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Billy Miller and owner Jeff Pettit lay out stone designs to be sandblasted in the rear booth at Artistic Memorials Ltd., a three-year-old company on Jefferson Street in Perrysburg.
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Reputation for quality enables monument maker to prosper

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Reputation for quality enables monument maker to prosper

When it comes to business, you could say that nearly everything is etched in stone for Jeff Pettit. But then, as owner of Artistic Memorials Ltd., a monument maker in Perrysburg, what else would you expect?

"I've been in the business 21 years, working for another company for 18 years," he said. "My goal was to buy that other company, but that didn't work out, so I started my own. All in all, that was the best move I ever made.

With five competitors in the Toledo area, the three-year-old firm has had success. Mr. Pettit said his reputation for quality work followed him to his new business, enabling Artistic Memorials' sales to reach $575,000 in 2004, a 46 percent increase from 2003.

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"We didn't have to beat down any doors," he said, pointing to word of mouth and referrals as the chief source of sales.

Keith Custer, manager of the Witzler-Shank Funeral Home in Perrysburg, was one of those who was glad to have the shop nearby.

"We were happy he moved to Perrysburg because we knew his reputation, we knew his work. It is top-notch," Mr. Custer said.

But mortuaries represent only 50 percent of firm's business. The other half is direct retail sales to customers, Mr. Pettit said.

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With much of monument engraving now done by computer, most people could operate a machine with the touch of a button. What sets companies apart "is being able to visualize proportionately how things should be laid out on a [monument]," Mr. Pettit said.

Monuments, though, aren't the only items keeping companies like Artistic Memorials rolling. Like his rivals, the owner does a fair amount of etched signs for subdivisions and stone "address number" blocks for homes. The company did 1,800 blocks last year.

Artistic Memorials also sells grave markers for pets at a cost of about $75 each. "You'd be surprised how many of those we do," he said. The company has done grave stones for dogs, cats, ferrets, and an assortment of pets, he added.

The pet markers and blocks for new homes are important because the financial model for a monument company in the northern United States is tougher than for those in sunshine states, Mr. Pettit said.

Monuments cost the same in both regions - about $2,500 for a granite headstone about 6 to 8 inches thick - but warmer states can erect the markers year-round, unlike Ohio and Michigan where the ground is too hard in winter to lay a foundation.

Foundation pouring at cemeteries will end around early November, Mr. Pettit said, and usually resume in April or May.

"It ties up a lot of money for us because some people will order in October but we don't pour or set the stone until May, so they have all that time to pay the balance of their order," he said. "There's not many businesses that operate like that."

Still, with 50 cemeteries in Lucas and Wood counties and 150 cemeteries within a 60-mile radius, there is enough business for everyone, Mr. Pettit said.

The only threat on the horizon, he said, would be a large increase in the public's preference for cremation.

Nationwide about a quarter of the dead is cremated currently, but that proportion is expected to double by 2020, Mr. Pettit said.

Contact Jon Chavez at: jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.

Small Business Profile is a weekly feature on local companies. To be considered, send information about your company to Small Business Profiles, Business News, The Blade, P.O. Box 921, Toledo, Ohio 43697-0921.

First Published July 25, 2005, 11:55 a.m.

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Billy Miller and owner Jeff Pettit lay out stone designs to be sandblasted in the rear booth at Artistic Memorials Ltd., a three-year-old company on Jefferson Street in Perrysburg.  (long / blade)
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