Belding Monuments expands into Madison

Star Beacon

October 06, 2008 06:33 pm

— GENEVA — Belding Monuments LLC opened its Madison display this summer.
The display of granite monuments is located at 5500 N. Ridge Road, on Route 20 just east of McMackin Road. The Madison display is the company’s second location. Ron Belding opened what would become Belding Monuments on the family farm in 1986 when the family sold the Belding-Webster Funeral Home. Belding Monuments LLC is an independent family-owned monument company operated by Ron and Jim Belding.
The Beldings decided to partner with their friend Don Mah to open the Madison display, because Jim Belding is interested in expanding the family business into Lake County.
“I think people pick up on our genuine interest in helping them (the families) pick out the best monument to remember their loved one. A lot of our business is based on word-of-mouth referrals, and business has been growing,” Jim Belding said.
The company sells granite monuments of all sizes, bronze plaques, cemetery statues and benches. Its services include on-site lettering services, custom pet monuments, address stones, war memorials and engraved bricks for organizational fundraisers. Some of the larger projects in the company’s portfolio include the Geneva Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial, VFW park monuments and the Geneva High School sign in front of the new school.
Belding Monuments LLC does the engraving and etching at its main office in Geneva. Ron Belding explained why his company decided to do its own engraving and artwork rather than send it away to be done.
“Our prices are competitive for all our products because we engrave in-house. Our customers are not paying to have the monuments shipped out of town to be completed and shipped back,” he said.
It also means customers can meet the company’s in-house stone artists, Jim Belding and Mark Stout. Both Stout and Belding Monuments LLC office manager Sue Phillips are longtime Madison residents.
Although the company does some large memorial projects, it is dedicated to helping families find the right monuments and stone art to represent the loved one they lost. Jim believes “ordering a monument should not be a high-pressure, stressful experience. A lot of people don’t know life insurance funds can be used to buy a monument from an independent monument company, but they can.”
The families meet with a representative who provides information about granite, monuments and cemetery rules. Each family is presented with a computer proof drawing of the monument design for review. Belding Monuments helps geographically spread-out families by e-mailing the computer proof and digital pictures.
The Madison display is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, but everyone is welcome to stop in when the white “open” sign is hanging out front.
The main office in Geneva, 564 Kiwanis Park Drive, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, and by appointment.
To set up an appointment, call Phillips at the main office (440 466-4291). Belding Monuments offers in-home monument consultations, a service intended for persons unable to drive. Browse in-stock inventory at www.beldingmonuments.com/monumentgallery.

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