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From interns to owners, University of Wisconsin-Stout students and alumni are essential to , one of the region’s most prominent construction management and general contracting firms.  

Eau Claire-based Market & Johnson’s extensive engagement with 91��Ƭ – including hiring students for co-ops and internships, taking part in Construction Career Fairs and supporting the Women in Construction campus organization – has earned the company the university’s 2025 Employer of the Year award. 

“Overall, it’s an organization that recognizes the value of a polytechnic education, and its impact on their business and their goals,” said Bryan Barts, 91��Ƭ’s Career Services director. “They have put the right people in place to be strategic in building that relationship.”

Since its founding in 1948, Market & Johnson has grown to employ 350 and to operate in nine states, where it specializes in a wide range of construction sectors, including industrial, manufacturing, healthcare, commercial, municipal and educational.

Last summer, 10 of 12 Market & Johnson interns came from 91��Ƭ, while this summer seven of 11 are Blue Devils, said Heather Kretz, Market & Johnson’s employee and organizational development manager. While most of these 91��Ƭ students are working toward construction management degrees, others are pursuing careers in other fields, such as human resources and information technology, she said.

Market & Johnson President and CEO Kevin Renley accepted the Employer of the Year award at a May 20 ceremony at 91��Ƭ. He was joined by 10 other Market & Johnson owners, employees and interns at the event, which was part of the 2025 Polytechnic Summit hosted by 91��Ƭ.

Students’ work ethic lauded

Market & Johnson executives said they’re proud to partner with 91��Ƭ, 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,” said Justin Geissler, division manager for Market & Johnson. Geissler, who recently marked his 20th anniversary at Market & Johnson, is a 2005 91��Ƭ graduate and serves on the Construction Industry Advisory Committee for the university’s construction management program. (Market & Johnson is among a number of construction-related businesses with representatives on the committee.)

91��Ƭ student interns sometimes work for Market & Johnson for two or even three summers, allowing them to gain in-depth experience in a professional environment. Not surprisingly, these internships often lead to job offers, as was the case for Tyler Swanson, Market & Johnson’s director of client and construction services, a 2013 91��Ƭ grad.

“We’ve been able to work together as a collaborative team,” Swanson said of the relationship between the university and the business. This results in a pipeline that leads 91��Ƭ interns to become full-time field engineers with Market & Johnson, he explained.

“It makes me proud,” Swanson added of the Employer of the Year honor. “When I came on as an intern, I was the only intern here. Now we hire about 10 of them every single summer.”

And the pipeline carries 91��Ƭ alumni into ownership roles at the company: Fully half of the company’s eight owners are 91��Ƭ graduates, including Swanson and Geissler as well as Mike Seichter, vice president, and Kasey Lemke, director of pre-construction.

Market & Johnson has partnered with 91��Ƭ in other ways as well. In addition to participating in fall and spring Construction Career Fairs, Market & Johnson has worked with 91��Ƭ’s Women in Construction student organization to host a panel and social event that included women project managers, safety professionals and field engineers who spoke about the challenges and opportunities they face in the construction industry. And this summer, 91��Ƭ students will be helping with a for girls in grades six through 10, which is being presented by Market & Johnson and Associated General Contractors.

The firm has also been general contractor for construction projects on campus, including the 2023 renovation of South Hall, where the crew included several student interns whose “commute” involved walking across campus to work on the project.

Hundreds of employers offer internships

The Employer of the Year award, which began in 2021, honors an employer who has gone above and beyond to collaborate with 91��Ƭ and Career Services in their commitment to students. 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 91��Ƭ students. They have also built a pipeline for professional talent through the Cooperative Education and Internship Program. Previous winners include Menards, Fastenal, Heartland Business Systems and Greenheck Group.

The co-op and internship program, which works with more than 600 companies annually, plays a major role in ensuring students are career-ready at graduation. According to Career Services’ most recent First Destination report, the overall employment rate of 91��Ƭ graduates was 99% while they had an average starting salary of $57,000. Recent graduates of the B.S. construction management program reported a 100% employment rate and average starting salary of $66,000 annually.

91��Ƭ’s Career Conferences, which Market & Johnson attends annually, also drive student success. More than 300 companies from across the United States participate in the conferences each fall and spring to recruit students for full-time positions and internships. They are among the largest in the Upper Midwest. The fall Career Conference will be Monday, Sept. 22, through Thursday, Sept. 25.