NOVO 1
New business expected to bring 300 jobs to Denison
By JONATHAN CANNON
Herald Democrat
Denison leaders welcomed the city’s newest business to town Tuesday. They said NOVO 1 is expected to bring up to 350 jobs to Denison. The company will operate an inbound call center at the Eisenhower Business Center.
“This is going to a great partnership,” said Mayor Robert Brady. “We want to be as friendly as we can be and we want to do everything we can to make our businesses successful.” He highlighted the recent school bond election and a number of expanding businesses and industries as reasons the city is attractive to industry.
“It sounds like we’re in great company here,” said NOVO 1 CEO Mary Murcott. “A lot of people are putting a lot of effort and a lot of confidence in Denison.”
She said it was the workforce that attracted her to Denison, specifically, the level of high school completion in potential employees — approximately 85 percent — and the caring of the residents.
“I can train on lots of things, but I can’t train nice,” she told those gathered for Tuesday’s announcement.
The Denison Development Alliance is offering an incentive to the company for the jobs it plans to create. DDA President Tony Kaai said the deal is $2,100 per job over four years for up to 300 jobs. He said the company expects to have an annual payroll of $6 million.
“I look at this as a win, win, win situation,” said Denison Development Foundation Chairman Bill Retz. “It’s a win for NOVO 1; it’s a win for the Denison Development Foundation; and it’s a win for the people of Denison and that’s what’s really important.”
DDF is the owner of the suite at the Eisenhower Business Center in which NOVO 1 will open its center. The space was previously occupied by Client Services Inc., which Kaai said consolidated its operations. He said the Client Services most recently had about 25 employees and just under 100 at its high. So if NOVO 1 reaches its anticipated employment level the new business will be a net gain in the Denison job market, even with the departure of Client Services.
Murcott said the fact that the available space had previously been a call center and was near-ready for NOVO 1’s use also had a lot to do with the company’s decision to open-up shop in Denison. The company has a high-seasonal demand client it needed to find space for and with the space and the workforce Denison was just the place, Murcott said.
“It was serendipity that all of these things fell in place at once,” Murcott said.
Company officials seemed committed to bringing other clients to Denison after the season is over. “The initial start-up will be seasonal, but then we’ll be moving some clients up here that are year-round clients,” said Murcott. And DDA Chairman Harry Kirshman said the board was comfortable with that.
“It just seemed like a really good fit for us,” said Kirshman. “I think with this company and their track record, you’re going to see that that seasonal is really going to plane out.”
Jack Wilkie, NOVO 1 senior vice president of business development, said the company has “game-changing technology” that greatly decreases the amount of dead air on a service call, and that, he said, attracts new clients.
