Berkshire Hathaway is the holding company where Warren Buffett, one of the world's richest men (along with his good friend 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 large holdings include Marmon Group, McLane Company, MidAmerican Energy, and Shaw Industries. Buffett holds a significant stake in Berkshire Hathaway, which owns a majority of more than 50 firms in all and has equity stakes in about a dozen others.