buffett

Posted on Feb 03, 2010 by Anna Lothson.

Even in the heart of the Midwest, you don’t have to go far to stand in the face of success.

As one of the most successful investors in American history with decades of experience under his belt, Warren Buffett could fill encyclopedias with his wealth of knowledge.

And on Friday, 20 University of Iowa Masters of Business Administration students will travel to Omaha where Buffett will spend the day answering their questions and join them for lunch.

Kshipra Pitre, a 29-year-old first year MBA student who is originally from India and has now made a life in the Midwest, said seeing Buffett’s success, which was achieved without leaving far from his hometown has inspired her.

“He hasn’t forgotten his roots,” she said. “I think he’s taken a certain sense of pride in where he’s from.”

Pitre — who helped organize the trip — said she is also inspired by Buffett’s strong business sense of not following hot trends in the market.

“His values are grounded in basic business models. He understands that it doesn’t make sense to move away from that,” she said.

Second year MBA student Jordan Fife, 28, from Seattle, said he is excited to learn from somebody who is so gracious and humble and has reached such great heights in the business realm.

“He seems very down to earth, despite his brilliant mind,” Fife said. “I think he’ll be really easy to talk with.”

Fife said he is interested to learn Buffett’s views on how the industry has changed over the decades, and how he has managed to maintain his legacy amid so many financial pitfalls across the nation.

“He’s not the classic success story. He’s from Omaha, which is very strange,” Fife said. “It’s a pretty priceless perspective.”