From Downtown Office To Future Administrative Space, Lloyd Construction Builds To Fit CJ Schwan’s Sioux Falls Vision
On the fifth floor of the River Centre office tower in downtown Sioux Falls, the CJ Schwan’s brand comes to life.
“You want your physical environment to tie back to the brand and create a common feel, no matter where people are engaging with your company,” said Mark Goldman, head of CJ Schwan’s corporate affairs.
“We modified this space to meet our needs, and it ended up being fantastic.”
CJ Schwan’s is under construction with its nearly 400,000-square-foot Asian food production facility at Foundation Park in northwest Sioux Falls, where it will make egg rolls and steamed dumplings for the company’s food service customers as well as bibigo and Pagoda brands.
In the meantime, its 12,000-square-foot renovated downtown office space is filling up with team members, including as the site of bimonthly progress meetings.
“This is also where we’ll bring strategic customers like Walmart and Target to talk about working on new items and extensions of the brand,” Golden said. “We take them here for an immersive culinary experience and to discuss marketing and research and development.”
The office previously was used by Eide Bailly LLP.
“An accounting firm and a food company have two very different vibes,” Goldman said.
“So while we maintained some of the office furniture in private offices that came with the space, we prioritized our build-out. We focused on incorporating large collaboration spaces, appropriate technology for hosting board meetings and flexible space that can evolve over time.”
Lloyd Construction was chosen as the general contractor for the renovation.
“Lloyd did a very nice job working with us as we continued to re-ideate our layout and design plans and refine our construction plan, while still managing our timeline,” Goldman said.
“There were a lot of moving pieces to manage because we had so much going on simultaneously in the company.”
“This was a fast-track design-build project,” said Brett Knudson, director of special projects for Lloyd.
“To move CJ Schwan’s in as quickly as possible, we were installing finishes in the offices and workspace areas while design was still being finalized on their elevated kitchen, boardroom and entertainment areas.”
A centerpiece of the office is a showcase kitchen, “where our culinary teams can be designing dishes and serving up dishes, mixed with a conference-style space where presentations can be made about the food and its benefits or a campaign associated with the product,” Goldman said.
“It’s really an entertainment space in addition to a meeting and workspace, and we love it. We’re downtown and close to restaurants and other places to take clients, so we’re able to entertain them in a less industrial and more food-forward environment.”
Design for the downtown office started in early January 2025 with an expectation that the company’s office would be done in late summer in time to entertain for the Sanford International.
“Lloyd was able to meet our deadline, and we love it. Feedback has been universally positive, and our team enjoys the brightness of the space, the modern feel, including height-adjustable desks and all-new workstations,” Goldman said. “We’ll be hiring a lot of permanent staff this year, but you also want a space for people who come into town for a week or two so they feel good about being here. So far, this office has delivered on all those things.”
CJ Schwan’s also regularly hosts clients and team members at The Steel District, a mixed-use complex developed and built by Lloyd that includes the Canopy by Hilton hotel.
“We love the walkability of that area,” Goldman added. “It feels intimate. There’s top-shelf design and great accommodations. They knocked that development out of the park.”
Lloyd Construction then successfully bid on becoming the general contractor for CJ Schwan’s’ administrative building and other ancillary areas at Foundation Park, part of its Asian food production site.
“I believe our performance on the River Centre renovation played a factor in our selection for the Foundation Park project,” Knudson said.
That’s true, Goldman said.
“Our priority is to award construction packages to local partners whenever possible. Certainly, the opportunity for Lloyd to work on the downtown office space gave us the trust and confidence they could scale up,” Goldman said.
“We know they’ve done other large-scale projects, and working with them downtown built that rapport and made it a natural fit for them to continue and do the building at Foundation Park.”
Construction on the two-story administrative complex has started and will continue throughout 2026 in anticipation of the plant becoming fully operational in 2027. It will house a team that includes engineers and continuous improvement staff, along with offering training for new hires.
“This space will be all about the team member experience,” Goldman said.
“We want an area for our front-line plant workers to take a break, with food and beverage service, state-of-the-art lockers for easy storage, mothers rooms and all the features you would expect out of an office environment regardless of whether you’re working inside the plant or on the business side.”
For Lloyd Construction, “it’s a sizable project for us,” said Mike Dill, executive vice president.
“We’ve appreciated the opportunity to grow this relationship. We’re glad the downtown office achieved their vision, and the Foundation Park complex is a significant build-out for us to begin the year. We’re excited to see their team begin working there.”
To learn more about how Lloyd Construction can support your building needs, visit here: builtbylloyd.com.
