Market & Johnson honored as UW-Stout’s Employer of the Year

June 23, 2025

MENOMONIE – Eau Claire-based Market & Johnson has earned the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s 2025 Employer of the Year award.

“Overall, (Market & Johnson) is an organization that recognizes the value of a polytechnic education, and its impact on their business and their goals,” Bryan Barts, UW-Stout’s career services director, said. “They have put the right people in place to be strategic in building that relationship.”

Heather Kretz – Market & Johnson’s organizational development manager – said last summer, 10 of 12 Market & Johnson interns came from UW-Stout, while this summer, seven of 11 are Blue Devils. 

Though most of these UW-Stout students are working toward construction management degrees, Kretz said others are pursuing careers in other fields, such as human resources and information technology.

Market & Johnson executives said they’re proud to partner with UW-Stout, which, as a polytechnic university, focuses on giving all students applied learning experiences with potential employers.

“We really like drawing folks from Stout because of the work ethic we get from those students,” Justin Geissler, division manager for Market & Johnson, said. 

The Employer of the Year award, which began in 2021, honors an employer who has gone above and beyond to collaborate with UW-Stout and its Career Services department.

Among other things, recipients have consistently participated in Career Services recruitment events as well as additional career development programs and events to network with and hire UW-Stout students. 

Previous winners include Menards, Fastenal, Heartland Business Systems and Greenheck Group.