LIVE
Hello, this is Wes with Nokia and Tires, the inventor of the winter and all-weather tire.
You can find us at nokiantireswithayy.com and on social media at nokiantires.na.
You are listening to episode 216 of the Subi and You podcast.
Hello, everybody.
You welcome to another episode of the Subi and You podcast.
I'm very excited to have Wes from nokiantires on this episode.
When I was at Overland Expo Mountain West in Colorado, I happened to run into Tony, who
is the National Distribution Sales Manager.
I was just standing around with my Subi and You podcast shirt on, and they had Subi
and You podcast on the sandwich board, so he saw that and then came up to me and
started asking me questions about what I was doing there and how I was going to be doing
a podcast and everything, so that was really, really cool.
After the event, Tony and I exchanged emails, and he introduced me to Wes, who is the Senior
Communications and Content Manager for Nokia and Tires, and now that is the guy who
is my guest on this episode.
They're super great people, and I was excited to see them there at Overland Expo Mountain
West, and then again in Virginia, I saw them there as well.
So great group of people, great tires, and very, very thankful for this little episode
that I was able to do with them.
Before we get into anything else, I wanted to let you know of a Holiday Cars and
Coffee Plus toy drive on Sunday, December 7th, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Sutherland
Subaru, which is located at 18801 Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach, California, 92648.
They're asking to bring a new unwrapped toy to support local kids in need.
There's going to be a catered coffee bar and sweet treats by Moonwood Coffee.
So go check it out, you can go to Sutherland Subaru Huntington Beach on Instagram, and
that's S-U-T-H-E-R-L-I-N Subaru.
So go check it out.
If you're in the area or nearby, you can go participate in this Cars and Coffee Plus
toy drive.
I got to give a shout out to my buddy Ben, who is the host of the Dirt Subis podcast.
You can check it out on YouTube as well as any of the podcast apps that you use
for some additional Subaru-themed content.
He's putting out some really great episodes with some really great guests, so go check
it out.
And now, a word from one of our sponsors.
The Subi and You podcast is brought to you by Eccentric Designs.
For those of you who don't know, Eccentric Designs is a small, community-driven business
that offers custom fit vinyl overlays for most Subaru models.
This includes various designs for the rear reflectors, tail lights, and side tail
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I also offer fun, detailed designs like the popular fender stripes and stickers.
For more design designs for your Subi, head on over to EccentricDesigns.com.
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Be sure to go check out the website and the Instagram page.
And remember, if you are a previous guest on the podcast, you can go to her website.
Type in episode in the search bar and it'll come up with a decal where you can
get a episode specific decal with your episode number.
So go check it out.
I posted in my stories last Thursday that Pearl is underway as far as the repairs go
and I'm supposed to get her back on December 5th.
That is the estimated date of completion.
So I'm really excited about that.
I'm just so glad that they weren't going to total her and that I will be able
to get my car back because this is my first Subaru and it's a manual.
I can't lose her.
So I'm super excited that I'm going to get her back and I'll have to do like a little
re-reveal of the undamaged hatch because I got into an accident back in June of 2021
and I was never able to get the hatch repaired for various reasons, but so I've been
driving around for over four years with a damaged hatch.
I got rear-ended less than a year of having Pearl.
So I'm excited that she's going to be back to normal for the first time in a really
long time, but I'm doing things a little bit different with it.
So you'll just have to wait and see.
And anyway, yeah, so excited about that.
That's really, really good news.
The other really good news is you can get 20% off your purchase at SubaruGear.com by
using the code SUBIENU25.
So go browse the website, choose all the items that you want to get, fill up your
cart and save 20% off your entire purchase.
Also if your total is over $50 after the 20% discount, you automatically get free
shipping, which is a really, really great deal.
And right now on the homepage, they have a link for a holiday gift guide, so you can
click on that and go browse that as well as go see what's new.
There's a tab for new items as well, and they've added a bunch of new items.
So go check it out, SubaruGear.com, and thank you so much, SubaruGear.com, for
sponsoring the SUBIENU podcast and bringing this great offer to the listeners.
And while you've got your browser open, go check out SubaruGear.com and see what
they have to offer for your Subaru.
They have great stuff for tuners.
They also have stuff for off-road builds.
So go check it out.
Check out their rewards program where you can earn points for money off your purchases.
You can also check out episodes 189 and 207, where I had SUBI mods on the podcast as
guests.
So thank you so much SUBI mods for sponsoring the SUBIENU podcast.
Before we get into this episode with Wes from Noki & Tires, I just have to give a huge, huge
shout out and thank you so much to Noki & Tires.
When I was talking to Tony out at Mountain West, he was trying to get me set up with
a set of tires, but because I have 15-inch wheels, not many...there's not a whole
lot of, you know, availability for 15-inch wheels.
So because they were not able to offer some tires to me, they were so kind enough to offer
tires for both my daughter and my son for their Subaru's, and they sent them a set of
the APT all-terrain tires.
So thank you so much, Noki & Tires.
We all really, really appreciate that, and that was really, really nice of you.
Thank you so much.
And now, we'll go ahead and get into this episode with Wes from Noki & Tires and hear
all about the brand and a little bit about Wes.
Hey, how's it going, Wes?
Hey, man, glad to be here.
Thank you so much for having me, Raphael.
Are you eager to talk with you today?
Yeah, yeah.
It's nice to meet Tony out at Overland Expo Mountain West, I believe, or maybe it was
in...yeah, it was in Colorado.
It was.
The Mountain West.
Yeah.
You love it in Colorado, right?
Yeah.
Right on the edge of the front range.
Yep, yeah.
He came up to me and started asking me questions about having the podcast on the
little sandwich board and, you know, what I was going to be doing, and then told
me about you and said that Noki & Tires has a podcast, and I was like, oh, that's
pretty cool.
We've got to get connected.
Yeah, clearly our sales reps are very shy people, so a lot of time.
Yeah.
No, it's great meeting him, and yeah, it just turned out to now you're on the
podcast here with me.
Glad to do it.
Yeah.
So before we get anything else started, I have to ask this most important
question, which is just kind of become a Subi and you podcast thing, but do
you prefer waffles or pancakes?
Oh, man, great question.
I think waffles, because of the ability to contain the syrup, you know,
when Waffle House is huge here in the Southeast and throughout the Sunbelt
and that it's my go-to, it's also kind of baked into some memories I have
with my dad going back from the University of Tennessee football games.
When I lose, we would say toward the end of the close game, either way,
there's always Waffle House.
So, but you know what?
I have never kicked a pancake off the plate either.
I love both.
Yeah.
Now, they're good.
I get that with the waffle thing, and that's a common answer for most
people.
And there's more waffle people on here than pancake people, but that's
okay.
Yeah.
Now, my son's probably more of a pancake person, but that's another
story.
He's five.
Yeah.
Yeah.
This is going to be released the Monday of Thanksgiving.
So I guess we can start off with asking if you have any Black
Friday sales going on.
We don't ourselves, but we do sell through retailers, and some of
them likely offer deals, especially anybody who listens to you, who's
located in the Midwest and up in Northern areas where winter tire
changeover season is hitting.
There are likely to be some specials.
So I can't go dealer by dealer, but I can certainly say this is a good
time of year A to look for those deals and B to be changing out
those tires to winter tires if you're in an area that gets that
sustained snow and ice.
Yeah.
And I have had people on the podcast that do switch out from, you
know, other tires to winter tires.
I don't know anything about that being in Houston, but I know it's
a thing.
I'm in Tennessee.
So not a big thing for me, although I've learned to talk to
friends and family about it for sure.
Yeah.
So what is your role at Nokia in tires?
So I'm the senior communications manager.
So anything that is public facing or dealer facing that tells
our story is part of my job.
So, you know, I plan our media relations outreach.
So, you know, a lot of media pitching this time of year to remind
consumers about the importance of safe driving.
I work on our dealer communications.
So we have a newsletter that goes out to our customers and I help
our social media team plan the direction of the content.
People are a lot smarter than me at executing it or the ones
actually putting it up on social media.
But I help kind of coordinate the story that we are telling
in a given week in a given month.
And it's a lot of fun.
Okay. All right.
Sounds good.
So we know you obviously have a presence here in the U.S.
and you've got like Nokia and tires in a which stands for
North America, but where did Nokia and tires originally like,
you know, get started?
Yeah. And the late 1800s in Finland and our global
headquarters are in Finland still to this day.
So we began in 1898 as a rubber boot company.
And in the 1930s, we moved over to tires.
Yeah. And invented the first winter tire back in 1934.
Those of you in northern locales may have heard the name
Haka-Polita. That's the name of our tire.
Flagship winter tire also invented in the 1930s.
So we are a Finnish company.
And you might actually be asking the question.
Nokia and tires, Nokia phones, they sound kind of similar.
So Nokia is actually a town in Finland where we're
headquartered and for a while we were the same
company as the phone company.
We made the rubber for boots and then the rubber for tires
and then the rubber for telephone wires.
And that's how we got into telecom.
The cell phone company started.
We are no longer the same company, but we are still
proudly based in Finland with a growing and strong
presence here in the U.S. and in Canada as well.
So how did they go from rubber boots to rubber tires?
Like, where did that transition happen and why?
Question. I don't have the full info, but I think it's
probably just that natural tie-in of making something
with tread that works well in cold weather.
And back in the 1890s, not many cars around in Finland.
And so as demand for vehicles rose and there was a boom
there in the 20s worldwide, then I guess that hit Finland
in the mid-1930s.
And as severe as winters are, there was extreme demand
for something that could keep life going for the four
or five months of winter that Finland experienced.
And so that's where we stepped in.
Yeah, and I guess that's why are the inventors
of the winter tire, correct?
We are the inventor of the winter tire back in 1934
and still the chief innovator today.
Very, very good.
Do you know when they started moving
into different tires other than winter tires?
Because obviously now you have a lineup of, you know,
other types for different situations.
I know you've got the all-terrain tires
and then more aggressive all-terrain tires
and then probably more of like a summer road tire.
Yeah, we diversified that product portfolio
several decades ago and really began focusing
on that in North America around 1999.
So 26 years ago we introduced the first all-weather tire
in North America out of Western Canada
and what differentiates an all-weather tire
from an all-season is they're both good
for year-round driving and all-weather tire
is certified for driving in winter weather as well.
And so we began selling that and that was kind of our
point of kind of diversifying and then since then
we've become a lot more aggressive about selling
as you've mentioned, the full lineup.
So traditional all-season tires that you'd run
in Texas or all-terrains and we built a factory
in North America, finished that in 2019
and that's where we make about 85% of the tires
we sell now in North America,
including almost all of those all-season,
all-terrain and all-weather tires.
Okay, so when did Nokia and tires move over
and establish a presence in the US?
Really in the late 1980s in the winter space
and it was mainly in Canada and especially in Quebec.
So it's funny, here in Tennessee if I tell people
I work for Nokia and tires, people say,
oh, the cell phone company, that's great.
But if you go up to Quebec and actually I have in-laws
up in Quebec and you ask them,
they'll give you the sales pitch like I could.
I mean, they know the brand.
Part of that is also that winter tires
are legally required in December through March in Quebec.
And so it's baked in and so it was a natural place
for us to go when we first got to North America.
So we've been around for a good while in North America,
but again, really earnestly pursuing that growth
in the last decade or so outside the winter space.
Okay, so when you have the presence in North America,
is it just Canada and the US?
Where does it extend on South as well?
Canada and the US.
Okay.
Yeah, fairly exclusively Canada and the US
when it comes to North America, but we are global as well.
So our biggest markets are the Nordics
where we're basically the household name
up in Scandinavia, Europe and here in the US and Canada.
Okay, so you mentioned that you opened up a plant
in 2019, was that in Tennessee where you are?
It is in Dayton, Tennessee.
So just 45 minutes north of Chattanooga.
Okay, and what is the size of that, the warehouse?
It makes a few million tires a year
and a warehouse that can store a few hundred thousand
and it's really made a difference for us
in our growth in North America.
I mean, obviously when you can make more tires,
that's always good and you can sell more tires,
but beyond that, it helps us tailor
the products we make to the North American market.
So a lot of the tires we make in Dayton
aren't just sold here, they're exclusively sold here.
We're able to say what does a North American driver need?
What do you need on a forest or an outback
that's gonna work in areas that are particular to Texas
or Colorado or Ontario?
And we can make that here versus making it globally.
And so our winter tires will probably always be made
in Finland, that's where we have the expertise,
but beyond that, we can tailor those products
to the needs of drivers in the US and Canada
in a new way, in a special way
and that we're really, really gratified
to have that presence.
Okay, yeah, so with the winter tires,
do you just have those shipped over here
based on quantities that you need
and sales numbers and stuff like that?
That's it, our order season kind of starts in the spring
for the coming winter, which is always wild
for me to think about.
We finish a winter and then we're already thinking
about the next one, but that's exactly how it works.
We send those off, ship them over the water
with several months lead time,
but then we have warehouses here as well.
We have nine or 10 warehouses throughout the US and Canada
where we can store excess tires
so that as a customer gets low, we can restock.
Nice, and the tires are sold primarily
through distributors and like tire shops and such.
Yep, that's exactly right.
So we don't have any retailers ourselves
that we operate here in North America,
but we work very closely with, yes, exactly.
So mom and pop tire shops that get their tires
through distributors, but also through larger tire dealers
people have heard of discount tire.
Cal tires big in Canada.
And one thing we're really excited about
is we just actually signed a partnership last month with ATD.
It's a big distributor that not a lot of drivers know about.
The important thing is they serve tens of thousands
of independent tire shops across North America
and they have like 110 warehouses around the US.
And so that helps us reach drivers in new areas
and place like Houston, honestly,
where traditionally we don't have the legacy
of like a huge dealer that's selling our tires in stock.
Now more dealers can stock our tires
and so your listeners hopefully will be hearing more
about us as they go to the tire shops.
That's good, yeah.
That'll be definitely help out with distribution
and with recognition of the name
and getting it out there to more places.
Yeah, that's big.
It's really big for us.
Yeah, that's good.
As far as like the, so the majority of my listeners
are in the off-road and overland scene.
Can you talk about the two different all-terrain tires?
I know there's the APT and then there's the NAT.
Yes, and both all-terrain, both great off-road,
but there are some differences that are important.
So the NAT is a more aggressive tread.
It's for people who go off-roading a good bit.
They're in pretty rugged conditions
and it's not a mud tire.
It's not gonna, you know,
you don't drive it in quick sand,
but it's gonna take care of the vast majority
of off-road needs that you have.
I was just actually doing an interview
with a shuttle driver who drives adventure skiers
and backcountry rock climbers
into the remote areas of the Cascades in Oregon.
And he uses our Outpost NAT tires on his van,
a shuttle van that he uses.
And he's like, we're in a van.
Like there are so many of these places
where we can't back up.
We can't get ourselves out of trouble
and we can't port a flat.
And that NAT is rugged enough to get him
two, three, four hours into the backcountry
of volcanic soil and all that mud and all that stuff.
And he does great.
So the NAT, which stands for new all-terrain
or North American all-terrain tire,
it's made in Tennessee and it's made for drivers
who need that aggressive off-road capability.
The APT is a little bit more for drivers
who like going off-road,
but primarily are using their cars on the highway.
So if you've got a forest or a smaller SUV,
that's gonna work really well.
If you're just kinda using your car for the daily commute,
but every now and then you like to get a little gnarly,
you can get a little rugged.
So it's gonna be a little less hardcore of a tread,
a little more comfortable of a ride,
although they're both quite comfortable for their class.
APT stands for all-purpose terrain.
So pretty much any need you have.
And if you need to get hardcore
and get into some rough stuff,
you can do it on the APT as well.
But the size distribution is a little bit smaller sizing
for vehicles that aren't quite as aggressive.
And you want that comfort
and that daily drive capability.
Yeah, I've seen the APTs and they look legit
as far as an all-terrain tire.
Like they're impressive.
They've got some impressive tread and everything.
So those look really, really good.
Let's see.
Or do y'all have any other like new tires under development
or do you just kinda stick with what's been working?
We are always looking to grow our tire portfolio.
And we actually introduced a new one that I can touch on
and I'll mention a relatively new one too.
So the brand new one we just launched in February
is called the Surpass AS01.
And it's for drivers of maybe higher performance cars.
And I think there are some Subaru options
that work kind of in that vein as well
that it's a high performance all-season tire.
So this is not a tire that you're gonna take on the track.
But it also has much better handling
and performance capabilities
than the standard all-season tire.
If you do like to go carve the corners
and I just took one through the Smoky Mountains actually,
a vehicle that was a Maserati on some Surpass tires.
Nice.
Through the Smoky Mountains a couple of weeks ago
with Tail of the Dragon and just tore it up.
It was awesome, it was so much fun.
I should say I tore up the road, not the tire.
The tire was great.
Good.
And it's a higher performance tire
again called the Surpass
that expands your expectations
of what that higher performance tire can do.
It's more durable than most of them
without sacrificing the performance characteristics.
The other one I wanna mention is the Remedy.
The Remedy is the solution,
the Remedy if you will, pun intended,
for year-round driving.
So I think a lot of people don't know
that an all-season tire is not really built
for driving in all seasons.
Yes, in a place like Houston it is
and in Tennessee we can get away with that.
But if you're getting snow,
if your temperatures are regularly below 45 degrees
you need something different in the winter months.
But it's hard for drivers in like certain areas
of the States to justify a full-on winter tire
just for that.
So an all-weather tire gives you year-round versatility.
So you've got the snowflake emblem on the side
that certifies it's good for driving in snow.
It's past a snow traction test.
But it's still not a winter tire.
So if you live in Minnesota
you probably need a winter tire.
But if you live in Tennessee
and it snows a few times a year
and you want that extra stability,
you visit winter or winter visits you,
the Remedy is a perfect solution
compared to a standard all-season.
Gotcha.
Okay, well that's good.
And that is a tire that's going to be released soon?
It's already out.
Oh, it's already out.
So those are already out.
Yeah, the Remedy's been out for two or three years now.
Oh, okay, gotcha, gotcha.
The surpass is brand new this year
but it is available for sale.
Gotcha.
As far as like the NAT,
what other brands would you compare that to
as far as like quality, durability, and performance?
I don't have specific brands
that's sort of throw at you.
I can say that there are a lot of kind of household name tires
that the overlanding world,
you know what I will say one,
the K02s or K03s that are really big, really popular.
You see a ton of those
at any overland expo you go to.
Comparing that to the Outpost
you're going to get really good off-road performance
with both of those.
You're going to get a good daily drive
with both of those where we are set apart
is in our winter and wet weather capability.
So we like to say that we make tires for the extremes
and that includes our all terrains.
We've had a lot of K02, K03 drivers
who switched over to the Outpost
and have said the snow performance is so much better
on those Outposts than on the K02s.
It's faked in anything we do
because we're the inventor of the winter tire.
We've also heard wet performance a lot better
and for some even comfort.
So I think that's the one that we would compare to
as maybe a target in the segment.
It's about just as aggressive as ours
but we've got just more versatility
from what we hear.
We also have aramid sidewalls embedded in the tread.
So you might know that as Kevlar,
that's the trademark's name.
It's used in bulletproof vests.
Please don't shoot at your tires.
It's not what it's there for.
But it does give you that durability
that if you go over potholes
or especially over rough terrain
where your tire gets punished there is in the sidewall.
And so we reinforce that sidewall
to help prevent those blowouts.
Yeah, that's important.
Yeah, that's a good point.
Do you know what is the weight on the NATs?
Because I know that's a big concern
with a lot of people when they're not wanting
to put too much weight on their tires
and I know that the K02s can be pretty heavy.
Yeah, I don't have that weight number for you right away.
I think it's a little bit less
but comparable to the K02s.
I don't have that spec handy.
I can send that to you after the fact
if you'd like to share that
in the podcast notes or something like that.
But I can't recall it offhand, I'm sorry.
Okay, yeah, that'd be good.
Okay, so Wes sent me some information about the tires.
The APT, which is the less aggressive all-terrain tire
at a sizing of 225.70 R16,
weighs 28.7 pounds
and the APT at 235.70 R16,
weighs 30.9 pounds.
The NAT, which is the more aggressive tire
at a sizing of 235.70 R16,
weighs 35.3 pounds
and compared to the K02,
the Goodyear K02 at 235.70 R16,
it weighs in at 37.3 pounds.
So there's a little comparison for you
and thank you so much, Wes, for the information.
What about pricing compared to other brands?
Yeah, really competitive.
So we would say that if you walk into a tire shop
wanting the cheapest tire,
you're probably gonna get what you pay for
and tires are a good insurance policy
that it's worth paying a little more
for the right thing.
We will never be the cheapest tire,
but we strive to also be affordable and accessible
and so we're also likely not gonna be the most expensive.
So you're gonna go in
and you're gonna hit that price point right
where if you ask a dealer,
give me the best value for my money.
Not the cheapest, but the best value for my money.
That's where we strive to be.
So the pricing depends on the sizing obviously
and bigger tires are gonna cost more,
but generally we want to be competitive
and competitively priced
while also understanding that to get the right performance,
we are premium.
We're not luxury, but we are premium
and we're priced in a way that's competitive
that also reflects that.
Yeah, so it's like as far as sales data,
I guess it depends on what part
of the North America you're in,
but do you see more tire sale
or more types of tires being sold
in one particular area than others?
Yeah, I mean, generally our sales
are growing throughout North America.
The double digit percentage sales growth here over year
we announced last week, which is great,
but I think this time of year,
we have to focus on kind of all our audiences.
So the snow belt, Midwest up again into Canada,
we're talking winter tires for a lot of people
and all weather tires are a big topic too.
We'd much rather replace an all season tire sale
with an all weather tire sale
and upgrade people to first class,
if you will, for those snow capable tires.
Then to say, you know, you really do need a winter tire,
but you can settle for all weather.
It's a compromise option, right?
So all weather tires are really big
in places like the Northeast, you know,
parts of the Midwest, Pacific Northwest.
And then it's really fun to see our all terrain tire sales
grow in the Southeast and the Southwest
down in California, you know, the 43%,
I think a vehicle sales this year have been SUVs.
And so, you know, we're really trying
to meet that market with our own offerings
that give that toughness and that versatility,
but also comfort that SUV drivers want.
And we see a lot of those sales.
One thing to note is that we don't sell tires
original equipment to manufacturers
when they're not, our tires are not put on at the factory.
We only are selling replacement tires in shops.
And so we've seen more and more dealers
than ever very interested in our story
and in selling our tires.
And that's always exciting, of course.
Yeah, of course.
As far as like telling your story
and dealers and everything,
that's kind of where the Noki and Tires podcast
comes into play, correct?
Because your audience is primarily shops
and not necessarily the general public.
So can you give us like a quick rundown
of what the Noki and Tires podcast is
and how long it's been going on?
Yeah, we've had it going since the pandemic.
It was a pandemic project when I was working from home
and didn't get out obviously much during that time.
And so we started it back in fall of 2020.
So going on five years now, which is crazy,
about 60 or 70 episodes.
The deal is that, dealers tell us all the time
that a Noki and Tires tire
is the hardest first tire to sell
because we don't have a blimp or an arena
or a fancy mascot.
I'm working on the mascot.
We're thinking about that one.
So we don't have the marketing cover.
We don't have the multi-billion dollar marketing budget
to reach every single person with our message.
And so people come into the tire shop
and they haven't heard of us.
And a dealer has to convince somebody
to make that first purchase.
They know it's not a risk
but the customer doesn't always feel that way.
And so the purpose of our journey podcast
is to help dealers with that selling story.
So we interview tire dealers five, six times a year.
We also interview consumers
to kind of learn about their experience,
to give dealers the tools to be like,
hey, I was listening to the other day
and there's a storm chaser in Nebraska
who's also a tire dealer
who drives on the Noki and Tires one all season tire
because it has pothole protection
and he's driving over tornado debris.
So it gives that extra bit of urgency
to help them tell that story the first time.
The flip side of that is we also hear dealers tell us
that Noki and Tires is the easiest second tire to sell
when somebody comes back.
And so we also wanna hear stories
of that customer satisfaction and loyalty.
And so the podcast serves that goal as well
of helping dealers hear, all right,
here's why people are happy.
Here's what people have to say.
And it's a positive feedback loop then.
When we hear that from dealers,
it builds that virtuous circle of messaging
that we can use elsewhere.
Yeah, that's good.
I mean, I think a podcast is important for a brand
because it helps to get more awareness
of that brand out there.
It also helps you to learn more about the brand itself,
the people behind the brand, the culture
and all that kind of stuff.
And then what you're doing with it, it sounds really good
because you get a lot of good information and feedback
it sounds like from customers and dealers
and kind of that cycle of selling
and purchasing through those dealers.
And then gives you some good insight
into what's going on with the actual people using them.
Yeah, we're not really a tire company.
At our root, we're a story company.
We're a relationship company.
We're a safety company.
And so I think those are stories
that are much easier to tell
than look at this black rubber circle
and what sets it apart from another black rubber circle.
There are a lot of differences,
but the stories and things like the podcast
help us kind of tell that.
So speaking of like the story and everything,
what is the culture like at Nokia and Tires?
Because when I went out to Overland Expo
and I met up with Tony
and then went and met the people at East,
it seems like it's a really good group of people
that are kind of having a good time
and enjoying what they're doing with Nokia and Tires
and getting to go to events and talk to people.
It's a really cool culture.
It's the best place I've ever worked.
And I've been at the company now
for seven years last month.
It's a blend of like the Scandinavian ethos
of balance and compassion
with American grit and I mean, assertiveness.
Like we work really, really hard,
but everybody at the company understands
that we all have families, hobbies outside of work
and those things are more important.
And so I think it's a place that prioritizes
the right things.
I've had some family health challenges
that are doing very well now by the way,
but some tough stuff here over the last couple of years
to deal with and I could not imagine the company
being possibly more understanding than they were.
They were incredible.
But at the same time we have that initiative,
that drive to go become a top brand in North America
like we already are in Finland.
And so you see that American initiative
and at our factory in Dayton, Tennessee,
you see people who are really happy,
taking care of very well
and very hungry to make the best possible tires.
And so we don't like sitting and resting
on the progress we've made or the reputation we've got
or the inventor of the winter tire,
the inventor of the all-weather tire,
but we wanna be the chief innovator of that.
So it's a really cool blend of a place
that's really proud of the work it does,
but because we're invested in as people,
we're also proud of where we work
and it's a story we really like to tell.
Yeah, and you talking about having some health challenges
over the last couple of years
and then them being very supportive and everything,
that's really, really huge when you get that
with a company that is gonna be there to support you
and be understanding and work culture is so important
because if you don't have that,
then it makes it really tough
and it can make for a very unpleasant work life
and that can bleed over into your personal life
and everything outside of work
because I've experienced that and it's no fun.
Yeah, and the show Severance is one of my favorites
because it kinda sets this premise
that our work selves and our personal selves,
even if you try to separate them,
they always find a way to come back together
because we are ultimately bringing our lives
into the workplace and we're bringing work into our lives
and the idea of work-life balance is a really nice theory
but in reality, work is life and life is work
and so it's great to be at a place
where I feel like this company stands behind its values
and I joke with my friends like you make more money
than I do and you always will
and you're saving up for this retirement
but you're working 65 hour weeks,
as I do sometimes too,
but you're working these long weeks
to save up for something decades from now.
Great for them, that's awesome.
They're doing the path they wanna do
but for me, this job enables me
to have the kinds of experiences now
that some people dream of having when they retire.
This next year, I'm gonna go to the Arctic in Finland
and I'm gonna drive tires on a frozen lake
with media and influencers.
Yeah, that sounds horrible.
It's just miserable, you know.
I go on trips to amazing places
and meet amazing people, go to overland expos
and go on journeys on the tail of the dragon,
all these wonderful and riching activities
that add so much value to my life
and it's really a special place,
a special opportunity to get to do that.
Yeah, no, that's great.
Yeah, that's so important
but is there anything else you wanna add
about Nokia and tires as a brand or yourself?
That's funny, I was joking with a friend yesterday
that Nokia and tires on a Subaru
is like the official vehicle setup of Vermont, pretty much.
Like we, I think, and not just Vermont,
you hear it, you see it in Colorado.
I think in particular with a Subaru driver
and I'm in the market right now actually for a Subaru.
Oh, nice.
Yeah, like the brand Ethos fits, right?
Like the idea that love makes a Subaru a Subaru,
like ultimately a car is a machine
but for you and for your listeners
and for me, it's not, it's much more than that, right?
Oh yeah.
It's the place where so much of our lives are spent
and where our cherished memories with our family are built.
And so, you know, tires are the same way.
Tires are a rubber component under a car
but at the same time, they're the only part of your car
that touches the road and they are the foundation
for so many journeys and so many memories.
When I talk about the Ethos of the brands, you know,
I think of sustainability as mattering
to both companies, right?
Subaru's trying to do things
that lower their environmental footprint,
90% of our tires have among the lowest
resultant rolling resistance in the tire industry
which means lower emissions, better fuel efficiency,
things like that.
So I think safety, sustainability
and the idea that the product is more than just a product
that ties us and Subaru really well together.
Maybe that's why you were kind of drawn to us
after you talked with Tony our sales rep, maybe not
but I think, you know, I'm really excited soon
to get, I think probably a Forester, maybe an Outback
and be present on some Nokia Entires products
here in Tennessee
and I think there are a lot of drivers
who also see that really nice brand fit
and that we're excited to help continue to tell that story.
Well, as far as, you know,
Nokia Entires being big on safety, so with Subaru,
so those two go hand in hand perfectly
because that's like, Subaru is,
so many people have said that that's the reason
they bought a Subaru is because of the safety
and you know, it's funny because like
I didn't buy my car because of the safety aspect,
I bought it because it looked cool
and it was a manual and I love hatchbacks
because I bought a cross track.
Yes, yes.
That's right, like safety is everything
and I love the thrill of driving
on the tail of the dragon, but let's face it,
99% of my driving is with a five year old
or my wife in the car and that trumps everything
and so that's true with tires too
and that's where we want to be the safest tire
out there, we build our tires
and test them in the extremes in Arctic Finland
and in the deserts of Spain and down in Texas
and some hot test tracks there
so that we can have the safest option.
Yes, so hot, man, I was in Houston
in January a year and a half ago
and I was still like, it's January, it's so humid.
Oh yeah.
So we test them in all those conditions
because we want to be the safest tire out there
and give that same peace of mind
that drivers get when they drive a Subaru.
Yeah, no, that's great, that's great to hear.
So yeah, it was great meeting Tony
and I'm glad that he came up to me
and started talking to me but you know
and then it was great to get connected with you
and then meet the people out at Overland Expo East
and just from my outward appearance of Noki and Tires
I think it's a really great brand
and I think the tires are really great
and it seems like with the culture and everything
you've got a great group of people
that are doing something really fun
and providing a great service for people
and like you said, the tires are the only thing
that touched the road so that's a very important part
of what your car needs to have
and again, safety with the tires
and safety with Subaru are great hand-in-hand.
I trust my family's safety with the products
that my colleagues make in Tennessee
and that makes it easy to tell that story
and tell others why they can trust us too.
Yeah, well thank you so much for taking the time
to record with me and you know
it's great to catch up with you
and kind of see you over Zoom
and you'll definitely keep in touch
and I'm excited to get this episode out for you.
Yeah, thank you Rafael, great talking to you
and always here for anything you need.
All right, well you have a good day
and I'll talk to you later, have a great weekend.
Hey, you too, thank you.
You're welcome, bye.
Hello everybody, thank you for tuning in
to another episode of the Subi and You podcast
and thank you so much Wes
for taking the time to record with me
and share some information and a little story
about Noki and Tires as well as for yourself.
So be sure to go follow them on Instagram
at nokiantiresna and that's tires with a Y
and also go check out their website,
go check out your local tire distributors
for Noki and Tires and see what they have
available for your Subaru.
So thanks again, I hope you all have a wonderful week.
We've got Thanksgiving coming up
so I hope you all have a lot of great time
with family and have lots of food
and stuff yourselves to where you feel
like you're gonna pass out.
I mean, isn't that what it's all about?
But either way, have a good time.
Hope you all have a wonderful week.
Happy Thanksgiving, much Subi love, RAF.
The Subi and You podcast is hosted
by Raphael in a closet in Houston,
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That's all for this week.
That's all for this week.
Thank you for watching.
I hope you enjoyed this video.
I'll see you in the next one.
Bye.
I'll see you in the next one.
Thank you.
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