Berkshire is a giant conglomerate holding company, with hundreds of operating subsidiaries and huge stock investments.

Dollarama has 1,719 stores in Canada. Its highly profitable business model includes directly sourcing its products at low cost, generally from Asia, and from China in particular. All stores are company-owned and operated in leased premises. It also owns 60% of the fast-growing 752-store Dollarcity chain, with established locations in Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru. Dollarcity recently opened its first eleven stores in Mexico.

The fact that its products are proprietary, along with its strong brand reputation, allows lululemon to sell at very lucrative margins. Its gross margin of 54% equates to a markup over costs of 117%!

It now has 811 company-operated stores in 23 countries. The locations of the stores are 47% in the US, 21% China, 9% Canada, 14% in Asia Pacific, 6% in Europe and the Middle East, and 3% in Mexico. Close to half of its revenue is now derived from online direct-to-consumer sales.

CNR operates across Canada and south through Chicago and Memphis to the Gulf of Mexico. Most of its revenue (69%) is from Canada and the rest is from the US. About 35% of its revenues relate to overseas traffic, while 65% represents freight moving within North America.

The iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit growth characteristics. The fund was launched in May 2000 and has almost $73 billion in assets under management. It has a low management expense ratio of 0.18.