June 2019

MAGAZINE


CEMETERY CREMATION FUNERAL

Mausoleums: Making the big sale Also in this issue: • Beekeeping

• Organizing a Grief Garden service • Understanding how SEO works today
• Why managing a national company is hard • What it takes to start a cemetery
• Stopping a brain hijack • Drawing on a funeral directing career as a professor

D o n ’ t f o r g e t t o r e g i s t e r f o r t h i s y e a r ’ s I C C FA U n i v e r s i t y, J u l y 1 9 - 2 4 , 2 0 1 9
 June 2019

International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association®

Promoting consumer choices, prearrangement and open competition

Providing exceptional education, networking and legislative guidance and support

to progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation professionals worldwide
10 MAUSOLEUMS
The process of successfully selling private mausoleums
Learning how to effectively present and sell private mausoleums can
make you better able to present any premium memorialization options
to families. by Mike Harens
16 COMMUNITY OUTREACH
A private mausoleum by Coldspring. Things are literally buzzing at Columbia Gardens Cemetery Bees
Mike Harens of Coldspring talks about and cemeteries are a natural fit, and can bring visitors and great public-
how to successfully sell private estates ity to your property. As with anything you do, starting and maintaining
at your cemetery. Story, page10.
an apiary program at your cemetery does take thought and planning, as
well as someone with the interest and ability to maintain your hives.
by Daun Thomas Frankland
8 Washington Report
Top 2019 government and legal 20 EDUCATION
issues Funeral director turned mortuary school professor now faces
by Robert M. Fells, Esq. different questions by Tanya Scotece, Ph.D.
48 Update 22 Meet some of Scotece’s students, each with a different path
52 Supply Line leading to mortuary college
61 New Members 28 MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY
61 Calendar SEO is alive and well Does the rise of pay-per-click advertising mean
62 Classifieds
that search engine optimization is no longer important? Is SEO dead?
No, it’s not, but you need to understand how to do it correctly.
62 Ad Index
by Welton Hong
32 COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Organizing an award-winning grief garden remembrance service
Life and death are part of the cycle of nature, so what could be more
natural than a garden-themed remembrance service?
by Christine Toson Hentges, CCE
34 Helpful hints for holding a grief garden service

ICCFA officers Cremation and Funeral Association. Subscription

Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, president
Gary M. Freytag, CCFE, president-elect
Andrés Aguilar, vice president
Shawna de la Cruz, vice president
Lee Longino, vice president
Mitch Rose, CCFE, CCrE, vice president
Chris Keller, treasurer
Robbie L. Pape, secretary
Nadira Baddeliyanage, executive director
Robert M. Fells, Esq., general counsel
Magazine staff
Susan Loving, managing editor
sloving@iccfa.com
Rick Platter, supplier relations manager
rplatter@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1213
Katherine Devins, communications manager;
kd@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1224
Jason Brown, communications assistant
jason@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1218
Nadira Baddeliyanage, executive director
& publisher
nadira@iccfa.com ; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1225
Robert M. Fells, Esq., general counsel
robertfells@iccfa.com
Brenda Clough, office administrator
& association liaison; bclough@iccfa.com;
1.800.645.7700, ext. 1214
June 2019 rates: In the United States, $39.95; in Canada,
VOLUME 79/NUMBER 5 $45.95; overseas: $75.95. One subscription is
included in annual membership dues. POST-
MASTER: Send address changes to ICCFA
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(habla español)
contributions, commentary and advertisements
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appearing in ICCFA Magazine do not necessarily
reflect either the opinion or the endorsement
ICCFA Magazine (ISSN 1936-2099) is published
of the International Cemetery, Cremation and
by the International Cemetery, Cremation and
Funeral Association®.
Funeral Association®, 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite
100, Sterling, VA 20164-4468; 703.391.8400;
FAX 703.391.8416; www.iccfa.com. Published
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March-April and August-September. Periodicals
postage paid at Sterling, VA, and other offices.
Copyright 2018 by the International Cemetery,

4 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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ICCFA news
45 Caskets
Check out some of the caskets on display at
the 2019 ICCFA Convention & Expo
57 Have good ideas to share?
ICCFA seeking speakers for 2020 Wide World
of Sales and 2020 Annual Convention
Deadline for WWS: July 8, 2019
Deadline for convention: July 1, 2019
58 ICCFA membership benefit spotlight:
Hotel Engine
58 Crematory Operator Certification
set for July 16 in Texas
July 16, 2019
59 Crematory operator training advancing
to the next level
State-of-the-art facility to offer hands-on
training and well-rounded curriculum
59 PLPA College:
Sessions on finance, EQ, much more
July 17-19, 2019
60 Acquire new skills at ICCFA University
July 19-24, 2019
Catch the WIRELESS news­letter in your
inbox for industry news, stories about colleagues
making headlines and updates on ICCFA
educational events & conferences
Follow the ICCFA’s LinkedIn
page to read breaking news about
colleagues, the profession and the
association
http://bit.ly/2du252P
Follow the ICCFA on Twitter
to receive instant updates on the
association’s educational events
& conferences
http://twitter.com/iccfa
Like and follow the ICCFA
to read up-to-date news on the
industry, ICCFA members making
headlines and ICCFA events &
promotions
6 ICCFA Magazine
TABLE OF CONTENTS
36 MANAGEMENT
Cemetery Impossible: Why is it hard to manage a national com-
pany? Funeral and cemetery businesses continue to be attractive to
investors. Everyone dies, so they’re a sure thing, right? As we’ve seen
over the years, that’s not true. Buying a successful operation and being
able to build on that success are two different things.
by Dan Isard, MSFS
38 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The 2 1/2 minute manager: The amygdala hijack: What it is &
what you can do about it Have you ever seen a coworker or em-
ployee seem to lose all reason and react in a way that’s completely
over-the-top to some perhaps minor provocation? It doesn’t take a
workplace guru to tell you that sort of behavior can cause lasting dam-
age to an organization and the customer service it provides, even if not
directly witnessed by the public. by Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
44 MANAGEMENT
A new cemetery operation needs much more than capital to
succeed Here’s a thought experiment for you: Imagine you had the
means to open a new cemetery. What would your planning look like?
by Ed Horn, CCE
ICCFA calendar
go to www.iccfa.com for program, registration & scholarship info
2019 Crematory Operator Training
July 16, Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Dallas Texas
ICCFA Cremation Program Coordinator Poul Lemasters, Esq.
2019 PLPA College
July 17-19, Holiday Inn, University of Memphis, Memphis,
Tennessee, PLPA Chair Roberta Knauf, CPLP;
Education Chair Leslie Reid, CPLP
2019 ICCFA University
July 19-24, Fogelman Conference Center,
University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee,
Chancellor Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE
2019 Executive Leadership Summit
(formerly the Fall Management Conference)
September 25-27, Hyatt Regency Tamaya,
Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico
Co-chairs Stacy Adams and Steve Feliciano
2020 Wide World of Sales Conference
January 15-17, Luxor Las Vegas, Nevada
Co-chairs Yvonne Slonaker, CCrE, and Don Winsett
2020 ICCFA Convention & Expo
March 30-April 2, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
& Grand Hyatt, San Antonio, Texas
Co-chairs Gino Merendino and Robbie Pape
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 If all insurance
assignment companies
say they pay fast and
are easy to work with,
why do twice as many
funeral homes choose
C&J?

The numbers speak for themselves. Over 2,800 funeral homes have selected
C&J to handle their insurance funding, more than twice our next closest
competitor. Is it because we assign a personal account manager to every client?
Or is it because we treat every client like our only client? Or is it because our
biggest source of new clients is referrals from our current ones?
Yes, yes and yes! In every business, there’s one gold standard.
In Insurance Assignment Funding, it’s C&J.

CJF.com | 800.785.0003

& You
Washington Report
by ICCFA General Counsel
Robert M. Fells, Esq.
robertfells@iccfa.com
1.800.645.7700,
ext. 1212
direct line: 703.391.8401
➤Fells is ICCFA general
counsel, responsible for
maintaining and improv­
ing relationships with
federal and state govern­
ment agencies, the news
media and consumer organizations.
➤ Fells has worked on behalf of the ceme­
tery and funeral service profession on legal
and legislative issues since 1975 and joined
the ICCFA staff in 1983. He is retired from
his position as the association’s executive
director, which he held for six years.
➤ He has published
a number of books.
His latest, “The Curse
of the Tomb,” brings
back Maj. Alexander
Armstrong, who featured
in two previous books.
The discoveries of
the royal tomb of King
Tutankhamen creates a
huge black market in forgeries of antiquities
where the stakes include murder, and the
British government seeks assistance from
the Americans.
8 ICCFA Magazine
Top 2019 governmental and legal issues
A
s I write this we are beginning
our annual round of meeting with
key congressional representatives,
senators and their staffs on Capitol Hill.
Each year the ICCFA Government and Legal
Affairs Committee focuses on strate­gic
issues at the federal level that can sub­stan­
tially affect our members’ business opera­
tions. This year, the committee has identi­fied
four major issues that Congress, the federal
agencies—or both—plan to work on.
Taxation of funeral and cemetery
trusts: Last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act eliminated the itemized deduction
for miscellaneous expenses—including
investment advisory fees—claimed by
individuals and trusts. Since the prudent
investment of funds is important to grow
the principal due to increases in the cost of
pre-need funeral and cemetery goods and
services, the loss of the deduction for trust
investment advisory fees is harmful.
Cemetery maintenance trust funds
in particular benefit from professional
investment management, because
cemeteries are legally required to care
for the grounds in perpetuity and mature
cemeteries often receive most of their
operating income from these trusts.
For these reasons, the ICCFA is urging
Congress to reinstate the investment
advisory fee deduction for funeral and
cemetery trusts.
Consumer data privacy and the death
care industry: Recent state consumer data
privacy laws provide consumers with a
broad right to request businesses to delete
their personal information they collect or
else face fines. Unfortunately, this right to
deletion contradicts existing laws in many
states mandating that cemeteries, funeral
homes and crematories maintain and never
delete personal information on decedents
and next of kin (or authorizing agents).
As Congress proceeds with developing
a federal consumer data privacy law,
the ICCFA is seeking allowances so that
cemetery, cremation, funeral service and
memorialization businesses may remain in
compliance with existing state laws.
Federal regulation of the funeral
industry: It may be significant that at least
five bills have been introduced in Congress
since 2000 to increase the regulation of the
funeral and cemetery industry. By contrast,
it seems that from 1789 (the first Congress)
through 1999, no legislation was ever
introduced. Today, the main law specifically
regulating the funeral profession is the FTC
Funeral Rule, which went into effect in 1984.
The rule is due for decennial review
this year, and some groups believe the
FTC should expand or modify it to require
mandatory posting of price lists on online.
The ICCFA believes that the posting of
prices online should be encouraged, but it
should also be optional.
Keeping online pricing voluntary—with
a possible safe-harbor from secret shoppers
if prices are posted—will have two benefits:
1) create an incentive model that funeral
providers will want to follow and 2) avoid a
chilling effect that a mandatory requirement
would create, i.e., a reduction in the number
of funeral home websites.
H.R. 1835—The Consensual Dona­
tion and Research Integrity (CDRI) Act
of 2019: This bill will provide oversight and
create standards for non-transplant tissue/
body donation, which is currently unregulated
and separate from highly regulated organ and
tissue donation for human implantation.
ICCFA members support families
through the death care process and by
respecting their needs. One role of our
members involves helping families select
a method of disposition, whether burial,
cremation or organ, tissue, or whole-body
donation to science.
In the case of body donation, parts are not
transplanted into other humans, but are used
for education, research or the advancement of
medical, dental or mortuary science. Among
other things, the ICCFA supports a required
disclosure to families if third parties receive
payment for facilitating the donation process.
Also, since there is no federal regulation
of non-transplant tissue donation and few
state laws provide oversight, nearly anyone
can dissect and sell human body parts. In
almost every state, it is legal to sell the human
remains of adults, and generally, a broker can
sell a donated human body for about $5,000,
though prices can range up to $10,000.
More importantly, absent regulation,
bodies may not be screened for infectious
disease nor handled, tracked and disposed
of appropriately.
The ICCFA supports the enactment of
H.R. 1835.
ICCFA members will be updated on
these issues as developments occur. r
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“WE BUILD BEAUTIFUL NICHES”
GLOBAL BRONZE INC: PHONE: (416) 759-5959 | WWW.GLOBALBRONZE.COM
by Mike Harens

320.828.7189 MAUSOLEUMS
MHarens@cold
springusa.com Learning how to effectively present and sell
ICCFA private mausoleums can make you better able to present
Magazine
spotlight any premium memorialization options to families.
➤Harens is a
national account
manager for
Coldspring who
works to maintain
and enhance
relationships with
key customers across the country. He has
experience in business development, sales
leadership and sales training. He does
training for regional and national cemetery
groups to help them increase their overall
cemetery merchandising.
www.coldspringusa.com
➤Coldspring is a 120-year-old family-owned
business located in Cold Spring, Minnesota.
It has a state-of-the-art bronze foundry and
granite fabrication facilities and produces
granite and bronze memorials, mausoleums,
columbariums and glass niches.

A walk-up private mauosleum with niches as well as crypts to allow for the increas-
ing popularity of cremation.

The process of successfully

selling private mausoleums
(Editor’s note: This article is excerpted key to your role as a memo­rialist is making
from a presentation Harens gave at the sure that every family is presented with every
2019 ICCFA Convention & Expo.) option, every time.

T
This is especially important these days,
he sale of a private mausoleum is when not every family comes to the ceme­
generally considered a “big deal” at tery. We need to be excellent at presenting
any cemetery, but it’s not the only options to the families who do come to us.
definition of a big deal—your cemetery might That includes being able to show families
have a different definition. Maybe it’s a side- the possibilities for multi-generational
by-side tandem crypt space, or a build-to-suit memorialization offered by a private
lot. mausoleum, being able to present that vision
What a particular cemetery considers in a way that ensures they can picture it.
a ‘big deal” sale could simply mean any I’ve found that people have a lot
significant memorial created by staff of apprehension about selling private
members working with a family to design mausoleums. Two of the questions they
something that has a meaningful impact on fear getting are “What does a private family
that family and leads to more referrals. mausoleum cost?” and “How quickly can you
Even if your cemetery doesn’t sell private build one of these?”
mausoleums, learning how to make a “big A counselor who’s not prepared might
deal” sale will help your organi­zation. The say, in answer to a question about cost, “Ahh

10 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 The design of private mausoleums, whether walk-up or walk-in, whether contain-
ing all crypts, all niches or a combination of both, can be customized to fit the
family’s preferences through design and color choices, sculptures, benches,
engraving and landscaping elements.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 11


… not a lot.” That’s not the way to answer.
The key to not panicking is to improve your
presentation process.. It can be an art if, as a
professional, you take the time to prepare, to
do your homework ahead of time.
I call this the P4 process: Plan, prepare,
practice and present. And repeat that
process over and over. We need to be
prepared to give every person who walks in
our door a good customer experience.
Plan
Planning, which is crucial, is a four-part
process.
1. The marketing plan: How are you
going to attract the people with the potential
and the interest to buy a private mausoleum
to your cemetery?
Have you ever imagined that someday,
when you’re sitting in your office, the most
prominent family in town will drive up in
their luxury car, stroll into your office and
announce, “I want to do something special
for my family”?
Have you ever actually sold a private
estate that way? No. It takes marketing; it
takes education. That consumer education
piece is crucial, and it’s something that’s
often missing.
Marketing the availability of private
mausoleums is like marketing a new
section. You can hold a ribbon-cutting (if
you have a specific section developed for
private estates), or a white tent event.
But even as you try to appeal to the high-
end market you expect to be the natural
clients for private estates, don’t appeal only
to them.
Never forget: Every family, every
option, every time. You need to make sure
that everyone who walks into your property
is aware of all of the opportunities available
for their family.
2. The product plan: What does your
“big deal” offering look like? If your market
is mainly cremation, maybe it’s a private
family mausoleum designed with niches in
mind. Maybe you see a market in your area
for organic, back-to-nature designs. If so,
you need to plan that offering.
Think about the possibilities for private
estates as you’re developing new areas.
A senior sales leader in Florida once told
me that he believes every property should
include a million dollar memorialization
opportunity.
You need to identify that possibility
before the family who might want that
12 ICCFA Magazine
MAUSOLEUMS
Planning for private mausoleums can
involve locating individual lots on your
property or designing a private mau-
soleum section. Waterfont property is
premium property, so planning a private
mausoleum section around a pond or
lake as shown here makes sense.
opportunity walks through your doors.
Talk to your colleagues in the industry,
do some networking. What do the million-
dollar opportunities at their cemeteries
look like? Find out what their high-end
developments look like, and think about
how you could mirror them.
Make sure your potential clients realize
there are some amazing things being done
in cemeteries across the country, and make
sure you’re ready to offer amazing things at
your cemetery.
Think about what else might go in the
area, such as benches. Talk to your vendor
partners, whether a landscape architect, a
memorial vendor or anyone else who could
contribute to your vision.
If you’re envisioning a million-dollar
memorialization opportunity, maybe you
want to have a 3-D rendering created that
shows what a six-crypt walk-in mausoleum,
or a four-crypt walk up with benches and
some landscaping, could look like. Have
that rendering on a poster in front of the lot
or in your office.
3. The physical plan: If an opportunity
comes up to sell a private mausoleum, where
can it go on your property? This involves
not only identifying available land that’s
attractive, but making sure any lot you might
propose would be accessible.
You want to avoid choosing a lot too
far away from a road where you can’t get a
crane close enough to place a mausoleum. A
private mausoleum can average, on the low
end, 25,000 pounds, and go up to something
that could involve placing 200,000 pounds of
granite. Make sure the mausoleum installer
will be able to get to the property with the
necessary equipment.
Other things to think about: Are there
power lines? Is there irrigation? If the family
wants a fountain, how are you going to
provide the water?
4. The pricing plan: This has become
more important because of smartphones
and internet shopping. People are used to
being able to find out quickly how much
something will cost, so you have to be
ready to give them answers quickly.
You can’t wait until someone asks you,
“How much would it cost. Just tell me!”
Cemeterians are in a 24/7 business, but not
all of your partners are open 24/7.
If someone wants to know what a
10-crypt, walk-in, 18-by-18-foot building
would cost, you need to be able to give
them that price. If they decide they only
want a six-crypt mausoleum, or one with
a smaller footprint, you need to be able to
give them that price.
It’s also a qualifier. If you’re prepared,
you can present confidently, and you can
qualify that family in advance.
Prepare
You need to prepare both physically and
mentally. Physical preparation involves
making sure the property you’ve singled
out for private mausoleum placement
looks inviting. Is the land developed, is it
mowed? If you show a family land where
they can place a private mausoleum and it’s
undeveloped and covered with weeds, is that
really a million-dollar opportunity?
If you already have private estates in your
cemetery, are they clean and presentable at all
times, or are there cobwebs on them? Is the
snow shoveled off the patio in the winter; are
the leaves swept off it in the fall?
Think about that small-town Chevy
dealership that has a Corvette sitting in its
lobby. Maybe no one in that small town will
ever buy a Corvette, but just in case, it’s
sitting there, and they keep it nicely polished.
Your cemetery is your showroom. Like
that Chevy dealer, you’ve got to keep your
premium offerings ready to present at any
time. Make sure the landscaping looks nice.
Make sure the sprinklers are hitting all the
flowers.
Whether it’s a building in inventory or
one that’s already family-occupied, you
want to make sure that people can see:
“They still build those. People still buy
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 Created
reated for Partnership.
Designed for Business Success.

After being in the Funeral Care industry for 42 years and operating
my own businesses for 32 years, I began to seriously consider the
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-John P. Brooks

those. Our family’s legacy can look like this
for years and years to come.”
Being mentally prepared means getting
trained to make the “big deal.” If you’re a
sales manager, work with your vendors to
train your people. If your counselors can get
comfortable presenting high-end property,
high-end memorials, the families they
educate will put more into memorialization.
We have cemeteries that send top-
performing sales counselors to our
organization to see the entire process, from
the stone being extracted from the ground
to the fabrication process. They learn about
soil borings, the foundation that needs to be
engineered to go underneath a 100,000-pound
building. It helps them understand what goes
into the cost of a granite building, what builds
value.
Part of it is in learning the right language
to use—wordsmithing. Is that just a large
granite building, or is it a private family
mausoleum? Learning to talk about meaning-
ful memorialization, to be passionate about
memorialization, will help you with more
than private mausoleum sales. And every
time someone invests in meaningful memor-
ialization, it adds to your heritage, and keeps
the family coming back to your cemetery.
Practice
Everybody practices if they want to
improve their performance. A counselor in
Southern California told me about taking a
class on how to sell high-end luxury homes
in order to be better at presenting private
mausoleums. Why? To learn the language.
“It’s not ‘upgrades,’ it’s ‘enhancements’;
it’s not ‘steps,’ it’s a ‘stairway.’ When I talk
about a million dollar piece of property at
the cemetery, it’s a garden.”
If you have a vendor partner, ask them
for any tools they have to help you. Learn
what’s available and how to talk about it,
whether it’s a hand-crafted bronze door
or stained glass windows. These sorts of
details can get a family engaged.
It’s all about customer experience
today. You need to make sure that if you’re
asking a family to write a million dollar
check, you’re giving them a million-dollar
experience.
Walk your property with your coun-
selors. Take them to a private mausoleum
and ask them, “How would you present
this to a family?”
Think about how you present in your
park tour. I’ve heard people talk about top-
14 ICCFA Magazine
MAUSOLEUMS
Any private mausoleums on your prop-
erty need to be nicely maintained, since
your cemetery is your showroom.
down selling: Show people the premium
property first and then work your way
down to the least expensive property so
that they’ve seen everything before you ask
them what they want.
How about top-down-top, instead?
Before you ask the family what their
thoughts are, go back to show them the best, vision.” Maybe it’s a cul-de-sac; maybe it’s
remind them of that “big deal” opportunity. an executive row; maybe it’s an island. Think
That can at least move the middle.
Do you know what your middle is, as
far as memorialization? Not your average
contract, not your average sale, but your
average memorial sale. If you’re ready to
sell that “big deal” at any time, to hit that If a family comes to the cemetery and can’t
home run, you’ll find that some of your
singles becomes doubles, doubles become
triples, and the middle moves, which means that’s a problem. You can’t have a counselor
everyone wins.
The family wins because they have
something meaningful they didn’t even
know existed, they didn’t know they could
do until you presented it to them, and your
organization wins by gaining more revenue. experience. Whether you sell a family a
Present
This is really where it all comes together, in to educate families helps both the family and
the presentation. This is everything you’ve
practiced for, what makes you a professional.
I’ve heard some people say, “Well, my people
know when to pull me in,” or “My people
know when it’s something really big that they
should get the sales manager involved in.”
But if your people aren’t ready to present
the “big deal” every single time, you’re not
getting pulled in to talk to a family about a
high-end opportunity because your people
aren’t comfortable broaching it.
If a counselor stumbles the first time
they try to present family mausoleum
opportunities, their confidence will take a hit
and they won’t be trying that again. The first
time somebody asks “How much is that?”
and they can’t confidently answer or it takes
them three days to get an answer, they’re
not going to be bringing up mausoleum
opportunities again, because they didn’t enjoy
being put in an uncomfortable position.
You need to take the planning, preparation
and practice and make sure it all comes
together in the presentation, because that’s
what can really increase your number of “big
deal” sales.
If you need a consultant to evaluate your
park tour, reach out to a colleague. Reach out
to someone you’ve met through the ICCFA
and ask them to take your park tour and give
you feedback.
Make sure that every family who comes
to your cemetery sees the opportunity for a
private mausoleum.
Identify the locations for future family
estates so that if a family doesn’t like the ones
you’ve developed you can offer alternatives.
“We haven’t developed it yet but here is our
it through and be sure to include it in your
park tour—that’s the piece that often gets
overlooked.
In conclusion
talk to someone who is confident and can
help them choose a meaningful memorial,
who says, “Well, we’ve got a bunch of
stuff; what are you looking for?” They don’t
know what they’re looking for; they need
somebody to guide them through the process.
In the end, it’s all about customer
grand private mausoleum or a modest but
very meaningful memorial, being prepared
your organization. r
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 SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND
Wilbert’s simpliFi burial vault presentation provides families
all they need to know in a short, simple, 3-step process.
Straightforward. Engaging. Quick.
It’s as simple as that. Call your Wilbert provider to see a demo.
by Daun Thomas Frankland

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Bees and cemeteries are a natural fit,

and can bring visitors and great publicity to your property.
As with anything you do, starting and maintaining an apiary
program at your cemetery does take thought and planning, as well
as someone with the interest and ability to maintain your hives.

703.527.1235
Daun@columbiagardenscemetery.org
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
➤ Frankland was raised in the
superintendent’s house on the Columbia
Gardens Cemetery grounds. After a career
as an interior designer and antique dealer,
she founded Paris At My Feet travel
consulting in France.
➤ In 2015, she returned to Arlington to
take over the position of president and
superintendent of Columbia Gardens.
Frankland believes her previous work
gave her broad business experience that
required providing exceptional customer
service and being a good listener and
problem solver, excellent skills to have for
welcoming families and their loved ones.
She serves on the board of the Virginia
Cemetery Association.
www.columbiagardenscemetery.org
➤ Located in the heart of Arlington
County’s Ashton Heights Historic District,
Columbia Gardens Cemetery has been
family-owned for four generations of
the Thomas family since its founding in
1917. It has been described as Arlington
County’s community cemetery.
Honey produced at Columbia Gardens is shared with staff, friends and clients. Mel-
lonia was a Roman goddess associated with bees and honey.
Things are literally buzzing at
Columbia Gardens Cemetery
K
eeping bees in a cemetery is not a
new idea. Daun Thomas Frankland,
president of Columbia Gardens
Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, and great-
granddaughter of the founder, recalls stories
of keeping bees on the property at various
times during the cemetery’s 100-year
history. But by the end of the 20th century,
that activity had ceased.
In 2009, Jean Hacken had just finished
taking a course in beekeeping, offered
by her local bee club. A newbee (new
beekeeper), Jean wanted to start a hive, but
didn’t have a suitable place for it on her
property.
She began to look around for an ideal
hive location—someplace that was sunny
overall, with some afternoon shade, had
a south to southeast facing, was slightly
elevated with good drainage and was
private.
“I thought of a beautiful cemetery
nearby, located in a quiet neighborhood.
So, I went to call on Columbia Gardens,”
recalled Hacken.
The bee-ginning
Columbia Gardens offers wide-open
spaces, lush trees, flowering shrubs and
its Memorial Rose Garden. Throughout its
history, the cemetery has been dedicated to
the planting, preservation and stewardship
of trees and plants on the property.
Working with volunteer master arborists
and tree stewards, the cemetery has
recently achieved arboretum status. What
bee wouldn’t love living here?
We’re fortunate Jean came to us with her
proposal. She said that she was a hobbyist,
with no plans for selling the honey, but
would share the honey harvest with us.I’ve
always loved bees, and I was curious about
bees and their lore. In ancient Greece,
the spirits of the dead were thought to be
carried on the backs of honeybees. A lot of
early bee scientists were actually clergy,

16 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”

Honeybees are vegetarians, only eating nectar and pollen.
When a flying insect stings someone, it is usually not a honeybee.
Children enjoy learning about bees at community events held at Columbia Gardens Cemetery.
who compared the church to a beehive and
the faithful to the industriousness of bees.
Other ancient cultures also had a
fondness for bees. The Mayans, Myce­
naeans and Egyptians all had bee deities or
mythologies. In Egyptian mythology, bees
grew from the tears of the sun god Ra,
when they landed on the desert sand. In
Rome, the goddess Mellonia is described
as “a goddess important and powerful
regarding bees, taking care of and
protecting the sweetness of honey.”
Appropriately, Hacken named her
beekeeping operations Mellonia Apiary.
She promised that management of the
hive would not interfere with cemetery
operations and that the honeybees would
not harm anyone.
Honeybees only sting once—for
defensive reasons—and then they die.
In comparison, yellow jackets, wasps
and hornets can sting repeatedly because
they use their stingers to kill their prey:
other types of insects. Honeybees are
vegetarians, only eating nectar and pollen.
When a flying insect stings someone, it is
usually not a honeybee.
18 ICCFA Magazine
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
With the safety issues resolved, Hacken
worked with Columbia Gardens to select
a good location for the hive, finding a
perfect spot behind the maintenance
building that was easily accessible and met
the other criteria.
It’s private enough that cemetery
visitors are not likely to bother it, or even
be aware of its existence. Our landscapers
and maintenance staff are cautious around
the hives, and easily work around them,
keeping a distance of 15-20 feet away.
“The only problem we experienced
was during the first season when hot, dry
weather drew the honeybees to a birdbath
outside of the cemetery office,” recalled
Hacken. “The solution was keeping a
bucket of water close to the hives, espe­
cially in the summer. The bucket must have
stones in it up to the water level, so the bees
can perch on the stones in shallow water.
Without the stones the bees can drown.”
Hacken’s beekeeping at Columbia
Gardens Cemetery started with one
hive, and now consists of two or three
(depending on how the hives survive the
winter). Each healthy hive represents about
30,000 bees. A queen bee lives as long as
two to three years and can lay up to 1,500
eggs a day during peak season in spring to
early summer. The average life of a worker
bee is four to six weeks.
The health of a beehive is not all
sweetness and honey. In addition to
natural attrition, most beekeepers lose a
third to half of their hives every year due
to varroa mites, which were introduced
into the United States from Asia in the
1980s. Considered the most serious pest
of honeybee colonies, worldwide, varroa
mites have all but wiped out all wild
honeybee colonies.
Hacken inspects the bees several
times a week during spring, about once
a week during summer and fall, and just
occasionally during the winter.
However, since winter can be a
particularly perilous time for bees, she
checks to make sure their winter food
supply, called fondant, is adequate, and
that snow isn’t blocking the opening to
the hive. “No one, even bees, likes to feel
confined,” she says. “The harsh weather of
winter can often wipe out a hive.”
 ➤to page 19
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 COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Columbia Gardens offers wide-open spaces, lush trees, flowering shrubs

and its Memorial Rose Garden. Throughout its history, the cemetery
has been dedicated to the planting, preservation and stewardship of trees
and plants on the property. What bee wouldn’t love living here?
The sweet results
In an average year, the bees produce about
120 pounds of honey, which Hacken
bottles and shares with Columbia Gardens.
Beekeeping at Columbia Gardens
Cemetery is much more than a hobbyist’s
pursuit—it is a resource for the entire
community. The bees pollinate plants
throughout the community in addition to the
flowers and trees on the cemetery grounds.
“A bee can travel up to three miles from
the hive to search for nectar,” said Hacken.
“When you see the color of pollen on their
legs, you can tell what kind of flower they
visited. The colors range from orange to
pale grey.”
Columbia Gardens is very engaged
with our community, inviting residents to
enjoy the walking paths on the grounds
and hosting community events throughout
the year. At our Spring Flings and Fall
Festivals, adults and children celebrate
nature, see historical exhibits and listen The splendor of spring at Columbia Gardens Cemetery. The trees and flowers at
any cemetery—especially one that has achieved arboretum status, as Columbia
to live music. The bee booth is always a
has, create a perfect place for bees to thrive.
popular stop for young and old alike, where
Hacken explains about pollination, honey Washington, D.C., and the cemetery of ecology. And every year we get decorative
and the social structure of honeybees. Fontainebleau in France. I believe more jars of honey from our cemetery which we
Many cemeteries throughout the cemeteries should get involved. share with our staff, friends and clients.
United States and the world have their Ten years ago, we could not have For more information about Columbia
own beekeeping projects, including The imagined a more positive arrangement. Gardens Cemetery and our beekeeping
Woodlawn and Green-Wood cemeteries in We provide the land and the bees provide experiences, feel free to contact me at
New York, St. Paul in Baltimore, Spring pollination and honey. We demonstrate that Daun@columbiagardenscemetery.org or
Grove in Cincinnati, Congressional in we care for the environment and support call 703.527.1235. r

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 19

by Tanya Scotece, Ph.D., LFD
ICCFA Magazine spotlight
tscotece@mdc.edu
➤Scotece is a pro-
fessor in the Funeral
Service Education
program at Miami
Dade College.
➤After working in
a medical office
setting for nearly 20
years, she decided
to change careers
and attended
mortuary school, graduating in 2005. She
continued her education and obtained a
bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and
a master’s in criminal forensics. She then
went on to earn her Ph.D. in adult educa-
tion from the University of South Florida in
2015, concentrating on curriculum and in-
struction, with all of her research focusing
on the funeral profession. She transitioned
to a job in academia in 2018.
➤She is a licensed funeral director and
embalmer and a licensed pre-need insur-
ance agent. She was employed by Farley
Funeral Home and Crematory as a man-
ager from 2006 to 2018.
➤In 2008, she became a trained funeral cel-
ebrant through the ICCFA University College
of 21st Century Funeral Services. She gradu-
ated from ICCFAU in 2011 and was chosen
as valedictorian. She has been published
numerous times in ICCFA Magazine and in
academic journals.
www.mdc.edu/north/funeralsciences
➤Miami Dade College’s funeral service
education program began in 1964. It is com-
prised of 72 semester hours, divided between
courses in the funeral service sciences and
the funeral service arts.
20 ICCFA Magazine
E D U C AT I O N
Whether you’re a funeral director or a mortuary school professor,
your job is to educate and guide people. Former funeral director
Tanya Scotece is using her experience to help future funeral
directors know what to expect from a funeral service career.
Funeral director turned
mortuary school professor
now faces different questions
M
y lifelong dream has been to
educate people about funeral
service options before they ever
need a funeral home. This was evident in
my career as a practicing funeral director,
where I implemented lunch-and-learn
programs and community speaking
engagements for civic and church groups,
hospice and fraternal organizations, the
sheriff’s office and the forensic unit.
I completed a Ph.D. in curriculum
and instruction with emphasis on adult
education at the University of South Florida
in Tampa, Florida, in December 2015, but
continued to work as a funeral director and
Certified Celebrant. In August 2018, I finally
transitioned from funeral service to academia,
from educating and guiding families to doing
the same for future funeral directors.
I was excited but a bit apprehensive
about making the leap into full-time
academia, but the experience has exceeded
my wildest expectations. I now have the
opportunity to share my life and work
experiences and educate our students about
what it is like to interview for a position, be
hired at a funeral home, work as an intern,
interact with co-workers, gain experience in
working with families and market yourself
in the funeral service profession. I bring
to the table a collaborative learning style,
interactive learning practices and non-
traditional assessments to further enhance
student learning.
My student population is comprised of
approximately one third who plan to take
over a family business, one third who are
attracted to funeral service because they
either come from a background of nursing
or social work or want to work in a helping
profession and one third who “just want to
work in the back” (i.e. embalm).
It is most important to me, coming from
the private sector, that all my students are
aware of the realities of the funeral service
profession.
As a human resources manager for many
years in the private sector, HR regulations
limited what I could share with a candidate
who was applying for a funeral home
position, whether the person was applying for
an internship or a professional position.
As hiring manager, I could not share
with the candidate some of the realities of
why he or she was not being hired. Now,
in the classroom, standing before students
eager to make their best first impression, I
am able to educate them about the Dos and
Don’ts of how to be put themselves in the
best position to be hired.
Students from family businesses
obviously already have a greater
understanding of the sensitivity of the
profession and the intensity of the hours.
The second group of individuals, those
who come from helping professions, also
seem to understand what they are looking at
in terms of a career in funeral service.
My concern is for the last group, who
“just want to work in the back,” who want
to be only an embalmer. That might be OK
once someone is established in the field, but
I think it’s quite difficult to tell a potential
employer this up front, especially when
you’re trying to secure a one-year internship.
I tell these students, “keep an open
mind and don’t limit yourself.” My goal
as a professor is to make sure they’re all
outstanding candidates. I don’t want any of
them to be told, “If you only want to work in
the care center/embalming room, we will find
someone who likes to do directing as well.” I
encourage students to see the funeral director/
embalmer position as one job, at least until
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 ICCFA June 2/3 Page 4.5” x 10”

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 21


The main question I get from students is how they should talk to a grieving family.
That question comes up over and over again, as students express a lack of confidence in their own
communication skills. This is primarily because they have not had experience in this area.
they’ve finished their internship.
I am doing my best to instill in all my
students, but particularly this group, an
appreciation for professionalism and how
to make a good first impression during the
interview process. I spend considerable time
with my students discussing the realities of
making a good impression at the interview,
being hired as an intern and then successfully
remaining on board after the internship.
My students are collectively eager and
enthusiastic about aspiring to be funeral
directors. From day one in my classes, I
have them start thinking, acting and talking
like funeral directors.
I present real-life scenarios and constant­
ly stress the importance of professionalism.
I stress the importance of being friendly and
building trust in the community so families
will feel comfortable picking up the phone
and calling them when in need of the
services of a funeral home.
We spend a lot of time during class
discussing how to build a professional profile,
dress appropriately for an interview, follow
up with a thank-you note and, we hope,
secure an internship that will lead to a full-
time job once the internship is complete.
E D U C AT I O N
I try to instill in them the confidence they
will need to succeed. My goal for all students
is to have them placed in a top-notch funeral
home where they can gain a well-rounded
experience in both the embalming and funeral
directing sides of funeral service.
The main question I get from students
is how they should talk to a grieving
family. That question comes up over and
over again, as students express a lack of
confidence in their own communication
skills. This is primarily because they have
not had experience in this area.
I emphasize that they must first listen,
then empathize, present options and be
a guiding light at this very difficult time
in the person’s life. I incorporate funeral
home situations into my classroom lectures
to give the students practice interacting
with the public, and I constantly stress
real-life scenarios to help them learn to
empathize, overcome objections and react
appropriately. We spend a great deal of time
role-playing, and students enjoy interacting
in these simulations while developing their
communication skills.
Just as funeral directors work with
vendors to better serve families, mortuary
educators work with vendors to better prepare
the funeral directors and embalmers of the
future. I would like to thank Batesville Casket
Co., specifically Brian Scheele, for updating
our selection room at the college with current
offerings, including cremation containers,
urns, keepsakes, caskets and other resources,
and Peter McBride of Wilbert for updating
the selection room offerings of vaults.
I also would like to thank Memory Glass,
Precious Memories, Algordanza Memorial
Diamonds and Bass-Mollett for providing
Miami Dade student kits to further promote
hands-on learning applications.
I am grateful to Farley Funeral Home,
particularly to Michelle and John Williams
and Joanne and David Farley, for providing
me the opportunity to develop my skills in
such a professional setting. After working
in such a busy funeral home (800+ calls per
year), I feel I bring to the academic table
a well-rounded background of experience
from which my students can draw.
I am grateful to have embarked on this
phase of my lifelong pursuit of educating
and teaching, and am excited to be able to
help future funeral directors become the
best they can be in our profession. r

Meet some of Scotece’s students, each with

a different path leading to mortuary college
coming. The professor and program

T
Juselle Poitier
he year 2001 was a very influential
one for me. I was 13 years old and
looking forward to starting high school and
experiencing the joys of being a teenager.
Unfortunately, the year ended in the loss
of my cousin; I had to deal with the reality
and finality of death.
My cousin was just one year older than
I was, and I had to see her lying in a casket
with her body devoid of life. She looked
like she had simply fallen asleep with her
face lightly made up, still looking like
the young girl she was. That was when I
decided that I was going to do something
to help people who have lost a loved one.
I started mortuary school while working
for the local sheriff’s office as a 911
operator in 2013. I was taking classes
to prepare me for the work I knew was
22 ICCFA Magazine
director for the funeral services education
program at Miami Dade College had a
meeting with me and explained that I
needed to take more classes to finish the
program in a timely manner. The state
examinations are extremely strenuous, and
trying to remember information learned
over the course of many years, versus a
few months, would be difficult.
I never wanted my husband or my
daughters to feel like I put becoming a
funeral director before them. I still work
full time as a realtor and am the president
of my daughter’s PTA. I also am the
licensed pre-need counselor at my family’s
funeral home.
This journey has been one of joy and
tears, but I know it will be worth it in the
end. r
 ➤to page 24
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smart phone scan Property in photo is Fairview Cemetery, Westfield, NJ, Merendino client since 2005

I
Brandon Joel Lewis
grew up as an only child. I was
raised by my grandparents, aunt
and mother, and they ultimately
became my inspiration to follow my
dreams. As a child, I always had an
intuitive conviction that my calling
was to help others. My grandmother
always said I would become a
minister. As she transitioned, I had
an intense passion to discover more about
funeral service. It was then I knew I
wanted to become a mortician.
My mother was initially unsure about
my decision, but she saw the desire I have
about this field of study, and now is my
When I informed them of my intention to pursue a degree in mortuary science,
I was met with raised brows and confused expressions, an experience not uncommon
to those entering the field as complete newcomers.—Zenovia Ruiz
A
Zenovia Ruiz
fter attaining a bachelor’s degree in
psychology from the University of
Central Florida, I opted to continue my
education, switching to the different but
related industry of funeral service, with the
intent of combining my knowledge of both
fields to help grieving families cope and
come to terms with loss and death.
There’s an emerging trend in the industry
for the majority of funeral service students
to be young women with no connections or
experience in the field. I am one of them.
No one in my family owns or is in anyway
involved in the operation of a funeral home,
nor are any of them knowledgeable about
the industry. When I informed them of my
intention to pursue a degree in mortuary
science, I was met with raised brows and
confused expressions, an experience not
uncommon to those entering the field as
complete newcomers.
Funeral directing wasn’t the direction I’d
intended my life to head. Since childhood,
I knew I wanted to help people, to be
there for those wrestling with hardship or
emotional turmoil and aid them through the
healing process. The plan was to become
a licensed counseling psychologist and
open up my own practice, but the cost of
grad school was daunting. I took a year off
school to save up for tuition.
Then, as I drove home from work one
night, my mother called to tell me that one of
my aunts had passed away from cancer. Her
24 ICCFA Magazine
E D U C AT I O N
greatest supporter. She is interested in
every detail of my future career and instills
in me the importance of caring for each
family as if they were related to me.
As I mentioned, my grandmother’s
transition was pivotal for me; the care and
children held a visitation a week later, and I
was struck by the scene. The white, yellow
and red flowers; the intense emotional release
by some guests at the sight of the wooden
casket; and the quiet dignity of the service
contributed to a striking experience.
One of my cousins talked about how
seeing their mother’s body caused the reality
of the situation to sink in, and sang the
praises of the funeral director who helped
her navigate through this taxing ordeal. Soon
after, I enrolled at Miami-Dade College as
a funeral service major, going to school full
time while working as a freelance artist.
As someone with no contacts in the
industry, and no concrete notion of what
to expect of it, the entire field felt almost
secretive at first. Most of my friends,
relatives and coworkers were almost totally
ignorant about funeral service, aside from
preparation given to her inspired
me to explore this occupation, its
science and the art of embalming.
I have discovered many techniques
morticians use so that families can
obtain the closure of viewing the
body. The family will remember that
final viewing, and I strive to work
with each deceased individual with
the greatest of care.
I want the family to know that their
loved one was cared for in an honorable
and devoted manner. I am enthused about
my future, and with God’s guidance I will
become a licensed funeral director and
embalmer. r
the handful who had attended or planned
a service, which only gave me insight on
the consumer role. Others were outright
uncomfortable with the topic. Most of what
I heard wasn’t useful information but the
ever popular comments and exclamations of
“Oh, I could never do that” or “Why do you
even want to study that?”
I did some research online, which gave
me much more insight into what I could
expect from a career in mortuary science,
but not having anyone to talk to left me
feeling a bit lost. Once I began the first year
of my degree program, however, the whole
field seemed to open up before me. Classes
such as funeral directing, restorative art and
embalming, in particular, helped to fill in
most of the gaps in my knowledge and clear
up any misconceptions.
As a licensed funeral director and
embalmer, I hope to use my skills to
assist grieving families in navigating a
difficult period in their lives, and to use my
background in psychology to recognize
maladaptive or suicidal behaviors and direct
those individuals to licensed health care
professionals.
I also want to draw on my background
to help each family have a funeral that
reflects their wishes and needs. For some,
the funeral will be a day they will remember
forever. For others, it may be a half-
forgotten blur of emotions. In either case,
I want to help the funeral be what they need
to help them in their grieving process. r
 ➤to page 26
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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 25

B
Cara Magarian
efore becoming
a student
at Miami Dade
College studying
funeral services,
I already had a
degree in health and
community services and biology.
I worked at a morgue in Moscow,
Russia, while I was an undergraduate
student, but it was not until a few years
ago that I actually thought I wanted to
become a mortician.
I had a career working in mental health
at the nation’s top psychiatric hospital
in Boston, Massachusetts. I have always
loved helping people as well as a love of
science, so I figured a career in mortuary
science would be a great fit.
I know this is a very important career,
I am proud to be part of such a wonderful
field. I plan to join the military once I
become a funeral director because I would
like to work in mortuary affairs. r the chance to observe funeral rites from
A curator is a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection, and funeral directors
move through the world with much the same archival impulse, as they create sacred spaces
and advocate for the clients’ interests with many stakeholders often present.—William Heath
26 ICCFA Magazine
E D U C AT I O N
I
William Heath
n order to go back to school to make a
radical career change at the age of 37,
I moved back to my hometown and took
a part-time position at a Jewish catering
and event design company, where I work
in a variety of roles, from bartender to
food stylist and prep chef. This job has
been interesting academically, giving me
F
Kellen Strosnider
uneral service is traditionally a
family business. Even the first funeral
directors were cabinet makers who fell into
the role because they were the ones called
on to make the coffins. But I am one of the
people who chose this path on their own,
a small but rapidly growing group in the
profession.
I come from an art background. In
high school I worked at a craft store and
took extracurricular art classes. After I
graduated, I experimented with making
money from painting, dancing and
teaching, before settling into a four-year
professional modeling career. I thought
one day I’d like to study psychology.
Perhaps it comes with the territory of
associating with a lot of tortured-artist
types, perhaps it’s a reflection of the opioid
epidemic, but one way or another, by the
age of 25 I had lost quite a few people I
was close to.
As an artist interested in psychology, I
obsessively observe and analyze emotional
expression. I noticed that a lot of problems
in funeral services I attended were
another vantage point, at both the
temple and in the more intimate
domestic settings while assisting
families with sitting Shiva.
After nearly a decade spent in
the museum and arts sector, my
transition into the funeral sciences
has been a surprisingly fluid career
change. A curator is a keeper or
custodian of a museum or other
collection, and funeral directors
move through the world with much
the same archival impulse, as they
create sacred spaces and advocate
for the clients’ interests with many
stakeholders often present.
In this new career path I hope to
bridge my experiences in the hospitality
and visual art sectors to develop highly
creative and personalized funerals and
memorials. The emotional labor performed
by the people in this industry are a kind of
ministry you know you are being called to,
and I’m excited for this new chapter in my
professional life to begin. r
overlooked by families because people
were grief-stricken. I was disappointed
by how certain funeral professionals were
handling things, and further frustrated by
the fact that death is a taboo subject. This
means that nobody wants to talk about
death, so the problems in the industry
don’t really get discussed or resolved.
I decided I wanted to do something
to change that. My mission is to start
discussions about end-of-life planning,
and educate people about their options
so they are empowered with information
before tragedy strikes. I want to arm
people against feeling taken advantage of
or allowing strangers to make important
decisions on their behalf.
Death is a uniting experience, a natural
process that every human on earth, no
matter how different, will one day go
through. We should feel free to talk about
it, ask questions and explore our fears or
curiosities without judgment. By opening
up conversations about death, we can end
the stigma and improve the funeral industry
to give families more closure and better
guide them through the grieving process. r
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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by Welton Hong
ICCFA Magazine spotlight MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY
408.982.6096
welton@RingRing Does the rise of pay-per-click advertising mean that
Marketing.com
search engine optimization is no longer important? Is SEO dead?
➤Hong is the
founder of Ring No, it’s not, but you need to understand how to do it correctly.
Ring Marketing, Las

SEO is alive and well

Vegas, Nevada. He
is an expert in case

generation from
online platforms
to the phone line.
He is the author of “Making Your Phone
Ring with Internet Marketing for Funeral
Homes.”
www.funeralhomeprofits.com
➤Ring Ring Marketing offers a
comprehensive suite of marketing
services, from broad techniques such as
reputation management, pay­per­click
advertising, local search optimization,
email marketing and website content
generation, to more surgical tools such
as geotargeting, remarketing and social
media marketing.
W
e’re all grownups here. You’re
probably thinking that’s not only
an obvious point but also a curious
way to begin an article, so let me explain:
My firm is constantly working with
funeral homes to improve their websites,
create blog posts and social media posts and
generally improve their messaging.
Given the nature of this industry, we tend
to avoid certain terms whenever possible. It’s
always best to err to the side of caution, lest
anyone think for a minute we’re making light
of something as serious as mortality.
Which makes it a bit of challenge
when we need to talk about search engine
optimization (SEO). Because if there’s one
thing most small business owners wonder
about as it relates to digital marketing, it’s
this:
Is SEO dead?
Yes, there’s the “D” word. There’s no way
around it. And while we remain very careful
to use other terminology in the messaging we
do for our clients at Ring Ring Marketing,
there’s no reason not get right to the point
here. The fact is, that’s the #1 question small
businesses have for marketers. Every month,
hundreds of people search Google for “is
SEO dead” or “SEO is dead,” etc.
And thus my point that we’re all grown-
ups here. We can’t talk about the state of
SEO in 2019 without directly confronting the
question of whether SEO actually is dead (or
dying). Of course, I’ve already spoiled the
answer to that question in the headline, but
before we dive deeper into the ins and outs of
SEO, let’s explore that point a little further.
Don’t believe the hype: SEO
remains critically important
No matter what you might hear, SEO
remains a vital aspect of your funeral home’s
marketing and its eventual success. It’s far
from dead.
While it’s certainly true that SEO isn’t the
“be all, end all” of online marketing the way
it was several years ago, that doesn’t make it
Acronyms you
need to know
SEO: search engine optimization,
which comes in a black­hat and a
white­hat version
SERP: search engine results
pages
PPC: pay­per­click
UX: user experience
IoT: internet of things
something your funeral home can afford to
ignore.
If your local competitors are investing
in SEO and you’re not, your firm is already
behind. Even if your area currently has
very little competition, you can’t depend on
that to continue forever. Low-margin direct
cremation businesses pop up all the time,
and you can be sure they’ll be promoting
themselves online.
So let’s explore why the “SEO is dead”
maxim remains so powerful in 2019, despite
the reality of SEO’s continued importance.
Practically ever since people started
researching businesses for products and
services online, local businesses have realized
the importance of dominating search engine
results pages (SERPs) for those particular
queries.
That became even truer as Google rose to
prominence, thanks to its ability to determine
relevance (how relevant a result was to the
searcher’s intent) far better than other search
engines could.
Google also has always been especially
responsive to dealing with black-hat SEO,
which essentially means shady practices to
scam search engines into ranking sites higher
on results pages. (Legitimate practices are
referred to as white-hat SEO.)
To appreciate how much SEO and
Google go hand in hand, consider that the
phrase “search engine optimization” is

28 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 IN THE DEATHCARE INDUSTRY

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More people every year will be using voice search, and there are specific
SEO strategies you can use to optimize for that. One way is to include specific
short question-answer pairs in your funeral home site’s content.
believed to have come into use about 1997,
while Google was founded in 1998.
Today, Google owns about 90 percent of
the market share in search, which is why it
should always by your #1 priority in your
SEO efforts. It’s good to rank well on other
search engines such as Bing and Yahoo, of
course, but they’re merely minnows next to
the great whale that is Google.
In recent years, a large part of the “SEO is
dead” claim came from marketers who took
note of how Google (in particular) tended not
to reward sites as much anymore for packing
webpages full of keywords and developing
large networks of links.
Frankly, that’s a ridiculous take. Google
didn’t abandon SEO; it simply started
providing better rankings for sites that proved
themselves to most relevantly meet the
searcher’s needs.
Google knows there’s no great benefit to
a site that has little “real” quality but is jam-
packed with long-tail keywords and a mass of
inbound and outbound links. It now rewards
sites that are bursting with high-quality
original content. It rewards sites that provide
visitors the information and resources they’re
looking for.
And with more people using mobile
devices today (such as smartphones and
tablets), it especially rewards sites that
are optimized for those devices. In fact,
Google places more emphasis now on user
experience (UX for short) for mobile users
than for desktop users. And its emphasis will
continue to evolve, thanks to something we
call “the IoT,” otherwise known as…
The internet of things
Yes, that’s a weird term, but you should get
used to hearing it a lot more in the next few
years. Because the “internet of things” not
only has plenty of relevance for your life in
general, but for how your business utilizes
SEO.
While the term has appeared here and
there over the past decade, it’s really taken
effect in the past couple of years. The IoT
refers to the notion that essentially every
device that can be connected to the internet
eventually will be connected to the internet.
In other words, the internet doesn’t exist
only on traditional computers anymore. It’s
30 ICCFA Magazine
MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY
in smartphones. It’s in smartwatches. It’s in
refrigerators and lights and home climate
control systems and fitness bands.
Most notably for businesses such as
funeral homes, it’s in smart speakers, which
let users inquire about local services (such
as death care) just by speaking aloud to the
device.
Worldwide, there are already more than
seven billion IoT devices, and that’s not even
including smartphones and tablets!
This simply means that the old days of
interacting with the internet simply through
typing queries into a search engine in a web
browser are beginning to wane.
Only a few years from now, we very
well might reach the point where virtually
no one—and yes, that includes Americans
in their 60s, 70s and even 80s—queries the
internet that way.
Think about it: If a grandmother or even
great-grandmother can get information
simply by asking a question aloud—and
hearing the answer declared through a
speaker—why would she type queries into
a search engine? It removes concerns about
declining vision, or arthritis or diminished
mobility.
With the advent of IoT, again, some
people have questioned whether SEO will
remain relevant. Again, the answer is yes. In
fact, it might be more relevant than ever.
More people every year will be using
voice search, and there are specific SEO
strategies you can use to optimize for that.
One way is to include specific short question-
answer pairs in your funeral home site’s
content.
Additionally, when people do voice
searches for local death care providers, they
won’t necessarily see a big list of options like
they do now on SERPs. They might only hear
a single reply at first.
So if they simply say “local funeral home”
or even “call a local funeral home” (that
functionality exists now), you absolutely
want that funeral home to be yours. And that
happens from having great SEO.
The pay-per-click ad wrinkle
The effect of PPC on SEO has been going on
longer than that of IoT (yes, we’ve reached
acronym overload at this point), but it’s
something I can address even faster.
Search engines provide organic results for
free—that’s why they’re called free results,
after all. So one of the biggest ways search
engines make money is by selling advertising.
For Google, a huge revenue stream
comes from Google Ads (formerly Google
AdWords), its PPC offering. It earns more
than $1 billion every year from Google Ads
alone.
When you do a search on Google, you’ll
often see Google Ads on the results page,
typically about three on the top and three
more on the bottom, effectively “sand­
wiching” the free organic search results.
Marketers who prematurely declared SEO
dead figured these ads would effec­tively
eliminate the power of organic results. But
nothing could be further from the truth.
It’s certainly true that consumers trust
paid ads on SERPs much more today than
they did in the past. That’s why PPC is one
of the most effective marketing strategies
for local businesses. But many people still
trust organic search results more and prefer
to click on them.
In truth, paid ads and organic results
work together to benefit local businesses.
Searchers trust a PPC ad more when they
see an organic listing for the same business
on the page, and the same is true in reverse.
Thus it’s just as important as ever to
ensure your funeral home website has great
SEO. While Americans today use the internet
for many things, search remains incredibly
dominant: A full 93 percent of online
experiences begin with a search engine.
Additionally, four out of five people
perform some type of online research before
making a large purchase (of either a service
or product).
And it’s more important than ever to get
your funeral home on the first page of search
results, because three out of four people never
scroll past the first page. If you’re not on the
first page, you’re effectively invisible.
PPC ads haven’t diminished the power
of SEO at all. PPC and SEO actually have
a symbiotic relationship. To attract families
to your funeral home in 2019, your best
strategy is keep improving SEO while also
investing in PPC.
 ➤to page 31
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 MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY
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Making sure your SEO is solid
So are you doing everything you can to E N E R G Y S AV E R
ensure your funeral home website has
excellent SEO? Consider these questions: LED light bulb for Crypt
Is your site full of original, relevant & Niche Fronts
content? That’s the top priority for Google. Warm color for Bronzes
The more high-quality content, the better.
Look for places where you can better inform E A SY TO I N S TA L L
families in your area about all aspects of
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funeral service, along with related issues.
Does your site have enough (but not 1 877 515-4672
too many) relevant keywords? The key
here is to have long-tail keywords, which is
another way of saying “keyword phrases.”
You should ensure they appear organically
in website copy, but don’t try to stuff
in extras where they don’t belong. That
actually can hurt your search ranking.
Does your site provide an excellent
user experience on mobile devices? It’s
as simple as this: If your funeral home
site doesn’t look good and work well on
smartphones, you’re in big trouble. Make
it as easy as possible for mobile users to
navigate your site and contact you. Click-
to-call functionality is an absolute must.
Is your site loading as fast as it should
be? The loading speed of your site is
imperative to ranking well on Google in
2019. Google says many websites lose half
their prospective visitors just while the site is
loading. If yours takes more than a couple of
seconds to load, you’ll lose visitors.
Are you incorporating social media
into your marketing? In the past, funeral
homes have been (understandably) wary of
exploring social media strategies, but it’s
time to move past that. Social media works
well for promoting pre-need services, and
by increasing engagement, your site can
build more links to other relevant sites and
improve overall SEO.
Is your actual site design simple
and easy to navigate? While I strongly
encourage you to bolster site content, that
doesn’t mean you should get too complex.
Google rewards sites that have intuitive
designs and make it easy for visitors to find
what they’re looking for.
Are you effectively using images and
video? Users like images and videos, so
Google likes those elements as well. Show-
case your funeral home with high-resolution
photos of the facility and staff. Make a video (267) 535 - 1490 or (267) 348 - 5059
that tells your story and generates trust with www.northeastmausoleum.com
visitors. You’ll convert more visitors into
clientele and improve your SEO. r 46 West Ferry Street, New Hope, PA
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 31
by Christine Hentges, CCE

christieh@ COMMUNITY OUTREACH

tributeinc.com
ICCFA
Magazine Life and death are part of the cycle of nature, so what could be
spotlight more natural than a garden-themed remembrance service?
➤ Hentges is
president of The
Tribute Companies,
Hartland, Wisconsin,
and manages
the companies’
cemeteries, including
Pinelawn Memorial
Park & Mausoleum Corp., Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, where the grief garden program
was held.
www.tributeinc.com
➤ Hentges is a past president, board
member and former secretary of the
ICCFA. She is a former president of the
Wisconsin Cemetery Association.

Grief Garden participants at Pinelawn Memorial Park plant a flower.

Organizing an award-winning
grief garden remembrance service
P
inelawn Memorial Park in Milwau­
kee, Wisconsin, holds semi-annual
remembrance services revolving
around different themes. One particularly
memorable service that received an ICCFA
KIP (Keeping It Personal) Award was
themed “Grief Garden, and included the
following elements:
• Personalized “garden” invitations
for all families who had a burial in the
cemetery over the past year.
• Guest speakers from Mission TLC, a
voluntary grief and bereavement support
group operated through a large church
near the cemetery. Mission TLC based the
entire service around the symbolism of
the grieving process recognized through
nature as interpreted by Dr. Alan Wolfelt in
his “Grief Garden Model.” (Dr. Wolfelt’s
materials are available from The Center for
Loss & Life Transitions.)
• A “babbling brook” created inside the The invitations for the service, held
cemetery’s chapel to set the garden theme. early in the spring.
 ➤to page 34
32 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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Helpful hints for
holding a grief
garden service
• Work with a local grief and bereave­
ment support group. They should run the
service and the cemetery staff should have
minimal direct involvement.
• Hold the service late in the day but
while there is still daylight. At the end
of the program, have the attendees go out­
side, to an area that has been prepared for
seed planting, to plant seeds as a group.
Working the seeds into the prepared soil
can be extremely therapeutic.
• Invite a community gardening club to
attend the service to help with the plant­
ings and give advice on growing the seeds.
• Encourage families to bring pictures
or actual flowers back after their seeds,
from the packet we gave them to take
home, have grown. This motivates them
to plant the seeds and take pride in their
growth. The flowers serve as a constant,
positive reminder of their deceased loved
ones.
• The service can be Christian-based or
non-Christian based. If you choose to
hold a Christian-based service, and your
cemetery or funeral home is nonsectarian,
make sure to let the families know of the
Christian focus in invitations and press
releases.
• Staff should wear bright, spring-
colored, professional clothes to help set
the tone.
• Have a registration book at the
entrance so you will know who attended.
• Make sure every family is greeted and
made to feel welcome.
• Have tissues available throughout the
room. r given and are then shared amongst staff at
34 ICCFA Magazine
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
• An indoor pond with waterfall, rocks,
potted plants and flowers that had been
temporarily set up.
• A candle-lighting ceremony which
used floating flower candles in the indoor
pond. Families came up one by one to light
and candle and say a few words about the
grief they were feeling at that time.
• A memento to help families to remem­
ber the service, consisting of a miniature
aluminum watering can, a baggie filled with
potting soil, a packet of flower seeds and
an inscription printed with the date of the
service on the side of the watering can. The
contents were wrapped in clear cellophane
and tied with a bow in spring colors.
• Light refreshments after the ceremony,
which is a critical time to receive feedback
about past and current service provided at
the cemetery. Pinelawn’ s staff was asked
to gracefully introduce themselves to the
attendees.
Through their conversations, they were
asked to learn more about the loved one(s)
interred within Pinelawn and to explore
what Pinelawn could do to improve its
overall service to them. Many ideas were
a dinner held for staff participants after the
service attendees had left.
Response to the service
In response to this remembrance service:
• Many tears were shed.
• One family in attendance had made
burial arrangements for five loved ones at
Pinelawn over the past six months. Their
emotions through the burial arrangements
were powerful, but when they each came up
to light a candle in the pond, they thanked
The minature
watering cans
used for the grief
garden program.
Seed packets
and small bags of
potting soil were
placed inside the
cans.
A participant prepares to plant a flower.
the cemetery for “putting up with them
through this horrific time in their lives” and
apologized for not appreciating everything
the cemetery had done up until that point.
• Pinelawn received a bouquet of flowers
the day after the program thanking them for
helping out the family at such a difficult time.
• The seeds from the packets were
planted in home gardens and individuals
brought the grown flowers into the office
to show the staff how well the flowers had
grown over the summer. Comments were
made that the flowers grew so well since
they were assisted by angels.
• At the staff dinner, everyone discussed
what the next theme would be. All staff
members are thankful for the program and
indicated how rewarding it is to them to
hold. Feedback indicates that the program
helps them remember what they are there
to do at the cemetery.  r
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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Submit your news

to ICCFA Magazine
Have you held a groundbreaking or grand opening for a new facility? Hired or promoted
someone? Is your company offering a new or updated product to cemeteries and/or
funeral homes? Have you recently held an unusual service or a successful seminar
at your location? Added a grief therapy dog to your staff? Share your news with col­
leagues all over the world—send it in to ICCFA Magazine! It’s a simple way to receive
some well­deserved publicity for you and your staff and to share ideas with peers.
Here’s how to get your news in ICCFA Magazine:
n Write it down. It doesn’t have to be written perfectly (that’s why we have editors)—it
just needs to include the facts. Remember the
basics: Who, What, Where, When & How (and sometimes Why).

n Send it in:
➤ E-mail your Word document as an attachment to sloving@iccfa.com, or write
your release in the body of your e-mail. Please include your full name and title
and the company’s name and location in the body of your e-mail.
➤ Photos—high-resolution jpgs—can be e-mailed. Remember you must adjust
digital camera settings to take high-resolution images before taking the photos!
Check the owner’s manual for instructions. (If you’re scanning in glossies, they Join Today!
must be scanned in at a minimum of 300 dpi at print size.) LegacyTouch.com/Partners
Questions? Need some guidance? E­mail ICCFA Magazine Managing Editor Susan
Loving at sloving@iccfa.com.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 35

by Daniel M. Isard, MSFS
1.800.426.0165
danisard@theforesight
companies.com
ICCFA
Magazine
spotlight
➤Isard is president of
The Foresight Compa­
nies LLC, a Phoenix-
based business and
management consulting firm specializing
in mergers and acquisitions, valuations,
accounting, financing and customer
surveys.
➤He is the author of several books,
and frequently speaks at industry conven­
tions.
More from this author
➤Educational information, including
copies of this article, can be found at
www.theforesightcompanies.com
➤You can follow Isard on Twitter at
@f4sight, LinkedIn and “like” The Fore­
sight Companies on Facebook.
Editor’s note
The Cemetery Impossible column is
written by the staff of The Foresight
Companies. If you have a question
you want to be featured in this
column, please send it to danisard@
theforesightcompanies.com. Dan
Isard or a member of his staff will call
you to get more information and a
recommendation will be provided via this
column, helping not only you but also
others who are facing similar challenges.
36 ICCFA Magazine
MANAGEMENT
Funeral and cemetery businesses continue
to be attractive to investors. Everyone dies, so they’re
a sure thing, right? As we’ve seen over the years, that’s not true.
Buying a successful operation and being able
to build on that success are two different things.
Why is it hard to manage
a national company?
“W
hy have some national
companies had problems?”
I have gotten this question
more than any other one I have been asked
in the past the years. I entered the funeral/
cemetery world in 1984. There were several
small- to medium-sized companies with big
ideas. Many were privately owned. One was
a public company.
By the early 1990s, there were several
that had crossed over from the privately-
owned world to the public world. Public
companies have a duty to inform their
shareholders about their business. The
business plan they aspired to fulfilling was:
1. Buy multiple businesses
2. Operate multiple businesses in an area
3. Bring in operating synergies to those
businesses
4. Acquire merchandise and capital
assets at better prices through quantity
discounts
5. Maximize staff efficiencies
6. Have a lower cost of capital
7. Make more profit
I have seen the history of companies
growing, shrinking and selling off. I have
followed the bankruptcy pleadings of some
private companies and the few public
companies that sought protection from
creditors via the bankruptcy courts. I write
this column with no agenda or conflicts.
These are my opinions.
The business model
was not right
The business model had flaws. It is not that
the national and regional companies could
not buy businesses. They could. They did.
When someone thinks their business is
worth $2 and you offer them $3, and they
have no succession plan, you will buy
many businesses.
It’s the operations part of the model that
was flawed. Companies were more focused
on acquisition and less on operation, and
it showed. If you bought a funeral home
doing 200 cases a year and you took your
eyes off operations, within a few years that
business was serving about 150 families
a year. In some cases, companies thought
they could raise prices to make up the
revenue shortfall. That just accelerated the
decline in location case count.
For many years, the analysts for
brokerage houses were analyzing the big
companies by their total revenue or total
case count or profit. However, when a
company is buying new businesses each
year, you have to imagine they will have
increasing revenue, case count and profit.
It was not until the early 2000s that
analysts started to run an analysis called
“same store sales.” Analysts compared a
company to the locations that had been
on line the previous year, omitting the
new acquisition results. This showed the
decline in revenue, cases and profit in
many cases.
It turns out that in many cases, the
operating synergies could not be capitalized
upon. Synergies from common benefit
providers, software, insurance and other
non-essential areas of operation could
certainly be put in place.
However, the largest costs of operating
a funeral home or cemetery business are
in staffing. In a cemetery, grass grows at
the same speed regardless of who owns the
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Disruption is when the traditional
mode of operations changes.
We see it in this business
every day. However, what we
do not see is a cure for death.
Therefore, death is going to be a
business ad infinitum. Financial
markets love this.
cemetery, therefore property maintenance
cannot be reduced. Sales need to take place
at each location, so there is no synergies
in that dynamic of staffing. Accounting,
recordkeeping and other costs of a funeral
home or cemetery are what they are.
There may be some savings over time,
but they add up to a small amount because
funeral service is a 24-hour-a-day staffed
business.
The lower cost of capital is a benefit
of the growth of acquisition companies.
However, the debt in the operation of
the business is rarely paying down the
principal. Therefore, some companies
grow but their debt also grows.
Imagine what the benefit would be if
these large companies paid down debt
systematically? The large operators of
funeral homes and cemeteries would
resemble a utility stock, spinning off
large dividends and therefore bringing
shareholder value based upon the annual
dividend.
Lost focus
One company, now bankrupt and absorbed
into many others, is a perfect example of
what happens when a business manager loses
focus. Imagine you buy a funeral home. The
soon-to-be-former-owner is willing to hang
around as a manager and consultant.
The semi-retired seller is told they will
get a base salary and a bonus of about
$5,000 if the business makes $X or more.
To the semi-retired former owner, this
seems wonderful. The public sees the
former owner is still there, so market share
doesn’t shift.
Then, the acquiring company says to
the now-former-owner, “Hey, find some
of your buddies to sell to us and we will
give you a bonus based on the purchase
price.” That bonus is more than the seller
would make in three years of operations.
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MANAGEMENT
What do you think happens to the focus of
the former owner? This was not happening
to just one or two people. It happened
system wide. The former owners became
recruiters and lost the focus on their local
business. Therefore, market share shifted.
Therefore, company profits declined.
Large businesses have to keep everyone
in the organization focused on the opera­
ting goals. When two goals compete for
the attention of an employee, we generally
see failure in both goals.
Essentially, when a large company pays
$1 million for a business, they are then
going to a manager and saying, “please
manage this $1 million investment for
us.” There are not many people capable
of managing a $1 million funeral home or
cemetery. Now, what happens if we look at
$2 million or $5 million businesses?
When I refer to the importance of
staffing, I’m not just talking about the
people needed to run funerals or sell
cemetery interments, I’m also talking
about the people needed to manage that
investment, to keep it safe and growing.
The financial capital
Borrowing money is inversely difficult. It
may be difficult to borrow $1 million, but
borrowing $10 million is actually easier.
When you look at these large private or
public companies, they are borrowing
hundreds of millions or even a billion
dollars.
Funeral service and cemeteries are
secured loans, but not in the form of
tangible collateral. They are secured by
their cash flow. In our 21st century world,
we have learned to live with “disruption.”
Disruption is when the traditional mode
of operations changes. We see it in this
business every day. However, what we do
not see is a cure for death. Therefore, death
is going to be a business ad infinitum.
Financial markets love this.
Prior to a famous bankruptcy in the
late 1990s, of all of the standard industry
codes, funeral service and cemeteries had
the second lowest rate of bankruptcy!
There were about 8,000 SICs and only
benevolent associations had a lower
incidence of bankruptcy.
Of course, we have had some large
and famous bankruptcies since then.
That is because funeral service and
cemetery businesses require someone who
understands the “calling” and also can run
Funeral service and cemetery
businesses require someone
who understands the “calling”
and also can run a business
successfully.
a business successfully.
Since the 1980s, there have been many
people wanting to come into the funeral
and cemetery sphere to invest. There is
even more intelligent money waiting in the
shadows to come forward to invest in this
business.
They may not understand the business
model, let alone the fractured points of the
business model. They do know that there
is a predictable return on their investment
by owning funeral homes, cemeteries or
companies supplying goods and services to
these businesses.
The future
So, are we past the possibility of any
more bankruptcies or financial failures?
Absolutely not. This is a tough business. In
funeral service there is:
• A large capital investment in facility
and equipment
• A large fixed overhead
• A shrinking labor pool
• A change in consumer utilization
• Antiquated state laws regulating the
operations
On the cemetery side, we have even
more difficult operating issues. We see:
• A change in consumer utilization
• A large investment in illiquid assets
that are converted to inventory
• A reliance on an advance sales staff to
generate income
• The need to have income from trusts
that are part of the operating business and
which are subject to various investment
risks
Finding investment capital is not the
problem for the future. Finding human
capital to run these businesses successfully
is the biggest issue.
I suspect we will have some failures of
funeral homes and cemeteries. I suspect
businesses will be bought and sold to
meet the needs of the lenders. In multiple-
location businesses, I suspect some location
assets will be sold to repay lenders.
We must learn from the past or we are
doomed to repeat mistakes. r
June 2019 37
by ICCFA Magazine columnist
Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
vanbeck@
guptoncollege.edu;
toddvanbeck@ Have you ever seen a coworker or employee seem
gmail.com
to lose all reason and react in a way that’s completely
ICCFA
Magazine over-the-top to some perhaps minor provocation?
spotlight It doesn’t take a workplace guru to tell you that sort of behavior
➤Van Beck is one
of the most sought-
can cause lasting damage to an organization and the
after speakers and customer service it provides, even if not directly witnessed
educators in funeral
service. He is the by the public. You need to understand what causes
director of continuing education for John A.
Gupton College, Nashville, Tennessee.
this behavior and take steps to prevent it.
www.guptoncollege.edu
➤Van Beck is dean of ICCFA University’s
College of Funeral Home Management
The 2 1/2-minute manager
and received the ICCFA Educational
Foundation’s first ever Lasting Impact
The amygdala hijack: What it
Award in 2014.
is & what you can do about it
E
More about this subject
➤Previous articles in this series can be ver heard of a gentleman called John the most difficult and cantankerous of all the
read online by members in good stand­ Adams? I bet you have. John Adams Founding Fathers. Adams’ anger stifled his
ing. Go to www.iccfa.com under ICCFA was one of the members of that progress throughout his long life, it greatly
Magazine. select group of people referred to today as damaged his one term as president and it also
America’s “Founding Fathers,” along with contributed to the fact that he was never again
More from this author
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, elected to any post of political leadership.
➤In Van Beck’s new Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay Adams himself was keenly aware of his
book, “Exploring the and Alexander Hamilton. prickly nature and ready temper. This is what
Heart of Funeral Ser­
Adams emerges as the “bull dog” of the he wrote about his relationship with others:
vice,” he explores topics
American Revolution. Books have been “There are few people in this world with
pertinent to funeral com
munications and funeral written about him, movies have been made whom I can converse. I can treat all with
service counseling. and several television series have been decency and civility, and converse with them,
www.amazon.com devoted to telling the story of the Adams when it is necessary, on points of business.
family. But I am never happy in their company.”
For all of the stellar strengths that John
➤Van Beck’s book Adams possessed, he battled one withering The amygdala hijack
“Reverence for the Dead: character flaw his entire life—his unbridled, I am taking the long way around the barn
The Unavoidable Link,” paralyzing anger. to ask this question: Have you ever been
addresses in detail the As Benjamin Franklin eloquently summed around such a person as I just described?
ethical standards of car­ up: “He (Adams) means well for his country, Have you ever been around friends, family
ing for the dead and the is always an honest man, often a wise one, members, co-workers, or employers who
ethical consequences of but sometimes, and in some things, absolutely just freaked out, said and did things that
not doing so.
out of his senses.” Adams loved humanity—it were so thoughtless and rash that the
www.amazon.com
was human beings who stoked the unlimited consequences were devastating?
powers of his anger. Have you ever been around people who
➤Van Beck’s book
“The Genius of Frank Adams frequently blew up at meetings got themselves whipped up in the heat
E. Campbell,” is the first and said or did things so rash that he of the moment and just lost it, yelling,
biography of the famed destroyed friendships and alliances, and later, screaming, crying, stomping, throwing
funeral director, probably after his uncontrolled anger had done its things and even, worst of all, physically
the most famous and fa­ damage, deeply regretted and beat himself attacking bystanders? Have you ever dealt
miliar name in the history up mercilessly for his uncontrolled outbursts. with a modern day John Adams?
of the funeral profession. Then, he would repeat the cycle all over Many historical accounts offer the
www.amazon.com again. suggestion that Adams suffered from an
Adams wanted very much to be a great impulse imbalance in his brain which
man, and to be sure he did attain greatness. resulted in his furious and unbridled angry
Nevertheless, Adams is remembered as being behavior. Since he died in 1826, we will

38 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 If crypt flies don’t keep you
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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 39
 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
At the time it occurred, I mistakenly concluded that the meltdown was nothing
to make a big issue about, but I was wrong. The aftermath and the trickle down consequences
to our client base hurt the company’s financial performance, and that could not be tolerated.
never know if that was true, but in 2019
there is a term which defines and describes
the condition of a person experiencing an
immediate and overwhelming emotional,
angry response to something, a response
all out of proportions to the event itself.
This condition is called “amygdala
hijack.” An amygdala derailment or hijack
triggers a “fight-or-flight” response in our
brains which takes over control from our
logical, rational faculties.
The negative financial impact of this
condition in relationship to management and
employee productivity affecting American
businesses (including funeral homes and
cemeteries) annually is astounding. One
conservative estimate placed the number
of lost revenue to business as a result of
the presence of uncontrolled anger in the
American workplace at over $1 billion
dollars.
This estimate takes into account time lost
for mental and emotional healing, time lost
in revenge, time lost in productivity, time lost
in pouting, time lost due to poor interoffice
communications because of the damage
angry outbursts create and, worst of all,
time lost in seeking medical treatment, both
physically and emotionally.
Have you ever encountered co-workers or
managers who had a verbal shoot-out at work
and the consequences were that they refused
to give each other the time of day, eventually
hurting the level of customer service your
organization provides?
Here is an example: I had two pre-
need family service counselors who began
their working relationship as best friends.
They were office chums, they were always
together, drinking coffee, standing under the
canopy for their smoke and gossip breaks,
enjoying inside jokes about the management
and other personnel. They seemed to be
lifelong buddies.
Then one day, out of the blue, one of those
family service counselors had a meltdown
over something very minor. But, my, oh my,
the things this person said to her best buddy,
screaming at the top of her lungs in the
employee parking lot. Afterward, we thought
everything had calmed down, but we were
wrong.
These two “professionals” refused to
40 ICCFA Magazine
speak to each other, and in short order they
both began to sabotage each other. They
would trip each other up in appointments with
families, they would withhold information,
they would “steal” clients left and right.
Eventually both of these individuals were
terminated.
At the time it occurred, I mistakenly
concluded that the meltdown was nothing to
make a big issue about, but I was wrong. The
aftermath and the trickle down consequences
to our client base hurt the company’s financial
performance, and that could not be tolerated.
Looking back, I can see that I had a John
Adams on the staff and failed to recognize it.
Did that family service counselor experience
an amygdala hijack? Sadly for all, we will
never know.
I once observed a licensed funeral director
blow his top because there were mud splatters
on the funeral coach. His response was totally
irrational, as it was winter in Iowa. This
gentleman was so furious that he stormed out
of the cemetery, taking the lead car, which
meant that the officiating clergy had to ride
back to town with me, in the hearse.
The clergyperson was fine with riding
with me, but I was humiliated, as the
bereaved family witnessed the entire
theatrical episode. Upon our return to the
funeral home, the offending undertaker
had calmed down and tried to pretend that
nothing of any significance had happened.
Could it be that this person has
experienced an amygdala hijack? Let’s
explore this further.
What causes the problem
Studies show that under normal
circumstances, people process information
through their neocortex (the thinking brain).
The neocortex then routes the information
to the amygdala (deep in the center of our
emotional brain). Sometimes there is a short
circuit and our “thinking brain” is bypassed
and the signals are sent straight to the
“emotional brain.”
After the resulting out-of-proportion,
utterly overwhelming response, the
information is relayed to our logical
brain, causing the person to realize the
inappropriateness of their original emotional
response.
Could this be what happened to the funeral
director who went nuts at the cemetery and
then behaved as if all was right with the
world when we all returned to the funeral
home, as well as to the furious family service
counselor who destroyed both a friendship
and a career?
The amygdala is a neurological creation
that developed many thousands of years ago,
back when this type of dramatic emotional
response served an excellent purpose.
Imagine, for instance, that it’s 62,000
years ago and you are conducting a funeral
and burial service for your Neanderthal
buddy. (You are the best Neanderthal funeral
director in town.) During the final committal
service, you turn around to find yourself face-
to-face with a ravenous meat-eating creature
looking directly at you, obviously eyeing you
as a quick and easy snack.
In this dangerous situation, your brain
doesn’t have time to waste on rationally
assessing the situation; the amygdala hijacks
the brain into a flight or fight response, which
we hope allow the potential snack to get the
hell out of Neanderthal Cemetery before
being eaten!
Fortunately for you and me, things have
changed. It is most unlikely that we are going
to encounter a blood-thirsty beast at a burial
service—or anywhere else—these days.
But as we go about our lives, we are
likely to encounter other types of annoying
creatures: drivers who cut us off in traffic,
colleagues who constantly annoy or create
more work for us, children who continue to
misbehave despite numerous admonishments,
clients who are demanding, obnoxious and/
or rude.
In other words, we regularly encounter
a variety of situations that are not life-
threatening but could lead to an amygdala
hijack.
It also must be said that not all amygdala
hijackings are distressing. When a joke strikes
someone as so uproarious that their laughter
is almost explosive, that, too, is a limbic
response. The amygdala is also at work in
moments of intense joy.
There are medical treatments available,
but they are generally confined to treating
extreme acts of amygdala-controlled
behavior which could result in harm to
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 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

It takes the chemicals that exhibiting amygdala hijack can and does Being aware of our triggers, of our hot
lead to homicide. spots, allows us to avoid them in the
are released during an 5. Neutralize the situation. When future.
amygdala hijacking about six rudely interrupted, remember a time you 10. Try not to take yourself too
interrupted someone else—realize we all seriously. This seems to be a basic human
seconds to dissipate. In an have done the same thing. Humor is also a flaw; we sometimes can become so
amygdala hijack, silence is great tool to help neutralize a situation with wrapped up in our own little worlds that
hijack potential. we need a jolt of reality to bring us back.
golden. Follow this prescription: Seeing the funny side of funeral This human flaw can and does contribute
Take six seconds and take six and cemetery work might strike many to the severity of the amygdala hijack.
as an oxymoron, but some of the most Often, this jolt comes in the form of
deep breaths. Then do this hilarious events in human experience have some unpleasant event, such as a neighbor
again, and possibly again. happened at funerals and on the grounds of laughing at your very out-of-tune rendition
cemeteries. of a song (that we think we are seriously
oneself or to others. Also remember that everyone makes good at singing) or even worse, losing a
For our purposes in addressing this mistakes. friendship or dating relationship because
issue in the world of funeral and cemetery 6. Remember the power of the you are so involved with your own affairs
management, we will focus on methods and six-second rule. It takes the chemicals you can’t see anything but yourself. If
strategies for coping with an amygdala hijack. that are released during an amygdala your goal is to have a lasting and happy
hijacking about six seconds to dissipate. relationship, this won’t be very helpful to
Asserting control In an amygdala hijack, silence is golden. your cause, so, it’s great to periodically do
Here are some way to control yourself when Remember: You will never be asked to a checkup.
you experience an amygdala hijack. repeat something you haven’t said. Here are 10 indicators you are taking
1. The first step is to recognize that Follow this prescription: Take six yourself too seriously:
this condition exists. Awareness is a seconds and take six deep breaths. Then 1. You can’t easily laugh at yourself.
powerful tool in controlling a situation. do this again, and possibly again. The 2. You are too defensive.
Recognize what amygdala hijacking is. longer you remain calm and in control, the 3. You have a difficult time admitting
2. Recognize that an angry exchange more likely you are to emerge from the you are wrong.
of words changes few minds. The person communication as a winner. Remember: 4. You always have to have the last
experiencing an amygdala hijacking is Amygdala hijacking has the potential to word.
rarely listening to anyone, and the person destroy valuable relationships for life. 5. It is important to you to point out
being screamed at is unlikely to be in a Another strategy is to focus on others’ faults.
receptive mood for evaluating the content something funny you heard (anything that 6. You interrupt someone who is
of what is being said (or screamed). The will help you focus on something else) speaking to make sure your views are heard.
situation can easily result in permanent until the initial overreaction reduces. 7. You get upset and withdraw from the
damage to the relationship. 7. Believe the truth that no one can conversation when someone teases you.
3. Stop. Really stop, and breathe when make you angry, you get angry on your 8. If someone politely declines spending
you realize an amygdala hijack is occurring. own. You are the only person who should time with you, you spend the next two
Stop what you are doing and breathe deeply, be in control of your emotions. You injure weeks trying to figure out what’s wrong
with intention and purpose. This is an yourself by relinquishing that control to with you instead of believing the reason he
excellent way to take control of a situation. others. or she gave for declining.
Ask yourself what just happened, replay 8. Learn to be an observer in your 9. You rarely give compliments to
the experience and what was said in your own life. Count your blessings. It is hard others.
head. Interestingly, this simple process to be in two emotional states at the same 10. You feel like no one understands you.
keeps the neocortex (the thinking brain) time, and gratitude does help counter an
engaged and can prevent the amygdala from amygdala hijack. It is worthwhile to prepare and train the
fully taking over. It is not always easy to appreciate the management and staff in our funeral and
4. Become analytical about the person who is the cause of your reaction, cemetery operations in both general stress
behaviors of others. Jerks abound; they so focus on the other parts of your own management and also in the subject of the
are everywhere. Remember everyone has life, such as your friends and family. View amygdala hijack.
what he or she believes is a good reason what happens to you objectively. Evaluate Being aware of this subject and what
for behavior that to you looks irrational, your responses and determine to do a triggers such an outburst can go a long
childish or worse. better job next time. way toward controlling the behavior. I
Don’t let the behaviors of others push 9. Begin responding to people—stop would humbly suggest that it is time well
your hot buttons, leading to your own reacting to them. Think with your brain spent, as dysfunctional managers and
amygdala hijack. The juice is simply not and not your stomach. Reflect on the employees always result in lost revenues
worth the squeeze. The situation where triggers which led to overreaction. Triggers for any company, certainly for a funeral
two people in a interaction are both can be identified and hence controlled. home or cemetery. r

42 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
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by Ed Horn, CCE
MANAGEMENT
ehorn@
stmichaels
cemetery.com Here’s a thought experiment for you: Imagine you had the means
ICCFA to open a new cemetery. What would your planning look like?
Magazine
spotlight

➤Horn is
director of
sales and
marketing
and of community relations at
St. Michael’s Cemetery, East
Elmhurst, New York.
www.stmichaels
cemetery.com
➤He is a past member of the
ICCFA Board of Directors and
a member of the Government
and Legal Affairs Committee.
➤ The 9/11 Queens Firefight­
ers Memorial and observance
he spearheaded in honor of
Queens firefighters killed on
September 11, 2001, received
the grand prize in the ICCFA’s
2005 KIP (Keeping It Personal)
Awards contest.
A new cemetery operation needs
much more than capital to succeed
I
cannot tell you the number of times wealthy
people outside our profession have asked
me what would be required either to buy an
existing cemetery or combination operation or,
better yet, to buy vacant land in order to start
one from scratch. These people who express
interest in getting into our profession always turn
out to have had some recent interaction with a
cemetery. They are drawn to the idea of the heritage
benefits of running a successful one.
When I tell them the hurdles that could be
involved in meeting regulatory requirements, and
the possibility of community opposition, their
enthusiasm dims. When I add on the infrastructure
costs associated with developing a new property,
that tends to quell any remaining interest.
Nevertheless, these encounters can’t help
making me imagine what it would be like to be able
to bring years of experience to the development of a
new cemetery or combination operation.
Location and demographics, including religious
diversity and ethnic and cultural customs, would
affect initial development and future planning.
Planning also would have to consider positioning
relative to competition, branding, setting up a sales
staff, providing for the financing of memorial
property, establishing good community relations
and connecting with local elected representatives.
Then there’s pricing of memorial property,
taking into account both the cost to develop it and
the need to trust the right amount for the future.
Anyone developing property as a new cemetery
needs to reach out to abutting property owners to
try to alleviate any apprehensions they might have,
lest ill will tarnish the new operation before it even
opens, since the word “cemetery” can conjure up all
sorts of false fears that need to be dispelled through
education.
Any organization is only as good as the people
who represent it. The backbone of an operation’s
success is having the right people in the right
positions. The management team at a newly opened
cemetery must have focused, dedicated vision that
sees years into the future.
Most new businesses in the United States fail in
the first five years of operation, but a cemetery can
only be successful by accepting responsibilities that
extend many decades, or even longer. The owner
of such a new operation must be able to delegate
authority to trusted subordinates, something that
generally goes against the nature of entrepreneurs.
Most memorial property is sold by commission-
based counselors. At a new operation, that’s a tough
position to be in, as any new business requires
time to penetrate the market. Both managers and
counselors have to be ready to accept some initial
frustration, and plan how to address the issue in
order to lay the groundwork for success.
The worst of all possibilities would be operating
with a sales force only in it for immediate income
while seeking other employment. The effect such a
situation would have on families, and therefore on
the success of the organization, would be hard to
overcome.
Counselors must appreciate the three aspects to
their employment: dedication to making as much
as they can for themselves; their obligation to
serve their clients, the people whose purchases pay
their salaries and whose satisfaction ensure future
referrals; and their obligation to be loyal to the
organization that employs them.
For its part, cemetery owners and managers
need to appreciate the crucial role of pre-need
sales. I’ve heard of operations that eventually view
their counselors with hostility and even jealousy
over high earnings. Some­times commissions are
lowered, territories are reduced and/or additional
counselors are hired to dilute the income potential
of all. Anyone who intends to operate a business
that is, by its nature, dependent on a successful sales
force, must have the temperament and imagination
not to engage in such self-defeating behavior.
I’ve often heard it said that the Chinese take a
long view; their vision is defined in years. People
in the United States, in contrast, have become
enamored of quarterly returns. Americans, the joke
goes, think immediate gratification takes too long.
A new business of any type requires five years to
be on the road to success, but a cemetery demands
a decade or more to get to that position. To have the
means to open a new cemetery and the patience to
run the long race could be rewarding, indeed, for
the individual, for the families served and for future
generations. r

44 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 I C C FA 2 0 1 9 C O N V E N T I O N & E X P O
CASKETS

Check out the July issue for full convention coverage,

and mark your calendar now for the next
ICCFA Convention & Expo, in San Antonio, March 30-April 2, 2020

T
he 2019 ICCFA
Convention & Expo
in Charlotte, North
Carolina, inspired some
suppliers to add NASCAR
touches to their exhibits,
including caskets like the one
above included in a Funeral
Home Gifts display. On these
pages, check out a few of the
many caskets that were on
display in Charlotte.
Far left, Concept Caskets.
Left, Matthews International.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 45

 I C C FA 2 0 1 9 C O N V E N T I O N & E X P O
CASKETS

Left, a
Batesville
casket
with a
military
theme
and the
memory
drawer.

Below,
from top:
a blue
Clair cas-
ket from
Astral;
a child
casket
from
Poly-
guard; a
wooden
casket
from
Sauder.

Wooden
caskets from
The Wilbert
Group (right)
and Sich
(below).

46 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 I C C FA 2 0 1 9 C O N V E N T I O N & E X P O
CASKETS

Above left, an engraved casket at the Supernova/AP Lazer booth. Above right, a casket from Custom Air Trays.

All the way from Italy, Prima Bottega dis-

played a variety of products, including
caskets. Above, a sparkling golden one;
right, a wooden one adorned with hearts;
far right, one with religious scenes.

Questions or concerns about the

conditions in your mausoleum?
With over 35 years of experience, Ensure-A-Seal has the
products and on-site expertise to address any situation.

800 864 4174 Learn more at ensureaseal.com

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 47

Update Send in news about your cemetery, funeral home, crematory or association to sloving@iccfa.com. If you publish a newsletter,
please email a copy to sloving@iccfa.com or mail to: Susan Loving, ICCFA, 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100, Sterling, VA 20164.

Far left top,

trees with
the taps in
place.

Far left
bottom,
jars of
maple
sugar
made
from
trees at
St. Agnes
Cemetery.

Left,
Cemetery
Manager
Luke
McGarry
works on
turning
the sap
into maple
sugar.

n St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands, New
York, part of ALBANY DIOCESAN
CEMETERIES, Albany, New York, re-
cently provided employees with a sweet
bonus. Luke McGarry, one the diocese’s
cemetery directors, tapped six old maple
trees at the top of Founders Hill, the oldest
section in St. Agnes. The tree saver taps
he used do not harm the trees or shorten
their lifespan. It was the first time, to the
diocese’s knowledge, that trees have been
tapped in the cemetery.
The taps remained in the trees for two
weeks and produced 42 gallons of sap,
which was evaporated down to one gallon
of maple syrup. McGarry then distributed
the limited-edition syrup to cemetery em-
ployees and saved one for the bishop. Staff
members were delighted with the syrup,
and grateful to McGarry for taking on
the delicious experiment in his off hours.
McGarry, who has been with Albany Dioc-
esan Cemeteries for 10 years, is one of two
cemetery managers, overseeing 11 of the
18 cemeteries.
n PARK LAWN CORP., Toronto,
Ontario, has acquired John L. Ziegen-
hein & Sons Undertaking Inc., a two-
location funeral business in St. Louis,
Missouri, for approximately $4.2 million.
The purchase of Ziegenehin, owned and
operated by Roger Richie, was funded
with proceeds from the company’s recent
equity financing.
n LEGACY FUNERAL GROUP,
Houston, Texas, has acquired Luginbuel
Funeral Homes of Oklahoma. The origi-
nal Luginbuel Funeral Home is located in
Vinita and has expanded to include Lugin-
buel South Grand Lake Funeral Home in
Langley, Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home
in Grove and Jay, Ellis Family Funeral
Home in Grove, Benjamin Funeral Service
in Nowata and Arnold Moore & Neekamp
Funeral Home in Bartlesville.
The Luginbuel family has been dedicated
to serving the community of Vinita since
1927 and expanded their scope of care
to the surrounding areas over the years.
Legacy Funeral Group owns and operates
over 130 funeral homes, cemeteries and
crematories throughout the southwest and
southern United States.
n PINNACLE FUNERAL SERVICES,
Peachtree Corners, Georgia, has acquired
Hartson Funeral Home Inc. and Wis-
consin Cremation Services LLC. The
two businesses, which are located in Hales
Corners, have been serving southeastern
Wisconsin since 1989. Founders Gary and
Christine “Missy” Hartson have developed
their clientele substantially over the past
30 years, and together they are now serv-
ing more than 500 families annually. With
this acquisition, Pinnacle strengthens its
position in Greater Milwaukee and owns
a growing number of funeral homes in
Wisconsin.

48 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 UPDATE

Ballet at West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

n WEST LAUREL HILL, Bala Cyn-

wyd, Pennsylvania, held a fund-raiser in
celebration of its 150th anniversary fea-
turing the Pennsylvania Ballet. Two one-
of-a-kind featured excerpts were presented,
followed by a meet-and-greet opportunity
with the dancers and the artistic director,
and a reception with drinks and light fare
at the West Laurel Hill Conservatory. The
excerpts performed were from “Giselle”
and “Romeo & Juliet.” The first American
ballerina to perform as Giselle is buried
West Laurell Hill’s sister cemetery, Laurel
Hill. Proceeds benefited The Friends of
Laurel Hill Cemetery.
West Laurel Hill also held a spring
tour/course in cooperation with Main
Line School Night, “Art in Stone: Bala
Cynwyd’s Marvelous Mausoleums.” The
cemetery has one of the most varied and
extensive collections of private family mau-
soleums on the east coast. Among the more
than 300 homes for the dead are works by
renowned architects and artisans, including
Horace Trumbauer, James Windrim, Tiffany
Studios and Nicola D’Ascenzo. The course
was led by the cemetery’s historian and
author, Rachel Wolgemuth.
n FOREST LAWN MUSEUM, Glendale,
California, honored International Women’s
Day with a special event celebrating
women. The pinnacle moment of the event
was the presentation of three International
Women’s Day scholarships to further the
careers of young women in the arts. Scholar-
ships were awarded to dancer Jayln Flowers,
photographer Itzel Barakat and art historian
Maya Chau. The event also included presen-
tations by Clare Kunny, founder and director
of Art Muse Los Angeles, and Forest Lawn
Museum Director James Fishburne, as well
as musical performances.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 49


n Superintent Stan
Spitler is entering his
fourth decade of service
to FERNCLIFF CEME-
TERY, FUNERAL HOME,
CREMATORY & ARBO-
RETUM, Springfield, Ohio.
Spitler started at Ferncliff in
Spitler 1990, shortly after graduat-
ing from Clark State College.
That first job entailed grounds work
and escorting funerals from the front gate
to the gravesite. But Spitler didn’t remain
in that starter role long. A year later he
was appointed assistant superintendent, a
position which included sales, ground crew
supervision, gravesite set-up and mauso-
leum/columbarium internment.
He eventually was named superinten-
dent. “At age 40, I inherited a bookkeeper
who was over 60 and a secretary who was
over 80,” Spitler said, “so my first task
Above left, the front of the Batchelor Brother’s Drexel Hill lobby, designed to create a warm gathering space for families prior to
entering for a visitation or family service. Right top, second floor conference room where families make funeral arrangements.
Right bottom, the entry hall off the front lobby, where the receptionist and staff greet the family and their guests as they arrive.
n BATCHELOR BROTHERS FU-
NERAL SERVICES, Upper Darby,
Pennsylvania, has opened a new location,
in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Boast-
ing 30,000 square feet of well-appointed
space, it is one of the largest African
American-owned funeral homes in the
50 ICCFA Magazine
UPDATE
as superintendent was hiring two new as-
sistants: one for grounds, and one for the
office.
“Ferncliff was frozen in the 1950s in
terms of facilities, equipment and proce-
dures, so I spearheaded the introduction of
computers, a modern financial system, a
cemetery mapping system and some much-
needed building renovations.”
Spitler introduced tours for the public in
2003, then set his sights on a master plan.
“We put together a grounds design that the
board and I could work on together for the
next 12 years.”
Tireless work brought the plan to frui-
tion bit by bit, enhancing Ferncliff’s 240
acres of historic and picturesque grounds
with new and renovated lakes, fountains,
creeks, streams and waterfalls.
By 2007, the cemetery had been
transformed to such a degree that the new
name, Ferncliff Cemetery and Arboretum,
West Philadelphia area. The facility offers
multiple spacious viewing rooms, chapel
seating for 300 guests, numerous fam-
ily conference rooms and onsite parking.
Light-filled and inviting and its luxurious
décor and high-end furnishings provide a
distinguished setting for funeral services
was apt. That same year, a tree was dis-
covered on the grounds that had not been
found anywhere else in the United States.
“We named it the DiamondBark Beech
Ferncliff and registered the name with the
US Patent Office,” said Spitler. The tree
has been propagated and is now growing
in Oregon.
As it became clear that more and more
people were preferring cremation to burial,
Spitler led Ferncliff to adapt. The first 160
cremation niches were built in 2008, with
a scattering garden developed in 2007. An
additional 300 niches were added in 2012.
Ferncliff added a crematory and view-
ing room in 2012, a funeral home in 2016,
and the House of Reflections, a climate-
controlled indoor space for visiting crema-
tion urns displayed in glass-front niches, in
2018. r
of all types and sizes. A full spectrum of
funeral arrangement services, including
casket selection, traditional burial ser-
vices, cremation, pre-need planning, grief
support and more, is available. Batchelor
Brothers was founded in 2010.
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 UPDATE
The opportunity to choose a Keepsake Pendant
presents itself only once.
The comfort a Keepsake Pendant offers, lasts a lifetime.
TM

New Additions
Known for quality materials and craftsmanship,
Madelyn Co. Keepsake Pendants
are hand-made using jewelry-grade metals.
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Sterling Silver Flat Antique Filigree Pewter Cross AntiqueFiligree PewterHeart AntiquePewterRosewithPearl
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call about monthly specials or visit our website
US Columbarium Co./Fresh Pond Cre-
800-788-0807 Fax 608-752-3683 www.madelynpedants.com e-mail orders@madelynco.com
matory’s first newsletter.
n US COLUMBARIUM CO./FRESH
POND CREMATORY, Middle Village,
New York, has started a newsletter.
President JP Di Troia said he plans for the
newletter to be sent twice a year. The first
issue brought in not only compliments but
also donations, he said. About half of the
copies were emailed, while the other half
were mailed, he said.
n THE INTERNATIONAL CON-
FERENCE OF FUNERAL SERVICE
EXAMINING BOARDS, Fayetteville, Ar-
kansas, elected officers at its 115th annual
meeting. The Conference Board of Direc-
tors elected Mark Ransford to continue to
serve as president, Douglas “Mack” Smith
to continue as vice president and Charles
Perine to continue as secretary-treasurer.
Also, Perine was elected as District
3 director, representing funeral service
regulators from Alabama, Florida, Geor- TAP INTO the dynamic
gia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South online supplier network
Carolina.. Optimized. of the ICCFA with the
Robert Gribble was elected to serve as ICCFA Supply Link.
District 5 director, representing funeral Powered by MultiView,
the ICCFA Supply Link
service regulators from Arkansas, Illinois, is the premier search tool
Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. for your industry. All the
Sandy Mahon was elected to serve as products and services
District 8 director, representing funeral ser- you need, all within the
vice regulators from Alaska, Alberta, Idaho, supplier network of the
associaton you trust.
Montana, Oregon, Saskatchewan, Washing-
ton and Wyoming. Start your search at
Jennifer Kandt was elected to serve as our homepage
District 9 director, representing funeral www.iccfa.com.
service regulators from Arizona, California,
Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. She is
executive director for the Nevada State Board
of Funeral and Cemetery Services. r

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 51

Supply Line
Two of the emblems available from Eter-
nal Remembrance.
The Wilbert Companies’ new biode-
gradable urn.
The Champion Company’s 3D kit.
READERS: To find the products and
services you need online, go to
www.iccfa.com for the Supply
Link Search Engine, the fastest
way to find the products and
services you need at your funeral home,
cemetery or crematory.
SUPPLIERS: Send your press releases
about your new products and services,
and about awards, personnel changes
and other news to sloving@iccfa.com for
inclusion in Supply Line.
52 ICCFA Magazine
n ETERNAL REMEMBRANCE,
Cresson, Pennsylvania, offers beautifully
crafted mementos with a mobile-friendly
app to created a permanent online
memorial to a loved one through shared
stores, photos, videos and GPS-marked
locations that were important to that loved
one. The memorials are emblems that bear a
symbol chosen by the giver, such as a flag,
bird, heart or religious icon. The emblem
is mounted on the loved one’s memorial
marker, and the family keeps a matching
coin and velvet storage bag as a memento.
More than 30 themes are available. It was
founded by Tom McConnell.
http://eternalremembrance.com
n WILBERT FUNERAL SERVICES,
Broadview, Illinois, has introduced the
Circle of Life biodegradable urn. Its
round shape symbolizes earth and eternity.
A white butterfly on a magnet adorns the
urn but can be removed and saved as a
keepsake. A silk ribbon is available in a
choice of six colors.
1.888.WILBERT; www.wilbert.com
n THE CHAMPION CO., Springfield,
Ohio, has introduced its Champion 3D
(drugs, drainage, distribution) Kit to
simplify preparing bodies and deal with
medications, drug overdose, refrigera-
tion, poor distribution and discoloration by
providing a variety of arterial chemicals in
one kit. “The kit is designed to work with
your choice of arterial fluid and includes
easy-to-follow instruction in one box,”
said Champion Vice President and General
Manager Paul Bauman. “The chemicals
are designed to work together and provide
a more natural appearance and neutralize
the effects of drugs on the body during the
embalming process.”
www.championcompany.com
n PLOTBOX, Ballymena, Northern
Ireland, has recently raised $2.7 million,
bringing total investment in the business
to almost $5 million. The lead investor of
this latest round of investing is Par Equity
LLP and a group of venture capitalists from
both the U.S. and U.K., including Techstart
NI, Ironbridge and Clarendon. Added to the
company’s board are Jamie Andrews from
Techstart, David Alexander from Ironbridge
Capital and Graeme Patterson from Par
Equity. sean@plotbox.io; www.plotbox.io
n BOGATI URN CO., Sarasota, Florida,
is accepting applications for its scholar-
ship program. Applicants for the 2nd An-
nual Bogati Urn Co. Scholarship Fund are
being accepted until July 31, 2019. Funeral
service and mortuary science program
students will be considered for awards
ranging from $500 to $2,500. The program
is open to U.S. citizens who have complet-
ed one or more terms of study in funeral
service or mortuary science. Students with
less than a full term of study remaining
will be considered for partial awards.
Applications can be found at
bogatiurns.com/scholarshipapplicationinfo/.
sales@bogatiurns.com; www.bogatiurns.com
n HOMESTEADERS, Des Moines,
Iowa, has introduced two new products,
Assurance Elite and Assurance Connect.
The offerings round out the company’s port-
folio by providing a high agent compensa-
tion and low premium payment option.
Assurance Elite is for funeral homes that
want high upfront compensation to fund ac-
tive pre-need programs. Assurance Connect
features Homesteaders’ most cost-effective
monthly premiums, helping firms compete
in markets where price is a competitive dif-
ferentiator.
Homesteaders also has
named Amanda Buch
market center manager for
Wisconsin. She has been
active in the funeral profes-
sion since 2007, working as
a pre-need sales professional
and sales manager, and also
Buch has insurance experience.
1.800.477.3633;
www.homesteaderslife.com
n THE CENTER FOR LOSS AND
LIFE TRANSITION, Fort Collins, Colo-
rado, has published its 2019-2021 catalog
listing educational seminars for bereave-
ment caregivers. During these four-day
training sessions, Dr. Alan Wolfelt teaches
practical ways to “companion” people in
grief. They are designed to meet the needs
of people from a variety of backgrounds,
including hospice staff and volunteers, men-
tal health care providers, social workers,
clergy, school personnel, funeral directors,
nurses and physicians, students and other
interested professionals, as well as laypeo-
ple. 970.226.6050; www.centerforloss.com
n THE TRIBUTE COMPANIES,
Hartland, Wisconsin, has promoted Zach
Rasmussen to manager of design, precast
and construction.
www.tributeinc.com
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 S U P P LY L I N E
n PASSARE, San Francisco, California,

DESIGNING
has has released trade cases, a new type of
case that allows customers to track trade
work, including trade embalming, removals
and cremations. “These case types are de-
signed for funeral businesses that provide out-
sourced trade work to other funeral homes,”
said Passare CEO Jay Thomas. “The required
AND
information on these cases is much different

BUILDING
from your typical funeral case, so we’ve cre-
ated a dedicated type of case to help funeral
businesses track these types of cases.”
Passare also released a credit card pro-
cessing feature within its case management
software that allows payments to be pro- YOUR FUTURE—TOGETHER!
cessed anytime, anywhere, using any device.
In addition, Passare has announced
a new barcode tracking app. It allows
funeral home staff to scan barcodes assigned
to decedents, locations and personal effects
quickly and easily using a mobile device. The
app gives funeral homes a scalable model
for establishing a reliable chain-of-custody
system. The barcodes can be tied to a person,
a time and a location using the phone’s map
coordinates. Funeral homes can also assign
scanable barcodes to locations such as prep
rooms, viewing rooms or refrigeration units.
925.968.9495; www.passare.com
n PHYSICIANS MUTUAL, Omaha, Ne-
braska, has expanded its pre-need program
to Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Missis-
sippi and Texas. The company will soon
offer pre-need insurance in most states. The
company’s latest innovation is the custom
index performance option, which allows
funeral home owners to experience higher
growth potential without worrying about los-
ing money if the market takes a downturn.
www.PhysiciansMutual.com
n MONA LANE CONSULTING, Fort
Wayne, Indiana, offers services to fu-
neral homes and firms serving the senior
marketplace in Indiana. The firm is owned
and operated by final planning professional
Ramona “Mona” Lane, who has 21 years of
experience and can offer help with increas-
ing pre-need sales, increasing market share,
better serving clients and improving customer
experience. 260.466.3465;
monalaneconsulting@outlook.com
n AM Best has revised the outlook of
GREAT WESTERN, Ogden, Utah, par-
ent firm’s American Enterprise Group’s TRIBUTEINC.COM
from stable to positive and affirmed its
(262) 367-9991
A- financial strength rating.
866.689.1415; www.gwic.com

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 53


A scene from one of FDLIC’s videos.
Terrybear’s new Angelina keepsakes.
The new “Good Grief” companion and
journal.
New Memorials Direct’s new chains.
54 ICCFA Magazine
S U P P LY L I N E
n FUNERAL DIRECTORS LIFE
INSURANCE CO., Abilene, Texas, has
released a video series for funeral profes-
sionals. The series features interviews with
company executives, subject matter experts
and industry professionals on a variety of
topics. The first three episodes have been
released at www.funeraldirectorslife.com/
blog/media.
FDLIC also has added
Brian Harpring as market
center manager for Indi-
ana. He has worked as a pre-
need counselor, life insurance
agent and casket company
representative focused on
offering technology solutions Harpring
to funeral home clients.
www.funeraldirectorslife.com
n TERRYBEAR, St. Paul, Minnesota,
has introduced the Angelina keepsake to
its urn and memorial line. The Angelina
is an elegant angel figurine in three glossy
shades: pearl, blush and silver-bronze.
1.888.588.8767; www.terrybear.com
n FORTRESS PRESS, Minneapolis,
Minnesota, has released two companion
books to “Good Grief,” by Granger E.
Westberg. “The Good Grief Devotional: 52
Weeks Toward Hope,” by Brent D. Cristian-
son, and “The Good Grief Journal,” by Jill
Alexander Essbaum, expand on Westberg’s
original book. The devotional includes 52
devotions that follow Westberg’s 10 stages
of grief. The journal offers 10 meditations
corresponding to Westberg’s 10 stages of
grief. https://fortresspress.com
n NEW MEMORIALS DIRECT, Gig
Harbor, Washington now offers 14K solid
gold chain options for their pendants.
The chains are available in either white or
yellow gold and in two styles, diamond-
cut rope or box. They are available in 16-,
18-, 20- and 24-inch lengths. Both feature
a lobster-style clasp and are designed to be
used with any of the company’s solid gold
jewelry items. 1.877.995.8767;
service@newmemorialsdirect.com;
www.newmemorialsdirect.com
n PIERCE CHEMICAL, Broadview,
Illinois, has honored five regional sales
representatives for their 2018 accom-
plishments. Rick Rork (Illinois), received
the Bill Pierce Award, given to one who
demonstrates exemplary professionalism
and above-and-beyond efforts. Ryan Lee
(California and Hawaii) received the Top
Increase in Fluid Sales Award for the sec-
ond year in a row, as well as the Top Sales
in Memorial Books Award. He also re-
ceived the 110 Percent Club Award, which
recognizes people who grow overall sales
by 10 percent or more over the previous
year. Abby Shurtz (part of Texas) received
the Largest Increase in Revenues Award,
which also earned her a 110 Percent Club
Award. Mark Hecht (North Carolina and
South Carolina) was named Rookie of the
Year. Kevin Russell (Michigan and Indiana)
earned the 110 Percent Club Award.
1.800.527.6419; www.piercechemical.com
n PASSARE, San Francisco, California, is
partnering with THE DOMANI GROUP,
Orem, Utah, to bring mutual customers a
streamlined process for automatically en-
rolling families served into the Domanicare
text messaging-based aftercare program.
Mutual clients of Passare and Domani will
be able to have an automated report set up
that sends contact information for family
and friends on archived cases to Domani to
be enrolled for follow-up through Domani’s
text messaging service.
925.968.9495; www.passare.com
www.thedomanigroup.com
n FUNERALOCITY, New York, New
York, has launched its platform offer-
ing price comparisons of funeral homes
across the United States. Users can search
by zip code or city from anywhere and find
prices, locations and contact information.
Prices listed on the site are collected and
verified independently. Additionally, the site
includes a special designation of “Excel-
lence Provider” that indicates a fully-vetted
funeral home that meets the site’s standards.
The criteria for accepting a funeral provider
that applies for this designation include
confirming licenses, government standards
compliance and adherence to Funeralocity.
com’s excellence pledge. Funeral homes
and cremation providers that meet the site’s
criteria and take the pledge are able to
feature more detailed service information as
well as reviews, photos, videos and testimo-
nials. Funeralocity’s founder is Ed Michael
Riggie. www.funeralocity.com
n KUBOTA, Torrance, California, has
introduced the B01 Series compact trac-
tors. They include the Swift-Tach front-end
loaders with one-lever quick coupler and
drive-over mid-mount mower decks. Both
feature a versatile crossover tire.
1.888.458.2682, ext. 900; www.kubota.comr
“Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
Who Supplies
the Suppliers?
For funeral and cemetery suppliers, business
has never been more isolating. Often ideas
are done in a vacuum. What you know is only
what you know, which limits how far you can
go. IMSA membership can change that. We’ve
brought together some of the top industry
experts to offer our members free one-on-
one advice on marketing, business planning,
legal issues and more. We also bring to
our members insightful business-boosting
webinars, meaningful industry resources and
networking with other IMSA members. All this
for just $175 a year. We’re the only association
serving all funeral and cemetery suppliers.
Because what’s good for the suppliers is
good for the providers and that’s good for the
families. IMSA. Supplying opportunity.

www.IMSA-Online.com

IMSA members now get free consultation with Dan Katz & Rolf Gutknecht of LA ads, Jake Johnson
of Johnson Consulting, Ryan Thogmartin of Disrupt Media and Poul Lemasters of Lemasters Consulting.
 I C C FA N E W S

Have good ideas to share? ICCFA seeking speakers for

2020 Wide World of Sales and 2020 Annual Convention
Gail Rubin, CT, CFC, during her presen-
tation at the 2019 DEAD Talks.
Audience during Fireside Chat with Gary
O’ Sullivan, CCFE, another feature of
each year’s Wide World of Sales Confer-
ence.
T
he ICCFA Sales and Marketing Committee is seeking qualified presenters for
2020 DEAD Talks: Focus on Success, which is taking place on January 15-
17, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Building on the momentum from this year’s popu-
lar DEAD Talks, the quick-paced format will again be center stage in 2020, featuring
five key topics with three 18-minute talks per topic, followed by a Q&A session. The
2020 sales conference co-chairs are Yvonne Slonaker, CCrE, CFuE, of Cress Funeral
& Cremation Service, and Don Winsett of Davey Tree Expert Co.
The presentations should target the following areas: prospecting, presenting, objec-
tions, closing or aftercare. When submitting a session proposal, the ICCFA Sales &
Marketing Committee requests that you include:
• Your name, title, company name, address, phone number and email address.
• Specific topic you are addressing (e.g. “prospecting”).
• Title and description of your session. Session descriptions should name at least
one or two specific skills, techniques or ideas the attendee will take away from
your 18-minute talk.
• Brief bio regarding your experience and qualifications within the industry, as
well as any speaking experience you have.
All speakers are required to provide a one-page supplemental handout which will
be printed in the onsite notebook using a Word template provided by the ICCFA. Visit
www.iccfasales.com and click on the 2020 Call for Presentations to complete the
online proposal submission form. Submit your proposal by Monday, July 8, 2019, to
Kirsten Kase at kase@iccfa.com. Questions? Call Kirsten at 703.391.8402. q

A
nnual Convention chairs Robbie Pape and Gino Merendino are
looking for presentations for the 2020 ICCFA Annual Convention,
March 30-April 2, San Antonio Convention Center & Grand
Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas. If you have expertise in a particular area of
cemetery, cremation or funeral service, we would like to hear from you!
Guidelines for these proposals are as follows:
• Include your name, title, company name, address, phone number, fax and
email address.  photo courtesy of www.visitsanantonio.com/river-walk
• Include a description and the title of your session (approximately 100 words). Taking a guided tour at the River Walk, one of the
All sessions are 50 minutes and your descriptions should name at least two or exciting attractions in San Antonio.
three specific skills, techniques or ideas the attendee will take away from the
session. We are most interested in sessions that share concrete, proven techniques and programs, as opposed to theory or opinion.
• Include a brief bio and high-resolution head shot. Please include your experience and qualifications within the industry, as well as any
speaking experience you have.
• Include which segment of the profession would benefit most from your presentation: cemetery operations, funeral home operations,
sales, human resources, pet loss, etc.
• Note that we ask that speakers refrain from speaking about prices or other issues subject to antitrust legislation. In addition, we ask
that speakers refrain from any type of promotional marketing or selling of any product or service.
• Any requests for compensation must be included in your proposal.
We typically receive many more proposals than we can fit into the program, so please be sure to follow the guidelines and clearly
explain the value proposition for attendees. Visit www.iccfaconvention.com and click on the 2020 Call for Presentations to
complete the online proposal submission form. Submit your convention proposal by July 1, 2019, to Kirsten Kase at kase@iccfa.
com. Questions? Call Kirsten at 703.391.8402. q

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 57

 I C C FA N E W S

ICCFA membership benefit spotlight: Hotel Engine

T
he ICCFA is proud to partner with Hotel Engine, a private hotel
booking platform that connects affinity organizations and their
members to discounted hotel rates. Save up to 60 percent off on
hotels and an average of 26 percent off public rates at over 150,000 hotels globally. Some of the top benefits include a 24/7 customer
support; pre-check in and check-out calls; and no contracts, annual fees or spending minimums.
For more information on Hotel Engine and to see more membership benefits and services, visit www.iccfa.com, log in with your
username and password, and then click on Programs & Benefits. q

Crematory Operator Certification set for July 16 in Texas

J
oin us at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in Dallas, Texas, where you can earn or renew your Crematory Operator
Certification in the ICCFA Cremation Certification Program on July 16, 2019. In the Crematory Operator Certification Program,
you will learn all the components involved in cremation, how to properly operate and maintain a retort machine and how to
properly and consistently track remains. You also will be provided with an update on applicable laws.
To learn more about the ICCFA Cremation Certification Program and to see more dates and venues in the program schedule, visit
iccfa.com/cremation-certification/. q

Mark these upcoming ICCFA events on your calendar

July 17-19, 2019
Holiday Inn, University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
www.iccfa.com/plpa-college

July 19-24, 2019

Folgeman Executive Conference Center
Memphis, Tennessee
www.iccfa.com/university
September 25-27, 2019
The Hyatt Regency Tamaya
Executive Leadership Summit (Formerly
Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico
known as Fall Management Conference)
www.iccfa.com/fall
January 15-17, 2020
Luxor Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS www.iccfasales.com
58 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”
 I C C FA N E W S

Crematory operator training advancing to the next level

T
State-of-the-art facility to offer hands-on training and well-rounded curriculum
he ICCFA is proud to announce its partnership with the Cincinnati College of
Mortuary Science (CCMS) and Facultatieve Technologies (FT) to provide the
very first of its kind Advanced Crematory Operator Certification.
Taught by cremation experts in what will be a modern teaching environment on the
CCMS campus, the stadium-designed facility will utilize the FT III cremator, and will
provide the most extensive, practical hands-on crematory operator training experience
available in the U.S.
“One of the ICCFA’s cornerstone commitments to its members, and part of its mis-
sion statement, is to deliver exceptional educational opportunities, and this will truly be
an exceptional educational opportunity,” said ICCFA Cremation Programs Coordinator
Poul Lemasters, Esq., as he shared the news of this newest standard-setting certifica- Poul Lemasters, Esq., Jack Lechner and
tion program during the ICCFA 2019 Annual Convention & Expo in Charlotte, North Ernie Kassoff at the 2019 ICCFA Annual
Carolina. Convention.
Joining Lemasters to make the announcement were Ernie Kassoff, sales manager, FT-USA,
and Jack Lechner, president of CCMS. “Our goal through this partnership is to raise the bar
and take crematory operator training to the level of a specialist,” said Kassoff.
Lechner commented on the ability of the program to transform death care education: “By
incorporating hands-on cremation operations management with ceremony, as well as creat-
ing an enhanced pet loss curriculum and coursework on alkaline hydrolysis (an alternative to
traditional, flame-based cremation) we will have done everything we can to provide the best
educational foundation to build a career in the death care profession.”
Rendering of the Educational Cre- Curriculum planning for the week-long Advanced Crematory Operator Program is cur-
mation Center. rently underway, with groundbreaking for the new facility scheduled to take place in 2020. q

PLPA College: Sessions on finance, EQ, much more

T
he Pet Loss Professionals Alliance is ready for this year’s
PLPA College. Being held July 17-19 at Holiday Inn Uni-
versity of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, PLPA Col-
lege is the premier event for pet loss professionals to learn and
connect with other professionals in the pet loss industry. Here
are a few of the seminar offerings at this year’s PLPA College:
Thursday, July 18
Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
Marguerite Ham, Igniting Success
Emotional Intelligence is the foundation for many critical skills.
Research shows that EQ (emotional quotient) is more important
than IQ in almost every role in the workplace and even more
important in leadership roles. In fact, 90 percent of top performers
score high on EQ tests. In this interactive, information-packed
session, participants will clearly understand what EQ is, the role it
plays in the workplace and how to build and develop their EQ skills.
Friday, July 19
Know Your Own Numbers
David Nixon, Nixon Consulting
Let’s roll up our sleeves and do a deep dive into the true costs of
running your pet loss business. Between our fixed costs, variable
costs, not to mention being perceived as a commodity, it’s time
to do some forensic work to see if our prices reflect what we
should be charging. As a business, we must price properly and
not be afraid to do so.
Early Bird Session: From Flood to Fires
Jodi Clock, CPLP, Roberta Knauf, CPLP, and Kevin Woronchak
The unthinkable can happen anytime, anywhere. When disaster
strikes are you ready to roll? Our presenters will share their first-
hand knowledge and best practices from handling the aftermath
of kennel fires, natural disasters and more. q

Outside Looking In:

Understanding a Vet Clinic’s Point of View
Christy Phillips, Paws 2 Remember
As pet loss professionals, we face many challenges, especially
To learn more about PLPA College
when partnering with numerous vet clinics. While they all are and to register, visit www.myplpa.org
“vet clinics,” each has its own nuances. This class will share
ways to navigate through these encounter as we grow our
and click on the PLPA College logo.
business.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 59

 I C C FA N E W S

Acquire new skills at ICCFA University

T
he deans are gearing up for this year’s ICCFA University! Being held on July 19-24, 2019, at the Fogelman Executive
Center, University of Memphis, in Memphis, Tennessee, this is a one-of-a-kind program unparalleled in our profession,
designed by top cemetery, cremation and funeral experts. ICCFAU offers a unique blend of intensive, practical classroom
training and continual informal idea-sharing between you and your industry peers.
The classes at ICCFAU are led by top professionals from the cemetery, cremation and funeral service industry as well as
faculty members from the University of Memphis. Here are some of the eight different colleges you can choose from:

College of 21st Century Services

Dean Glenda Stansbury, CFSP, CC
How do you respond to a family who says, “We don’t want a traditional funeral”? You’ll
learn how to go beyond tradition with innovative offerings and become certified as a funeral
celebrant trained to provide meaningful alternatives to clergy-led services.

College of Funeral Home Management

Dean Todd Van Beck, CFuE
ICCFAU starts with orientation. Too many managers consider “creativity” someone else’s department. In funeral service, creative
management is the key to differentiation. You’ll learn Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s creative service
management system and its specific applications to our profession.

College of Hospitality & Event Planning

ICCFAU Chancellor Jeff Kidwiler,
CCE, CSE, with the ICCFAU18
graduates.
Dean John Bolton, CCE, CCrE, CSE
Going into its second year, this college is designed to give students a foundation in funeral
home/cemetery hospitality and catering management. Topics range from basic event planning to
interpreting financial budgets, leadership and catering team management.
College of International Studies
Dean Jim Hammond
Globalization is making the world a much smaller place to live in. Are you sure you know how
to serve families of all nationalities and religious backgrounds in your community? Learn about
the funeral customs of all major religions and population groups from around the world.

College of Land Management & Grounds Operations

There’s always time for fun and
socializing at ICCFAU!
Dean Gino Merendino
Exceptional cemetery service starts with the grounds and operations department. Without
effective land management and a commitment to an attractive, well-maintained property, there
will be no sales or service. You’ll learn how your grounds management team can succeed and
continuously improve interments, landscaping, buildings, grounds maintenance and exceptional
client experience and satisfaction.

Students should make their hotel reservations directly with the Fogelman at 901.678.5410 ($85 per night) or the Holiday Inn Uni-
versity of Memphis ($119 per night) at 901.678.8200. Identify yourself as part of the ICCFA group to receive the discount room rates.
For a complete college and course listing and registration information, visit iccfa.com/university. q

60 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”

Providing exceptional education, networking
and legislative guidance and support to
progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation
professionals worldwide
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE ICCFA AND MEMBERSHIP:
• Go to www.iccfa.com/membership to download a benefits bro­
chure and an application form.
• Call 1.800.645.7700 to have membership information faxed or
mailed to you.
New Members
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Admission to ICCFA membership normally requires a majority
vote of those present and voting at any meeting of the executive
committee. The names of all applicants must be published in this
magazine. ICCFA members objecting to an application must do
so in writing to the ICCFA executive director within 45 days of
publication. In the event of an objection, the executive commit­
tee will conduct an inquiry. If an applicant is rejected, they will be
granted an appeal upon written request. The decision of the Board
of Directors shall be final.

Regular Prados de Ventilla SRL Professional/Supplier

Higgenbotham Funeral Homes of Texas Las Paz, Bolivia Accurate Temperature Control Corp
Waco, Texaas 5P Exequy Holding LLC Orlando, Florida
Simmons Funeral Home & Crematory Gulfport, Mississippi Coopserfun/Los Olivos
Orangeburg, South Carolina Jowett Funeral Home Bogota, Colombia
Fry & Prickett Funeral Home Port Huron, Michigan Corporacion Remanso
Carthage, North Carolina Bogota, Colombia
Professional: Pet Loss Services
Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas The Last Act of Caring DBA Roseburg Pet G7 MS Corp
Overland Park, Kansas Crematorium Jackson Heights, New York
Heritage Funeral Home Roseburg, Oregon GT SIGHT
Mobile, Alabama Sleepy Cat Trust LLC Brooklyn, New York r
Capillas y Camposanto la Colina Challis, Idaho
Guatemala City, Guatemala

Calendar th e ultimate in
➤E-mail calendar listings, additions or

CASKET&
corrections to sloving@iccfa.com and
bclough@iccfa.com

June 10-13: Texas Funeral Directors Assn. MAUSOLEUM

133rd Annual Convention & Expo, Fort
Worth Convention Center. www.tfda.com
June 13-14: Georgia Cemetery Assn.
PROTECTION
Convention, Clar­ence Brown Conf. Center,
MausoGuard
TM

Carters­ville. www.gacemeteries.com
June 16-18: Alabama Funeral Directors A state-of-the-art casket
Assn. 133rd Annual Convention, Grand enclosure for your
Hotel-Marriott Resort Golf Club & Spa,
Point Clear, Alabama. mausoleum
dedmisten@alabamafda.org;
sbelanger@alabamafda.org
June 18-20: Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s training
session for funeral directors, “Opening PATENT 6,253,503
Your Community’s Eyes to WHY We Need
Funerals,” Ford Collins, Colorado.
www.centerforloss.com
June 20: Southern Monu­ment Builders MausoTray TM

Assn. Convention & Trade Show, Emerald A low-cost “insurance”

Beach Hotel, Corpus Christi, Texas.
www.southernmonument builders.com for your mausoleum
June 21-23: Montana Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Conven­tion & Trade Show, Nor­ VKM International Inc.
thern Hotel, Billings. www.montanafda.com CALL: 800.886.2417 • FAX: 352-861-2473
June 25-27: Florida Cemetery, Cremation www.vkminternational.com
& Funeral Assn. Annual Convention &
 ➤to page 62
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com June 2019 61
 AD INDEX

5 Aftercare.com 64 funeralOne 51 Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell &

2 ALPAR 21 Funeral Call Hippel
49 American Cemetery/Mortuary 55 Funeral Home Gifts 21 Passages International
Consultants 9 Global Bronze 31 SEP Technologies
19 American Funeral & Cemetery 25 Holland Supply 33 Sich Caskets
Trust Services 56 IMSA 51 Supply Link
21 American Memory Craft 13 Johnson Consulting 43 THE SYSTEM
29 ASD—Answering Service for 27 Kryprotek 53 The Tribute Companies
Directors 35 Legacy Touch 43 Triple H Co.
7 C&J Financial 51 Madelyn Co. 27 U.S. Cremation Equipment
49 Columbarium by Design LLC 35 Mausoleum Supply 63 U.S. Metalcraft
41 Continental Computer Corp. 25 McCleskey Mausoleums 39 Vantage Products Corp.
17 Doric Products 23 Merendino Cemetery Care 61 VKM International
47 Ensure-A-Seal 29 Nomis Publications 15 Wilbert Funeral Services
3 Eternal Remembrance 31 Northeast Mausoleum 29 WithumSmith + Brown
29 Flowers for Cemeteries 39 Zontec Ozone r

CALENDAR
➤from page 61
Trade Show, Tampa Marriott Waterside
Hotel & Marina. www.thefccfa.com
June 27-29: Califoria Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention, Harrah’s Casino,
Stateline, Nevada. www.cafda.org
July 1-3: Cremation Society of Great Britain
Cremation & Burial Communication & Educa
tion 2019, Hilton at the Ageas Bowl, South­
amption, England. info@cremation.org.uk
Above left, Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte, Michigan, graced the 2018 PCS Interna-
July 16: ICCFA Crematory Operator tional Meet Concours with this magnificently-carved 1938 LaSalle bodied by Meteor
Training, Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Motor Car of Piqua, Ohio. Above right, a 1969 Superior Cadillac Crown Royale Lan-
Dallas, Texas. www.iccfa.com daulet hearse owned by Point Marion, Pennsylvania, funeral director Philip S. Rishel
July 17-19: Alabama Funeral Directors leads a procession of 2018 Professional Car Society International Meet attendees.
Assn. 133rd Annual Convention, Point
Clear. www.alabamafda.org www.theprofessionalcarsociety.org Inn, Miamisburg; displays, golf and field
July 17-19: PLPA College, Holiday Inn, July 25-27: Florida Cemetery, Cremation day at Calvary Cemetery, Dayton.
University of Memphis, Tennessee. and Funeral Assn. Conf., Tampa Marriott www.ohiocemeteryassociation.com
www.iccfa.com/plpa-college Waterside Hotel & Marina. www.thefccfa.com August 12-14: West Virginia Cemetery &
July 19-24: ICCFA University, Fogelman July 31-August 1: Cremation Assn. of Funeral Assn. Annual Conf., Fayetteville.
Executive Center, University of Memphis, North America’s 101st Annual Cremation www.wvcfa.org
Tennessee. www.iccfa.com Innovation Convention, Louisville, August 18: New York State Funeral
June 24-28: Professional Car Society Kentucky. www.cremationassociation.org Directors Assn. Annual Convention & Expo,
International Meet, Best Western Ramkota August 5: Ohio Cemetery Assn. Annual Saratoga. www.nysfda.org r
Inn, Rapid City, South Dakota. Convention & Trade Show, Hilton Garden

Classifieds Check the classified announcements at www.iccfa.com/employment.htm

To place a classified, contact Rick Platter, rplatter@iccfa.com

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62 ICCFA Magazine “Like” the ICCFA on Facebook & friend “ICCFA Staff ”