TERRE HAUTE —
Eli Lilly and Co. is acquiring an animal health company with manufacturing operations in Terre Haute.
Elanco, the animal health division of Eli Lilly, is acquiring ChemGen, which employs about 24 people at its location on South First Street. Elanco employs more than 400 people at a manufacturing facility in Clinton in Vermillion County.
The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of this quarter, company officials announced Tuesday.
Terms of the acquisition were not released.
There were no plans to make changes at the Terre Haute ChemGen facility, said Jeff Simmons, president of Elanco Animal Health.
“What have here is a tremendous platform of science and products that come from ChemGen,” Simmons told reporters in a telephone conference call Tuesday afternoon. “A manufacturing facility in Indiana. A research facility in Maryland. And we will acquire and we will keep them as they are.”
ChemGen, profiled on the Tribune-Star’s front page late last year, makes animal feed enzymes that help animals digest food more efficiently, saving farmers money and increasing productivity. Elanco has expertise in fermentation and feed additives.
The acquisition makes sense in many ways, Simmons said.
“They have a lot of expertise in Asia and North America,” Simmons said. “We do in Latin America and Europe. … We’ve got a lot of focus in [cattle], dairy and beef and they in pigs and poultry, so we see a species synergy as well.”
This is Elanco’s fifth acquisition in five years, Simmons noted.
When asked specifically about plans for the Terre Haute facility, Simmons said details have yet to be worked out, but said Elanco’s intention is expand operations here and in Clinton.
“Our intention, fully, is to grow and expand this,” Simmons said. “That will bring, we believe opportunities. How we’ll do that, we’re still going to have to work through that between our companies, but we’re excited about the capabilities in western Indiana and what this means when we combine this together.”
Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp., said Elanco has been a great employer in Vermillion County and the acquisition is exciting news for Terre Haute.
“I think [ChemGen] is very complementary to Elanco’s existing business,” Witt said Tuesday. Combined with the recent announcement by NantWorks, a pharmaceutical company, to invest in the Vigo County industrial park, “this just maintains our historic position in the life science industry,” Witt added.
In the past, Elanco’s acquisitions have led to growth, Simmons said.
“This is our fifth acquisition and … in each case we’ve expanded and grown, and we’ve built on the best from both acquisitions. And that’s the intent here with ChemGen. So we’re excited to join them, have them join our team. Probably the most exciting time in our 58-year history,” he said.
Bernie Treidl, president of ChemGen, said Tuesday the decision to sell the business he founded was “very tough.” However, Treidl said, from the perspective of ChemGen’s workforce and its customers, “it made a lot of sense to consider a merger and acquisition with Elanco. It became very clear to us how much they could add, actually, to our organization and the opportunities that they would provide for our folks at the company” and our customers, Treidl said.
Treidl will retain an “integral leadership part in the transition,” Simmons said.
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
Business
Lilly brand acquiring Terre Haute manufacturer
ChemGen will become part of Elanco’s animal health division
- Business
-
- RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: May 21, 2012
-
EYE ON THE PIE: Use to be close tie between output, employment
Crusty Crawford joined our lunch table with a pronouncement. “We’ve always assumed a close tie between output and employment,” he said. No one responded.
-
Employer opinions sought on students
A joint venture between Ready Indiana and the Indiana Department of Education is seeking employer input that will impact how Hoosier high school students are equipped for the workforce.
-
Carlisle prison marks 20th anniversary
2012 marks the 20th year of service for the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, going on line with its first offenders Dec. 10, 1992.
-
SOCIAL SECURITY: Why young workers should care about Social Security
Summer will be here before we know it.
-
BUSINESS CENTS: Does your staff understand pricing?
Many companies feel as though their staff will follow instructions and implement price strategies as instructed.
-
Valley Child Development Center receives grant
Valley Child Development Center has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Terre Haute Day Nursery Foundation through the Wabash Valley Community Foundation.
-
Exec offers advice on becoming startup entrepreneur
Sam Clemens, chief product officer of Cambridge, Mass., startup company Insight Squared, gave Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students insight on how to develop a startup business.
-
Newsmakers: May 20, 2012
Leland Phipps, family practice physician at Paris Community Hospital/Family Medical Center, has been re-elected to membership with the American Academy of Family Physicians.
-
Alumna to serve as VP for Rose-Hulman Ventures
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology alumna Elizabeth M. Hagerman is returning to her alma mater to serve as vice president for Rose-Hulman Ventures, the institute’s successful innovation space that has spawned careers and entrepreneurial enterprises throughout Indiana.
-
Summer Sidewalk Sale set
Marshall Main Street’s Downtown Summer Sidewalk Sale is planned from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 9.
-
Oil drops to lowest level in 6 months
The price of oil dropped to a six-month low Tuesday on concern that economic uncertainty in Europe could hurt demand for crude.
-
Adidas initiative: ISU students develop business improvement process at facility
As Indiana State University students cruised Interstate 70 on Friday afternoons from Terre Haute to Indianapolis, they were looking forward to reaching their destination.
-
BUSINESS BRIEFLY: May 13, 2012
An evening of networking and education for Clark, Crawford and Edgar counties regarding branding, marketing and tourism development opportunities is planned for 6:30 p.m. May 21 at the Heath Museum on the square in downtown Robinson.
-
Wendy’s partners with Riley Hospital
For just $2, customers at participating Wendy’s restaurants in the Evansville/Terre Haute area can get free Jr. Frosty desserts through Dec. 31 while supporting Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health.
-
Marshall Chamber to stage annual golf outing
The Marshall (Ill.) Chamber of Commerce invites golfers to its annual golf outing scheduled for June 8 at the Marshall Golf Course.
-
ON THE MOVE: May 13, 2012
McKenze Rogers has joined Williams Randall as an account supervisor.
-
Seminar teaches seniors to fight fraud
The Federal Trade Commission estimates that 25 million Americans are victims of consumer fraud each year.
-
EYE ON THE PIE: Economic tools for consumers, workers, business owners, officials
My friend is a carpenter. He has two heavy boxes of tools and several other containers with stuff.
-
SOCIAL SECURITY: Potential Medicare savings for mom
Given the current economic climate, buying a nice gift for Mother’s Day may be more difficult than in years past.
-
‘Best Places to Work’ honored at banquet
Companies raising the bar with their workplace practices were recognized on May 3 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
-
NEWSMAKERS: May 13, 2012
Susi Willis, CPA and partner in Larsson Woodyard & Henson, LLP, was recently presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the Indiana CPA Society at its annual CPA Celebration at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.
-
Indiana Rail Road wins Family-Friendly Award
The Indiana Rail Road Co. has won the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce’s “Family-Friendly Business Award” for 2012 based on the company’s highly successful employee wellness program.
-
Government cuts summer gasoline price forecast
The government says gasoline will be cheaper this summer than previously expected thanks to a drop in the price of oil.
-
Mall operator becomes biggest real estate company
The nation’s largest shopping mall operator is now also the country’s largest real estate company.
-
Dealership to celebrate first year
The 500 Automotive Group in Clinton will celebrate its first year in business with an big birthday bash at the dealership on Friday and Saturday.
-
EYE ON THE PIE: Compensation levels did not cause the recession
America is still fascinated with “The Price is Right.”
-
Old National begins year with strong first quarter
Old National Bancorp reported 1st quarter net income of $21.7 million, or $0.23 per share.
-
Enroll in disaster preparedness class
The University of Illinois Extension is offering a disaster preparedness course on May 23 for Clark, Crawford and Edgar county businesses called Ready Business.
-
Newsmakers: May 6, 2012
• Dr. Haytham Mansour
• Terre Haute Regional Hospital
- More Business Headlines




