Working more than 1,500 miles from its Green Bay headquarters, H.J. Martin recently completed a project which had a distinctly Wisconsin feel to it.

The “Johnsonville Sausage Marketplace,” the first-ever retail location for the Wisconsin-based sausage maker, opened Nov. 16 in Naples, Fla., and H.J. Martin oversaw multiple aspects of the unique retail space.

Miron Construction of Neenah, Wis., is the preferred general contractor of Johnsonville.  It reached out to H.J. Martin to perform this work because of the company’s experience working in the state of Florida as a nationwide contractor.

Serving in partnership with Miron as the project’s general contractor, H.J. Martin also handled the drywall and ceilings within the 1,480 square-foot retail space, which was completed in 15 weeks.

Johnsonville owners Ralph and Shelly Stayer envisioned a 1940s-style market reminiscent of the company’s origins, founded in 1945 in the small town of Johnsonville, Wis.

The store’s design, by DLY Design, was modeled after the original Johnsonville Market, including a silver-embossed tin ceiling, exposed antique wood beams, turn-of-the-century milk glass pendant fixtures, a 12-foot-long butcher block checkout counter and authentic hitching posts created from cast iron.

All of these design elements were procured by and directly installed by either H.J. Martin personnel or the company’s direct sub-contractors.

Every piece of millwork was made from reclaimed barn lumber, which was sent to the site in bulk.  It then was selected, cut/trimmed and installed on location.  H.J. Martin utilized another Wisconsin company, Beam & Board of Green Bay, as its source for the hand-selected lumber.

“It was a real honor for H.J. Martin to be given the opportunity to do this project for Johnsonville and Ralph and Shelly Stayer,” says Edward Martin, H.J. Martin CEO.  “I was on site for the grand opening, and I can say that it truly is a one-of-a-kind retail location.  It also was exciting to assist another long-time Wisconsin company.”

Two individuals from the H.J. Martin Walls & Ceilings team installed roughly 4,000 square feet of drywall over a two-week period at the outset of the project.  They were joined by a ceilings specialist from the company for one week.

H.J. Martin oversaw a wide variety of sub-contractors on the project: concrete, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, sprinkler, masonry, flooring, painting, roofing and finish carpentry.

The Johnsonville Sausage Marketplace required 1,480 square feet of flooring: vinyl planking in the retail area and quarry tile in the back of the house.

Johnsonville Sausage, based in Sheboygan Falls, Wis., produces roughly 40 different varieties of sausage.  It is the No. 1 national brand of brats, Italian sausage, smoked-cooked links and fresh breakfast sausage links.

Along with its famous sausage products, the “Johnsonville Sausage Marketplace” offers Johnsonville mustard and buns, branded apparel, cookbooks and grilling items.  The store additionally sells select specialty items from Wisconsin, including fine cheese and gourmet popcorn.

Curt Dowdy served as the project manager for H.J. Martin, while Dave Christensen was the company’s on-site supervisor for the entirety of the project.