Long Beach State leaders and the campus community gathered at the steps of its iconic cobalt pyramid on Friday evening, Aug. 28, to celebrate its new name – the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
The gathering was to celebrate the historic naming rights partnership between Long Beach State and LBS Financial Credit Union with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and to unveil new signage for the facility.
The announcement of the name change was made in November, when the university and credit union entered into a 12-year, $8.5 million sponsorship agreement, according to a press release. The agreement will provide financial support to the university’s athletics department, primarily in the form of student scholarships. But it will also help fund some programmatic costs and capital improvements.
Long Beach State Athletic Director Bobby Smitheran speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil new signage for the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid prior to the first home competition of the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)
A student walks past new signage for the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid prior to the first home competition of the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)
The LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid prior to the first home competition of the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)
The LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid prior to the first home competition of the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)
LBS Financial Credit Union President and CEO Sean Hardeman, left, along with Long Beach State Athletic Director Bobby Smitheran holds up the ceremonial scissors during a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil new signage for the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid prior to the first home competition of the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)
LBS Financial Credit Union President and CEO Sean Hardeman speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil new signage for the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid prior to the first home competition of the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)
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Long Beach State Athletic Director Bobby Smitheran speaks during a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil new signage for the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid prior to the first home competition of the season at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid in Long Beach on Friday, August 28, 2026. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)
The facility, formerly the Walter Pyramid, houses four of Long Beach State’s Division I intercollegiate athletics programs, university officials said, including the 2025 national champions in men’s volleyball. It has long served as a landmark venue for campus milestones, academic celebrations, community-wide events, and a wide range of athletic competitions across multiple sports, spanning all levels – high school to professional.
LBS Financial Credit Union sees the sponsorship as an impactful investment in the university and a symbol of its longstanding commitment to LBSU and Long Beach, officials said. The credit union has served the financial needs of faculty, staff, students and alumni at the university for more than 70 years.
Mike and Arline Walter, who were the original namesakes of the Pyramid after they made both a cash gift and a planned giving commitment to the university in 2004, agreed to step away from the naming to clear the way for the credit union’s investment. The Walters plan to continue their support of and partnership with the university, according to a press release.
During the Friday event, Bobby Smitheran, executive director of athletics, and Sean Hardeman, president and CEO of LBS Financial Credit Union, talked about the significance of the partnership for the future of collegiate sports at LBSU. The crowd cheered when the sign was unveiled.
Attendees then headed into the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid for the first home match of the season in the facility, as Long Beach State’s women’s volleyball team hosted UCLA.