Fillip to Succeed Stern as NOVO CEO

NOVO Health Services recently announced that CEO David Stern will retire from that post on Nov. 1. Karl Fillip II, who previously served as president, will succeed him as CEO.

Stern, who has held the post since a January 2020 merger of NOVO and Paris Cos., will transition to an advisory role with NOVO. He adds that he’s “very confident in Karl’s ability and passion to lead NOVO Health Services.” Owners of the company further attest that, “Anyone who has had the opportunity to work with Karl knows that he exemplifies our core values, is dedicated to our people and our mission and is well positioned to lead NOVO into the future.” Fillip II joined NOVO in November 2016. In his most recent role as president and COO, he has overseen the completion of several key business initiatives, including the integration of both Paris Healthcare and Angelica’s Rockmart plant into the NOVO family.

Based in Atlanta, NOVO has earned a solid reputation for providing excellent customer service for more than 30 years. NOVO currently operates seven plants and four sterile laundering facilities across the eastern half of the U.S., from Michigan to Florida to Pennsylvania.

For his part, Stern will continue to operate an industrial business, Paris Uniform Services, DuBois, PA, which wasn’t part of the NOVO acquisition. He’s also looking forward to his new advisory role at NOVO. “We’re discussing that now, what my role will be,” Stern said. “I told them, ‘Well, I’m never in the present, I’m always in the future, so that’s where I can help you … where I think we should go in two years, in three years, and how to develop a good system.’”

Fillip added his thanks to Stern for his service to the company, noting that, “Dave has been a wealth of knowledge and a great mentor to me over the past two years. His legacy will carry on long into the future and NOVO will forever be a better and stronger competitor in the market thanks to Dave’s contributions to both the company and to me personally.”