Meet the family

ERICH PECHMANN

Owner

I'm a proud, third generation memorialist and also the Vice-President of Pechmann Memorials. My grandfather founded Pechmann Memorials of Madison back in 1971, and I have been working in the shop since I was 14.

Memorials are my trade, but cultivating a team of people that aspire to be the best at what we do is my passion. Nothing that we do can be compared to rocket science, but I refuse to accept the industry-wide trend toward simplicity and mediocrity. We will do better.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Business Management

University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

SUPER-POWERS

Dad jokes, Foosball

ALEX COYIER

Office Manager, Senior Designer

I started in the business as a memorial designer back in 2002. Since then I've performed just about every duty related to memorials and stone engraving- from operating a forklift to hand-etching portraits onto granite memorials.

I am honored to be trusted by individuals and families in the creation of memorials for their loved ones. What we do is an often emotionally difficult process for many people, and having the opportunity to be there for people during those difficult times is both humbling and fulfilling.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science

University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

WHAT GETS YOU UP IN THE MORNING?

About 250 mg of caffeine

THE TEAM BEHIND THE SCENES

A small but mighty collection of craftsmen/craftswomen

We are a team. Our goal may sound modest- "Do better"- but it requires daily focus and persistence in all aspects of the business. Above all, it demands an appreciation for the impact our products have on our customers and the greater community.

The industry-wide trend of replacing traditional, more time-consuming methods of stone-cutting and engraving with far simpler methods at the cost of durability and aesthetics is incompatible with our mission objective. Our employees are trained to recognize the corner-cutting from our competitors, and to insist on quality.

A little history...

The DiRienzo story begins with two emigrants of the Molise region of Italy arriving to the welcoming sight of the Statue of Liberty in New York, NY in 1889. Lady Liberty herself arrived just four years earlier, and Ellis Island wasn't opened until 1892. Michael and Maria Rosa DiRienzo were just two among roughly 12 million immigrants that showed up in the United Sates that year, full of hope for a better future, and the promise of opportunity.

The couple first made their way to Madison, but then sought new economic opportunity in Cleveland, OH after just a few years. It was there that their eldest son, Angelo, became the first of his brothers to learn the trade of stonecutting. In 1911, Angelo returned to Madison with his skills and one of his younger brothers, Joseph, to found Lake View Monumental Co. (later renamed DiRienzo Bros., Inc.). Two more brothers, Vincent and John, also joined the new family business at the Regent St and Highland Ave location.

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After about five years of growing the business, the brothers were able to purchase the land their shop was on. After a few more years, however, they became targets of the Madison City Council since that land was also the desired choice for a new High School. The City Council attempted to implement condemnation proceedings and force the DiRienzos out of the property, but the brothers held firm and succeeded in keeping their land. The City tried again about twenty years later, but eventually gave up the fight.

John DiRienzo married Sarah Anderson and had two sons, Roland and Francis, who together followed in their father's footsteps. In the 1940s, the two took over the family business and continued to run things until selling it in 1986. Ownership of the business changed hands a few times in the following decade. In 1998, a Minnesota-based wholesaler owned and operated the company.

In the summer of 2020, DiRienzo was purchased by the Pechmann family of Pechmann Memorials here in Madison. As a result, and for the first time in decades, all sales, design, production, and every other related service is handled in-house by our career staff.

DiRienzo Monuments was, and is again, a Madison original!

FUN FACT:

There are two kinds of memorials: those manufactured by a distant wholesaler and shipped to a local retailer, and those designed and made locally by the very people you meet right here in Madison.

TRIFECTA OF AWESOMENESS:

Knowledge

We have three generations of experience and career professionals at the core of our business. We have overseen projects from the Milwaukee Veterans Memorial, the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial, many of the public veteran memorials in the greater Madison area, and countless other local projects for public and private organizations.

Creativity

Many of our clients prefer tradition and simplicity. For those who are looking to express themselves or their loved ones with originality and sophistication, we are the single-most capable team to bring your vision to life.

Responsibility

While we do our best to accommodate our clients' wishes, we also have a duty to educate and explain the mechanics and nuances of our profession. We craft memorials that should last centuries with minimal maintenance. We resist the industry-wide trend of using paint, laser-etching, and other engraving techniques that are all but guaranteed to disappoint in a matter of years, or decades at best.