Josh Baughman, owner of Van’s Tire Pros with 14 locations throughout northeast Ohio, discovered Nexen Tire in 2006 when he worked for North Central Tire, a distributor in the Canton, Ohio area.
“We were looking for a brand to expand our portfolio and Nexen was an option,” he said.
“When we first looked at Nexen, we realized they had size options that we didn’t have available in our portfolio. Initially, it was a niche product for the tuner market for us.”
When Baughman bought his first store in September 2013 in Wadsworth, Ohio, Nexen tires were stocked in inventory. Quickly after that Nexen introduced its Next Level program, he said.
“We immediately got board, and it allowed us to reap additional benefits for selling the Nexen product both from the ownership side and from the counter side. It also gave additional benefits to the consumer,” Baughman explained.
“As we continued to grow with Nexen, the brand became more prolific. It had more size offerings. It had product for just about every vehicle that came in our door.”
Baughman said a few products that his locations have on hand include the Roadian MTX for off-road enthusiasts and the Roadian ATX, an all-terrain tire for pickup trucks and small SUVs. In addition, Van’s Tire Pros carries Nexen’s touring SUV tire Roadian HTX2 as well as ultra-high-performance products like the N’Fera SU1.
“We can stand behind Nexen thanks to the fact that they’ve been in the US for over 20 years, they’ve been making tires for over 80 years, and at this point, with over 550 million tires produced, they’ve had zero recalls,” Baughman said. “As a dealer and as a salesperson, you can have confidence when you sell that product to your consumer.”
With a Nexen product, your customers receive the company’s Total Coverage Warranty, which offers road hazard coverage as well as a mileage warranty with roadside assistance—all things that can help the consumer feel comfortable with their Nexen Tire purchase.
Baughman said Nexen is committed to the US market with its test center and headquarters in right in his backyard in Richfield, Ohio.
“We use that as a selling point,” he said. “As a Nexen Tire dealer, I would recommend other tire dealers look deep into the brand. The Next Level program can be very profitable… Nexen provides a product that allows you to sell a tire to everybody that walks into your door. With our 14 Ohio-based locations, we are proud to offer Nexen Tire.”
For more information, visit nexentireusa.com.
