NOVO 1

L-R Texas State Representative Larry Phillips (62nd District); Leila Lassetter, NOVO 1 Denison Site Director; Bill Retz, Denison Development Foundation Chairman; Shelle Cassell, Denison Chamber of Commerce President; Mayor Robert Brady, City of Denison; and Harry Kirshman, Denison Development Alliance Chairman celebrate NOVO 1’s expansion to Denison and the more than 300 jobs created in 2011.

DENISON, TX (November 8, 2011) – Civic and business leaders celebrated NOVO 1’s expansion to Denison at a recent ribbon cutting ceremony at the new contact center in Eisenhower Business Center About 120 people attended the event, including representatives from the Denison Development Alliance, Denison Development Foundation, Denison Chamber of Commerce, Denison Mayor Robert Brady and District 62 Texas State Representative Larry Phillips.

The NOVO 1 contact center is a 30,000 square foot facility that can accommodate more than 500 employees. “Just 3 months ago our company announced plans to expand into Denison and in that time we have invested in the infrastructure for connectivity to our client with redundant systems for disaster recovery in Fort Worth,” said Leila Lassetter, director of NOVO 1’s Denison Contact Center. “More importantly we have hired 150 customer service advisors and have commitments from another 275 people ready to begin customer service training.”

“NOVO 1 is providing good quality jobs for the citizens of Denison and has made extensive investments in the facility to create a great work environment,” said Mayor Brady. State Representative Larry Phillips added, “NOVO 1’s culture and defined set of beliefs perfectly reflect the values of the leadership and citizens of Denison.”

“NOVO has made an immediate connection to the area participating in job fairs, community events, and hosting luncheons with local leaders to get the message out regarding their unique contact center operation and the jobs immediately available for the greater Denison area,” said Shelle Cassell, President, Denison Chamber of Commerce.

The company is seeking an additional 200 customer service advisors over the next 30 days. Applications are being taken at NOVO 1 located at 2415 Austin Avenue in Denison or online at www.novo1.com

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About NOVO 1: NOVO 1 is a U.S. based contact center supporting clients’ business goals in building customer relationships and growing their brands. NOVO 1’s Smart Desktop Solutions and Customer Obsession Program incorporate game-changing technology and top 1% industry best- practices to deliver ideal customer experiences. Find out more online at: www.NOVO1.com.

Contact: Jack Wilkie
NOVO 1
817-355-8909
Mobile: 515-321-5467
Email: jwilkie@novo1.com

Mary Murcott to Address AHIP Fall Forum 2011

Fort Worth, Texas (November 7, 2011) – Customer experience futurist, and NOVO 1 CEO, Mary Murcott will address America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) association members on November 16 during “Fall Forum 2011” in Chicago. Her session is titled “Under the Radar: Customer Experience Metrics That Can Dramatically Impact Customer Loyalty.”
“In order to drive business results it is important to measure business process metrics from the customer’s point of view,” said Murcott. “There are 30 powerful and innovative metrics most companies don’t know about, that go beyond the typical performance measures of first call resolution, average handle time and service levels. This information will shed new light on true customer experiences and don’t require an investment in new technology. By identifying proper use of key metrics, companies can benefit from improved customer satisfaction and enhanced customer loyalty.”
The AHIP Fall Forum 2011 features sessions on trends and opportunities shaping the healthcare system and educational sessions that guide organizations in healthcare reform implementations. The event focuses on innovative products and services that aid health insurance plans meet the needs of an evolving healthcare system. Meetings will be held at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, One West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL.
For conference information and registration visit: http://www.ahip.org/links/fallforum2011/
Murcott is an international keynote speaker and author of “Driving Peak Sales Performance in Call Centers”. She is an expert authority on sales, operations, performance optimization and first contact resolution.

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About AHIP: America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is the national trade association representing the health insurance industry. AHIP’s members provide health and supplemental benefits to more than 200 million Americans through employer-sponsored coverage, the individual insurance market, and public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. AHIP advocates for public policies that expand access to affordable health care coverage to all Americans through a competitive marketplace that fosters choice, quality and innovation.

About NOVO 1: NOVO 1 is a leading U.S. based customer contact center with operations in Fort Worth and Denison, Texas; Billings, Montana; Holland, Michigan; and Waukesha, Wisconsin. The company is dedicated to tailoring contact center solutions to support clients’ business goals in building customer relationships and growing their brands. NOVO 1’s Smart Desktop Solutions and Customer Obsession Program, incorporate game-changing technology and top 1% industry best-practices to design customized solutions to create ideal customer experiences. Find out more online at www.NOVO1.com
Contact:
Jack Wilkie
NOVO 1
Office: 817-355-8909
Mobile: 515-321-5467
jwilkie@novo1.com

NOVO 1 EXPANDS TO DENISON, TX
Center to Generate 300 new jobs

Fort Worth, Texas (July 26, 2011) - NOVO 1 officials announced today they will be opening a 30,000 square foot customer contact facility in the Eisenhower Business Center located at 2415 South Austin in Denison, TX. The company will employ up to 300 people over the next three years and will be operational by September.

Mary Murcott, chief executive officer of NOVO 1 said, “NOVO1’s growth, driven by existing client development and new client engagement, necessitated expansion beyond our current four contact centers in Texas, Montana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Our core business focuses on delivering the ideal customer experience by accessing the right information faster and delivering it consistently by advisors who are knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and patient. It all starts with people so access to a high-quality and available labor market was a prime factor in our site decision.”

“Arledge Partners Real Estate Group brought the site to our attention,” added Murcott. “We were highly impressed with the employee base and community support in Denison. An added bonus was having Workforce Solutions Texoma located next to our new contact center.”

The Denison Development Foundation owns the space NOVO 1 will occupy in the Eisenhower Business Center. More than $1 million will be immediately invested in equipment and facility updates so the center is fully operational by September. “Denison and the Texoma area have combined infrastructure and marketing, coupled with civic leadership to attract quality employers like NOVO 1 and I welcome them to our growing business community,” said Bill Retz, Chairman of the Denison Development Foundation.

“It is a great day in Denison every time we are able to welcome another premier company with great job opportunities to our city” remarked Mayor Robert Brady, City of Denison. “The recruitment of NOVO 1 is another example of the community efforts of which we are extremely proud.”

“The efforts of City officials, the Denison Development Foundation and the Denison Development Alliance board members and our superb community partners have once again been successful in another major recruitment effort in 2011,” stated DDA Chairman Harry Kirshman. “Our team is confident NOVO1’s expansion to Denison will be a major factor in their continued growth which will benefit our community by providing new job opportunities.”

“We plan to hire 350 employees for a seasonal project in 2011 and look to create sustainable year round work for trainers, operation team leaders, and customer experience advisors in the future,” stated Murcott. One of our company values is “employees first” because only happy employees can provide a happy experience for customers which in turn keeps our clients happy. We will make every effort to provide an excellent work environment with growth opportunities for our employees.” Descriptions of immediate job openings are available at Work in Texas.

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About NOVO 1Since 1987, NOVO 1 has been dedicated to tailoring contact center solutions to support clients’ business goals in building customer relationships and growing their brands. NOVO 1’s Smart Desktop Solutions and Customer Obsession Program, incorporate game-changing technology and top 1% industry best- practices to design customized solutions to provide ideal customer experiences. Find out more online at: www.NOVO1.com.

Contact:
Jack Wilkie
NOVO 1
Office: 817-355-8909
Mobile: 515-321-5467
jwilkie@novo1.com

Sales Metrics That Really Matter
Murcott, Brown and Morris to Address American Teleservices Association

Fort Worth, TX (March 7, 2011) – Identifying and utilizing the right sales measurements can drive business results while fostering a rewarding culture that boosts customer service to new heights. Mary Murcott, CEO of NOVO 1 contact centers will co-present with Chris Brown, SVP of Frontline Performance Group at the American Telemarketing Association (ATA) annual convention being held March 13-16, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. Their presentation entitled, The Secret Sauce – Sales Metrics That Really Matter,” will be moderated by Angela Morris, President of Quality Contact Solutions, Inc.

“Without the right sales metrics in place, companies can’t access real-time feedback to sustain performance improvements” said Murcott. “Successful sales teams require superb planning and consistent performance tracking to achieve optimal results and identify missed opportunities.”

Murcott, Brown and Morris will define key metrics, describe the formulas to calculate their impact on performance and explore real-life case studies of contact centers that have implemented the right sales metrics and sales goals. They will also describe pitfalls that include: singular metric focus, incentive complexity, low performer fixation, assuming incentive understanding and communicating percentages. “The proper use of key metrics and incentives can result in significant new revenue streams, improved customer satisfaction and enhanced customer loyalty” said Brown.

What: The Secret Sauce- Sales Metrics That Really Matter
Who: Mary Murcott, CEO, NOVO 1 contact centers; Chris Brown, SVP, Frontline Performance Group; Angela Morris, President, Quality Contact Solutions, Inc.
Date/Time: Monday, March 14, 2011; 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
JW Marriott Desert Ridge
5350 East Marriott Drive
Phoenix, Arizona

About the Speakers
Mary Murcott is CEO of NOVO 1, an international keynote speaker and author of “Driving Peak Sales Performance in Call Centers”. She is a contact center futurist and authority on sales, operations, workforce planning, and first contact resolution. NOVO 1 is a leading customer contact center with operations in Fort Worth, TX, Billings, MT, Waukesha, WI, and Holland, MI. The company has more than 1400 employees and generates annual sales in excess of $43 million. NOVO 1 is recognized for delivering the ideal customer experience for their clients with American-based solutions that reduce complexity through a proprietary Customer Obsession Program and Smart Desktop technology. Find out more online at www.novo1.com.

Chris Brown has helped businesses in over 100 cities across North America dramatically improve their service, sales effectiveness and profitability. Brown possesses 22 years of service and sales experience in a dozen industries and across all four traditional sales platforms. He has delivered more than 200 seminars for clients worldwide, and is a prominent writer in several trade magazines. Brown is SVP for Frontline Performance Group, a leading sales consulting business based in Winter Park, FL www.frontlineperformancegroup.com.

Angela Morris is President and Founder of Quality Contact Solutions and QCS At Home. As an industry leader, she is recognized as one of the leading operations and performance management experts in the call center industry. She frequently speaks and writes about improving call center performance and how to ensure regulatory compliance. Her company is based in Omaha, NE www.qualitycontactsolutions.com.

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Contact:
Jack Wilkie
NOVO 1
Office: 817-355-8909
Mobile: 515-321-5467
jwilkie@novo1.com

NOVO 1 call center in Holland growing rapidly
Pete Daly
Published: January 31, 2011

HOLLAND, Michigan – A new NOVO 1 customer contact center that opened last summer in Holland had expected to have about 50 employees on the job by year-end – but already has 160. NOVO 1 just added a new site director there, too.

Mary Murcott, CEO of the Texas-based company, said that many American companies that began using offshore call centers 10 or 15 years ago “are bringing those call centers and contact centers back home, but nobody seems to want to talk about it.”

Murcott maintains that American companies can save 15 percent by “bringing their contact centers back to America” from India and the Philippines. About 12 percent of the people employed taking calls from customers on behalf of American companies are based overseas, she said.

Many American corporate executives who decided to offshore their call center service “have been looking at the wrong metric,” she said, because they haven’t been looking at all the “ancillary costs” of overseas call centers – especially the cost of customer dissatisfaction when a customer’s problem can’t be resolved on the first call, and perhaps not even by the third or fourth call.

In many cases, the language difference is a challenge, but compounding that are situations where the overseas call center worker simply doesn’t fully comprehend what the customer’s specific problem is back here in the U.S.

Murcott said that when U.S. business began off shoring customer contact centers 10 or 15 years ago, “there were a lot of easy calls to put over there.”

Now, she said, customer inquiries that are easy to resolve are typically handled on the company website or by phone via interactive voice response.

“Now what is left are the hard calls, the ones that are contextually sensitive, the ones that require higher interpersonal skills to communicate. And quite frankly, while we love the people over in India and Philippines, we don’t think they’re up to it,” said Murcott.

Murcott added that many new call centers are now being set up on the outer islands of the Philippines, “where the language is a really difficult barrier.”

Murcott recently wrote an article entitled “The Business Case for Repatriation of Contact Center Jobs Back to America,” in which she stated that “most centers we see returning to the U.S. or their country of origin are exiting India, but others are returning from near-shore countries, also. Last year, a highly respected personal investment firm brought their call center jobs back from Costa Rica. Their customers spoke out. The company listened.”

Murcott writes that most companies won’t talk publicly about the repatriation of their call center locations, because they don’t want to admit they made a mistake, or because some of their other internal divisions will remain off-shored.

Recent off-shore tax legislation that did not pass in Congress was unnecessary, maintains Murcott, because “companies who off-shored customer contact are already experiencing financial penalties from customers who are taking their business elsewhere. Historically, a bad decision which affected customer service took about three years to fully impact shareholders. We know that cycle has shortened considerably in recent years.”

NOVO 1, founded in 1987, has its corporate headquarters in Forth Worth, Texas, with additional customer service centers in Billings, Mont.; Waukesha, Wis., and Holland. It has more than 1,400 employees and generates annual sales in excess of $43 million.

In 2009, NOVO 1 was acquired by Glencoe Capital and is now part of Glencoe’s Michigan Opportunities Fund portfolio of companies. Founded in 1993, Glencoe Capital is a private equity firm focused on lower middle-market companies. The Michigan Opportunities Fund, one of two funds Glencoe now operates, was established in 2008 and “represents a groundbreaking partnership of public and private interests in the deployment of private equity capital,” according to the Glencoe website.

The Michigan Opportunities Fund makes lead-sponsored acquisitions and growth equity investments in companies that conduct a material portion of their business operations in Michigan, and it may also invest in companies located outside of Michigan that demonstrate a strategy for expanding business operations into Michigan.

In January, NOVO 1 announced that Patrick Blanchard had been named site director for the Holland facility. Blanchard, a resident of Hudsonville, has more than 28 years of experience in financial and telecommunication call center operations. Most recently, he was vice president of call center operations for Huntington Bank, and prior to that, vice president of call center operations for the Sky Financial Group.
Blanchard said NOVO 1 is different because most customer contact centers in West Michigan are part of a corporation, while it is an independent business providing service to corporations.

He noted that NOVO 1 is still looking for another 12 to 15 customer service representatives. Applications are accepted for NOVO 1 jobs at the Michigan Works service centers in Ottawa and Allegan counties.
The Holland contact center has room for about 350 employees; NOVO 1 received a $1 million federal grant plus other local incentives to locate in Holland, with the agreement that it would employ 350 people within three years.

“We still need to fill probably another 200 to 250 seats” to fill the NOVO 1 contact center, said Murcott, which will require getting more client companies.

Right now the Holland facility serves companies in transportation, logistics and telecommunications, she said. Throughout the U.S., it also serves other industries such as health care, financial, retail and energy. The services range from dispatching trucks to answer customer service calls and making calls as part of a customer retention program.

The new facility was opened in July with assistance from a $1 million federal Community Development Block Grant through the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Greg Robinson, assistant city manager of Holland, said at the time that $500,000 of the block grant will be used to help pay for machinery, furniture, fixtures, computers and other related equipment. The other $500,000 will be used by NOVO 1 in training its new employees.

The city of Holland also granted NOVO 1 a PA 328 abatement on all personal property taxes at the new business, which will be worth an estimated $115,000 over the next nine years.

NOVO 1’s facility is owned by the Robert Grooters Development Company. It was last used temporarily by Haworth.

According to county documents related to the grant, most of the NOVO 1 employees will be customer service representatives earning a starting wage of $9 per hour. About 15 percent will be in technical, supervisory and management positions with salaries ranging from $40,000 to $70,000.

NOVO 1 Taps New Site Director for Holland Contact Center

Fort Worth, Texas (January 11, 2011) – Patrick Blanchard has been named site director for the NOVO 1 contact center in Holland, MI. He joins NOVO 1 with more than 28 years experience in financial and telecommunication call center operations.

Most recently, Blanchard was vice president of call center operations for Huntington Bank, a $53 billion regional bank holding company. Prior to that, he held the position of vice president of call center operations for the Sky Financial Group. .

Blanchard possesses significant customer service experience through a variety of roles, such as site leadership, business development, inbound and outbound sales management, management development and training.

“Patrick brings a wealth of experience to NOVO 1″, Chief Operations Officer Eric Rothert said. “He will lead two critical areas of our business, including client management and development. He will also provide thought leadership with a keen focus on operational excellence. The addition of Patrick to our team positions us well to advance our strategic priorities in West Michigan and strengthen our brand.”

Blanchard holds an undergraduate degree in English and Spanish from Florida State University and a master’s of business administration from Georgia State University.

He and his wife, Susan, have two children and reside in Hudsonville, MI.

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About NOVO 1
NOVO 1 is a leading customer contact center with operations in Fort Worth, TX, Billings, MT, Waukesha, WI, and Holland, MI. The company has more than 1400 employees and generates annual sales in excess of $43 million. NOVO 1 is recognized for delivering the ideal customer experience for their clients with American-based solutions that reduce complexity through a proprietary Customer Obsession Program and Smart Desktop technology. Find out more online at www.NOVO 1.com.

Contact:
Jack Wilkie
NOVO 1

Office: 817-355-8909
Mobile: 515-321-5467
jwilkie@novo1.com

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Sept. 2, 2010) – NOVO 1, a leading provider of inbound and outbound customer interaction solutions and a portfolio company of the Glencoe Capital Michigan Opportunities Fund, has opened a new 37,000 square-foot customer-service facility in Holland, Mich.

“There is no better way to celebrate Labor Day than by creating new jobs in America,” said Mary Murcott, CEO of NOVO 1. “With the opening of our dream Michigan contact center we will be creating 300 new jobs over the next several years.”

NOVO 1 has invested in excess of $2 million in the call center with an emphasis on security, technology and commitment to the environment.

“West Michigan embodies an entrepreneurial spirit and public/private sector cooperation so vital to job creation in today’s marketplace,” added David Evans, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Glencoe Capital, LLC. “Michigan’s greatest asset and the engine of its vitally important economic recovery is the intellectual, interpersonal and initiative skills of its people, which have grown strong despite the adversity its citizens face. These qualities are what NOVO 1 saw in bringing its major operation expansion to Michigan.”

The new Holland contact center features a spacious and open design to facilitate collaboration with team leaders and agents. The center will accommodate 291 customer service representatives and 21 team lead stations. Three multi-synched training rooms feature state-of-the-art multimedia allowing for 72 training seats and 3 training instructor seats.

AT&T outfitted the facility with its telecommunications solutions, including AT&T Connect® conferencing and fully managed VPN service. The AT&T VPN solution is particularly important for NOVO 1 because it provides high levels of flexibility, reliability and security.

“Everyday, AT&T invests in its infrastructure and network to deliver stronger service and more advanced products for our customers,” said James Murray, President of AT&T Michigan. “Those investments also help promote expansion of new businesses and the creation of jobs in communities like Holland and across Michigan. We’re proud of our investments in Michigan and celebrate the opportunity to come from today’s grand opening.”

Not only does the center have state-of-the-art telecommunications equipment, but NOVO 1 also demonstrates its commitment to the environment with the center’s green features, including:
• An Active Power Rotary and UPS system .that is non-toxic, 98% efficient, with no lead acid core batteries, doesn’t require special ventilation, no spill containment required and takes up a small footprint.
• 100% recyclable and sustainable carpeting throughout the contact center. Energy Star compliant computers and monitors

In addition to its green features, security at the contact center is paramount, and NOVO 1’s Holland Contact Center has local and remote monitoring around the clock. Sensitive areas have three layers of security. There are no exposed data cables from Network Systems equipment to computers. Cables are buried in a concrete floor in under-floor conduit. Customized workstations feature a locking chase that physically secures customer service representative computers from access by agents. Only designated IT personnel have access to the computers. No CD, DVD, media or USB thumb drive intrusion is permitted. Electrical receptacles are secured so there is no uninterrupted power supply (UPS) overload.

“We’re proud to have NOVO 1 as a new member of the Chamber and West Michigan business community,” said Jane Clark, President of the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our people, location, infrastructure and spirit of cooperation make it possible for companies like this to call Holland home.

The Honorable Kurt Dykstra, Mayor of Holland added, “The City of Holland is recognized as one of the best places to live and work by Kiplinger Magazine and the Gallup organization. A pro-business environment fosters the required economic development to enhance the area’s quality of life.”

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*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

NOVO 1
Since 1987, Fort Worth, Texas-based NOVO 1, www.novo1.com, has dedicated itself to tailoring contact center solutions to support clients’ business goals in building customer relationships and growing their brands. The company delivers adaptable solutions implemented with proven processes and people for industries, such as healthcare, financial, retail, energy and logistics. Whether it’s a healthcare service, B2B logistics dispatch, or retail customer retention program, NOVO 1 provides a scalable, safe, and seamless extension to any business.

GLENCOE CAPITAL
Founded in 1993, Glencoe Capital is a private equity firm focused on lead-sponsored acquisitions and growth equity investments in lower middle-market companies. Glencoe Capital and its affiliates manage a number of private equity funds, including the Michigan Opportunities Fund and Glencoe Capital Partners III, L.P.

For more information, contact:
Jack Wilkie, NOVO 1
817-355-8909
Mobile: 515-321-5467

NOVO 1 OPENS NEW FACILITY IN MICHIGAN

Fort Worth, TX (July 19, 2010) – NOVO 1, a leading provider of inbound and outbound customer interaction solutions and a portfolio company of the Glencoe Capital Michigan Opportunities Fund, has opened a new 37,000-square-foot customer-service facility in Holland, Mich.

With the opening of the new facility, NOVO 1 will hire an additional 300 personnel over the next several years.

“The community in Holland and its surrounding area have a dynamic workforce, and the city is listed as the happiest place to live in America by Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index,” said NOVO 1 CEO Mary Murcott. “The new facility allows us to respond to new opportunities in the Midwest market while creating more jobs in the U.S.”

NOVO 1 serves hundreds of corporate clients in the healthcare, transportation, insurance, financial services, telecom, utilities, retail and publishing industries. Its new facility was opened with assistance from a $1 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The company also has operations in Texas, Montana, Wisconsin and employs more than 1,100 customer-care specialists.

“We are extremely pleased with NOVO 1’s growth and look forward to its continued success,” said Doug Kearney, a principal with Glencoe Capital. The Michigan Opportunities Fund purchased NOVO 1 in 2009.

Glencoe Capital’s Michigan Opportunities Fund represents a groundbreaking partnership between the public and private sectors, leveraging equity capital to make lead-sponsored acquisitions and growth equity investments in companies in the State of Michigan or in businesses that want to expand operations into the State. The Fund invests in growing companies that can generate attractive returns to investors while promoting business growth and fostering job creation that together help improve the economic vitality of the State of Michigan. The Fund completed three portfolio investments in 2009 and closed one new investment in January 2010.

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About NOVO 1 Since 1987, Fort Worth, Tex.-based NOVO 1, www.novo1.com, has dedicated itself to tailoring contact center solutions to support clients’ business goals in building customer relationships and growing their brands. The company delivers adaptable solutions implemented with proven processes and people for industries, such as healthcare, financial, retail, and logistics. Whether it’s a healthcare service, B2B logistics dispatch, or a retail customer retention program, NOVO 1 provides a scalable, safe, and seamless extension to any business.

About Glencoe Capital Founded in 1993, Glencoe Capital is a private equity firm focused on lead-sponsored acquisitions and growth equity investments in lower middle-market companies. Glencoe Capital and its affiliates manage a number of private equity funds, including the Michigan Opportunities Fund and Glencoe Capital Partners III, L.P.

For more information, contact:
Jack Wilkie, NOVO 1
(817) 355-8909

NOVO 1 Elects Two Healthcare Industry Board Members

Marianne Udow-Phillips, Leslie Viegas Bring Expertise, Insight from Blue Cross; University of Michigan Healthcare

FORT WORTH, TX (March 23, 2010) – NOVO 1, Inc., a leading provider of customer contact center solutions, announces the election of Marianne Udow-Phillips and Leslie A. Viegas, both respected leaders in the healthcare industry, to the company’s operating board of directors.

Marianne Udow-Phillips is director of the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation, a nonprofit partnership of the University of Michigan and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) with the mission to promote evidence-based care delivery, improve population health, and expand access to care. Previously, she was appointed as director of Michigan’s Department of Human Services by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, serving from 2004 to 2007.

Before her appointment by Michigan’s Governor, Udow-Phillips served in a succession of leadership roles in a twenty-year career at BCBSM, most recently as senior vice president of health care products and provider services. She also served as senior vice president and vice president of plans and operations for Mercy Alternative and Care Choices.

Leslie A. Viegas brings to Novo 1 extensive business and industry experience earned in an exemplary 37-year career in health insurance, property and casualty insurance, auto travel services, technology and management consulting. Most recently, until his retirement in 2008, Viegas was executive vice president of operations at BCBSM, where he served in a succession of positions of increasing responsibility during seventeen years with this $24 billion health care insurance company that insures over 4.3 million people in Michigan. His responsibilities included operations, automotive and national business, federal business, marketing/product development, business intelligence and information technology.

Prior to joining BCBSM, Viegas was a Vice President with AAA Michigan in Dearborn from 1984-1990, where his responsibilities included customer servicing, information technology, emergency road service and insurance processing. In addition, he was the Corporate Secretary of the organization. Before that, he was a partner in the management consulting division at Arthur Young & Co., in Detroit

NOVO 1, a leading provider of inbound and outbound customer interaction solutions to clients in several industries., is a portfolio company in the Michigan Opportunities Fund, managed by Birmingham, Mich.-based Glencoe Capital. With revenues of $43 million in 2008, the company ranked as the 25th-largest inbound services provider in the domestic US in 2008, according to Customer Inter@ction Solutions magazine.

“Leslie Viegas and Marianne Udow-Phillips each bring unparalleled industry experience as well as deep operational expertise to NOVO 1,” said David Evans, Chairman of the Michigan-focused investment fund. “All of us at the Michigan Opportunities Fund as well as the management team welcome Mr. Viegas and Ms. Udow-Phillips’s participation in guiding NOVO 1’s future growth.”

“We are thrilled to have both Marianne and Leslie join NOVO 1’s board of directors,” said Mary Murcott, CEO, NOVO 1. “The healthcare industry is a key focus for us and their diversified knowledge and hands-on insight will be of tremendous value to us as we navigate this market.”

ABOUT NOVO 1
Since 1987, Fort Worth-based NOVO 1, www.novo1.com, has dedicated itself to tailoring contact center solutions to support clients’ business goals in building customer relationships and growing their brands. The company delivers adaptable solutions implemented with proven processes and people for industries, such as healthcare, financial, retail, and logistics. Whether it’s a healthcare service, B2B logistics dispatch, or a retail customer retention program, NOVO 1 provides a scalable, safe, and seamless extension to any business.

ABOUT Glencoe Capital
Founded in 1993, Glencoe Capital is a private equity firm focused on lead-sponsored acquisitions and growth equity investments in lower middle-market companies. Glencoe Capital and its affiliates manage a number of private equity funds, including the Michigan Opportunities Fund and Glencoe Capital Partners III, L.P. The firm has over $1 billion under management.