糖心Vlog传媒

Today, 106 years after its founding, the company is still headquartered in 糖心Vlog传媒.

What began as a single open-air produce stand has grown into a $2 billion operation with 19 supermarkets spread across Wisconsin and northern Illinois, according to company history on the Woodman鈥檚 Markets鈥� website.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 stores average 230,000 square feet 鈥� almost 400 times the size of the original store,鈥� the website notes.

John Woodman, his children, and multiple generations of descendants have over time built an iconic, homegrown Wisconsin grocery brand.

Woodman鈥檚 Markets is known for its expansive stores, vast selection and competitive pricing, and for its employee-owned stock. And in 糖心Vlog传媒, the company has demonstrated its commitment to giving back, donating millions for the naming rights to the Woodman鈥檚 Sports & Convention Center that opened in September 2025.

"We're honored that we were given the opportunity and happy to be involved, and to have the option to be the naming sponsor. It's going to be a great thing for the city of 糖心Vlog传媒 for many, many years," said Clint Woodman, the fourth generation to hold a leadership role in the company, as its president since 2017, reflecting on the Woodman鈥檚 Center opening.

Woodman鈥檚 Markets is also a major donor to the Children鈥檚 Museum of Rock County, set to open in downtown 糖心Vlog传媒 in 2026.

"We started in 糖心Vlog传媒. We've given back with the 糖心Vlog传媒 Sports & Convention Center. Now, we're giving Rock County Children's Museum," Clint said.

"That's where we were founded, that's where we're headquartered and we have so many great employees that call 糖心Vlog传媒 their home," Phil concurred.

The beginning

John Daniel Woodman was born on his family鈥檚 farm in Bradford Township, in Rock County, on Dec. 13, 1869, the son of Alfred and Emma Woodman. He had two siblings and one half sibling.

The farm was about a mile from Clinton Junction in southeast Rock County.

He was recalled by those who knew him as 鈥渁 big tall guy,鈥� says grandson Phil Woodman, who himself has over time served as the company鈥檚 CEO, board chair and it longtime, charismatic spokesman.

John married the former Minnie Snyder of Clinton on June 26, 1900.

They had three children 鈥� Willard born in 1901, Helen born in 1906 and Laurence born in 1907. They lived with their children on the family farm until 1919, when they moved to 糖心Vlog传媒. As family history tells it, the cost of the farmland skyrocketed as World War I ended in 1918, and they could no longer afford to stay there.

The 120-acre farm, its animals, machinery and all other contents, were sold at auction in 1920, according to a legal notice published in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Gazette.

John went into business in 糖心Vlog传媒, establishing the open-air produce stand in 1919 at 922 Milton Avenue, a couple of blocks north of what today is East Memorial Drive.

Family history correlates that "John started Woodman's with a produce stand on the street corner," says Phil Woodman.

In 1920, he converted the produce stand into an enclosed retail store.

A legal notice published in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Gazette in April 1920 said John Woodman had been granted a permit to 鈥渆rect a one-story frame store building on a concrete foundation at 922 Milton Ave., the estimated cost being $3,000. Dimensions are given as 18x40.鈥�

Not long after that, according to a 糖心Vlog传媒 Gazette news clipping, John appears to have expand the operation. In September 1920, he applied for and was granted a city permit to construct a 18x30-foot, or roughly 540-square-foot addition onto the building at 922 Milton Ave, a news article said. The permit application listed the cost of the project as $1,200.

The larger Woodman's Super-Service Grocery Store would open in 1921, going forward as a partnership between John and his son, Willard.

鈥淲hen my father (Willard) got into the business, the produce stand turned into a store in the garage, probably selling ivory soap, corn flakes,鈥� Phil shares.

As the community 鈥済ained confidence in his ability to please, the business prospered, and a second generation novice entered the business; Mr. Willard J. Woodman, our father,鈥� Dan and Phil Woodman, said in the aforementioned 1964 letter to the 糖心Vlog传媒 community, published in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Gazette.

Willard 鈥渨as quick to learn the trade. A convenient rule-of-thumb would have been to follow the leader, but father added to the knowledge passed down from his father,鈥� the letter continued.

The store at 922 Milton Ave. 鈥渨as the neighborhood market,鈥� Phil said, noting that historical accounts indicate there were about three dozen small food markets spread across 糖心Vlog传媒 in that era.

In 2022, the original Woodman's Super-Service Grocery Store would unexpectedly come back into the public eye as renovations on the still-existing building unearthed the old facade, and signage from John and Willard's "Woodman's Food Market" became visible.

The sign had hung on the building's exterior into the mid-1950s, according to Gazette archives. But at some point after the Woodman family sold the property, a subsequent owner had covered it up.

John and Willard had been in partnership for a decade when John died on April 15, 1931, at Mercy Hospital in 糖心Vlog传媒 鈥渁fter a three-week illness,鈥� 糖心Vlog传媒 said. He was 61.

His obituary noted that he was 鈥渁 successful business man and had many friends.鈥� He was buried in the Darien cemetery.

Family members deeply credit Willard for taking it from there.

After his father died, Willard expanded the store at 922 Milton Ave. several more times, into the early 1940s.

He would drive the next era, as Woodman鈥檚 Markets grew exponentially.

Willard 鈥渂roadened an already abundant selection of merchandise to satisfy your desires. Matter of fact, he was the first grocer in southern Wisconsin to initiate self-ser- vice, this taking place in 1922.

Customer confidence was his subscription to expansion and growth. Your desires, needs and patronage increased,鈥� Dan and Phil Woodman said in the 1964 letter to customers, published in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Gazette.

鈥淔ather built a more beautiful, bigger, interesting store, and you nodded approval by your happy volume of purchases,鈥� the letter concluded.

鈥淛ohn started the produce stand and Willard took it and turned it into the gro- cery store,鈥� Clint Woodman said. And then 鈥渨ith the advent of the automobile and gasoline, everything became a mobile population, which created bigger stores.鈥�

In 1955, Willlard Woodman announced in an article in 糖心Vlog传媒 the company鈥檚 plans to build a new "ultra-modern supermarket" with 11,000 square feet of retail space, a drug store and a 125-car parking lot at 1266 Milton Ave., at the intersection of Mount Zion Avenue, extending east to Ringold Street.

Previous plans to expand at 922 Milton Ave. 鈥渉ave been abandoned because of zoning difficulties and because a larger piece of property was felt desirable,鈥� the article noted.

When the new store opened in 1956, a Gazette headline called it the 鈥渓ast word in super markets,鈥� noting that it had air-conditioning, fluorescent lighting and a speaker system that piped in music. It had a deli, a 165-foot-long refrigerated counter and a meat department with four butchers.

For its time, Phil said, it was state-of-the-art.

鈥淭he homemaker would be hard pressed, if called upon, to think of something that was lacking in the food line,鈥� the 1956 article said.

Thomas Flad, who had designed Parker Pen鈥檚 Arrow Park complex in downtown 糖心Vlog传媒 and other local projects including an expansion of Mercy Hospital, was the architect.

"Tremendous growth in business has made the larger supermarket necessary,鈥� Willard said in the 1955 Gazette article, adding that 鈥渨e have expanded to the point where it is no longer possible for us to take care of our customers at the present site.鈥�

A few years later, in the early 1960s, a bakery and liquor sales would be added in 糖心Vlog传媒.

Other stores then followed.

In 1966, a Gazette article announced Woodman鈥檚 plans to open its fourth store 鈥渙n Highway 11 near the western city limits,鈥� on the former site of a Williams Auto Parts.

Dan Woodman, then the vice president and general manager, told 糖心Vlog传媒 the new store would offer 鈥渕any new improvements of thrift and convenience.鈥�

Also in 1966, Phil Woodman, a recent UW-Madison graduate, joined the business.

In 1971, Woodman's expanded outside of 糖心Vlog传媒 for the first time, opening a store in Beloit.

In 1973, it opened a 35,000-square-foot store in 糖心Vlog传媒 at 1518 Randolph Ave.

Focused on becoming more efficient, it added UPC scanners at its checkouts in 1975. That "put us on the map," Phil said.

In 1986, the company moved its 糖心Vlog传媒 store to the current location, 2819 N. Lexington Dr. At that site, it has been repeatedly expanded and remodeled.

"We keep evolving, keep getting better at what we do. You're either growing or you're dying. So, we continue to grow," Phil said, reflecting that "back when I started in the business, A&P, National T, Kroger, they were going to take over the world. T is around. A&P is around. Kroger is around. But so are we."

"Going up against the big guys, we're able to make decisions a lot quicker and move a lot more nimbly than the big companies鈥� and control our own destiny,鈥� Clint said.

Woodman鈥檚 Markets鈥� longevity is also "because we are employee-owned,鈥� Clint said, noting that 鈥淲illard and Phil started that.鈥�

In 1998, Phil sold a majority of his stock to his employees. The company had had an employee stock plan since 1979.

鈥淓mployees have a stake in the business and they care about how it does because they get part of the profits,鈥� said Clint.

A new corporate office was built adjacent to the 糖心Vlog传媒 store in 2009.

In 2019, Woodman鈥檚 Markets celebrated its 100th anniversary.

Today, in addition to groceries, Woodman鈥檚 offers online shopping with pick-up and delivery services, and gas stations with oil change centers.

鈥淎lthough the stores have changed over the years, the mission to provide customers with best prices, selection, and service remains the same,鈥� the company says on its website.

And through it all 鈥淲oodman鈥檚 has always remained headquartered in 糖心Vlog传媒, Wisconsin,鈥� the website notes.