Daktronics lays off about 100 employees

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BROOKINGS – Daktronics, a Brookings-based electronic and video display and scoreboard manufacturer, has laid off about 100 employees due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a company representative said in an emailed statement Wednesday.

“Faced with this reality, we have chosen to reduce capacity in a more sustained way, through a reduction in force, and we have ended employment with approximately 100 employees (Wednesday), May 13. This represents less than 5% of our workforce, and most of these people held professional jobs in South Dakota. We regret the effect our actions will have on each person leaving Daktronics,” said Staci Mergenthal, Daktronics corporate communications and employee community.

The Daktronics website says the company employs more than 2,800 people worldwide, with more than half of those in South Dakota.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of stay-at-home orders and social distancing has quickly and significantly impacted many areas of our business – our customers, our suppliers, and our partners have all been challenged during this crisis,” Mergenthal said.

“We have responded in multiple ways to keep our people safe and to operate our business, including adapting work locations and practices, adjusting capacity, and implementing cost reduction measures. During these times our employees are being challenged to work differently and are committed to working together to keep people safe as we deliver industry-leading value to our customers,” she continued. 

“Predicting the future is always difficult, and especially so in times of COVID-19. However, we are able to better grasp the impacts of this crisis on different areas of our business and are now anticipating some disruption will exist through the summer and, in some segments, into 2020 and beyond.”

“The COVID-19 situation is dynamic, and we will continue monitoring and adapting as necessary. The core drivers of our business remain intact, and we expect growth again in the future. Through all of this, we will continue to serve our customers and focus on developing a stronger organization,” Mergenthal said.