About Us
Introducing the team at Whiteman Monumental
Aaron Whiteman
With a gift for working with his hands and a flair for design when Aaron left school he was suited to a career in creating quality products. The only question was in which industry would his talents be best served? While honing his design and drawing skills during a signwriting pre-apprenticeship course he was contacted by a local monumental mason who was looking for some bright young talent to join his team and the rest, as they say, is history. In addition to completing his apprenticeship and becoming a fully qualified monumental mason, Aaron was taken under the wing of a retired English Monumental Mason who was extremely skilled with the hammer and chisel, hand cutting letters into granite and marble. This was an invaluable time in Aaron's personal and professional development, where he was privileged to learn not only the traditional skill of hand cutting, but also about lettering, layout and monumental masonry in general. These lessons have helped shape the business he opened in July 2003. Aaron really enjoys working with families, guiding them and making their ideas become a reality. He loves the challenge of creating something unique, but is equally committed to ensuring that the simplest designs look stunning. Every product created by the company is subject to Aaron's critical appraisal so you can be assured that your order will be finished to the highest standards.
Jacob Whiteman
Jake joined the team in early 2004 after a successful panel beating career. Jake is a very meticulous, clever and skilled panel beater who has brought those characteristics over to his role at Whiteman Monumental. He is the back bone of the business covering all aspects of the trade. He learnt fast and it wasn't long before he was able to head out into the cemeteries installing on his own. He has been put through his apprenticeship and alongside Aaron is a fully qualified monumental mason. Inside the yard Jake takes care of all the blasting, painting artwork, lettering and organising various projects. Jake is excellent at finding solutions and always refining the way things are done whether it be installation ideas or improving efficiency. His installation skills are unmatched and he is fastidious in the presentation of each job he has installed. He takes great pride in everything he does, a great asset to the team.
David Wright
Dave joined the team in 2004 and is an invaluable member of Whiteman Monumental. Dave has come from a funeral directing background working at various firms in the Wellington area for over 38 years. He has a great understanding of the cemeteries and having worked with monumental masons over the years is well positioned to add value to the business. All this experience along with Dave's great nature makes him a perfect liaison for clients as they come through the door, offering the correct advice and information for them. Dave looks after the showroom and all day to day running of the office making sure jobs are completed on time. Dave's speciality is liaising with clients but the man in the office also extends his talents to helping Jake and Aaron outside in cemeteries, often seen on the end of a water blaster or lifting stones in place. Inside the yard he also looks after the cleaning, gilding and painting of the memorials.
Claire Utting
Claire is the newest member of the team joining in 2007. Claire comes from a typesetting background. She works behind the scenes doing the layouts and design options for families to choose from. With a fantastic knowledge of fonts she is able to match them up and know which ones go together to give you some great options to consider. With her typesetting background Claire creates all the brochures you are sent and she is a great resource for the business in all areas of design. With an excellent knowledge of photoshop she also performs any retouching on the photos you provide us, making sure that everything is just right for ceramic photos.