July 18, 2012--Stericycle

Here is a company you probably haven't heard about but soon will become well known.

it is not because Stericycle is a take-over target or that it has a new line of products or services about to be announced that will cause its fortunes to soar. But before I tell you why it is about to hit the headlines, here is little about Stericycle itself. From its Website--  

Protecting people and reducing risk is our enduring commitment to your business and our 528,000 customers worldwide.

We work with you to improve employee and customer safety, ensure regulatory compliance, and safely dispose of regulated materials.

Our services include medical waste disposal, sharps disposal management, product recalls and retrievals, OSHA compliance programs, pharmaceutical recalls and waste disposal, medical device returns, hazardous waste disposal, hospital waste stream management, mailback kits, infection-control products and patient communications services.

They are either the largest or second-largest medical waste disposal company in the world. During the AIDS epidemic, disposing of potentially contaminated sharps and other instruments and materials used to treat AIDS patients was not only a challenge but became a very profitable opportunity for companies such as Stericycle.

So profitable that it became a take-over target for Bain Capital. For $75 million Bain acquired much of Stericycle's shares in November 1999, while Mitt Romney was still CEO.

All evidence suggests that under Romney's leadership Stericycle's business grew, no jobs were outsourced, taxes were apparently paid, and everything appeared to be on the up-and-up.

That is if you are OK with one of Stericycle's core services--disposing of fetuses after abortions. One of its clients, for example, is Planned Parenthood.

Of course, back in 1999, Romney believed in a woman's right to choose. But since that was then and this is now, he will have to do some fancy dancing when trying to explain this to his Evangelical base.