The Locker Room – How Sportiqe is Growing a Safe and Conscious Place for Employees While Being a Profitable Business E10
This show was a very unique show that we were excited to finally execute on. The Culture Crush Business Podcast and the People and Profit Podcast, sponsored by Conscious Capitalism Arizona, came together for a special crossover episode.
Matt Altman, with Sportiqe, was the best guest for this crossover experience. His knowledge and understanding of running and growing a conscious business was perfect for the conversation with co-hosts Jeremy Neis and Kindra Maples. Yes, businesses are here to make money and be profitable, but this can be done while also supporting the employees as humans. People and Profit should be on the same level. Your people are the ones that are going to take care of your customers. It is important to try and support their fundamental human needs; freedom, independence, community, family, and teamwork.
When we are connected together, we can help each other and there is a win- win outcome. They even had the chance to dive into the six values that Sportiqe has, that go beyond just writing on the walls. The “values and behavior are what drive a team and a family.” Teamwork, Evolve, Respect, Can Do, Integrity, and Fun are all values that have grown with the company and continuously lived through the team at Sportiqe.
This episode is great for all listeners! This conversation is great for any job level to listen in and find motivation in the way that Sportiqe is growing their brand. This conversation is great for CEO’s out there to listen to in order to understand the benefit and the need in taking care of your people with the same passion that drives the company to be profitable. This conversation shares insight into how to treat employees and the why behind it. We look forward to the next opportunity to have Matt back on the show.
Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, Sportiqe is a global, lifestyle apparel brand that is committed to delivering elevated basics using premium fabrics, innovative designs and an on-trend fit that not only look and feel good, but provide superior comfort no matter the occasion.
Outfitting more than four-million people around the world since its inception in 2006, Sportiqe designs, manufactures and sells premium, Modern American comfort wear for men, women and youth with a focus on t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, headwear and more. All apparel is designed and decorated in Sportiqe’s home-state of Ariz.
The company was founded on the success of its wholesale division, which bridges the gap between the fan and fashion world by providing comfortable attire with on-trend garments and graphics to a number of globally recognized brands including the NBA, Nintendo, Dave Matthews Band, Peloton and Live Nation, to name a few. For more information about Sportiqe, visit Sportiqe.com.
The brand was founded on the success of its wholesale division, which bridges the gap between the fan and fashion world by providing comfortable attire with on-trend graphics to a variety of globally recognized brands across the entertainment, sporting, food and beverage, health and wellness, and tech and gaming industries.
Serving as a fashion house for clients, Sportiqe designs, creates and delivers elevated and on-trend, custom apparel for companies who can choose from a graphics package from the Sportiqe wheelhouse or work with the company’s skilled graphic design team for custom looks and themes
Sportiqe believes in making an impact that reaches far beyond its comfortable fabrics and clothing. That’s why Sportiqe is dedicated to improving the lives of children in crisis around the world by investing their time and resources in causes that support their mission.
As co-founder and CEO of Sportiqe, Matt Altman is a Phoenix native who spent more than a decade as the director of merchandise for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL’s Arizona Coyotes where he oversaw all retail operations including buying, sourcing, designing, product development, inventory, sales and logistics for Talking Stick Arena and Chase Field.
In 2006, Altman co-founded Sportiqe, a global, lifestyle apparel company, that is committed to delivering elevated basics using high-quality fabrics, innovative designs and on-trend fit that not only look and feel good, but provide superior comfort no matter the occasion. Sportiqe quickly became a household name amongst some of the most recognizable brands, athletes and celebrities in the world after landing a licensing deal with the NBA early on and being amongst the first apparel companies to bridge the gap between the sports fan and fashion world.
To date, Sportiqe collaborates with global leaders like the NBA, Nintendo, TREK, Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Warner Bros. and the Dave Matthews Band, to name a few. Sportiqe has outfitted more than four-million people around the world since its inception.
Altman has a lifelong passion for helping people – supporting them to live their dreams and be the best version of themselves. He serves on the board of The Prem Rawat Foundation, which addresses the fundamental human needs of food, water and peace. He is a member of Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) and serves on the board of the Arizona Chapter.
Altman holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business from the University of Arizona. In his personal life, he enjoys spending time with his wife and family, as well as practicing yoga, skiing, travelling and living his life with the goal of always learning.
Follow Sportiqe on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, and Twitter.
About Culture Crush
Culture Crush is officially relaunched! We are thankful to Debra Caron who launched and hosted the show originally. Culture Crush is back with a new host but the same focus- highlighting what makes a great company culture and how it affects the overall success of a company.
Culture is not just a tag word to be thrown around. It is not something you throw in job descriptions to draw people to applying for jobs within a company.
According to Marcus Buckingham and Ashely Goodall in their book Nine Lies About Work, “Culture is the tenants of how we behave. It’s like a family creed. This is how we operate and treat each other in the family.”
On this long form podcast we will highlight companies local to Arizona and beyond that are crushing it with great culture!
We will talk with company leaders to learn about real-life experiences, tips, and best practices for creating a healthy work environment where employees are finding joy and satisfaction in their work while also striving and growing within the company.
About the Host
Kindra Maples is your new host taking the lead on the relaunch of Culture Crush! She is spartan racer, past animal trainer, previous magician’s assistant, and has a weakness for Oreo cookie shakes. Her journey working with people actually started working with animals as a teenager (don’t worry we won’t go that far back for her bio).
She worked for over 15 years in the zoo industry working with animals and the public. Her passion of working with animals shifted into working with people in education, operations and leadership roles. From there her passion of leadership and helping people develop has continued to grow.
Then came the opportunity for relaunching the Culture Crush Podcast and she jumped on it. Leadership, growth, and strong company cultures are all areas that Kindra is interested in diving into further.
Shout Outs
We want to thank a few people for their behind the scenes effort in helping this relaunch to come to life. James Johnson with Tailored Penguin Media Company LLC.– It is a small, but powerful video production company with a goal to deliver the very best by articulating the vision of your brand in a visually creative way. Gordon Murray with Flash PhotoVideo, LLC. -Flash Gordon has been photographing since high school and evolving since then with new products that will equip, encourage, engage, and enable. Renee Blundon with Renee Blundon Design – She is not only one of the best free divers (that’s not how she helped with the podcast) but she is great with graphics design and taking the direction for the vision that you have while also adding creative ideas to bring to your vision to life.
These are just a few of the folks that supported the relaunch of the podcast. If you would like to be part of the Culture Crush team or would like to support underwriting the show- please reach out: culturecrushpodcast@gmail.com
About Our Sponsor
For 23 years Catholic Education Arizona has helped serve underserved children with $268 million in scholarships. Catholic High Schools have a 99.4% graduation rate and 97% move on to higher
education or military service.
Participating partners like APS, BBVA, and Grand Canyon University receive a dollar-for-dollar Arizona State Tax Credit. The corporate partners enjoy helping our future work force, Building the Arizona community and future leaders!
The partners also enjoy promotion in Catholic Education Arizona’s newsletter, social media channels and podcast! For more information, call 602-218-6542 or visit www.ceaz.org – they are changing lives one scholarship at a time!
