42 AUGUST 2023 By Mallory Gleich Valley husband and wife team Mike and Katy Romley have many goals in mind, but one of the most important is helping students start the school year effectively – and with some serious style. The couple have two sons – Gunnar and Reyn – who keep a busy schedule just like their parents: music classes, school, events, after-school activities and lifeguard jobs. Just like the boys, Mike and Katy have their own responsibilities outside of parenting: working on orders, logistics and new product development. Astute readers might recall a 2020 Arcadia News story about Sipforia and Coffee Savor – two of the Romley’s businesses. Now, they’re on to a different venture: Madpax, a company that creates and distributes 3D backpacks. “Our energy is devoted to marketing and sales, too, to determine the best avenues for distribution and working with international and domestic sales partners, developing our e-commerce website and marketing strategy,” Mike said. The couple are both west-coasters. Mike is a native Phoenician, and Katy is originally from California. They met while attending Arizona State – in fact, they were college sweethearts. Mike studied business management with a focus on entrepreneurship, and Katy studied marketing and international business. They had many conversations about new business ideas. After college, they spent time working in technology positions in San Francisco before heading to the Valley to work in consumer products. They’ve lived in Phoenix for over 20 years. “I started my entrepreneurial journey in the early 2000s when I cofounded a kitchenware manufacturing company that became a global brand,” Mike said. “In 2011, Katy and I founded a drinkware company. Both companies were acquired by multinational firms.” In early 2023, the couple was looking for their next big idea and came across Madpax, a backpack brand that was on a four-year hiatus. They decided to bring it back to life. “Being an entrepreneur is seizing opportunities that others don’t see. When these creative and fun backpacks crossed our path, we knew we needed to bring them to the market,” Mike said. Each backpack is hand-sewn or custom molded to give them unique 3D shapes. To help decide which designs work best, Mike and Katy turned to their customer base. “Kids have so much fun looking at the different designs, textures, materials and colors. Their feedback and opinions make us laugh and inspire our designs,” Mike said. “The big payback is to see them wearing our packs. It makes us smile every time.” Maxpax currently offers four collections: Spike, Blok, Bubble and Scale. Each has a specific design, and within each collection, a variety of textures, prints and colors. There are currently 17 backpack designs available. Mike said that the Spike backpack is the most popular style. Black, pink, multi- colored and metallic colors are always a hit. “We have a backpack for pretty much every personality type,” Mike said. “Kids love the 3D designs and fun colors. It shows their individuality, and they certainly stand out from the crowd!” Kids from grade school to middle school love the backpacks the most, according to Mike – but older kids and adults buy them, too. “We’ve seen our backpacks on the streets of New York, at music festivals and in cities worldwide. Gamers especially love our Blok collection, and Scale is super popular with moms,” he said. Madpax has some fun and creative products in the works, but as of now, those are “top secret.” They also plan to offer accessories and limited-edition backpack styles as they build and expand. “We want kids to know we are here to help them be a positive influence in good and bad times. With everything kids experience, they need someone in their corner, and Madpax has their back – literally,” Mike said. A portion of the proceeds from every sale will help support programs for kids that help create emotional, social, and psychological resilience. Currently, Cornelia Park in the Biltmore Shopping Center and Scottsdale’s Kidstop carry Madpax backpacks. madpax.com Spike, Blok, Bubble or Scale – which one will be your favorite? By Rachael Bouley Veritas Prep has bid farewell to one of its long-standing educators, with classical languages and humane letters teacher Mike Sullivan officially retiring at the end of the 2023 school year. Mr. Sullivan is closing the chapter on his teaching career after joining Veritas when the school opened 20 years ago. His fellow educators and their students said that he will be deeply missed. “The Veritas that we know and love does not exist without Mr. Sullivan,” Assistant Headmaster David Nydegger said. “His stamp is on everything we do here. Probably every teacher has heard him say or heard someone quote him saying, meaningfully and mysteriously, ‘People who love you don’t give you candy.’” Mr. Sullivan taught Humane Letters, Greek, and Latin across 10th, 11th, and 12th grades and was happy to help wherever needed while encouraging students to embrace literature and critical thinking. His teaching philosophy was inspired by his 20+ year legal career as a private practice attorney and previous roles with the University of Minnesota Student Legal Service and U.S. Army Intelligent Corps. After retiring from law in 2000, he started teaching evening classes and was asked to sub for a high school class. He discovered a newfound passion for teaching high schoolers, and his search for a permanent position brought him to Phoenix as he joined Veritas in the early stages of the classical education charter school. With professional experience as a translator and interpreter, and an understanding of Latin, ancient Greek, Italian, French, and German, Mr. Sullivan had a wealth of knowledge to share with his students. “The best days at Veritas start with a conversation with Mr. Sullivan,” Nydegger re cal le d . “ H is interests are so broad, his intellect and wit so lively, and his judgments so forceful that every conversation is a pleasure and a potential surprise.” Mr. Sullivan’s c l a s s e s h a v e challenged students to memorize the opening lines of Homer’s Iliad in ancient Greek, and he even coordinated overnight readings with gladiator fights and a hog roast. That’s just one example of how his teaching helped students develop a greater appreciation of literature and how to apply their knowledge to the world around them. “He helped students learn to think by prodding and testing their ideas formed through careful reading of great literature,” Nydegger added. “In seminar, students are held accountable for every thought, and, even more fundamentally, for having thoughts in the first place. Sullivan helped teachers realize that we are not primarily teaching a set of ideas or facts, we are teaching students how to think.” The school community came together on May 20, the morning of graduation, with over 100 former students and colleagues gathering in the Lund Center to honor Mr. Sullivan through speeches, poetry and song. The celebration included students and faculty returning to the school’s first year, with colleagues past and present sharing their fond memories of the retiring teacher. “Every speech was filled with love for Mr. Sullivan and for what Veritas strives to be, speeches which led to many laughs and a few tears,” Nydegger said. “The students and community will certainly miss having him in the building, and so will I.” Arrivederci, au revoir, antio sas, Mr. Sullivan Mike Sullivan Maxpax Backpacks offers four collections: Spike, Blok, Bubble and Scale, each with a specific design, texture, prints and colors. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MIKE ROMLEY

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