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New York company purchases Albertville’s DHP
Published February 4, 2010
A New York healthcare products distributor acquired DHP Home Delivery Co., formerly based in Albertville, in an effort to expand its product line.
On Jan. 15, Woodbury Products, a portfolio company of HealthEdge Investment Partners, announced the acquisition of DHP and Maine-based Continence Connection.
“Woodbury has built an exceptional brand, and we are excited to partner with them,” said Albertville native Mike Gentry, founder of DHP. “With Woodbury’s large patient base, the partnership will lead to even greater growth opportunities for our Kendall products.”
Headquartered in Oceanside, N.Y., Woodbury is a direct-to-consumer distributor of high quality incontinence and other related healthcare products, including baby and adult diapers, pull-ups, pads and liners.
Woodbury maintains approximately 30,000 square feet of office and warehouse space at its New York headquarters and also has a distribution center in south Florida.
“We are excited about these enhancements to our business and will continue to pursue add-on acquisitions in the incontinence product distribution space,” Woodbury CEO Brian Darling said. “DHP Home Delivery sells a variety of products currently not offered by Woodbury, such as compression stockings, diabetic socks, and wound care, cardiology and urology products.
“DHP allows Woodbury to become a multivertical healthcare products distributor and gives the company a new brand, Kendall, to sell to our existing patients.”
Gentry, a 1983 graduate of Albertville High School, founded DHP in 2002 with a mission to discreetly deliver incontinence care products to customers chiefly via Internet sales. The company expanded its product lines and moved into a distribution center building on Alabama 205 in Albertville in August 2007, where it employed seven full-time workers.
Gentry said the Albertville facility is now closed down, eliminating the jobs, and the inventory was shipped to Oceanside, N.Y., the day after the acquisition.
“The toughest part of this is I had wonderful people working for me,” he said. “I couldn’t transfer them to New York. They did a great job, but that’s the unfortunate side of these acquisitions.
“Woodbury has been in business 30 years, and they’re just a well-oiled company. There was just no need to keep this as a distribution center.”
Gentry will remain with Woodbury as a consultant for at least a year to assist with the transition and future growth initiatives.
“They’re keeping the name brand DHP,” he said. “They loved the business model, just because of what DHP will bring to the table.
“They’re really looking to use me to help them with future transitions and grow the brand. It’s going to be very exciting.
“By partnering with them, the DHP brand will grow. The exposure opportunities for DHP will be multiplied. Woodbury has a very strong, active customer base.”
Gentry said he really had no intention of selling DHP and had turned down two prior requests by other companies before they even reached the offer stage.
“I thought this would be a great opportunity to keep the legacy alive and grow it,” he said. “It made all the sense in the world to do it.
“As far as my future, I’m open. One door closes, another one opens. That’s what I’m going to be looking for. Albertville is my home, so I plan on staying here and looking at another venture, possibly here in Albertville.”
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