Moving to a 30,000-square-foot facility has given Tempe-headquartered Sportiqe more than just an expanded (doubled, in fact) footprint in Arizona.
The state-of-the-art facility enables Sportiqe to bring the brand’s decorating, labeling, finishing, distribution and fulfillment in-house instead of outsourcing to other areas of the world — and bring those jobs back to the Valley. A first-of-its-kind in Arizona and a rarity in the screen printing industry, Sportiqe has created an eco-friendly environment within the warehouse, with features such as a self-contained automated screen cleaning and reclaiming system to eliminate airborne chemical contact; a filtration system that emits no air pollution; self-contained machines; the exclusive use of environmentally friendly solvents for cleaning screens; and the use of robotics for improved efficiency and workflow in pulling the printed garments off their pallets on the press and moving them onto the dryer. In addition, this new facility offers air conditioning, which is crucial for an optimal work environment in the Arizona heat, yet a rarity for other screen-printing facilities in the Valley.
“None of our eco-friendly additions were available to us in our previous facility; this was all possible in creating our new facility from the ground up. It was important to us as a company when opening our own facility to be as eco-friendly as possible given the industry we are in,” says CEO and co-founder Matt Altman, crediting “the collective team” with the idea. It’s also an opportunity for Sportiqe to elevate the apparel industry manufacturing standards on a national level, as Altman says, “We are open to sharing this with our industry.”
Says Jason Franklin, co-founder and principal of Sportiqe, “Our investment in the new facility is a game-changer on every level and a step toward our production process being completely vertical.”
Headquartered in Tempe, Sportiqe specializes in Modern American comfort-wear using premium fabrics, innovative designs and an on-trend fit to provide superior comfort with its T-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, headwear and more. The company has been on an aggressive growth path since 2017, when it extended beyond its bread-and-butter wholesale division and launched a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand, exclusively sold at Sportiqe.com.
