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Who is Hallmark?

100% Associate Owned. Marketer. Distributor. Construction Industry. Building Materials Experts. 50-year history. Big Bright Future. That’s Hallmark Building Supplies, Inc. Founded in 1974 by Joe Balthazor, turned 100% Associate Owned in 2020, Hallmark is on a growth trajectory like never before. Our major product lines are:
  • Corian® Design products: Corian® Solid Surface, and Corian® Quartz
  • DuPont Performance Building Solutions: Tyvek® Weather Resistive Barriers, Tyvek® Roofing Underlayments, and Dupont™ Flashing & Accessories
  • Keene™ Building Products
  • Balconies by Levante® : Our wholly owned subsidiary, Levanté®, LLC is a manufacturer of  prefabricated balconies.
Yet we’re more than just the products in our warehouse at Hallmark. We’re committed to delivering exceptional service. To supporting you and your customers. And we won’t ever ask you to buy something you don’t need. Challenge us… we’re creative problem solvers. Whether it’s inventory, technical support, training, education, or business consulting, we will do what it takes to get things done and get you what you need.

What Does Associate Owned Mean?

We’re structured as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) which is a qualified retirement plan authorized and encouraged by federal tax and pension laws. Being an ESOP company means that we all have a stake in the success of Hallmark. Our Associates (employees) get to enjoy the benefits of owning shares of the company, which grow in value as we grow. We’re not just working for a paycheck; we’re working for our future!

Benefits of Employee-Owned Companies:

  • A unique retirement benefit as it requires no out of pocket contribution from employees. An ESOP creates a mechanism for personal wealth.
  • Provides job security for employees. Companies with employee stock ownership are 7.3 times less likely to lay off employees than conventional firms.
  • Provides business continuity… the people who know the business best are running the business.
  • Research proves that giving workers a stake in the company (ownership) improves employee attitudes toward the company, and these translate to improvement of the organization’s service and profit.
  • Provides consistency for customers when senior leadership transitions.

50 Years of Growth

Open for business in Milwaukee, WI distributing DuraBeauty laminate and DuPont Corian® solid surface.

We’re pioneering the use of solid surface… so much so we must fabricate it ourselves to get customers to buy it. As demand grew, fabricators opened, and we focused on distribution.

Here we grow! DuPont awards us the geography of MN for Corian® solid surface and we become a multi branch distributor. We’re also awarded Tyvek® in Southeast Wisconsin in 1988, and then in Eastern Missouri in 1989.

We continue expanding and take on Northwestern Missouri and Kansas City for Tyvek® in 1990. We make the decision to focus on branded products and divest of the DuraBeauty (now called Pionite) laminate line.
DuPont launches Zodiaq®. Hallmark opens a sister company, Pollux Manufacturing: a hard surface fabrication shop.

Hallmark opens Apollo Manufacturing: a concrete countertop shop. Soterra Natural Stone Surfacing is added to our offering.

DuPont™ Corian® awards Hallmark distribution rights in the states of Colorado, eastern Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Northeastern Nevada, and the western edge of Texas.

Pollux Manufacturing is sold. DuPont™ Corian® awards us Arizona and Southern Nevada, then Iowa and Nebraska, and Texas and Oklahoma. We became a partner in testing a 3PL model with DuPont in the states of Southern California and Hawaii with Hallmark was doing the distribution and logistics while DuPont did sales and marketing.

DuPont Building Innovations awards us the Eastern half of Minnesota for DuPont Tyvek®.

DuPont Corian® awards us geography of Southern Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Acquired Tyvek® territory of NE Wisconsin.

3PL model test with Corian® is over, we are awarded distribution in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Nebraska.

Acquired Tyvek® territory of Western Iowa and Nebraska, and Western Wisconsin. Wholly owned subsidiary Levanté®, LLC is formed, and Levanté® Aluminum Architectural Components becomes a brand.

On September 30th we become 100% associate owned!

In December, the board names Bobby Staats as President, Joe transitions to Chairman & CEO role.

  • DuPont™ Corian® Design awards us the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
  • Hallmark wins the first ever “Rising Star Award” from the Wisconsin ESOP Association.

July 2024: Hallmark acquires the Tyvek® geography in Eastern IA.

November 4th: Happy 50th Anniversary Hallmark! Cheers to another 50 years with more growth on the horizon!

January: Adds Keene™ Building Products as an offering in the Exteriors Business Unit.

February: Hallmark wins the 2025 WI ESOP Company of the Year award.

GEOGRAPHICAL MARKETING AREAS WE SERVE

Our Foundation

Strategic System

Driven by process and continuous improvement, we began using W. Edwards Deming’s philosophies in the 1990s.

In 1994, we retained the services of Associates for Process Improvement and formalized a journey of implementing Dr. Deming’s Profound Knowledge to manage the business. Can you say “red bead experiment”!? To learn more about Dr. Deming visit the Deming Institute at www.deming.org.

Fast forward to the early 2000’s. Understanding the need for interdependence within a system, we focused on applying Deming’s teachings and transitioned from theory to results oriented implementation. While continuously learning and improving, we foster partnerships with our customers to share our expertise and perform to help them meet their commitments.

Now, we’ve set our sights on scaling up to 10x valuation by 2031. As the fire to start a new burst of growth, we’ve fully integrated the Scaling Up methodology, which is based on the Rockefeller Habits. Let the daily huddles begin! As an ESOP, we are building wealth for our associates by scaling the business all while building great things for our customers.

Leadership

Leadership & Board

After transitioning to 100% associate ownership in 2020, Hallmark is now governed by a board of inside and outside members. Meet our Leadership Team and Board of Directors.

Joe Balthazor

Chairman, CEO & Founder
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Ariana Bodenbach

VP, Human Resources
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Robb Buechler

VP, Exteriors Business Unit
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Kent Holtz

VP, Operations
Member of the Board
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Todd Lienke

VP, Information Technology
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Paula Osvold

VP, Interiors Business Solutions
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Katie Sadorf

VP, Marketing & Strategy
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Bobby Staats

President
Member of the Board
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Jim Hobby

CFO
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Christine Adee

Board Member
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Jim Winistorfer

Board Member
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Headquarters

Hallmark Building Supplies, Inc

901 Northview Road, Suite 100

Waukesha, WI 53188

Customer Service: 800.642.2246

Warehouse Locations

Phoenix | Denver | Norcross

Minneapolis | St. Louis | Charlotte

Arlington | Waukesha | Des Moines

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Jim Winistorfer
Board Member

External member of the Board since 2021, Jim Winistorfer is President & Head Coach of Doig Corporation. Jim serves on a variety of private and ESOP company Board of Directors locally. Jim’s expertise is in sales, marketing, operations and C-Level management roles, Jim has led Lean Thinking, Robotics and Automation strategy for over 35 years. With a BS and MS from UW Stout, Jim is a USGA & WSGA Certified Golf Rules Official and is very proud of his “Expert” status in the Rules of Golf. Just don’t ask for a ruling in the middle of his backswing!

Christine Adee
Board Member

External Member of the Board, Chris became a part of Hallmark’s board after the transition to 100% employee ownership. Valued member, Chris’ expertise as an ESOP leader has provided guidance and support for Hallmark’s growth initiatives. She’s currently the Co-CEO of OwnersEdge, Inc., an active member of The ESOP Association, and holder of an MBA and undergraduate finance degree from UW Milwaukee’s Lubar College of Business. Want to know what it is like to travel the world with like-minded adventurers? Just ask Chris.

Jim Hobby
CFO

 

Not your typical bean counter, Jim has recently joined Hallmark as CFO. He’s a long-time resident of Texas, yet is relocating to Wisconsin because the cold is better than the heat, says his wife! Proud father of two, traveler, bicyclist, and foodie, Jim has a storied background in accounting. Previously with Baker Tilly, as a CPA he has extensive experience in restructuring, acquisitions, and the construction industry. Jim’s numbers are spot on, but his sense of humor and personality are what add up to making him a great addition to the Hallmark team.

Bobby Staats
President

President since 2023. Avid Missouri alum. In true fandom, his dog Truman is named after the Mizzou Mascot! Bobby’s MBA is from William Woods University. He started in the Tyvek® business at Hallmark and then moved to VP of Sales. He led the Interiors Business Unit and is certified in Business Analytics and is Master Facilitator of the BluePrint Sales Process. When he’s not at work you’ll find him on the baseball field with his son Holden, cheering on his daughter Norah at her latest gymnastics meet or finding a great local concert with his wife Kris.

Katie Sadorf
VP, Marketing & Strategy

VP Marketing & Strategy, proud MBA and alum from UW Whitewater, and Certified Scaling Up Coach are just a few of the hats Katie wears. Strategic thinking is second nature for her as she leads many cross functional initiatives, along with Hallmark’s Marketing team. 30 year veteran at Hallmark, creative mind, deep thinker, wife, and mom to two grown sons. The real boss of her life is a Black Labrador named Stella. If Katie’s not working you’ll find her planning her next international trip or traveling the globe… the world is calling and she must go.

Paula Osvold
VP, Interiors Business Solutions

An unmatched background in commercial business and a storehouse for historical information, Paula is our VP of Interiors Business Solutions and leads the Commercial and Residential Corian® Design business for 23 states. While this MN Metro State University Alum may have a soft voice, this former Army National Guard MP consistently challenges her team on what’s always been to help them discover what could be. Offline, Paula’s husband, daughter, son, and her – along with their two dogs – can be found on one of 10,000 lakes during the 3 days of Minnesota summer.

Todd Lienke
VP, Information Technology

VP of IT extraordinaire, there’s not much in the tech world that Todd can’t do. Educated at KRS Computer & Business School in MN, Todd leads the way in keeping us ahead of the curve. Microsoft Certified, network administrator, dog dad to Benny, and devoted husband… but it’s Todd’s cooking that will keep you connected. Grill master, smoker master, and, lover of Bourbon, when not online at midnight, you’ll find him planning out his next great adventure or creating that perfect recipe for grilled grub.

Kent Holtz
VP, Operations

Member of the Board

Member of the Board. MBA from UW Whitewater, Marquette Grad. Kent’s love of learning never ends as he’s pursuing a second finance degree. Customer service, purchasing, warehouse and delivery: these all fall under his leadership as VP Operations. Kent’s home is in Wisconsin where his grown twin sons and his daughter occasionally grace his presence. His wife, Karen, keeps him on his toes—just ask about April Fools’ Day at his house.

Robb Buechler
VP, Exteriors Business Unit
Bachelor of Business and Finance from UW Stout was just the start for this Minnesota resident. With experience in Fabrication and Business, he’s had leadership roles in the interiors and now is VP Exteriors Business Unit. A rich history at Hallmark, Robb’s at his best when strategizing on pricing and negotiating with suppliers. Avid golfer, lover of adrenaline sports (think snowmobiling, dirt biking, and jet skiing), dedicated husband, and father of three, Robb’s also leader of Hallmark’s Levanté® business.
Ariana Bodenbach
VP, Human Resources

Dual degreed in Human Resource Management and Supply Chain and Operations Management, this UW Milwaukee Alum is our VP of HR. Active in the Women in Construction (WIC) and the ESOP Association in Wisconsin, Ariana leads the Associate Owner Committee and is a fierce champion of our associate ownership culture. Along with her husband, she’s busy when not at the office wrangling her elementary aged daughter and toddler son keeping them active in dance, swim, and other activities.

Joe Balthazor
Chairman, CEO & Founder

Born on a dairy farm, founded Hallmark at the age of 6. Our fearless leader, CEO of Hallmark, and Chairman of the Board. Master of grand ideas Joe continues to lead at the helm of Hallmark. He’s been in the trenches with us from pulling laminate in the early days, fabricating Corian® to specification, to envisioning the future of Hallmark beyond 50 years. Packer fan, Brewer fan, and Marquette fan… mediocre golfer and dedicated husband and father to six Joe remains active in the business leading our inorganic growth strategy.

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