Jordan Beck | Daily Press Tom Fisher, co-owner of Escanaba business Fisher Monuments, right, stands with his grandson, sales associate Jake Fisher, in the business’ showroom.

Editor’s note: The Daily Press features a profile of an area business each week. This week’s featured business is Fisher Monuments in Escanaba.

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By Jordan Beck

jbeck@dailypress.net

ESCANABA — Memorial Day will be observed later this month. Tom Fisher, co-owner of Escanaba business Fisher Monuments, said the holiday marks his business’ biggest time of year.

Fisher has run the business for 52 years. Initially, he ran Fisher Monuments from his house.

“I worked out of my home for … well over 25 years,” he said.

His wife Rose did office work for the business at the time.

In May 1996, Fisher built the business’ current office and showroom on North Lincoln Road.

Today, Fisher co-owns Fisher Monuments along with his daughter Jacqui Fisher-Martenson. His grandson, Jake Fisher, has worked at the business as a sales associate for two years.

“The only ones that work here is the three of us,” Fisher said.

According to Fisher, the majority of Fisher Monuments’ customers are from Delta, Schoolcraft and Marquette counties.

People can take a look at the products sold by Fisher Monuments at the business’ showroom. Over 40 stones are on display in the showroom building, and more than 50 are on display outside.

“The inside display has worked great for the winter months,” Fisher said.

Most of the monuments sold by Fisher Monuments fall into one of four categories: lawn-level monuments, bevel monuments, slant monuments and upright monuments. Of these, Fisher said upright monuments are his business’ strongest seller.

“(People) can find them much easier, and they’re not covered with the snow,” he said.

Fisher noted the business has sold a number of larger-scale monuments, as well.

“We’ve also sold … nine or 10 mausoleums,” Fisher said.

Additionally, Fisher Monuments has built a total of four war memorials.

“We put a monument in the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. last year,” Fisher said. The business’ other war memorials are in Curtis, Gladstone and Garden.

Over the years, Fisher Monuments has developed partnerships with multiple suppliers.

“Originally, we only had two suppliers — one for bronze markers and one for granite markers,” Fisher said.

Today, Fisher Monuments works with a total of eight suppliers. Fisher said granite for the business’ monuments is sourced from the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Georgia, as well as India and Canada.

The business has also been working with other companies to deliver the monuments it sells.

“In the last 20 years, we’ve expanded to lower Michigan and Wisconsin for delivery,” Fisher said.

Fisher Monuments is able to arrange for monuments to be delivered anywhere in the continental United States free of charge.

In addition to these partnerships, Fisher Monuments has been working with an Upper Peninsula-based company to provide sandblasting services at its showroom for about two years.

Looking ahead, Fisher said he aims to continue updating his business’ showroom.

“Every year, we try to buy 10 or 12 new stones for display,” he said.

Aside from this, he plans to continue his work at Fisher Monuments.

“I guess just to keep the family business going,” Fisher said of his goals.

To learn more about Fisher Monuments, visit www.fishermonuments.com.