Jeff has been in this trade since he was a teenager. In 1997, he founded Vermont Monument Company in Morrisville and built it into a successful operation before selling it. He later owned and operated both a memorial business and a sporting goods business in northern New York before returning to the monument industry full time and joining Champlain Monuments in 2019.
He brings deep industry knowledge, long-standing supplier relationships, and a strong read on market conditions. His understanding of pricing, supply chains, and production realities helps keep the business steady and informed, with clear answers and dependable service for the families it serves.
Jeff oversees the day-to-day operations of Vermont Monuments, our Morrisville branch, while staying closely involved at Champlain Monuments. He moves between Morrisville, South Burlington, and St. Albans throughout the week, depending on where families and projects need his attention.
He cares most about working directly with families through the planning and design of a memorial, and he remains involved from the first conversation through final installation. Outside the office, he works in the field both alongside the crew and independently, handling foundations, lettering, cleaning, and installations.
Sawyer grew up in this trade and joined Champlain Monuments full time in 2017. He oversees operations, strategy, and accounting for the business, while staying closely involved in the day-to-day coordination of work across the office, shop, and field.
He leads much of the on-site lettering and restoration work, including death dates, custom inscriptions, and larger cemetery projects in coordination with towns and preservation commissions. A core part of his work has been helping push the company into the next generation and rethink what a monument business can look like.
Alan joined Champlain Monuments in 2021, bringing several years of memorial work experience with him. His work centers on foundations, installations, and repair, with particular strength in the setting and support work that determines how a monument stands over time.
He handles new settings, replacements, resets, and field repairs, with a steady eye for the details that matter. Alan is especially strong on foundations and installations, where careful preparation and sound setting are what make the work last.
Robert “Robb” Hamilton
Foundations · Installations · Repair
Robb’s work centers on foundations, installations, and repair, with a particular interest in cemetery restoration. He handles new settings, replacements, resets, and field repairs, with a patient, methodical approach that suits more delicate work as well.
He especially enjoys restoration projects, where older monuments often require careful handling and a more deliberate pace. Whether the work involves a new setting or an existing stone, his focus is on getting it right and leaving it sound.
HISTORY
The roots of Champlain Monuments trace back to the 1880s
The business that became Champlain Monuments can be traced back to the 1880s, when W.M. Barrett Marble and Granite Works operated from 48 Federal Street in St. Albans, at the foot of Kingman Street near the railroad. That location made deliveries from Barre and Proctor practical, and the shop remained active through the turn of the century and well beyond.
W.M. Barrett Marble and Granite Works at 48 Federal Street — the original Saint Albans monument shop
Historical newspaper clipping referencing Taylor Park, Saint Albans
Many of the memorials produced in those early years still stand in cemeteries across the region today.
Champlain Monuments archival photograph
After William Barrett died in 1942, the business continued under other ownership, including a long stretch as Champlain Memorials under George Buckley through the 1960s. In 1973, the company was purchased by James B. Pignona.
Jeff B. Pignona took over soon after and established the Champlain Monuments known today. From the mid 1970s through 2000, he operated from the same Federal Street building that had housed the business for generations before him. In 2000, Champlain Monuments moved to its current location at 848 Sheldon Road in St. Albans, with more space for display, fabrication, and the day-to-day work of the shop.
A Champlain Monuments crew setting a monument
The crew on a residential install, with James Pignona second from the right
Over the following decades, Jeff B. built the company’s standing across Northern Vermont through work that was set properly, held up over time, and became familiar in cemeteries throughout the region.
Jeff Bell Pignona setting up a sandblast on a stone in a rural Vermont cemetery
Setting a wrapped Eveready Battery Company commemorative monument with the Champlain Monuments van and a backhoe on site
In 2019, Jeff R. Pignona purchased the business. By that point he’d spent much of his career in the trade — working alongside Jeff B. and also building and running his own monument companies along the way. He took over Champlain Monuments with the same long view of the work. Today, he runs it with his sons, Jeffrey and Sawyer.
Champlain Monuments crane and van on a Swanton job site
Jeff Pignona Jr. and Sawyer Pignona as children, pouring a monument foundation — the fourth generation on a job site
