Amphenol vs Berkshire Hathaway: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Amphenol and Berkshire Hathaway side by side

1. 1839Berkshire Hathaway

   Valley Falls Company Founded

   Oliver Chace founds the Valley Falls Company in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, as a cotton textile manufacturer. Chace had learned the trade working with Samuel Slater and built his first mill in 1806.

2. 1932Amphenol

   Arthur J. Schmitt founds American Phenolic Corporation

   Arthur J. Schmitt incorporates American Phenolic Corporation in Chicago with a patented molded phenolic radio tube socket, establishing the company's foundation in electronic component manufacturing.

3. 1936Amphenol

   Introduction of industry-standard 75 series microphone connector and lock-in socket

   Amphenol introduces the 75 series uniform microphone connector and a lock-in socket for radio tubes, both becoming industry standards and attracting RCA as a major customer ordering 10,000 sockets daily.

4. 1942Amphenol

   Primary supplier of AN connectors for WWII Allied forces

   Amphenol becomes a critical defense supplier, with its 5015 AN circular connectors becoming standard equipment on military aircraft and communications gear; A-N connector shipments increase 13,572% from January 1941 to March 1943.

5. 1942Amphenol

   Official name change to Amphenol Electronics Corporation

   The company officially changes its name from American Phenolic Corporation to Amphenol Electronics Corporation, formalizing the shorthand name customers had used for years.

6. 1945Amphenol

   Initial public offering

   Amphenol raises $1.5 million from convertible debentures and sells 345,000 shares at $10 per share, giving the company a $4 million market capitalization and providing capital for post-war diversification.

7. 1951Amphenol

   Amphenol engineers develop the BNC connector

   Amphenol engineers Paul Neill and Carl Concelman develop the bayonet coupled BNC coaxial connector, which becomes a standard interface in radio frequency and test equipment applications.

8. 1955Berkshire Hathaway

   Berkshire Fine Spinning and Hathaway Manufacturing Merge

   Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates and Hathaway Manufacturing combine and take the Berkshire Hathaway name.

9. 1957Amphenol

   NYSE listing

   Amphenol Electronics Corporation lists on the New York Stock Exchange, marking its transition to a major public industrial company.

10. 1958Amphenol

    Merger with George W. Borg Corporation

    Amphenol completes its largest transaction to date, merging with the George W. Borg Corporation, a maker of automobile clocks, electronic instruments and deep pile fabrics, and is renamed Amphenol-Borg Electronics Corporation.

11. 1962Berkshire Hathaway

    Buffett Partnership Buys Its First Berkshire Shares

    Buffett Partnership Ltd. buys its first Berkshire Hathaway shares in December 1962. Buffett was drawn to the pattern of Berkshire closing plants and using the liquidation proceeds to repurchase its own stock.

12. 1964Berkshire Hathaway

    Tender Offer Dispute With Seabury Stanton

    Berkshire president Seabury Stanton asks Buffett at what price Buffett Partnership would sell, agrees to $11.50 a share, then mails a tender offer at $11.375.

13. 1965Berkshire Hathaway

    Buffett Takes Control and Names Ken Chace President

    Buffett Partnership takes control of Berkshire Hathaway in May 1965 and Stanton leaves. Buffett selects Ken Chace, a long-time employee, as president to run the textile operation, and the cash it generates is pointed at other industries.

14. 1967Amphenol

    Acquisition by Bunker-Ramo Corporation

    Bunker-Ramo Corporation acquires Amphenol, which begins operating as a subsidiary and passes through successive corporate owners for the next 24 years.

15. 1967Berkshire Hathaway

    Entry Into Insurance With National Indemnity

    Early in 1967 Berkshire pays $8.6 million to buy National Indemnity Company and a small sister insurer from owner Jack Ringwalt.

16. 1972Berkshire Hathaway

    See's Candies Bought for $25 Million

    Blue Chip Stamps, controlled by Buffett and Munger and later merged into Berkshire, buys See's Candies for $25 million.

17. 1981Amphenol

    Allied Corporation buys Bunker-Ramo for $358 million

    Allied Corporation acquires Bunker-Ramo for $358 million, including the Amphenol division, making Amphenol part of a larger industrial conglomerate.

18. 1985Berkshire Hathaway

    Textile Operations Closed

    Buffett decides in July 1985 to close Berkshire's textile operation and the shutdown is largely complete by year end. He described it as finally throwing in the towel after twenty years of unremitting struggle with the business.

19. 1987Amphenol

    LPL Investment leveraged buyout for $430 million

    LPL Investment buys Amphenol from Allied in a leveraged buyout valued at $430 million in cash, and the decentralized management style that defines the modern company takes hold. Martin H. Loeffler becomes president in the same year.

20. 1991Amphenol

    Second IPO on NYSE under ticker APH

    Amphenol returns to public markets with a second initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker APH, beginning the modern era of sustained growth and shareholder returns.

21. 1996Berkshire Hathaway

    GEICO Becomes Wholly Owned and Class B Shares Created

    Berkshire buys the remaining 49% of GEICO on January 2, 1996, having held 51%, and GEICO becomes a wholly owned subsidiary. Shareholders also approve a recapitalization creating Class B shares with the economic rights of one thirtieth of a Class A share.

22. 1998Berkshire Hathaway

    General Re and Executive Jet Acquired

    Berkshire acquires reinsurer General Re and fractional-aircraft operator Executive Jet.

23. 2005Amphenol

    Acquisition of Teradyne connector business for $390 million

    Amphenol acquires Teradyne's connection systems business for $390 million in October 2005, expanding its presence in high speed data and backplane connectors for the growing IT datacom market.

24. 2010Berkshire Hathaway

    BNSF Railway Acquired

    Berkshire completes its purchase of Burlington Northern Santa Fe in the first quarter of 2010.

25. 2016Amphenol

    Acquisition of FCI Asia for $1.275 billion

    Amphenol acquires FCI Asia from affiliates of Bain Capital for $1.275 billion in January 2016, strengthening its global connector footprint and adding high speed backplane and board-to-board capability.

26. 2016Berkshire Hathaway

    Precision Castparts Acquired

    Berkshire completes the purchase of Precision Castparts, an aerospace and industrial components maker, for $235 a share in cash.

27. 2018Berkshire Hathaway

    Abel and Jain Named Vice Chairmen

    Berkshire's board expands from twelve to fourteen directors and elects Greg Abel and Ajit Jain.

28. 2021Amphenol

    Acquisition of MTS Systems Corporation for $1.7 billion

    Amphenol acquires MTS Systems for $1.7 billion in April 2021, adding advanced sensor capability that deepens its position in industrial and automotive sensing.

29. 2022Berkshire Hathaway

    Alleghany Corporation Acquired

    Berkshire completes the acquisition of insurer Alleghany Corporation on October 19, 2022, paying $848.02 a share in cash for a total equity value of about $11.6 billion and adding the TransRe reinsurance business.

30. 2024Amphenol

    Acquisition of Carlisle Interconnect Technologies for about $2.0 billion

    Amphenol completes the purchase of Carlisle Interconnect Technologies from Carlisle Companies in May 2024 for about $2.0 billion, expanding aerospace, defense and medical harsh environment interconnect capability.

31. 2024Berkshire Hathaway

    Market Value Tops $1 Trillion

    Berkshire's market capitalization passes $1 trillion on August 28, 2024, making it the first US company outside the technology sector to reach that level.

32. 2024Berkshire Hathaway

    Pilot Travel Centers Fully Owned

    Berkshire acquires the remaining 20% of Pilot Travel Centers on January 16, 2024 and takes full ownership. It had bought 38.6% in 2017 and a further 41.4% for about $8.2 billion in January 2023.

33. 2025Amphenol

    Completion of the $2.1 billion CommScope outdoor wireless and DAS purchase

    Amphenol completes the acquisition of CommScope's Outdoor Wireless Networks and Distributed Antenna Systems businesses, including Andrew, for $2.1 billion in cash. The businesses had about $1.2 billion of 2024 sales.

34. 2025Amphenol

    Record fiscal 2025 revenue of $23.09 billion, up 52%

    Amphenol reports record full year 2025 net sales of $23.09 billion, up 52% year over year and 38% organically, with a 25.4% GAAP operating margin, $4.4 billion of free cash flow and Communications Solutions sales up 91% to about $12.1 billion.

35. 2025Berkshire Hathaway

    Board Approves Abel as CEO From January 2026

    Berkshire announces in May 2025 that Greg Abel will become President and Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2026, with Warren Buffett remaining Chairman of the Board.

36. 2026Amphenol

    Completion of the $10.5 billion CommScope CCS acquisition

    Amphenol closes its largest acquisition, buying CommScope's Connectivity and Cable Solutions business for $10.5 billion on January 12, 2026. Amphenol also acquired the CommScope name and expects the business to generate about $4.1 billion of sales in 2026.

37. 2026Amphenol

    Norwitt named chairman as Loeffler retires from the board

    Amphenol announces on February 4, 2026 that chief executive R. Adam Norwitt will also become chairman of the board at the May 2026 annual meeting, as Martin H. Loeffler retires from the board after more than five decades with the company.

38. 2026Berkshire Hathaway

    Abel Becomes CEO and Buffett Becomes Chairman Emeritus

    Abel takes over as CEO on January 1, 2026 and Berkshire completes the $9.7 billion purchase of OxyChem from Occidental on January 2. On September 18, 2026 Buffett is named Chairman Emeritus and remains a director, and his son Howard G.

Acquisitions

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