Put a spin on it

Who thought of THAT company name?

Often, there is real meaning behind a company name, especially with a new spin off company which is tied to an established brand. Recently, we have seen some spin offs from our neighboring pharmaceutical companies which have produced interesting names.

The biopharmaceutical company expected to spin off from Baxter International in 2015 will be called Baxalta Inc. The name is a combination of Baxter and “alta,” a derivative of “altus,” which is Latin for “high??? or “profound.???

In January 2013, Abbott Laboratories spun off its proprietary pharmaceutical unit and named the new company AbbVie. This word is a mash-up of “Abbott??? and “Vie,??? a reference to the Latin root “vi,??? which means life.

This past April, Exelis (a global aerospace, defense, information and services company) spun off a new military and government services company which they named Vectrus. Though not born of the parent company name, this name also uses a mash-up of two words that describe qualities or attributes of the company: Vector and Trust. Vector represents strong forward direction, while Trust represents the essence of the new company’s commitment to its customers.