François Fraudeau is the new President and Chief Executive Officer for Novus International, Inc. He has responsibility for overall company management and strategic planning functions.

Prior to being named President and CEO, François led the company's specialty business as Chief Operating Officer, with oversight for global research and development, product management and  operations, corporate development, regulatory affairs, and enterprise system optimization for both the livestock and Novus Nutrition Brands divisions. He also served as President, Specialty Business as well as Vice President, Europe and Middle East/Asia for Novus, with responsibility for business operations and development. François was World Area Director, Europe/Middle East/Africa for Novus from 1999-2008. In this role, he was instrumental in expanding the company's presence in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. François joined the company as Country Manager, France in 1991.

François has held roles of increasing responsibility in the agriculture industry for over 30 years. Prior to joining Novus, he was Sales Manager, France for the Animal Sciences Division of Monsanto, where he was responsible for the region's overall sales to the feed and food industries. François began his career as a Research Engineer for Asgrow, a seed company, where he was responsible for registration trials.

A native of France, François graduated with an Agricultural Engineering degree from Esitpa School of Agricultural Engineering in 1982. He has lived in France and Belgium, and relocated to the Novus Headquarters in St. Charles, Missouri, in late 2011. He is fluent in both French and English.

April 2014 marked a milestone in Hugh Cholick's career - 40 years working in agricultural business. Since October 1992, he has worked for Novus, beginning just 16 months after the company was started.  Hugh is the Senior Sales Manager for Poultry in the Southeast United States.  He is responsible for the sale of Novus products in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. 

"There are 35 broiler companies in the US and I have the pleasure of calling and working directly with 11 of them.  Calling on the people I call on is a pleasure. Anybody in ag business I've come to know to be fair, honest, and very hard working. They're just really fun to be around," Hugh observed. "Ag folks are good folks." A good day for Hugh includes going out and calling on business associates who have become friends over the years and showing a little something for the effort with a sale. Hugh's entire career has been in sales and sales management and he describes it as being responsible to his customers.

Hugh grew up on a farm near Jackson in southwest Minnesota, located 60 miles from the South Dakota border and five miles from the Iowa border.  He maintains ownership of land and farming interests in the area. His father farmed for more than 50 years in Jackson County, and Hugh met and married Deborah, a gal from 10 miles down the road whose father farmed for more than 60 years before retiring. "Farming is my background. I love agriculture and everything to do with it," he said.

Hugh earned a degree in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing from Mankato State University. He had hoped to go to the University of Minnesota to study agriculture, but chose the more affordable option as he put himself through college. His first job was with Wilson Foods in Minnesota, at the time, the nation's largest pork processor. From there he went to work for Diamond Shamrock in the Midwest, selling agricultural chemicals, then SmithKline which was his first experience with animal health product sales, becoming a Regional Sales Manager. In 1985, an opportunity to move to Georgia and work for BASF selling vitamin premixes eventually led to his work with Novus.

"I knew from the beginning Novus would be an excellent company to work for," Hugh remarked. "Several good friends - Terry Torrance, Hank Shea, and Fred Scott - all worked for Monsanto/Novus. They are all quality people in the company, and have been wonderful to work with. Novus has stayed true to what their business is which is feed additives." While there have been changes in personnel and some products, Hugh remains enthusiastic about Novus and its product line.

Duluth, Georgia, has been home for nearly 30 years, but when Hugh tells Minnesota friends he lives in Duluth, they think of Duluth, Minnesota. If Hugh takes some time off, it will be travelling with Deborah, occasional fishing, some bird hunting, and an enjoyable day on the golf course. 

In 1974, Hugh knew he wanted to work in the agriculture industry. In 1992, he knew he wanted to go to work for Novus and now he's the longest serving salesperson in the company. "I like agriculture. They're good people to be around," he concluded.