ACQUISITIONS AND INVESTMENTS We believe that our acquisitions of businesses and other assets enhance our existing businesses by either expanding our geographic range and customer base or expanding our existing product lines. On October 7, 2019, we acquired the assets of a multi-site reference laboratory business in the mid-west of the U.S. for $50.0 million in cash. This acquisition expands our national reference laboratory presence in the U.S., and was accounted for as a business combination. The preliminary fair value of the assets acquired consists of $25.0 million in intangible assets, primarily for customer relationships, with a weighted average life of 10 years , $0.2 million of tangible assets, and $24.8 million of goodwill, representing synergies within our reference laboratory portfolio. The purchase price allocation is subject to change if additional information becomes available concerning the fair value of the assets acquired. Additional adjustments, if any, to the purchase price allocation will be made as soon as practicable but no later than one year from the date of acquisition. The goodwill is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes. Pro forma information has not been presented for this acquisition because such information is not material to the financial statements. The results of operations have been included in our CAG segment since the acquisition date. The acquisition expenses incurred were not material. During the fourth quarter of 2018, we invested $5.0 million for a noncontrolling minority interest in a technology company. This equity investment has been accounted for under the cost method of accounting. During the third quarter of 2018, we acquired substantially all of the assets of a software company for $25.0 million . This acquisition expands the IDEXX suite of veterinary software offerings and further underscores our commitment to investing in software innovations that advance the veterinary profession. This acquisition was accounted for as a business combination. The fair value of the assets acquired consist of $20.3 million of goodwill, representing synergies with our current software product offerings, $2.6 million in technology intangible assets, $2.4 million in customer relationship intangible assets, and $0.3 million of net liabilities. The goodwill is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes. Pro forma information has not been presented for this acquisition because such information is not material to the financial statements. The results of operations have been included in our CAG segment since the acquisition date. The acquisition expenses incurred were not material. During the second quarter of 2017, we acquired the assets of two software companies that expand our suite of technology applications for the veterinary profession, specifically related to patient referral management and other connectivity needs between practices and other parties. The combined purchase price of $15.0 million consists of $12.0 million paid at closing and a $3.0 million contingent payment to be paid within 36 months if certain commercial goals are achieved, of which $1.0 million was paid in 2019 and in 2018, respectively. We finalized the valuation of the acquired assets in the third quarter of 2017. The fair value estimate of the assets acquired consists of $13.3 million of goodwill, representing synergies within our broader CAG portfolio, $1.0 million of customer relationship intangibles and $0.6 million of technology intangible assets. Goodwill related to these acquisitions is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes. The amount of net tangible assets acquired was immaterial. Pro forma information has not been presented for these acquisitions because such information is not material to the financial statements. The results of operations have been included in our CAG segment since the acquisition date. The acquisition expenses incurred were not material.