The Fairfax Way

Plt;bPgt;The rise and stallP#8212;and rise againP#8212;of corporate CanadaP#8217;s least well-known spectacular successPlt;/bPgt;

Plt;bPgt;The rise and stallP#8212;and rise againP#8212;of corporate CanadaP#8217;s least well-known spectacular successPlt;/bPgt;Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;Even those who Plt;iPgt;havePlt;/iPgt; heard of Prem Watsa and Fairfax Financial probably donP#8217;t understand them. The company sprawls across more than 100 countries and is known for its complex financesP#8212;so complex, they once attracted a whoP#8217;s-who of Wall Street short sellers who misread the company as the next Enron and decided it could be profitably pushed into an open grave. The hedge funds even had Bob Dylan lined up to sing at the companyP#8217;s funeral party. Fairfax stared down regulators and fought back. Dylan never got the chance to sing.Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;Watsa, now 75, stole a page from Warren Buffett in building a $45 billion global empire built on value investing and insurance assets. Its bold and creative trades are legendary, often moving against the herd and making billions while others lose their shirts. These days, the company is back winning billion-dollar bets, but away from the headlines. Plt;iPgt;The Fairfax WayPlt;/iPgt; explores the lessons learned and why skies are now blue above a transformed company.Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;In its 39-year history, FairfaxP#8217;s annual compound return of 19.2% trounces the SPamp;P 500P#8217;s 11.3%. Lately, it is outperforming even Silicon Valley tech stocks and winning back an investor following. ItP#8217;s time to get to know Fairfax better. The companyP#8217;s holdings include strategic investments like Bauer hockey sticks, William Ashley wedding gifts, Sleep Country mattresses, Golf Town stores, and Seaspan container ships. If you took home Swiss Chalet chicken last week or went for steak at the Keg, you ate at Fairfax restaurants. Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;ItP#8217;s time to get to know Prem Watsa better, too. People long misjudged him as a recluse. Truth is, he simply always wanted to build a business, not talk to the media. After 40 years, he and his executives have finally decided itP#8217;s a good time to open up.Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;For all the colourful dealmaking, billion-dollar bets, high-stakes hedge fund wars, Thomas reveals an inspiring story for our current troubled times. What emerges is that many people just had trouble believing Fairfax had the audacity to build a company culture based on the golden ruleP#8212;Plt;iPgt;treat others as you would have them treat youPlt;/iPgt;. Plt;iPgt;The Fairfax WayPlt;/iPgt; captures the inside story of how a culture of treating people right can be a secret competitive moat to long-term outperformance.