In this episode, we take a deep dive into an iconic Sioux City project with CMBA Interior Designer Shelbie DeLaughter. We explore the fascinating journey of the Sioux Honey Association, a 100-year-old beekeeper cooperative, as it transitions from a high-traffic office renovation to a massive corporate campus relocation. Shelbie shares the "plot twist" that moved the project to a new warehouse site, and how the design team pivoted to create a "campus" feel that integrates historical displays, collaborative hubs, and custom mission-driven graphics. Join us to hear how agile design and a passion for texture and color are helping a legendary local brand prepare for its next century of growth.
(Skyler): Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of theLaying the Foundation podcast. My name is Skyler Gorsett. I'm the host for today, and joining me is Shelbie, one of our amazing interior designers here inthe Sioux City office, to talk about the Sioux Honey project.
So Shelbie, I'll just have you kick us off by telling us aboutwhat Sioux Honey is. Who are they, what do they do? How did we get approachedfor this project? All that good stuff.
(Shelbie): Yeah. So Sioux Honey is a super iconic business here in Sioux City. If you're from here, you've heard of it, you've seen it; they've been around for over a hundred years. And it started just as a small group of about five beekeepers. Now they have a co-op of over 150 nationwide. So, pretty big business. They produce a lot of honey
(Skyler): Yeah, those are some pretty big stores, too!
(Shelbie): Yeah. So, initially, we sat down with the client, and it was really obvious that they had some big dreams, and they had some ideas, but they're very, very forward-thinking, which is awesome.
(Skyler): That's good.
(Shelbie): Yeah, yeah. And they had some really good ideas, but they were open to us pitching things and seeing if we had better thoughts or better ideas on how to do some things. They were really looking to upgrade their space and match the company brand, but also allow for future growth. That was a huge conversation that kept coming up.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And that's good! That's a good mentality to have! What are we going to do 10 years from now? Where are wegoing to be at? So you had a view of their facility. You've got to tour the facility, which is really cool. What did it look like in there? I've never been inside. I drive past it all the time. It's a pretty big facility. So what goes on in there, you know?
(Shelbie): Yeah, so I toured it. It was the end of the shift, so there weren't as many people in there, and there wasn't as much going on. But they truly have outgrown their plant space as well. But there's forklift traffic going everywhere. There are barrels of honey coming in, and thenreally big equipment where they cook it, and they filter, and everything. But to me, I thought the actual bottling system was really cool to watch.
(Skyler): Okay.
(Shelbie): How the labels go on, and stuff, is just kind of fascinating.
(Skyler): It's like watching an episode of “How It's Made.”
(Shelbie): Yeah, yeah. Like Willy Wonka.
(Skyler): Did it smell really sweet in there, too? Like, could you kind of smell the honey?
(Shelbie): Yeah. It wasn't overbearing by any means, but yeah. It was pretty cool.
(Skyler): That's awesome. That's so cool. As I said, anyone from Sioux City has probably seen this place, and I would imagine most people are probably curious what goes on in there. You imagine bees flying everywhere, which I'm assuming isn’t the case, right?
(Shelbie): No, but a lot of people think that.
(Skyler): Yeah, exactly.
(Shelbie): There are no bees on site.
(Skyler): Oh, that's good. As someone who's allergic to bee stings, that's good. I could safely take a tour.
(Shelbie): Yep.
(Skyler): That's really cool. Awesome. So they've got this massive facility. Do they have offices at that facility, too? Because I know that's kind of a major part of all of this, too.
(Shelbie): There's just a couple in there that are plant managers, that kind of thing. But their main corporate office is just across the parking lot right now.
(Skyler): Oh, okay. So, I guess that goes into the next element. What all was encompassed in this original plan, this renovation project that they wanted to do? Were they trying to bring it all together? Were they trying to change things up? Change the looks or change the layout? Whatwas planned here?
(Shelbie): Yeah, so the original plan was for their existing corporate building, which is right next to the plant.
(Skyler): Right.
(Shelbie): It's a very unique shape, and it's a very unique building, but it hasn't been touched since, like, the 70s or 80s. Mind you, it’s been maintained. It is impeccable. It's just dated, you know. There are mauve colors. There's a lot of burgundy in there. And then, what we were told was that the original design was to be kind of like a beehive.
(Skyler): Oh, okay. So we're really continuing that theme. That's great.
(Shelbie): It's kind of a maze in there right now. There area lot of smaller rooms and corridors and that kind of thing, which makes ithard for collaboration, and it does make it hard to really create that welcoming feeling for visitors. But also, it can create a challenge getting everybody engaged with each other. So, that was kind of one of their main goals. There is plenty to update, but also maximizing space so they have room for future growth.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And you had mentioned before in the information you'd given me previously that culture was a really big focus for them. They really wanted to find ways to develop more opportunities for some company culture and for collaboration, as you had said. So, what was the planthat we were thinking about originally to help enhance that?
(Shelbie): Yeah, so we were going to take down a lot of the walls.
(Skyler): Sure.
(Shelbie): Open things up. They were really interested inhaving workstations versus offices, which is a big adjustment for a lot of companies. It's very intimidating, but typically, we see that after it's said and done, employees are happier.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Shelbie): So, it allows natural light for everybody. It allows for collaboration and that connection people need. Also, through Covid and a few other things, they had divided some things up throughout their office and had compromised their employee lounge and break room areas. So, that's not a space they currently have. So, really wanting to provide that for their employees, because it's important for them to be able to have a place where they can get away. They also have some nice outdoor areas. They have a pollinator garden that their employees put together. So, just bringing that all together. They had a lot of good visions and a lot of good ideas. Just not a facility that would really support it.
(Skyler): Right. And that led to a little bit less of just renovation. They were thinking about doing a slight expansion, weren't they?
(Shelbie): Yeah. So, with the existing building footprint, it was probably the hardest puzzle I've tried to figure out.
(Skyler): Fair enough.
(Shelbie): Brent and I worked on it together, and there was one day we just looked at each other, and we had nothing. So went back to the drawing boards. It took a couple of days, and then it all of a sudden clicked. We looked at their program, and we really wanted to meet all their needs. The reality of it, though, was that we weren't going to be able to do it with the square footage that they had and with the layout of the original building footprint.So there was an opportunity to square off a corner of the building. It's actually a very high-traffic corner. So, really, it maximizes some branding opportunity there, making it really visible. But there was an opportunity there to add a few more offices. It would have been beneficial, but still smaller in scale. So there were some compromises that were going to have to be made throughout the design.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And I think that really leads nicely into the big plot twist here. So you guys had all this design work completed. I think you said 95% of the design work was good to go. Approved. Things are almost ready to get shipped off. And then the client came to you with something big. What happened?
(Shelbie): They did. So they called us, and they wanted us to come look at a potential new building.
(Skyler): Oh, my gosh.
(Shelbie): Yeah.
(Skyler): What is it like to get that call?
(Shelbie): It's kind of hard to process all at once. It's like, okay, we're so far in, you're invested. But we were literally days away from delivering drawings to the contractor. So we had to slam the brakes quickly. We also had to be quiet about what was going on.
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Shelbie): Because it was just a possibility, and their employees didn't even know. So, it caught us off guard, but after learning what the new location could offer, it was really intriguing to learn more about what could be done there.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Shelbie): Explore the options.
(Skyler): And I guess for this new facility that they werelooking at, what were kind of the key factors that played into this? I'm guessing square footage was probably an element of it, since that was a pretty limiting factor.
(Shelbie): Yeah, square footage was a big element of itwhen it comes to our scope of work and what we were looking at. But when you look at the big picture for Sioux Honey, they have different warehouses located throughout Sioux City, so they would be able to consolidate and bring everything to one location, which is huge. There's also an opportunity around there with empty land that was for sale. So the ultimate goal would be to build a plant in that location and have a campus where everything operates in one location.
(Skyler): Very cool! Yeah, bring it all together. I mean, that makes a lot of sense, right? It's going to cut down on a lot of costs andthings along the way. So definitely a lot of pros there. A lot of opportunity for growth, which is obviously something they're really focused on. That's awesome! Obviously, a little bit frustrating to have to lean away from everything that had already been created, but so much opportunity to now bring all those things that you mentioned that you guys had to compromise on, which is really exciting.
(Shelbie): Yeah. You know, there were a lot of benefits for this space as well. The office space literally is a blank canvas, so there's minimal demo work that needs to be done, and it's not an odd shape, so that'snice. It's a rectangle, so we could get things to fit in it a lot easier.
(Skyler): Sure!
(Shelbie): But the function, flow base, and how we could really get the departments to be in the right locations. Huge benefits there.
(Skyler): Absolutely. And it's going to emphasize the collaboration of having everybody together, which is going to be something that they were really looking for. And I think that's going to be a great opportunity there.
(Shelbie): Yeah.
(Skyler): So, obviously, old is out, new is in. We've got this big new facility. We've got all these new opportunities. What about their history, their company history? They obviously have 100 years that they've been doing this, and they've had some really cool, like the roots where they started and how it's developed into this massive honey company. What are we doing to help them ensure that they're not losing that by moving facilities?
(Shelbie): Yes. That was one thing that the president, Kevin, really wanted to make sure we carried over. They have a ton of memorabilia and items that are historical. Sioux Honey is super proud of their history, as they should be, and there are lots of opportunities throughout the space to really display items on the wall as artwork and things like that. But, Kevin, their president, really had the idea of having an almost museum-like area.
(Skyler): That was just going through my mind too.
(Shelbie): Yeah! There's a really great opportunity right when you walk in the building, where we're going to have a company experience.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Shelbie): So you can see where it started and where it got to, really providing that museum-like area for them to work with and put their items in.
(Skyler): And I know earlier you had mentioned their old facility didn't have a lot of… if people came in to experience it, what do they do for meeting with people? Because we see a lot of that too, right? They have customers and clients that they like to meet with and bring into the office, and this is such a cool opportunity for people to walk in and see all of their history and their growth and everything like that right there, firsthand.
(Shelbie): Yeah, so the one thing when you walk into theirexisting building now, when you walk right in, their old logo, which is theirgirl, is what they call her, their girl, Sue. She is prominent, and she's right there when you walk in. So we'll take Sue, and we'll bring her over and make sure she's right there when you walk in the front lobby, because that isthe iconic symbol of Sioux Honey, if you're from this community.
(Skyler): Yes. And then, another element, obviously, that we talked about a couple of times now, they're very culture-focused. They want to emphasize collaboration. What are we able to bring back some of the meeting spaces and things like that, which had kind of gotten lost as they expanded? Are we finding ways to bring those in? Are we adding anything else that helps build the culture opportunities there?
(Shelbie): Yeah, so this new office space is great because we really don't have to compromise or give up on any of their wants or needs.
(Skyler): You’ve got all this space now!
(Shelbie): Yeah! So we can now have a typical office size and a typical workstation size. Whereas before, we were kind of just squeezing things in where we could. They were functional, but we just made due with things. So, in really looking through some of the opportunities, we had to bring culture throughout. First, there's a huge skylight in the existing building. So bringing that natural light in, and everybody gets to experience it, it really lights up the space. So that's a great benefit for all the employees. There's going to be a nice, large break room for gatherings, and it's a little bit set away from some of the offices, which is great. It encourages employees to get up and move and be able to get away from their desk and have a time out for a little bit.
(Skyler): Absolutely.
(Shelbie): There's also going to be a large community training room or board room on the upper level. And this space literally willdisplay the company's mission on wall graphics.
(Skyler): Oh, very cool!
(Shelbie): Yeah, so it's right there, and it's really visible for anyone using that space. One thing that's really cool about Sioux Honey is that they have their mission framed and, in every office, so it’s there for everybody to see at all times.
(Skyler): Awesome! Keeping that company focus! What their focus is, what their goal is, and making sure that it's prominent throughout is obviously super key.
(Shelbie): Yeah, and then there's a handful of spaces thatare devoted just for collaboration. You know they don't have room for that now, and it is important. So, really carving those spaces out. They're just kind of sprinkled throughout the building. So, different departments have access todifferent types of spaces.
(Skyler): Awesome. Yeah, super key. And again, super glad that they're focused on that concept.
(Shelbie): Right!
(Skyler): Building that company culture, building those collaborative opportunities. You mentioned the skylight, which goes back to, we always joke about Lee's constant talking about biophilic design and things like that, bringing in those natural elements, and that's going to be huge. That's going to be so great for everybody's mental health.
(Shelbie): Yeah, but also creating a beautiful environment where their employees want to be. That they'd be more than comfortable to bring in any future partners or clients, and then also their members as well.
(Skyler): Yeah, absolutely. It's going to make a beautiful space for everybody to experience. I'm assuming you had a lot of fun working on the interior side of things and getting those finishes done. You mentioned earlier that their original concept was laying out the office in a sort of a beehive setup, and it kind of created sort of a maze. What do the finishes look like now? I guess that's more of a layout question, but I digress. What did we take from their concept as a honey producer, and then move that into what we did for their design stuff?
(Shelbie): Thankfully, they were really happy with finishes from the first go around so I didn't have to start from scratch therewith the second round, but I really was able to dive into the concept on this one and work with the company's brand which we don't always have that opportunity as interior designers, so I really wanted to make the best of it and have some fun. I personally love bees, too, so that was kind of fun for me, but really leaning into that honeycomb shape and trying to find different finishes with that shape and with some fun textures. Somehow the stars aligned and Mohawk released a carpet that was inspired by bees at the same time as this, and it's beautiful. So we'll be using that.
(Skyler): That couldn't be more perfect. That's awesome.
(Shelbie): It literally was at the same time, which was really cool. But the client instantly fell in love with that. So, we'll be using that throughout. And then that kind of hexagon or honeycomb shape is pretty popular if you look for it.
(Skyler): Yeah, absolutely.
(Shelbie): Trying to bring some of that in and just create a nice, cohesive look. And I can't wait to see it pull together.
(Skyler): Yeah, absolutely. I mean, honestly, when it comes down to it, we do a lot of different designs for a lot of different kinds ofspaces. I feel like this one is going to be such a fun theme to play with for sure. It's right there. There's a lot of stuff that's out there that we can play around with and choose from. That just sounds like a blast.
(Shelbie): From the interior's perspective, it's hard to draw a concept sometimes.
(Skyler): Oh, yeah.
(Shelbie): You know, we can have ideas, but it's hard to really make them cohesive throughout the entire design process, and this one was not difficult at all. It just provided a lot of fun opportunities to use different types of materials and to really focus on this cohesive design.
(Skyler): Yeah, it helps you take a little bit away from having to focus too much on the “How are we going to do it?” And more of, “What kind of cool stuff is out there?” We can play with this. We have so much that we can have fun. That’s what is going through my head at least,
And then you mentioned that they obviously would inevitably announce that they're changing directions. They put that out there, they did the press releases, all that good stuff. Obviously, employees now know, and the community now knows. What was the community response that they received once they released that news?
(Shelbie): Yeah, the community response has been super positive.
(Skyler): Awesome.
(Shelbie): You know, this project is just the start of a multi-phase process, but ultimately, it's going to bring new jobs to the community, and it allows for an iconic business to continue to thrive in the community. So who wouldn't be happy about that?
(Skyler): And as you said, they're going to have this huge campus, they're going to have all this space, they're going to have so much opportunity to grow. And that's going to be really cool and really beneficial for the community.
(Shelbie): Absolutely.
(Skyler): Very awesome. And then last question I've got for you, Shelbie. Of all the stuff that you've put into this, all the design stuff that you've done, what are you most excited for everybody to get to see once this is done and open?
(Shelbie): Yeah, as I mentioned, this is just the start of a bunch of exciting changes for Sioux Honey. And this project kicks off the buzz of excitement.
(Skyler): Nice.
(Shelbie): But I'm excited for the opportunities for growth for our community. I grew up here, and I live here now. And so to really be a part of that is pretty exciting. I'm also excited for their employees and their members. They've been an amazing client to work with, and it's honestly the most rewarding thing to see their dreams and goals become a reality. So, I’m really excited to see all the finishes come into place. It's going to be a beautiful space for them.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Shelbie): I just can't wait to see the end result.
(Skyler): Absolutely. It's going to be awesome. And as you said, it's always nice to work with clients who really want to see future growth opportunities to enhance their company culture. And they turn to us andthey say, “Hey, what ideas do you guys have? Because we want to do this thebest way possible. We know that you guys do this kind of stuff all the time. You guys have seen what works and what doesn't.” And it sounds like they were a fantastic client to be able to say, “Hey, here's an idea for you.” And they said, “Let's do it!”
(Shelbie): Yeah. You know, they could have stopped and said, “Alright, first design, yep, this will work, we'll make do.”
(Skyler): Right.
(Shelbie): They didn't stop there. They decided to push itfurther.
(Skyler): Yeah.
(Shelbie): And that really shows how deep their roots are, how invested they really are, and they want success from this project.
(Skyler): Absolutely awesome! Well, I'm excited to seethis. I hope they send me to get pictures because I really want to get in thereand check it out. But, Shelbie, thank you so much for sitting down and talkingabout the project. I think this is going to be a really cool project, and as somebody who's also from Sioux City, lived in Sioux City, and currently lives in Sioux City, I'm excited to see this happen.
(Shelbie): Thanks, Skyler.
(Skyler): Yeah, absolutely.