Our Story
The Shaping of a Company
Landmark Monuments, Inc.
Aspiration
As a restless young man looking for a career in life I was working as a caretaker while I considered my options. On several occasions local firms has reached out to me recruiting me for employment. These opportunities however did not ring true to what I wanted to become. I had also reached out to other firms which I thought I would enjoy working for and seemed a better fit, however being young and lacking experience, I was denied.
Then one fine summer day I received a call from a neighbor. He worked as an independent sales representative in the memorial industry. He said one of the companies he represented was looking for someone to work in their manufacturing plant making memorial stones and wondered if I would be interested. Wow, that would be interesting, I thought. Though I knew nothing about stone or what was involved but my interest was peaked. I proceeded to reach out to this firm and an interview was scheduled about a week later. At the conclusion of the interview, I was offered a position and two weeks later my career had begun.
Training
Over the course of the next few years I learned the process of carving and lettering blank memorial stones, carving dates on existing stones, repairing broken stones, rock pitching the rough surfaces of stones, cutting and polishing raw granite and installing finished memorials in the cemetery. I was particularly intrigued with the aspects of the work that were somewhat specialize like carving raised lettering, creating concave or convex surfaces on stones, and creating special shapes weather rough, smooth, polished or a combination of these.
Transition
As time and place would have it my eyes began to wonder toward the possibility of starting my own company. So, in the summer of 1998 LANDMARK MONUMENTS was born.
Having had no experience in sales, marketing, or business management, or computer skills the first few years were challenging. Piece by piece I began to build the groundwork for the business. From establishing relationships with vendors to supply the raw material, to learning who the contacts of each cemetery were, to learning how to create a product that would adequately reflect the life of person being remembered. It was 5 years later in 2003 before I hired my first employee to help meet the needs of the families I served.
Growth
Incidentally, this first employee was my father David Miller who left his employment to work with me in the memorial industry. A short time later we formed a partnership which continued until he began to relax his duties in 2015. At this point I incorporated Landmark Monuments which continues to serve the community as Landmark Monuments, Inc.
Over the years we have been over the hills and through the valleys of business experience but have continuously sought to provide families and community organizations with outstanding products and personalized service. We continually seek to improve our company by making the changes necessary to meet the needs of the community.
Who We Serve
1. First and foremost, we serve area families which have lost a loved one and seek the resolution and respect a personalized memorial can provide. Also, we serve those who see the importance of preparing for their earthly resting place prior to their passing. These memorials, monuments, mausoleums or columbariums will vary in form from a simple marker with names and dates only to custom masterpieces.
2. We serve local churches and cemeteries with memorials for unmarked graves or replacement stones for damaged or deteriorated memorials.
3. We serve parks, local government offices and community organizations with memorials and commemorative tributes for various causes.
Services we provide
- We provide cemetery memorials in both granite and bronze of various styles (ground level, beveled, slants, uprights, and custom shapes)
- We provide crypts, mausoleums, and columbariums for above ground interments of traditional and cremated remains.
- We provide on-site lettering (inscriptions) to complete dates of death or add additional names and dates or design to existing memorials.
- We provide cleaning, restoration, or repair services for existing memorials, mausoleums and columbariums.
- We provide memorials in granite or bronze for community projects such as building dedication, donor recognition, sponsor projects, etc.
- We provide lettering services for memorial walkways or contributor recognition on pavers of various types of material (granite, brick, composite, bluestone…).
- We provide engraving of stone for building or organization identification.
• As a rule, we do not engrave advertisements or products designed to influence public ideological constructs
Our Vision
To provide the families of our communities with products and services which will bring healing and new life during a time of brokenness and loss.
To provide products and services to local organizations involved in building community by remembering individuals and organizations which have left a mark upon history.
To assist local individuals and organizations to preserve history through the restoration of existing tributes and the erection of new memorials and monuments.
The Result
By contributing products and services to the community which soothe hearts, encourage communication, honor heroes, preserves the past, and enshrines the present we are helping to bring unity and cohesion to a society fractured by the challenges of life. By erecting these monuments and memorials for individuals or groups of individuals in common places it provides a place where families and communities can gather from time to time to reflect upon the memories which are represented in the tribute.
While not all memories are pleasant, we recognize the value that reaching across even painful memories can have in bringing renewal. This act is an expression of the heart willing to proclaim its own strength of character even in the midst of pain.
We trust that the products and services we offer can encourage personal and community growth. Then regardless of the challenges that will come in the future we will have sufficient knowledge of those who have gone before us to continue on an upward course.
May the peace of God be with us all.
Respectfully yours,
Jonathan Miller, President