Nick & Garrett Bernardo

For brothers Nick and Garrett Bernardo, a side business designing and printing custom-made shirts for their teammates on the Trojans baseball team turned into a lifelong career.

The Bernardos own and operate NOVUS Clothing Company, a custom uniform and apparel business headquartered in Albany, New York. NOVUS gets its name from the Latin word for fresh and new beginnings. Nick and Garrett continue to build NOVUS Clothing Company based on the principles of servant leadership instilled in them at Anderson.

Tell me about your years at AU.

Nick: I earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Maine and played baseball there. Garrett followed in my footsteps the next year, earning a scholarship at the University of Maine, but later transferred to Anderson University in hopes of finding more opportunity to play. We were both playing summer ball and were recruited by one of the Anderson University baseball coaches.

Garrett: At a summer baseball game in Cooperstown, New York, (AU Assistant Baseball Coach) Riley McDermott happened to be watching our game. He approached Nick after the game and asked “where do you go to school? Would you ever consider coming down to Anderson for grad school?” I went down for a visit and met with the coaching staff. Their Christ-centered values really stood out to me. They gave me an incredible offer to come down and play without ever having seen me play ball, and I took a leap of faith coming from New York. Anderson gave me the chance to pursue my dream of playing college baseball and professional baseball.

Nick: It was a big transition. But after getting to know the coaching staff and experiencing the community at AU, I realized this is a truly special place and a welcoming environment. Going to Anderson and getting a servant-based, Christian values-based Master’s in Business Administration was game-changing for me. The servant leadership model taught at AU is something we try to implement daily in our business now.

So, NOVUS got started as a side business?

Garrett: In Maine, we sold tank tops and crew neck sweatshirts to our teammates in the locker room. When I transferred to Anderson, naturally I wanted to keep it going with my teammates and buddies at AU. AU was really where we started to see the brand come more alive. I presented NOVUS in one of our entrepreneurship classes, and my professor encouraged us to take it to the next level. Years later, we started to work with AU Outfitters, putting some of our apparel back on campus, which is really cool.

Bring us up to date on what NOVUS is doing now.

Garrett: We’ve been fortunate and blessed with the doors that God has opened. We do a lot of apparel for AU and the high school demographic, but also for the college and professional ranks. We’ve partnered with professional athletes like Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, Trevor Williams of the New York Mets, and Dagmara Wozniak, a three-time U.S. Olympic fencer. NOVUS is our vehicle to drive mission — the gift God’s given us to make an impact with our platform.

Tell me more about running your business on a biblical foundation.

Nick: The foundation of our business is “Claim Your Crown.” James 1:12 speaks on perseverance and conviction: “Blessed are those who persevere under trial. Having withstood the test, they will receive the crown of life He has promised to those who love Him.” We treat every relationship as an opportunity to build an authentic business relationship. We want to be a light in the darkness. It’s a huge piece of who we are, and we’re not going to shy away from that.

What is the customer reach for NOVUS?

Nick: We ship to 48 states. We do a lot of business in Denver, in Kansas, and now we’ve partnered with the University of Maine as well; we’re in their collegiate bookstores. We just partnered with the Volleyball League of America (VLA), a fully professional volleyball league for which we are the uniform and apparel sponsor. We want to be known as a national brand. That’s our dream and that’s our goal.

What’s it like working together as brothers?

Garrett: Nick and I have been blessed to just do life together, from the earliest days of playing on the same sports teams to working through the ranks and school. Our dad, uncle and grandfather had a family business and that set the example for us. As our business has grown, we’ve seen how we each have qualities that play off of each other well. We know that we’re both better together.

What advice would you give someone about starting a business?

Nick: Have a good network of supporters and mentors. Garrett: Take on a spirit of humility. Never overlook any relationship or person that God puts in your path, because they could be the ones to take you to that next level.

Is there anything else you want to say about Anderson University?

Garrett: We definitely want to shout out and thank all of the staff, the coaches, and the best friends we made on campus. Coach Joe Miller is a tremendous role model to us. Our professors at the business school were really great, and gave us the confidence to take on life after. We were really inspired by our days at Anderson, and we know that our business continues to flourish because of the impact that Anderson had.