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Top Projects of 2025: Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center
By: Daily Reporter Staff//May 8, 2026//
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Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center (WSCC) is a 134,447-square-foot, $40.5 million facility that transforms the former site of a Sears anchor store at the Janesville Mall into a regional hub for sports, conventions and large-scale events.
The one-story building with mezzanine houses a primary arena with an ice rink designed to host the Janesville Jets hockey team and up to 1,500 spectators, replacing the original Janesville Ice Arena built in 1974. A 25,800-square-foot flexible convention space, convertible court configurations for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, a turf soccer field, and a secondary multipurpose arena for up to 250 guests round out the facility’s programming capabilities.
Redeveloping a large former retail site into a high-capacity assembly venue presented significant construction challenges. The team employed comprehensive site logistics planning, secure perimeter controls and coordinated trade sequencing to manage large structural spans and specialized ice arena systems, supported by regular safety audits and proactive hazard identification.
Temporary flooring systems, movable partitions and portable athletic equipment enable rapid conversion between event types, making WSCC a true multi-use destination. Studies project the center will create hundreds of jobs and generate millions in annual economic output for Janesville and the broader southeast Wisconsin region. Key partners included JLG, the City of Janesville, Mercy Health and Woodman’s Markets.
Project Essentials
Location: Janesville
Cost: $40,500,000
Complete: September 2025
Owner/Developer: City of Janesville
Architect: Zimmerman Architectural Studios
Interior Designer: Zimmerman Architectural Studios
Engineers: Nelson-Rudie & Associates, Harwood Engineering Consultants
Other Significant Project Participants: Boelter, B32, JLG, Pro Audio-Acoustics
General Contractor: JP Cullen
Submitting Company: JP Cullen, Zimmerman Architectural Studios
Subcontractors: Advantage Acoustical, Artlow Systems, Automatic Entrances of Wisconsin, Automation Arts, Badger Washing, Becker Arena Products, Bernie’s Equipment Co., Big River Cast Stone, Block Iron & Supply Co., Cathedral Builders, CGC, Concrete & Masonry Restoration, Concrete Specialties Midwest, Construction Supply, Corcoran Glass, County Materials Corp., Culinex, Endres Manufacturing Co., Excel Engineering, Faith Technologies, Foss Landscapes, Frank Silha & Sons Excavating, H&B Specialized Products, Indecor, J.W. Schultz, JWC Building Specialties, KCB Supply, KLEENMARK Services Corp., Lakes Brick & Block, Lycon, Macco’s Commercial Interiors, Metal Design Corp., Mid-States Concrete Industries, MKE Iron Erectors, Modern Mechanical Ice Systems, Nelson Fire Protection, North American Mechanical, Northstar Equipment, Omega III, Pieper Electric, Professional Service Industries, Quality Roofing, Raynor Door Authority of Rockford, Resch’s Tile, Rock Road Companies, Rock Valley Concrete Cutting, Schmelzer Paint Co., Sightline Commercial Solutions, Sunbelt Rentals, The Rockwell Group, TK Elevator Corp., Van Ert Electric Co., Welmar Recreational Products, White Cap, Zander Solutions
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