Northug grows his brand from Evolve Vulkan

Jon Inge Gullikstad is general manager of Brand Machine and Brand Assist, which owns Northug and develops several other brands. With their 12 employees, they rent a team office that functions as a combination of office and showroom at Evolve Vulkan. We had a chat to hear how the summer has been and why Evolve is the right choice for them.

 ☕️ How much coffee do you estimate you drink in a day?

Oh. I'm not the biggest coffedrinker, but a few cups will do. I try to vary with water and cocoa now and then, but a few cups will do. The coffee machines are used extensively by everyone around here. We like that machine...

⛱ What have you done this summer?

This summer I have been to the cottage in Phuket. We have an apartment there that I like to think of as a cottage. So we have been far, far out.

🏊 Book or podcast in the summer?

I'm not the biggest book reader, so personally more towards podcasts. I haven't done much of either. Rather, it has been relaxing, swimming a lot, and being with family. Tried to disconnect from work completely, but then I also worked a little... It quickly becomes like that as long as you have access to the internet.

In three sentences, what is Brand Machine?

Brand Machine develops concepts for both well-known big brands and more own brands. Mainly within textiles but also for sports glasses. We promote both the brand and products, produce and deliver to customers. We want to make our customers good and act as an extended customer arm.

Your biggest brand, Northug, how does your work with this brand differ from the others?

Northug is a separate sales and marketing company where Petter himself is a co-owner of Brand Assist AS together with us. We sell the products via our online store but also directly to sports shops and some opticians. The sports glasses we launched with Northug in 2019 have already managed to become the second most preferred sports glasses, after Oakley. We are proud of it.

What makes Evolve a good solution for you?

The very concept of Evolve works very well for us. We are not a very large company, so it has been perfectly fine to make use of the joint opportunities that Evolve offers - we also have our share. It has been a nice combo for us. A good match with a short distance to both a coffee machine and a meeting room. We use them extensively. Also, it's nice to see someone else in the corridor too. I believe this is the future way of working, for both large, medium, and small companies

What is your favorite place in the office?

That's a good question, we like the overall picture. Meeting rooms, training rooms - everything. I know that, apart from the many available meeting rooms, several people value the training room here at Vulkan very highly.

‍How fit does one have to be to work with you?

Hehe, no, it's probably not a requirement. But it is undeniable that most people here in the office are anyway...

What thoughts do you have about the local environment around the office?

We work in the sports and fashion segment, so it is clear that we are very satisfied with the environment at Vulkan. Both the interior with slightly rough premises and the area outside suited us well. A lot of creative industry is in the middle of nowhere for us. We were out of town earlier, that was all well and good. But getting even closer to the pulse of the city was probably a little extra popular.

‍Favorite place in the local area?

Well, we try to be around a bit, we've been to Mathallen a lot, and try to have some social happenings together there.

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