Dec. 3, 2025

This piece is sponsored by Interstate Office Products.

After more than 20 years, the business of community banking has evolved, and Frontier Bank was ready to refresh with the times.

The location at 3501 W. 57th St., which opened in 2004, was situated on the outskirts of Sioux Falls at the time, near the edge of the city’s development.

Fast-forward more than 20 years and not only has the community grown around the bank, but “the way we do business certainly has changed quite a bit,” said Scott Schneidermann, president and CEO of Frontier Bank.

“We wanted to bring more flexibility into our space, plus we had fixed walls, so the layout was fairly set, and we were ready for a remodel.”

The vision was “for a more modern look that still felt timeless,” Schneidermann said.

The bank reached out to Interstate Office Products, where account manager and interior designer Teena Hogan and interior designer Abby Tufvesson collaborated with VanDeWalle Architects, Tucket’s Design & Consulting Services and Hoogendoorn Construction.

“We wanted to work with IOP based on the reputation of their work and their past performance on our projects,” Schneidermann said.

“They’ve got access to innovative products, and they think of things and offer things we wouldn’t necessarily think of ourselves. They were a really good part of the team.”

Working within an existing building, “one of our first goals was to ensure they could continue to work in the space as they wanted through a phased approach that wouldn’t displace them too long,” Hogan said. “That became a big reason for considering modular walls.”

The bank utilized new modular walls throughout the space, which not only supported work during construction but also brought multiple ongoing benefits.

“When we had so many fixed walls, you couldn’t see through the space, and we wanted a more open, bright environment,” Schneidermann said. “Now, you walk in and see people working, you can see all the way to the back, and you definitely get a sense that there’s something happening here.”

Going forward, “movable walls make it much easier if we want to change something up or reconfigure an area in the future,” he added. “And as a business owner, I appreciate that modular walls are considered equipment rather than a fixed asset, so our cost recovery is a lot shorter as depreciation occurs faster.”

Between the new walls and glass fronts along the offices,” it really opened up the whole space,” Hogan said. “We incorporated them for the offices and conference rooms.”

Because Frontier Bank had shifted to interactive teller machines since the branch was built, the new design eliminated the need for a traditional teller line inside the branch.

“We were able to get our front desk closer to the front door, greet customers and create more space inside the branch,” Schneidermann said.

“IOP definitely helped with looking at how to lay out that plan, guiding us through what would work really well.”

All team members received new height-adjustable desks, and “it went from very traditional before to a lot more modern,” Tufvesson said.

“We were able to reconfigure the space so they could add more people and increase amenities.”

A larger conference room now allows for training meetings and team lunches, including education events for customers.

“We went from one small conference room to one large one and a small one, so if a customer finds it’s more convenient to meet with a business banker from our downtown location, there are spots to do that,” Schneidermann said. “It just better supports how we work today.”

IOP helped furnish the smaller breakout conference room with an Ocular conference table by Steelcase, “which allows them to do videoconference calls with other branches and provides better views of each person in the meeting because of the shape of the table,” Hogan said.

The redesigned space also includes a more prominent area for the Pioneer Store, a way to incentivize young savers.

“Our Lil’ Pioneer Savings Club was started by our head of retail several years ago, and every time our young customers deposit money, we give them Pioneer Bucks to use on little toys and books in the store. When we put our new office plan together, we wanted to invest more in the Pioneer Store with new graphics and a glass cabinet, so the kids are excited about it,” Schneidermann said.

Since the renovation recently wrapped up, “we’re getting feedback from our team that they’re very excited to come to work,” Schneidermann said. “You do something like this for customers but also for employees to have a nice place to come to work. It turned out fantastic. We’re very happy about it.”

Frontier Bank will hold a ribbon cutting for its newly remodeled location at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4.

To learn more about how Interstate Office Products can help design and furnish a space that reflects your work today and in the future, visit i-o-p.com.