Page 10 - Mobility Management, February 2017

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Torben Helbo Named Interim President of Etac NA & Convaid
Etac CEO Torben Helbo has taken over as interim pres- ident of the company’s North American sales and as interim president of Convaid.
In a Jan. 4 news announcement, Convaid said its president, Chris Braun, had left the company and that a search was underway to replace him.
Braun was named president of Convaid in 2008. He was appointed president of Etac North America in March 2016, after Etac acquired Convaid in December 2015.
At the time of his departure, Braun oversaw all of Etac’s North American brands: Convaid, Etac, Immedia, Molift and R82.
In a Jan. 4 phone conversation with Mobility Management, Helbo, who was present at Convaid’s Torrance, Calif., headquarters for the announcement of the management change, indicated he would be trav- eling between the United States and Europe for the time
being. Etac is headquartered in Stockholm.
In the company’s news announcement, Helbo said,
“We are thankful for the leadership Chris provided during his years at Convaid and developed it to where it is today. His expertise was critical in bringing it to its current juncture where new management can expand on the work Chris has done.”
In talking to Mobility Management, Helbo repeated that the company was in the midst of a search to replace Braun. (At press time, the company had not named a replacement.) He said he expected the search to take “some weeks before we’ve identified the right candidate.”
He also said the company was conducting an inter- national search, and that familiarity with the complex rehab technology industry “would be beneficial,” but was not considered mandatory for the position. l
Numotion Expands Presence in Carolinas
Numotion has grown its service presence in North and South Carolina by acquiring the complex rehab tech- nology business of BlueDot Medical.
In a news announcement, Numotion said 11 BlueDot employees would join current Numotion employees in their Charlotte, N.C., office.
Numotion CEO Mike Swinford said about the acqui- sition, “We are excited about this expansion in the Carolinas. Due to the nature of the products and services we provide, we are always looking for ways to
better serve our customers and provide them innovative mobility solutions. This acquisition of BlueDot Medical will provide the disabled community in the Carolinas with greater access to mobility resources and an array of products and services.”
BlueDot Medical has been in business 14 years,
and Numotion said the company serves thousands
of complex rehab clients per year in North and South Carolina. Numotion’s Charlotte branch office has been operating for 20 years. l
Drive DeVilbiss Completes Partnership Agreement with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare has come to an agreement with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private investment firm that will be investing in the DME and complex rehab technology manufacturer.
In a Jan. 4 news announcement, the companies said they agreed to an “equity investment by CD&R-managed funds and existing management in Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.”
The new investment “will enable Drive to continue its organic growth strategy, as well as provide Drive with
10 february 2017 | mobilitymanagement
additional capital to pursue future acquisitions, which is expected to result in continued robust growth in the years ahead,” the news announcement said.
Drive said its customer base includes more than 15,000 dealers, home healthcare providers, healthcare distributors, retailers and e-commerce companies.
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice has a number of health- care companies in its investment portfolio, including AssuraMed, Envision Healthcare, PharMEDium, and Healogics. l
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