NSM adds to roster

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It's not every day that a company grows by nine branches and 200 employees, but for National Seating & Mobility (NSM), that day was a very good day, indeed.

In early November, the complex rehab provider acquired Newington, Conn.-based Hudson Seating & Mobility, adding to the handful of companies it's already purchased since being acquired by Wellspring Capital Management itself nearly two years ago.

“We respond to opportunities,” said CEO Mike Ballard. “We're not on a consolidation kick like some other people might be, but we're always talking to people in the marketplace and when something makes sense—the culture is a fit, the mission is a fit—we'll continue to grow that way.”

For Hudson, NSM made sense.

“We're much more alike than different,” said Edward Curley Jr., vice president for Hudson, who will eventually take the helm as vice president of business development and government relations. “It was just a logical marriage.”

Citing regulation changes in the industry, Curley said it was the right time to sell.

Hudson Seating & Mobility was founded in 1980 by Hudson's parents, Shirley and Edward Curley, who retired in 2011.

By combining companies, Hudson will be able to continue providing customers with great service and even grow, Curley added.

Rather than making acquisitions based on a particular geographical area or size, Ballard said NSM looks at companies that will make it better overall.

“Bigger is not necessarily better; better is better, and if you get bigger, that's good too.”

As to whether NSM plans to fold in Hudson under its name, that's a decision for another day. In the meantime, NSM plans to study Hudson's systems and practices before making changes.

“It's a real good chance to look in the mirror and see what they're doing that can improve us and vice versa,” said Ballard. “That will really dictate the direction we go in the future.”