Who Owns Sage Products?

Vincent Foglia and Robert J. Thompson founded Sage Products in Cary, Illinois, in 1971, initially as a contract manufacturer and distributor of healthcare disposables. The company evolved into a specialized maker of prepackaged patient-care kits.

Sage's defining innovation was systematizing bedside care: its Comfort Bath bathing systems replaced traditional basin baths (associated with infection risk) with prepackaged, disposable wipes. Oral care kits standardized ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention. These evidence-linked protocols built Sage into the leading supplier of hospital hygiene and prevention products.

The company remained family-owned and operated in Cary for over four decades, growing into a national supplier to hospitals and health systems focused on nursing workflow efficiency and infection prevention.

Stryker announced the Sage acquisition in February 2016 for $2.78 billion, its largest deal at that time. The acquisition gave Stryker the leading hospital patient-care consumables business and expanded its presence at the bedside, complementing its capital equipment and implants.

Under Stryker, Sage products continue under their established brand name, integrated into the Medical division's portfolio of hospital consumables and equipment.