In memoriam: Todd Christopher, Jim Badtke
By HME News Staff
Updated Sun March 16, 2008
BEAUMONT, Texas - HME industry entrepreneur Todd Christopher, who helped sell Home Care Supply to Praxair in 2004 for $245 million, passed away Feb. 10 after a long battle with cancer.
"That old boy could fight anything, but he couldn't fight that," said his long-time business partner Gene Crisman.
Born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, Christopher, 58, was a very successful entrepreneur in an industry of entrepreneurs. In addition to serving as CEO and president of Home Care Supply, he also co-founded Taylor Surgical and Taylor Medical.
Crisman described his friend and partner as a gentleman, visionary and leader.
"You know Todd," he said. "It was always damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead."
Jim Badtke, 43, a managing director at Steven Richards & Associates, an HME mergers and acquisitions company in Tarpon Springs, Fla., also passed away recently. Badtke died unexpectedly in late January from a stroke.
Prior to joining SR&A three years ago, Badtke served as vice president of acquisitions for American HomePatient from 1992 to 1998. His prior experience included serving as chief development officer for a large medical roll up and founder of the Franklin Group, an M&A firm located in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Always ready with a smile, "Jim was one of those people who no one ever had a bad thing to say," Rick Glass, president of SR&A.
Comments