Hill-Rom HQ Move Impact On Batesville Remains Murky

By Mike Perleberg Hill-Rom's corporate headquarters in Batesville. Photo by Batesville Mayor's Youth Council. (Batesville, Ind.) - Many in Batesville are wondering what may become of their city as one of the town’s major employers announces it is relocating its headquarters. On Wednesday, Hill-Rom Holdings CEO John Greisch announced that the medical device and hospital bed manufacturing company is making a $2 billion acquisition of competitor Welch Allyn. As the dollar figure indicated, it is a massive merger in the world of health care equipment industry. “As one company, we will have the infrastructure, capabilities and innovative product portfolio to faster pursue a differentiated business model that meets the evolving needs of patients and customers and delivers superior healthcare outcomes across multiple care settings,” Greisch said in a statement. Unfortunately for Batesville, however, the move includes moving Hill-Rom’s headquarters to Chicago, where some corporate offices already exist. Some within the company have speculated that it was only a matter of time before this happened since Greisch became CEO in 2010. RELATED: Hill-Rom To Acquire Top Competitor In $2 Billion Deal The company employs about 2,100 people in Batesville, a far cry from the few dozen who began with the company in town when it was founded by William A. Hillenbrand in 1929. They work in corporate offices, a bed manufacturing plant, call center, and innovation center. What will happen to those employees as a result of the HQ relocation remains to be seen. “Many of the key decisions about how we will integrate Welch Allyn and how those decisions will impact other parts of Hill-Rom have not yet been determined,” Larry Baumann, Hill-Rom’s director of global communications, tells Eagle 99.3. “We expect this deal to close by the end of September and we will use the time between now and then to more closely study the best way to bring our two businesses together to create an even better combined company.” But Baumann assures that Hill-Rom will remain committed to Batesville, as the operations there – including the company’s largest research and development organization – will continue to be an important part of the business. He says Batesville has been where Hill-Rom developed its two newest hospital beds this year, including the company’s first new intensive care unit bed in 15 years. “And we take great pride in supporting the communities in which we live and work and look forward to continuing our support of the many charitable causes we participate in from a corporate and employee perspective in Batesville, southeast Indiana and the region at large,” Baumann added. The Hill-Rom changes stand to have a ripple effect through the small city which was named one Indiana’s 8th best city for young families earlier this year. A number of other businesses in Batesville and in the region are intertwined with Hill-Rom through supplying the company or manufacturing compatible products. Hill-Rom and Hillenbrand, owner of Batesville Casket, shut down a private airport in Batesville in 2012. Batesville Mayor Rick Fledderman said he won’t comment on Hill-Rom’s move until after he speaks with executives on Friday. Hill-Rom employs 7,200 people worldwide. The acquisition of Welch Allyn could push that number beyond 10,000.