Buffett brand spreads as MidAmerican takes Berkshire name

[Charlie]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-30/buffett-brand-spreads-as-midamerican-takes-berkshire-name.html

 

Cheers!  :)

[Liberty]

I wonder if this is a subtle dig at Sokol, erasing the brand most associated with him...

 

Good move from a branding perspective, in any case. If I lived in an area served by the company, I'd love to get my power from Berkshire Energy :)

[jeffmori7]

Yep, I think it makes sense when the brand is not strong. There was no need to preserve MidAmerican name, while See's or Dairy Queen, as pointed in the article, should keep their respective names. Which brand do you expect them to convert in the next few years?

[rkbabang]

Yep, I think it makes sense when the brand is not strong. There was no need to preserve MidAmerican name, while See's or Dairy Queen, as pointed in the article, should keep their respective names. Which brand do you expect them to convert in the next few years?

 

Fruit of the Loom obviously.  They're already moving in that direction with the Berky Boxers, next will be the Berky Tighties, then the name change.

[Guest longinvestor]

The Berkshire brand will make sense where the assurance of financial prowess  is a key differentiator

[Guest longinvestor]

Recent  news brings into focus all of the investments BHE has made to stitch up a giant network across the Western states

 

http://berkshirehathawayenergyco.com/news/topaz-solar-plant-is-fully-operational

http://www.altalink.ca/news/news-releases.cfm?releasePage=0227201513406

 

http://www.caiso.com/Documents/PacifiCorpAgreesToExploreFullParticipationInCaliforniaISO.pdf

 

PacifiCorp and NV energy's participation in the CA ISO's Energy Imbalance Market is a historically significant event that is shaking up the 100 year old utility industry. The implications are large, from real time market based pricing, transparency in pricing to addressing the intermittent nature of renewable energy.

 

Ways to address intermittency,

1. Develop large energy storage solutions. From molten salt to giant batteries etc.

2. Own the whole damn grid; Turn up or down the intermittent and continuous energy sources.

 

"Our investments in BHE will continue as far as the eye can see" starting to make sense. This is just the west, there is another 2/3 of the US left. Not to forget, Alberta in Western Canada!

 

Also, somehow, the BNSF and BHE's shared geography could mean something for BRK for a long time to come.