If you lived in the Valley for a good amount of time, residents have heard or seen State Forty Eight gear.
The Arizona clothing company was founded in 2013 by local entrepreneurs Michael Spangenberg, Stephen and Nicholas Polando. However, where did the idea of the name from State Forty Eight come from?
“Stephen came out brushing his teeth and no joke said, State Forty Eight and I said, what’s State Forty Eight and he was like Arizona is the 48th state, and it was just right when heard it was an ah moment like we got it”, Co-Founder, State Forty Eight, Michael Spangenberg.
Spangenberg always had dreams of owning a company and giving Arizona some flavor.
“Our motto is we support everyone in Arizona, we love everyone, we want to promote positively make it on a fashionable shirt”, said Spangenberg
The shirts are made locally in Chandler. Their journey is a marathon and not a race.
From selling attire out of their trunk at First Fridays in Downtown Phoenix to being asked to design a shirt for former Arizona Cardinals head coach, Bruce Arians organization, a voice for children.
“Their foundation helped neglected children with a bad upbringing, so $5 per shirt sold went back toward their organization,” says Spangenberg.
State Forty Eight has donated more than $50,000 working with the organization.
“They loved it and adopted it as their foundational logo. We’ve been able to make a difference in our community and represent it in a positive way,” said Spangenberg.
Not only does State Forty Eight work with Arizona’s professional and college teams, but they also collaborate with wishes for teacher and places like the Arizona humane society.
“The biggest satisfaction or reward I’ve seen is just how much people love or where we’re from our community and seeing it grow has been incredible. We don’t ever want to be about pushing products down people’s face and the reason why we’re all about the community. This is where we’re from,” said Spangenberg.
In 2019, State Forty Eight has participated with almost 70 local organizations. A true started from the bottom now they’re here story.
