Interstate Office Products CEO Gary Gaspar dies at 56
March 10, 2022
Gary Gaspar, CEO of family-owned Interstate Office Products and board chair of Avera Health, died Tuesday at 56.
A Sioux Falls native, Gaspar grew Interstate Office Products to a team of 40 people delivering office designs and furnishings nationwide and in Canada.
“If you break down the Golden Rule, that’s exactly how he did it,” said Avera executive Dick Molseed, one of Gaspar’s closest friends.
“He looked at it as being true to who he was and his beliefs, and he wouldn’t do anything inconsistent with those things.”
Under the leadership of Gaspar, his wife and CFO, Theresa, and his sister and co-owner, Sheila Casiello, Interstate Office Products has had a hand in the workplaces of tens of thousands of employees in Sioux Falls, from coast to coast and into Canada.
Theresa and Gary Gaspar
Since its founding, the company has been a Steelcase dealer, a leading manufacturer of furniture for offices, hospitals and classrooms.
Interstate Office Products has been honored every year by Steelcase as a Premier Partner, dating back to when the program was implemented more than a decade ago. The honor recognizes market leadership, community impact and customer satisfaction.
“He was brilliant,” close friend Michael Bender said. “I don’t think people realize how successful that business is on a national level within Steelcase. They’re a superstar, and to do it in this small market, they’re just a superstar organization.”
Gaspar’s parents, Ken and LaVonne, were among the original partners in the business, which was founded in 1971. In the mid 1990s, Gary and Theresa came back from the Twin Cities, where they held corporate finance roles, to raise their sons in Sioux Falls.
“All I could think of was, wow, I’m jumping out of a building without a parachute. It felt like as big of a risk to me as it did to my parents when they started the company,” Gaspar said in this piece last year marking Interstate Office Products’ 50th anniversary.
“Once you exit corporate America, it’s hard to get back on the train. You better make it work because you’re probably not going back.”
He never did look back, and Gaspar’s reach within the business and the wider community broadened. In July 2021, he was named board chair of Avera Health, after serving since 2016. He spent a decade on the Avera Insurance Division Board, including a term as chair.
“Gary’s fingerprints are everywhere in this community,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said. “When you think about what One Sioux Falls truly means, Gary is the personification of that phrase: a successful businessman, a caring family man, an incredibly involved community member, a dedicated board champion for many organizations.”
Gaspar also led or served on the boards of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, Junior Achievement, Sioux Falls Catholic Schools Foundation, Main Street Business Improvement District and Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls Investment Committee.
“It’s still a total shock to me. I’m devastated in many ways,” said Avera CEO Bob Sutton, who came to work Wednesday doing his best to channel Gaspar’s signature sport coat style.
“He was a confidante to me. He was somebody I could sit down with and talk about things related to Avera and our health insurance division, but in the same conversation we could challenge each other about what are you personally doing to help develop your business. He was such a deep and analytical thinker.”
No one approached his roles more prepared, Sutton said.
“I would sometimes say I’m going to fact-check him. He was never wrong,” he said.
“He’d read every document. He’d read articles about the topic on the agenda so he had the background. Even as a friend he would give me observations about how things are going at Avera. And then it was kids and grandkids and golf, and it was always a one-hour meeting that ended up being two, and neither of us wanted to leave.”
Gaspar was part of a “very, very small number” of people who served in board leadership roles for so many years at Avera, Sutton said.
“His mother for decades was a leader for Avera; he spent his childhood at Avera McKennan where his mother worked. He was as much a part of this family and brought an incredibly astute perspective on the business end of health care. He was universally respected and is on a very, very short list of lay people who have played a role like this in our organization.”
Gaspar was a highly generous but “quiet giver,” Sutton added.
“Philanthropy at a whole other level, he and Theresa were right there,” he said. “He didn’t need to be in the front row standing on top of the building, nor did he need his name on it. It speaks volumes about him as a person.”
However, Sutton continued, smiling: “He let his shirts and his shoes and his sport coats do the speaking. He didn’t have to broadcast anything.”
Sister Penny Bingham, Avera board vice chair, will serve as chair, and a nominating process will begin next month. A member of the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, she is a former prioress and assistant prioress of the order and currently on staff at the Benedictine Peace Center in Yankton.
Gaspar would have been eligible to serve another term.
“His faith strengthened my faith,” Molseed said. “Gary held my hand through the darkest time of my life, and I was blessed to have him as a wonderful friend.”
As the “three amigos,” as Bender called it, he, Gaspar and Molseed forged a friendship around April Fools’ pranks, epic gift exchanges, friendly sports wagers and many, many rounds of golf.
“He would have done anything to help somebody,” Bender said. “He was just a loyal friend and would check up on you and just was very willing to sacrifice his own personal interest to help you.”
TenHaken remembers getting his first estimate on office furniture from Gaspar, who also once served as the landlord for his former firm Click Rain.
“And as a cash-strapped entrepreneur, I about fell out of my chair at the number,” he said.
“Quality costs money,” Gaspar responded.
“I bought the furniture,” TenHaken continued.
“I have so many fond memories of Gary. We loved to talk about cars – he was a Mustang guy, and I am a Jeep guy. Man, he’d pamper those Mustangs.”
The two would commiserate about their mediocre golf games, pontificate on the future of downtown Sioux Falls and bond over their shared love of blazers, TenHaken said.
“Gary was so proud of his family,” he added. “His new status as a grandfather would make his eyes light up when I’d ask about his grandkids. I remember vividly during my time when Gary served as my landlord, we would constantly stop and chat in the halls about almost everything, but he was always quick to brag about his kids. He was so proud of them.”
From left to right: Kristi Christensen, executive vice president of sales and design; James Gaspar; Sheila Casiello; Gary Gaspar
Gaspar’s younger son, James, works in business development at Interstate Office Products. His older son, Andrew, is a software engineer at Meta Platforms.
In his obituary, the family acknowledged that Gaspar died after battling depression.
“He would want you to honor his memory by asking for help – anywhere – if you or someone you care about is struggling,” they said. “Gary leaves behind an incredible legacy. But if that legacy could include saving one life, it would mean the most of all.”
Visitation is scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, March 14, at George Boom Funeral Home, followed by a liturgical wake service. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 15, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
The family is requesting memorials be directed to Avera Foundation’s Light the Way campaign online or at 3900 W. Avera Drive, Sioux Falls, SD 57108, or the Catholic Community Foundation online at Catholic Family Services Gift of Hope Fund or c/o Catholic Community Foundation, 523 N. Duluth Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104.
To view Gaspar’s full obituary, click here.
