April 1, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Interstate Office Products.

You’d never guess it was built more than 40 years ago looking inside the newly improved DakotaDome.

The 10,000-seat Vermillion and University of South Dakota landmark recently wrapped up more than two years of renovations designed to upgrade the athlete, coach and spectator experiences.

“Phenomenal is the word I think of,” athletic director David Herbster said. “There’s really no comparison.”

The project was completed in phases, beginning with floors one through three on the west side of the structure. That includes the players’ lounge, locker room and support spaces needed for playing in the dome.

“Seeing their faces when they saw it for the first time was like watching kids on Christmas morning,” Herbster said. “It was just, ‘wow,’ and that really was the feeling for all of us.”

USD worked with Interstate Office Products to finish the space.

“The players’ spaces have the same product as the arena. There are lounge chairs, sofas and pub-height tables with monitors everywhere! The players have space to gather to review plays, connect as a team and also do some competitive gaming,” said Kristi Christensen, IOP’s executive vice president of sales and design.

“It was really fun when they opened it up to the players last summer and we saw the energy and excitement to have their own space designed for football players. It’s just an amazing improvement.”

Of course, playing in the Dome would have to wait. The fall season was postponed until this spring, so players finally have the chance to try out their new space. While COVID-related precautions are limiting them from fully gathering there, the hope is to completely open the space for the team by the time practice starts this summer.

“There’s already a great sense of appreciation,” Herbster added. “Realizing this is for you, and there are alumni and donors who helped us make this happen.”

Improved fan experience

Phase one also included two floors of loges and suites to allow for an improved fan experience.

“The open-air spaces include a variety of seating options with chairs at the view rail, stools at pub-height tables – all in the USD branding colors.” Christensen said. “It’s a more modern, higher-end product than they’ve done in the past.”

The premium spaces quickly sold out, said Brian Muehlbeier, USD’s senior construction project manager.

“Everything matches just perfectly, and the furniture is comfortable and accommodating,” he said. “We’ve held meetings in those spaces before they opened to occupants and were really pleased with it.”

The improved viewing experience also keeps fans coming back, Herbster said.

“It’s such a unique, premium space,” he said. “You’re right on the sideline, right above the team. Traditionally, premium spaces are at the top of the stadium, and these are at the bottom, so it’s a true premium experience – and it meets fan expectations, which also have evolved over the years.”

Phase two: Coaching, support spaces

Phase one wrapped up in the summer of 2020, and phase two just finished. It included the 400 level on the west side of the Dome, where football offices and meeting spaces were added.

Coaches who used to share offices or cubicles now have their own spaces. Meetings that used to be held all over campus because of limited options now have their own on-site rooms.

“Before the arena, we didn’t have a place that would fit the whole football team,” Herbster said. “This creates a lot of efficiencies and provides the setup coaches need to have personal conversations with student athletes.”

The space has “a completely different vibe” than the attached Sanford Coyote Sports Center, Christensen added.

“We lightened things up, went more with the branding in whites, grays and reds,” she said. “It’s not over the top, but it’s good, quality design and products, with technology available in all the rooms.”

A recruiting room includes seating for several people, including family members, with glass on multiple sides.

“It’s really comfortable for players and future players to meet with coaching staff and get a welcoming feel to USD,” Muehlbeier said. “Kristi and her team did a nice job finding the right pieces to do that.”

The coaches’ offices received new furniture for the first time in decades, he added.

“They’re amazed at their new environment. Everyone is just ecstatic to get moved over,” he said. “Some of the offices are odd-shaped because of the Dome, and IOP was able to select appropriate pieces, so it’s sized correctly and each one functions easily.”

The overall experience was a positive one that builds on years of shared projects, Muehlbeier said.

“They’re just as professional as it comes. We rely on them almost entirely for our furniture on campus and have developed a relationship where they know what we expect and provide for us every time and have never let us down,” he said.

“IOP just seems to really care. They offer good pieces, keep us in the loop the whole time and constantly share thoughts while being open to our ideas. A lot of times it comes right back to what IOP originally suggested because they just seem to know what works.”

Herbster visited the new space nearly weekly, “watching it come together and seeing how the vision became reality,” he said.

“It’s modern, it’s classy, everything flows. And it fits USD. What I would expect out of USD is what I see on that level, and that’s a high standard.”

Ready to prepare your workplace for 2021 and beyond? To learn more about how Interstate Office Products can meet your office needs in the Sioux Falls area and beyond, visit i-o-p.com or call 605-339-0300.