improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this section needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . june 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message this article is incomplete . please help to improve it or discuss the issue on the talk page . june 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message spanx inc. type private industry apparel founded atlanta georgia u.s. february 15 2000 2000 02 15 founder sara blakely headquarters atlanta georgia u.s. area served united states products pantyhose hosiery website spanx.com spanx inc. is an american underwear maker focusing on shaping briefs and leggings founded in atlanta georgia . the company manufactures mainly pantyhose and other underwear for women and since 2010 produces male underwear as well . spanx specializes in foundation garments intended to make people look thinner than they actually are . 1 contents 1 history 1.1 founding 1.2 launch 1.3 2000 onwards 2 products and marketing 2.1 products 2.2 marketing 3 corporate affairs 3.1 ownership 3.2 manufacturing 4 references 5 external links history edit founding edit sara blakely founded spanx in 2000 . following her graduation from florida state university fsu walt disney world resort employee sara blakely joined local stationery company danka to sell fax machines door to door . 2 in the heat and humidity of florida she tried unsuccessfully to find pantyhose that didn t have seamed toes and that didn t roll up the leg after she cut them . 3 investing her life savings of 5 000 she moved to atlanta at age 27 where she researched and developed a hosiery concept predominantly on her own . the creation of the initial product prototype was completed over the course of a year and involved blakely her mother and her friends personally testing the garments . this was innovative at the time as the industry did not test products with people . blakely s research revealed that the industry had previously been using the same size waistband for all hosiery products to cut costs and a rubber cord was inserted into the waistband . for her product development blakely created different waistbands to suit different sized consumers . 4 blakely finalized her patent application with a patent attorney prior to her submission to the united states patent and trademark office uspto . following the submission of the online application blakely then worked on the packaging of her product which she intended to color red for the purpose of boldness as the other brands at the time were all packaged in beige white or grey . additionally blakely used three animated images of different looking women which was also novel at the time when other brands displayed the same type of female model . 4 requiring a brand name for her product blakely was frustrated after failing to settle on a title that satisfied her after a year and a half of ideation . at the time she finalized her brand name blakely knew that coca cola and kodak were the two most recognized brand names in the world and that both contained a strong k sound . blakely read that the founder of kodak liked the sound so much that he used it as the beginning and end of his brand name and then proceeded to create a functioning word based upon this foundation . the name spanks eventually came to blakely and she decided to replace the ks with an x as her research had shown that constructed names were more successful and were easier to register as a trademark . blakely then used her credit card to purchase the spanx trademark on the uspto website for us 350 . 4 launch edit in 2000 blakely launched the spanx brand from her apartment 5 undertaking all initial calls and marketing herself . her boyfriend at the time a healthcare consultant later resigned from his job and joined blakely in the running of the nascent business . 4 blakely previously conducted a meeting with a representative of the neiman marcus group at which she changed into the product in the ladies restroom in the presence of the neiman marcus buyer to prove the benefits of her innovation . 6 blakely s product was sold in seven neiman marcus stores as a result of the meeting ; 4 bloomingdales saks and bergdorf goodman soon followed . 7 2000 onwards edit following the establishment of the company blakely s then boyfriend eventually became spanx s chief operating officer coo and met laurie ann goldman at the saks fifth avenue in atlanta in 2001 while she was on maternity leave from her employer at the time coca cola . goldman was specifically looking for a spanx product and the pair exchanged contact details goldman became the ceo of spanx in 2002 . 8 writing for fortune magazine in february 2014 colleen leahey identified goldman as a key aspect of the company s successful growth goldman crafted a business model for the company based on lessons she learned during her 10 year stint at coke thinking big starting small and scaling fast . she advised her team at spanx to focus on product quality over profit margins . every time somebody puts on a spanx product one of two things can happen our brand can get stronger or our brand can get weaker . we gain leverage or we lose leverage . 8 in the first half of 2014 blakely is working on building the company s first standalone retail stores in shopping malls along the east coast of the u.s. and also introduced denim to an expanding spanx product line for the fall range in march . 9 goldman resigned from the company in february 2014 after over 10 years at the head of the spanx . 8 gregg ribatt who has previously worked as an executive for bennett footwear stuart weitzman holdings and collective brands performance & lifestyle group was appointed as interim chief executive officer . ribatt s appointment generated discussion regarding a potential footwear expansion by spanx in accordance with a statement made by blakely in october 2013 in which she explained her ambition to design the world s most comfortable high heel shoe prior to retirement . 10 in blakely s june 2014 forbes profile the publication claims that the company generates over 250 million in annual revenues and net profit margins estimated at 20 % while blakely is very strongly committed to maintaining the private status of spanx . 9 however speculation arose about a possible ipo following goldman s resignation . 10 in july 2014 jan singer formerly of nike joined spanx as ceo . 11 she replaces laurie ann goldman who left the company in february 2014 . products and marketing edit products edit this section needs expansion . you can help by adding to it . june 2014 spanx shaping pantyhose super control sheers the brand produces lines with names such as bod a bing and hide & sleek . in 2009 spanx launched a deluxe collection called haute contour that included items such as a lace thong with waist reinforcements and color options like pink . following the release blakely explained i said let s make it beautiful ... like shapewear in disguise 12 spanx started manufacturing body shaping undergarments for men spanx for men manx in 2010 13 14 and then introduced denim to an expanding spanx product line for the brand s fall range in march 2014 . 9 marketing edit this section needs expansion . you can help by adding to it . june 2014 during the inception of spanx blakely was contacting friends and acquaintances including those from her past and asking them to seek out her products at select department stores in exchange for a check that she would send to them by mail as a token of appreciation . 4 however spanx received a marketing boost shortly afterwards when oprah winfrey endorsed the product as one of her favorite things on her television show in 2000 . 15 prior to officially establishing the company blakely had sent a basket of spanx products to winfrey s television program with a gift card that explained what she was attempting to develop and this garnered winfrey s attention . 4 winfrey s production team explained to blakely that while winfrey usually only promoted the product itself they sought to travel to blakely s apartment in atlanta and interviewed her in her home as winfrey was especially interested by the entrepreneur s story . at the time blakely was still a fax machine salesperson and needed to enlist the help of friends to act as employees for the purposes of the filming of the episode . 4 other celebrities who wear the brand are gwyneth paltrow and jessica alba . 12 blakely was later caught on cctv by a department store repositioning her products so they were displayed more prominently . 16 corporate affairs edit ownership edit spanx is a private company and has not released financial information . blakely owns the entirety of the brand and employed approximately 100 personnel in 2011 . 14 goldman was the ceo of spanx from 2002 to february 2014 when she resigned . 17 manufacturing edit in search of a manufacturing partner blakely searched thomasnet to find north carolina hoisery manufacturers . highland mills in charlotte on the recommendation of the ceo s daughters ultimately transformed blakely s ideas into a prototype sufficient to interest neiman marcus . 18 in 2000 the first year of the company s existence blakely recruited friends to fill orders out of her atlanta apartment and generated 8 million in retail sales . because highland had no interest in distribution blakely took spanx production to a small mill in siler city which then went out of business . acme mccrary corporation a hosiery mill founded in asheboro nc in 1908 then took over production and distribution . sales have grown from about 15 million in 2002 when acme mccrary began working with blakely to more than 400 million in 2014 . the north carolina firm is no longer the sole manufacturer of spanx but remains highly involved with blakely in new product development yarn specifications and manufacturing expertise . references edit adams rebecca january 20 2014 . spanx and other shapewear are literally squeezing your organs . the huffington post . retrieved january 27 2014 . sara blakely dared to ask why not . inc. january 20 2012 . retrieved march 8 2012 . david l. kurtz january 1 2010 . contemporary marketing 2011 . cengage learning . pp. 423 . isbn 978 0 538 74689 2 . retrieved january 29 2013 . a b c d e f g h spanx founder sara blakely dared to ask why not video upload . inc. monsueto ventures . 1 december 2011 . retrieved 8 june 2014 . spanx company info . hoovers . d & b. abc news spanx founder reveals how to build a billion dollar business by melia patria november 29 2012 forbes how sara blakely of spanx turned 5 000 into 1 billion by clare o connor march 14 2012 a b c colleen leahey 11 february 2014 . spanx ceo out after building the mega brand . fortune magazine . fortune . retrieved 8 june 2014 . a b c power women 93 sara blakely . forbes.com . forbes.com llc . june 2014 . retrieved 8 june 2014 . a b carla caldwell 13 february 2014 . spanx ceo steps down . atlanta business chronicle . american city business journals . retrieved 8 june 2014 . clare o connor . billionaire spanx founder hires nike head of apparel as new ceo . forbes . a b dodes rachel november 5