Connecting newcomers to the community, one link at a time
Preserving the past while serving the present, future
December 1, 2025
GREEN BAY – Since 1931, H.J. Martin and Son has grown from a family flooring shop into a national specialty contractor.
Now, with three newly announced partnerships and acquisitions, fourth-generation leader David Martin said the company is taking its next major step – broadening its reach and aiming to become a local flooring name in every Wisconsin community and beyond.
“Our goal is to be local in all the key markets within the State of Wisconsin…,” David said.
Establishing operations in Madison, La Crosse and Rogers, Minnesota, through acquisitions and partnerships, David said, allows the company to compete more effectively in those markets and serve customers with local teams rather than traveling crews.
“It will help us strengthen our relationship with the customers in that market,” he said.
Hughes Flooring partnership
The partnership with Verona-based Hughes Flooring, David said, resulted in the creation of Hughes Martin Group, LLC, a new entity that broadens commercial flooring services in Madison and surrounding communities.
Led by Jason Hughes, David said Hughes Flooring’s 20-member team has decades of commercial flooring experience, specializing in education, healthcare, hospitality and public-sector projects.
“We have always admired Hughes Flooring for its local installation strength and customer service,” he said. “The Madison market has been important to us for a long time, and we look forward to supporting this area with more of a presence.”
Jason said the partnership brings together two well-respected names in the industry.
“Together, as Hughes Martin Group, we can offer a broader range of products and services, while maintaining the same values and personal relationships that our customers have always known us for,” he said.
La Crosse region expansion
David said the company is also broadening its footprint into western Wisconsin, acquiring Tri-State Carpets’ assets (1,300-square-foot office and warehouse in West Salem) and its Southwest Wisconsin-based crews – including Field Project Manager Bob Von Ruden and his installation team.
“We’ve built strong relationships in this area over the years, and joining H.J. Martin and Son ensures our customers will continue to receive the same level of quality and responsiveness they’ve come to expect,” Von Ruden said. “We’re proud to be part of a company that values its people and stands behind its work.”
David said the expansion increases H.J. Martin and Son’s market share in western Wisconsin while maintaining continuity with its Green Bay-based crews.
“We are excited to welcome our new team in La Crosse,” he said. “This expansion allows us to better serve western Wisconsin while benefiting from the knowledge and skills of a highly respected local team.”
In the coming weeks, David said the H.J. Martin and Son team will work with Tri-State Carpet President Steve Wohlwend to help transition its current customer base.
A strategic relationship
David said H.J. Martin and Son has expanded its presence in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area by forming a strategic partnership with Resilient Flooring, Inc. through the joint ownership of Resilient Martin Group, LLC.
The new entity, he said, acquired Resilient Flooring – founded in 2020 by Sophia and Steve Schlagheck – and is expected to operate as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) based in Rogers, Minnesota.
“From day one, we have believed in building something bigger than ourselves – creating opportunities for our team and setting a standard for quality and integrity,” Sophia said. “The relationship with H.J. Martin and Son allows us to continue that mission while expanding what is possible for our customers and employees.”
Under the transition plan, David said Resilient Flooring will finish its current jobs, with all new projects moving to Resilient Martin Group.
“Sophia and Steven have built something remarkable in a short time, [and] we look forward to continuing what they started through working together,” he said. “We work with many retailers and end-users in the Minneapolis market, where we will now offer more localized service and expertise. Together, we will be able to expand our reach and strengthen our ability to serve customers with the quality and expertise they expect from our companies.”
Status quo, better
Though the new partnerships and acquisitions are still only in their integration stages, David said customers and employees will see minimal changes at those locations.
“There will not be any change with people on site and the relationships they have established,” he said. “We hope to help them grow and help them become more efficient. We will be better together.”
With more than 600 employees working nationwide, David said H.J. Martin and Son offers a broad range of services.
Beyond its flooring division, he said the company handles glass and glazing, drywall, millwork installation, retail store fixtures and many other specialty services.
From the smallest residential project to the largest commercial job, David said every project is important to H.J. Martin and Son, with the team taking pride in every detail – whether that’s helping a customer choose a bottle of floor cleaner in the showroom or providing a full floor-cleaning service.
These everyday interactions, he said, reflect the company’s commitment to quality and customer care, showing that no job is too small to matter.
“We have the mindset that one good job leads to the next, and we try our hardest at servicing every customer, whether they are large or small,” he said.
All that work, David said, is completed by H.J. Martin and Son employees, rather than subcontractors, giving customers clarity about who is performing their projects.
The company’s culture and approach, he said, are reinforced by long-tenured employees and multiple generations of families working together.
“We are very lucky,” he said.
Hiring in a growing company can be challenging, but David said new employees benefit from strong training programs, including resources from H.J. Martin and Son’s own training center.
“Our main concentration right now is ongoing training, skill development and trying to create a path for someone just coming into the company – whether they are coming right from high school or a tech or trade program,” he said. “We usually try to start people with installing, because it is hard to estimate or project manage something you have never done before, and we try to promote from within.”
Though licensed to work in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, David said H.J. Martin and Son’s roots remain firmly planted in Wisconsin.
“Our long-term view is not to have offices all over the country – that is so hard to manage – I do not know how some people know their employees when that happens,” he said. “We want to know everyone, we want to know their skill sets, we want to know their families and we want to create that loyalty long term. That would be really hard for us to do if we had an office in California.”
David said for H.J. Martin and Son, being based in Green Bay and Wisconsin comes with a responsibility to give back and help improve the community – a mission the company embraces wholeheartedly.
“We have gotten so much from the community, [giving back] is the least we can do when we are successful,” he said. “We try to help out in many ways, starting with the community’s youth, to health care, to basic needs,” Martin said. “We try to help out as much as we can because we take a long-term approach. We feel if the area is successful, it helps not only businesses but everyone living in the area as well.”
For more, visit hjmartin.com.
