Chemed history

In 1971 Grace management transformed its specialty chemicals group, which included the DuBois Chemicals Division, into the Chemed Corporation, which had been incorporated as a Grace subsidiary the previous year.

Peterson had actually begun researching the sale of the company in 1975, but was impeded by litigation and reorganization concerns from concentrating on the issue.

VITAS had been founded in 1978 as the single-site Hospice of Miami and had subsequently expanded beyond Florida as Hospice Care, Inc.

1981: Roto-Rooter expands into plumbing services for the first time.

It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1982.

In October 1983 Chemed acquired National Sanitary Supply Company.

Chemed made a private placement of 15 percent of Roto-Rooter's stock in 1984 and raised $12.5 million in an initial public offering of another 23 percent stake the following year.

1985: Chemed takes Roto-Rooter public, retaining a majority stake in the company.

These operations were combined in 1994 under the Service America trademark.

The Veratex Group itself, renamed the Omnia Group, was then sold to Banta Corporation in September 1997 for $50 million in cash and $2.3 million in deferred payments.

In October 2002 Chemed sold Patient Care to an investor group for about $70 million.