About this podcast
MBNA Monument Matters – a new podcast produced by the Monument Builders of North America for all things memorialization. MBNA is a 119-year-old association with the mission “to define and promote memorialization in a viable, innovative and diversified way for the membership, and to enhance awareness of memorialization by the general public and remembrance industry.” In that spirit of promoting memorization, the MBNA Marketing Committee is launching this podcast as an extension of our monthly magazine, MBNews. Each podcast episode features a discussion related to a magazine theme. Monument Matters podcasts invite everyone to listen and share.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 42 episodes
- This Podcast Could Save You Hundreds. Putting MBNA Shipping Discounts to Work. · 33 min · Season 2 Episode 20Shipping costs can add up, but an overlooked MBNA member benefit could help. Host Mike Johns talks with Heather Sturgill of Sears Monument Company, Jake Tiller of Granite Sales…
- Reading the Stone: Granite Grades, Colors and Choices · 35 min · Season 2 Episode 19Granite may look solid and predictable, but every quarry tells a different story. In this episode of Monument Matters, host Mike Johns talks with Brandon Archer, Chief Revenue…
- Setting Sail for Mobile: Jimmy Buffett and a Night at the Museum · 21 min · Season 2 Episode 18What do Jimmy Buffett, maritime history and memorialization have in common? Discover the connections as Monument Matters host Mike Johns welcomes Karen Poth, executive director…
- More Than a Sale: Rethinking the Memorial Sales Experience · 28 min · Season 2 Episode 17Selling a memorial isn’t like selling almost anything else. Families may arrive grieving, uncertain and unfamiliar with the process, making empathy and careful listening…
- Placement with Purpose: Turning Cremation into Permanent Memorialization · 39 min · Season 2 Episode 16More than 22 million urns are estimated to remain in homes across the United States, often without a plan for permanent placement. In this episode of Monument Matters, Honnalora…
- Mentoring in Motion: Sharing Knowledge, Building the Monument Profession · 35 min · Season 2 Episode 14Some of the most valuable education in the monument profession happens when someone simply asks a question. In this episode of Monument Matters, Roger and Debbie Aholt of…
- AI at Work: Practical, Safe Tools for Monument Builders · 28 min · Season 2 Episode 14Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses approach research, communication, design and daily operations, but monument builders need guidance tailored to their work. In…
- Tradition Doesn’t Mean Standing Still: Sunburst Memorials Builds for the Next Century · 31 min · Season 2 Episode 13In this episode of Monument Matters, host Mike Johns talks with Jill Kampa, president of Sunburst Memorials, and Dylan Gertken, director of operations, about the company’s move…
- Designing Meaning: The Art of the Story in Stone · 26 min · Season 2 Episode 12In this episode of Monument Matters, Mike Johns talks with Jed A. Hendrickson, CM, FAICA, about the fundamentals of meaningful monument design. Their conversation explores…
- Monumental Mobile: The USS Alabama and the Stories It Preserves · 24 min · Season 2 Episode 11In this episode of Monument Matters, host Mike Johns talks with Matthew McCluney of USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park about one of Mobile’s most memorable destinations for…
- Keeping the Monument Industry Connected: A conversation with the We Rock podcast hosts · 50 min · Season 2 Episode 10In this special crossover episode of Monument Matters and We Rock, Mike Johns, Tony Watson and Austin Keese explore how education, networking and association involvement continue…
- Carving the Path: Mentorship and Community through WinMBNA · 35 min · Season 2 Episode 9In this special takeover episode of Monument Matters, the leadership team of WinMBNA shares personal stories, career lessons, and insights into the future of the monument…
- Typography Matters: Bringing Craft and Creativity Back to Monument Lettering · 34 min · Season 2 Episode 8Lettering is often treated as a secondary step in monument design—but should it be? In this episode, Brandon Billester of the Monument Lettering Center joins the conversation to…
- Honoring a Life Lived Full Throttle: The Story Behind an Award-Winning Monument · 28 min · Season 2 Episode 7What does it take to turn a life story into a lasting memorial? In this episode, the team at Harrison Monument share how they worked with Salem Stone to transform a young man’s…
- More Than a Job: Training Monument Professionals · 23 min · Season 2 Episode 6In this episode of Monument Matters, host Mike Johns talks with Troy Caldwell about the launch of Monument Builders Academy, MBNA’s new online education platform for monument…
- From Shop Floor to President: Sean Longstreth, CM, AICA on Craftsmanship, Community, and the Future of Memorialization · 23 min · Season 2 Episode 5New MBNA President Sean Longstreth, CM, AICA shares how growing up in a fifth-generation monument business shaped his passion for memorialization. In this conversation with host…
- Beyond Cremation: Why Families Still Want a Place to Remember · 27 min · Season 2 Episode 4Despite rising cremation rates, many families still want a permanent place to remember their loved ones. In this episode of Monument Matters, Mike Johns and Cristine Bouwkamp…
- Cremation Isn’t the Whole Story: What Consumers Really Want in Disposition and Memorialization · 27 min · Season 2 Episode 3Dr. Tanya Marsh joins Monument Matters to unpack what consumer research really reveals about cremation, burial and emerging options like green burial and human composting. The…
- The Stone Carver’s Apprentice: How CNC Technology Is Shaping the Future of Monument Craft · 33 min · Season 2 Episode 2In Season 2, Episode 2 of Monument Matters, Ross Oglesby of Keystone Memorials and Dan Weeres of Coldspring discuss how CNC technology is reshaping the monument industry. They…
- The Art of Memorialization: Craftsmanship That Endure · 37 min · Season 2 Episode 1Are memorialists artists or tradespeople—or both? In this Monument Matters episode, Danielle Lehman and Steve “Kaz” Kaczmarski explore how design fundamentals, mentorship, and…
