It would be years before I learned that Berkshire Hathaway had been taken over by one of the preeminent investors of all time, Warren Buffett. Buffett had identified Berkshire as an undervalued company that made a worthwhile product. And at that time in his evolution as a portfolio manager, Buffett was renowned for buying what some on Wall Street labeled as “cigar-butt” companies. Companies that weren’t particularly attractive or scintillating but produced positive financial results year after year.