Thad Simons is the Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the Yield Lab Institute. From 2001 to 2014, he led Novus as President and CEO in its growth into a global animal health and nutrition company with sales exceeding US $1 billion.

​Thad has also previously served on the boards of the St. Louis Regional Chamber of Commerce, Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Louis Zoological Association, National Chicken Council, American Feed Industry Association, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (President), Novus International, Inc. and ESM Technologies, Inc. among others.

Thad’s awards and recognitions include: International Businessperson of the Year, World Trade Center of St. Louis, 2001; International Visionary Award, Boeing Institute of International Business, 2007; Heroes of the Planet Award, St. Louis Business Journal, 2009; Entrepreneur of the Year, Central Midwest-Bioscience, Ernst & Young, 2010; Entrepreneur of the Year, National Distribution and Manufacturing, Ernst & Young, 2010; and Agribusiness Leader of the Year, National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), 2013.

Thad is a General Partner in The Yield Lab Fund 1 and The Yield Lab Global Opportunity Fund, and serves on the board of Probiotic Holdings, LLC., Native Microbials, Inc., New West Genetics, Ecto Inc., Maryville University, Ranken Jordan Hospital, and CNFA.