Daktronics thanks Dale Storhaug for 40 years of dedicated service.

Forty years of hard-work, dedication, and memories all started with a handwritten note. One day after an engineering class at South Dakota State University, Dale Storhaug (Sales, Transportation, SD Corporate) met with his instructor to discuss his plans for a job. His instructor wrote down a contact at Daktronics. Dale decided to give it a shot and started as a metal fabricator and assembler when there were only 60 other employees. Ever since, he has been a loyal and valuable Daktronics employee.

In 40 years, Dale covered a lot of roles and touched a lot of departments.

Dale’s supervisor, DeWayne Anderson (Sales Manager, Transportation, Home) explained, “Over the last 40 years, Dale’s contributions have spanned the disciplines of engineering, manufacturing, project management and sales, under six different leaders in seven different departments.”

His roles have ranged from contract assembly supervisor to sports project manager, from business products project manager to Transportation Project Management department manager.

“His impact on the organization has been nothing short of extraordinary over the 40 years of his employment with Daktronics,” said DeWayne.

If you want to hear stories of travels and iconic moments for Daktronics, take some time to sit down and talk with Dale, someone who has truly experienced it. From refurbishing equipment for the PGA in a parking lot in Palm Springs, California, to meeting Wayne Gretzky, Dale’s 40 years are filled with remarkable stories.

One of Dale’s very notable experiences was the installation of the first set of video displays for the new Texas Rangers Ballpark. Dale was working on the left field out of town game board while there was a television interview taking place on the pitcher’s mound. While watching the news that night, they realized it was an interview with Nolan Ryan and they were in the background of the newscast. Another memorable aspect of this project was the Contractor’s Appreciation Night where Dale represented Daktronics as a contributor to the new stadium. Along with other contractors, he walked out on the field for the crowd to acknowledge their efforts. To top this experience off, Daktronics and Dale had their names added to a bronze contractor appreciation wall in the concourse outside of the first base line.

Another memorable moment occurred when Dale was the project manager for the Brigham Young University (BYU) football stadium project. The project involved taking down existing scoreboards, redesigning the existing stadium scoreboard structures, and designing and building new, 45 foot high by 75 foot wide full video displays and installing them at the top of each of the end zone seating structures. The start date was 28 May, and it needed to be completed by 25 August for the nationally televised PigSkin Classic featuring BYU against Auburn. “The challenge of coordinating all disciplines for designing and production and installation of the structures and scoreboards was very memorable,” said Dale.

There are many more impactful moments Dale has experienced in the past 40 years. He has enjoyed working with customers and the opportunities for growth. “It is very gratifying to be able to provide solutions to our customers to enable them to showcase their facilities and systems,” Dale said.

“Dale is very approachable and supportive, providing a great environment for new employees and veteran team members to feel welcomed and appreciated,” said DeWayne.

Dale has never settled, but rather has always pushed himself at Daktronics. “My career here has always been subjected to a learning and growth environment,” said Dale. “Daktronics has always strove to be on the leading edge of technology.”

The people who work with Dale are thankful for his experience. “Our team can depend on Dale to foster a can-do spirit, contribute in any way necessary to tackle the most challenging situations, and follow through on his commitments,” said DeWayne.

For the 40 years Dale has been working at Daktronics, he has had his wife Annette by his side. He has four children—Shawn, Christopher, Stefannie, and Mike—and five grandchildren. In his free time, Dale enjoys being outdoors, whether he’s hunting or fishing. One of Dale’s unique pastimes is to fix things up. He enjoys mechanic work on cars and lawn tractors. He explained he enjoys the challenge of fixing something that is no longer working. Dale’s talent and ambition to fix things and make them more efficient has been present in more than just his hobbies; those qualities have been an influential presence at Daktronics for 40 years.

This article is by Jacqueline Wolles
in Employee Communications