Kevin Reim, 39
Product Category Manager, BFGoodrich and Uniroyal Branded TiresMichelin North America
Kevin Reim has worked on several projects during his time with Michelin and is proud to have helped pen the concepts for many of the BFGoodrich-branded products currently in the marketplace. Working on the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 was not only one of his most notable projects, but one of his most challenging, Reim says.
“Everyone had strong opinions about it, internally within the company and especially within the off-road enthusiast community. It was clear, the next-gen KO couldn’t just be a good tire, it had to be a ridiculously great tire,” Reim shares. “With the input of our enthusiasts, and dedication of our talented development engineers, industrial manufacturing professionals and scrutinizing testing staff, we passionately built the KO2 as you know it today.”
The KO2 is a very successful tire for the BFGoodrich brand and sold more than 1 million tires eight months after its launch.
Another project Reim worked on early in his career was a lighted tire. Reim had the privilege of presenting a prototype of the design to the late CEO of Michelin, Edouard Michelin, who called him “Mr. Cool” for exploring the concept of a lighted tire.
Reim started in the automotive industry 14 years ago in a co-op program as a design engineer at a major automotive manufacturer, and later participated in a product design internship at Michelin North America.
“I found that I really liked designing tires, tackling the various technical challenges and working with great people,” Reim shares. After graduating, he returned to Michelin full time, rising to become senior designer and now product category manager.
Reim wants tire dealers to know that he’s constantly thinking about them and the consumer.
“You might hear us obsess over the end consumer, which is true, but we are also focused on bringing the best value proposition to the dealer. In fact, we call this our DVP, the dealer value proposition, and we work on trying to get this right for every offer,” he says.
FUN FACT: Outside of work, Reim builds and flies racing mini-drones, and pilots them using special goggles that show the drone’s visual perspective. Reim’s drone can cruise at more than 60 mph and he compares it to flying a fighter jet through the trees.
