Company: Cardinal Health (initially named as Cardinal Foods)

Industry: Healthcare services, Medical, Clinical, and Pharmaceutical products

Founder: Robert D. Walter

History:

Starting out as Cardinal Foods in 1971, Cardinal Health’s beginnings were not medical or clinical in nature. Founded by Robert D. Walter, the company’s original function was as a food wholesaler. It diversified when it acquired the Bailey Drug Company in 1979; some of its production and assets were redirected towards wholesaling drugs under the name Cardinal Distribution, Incorporated.

Cardinal Health went public in 1983 and acquired over a dozen US pharmaceutical companies. The company, through a lot of mergers and takeovers, became one of the largest drug wholesaling companies in the United States and by 1989, Cardinal Health sold its food marketing and wholesaling segment and became a wholly drug-wholesaling franchise.

With its string of successes in the drug distribution industry, the company further evolved to include health care, pharmaceutical management, pharmacy franchising, and hospital management.

Listed below are some of the companies acquired by Cardinal Health:

• Pyxis Corporation – medical supply dispensing and automation
• Owen Healthcare – hospital and pharmacy administration and patient care
• Medicine Shoppe International – pharmacy franchising
• R.P. Scherer Corporation and Automated Liquid Packaging – drug delivery and drug formulation
• PCI Services, Inc. – drug and pharmaceutical packaging
• Allegiance Corporation – manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of medical and surgical products
• Bergen Brunswig – distribution of medical and surgical products to hospital
• Bindley Western – distribution of pharmaceutical products

Today, Cardinal Health is one of the world’s leading names in the healthcare industry. Last 2007, Cardinal Health announced the completion of its acquisition of VIASYS, also a leading company in the healthcare business.

Leadership:

• Kerry Clark – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cardinal Health
• George Barrett – Vice Chairman and CEO, Health Care and Supply Chain Services
• Shelley Bird – Executive VP, Global Communications
• Jody Davis – Executive VP, Global Shared Services and Chief Information Officer
• Gary Dolch – Executive VP, Quality and Regulatory Affairs
• Ivan Fong – Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
• Jeff Henderson – Chief Financial Officer

Trivia:

Cardinal Health ranked 18th in the highly acclaimed Fortune 500 list last 2006.