H.J. Martin & Son, Inc.

Edward Martin has overseen the growth of H.J. Martin and Son from its roots as a small carpet store to its current place as one of the nation's largest interior and specialty contractors with 600 employees and annual revenues exceeding $150 million annually. The company's six divisions serve a host of well-known national retailers while its two flooring design centers in Northeast Wisconsin set the local standard for quality and service.

The company's remarkable transformation has been spurred by Martin's relentless pursuit of new business and a willingness to push the limits of its capacity. It only has been possible due to a family-like culture within H.J. Martin, where it is not uncommon for loyal employees to work decades for the company.

Martin himself became a third-generation member of H.J. Martin and Son, when out of college he joined the company first started by his grandfather, Henry John, in 1931 selling paint and tile out of his Maple Street garage. Working under his father, Patrick Henry, Martin added his first impactful stamp on the company's growth, adding a Drywall division (now Walls & Ceilings) in the mid-1980s.

That decision, which innocently started when he was purchasing a forklift from a local drywall company that was liquidating its assets, ultimately led to H.J. Martin's national success as an interior contractor, serving household brand names. Today, the Walls & Ceilings division alone generates $15-20 million annually in sales for the company, revenues on par with its more visible Glass division.

Gary joined H.J. Martin and Son in 2010 as a project coordinator, and subsequently worked as an installation coordinator in Commercial Flooring and as a project manager. Gary was promoted to vice president of Commercial Interiors in 2014. In that role, he oversees all aspects of the Commercial Flooring Division, which includes solidifying relationships with general contractors, architects, designers, end users and vendors, along with generating sales, managing estimating and installation, and improving processes within the division.

In Gary's time with H.J. Martin and Son, his responsibilities have included estimation of labor and materials, collaboration with contractors and end users, project tracking, interaction with customers to ensure satisfaction, supervision of installation crews and coordination of installer training. Gary has been involved in a variety of hotel projects throughout the Midwest, along with local work like the Oshkosh (Wis.) Public Library and Nicolet Townhomes in De Pere, Wis.

Prior to joining H.J. Martin and Son, Gary spent 14 years as a commercial carpenter in Northeast Wisconsin, working as a site superintendent for the final 10.

Gary earned an A.A. degree in natural resources from Fox Valley Technical College in 1996. He also has taken part in the sales and marketing program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, along with participation in multiple Starnet seminars and events.

Kevin joined H.J. Martin and Son in 1999 as a project manager and estimator, and was promoted to vice president in 2002. He oversees the Commercial Glass and Hollow Metal teams, including estimating, project management, fabrication and installation (glaziers) production, as well as supplier and customer relationships.

Under Kevin's leadership, H.J. Martin and Son has gone from a glazing company with 11 glaziers and a minimal support team in 1999 to today, when it is one of the largest glass companies in Wisconsin with a team of 42 glaziers, four project managers, two estimators, one CAD technician and 15 fabricators (including warehouse management). His innovations included adoption of a system where CAD drawings are sent directly to the H.J. Martin and Son distribution center, eliminating waste and increasing productivity. He also oversaw the transition to the company's new, 61,000 sq. ft. warehouse, where production includes everything from simple storefronts, to window walls and skylights, to custom metal and panel fabrication.

The most significant project of the Commercial Glass Division during Kevin's tenure was an extensive glass wall at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, in 2002. Measuring 180' long by 80' high, the glass wall welcomes visitors to the hallowed NFL stadium and becomes a well-known visual on national television broadcasts. The largest glass project in the history of H.J. Martin and Son at the time, the Commercial Glass Division's exemplary work on this aggressive project leads to other large-scale glass projects nationwide. Kevin also has overseen the award-winning Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010, the sparkling Business Bank of Nevada.

Ellen joined H.J. Martin and Son in 1980 as one of only five office staff members for administrative and accounting functions. Initially her responsibilities included accounts payable, assistant to Patrick and Edward Martin, and shared receptionist duties.

In the early days, Ellen's duties were varied, from answering the telephone, to typing quotations and reconciling bank accounts. She played an integral in H.J. Martin and Son's first major, national job, a 1988 remodel of 20 Best Buy stores, which saw her order the temp labor and equipment rentals, along with verifying time cards.

Since the early '90s, Ellen has served as the assistant to H.J. Martin and Son leadership, working with a pair of father-son duos. From the time she started, Ellen assisted the company's second (Patrick) and third (Edward) generations until Patrick Martin's passing in 1995. History repeated itself after David Martin joined the company in 2009.

As H.J. Martin and Son grew, so did Ellen's responsibilities. She became an officer of the company in December 2001, at which time she also was promoted to corporate secretary of H.J. Martin and Son.

Ellen worked at a local Ford dealership right out of high school for around one year. She subsequently started at H.J. Martin and Son in September 1980, taking night and weekend courses in the administrative assistant program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to further hone her skills.

Lon joined H.J. Martin and Son in 1988 and has worked in builder sales throughout his quarter-century with the company. Along with being the highest producing residential flooring salesperson at H.J. Martin and Son, Lon oversees a support team of four staff members to assist with the bid and selection process, measurements and quick apartment replacements.

Lon specializes in custom homes, senior-living facilities, multi-family units, high-rise condominiums and main-street commercial projects. Lon has utilized his strong relationships within the building industry to expand the division throughout Wisconsin, along with into Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

According to H.J. Martin and Son CEO Edward Martin, "The most impressive quality about Lon is how he has maintained all of his business relationships through the years, continuing to sell and service those customers, while consistently increasing his reach each year. Lon's work ethic speaks for itself – he puts in endless hours to help grow the residential division – and he always has fun along the way."

Lon earned a B.S. degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1982.

Roger has been a part of the H.J. Martin and Son team for more than 30 years. He first joined the company in 1982 as an installer, before transitioning to the role of project manager in 1987. In 2012, Roger assumed his current position, where he continues and always has lead the commercial flooring division in sales.

Roger started with H.J. Martin and Son as part of the company's first out-of-state commercial flooring job, performing the ceramic and carpet installation at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Miami, Fla. That type of installation and product knowledge gives Roger an edge when collaborating with the H.J. Martin and Son estimating team on key projects and when he oversees work. Roger also typically is the company representative to meet with vendors and to attend trade shows with the goal of staying up to date on the latest industry information, including trends, moisture mitigation and installation standards.

Roger has been involved with H.J. Martin and Son's participation in the past three Lambeau Field renovation projects, the award-winning Union South at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011, and multiple flooring jobs at Bergstrom auto dealerships throughout Wisconsin, among other work.

Ryan joined H.J. Martin and Son in 2006 as a safety coordinator, and subsequently as a fixture crew manager where he oversaw the coordination of more than 100 national installers. He was promoted to vice president of field operations in 2015. In this role, Ryan oversees and manages the continued development of the company's installation teams across all divisions and throughout the nation; building depth by means of hiring new installers and apprentices, as well as leveraging the strengths of the industry's most experienced installers by working with the organization's crew managers to help improve productivity and cross-training opportunities. Ryan acts as a resource for both the divisional leaders and lead superintendents to help the company remain an industry leader through further training and education, advanced safety initiatives as well as researching and providing the best tools and equipment available to succeed.

During his time with H.J. Martin and Son, Ryan has traveled to many job sites and worked closely with project managers, crew leaders and crews monitoring safety awareness and troubleshooting unique site-specific safety challenges. Ryan aided in the progress of a safety program that, through foreman buy-in, resulted in an EMR rate of .86, the lowest in company history. Additionally Ryan worked with the fixture installation team to cross train employees to become more efficient and diversely skilled.

In August of 2009, Ryan achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional, LEED AP, status. This allowed the organization to participate in LEED registered construction projects. In August of 2013, he took on the additional title of LEED AP, BD+C. Ryan earned a BS degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin – Steven's Point and additionally his MBA in Business Management from Concordia University. Prior to joining the H.J. Martin and Son team in 2006 Ryan split his time working in a part-time capacity for the Department of Natural Resources as a Conservation Warden and full-time as a carpenter in the residential market building custom homes for Cedar Bay Construction, Inc.

Nicole joined H.J. Martin and Son in December 2014 as director of marketing following a seven-and- a-half year association with the company through a pair of advertising agencies. In her role of director of marketing, Nicole’s responsibilities include creative content management, media buying, brand development, planning and execution of internal and external events, vendor relations and internal company initiatives. Nicole also oversees Martin Communications, an in-house advertising agency offering strategy, branding and communications to companies of all sizes.

Previous to her time with H.J. Martin and Son, Nicole spent nearly 14 years in the advertising world in a variety of roles. Among them was two years at Laughlin/Constable in Milwaukee, where she worked with Buell Motorcycle Company, followed by two-and-a-half years at McKinney-Silver (now McKinney) in Durham, N.C., as an account executive on the Polaris Industries account.

Returning to Northeast Wisconsin in April 2007, Nicole subsequently spent nearly seven years with Burnham Richards Advertising (now BRING) as an account supervisor. She developed and executed brand strategies for a wide variety of clients, including H.J. Martin and Son, Kohler Co., Enstrom Helicopter, Schreiber Foods, Time-Warner Cable and Titletown Oil. Nicole then spent 11 months with Spark Advertising, until the time of its closing.

Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism/mass communication, with an emphasis in advertising & public relations, and a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2001.

Jean first joined H.J. Martin and Son in August 2011 as a job cost accountant and has been a senior accountant since April 2016. In her current position, she oversees the payroll team, prepares end-of-month worksheets, analyzes monthly reconciliations, readies financial statements, analyzes costs, monitors fixed assets and handles management of company properties, among other items.

Jean has positively transformed the monthly sales reports used by company leadership and project managers through the use of extensive pivot tables and formulas. She also has helped to streamline the processes between H.J. Martin and Son's point-of-sale software (RFMS) and accounting software (Sage).

Jean began her professional career in 2006 as a pay services/general ledger specialist with Schneider National, a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Green Bay, Wis. With the nationwide carrier, she reviewed, approved and audited company payroll, identified opportunities for continuous improvement by streamlining processes, reconciled the payroll general ledger and maintained government payments in line with regulations. She also has spent time with Fairchild Equipment in Green Bay, where she handled financial reporting and preparation, cash-flow forecasts and inventory management.

Jean received a B.S. degree in accounting from the Green Bay center of Lakeland College in August 2013. She previously had earned an A.A. degree in accounting from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in December 2010.

Nikki joined H.J. Martin and Son in March 2013 after nearly a decade in the accounting field with two other Northeast Wisconsin companies. In the role of senior accountant, her responsibilities include preparation of financial statements, analysis of departmental activities, acting as a liaison with outside auditors at year end and serving as the primary contact for all banking relationships. Nikki also oversees billing, along with accounts payable and receivable.

Known at H.J. Martin and Son for her upbeat attitude and approachability, Nikki was instrumental in the acquisition and buildout of the Burlington-Michaels property in the nearby Military Avenue Business District. She spearheaded the documentation of all costs and timelines, along with helping to obtain Tax Increment Financing (TIF) through the City of Green Bay.

Nikki began her professional career in 2004 as an accountant with P&S Investments, which from its Green Bay, Wis., headquarters operates six companies transporting liquid edible food products. Three years later, she moved to Bassett Mechanical in Kaukauna, Wis., as a billing specialist. Nikki's duties with the mechanical engineering and contracting company ranged from the filing of payroll and sales tax returns, oversight of fiscal year-end inventory, process improvement, account reconciliation and company payroll.

Nikki received B.S. degrees in accounting and business administration (management emphasis) from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2004.

Scott joined H.J. Martin and Son in 2004 as a cost accountant, serving in that role until 2012 when he was promoted to treasurer and one of six officers of the company. In his current position, he oversees commercial-fixture billing, commercial-job costing and accounts-payable disbursement for work ranging from local to national. Scott also is the company administrator for Sage Timberline, a construction software and property management program.

Known for a multi-faceted approach to his work and a keen attention to detail, Scott has taken best practices within accounting and implemented them in other departments at H.J. Martin and Son. He also keeps up with the latest industry trends for the company by attending conferences and seminars on topics ranging from RFMS (a billing management system for the flooring industry), to sales & use taxes, Sage and external audit best practices.

Prior to coming to H.J. Martin and Son, Scott spent seven years as a financial analyst with Birds Eye Foods, a vegetable processing company then located in Green Bay, Wis. He previously had been an assistant accountant with Gegare Tile, also in Green Bay.

Scott received an A.A. degree in accounting from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in 1996.