Vantive will get three quarters of Baxter's Arkansas lab while Baxter will keep the northwest corner, containing plastics and blending operations. They're going to put up a wall to separate the two companies (no Mexican funding reported) Vantive will have 900 employees and Baxter will keep 200.
Mountain Home’s Baxter Lab to divide as part of $3.8B global deal Baxter Healthcare’s Mountain Home facility will undergo a major operational split following Baxter International’s $3.8 billion sale of its Kidney Care segment to global investment firm Carlyle.
Plant Manager Robby Hill announced that the facility was in the process of splitting during Mayor Hillrey Adams’ November 14 roundtable meeting.
The split will create a new company called Vantive, which will take over approximately three-quarters of the Mountain Home plant while Baxter retains the northwest corner housing plastics and blending operations. The separation is scheduled for completion between late 2024 and early 2025, pending regulatory approvals.
Vantive will employ about 900 workers at the facility and will also take ownership of Baxter’s Midway facility. Baxter will maintain approximately 200 employees at its retained portion of the plant.
“We are in the process of actually separating the plant,” said Hill. “We’ll be putting fences, walls – you name it – to separate two companies under one roof.”
The transition will create 30-35 new positions across both companies. “These are not only hourly employees but also salary-exempt workers, so plant leadership,” Hill explained. “The main entrance that you see with the Baxter signs, that will be Vantive, and actually the Baxter side will be off of Russell Lane.”
The sale is part of Baxter International’s broader strategic realignment. Vantive will continue Baxter’s 70-year legacy in kidney care, offering products and services for peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, and organ support therapies. The company currently serves more than one million patients annually across more than 70 countries and generated $4.5 billion in revenue in 2023.
Chris Toth, currently executive vice president and group president of Kidney Care at Baxter, will serve as Vantive’s CEO, while Kieran Gallahue will serve as chairman. The company will operate under Carlyle’s ownership, a leading private equity firm that has invested over $40 billion in medical technology and diagnostic companies.
Hill remains optimistic about both companies’ futures in Mountain Home. “The good thing is we’re adding jobs,” he said. “The future’s bright for Vantive, the future’s bright for Baxter. We’re going to continue to grow here in Mountain Home.”