Buffett Track Record Boosts Brooks With Sneakers Surging

When Warren Buffett fires the starting gun for the inaugural race at Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s annual meeting in May, he won’t simply be searching for his fastest manager. The billionaire also will be spotlighting Brooks Sports, the event’s main sponsor and a Berkshire company.

While the sneaker maker has been part of Berkshire’s Fruit of the Loom since 2006, it caught Buffett’s attention about 18 months ago at a dinner party with investment manager Todd Combs, according to Brooks Chief Executive Officer Jim Weber. The conversation turned to running and Buffett, Berkshire’s 82-year-old chairman and CEO, was intrigued by excited chatter about Brooks sneakers.