JANESVILLE 鈥 鈥漌elcome to the Woodman鈥檚 Sports & Convention Center,鈥 Janesville Recreation Director Shelly Slapack declared Friday as state and local officials, representatives of the Friends of the Woodman鈥檚 Center and major donors to the roughly $46 million project on the site of a former Sears store on Milton Avenue, helped throw open the doors.
Friday鈥檚 Woodman鈥檚 Center ribbon cutting is part of a grand opening celebration that includes a Thursday night gala, community tours and activities and Janesville Jets hockey game on Saturday.
鈥淭his project required years of planning, persistence, and most importantly, people,鈥 Janesville City Manager Kevin Lahner said in his remarks at Friday morning鈥檚 ribbon cutting.
鈥淲hen I talk about projects like this, I talk about Janesville鈥檚 grit. We鈥檝e just got grit to just figure it out, to just keep moving things forward,鈥 Lahner continued, noting that he is 鈥渟o proud to be a part of this community and to see projects like this come to fruition.鈥
The 130,000-square-foot complex includes the Mercy Health Arena with two NHL-sized ice rinks, the Robert and Dolores Kennedy Convention Center, and multipurpose spaces designed for year-round use.
Envisioned activities on the two ice sheets, one of which can be converted to a multi-sport hard floor, include hockey, figure skating, and learn-to-skate programs as well as indoor soccer, lacrosse, and basketball. There鈥檚 flexible flooring to allow for options ranging from tournaments to conventions.
The Mercy Health Arena will serve as home ice for the Janesville Jets, Beloit College hockey team, and area youth and high school hockey teams. The facility is fully handicapped-accessible.
Slapack said the vision is for the Woodman鈥檚 Center to be both a local space and a regional draw.
鈥淭his is more than just a building,鈥 said Jeannie Cullen Schultz, co-president of JP Cullen, of Janesville, which managed construction of the facility. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place where families will gather, athletes will compete, businesses will connect, and memories will be made.鈥
Clint Woodman, president of Woodman鈥檚 Markets, the center鈥檚 naming partner, echoed that sentiment.
鈥淭his facility will be a place where kids learn, teams compete, families gather, events come to life, and lifelong memories are made,鈥 Woodman said. 鈥淎s we cut the ribbon, we鈥檙e not just opening a building; we鈥檙e opening the doors to an exciting new chapter for Janesville.鈥
Woodman told 免费看操逼视频的软件 that the company is proud to have contributed to the cost of constructing the center, noting that supporting community projects large and small is part of its culture at Woodman鈥檚 Markets.
At Friday鈥檚 event, the public-private partnerships that made the center possible were recognized. The city of Janesville invested a portion of the total cost, with major contributions also received from businesses, private donors and community organizations.
Maria Van Horn, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, noted in her remarks that meetings and conventions generated $6.5 billion in state economic impact in 2024, while sports tourism added another $2 billion.
鈥淭he Woodman Sports and Convention Center adds to Wisconsin鈥檚 roster of premier meeting facilities,鈥 Van Horn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a new reason for visitors to make memories here in Janesville.鈥
Christine Rebout, executive director of the Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and a member of the Friends of the Woodman鈥檚 Center鈥檚 leadership team, said the center will make Janesville a destination and be a source of community pride.
She shared her excitement at now being able to see the Woodman鈥檚 Center in a GPS search.
鈥淚f you build a place where people want to visit, you鈥檒l build a place where people want to liv. And if you build a place where business wants to be, you鈥檙e back to building a place people want to visit,鈥 Rebout said.
Former Janesville City Council President Paul Benson said seeing the center open is an 鈥渦nbelievable鈥 good feeling.
Reflecting on the reservations that some people in Janesville had when the center was proposed to be built, and setbacks along the way with state and federal funding, Benson said getting to this point 鈥渨as hard sometimes.鈥
鈥淲e had a core group of supporters that kept us going,鈥 Benson said. 鈥淲e had a lot of support and when you know something鈥檚 right, you just keep pushing forward.鈥
Current Janesville City Council member Paul Williams said that he was pleased with the end result and it鈥檚 nice to see the hard of making it happen pay off.
鈥淚鈥檝e had my doubts on it,鈥 but in the end 鈥淚 was more than satisfied,鈥 Williams said. It鈥檚 a showcase building, he said, adding that hopes it 鈥渨ill really do what we鈥檙e hoping that it will do,鈥 which is spur more surrounding development.
The city is marking the grand opening of the Woodman鈥檚 Sports & Convention Center with a weekend of events that are open to the community.
Planned events on Saturday, Sept. 20, include a Janesville Youth Hockey Skills Competition at 12 p.m., Milton Redhawks hockey at 1 p.m., Janesville Bluebirds girls hockey at 2 p.m. and Janesville Bluebirds boys hockey at 3 p.m.
Also planned Saturday are a Janesville Figure Skating Club demonstration at 12 p.m., Beloit College Hockey at 1 p.m., Janesville Jets hockey at 2 p.m. and free public skate sessions starting at 2:30 p.m.
The Janesville Jets will play their inaugural home game at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available at
On Sunday, Sept. 21, free public skate sessions will be offered again from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. followed by a free open court drop-in from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
More information about the grand opening and the Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center is at .
