For years, State Forty Eight Foundation’s Entrepreneur Speaker Series (ESS) has followed the same format: four weekly evenings, four different themes, and a journey that took entrepreneurs from vision to fruition.

But this year, we decided it was time to switch things up.

We’ve taken everything our small business community loves about the series — inspiring speakers, practical conversations, networking and community — and packed it into two full-day experiences on September 12 and September 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The goal was simple: to give entrepreneurs more time to actually engage with the experience. More time to learn, more time to ask questions, more time to connect with one another and more time to discover the people and organizations that make up Arizona’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

And we’re doing it all at a brand-new venue: The Duce in Downtown Phoenix!

We highly encourage attendees to join us for both days, and in-person is best if you can make the time. Think of it as one experience spread across two Saturdays, with each day building on the last. The sessions are amazing, but they're only half of it. The other half is the room itself: 200+ Arizona founders at every stage, and the conversations that happen between sessions, in the coffee line, on the way out the door. The person sitting next to you might be your next collaborator, your next vendor, or the friend who gets exactly what you're building. And the two days are designed as one arc.  

Day One: Build Your Foundation

We’ll kick things off with coffee, check-in and our opening keynote, “The State of Hustle,” from Thomas Barr, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Local First Arizona, who will take a look at where Arizona entrepreneurship stands today and where it’s headed next.

From there, Lisa Matthews will guide us through the day’s two conversations, starting with “The Business of Money.” Our fantastic panel of experts will tackle financial discipline, cash flow and what it really takes to build a stronger financial foundation.

Featuring:

• Melissa DiGianfilippo of Proof Publicity
• Liz Mason of High Rock Accounting
• Megan Greenwood of Greenwood Brewing
• Andy Kvesic of Aprio Legal

During lunch there will be time to explore Vendor Village, meet the entrepreneurs and organizations joining us, and connect with fellow business owners before we come back together for “Built Different. Still Human.”

This conversation will get real about resilience, routines and the importance of taking care of yourself while building a business.

Joining us will be:

• Richard Schatzberger of ALTR
• Brooke Guerrero of The Society
• Cory Hahn of the Arizona Diamondbacks

We’ll close out the day with more time to explore Vendor Village and connect with fellow entrepreneurs, speakers and the rest of the State Forty Eight Foundation community.

Day Two: Set Yourself Apart

When you join us for Day Two, you can expect the same full-day experience — coffee and check-in, a morning keynote, two engaging panel conversations, a lunch break and plenty of time to connect and explore Vendor Village.

We’ll return on September 26 with a new focus: “Set Yourself Apart,” with Sentari Minor leading the day’s conversations as our panel moderator.

Justin Volrath, Founder & CEO of PayCompass, will open the day with our keynote, “Born Here. Built Beyond,” a case study in taking an Arizona-based business and scaling it to a broader regional and national reach.

Then, we’ll explore how entrepreneurs can turn attention into action during “Marketing with Purpose,” featuring:

• Chip Griffith of OneAZ Credit Union
• Connor Vicary of Grand Canyon University
• Shantelle Girard of Rancher Hat Bar
• Angelo Brown of Beyond the Brand Podcast
• Ken Phox of Tequila Corrido

After lunch, we’ll close out the series with a brand-new session for ESS: “Service is Strategy,” exploring how exceptional customer service and memorable experiences can build loyalty, trust and long-term growth.

Panelists will include:

• Mike Spangenberg of State Forty Eight and State Forty Eight Foundation
• Tyler Sublette of Nice Pest Company
• Robert Brunner of Devereux Golf
• Nadia Vasquez of Fair Trade Cafe

Two Saturdays, one bigger experience, and a lot more time to learn, connect and build alongside Arizona’s entrepreneurial community.

And there’s another opportunity for attendees to take with them: attending at least one day of ESS will qualify you to apply for the State Forty Eight Foundation’s 2026 Entrepreneur Grant Program. Grant applications open September 27, and we’ll be sharing more about the application process throughout the series. You can also learn more at sfef-speakerseries.org.

Of course, an experience like this doesn’t happen without a community behind it. We’re incredibly grateful to the partners who continue to invest in Arizona’s entrepreneurs and make programming like this possible: OneAZ Credit Union, Arizona Lottery, Four Peaks, LeClairCallahan, SRP and Aspiring Youth Academy.

Their support helps us bring together the speakers, resources and experiences that make ESS more than just a speaker series. It creates a space for Arizona entrepreneurs to connect, learn, share and grow together.

We can’t wait to see you at The Duce.

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