Corporate Report: Roper Industries buys UTS, plans to also acquire Verathon

Sarasota-based Roper Industries Inc. has acquired the assets of United Toll Services LLC, a Montgomery-Ala. based provider of software and hardware systems for vehicle toll and traffic adjustment, and also signed a definitive agreement to acquire Verathon Inc. of Bothell, Wash., a maker of specialty medical devices.

United Toll sells technology for remote monitoring capabilities, new lane and camera configurations, integration system and other uses.

Verathon's board of directors has approved the transaction; it still requires shareholder approval which is expected in early December. Two of its chief products are the noninvasive BladderScan instrument and GlideScope Video Laryngoscope. Verathon sells to hospitals, primary care physicians, acute-care providers and the military with a direct sales force of more than 140.

The total cost for the transactions will be $356 million. Roper expects the two deals will add more than $140 million to its 2010 revenue with at least $38 million of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

Roper Industries provides products and solutions for water, energy, radio frequency, research/medical and other markets and applications.

PawsPlus completes purchase of Animal Health Associates
Sarasota-based pet healthcare company PawsPlus Inc. has purchased Animal Health Associates Inc., also headquartered in Sarasota, in an all-stock transaction.

Animal Health and another PawsPlus subsidiary, VETCO Hospitals Inc., operate pet vaccination clinics in Pet Supermarket and independent pet stores plus Tractor Supply Co. locations nationwide.

George Johnson, co-founder of Animal Health and now chief operating officer and president of PawsPlus, said in a press release the action will foster no overlapping operations, will facilitate “nearly 700 vaccination clinics in eight states, as well as the five full-service VETCO Hospitals in southern California,” and is part of a major expansion “into new states and territories.”

PawsPlus has moved its headquarters into the newly expanded Animal Health offices in Sarasota.

VETCO's 2009 six months sales were $7.1 million (unaudited), a 25% increase over the same period in 2008. Animal Health had sales of $3.1 million for the first six months of 2009.
Founded in April of 2003, PawsPlus is the holding company for VETCO Hospitals and Animal Health and conducts e-commerce via PawsPlus.com.

VIVA of Kuwait hires Syniverse for mobile messaging services
Syniverse Technologies, a Tampa-based provider of global-telecommunication technology and business solutions, will provide VIVA many of its products and services to enhance the Kuwaiti mobile operator's roaming, data exchange, networking and messaging operations.

“With a total number of subscribers expected to reach 193 million by 2012, the Middle East and North Africa region is clearly a strong growth market,” Eugene Bergen Henegouwen, executive vice president of Syniverse, said in a press release.

Intertape Polymer Group delisting from NYSE
Montreal- and Bradenton-based Intertape Polymer Group Inc. is voluntarily delisting its shares of common stock from the New York Stock Exchange on or about Dec. 3, which will reportedly have no affect on the company's stock on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Intertape Polymer Group says the listing of its shares on the TSX provides it sufficient liquidity and that the overall trading volume of its shares is not sufficient to justify listing on two exchanges.

The company has also named Bernard Pitz, who has served in many executive posts for nearly 20 years, as chief financial officer replacing Vic DiTommaso.

Intertape Polymer Group develops and manufactures specialized polyolefin plastic and paper-based packaging products and systems. It employs 2,100 people in 17 locations, including 13 manufacturing facilities in North America and one in Europe.

Tech Data creates new healthcare business unit
Tech Data Corp., a Clearwater-based IT products distributor, has created a new healthcare specialized business unit for resellers and hardware and software producers — led by vice president, government, technical and integration services Barb Miller — to meet what it expects will be a growing demand for healthcare IT modernization among government-funded providers due to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Tech Data Senior Vice President for U.S. Marketing Joe Quaglia said in a press release, “We've identified a select group of resellers closest to the nation's small doctors' offices, clinics and hospitals. Through our healthcare SBU, we're partnering with leading vendors to provide these resellers with the specialized solutions, services and expert resources they need to take full advantage of the rising demand for healthcare IT.”

Pittsburgh Pirates buys Florida State League team
The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased the Sarasota Reds of the Florida State League and will be relocating the team to Bradenton. The move became official following a vote of approval by the league.

Bob Nutting, Pirates chairman of the board, said in a press release the purchase “will allow our operations staff to take further advantage of our world-class facilities at Pirate City, as well as allow for the increased usage of our spring training home of McKechnie Field.”

The first game of the new Pirates affiliate will be on April 8. The Pirates will release the official team name and 140-game schedule soon.

State's largest oncology practice appoints new CEO
Tampa's Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, the state's largest privately owned oncology/hematology practice, has named Bradley Prechtl its new CEO.

Prechtl most recently was chief operating officer of Physician Oncology Services Inc., one of the most successful prostate cancer treatment networks in Georgia and Indiana. Prior to that, he was president of Crozer Keystone Health Network from 2006 to 2008, and before that, executive director of practice operations for Texas Oncology of US Oncology. In his seven years there, the company — the nation's largest in physician practice management '• increased growth in net patient revenues by 83% to $292 million annually and improved profitability by 110%.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute operates a network of 71 physicians and 33 advanced registered nurse practitioners or physician assistants. It has 27 locations from Tampa to Naples.

Billy Casper Golf to manage Misty Creek Country Club
Billy Casper Golf — owner and operator of more than 110 golf courses in 25 states — has been selected to manage the full-service, private Misty Creek Country Club in Sarasota. It will mark BCG's eighth property in Florida and 16th in the southeast.

The company will handle all of Misty Creek's aspects including golf course and property maintenance, staffing and training, clubhouse operations, food and beverage, merchandising, golf instruction, marketing and public relations, member services, special events and financial management.

Misty Creek Country Club is a par 72, 6,895-yard championship course and is part of the 203-home Preserve at Misty Creek residential community.