Sokol Custom Food Ingredients names new president, other leadership changes
Sokol Custom Food Ingredients, an Illinois-based private label food manufacturer, has announced new changes to its leadership. The largest of the changes, John Novak is retiring as president of the company and will be replaced by his son Tim Novak. Sokol Custom Food Ingredients sells its private label products under the Solo Foods retail brand.
“It has been an honor and privilege to be a part of Sokol’s 127-year history,” said John Novak, retiring president of Sokol. “I have enjoyed each day of my 40 years spent with the company and am extremely proud of the work our people have done together and the families and customers we have served along the way.”
New president Tim Novak led the investment and management of a multi-site packaging manufacturing business prior to being named president of Sokol. He has overseen two greenfield build-outs and startups in Boston and Cleveland, and has held various leadership roles at a private equity-backed global baking business. Novak earned an MBA from Northwestern University (Kellogg) and a BA from the University of Dayton.
“I am thrilled to join our family business at such an exciting time,” said Tim Novak, president of Sokol. “My father has set the bar very high but our commitment to our employees, customers, and brands will remain unchanged during this transition. Our team will continue to work tirelessly on our culture centered around quality and safety. While I do expect a new energy, the same entrepreneurial and customer-centric energy has propelled the business for five generations and that will never change.”
In addition to Novak’s appointment as president, Michael Novak has been promoted to chief operating officer, Paul Noble has been promoted to chief commercial officer and Fiore De Simone has been promoted to director of procurement & logistics of Sokol.
Michael Novak has held various positions at Sokol over the last 20 years, most recently as vice president of manufacturing. He has also served companies such as Ampac Packing and Tate & Lyle. Michael Novak is pursuing an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton.
Paul Noble was most recently executive vice president of sales & marketing at Sokol. His tenure includes sales leadership at Graham Packaging, Global Closure Systems, Pretium Packaging, Graftco Pet Packaging, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Scot Forge and Quaker Oats. Paul Noble earned a BS from Elmhurst University.
Fiore De Simone has held various positions at Sokol over the last 15 years, most recently as director of procurement & logistics. He earned a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.