Trent got his start working for UNI Athletics during his first semester at UNI. He was hired in 2002 as a UNI-Dome Student Worker to assist with game day parking. He eventually worked his way up to working security by the time he graduated from UNI in December of 2005. He fell in love with working in facilities and operations the moment he started.
Upon graduation Trent was hired as a Facilities/Operations Assistant where he assisted with day-to-day operations. He served in this role for a year until he hired full-time as Facilities Coordinator. In 2012 Trent was promoted to his current role as Assistant Director of Facilities and Operations.
On a day-to-day basis, Trent is responsible for many different tasks. The facilities staff is responsible for setting up rooms for film sessions for football, setting up suites for football and basketball, arranging student security and police for game day, game day parking coordination, court/field setup, and making sure that game timing is right.
One thing that Trent likes most about his job is that everyday is different. Trent and his staff are constantly planning, organizing, and setting up for many different events that come to UNI. Another thing Trent enjoys is meeting all the different coaches, student athletes, and outside performers that come to campus.
The month of February is one of the busiest times of the year for the facilities staff. One big event that the facilities staff had to get ready for was the UNI Dome Softball Classic. This event draws six teams from around the Midwest to play softball games in the UNI Dome for a weekend. The event started on Friday, February 12 and lasted until Sunday, February 14.
What goes into an event like this? A lot of hours spent on setup and planning. Many people do not understand what does into setting up for this softball tournament. One of the most important tasks is putting the turf down over the track. This process takes the longest amount of time and the most man hours. The turf has to be velcroed together and made sure that it will not be too loosely connected. Other tasks include setting up are the backstop, outfield fencing, benches, scoreboard/videoboard elements, field markings, and batting cages. This setup required facilities staff to work over night on Thursday due to the fact that the track team had practice that day.
Once the softball tournament was finished on Sunday, the facilities staff was there to tear everything down and get ready for track practice the very next day. This required the staff again to stay overnight to get everything back to normal for track.
Another big event that is occurring is a Luke Bryan concert. The concert is Saturday, February 20 but planning for this event started months ago. This required meeting with the promoter and Luke Bryan staff to get the stage dimensions, when stage parts will be coming in, when stage parts will be leaving, and many other important details. One of the most important planning issues is the amount of staff needed for this concert. The last time Luke Bryan came to UNI he sold out the UNI Dome. That is over 20,000 people in the Dome at one time. This required a lot of police, student security, and professional staff on hand to make sure the concert went successfully.
The final question I asked Trent was if he had any advice for those who are looking to work in Athletic Facilities. "You have to be flexible, adapt to every thing that comes your way, get along well with others, and have the ability to communicate effectively. Communication is key to every operation, not just in facilities. Just telling someone something one time isn't enough. You may need to tell them five different times just to ensure that they know what's up."
Overall, the facilities and operations department at UNI plays a huge role in all that goes on. Whether it be a football game or a concert, the facilities staff is there to make sure any event is a success. Without the facilities staff, many of these great events may not even happen.
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