Edward Dutton meets Technology Expert and Outdoors Enthusiast Zach Shelby.

Electrical Engineer Zach Shelby loves the outdoor life. Whether it’s cross country skiing, hiking, rafting or just camping in the wilderness . . . he’s there and he’s also been involved in Oulu University’s student Scout Movement. It was this involvement – and an inability to find the gear he wanted – which meant that, as Zach put it, ‘I didn’t decide on my business, the business decided on me!’
Zach is the owner of Shelby, a small shop in Tuira that produces custom made gear for extreme sports and outdoor activities.
While studying for a degree in Electrical Engineering, Zach did a year abroad at Oulu University in 1996 and rather liked the place. He went back to his native Michigan to complete his degree and was then offered a job in Oulu.
‘I’d already learnt how to make the gear kind of as a hobby,’ he said, ‘and I was teaching various courses for the Scouts . . . but you couldn’t get the material anywhere!’

‘It just took off!’

Zach dealt with this by ordering in the material and supplies required for various extreme sports and outdoor activities and used a webpage to advertise materials to other hobbyists. The idea was a hit.
‘I didn’t plan it! It just took off!’ he laughed. ‘I ran the business for two years on my own. We were in a temporary shop and at the beginning of 2006 we moved here to Tuira with a full retail shop.’
Shelby now has two employees and a subcontactor with Zach being chairman of the company’s board. Customers are coming from Finland – and through his website – customers from all around the world but especially Scandinavia, Germany and the UK.
Shelby not only sells outdoor gear but has the fabrics and expertise to custom make precisely the required gear for a given activity.
‘We can make to measure,’ says Zach. ‘We have a professional tailor! We also offer DIY materials and patterns so that people can make the gear themselves,’ says Zach, showing me one of many examples on display.
According to Zach, these patterns are ‘very popular’ with enthusiasts and very few shops Zach dealt with this by ordering in the material and supplies required for various extreme in the world offer these products.
Certainly, customers have asked for ‘quite a few crazy’ custom made articles of clothing, Zach recalls.
‘Pants (trousers) with lots of complicated pockets’ was one example that came to mind as were ‘complex hiking jackets’.
Shelby has been widely advertised through Gorilla (a marketing website), articles in newspapers, articles in the Kaleva and on various websites, although publicity is slowing now as Zach wants to slow-down growth.
‘We’re stabilising at the moment. We’re not expanding,’ smiles Zach. ‘We just want to make it sustainable and we’re growing a little.’
While conducting the interview, a customer comes into the shop to make enquiries and Zach greets him in Finnish. He is married to a Finn and speaks the language fluently.
‘Even when I speak English I’m losing my American accent! I’m kind of lost in translation at the moment!’

‘A Nice Place to do Anything’

Zach is settled in Oulu, and has a baby daughter, and likes place for many reasons not least of which is its conduciveness to setting up a business.
Oulu is ‘a nice place to do anything’ says Zach. ‘You can find all you need, there are enough people . . . the logistics is easy . . .’ he points to the window. ‘We’re in front of a bus-stop through which passes every bus in Oulu . . .’
Zach had also found that, ‘there’s a lot of support from the tax office, local government and TE Keskus (the business development agency).’
He’d found that these groups offered advice, seminars networking opportunities and ‘potential air time’ and that even the Tax Office was helpful with lots of information in English.
Zach’s only criticism was the level of financial support. ‘Unless you’re in the high-tech business, you don’t get financial support. You don’t in the USA but there’s much less bureaucracy there and much more money available overall.’
But the business idea seemed to make an ‘instant connection’ as the gear was otherwise ‘too expensive for students.’ It started with his Student Scouts (related to the international movement though unisex and for an older age range) and has just developed from there.

‘Really Fast Growth’

However, Shelby is a sideline for Zach. He is also on the board of Sensinode which he founded in 2006 and of which he used to be the Managing Director.
Zach had been working at the university when he and some colleagues decided to draw upon their research into ‘Embedded Wireless Technology’ to found the company. It is now based at Oulu’s Technopolis.
‘We produce embedded wireless technology for various products other than PCs,’ Zach informs me.
‘We provide the technology to track these products – such as heart monitors for example – using the Internet.’ Zach emphasises that this products are ‘very, very small’ and can be used, for example, in a ‘Smart Building’ in order to regulate internal temperature.
Zach himself was amazed by quickly Sensinode took over. ‘We’ve now got nine employees and are growing at 300% per year . . . it was really fast growth!’
The company was able to develop through ‘seed funding’ – where outsiders invest in the company to get it started – meaning that it has various shareholders and can expand substantially. It also trades globally.
So, in business terms, Zach has been very satisfied with Oulu but he also likes it simply as a place to live.

Toning it Down

‘It’s a dynamic place . . . you can all kinds of cool things’ he laughs. ‘It’s a beautiful place with beautiful nature and it’s near Lapland . . . there’s cross country skiing . . .’
Zach was one of the first few foreigners to compete in skiing events in Finland. But he’s never actually won much, admitting, ‘The Finns are faster.’
He continues, ‘. . . the school system’s really good . . . there’s just a much better quality of life than in America. I often feel frustrated when I go back there.’
However, he misses some things about his home country. ‘Of course I miss family. People are more easy going there and new trends kind of catch on very easily and people get excited about them and I kind of miss that . . . and the hippy culture!’
Zach has also found the Finnish lack of small talk, lack of speaking culture and occasional pessimism difficult to adjust to. ‘I’ve toned it down and Finns around me tone it up so we meet in the middle!’ he laughs.