Novus International Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Novus was founded in 1991, and today, has employees working in more than 100 countries, serving more than 3,000 customers worldwide.

6/22/2011 --- Novus International, parent company of Stratum Nutrition, hosted more than 500 people from more than 30 countries at its Global Headquarters facility in Missouri Research Park for the celebration of its 20th Anniversary.

Customers, partners and friends of Novus joined together to enjoy a Celebration Ceremony featuring leaders from government and the agriculture industry as speakers; and entertainment from authentic Japanese drummers and the National African Children’s Choir.

Speakers at the Novus 20th Anniversary Ceremony included:
•    Susuma Katagiri, Mitsui and Company, Ltd. (representing Novus’ Board of Directors)
•    Thad Simons, President and CEO, Novus International
•    Dr. Joe Privott, President of Privotts, LLC and Former President of Novus International
•    Dr. Jon Hagler, Director of Agriculture State of Missouri
•    Roberto Kaefer, President, Globoaves
•    Thanomvong Taephaisithphongse, Executive Vice President, Betagro Group
•    Dr. William H. Danforth, Danforth Plant Science Center
•    Dr. Marcos Fava Neves, Professor University Sao Paulo, Brazil & Author, The Future of Food Business

“‘Innovation with Integrity’ has been a central attribute of Novus’ culture from the beginning, and our heritage has been built on developing innovative, science-based health through nutrition products for livestock, pets and people,” said Thad Simons, President and Chief Executive Officer of Novus. “We are very proud of our global network of employees, customers and partnerships and are excited to celebrate with the many people who support our continued growth and success.”

Novus 20th Anniversary Celebrations were initiated earlier this year, with back-to-back events at the Asian-Pacific Aquaculture in Kochi, India, and the International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, Georgia.  The intention of these celebrations is to demonstrate appreciation for the customers and partners who have supported Novus through the years and still do today. Novus will continue to host appreciation celebrations for customers and partners at its facilities throughout the world, including China, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Thailand and Australia.

Novus was founded in 1991, and today, has employees working in more than 100 countries, serving more than 3,000 customers worldwide. Novus has facilities including corporate offices, research and development laboratories, and manufacturing operations in more than 50 countries.

Novus International, Inc. was founded in 1991, but its scientific roots and history originated more than 50 years ago. In the 1950s, St. Louis, Missouri-based Monsanto Company began conducting livestock and poultry feed metabolism studies. In 1959, one of its products received FDA approval as an animal feed additive, which helped launch the Monsanto division that would become Novus.

In 1991, in an effort to focus on its core businesses - seed, herbicide and biotechnology - Monsanto sold its Feed Ingredients division to Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and Nippon Soda Co., Ltd. The new owners saw Novus's strategic potential for growth.

In its first year, Novus put into place the corporate Vision of "helping to feed the world affordable, wholesome food." At the time, the Vision statement was considered a bold goal and some questioned how Novus could realistically make a contribution. It was a small, business-to-business company with two products for the poultry industry, but the company’s leaders understood that Novus's core knowledge of health and nutrition related to poultry could be beneficial to other species.

Working from a strong base of scientific understanding, Novus has brought to market more than 100 new products over the past decade. Today the Novus product portfolio provides a holistic approach to Health through Nutrition for poultry, cattle, pigs, pets, farm-raised fish, horses and people.