Blackstone, Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman to Invest in Medline

Partnership to Accelerate Medline’s Growth and International Expansion

Northfield, Illinois – Medline Industries, Inc., the nation’s largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare supplies with 2020 revenue of $17.5 billion, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement through which it will receive a majority investment from a partnership comprised of funds managed by Blackstone, Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman. Following the close of the transaction, Medline will remain a privately held, family-led company.

Medline will continue to be led by the Mills family, who will remain the largest single shareholder. The entire senior management team will stay in place. The company plans to use the new resources from the partnership to expand its product offerings, accelerate international expansion and continue to make new infrastructure investments to strengthen its global supply chain.

“Making healthcare run better has been our focus for decades. This investment from some of the world’s most experienced and successful private investment firms will enable us to accelerate that strategy while preserving the family-led culture that is core to our success,” said Charlie Mills, Chief Executive Officer of Medline.

Medline partners with healthcare providers around the world, delivering products and solutions that reduce costs, increase supply chain efficiency, and improve the quality of care. The breadth of the company’s product portfolio and its dedication to customer service, responsiveness, and partnership provide significant value for its customers.

Joe Baratta, Global Head of Private Equity at Blackstone, said: “The Mills family has built an exceptional business, and we are proud to partner with them and Medline’s management to support the company’s continued strong growth. Large corporate partnerships with family-led companies are an area where we have deep experience and we look forward to investing in Medline’s further expansion.”

Steve Wise, Carlyle’s Global Head of Healthcare, said: “We are excited to partner with Medline’s impressive management team to accelerate growth through continued execution, innovation, and investment. With a deep commitment to sustainable value creation, we look forward to leveraging our combined operational capabilities, expansive healthcare network and capital to support organic and inorganic growth initiatives for the Company.”

Allen Thorpe, Partner at Hellman & Friedman said: “Medline is known for its unwavering commitment to its customers, providing high-quality medical products that are used to treat patients every day. We are excited to support that commitment and partner with Medline to continue bringing the broadest and deepest capabilities to the healthcare industry.”

GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, is also investing as part of the partnership.

Transaction Details

The investment is expected to be completed in late 2021 and is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as lead financial advisor, BDT & Company, LLC acted as financial advisor and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz acted as legal advisor to Medline. BoA Securities, Inc., J.P. Morgan, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, and Centerview Partners are acting as financial advisors to Blackstone, Carlyle, and Hellman & Friedman. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal advisor to Blackstone, Carlyle, and Hellman & Friedman.

About Medline Industries

Medline is a healthcare company: a manufacturer, distributor and solutions provider focused on improving the overall operating performance of healthcare. Medline works with both the country’s largest healthcare systems and independent facilities across the continuum of care to provide the clinical and supply chain resources required for long-term financial viability in delivering high quality care. With the size of one of the country’s largest companies and the agility of a family-owned business, Medline is able to invest in its customers for the long-term and rapidly respond with customized solutions. Headquartered in Northfield, Ill. Medline has 28,000+ employees worldwide and does business in more than 110+ countries. Learn more about Medline at www.medline.com.

About Blackstone

Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $649 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

About Carlyle

Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Investment Solutions. With $260 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2021, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 1,800 people in 29 offices across five continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on Twitter @OneCarlyle.

About Hellman & Friedman

Hellman & Friedman is a preeminent global private equity firm with a distinctive investment approach focused on large-scale equity investments in high quality, growth businesses. H&F seeks to partner with world-class management teams where its deep sector expertise, long-term orientation and collaborative partnership approach enable companies to flourish. H&F targets outstanding businesses in select sectors including healthcare, software & technology, financial services, consumer & retail, and other business services. The firm is currently investing its tenth fund, with over $23 billion of committed capital, and has over $70 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2021. Learn more about H&F’s defining investment philosophy and approach to sustainable outcomes at www.hf.com.

Media Contacts
For Medline Industries, Inc.:
Blair Klein
+1-847-643-3308
[email protected]

For Blackstone:
Matt Anderson
+1-518-248-7310
[email protected]

For Carlyle:
Brittany Berliner
+1-212-813-4839
[email protected]

For Hellman & Friedman:
Dan Abernethy
+1-646-238-3902
[email protected]