Superior Monument Inc

What Superior Monument Inc does

Superior Monument Inc is a private, Michigan-based designer and fabricator of custom cemetery memorials, founded in 1986 by Dave and Nancy Sietsema in Muskegon. The company's core product portfolio spans upright monuments, slant memorials, bevel and flush grave markers, bench memorials, mausoleums (single, double, and family), cremation monuments/columbariums, civic/public monuments, and bronze markers, primarily fabricated from granite with marble and bronze options. Manufacturing capabilities include computer-controlled laser etching (used for photo-quality portrait engraving on black granite), hand etching via diamond engraver, shape carving, full sculpturing, and bas relief carving, with standard completion timelines of 6-8 weeks for stock materials and 3-6 months for custom items. A complementary digital offering, Monumark, extends physical monuments with QR-linked online memorial pages for sharing stories, photos, and GPS-preserved locations.

The company sells primarily through direct, in-person consultations at its Muskegon headquarters and a regional field sales force that historically covered Muskegon, Grand Haven, and Traverse City, with installation handled by trained in-house employees who coordinate cemetery foundations. Customer segments are anchored on individual/family buyers (primary) and civic/government organizations (primary), with smaller exposure to commercial/business signage and pre-need planning customers. Pricing is one-time/perpetual license with variability by size, style, material, and optional engraving/feature add-ons; the only disclosed reference price is a white double mausoleum at $25,524.21.

In 2018, following the founders' retirement, Superior Monument was acquired by Patten Monument Company (Comstock Park, MI; established 1917), Michigan's largest provider of cemetery memorials. The company continues to operate under the Superior Monument brand, locally owned and operated as part of the Patten Monument family, with no public reporting, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

Superior Monument Inc

Legal name

Superior Monument Company

Website

https://superiormonument.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Superior Monument Inc designs, fabricates, and installs custom cemetery monuments, mausoleums, grave markers, and memorial benches in granite and bronze, serving individual families, civic organizations, and commercial clients throughout Michigan as part of Patten Monument Company.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cemetery Monuments

NAICS

Burial Casket Manufacturing (339995)

SIC

Cut Stone & Stone Products (3281)

akta.pro primary industry

Monuments, Statues & Memorials (THAJACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Iconic Architecture & Signature Buildings (Cathedrals, Palaces, Castles) (THAJACAE)

Keywords

• Cemetery monuments
• Grave markers
• Custom headstones
• Memorial benches
• Mausoleums

Headquarters

HQ city

Muskegon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Monument Sales: One-time purchase of custom memorials including upright monuments, slant markers, bevel markers, flush markers, bench memorials, and mausoleums. Products are custom-ordered and fabricated to customer specifications.
2. Additional Engraving and Design Features: Optional add-ons including hand or laser etchings, ceramic photos, vases, custom artwork, deep bias relief carving, veteran plaques, and additional finishes.
3. Installation Services: Delivery and installation to cemetery lots by trained employees. Includes foundation setting coordination with cemeteries.
4. Virtual Memorials (Monumark): Complimentary digital memorial service that extends beyond physical cemetery memorials, allowing families to share stories, photos, and memories online.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Superior Monument designs, fabricates, and installs custom cemetery monuments, mausoleums, grave markers, and memorial benches in granite, marble, and bronze for Michigan families and civic organizations. The company offers a full range of upright monuments, slant memorials, bevel and flush grave markers, bench memorials, cremation monuments, civic memorials, and commercial signs, complemented by professional installation and a complimentary Monumark virtual memorial platform.

Product overview

Superior Monument Inc is a monument and memorial manufacturing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of cemetery memorial products. The core offerings include upright monuments, slant memorials, bevel grave markers, flush markers, mausoleums, bench memorials, cremation monuments, civic memorials, and bronze markers—all crafted primarily from granite with various color options. The company operates as part of the Patten Monument network (acquired in 2018) and distinguishes itself through custom manufacturing capabilities including laser etching, shape carving, and hand etching. A notable add-on service is Monumark, a digital/virtual memorial platform that complements physical monuments with online storytelling capabilities. The company serves Michigan families from its Muskegon location and offers pre-planning services for advance memorial arrangements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Upright Monuments

Quantifiable outcome

• Granite monuments last approximately 1 inch per 10,000 years based on National Park Service research on erosion rates
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Patten Monument CompanycoreOthers · 1 January 2018In 2018, Patten Monument Company (Comstock Park, MI) acquired Superior Monument Company in Muskegon, along with the Grand Haven location and the Swensen Memorials location in Traverse City. Patten Monument was established in 1917 and is Michigan's largest provider of cemetery memorials. Dave and Nancy Sietsema selected Patten for their excellent reputation for customer service and high quality. Andrew Bolt, president of Patten Monument, stated 'It's our honor to carry the torch that Dave lit in 1986.'

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Matthews International: Diversified death-care products manufacturer (memorialization, cremation, funeral technology) via its Memorialization segment. Comparable as a memorial-products manufacturer but operating globally and across multiple death-care categories.
• StoneMor Partners: Cemetery operator and funeral services provider that sells monuments and markers through its owned cemetery portfolio. Adjacent competitor that bundles monument sales with cemetery plots, potentially disintermediating independent dealers.
• Service Corporation International: Largest funeral, cremation, and cemetery operator in North America (Dignity Memorial brand). Adjacent rather than directly competitive — purchases and supplies monuments at scale through its cemetery network, making it both a potential customer and a structural threat to independent dealers.

Direct peers

• Rock of Ages Corporation: Quarrier and manufacturer of granite memorials and cemetery monuments with vertically integrated granite sourcing. Comparable as a granite-focused monument fabricator serving both family and cemetery customers, though operating at national scale.
• Rome Monument: Regional monument manufacturer serving the Mid-Atlantic with custom granite and bronze memorials, headstones, and civic monuments. Closely comparable in product mix, custom fabrication capabilities, and direct-sales showroom model.
• Patten Monument Company: Parent company of Superior Monument and Michigan's largest provider of cemetery memorials, offering the same core product categories (monuments, markers, mausoleums, civic memorials) across multiple Michigan locations. Directly comparable on product, customer base, and go-to-market.

Emerging players

• Memorials.com: Online marketplace connecting families with monument dealers and offering direct-buy options for headstones and memorials. Emerging digital channel that competes for the same end customer via a lower-friction, price-transparent model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/superiormonumentco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/superior-monument-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Superior Monument Inc