May 2017

MAGAZINE
CEMETERY CREMATION FUNERAL

2016 KIP Awards

for personalized
services, products
Also in this issue:
Accountability:
the game-changer
in preneed sales
Van Beck on using
personal examples
in talking to families
The DNA boom
Personalization:
Pass to progressive
Wolfelt on A Tale
of Two Funerals

Inside: Check out the college programs for ICCFA University, July 21-26, 2017
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to progressive cemetery, funeral and cremation professionals worldwide

10 PRENEED SALES SUCCESS

Creating growth with preneed sales:
Accountability: The game-changer that creates consistent sales success
Whats the secret to success in preneed sales? If its any one thing, its
accountability. But what does that mean? It doesnt mean staring at sales
Top, a toast during a beach-party- totals and demanding more sales. It means sales managers need to make
themed service at Manasota Funeral sure every day that their salespeople are doing whats required to meet
Home (photo by Bonnie Harmsen, sales goals.
Suncoast Professional Photography). by Gary OSullivan, CCFE, and David Shipper
Bottom, a service at Evergreen-
Washelli with a music and art festi- 14 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
val theme. The keys to service: How to use personal examples
(2016 KIP Award winners in the best Using personal examples when talking to families making final arrangements
practice, event and pet catetories will can backfire. Learn the art of making suggestions.
be featured in future issues.) by Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
16 TECHNOLOGY/SERVICE TO FAMILIES
8 Washington report
Funeral service again at the
The DNA boom: A case study in incremental revenue opportunities
bottom of FTCs list of consumer What is more personal than your DNA? But its also a familial link, and
complaints one that can be lost forever after death, unless the funeral home offers
by Robert M. Fells, Esq. families DNA collection.
40 Update by Jim Ford
42 Supply Line
20 MANAGEMENT/SERVICE TO FAMILIES
46 IMSA: Advocating
memorialization since its beginning
What two funerals for one elderly woman can teach funeral directors
Dr. Alan Wolfelt has long talked about the whys of funeral rituals,
48 New Members
why they are important to families. His latest book addresses the hows,
53 Calendar
how funeral directors need to change their approach to serving families in
54 Classifieds
todays culture where ritual has been devalued.
54 Ad Index
by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D.
24 MANAGEMENT/PERSONALIZATION
From pass to progressive: Rethinking personalization
Personalization has been a funeral and cemetery buzzword for a long time
long enough that nearly every organization offers families something in the
To support the way of personalization. But if what you offer isnt regularly reevaluated and
ICCFA refreshed, it will become stale and fail to impress or help families.
presidents by Jeff Harbeson
goal of 28 KIP: MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE OR MEMORIAL
raising Grand Prize Winner: Manasota Funeral Home became a beach house
money to for special service An unexpected death left family members devastated
fight lung and unsure about having a service, but after several meetings with a funer-
cancer, todays #1 killer of women, al director, they threw themselves into planning a beach-themed send-off
go to http:/www.iccfa.com/lungforce

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 ICCFA news
49 ICCFA University, July 21-26, 2017
An invitation from Chancellor
Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE
50 College of 21st Century Services
Includes celebrant training by Doug
Manning and Dean Glenda Stansbury, CC
50 College of Cremation Services
Dean Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE
51 College of Funeral Home Man-
agement Dean Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
51 College of Land Management
& Grounds Operations
Dean Gino Merendino
51 College of International
Studies Dean Jim Hammond
52 College of Leadership,
Administration & Management
Dean Gary Freytag, CCFE
52 J. Asher Neel College of Sales
& Marketing
Dean Gary OSullivan, CCFE
53 2018 Wide World of Sales
Call for presentations:
Deadline July 14, 2017
Catch the WIRELESS newsletter in
your inbox for industry news, stories about
colleagues making headlines and updates on
ICCFA educational events & conferences
Follow the ICCFAs LinkedIn
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6 ICCFA Magazine
TABLE OF CONTENTS
for a woman who loved parties.
Manasota Memorial Park and Funeral Home, Bradenton, Florida
29 The KIP Awards
32 Evergreen-Washelli creates festival to help family honor artistic,
creative young man How do you celebrate the life of a talented and
creative young man who loved attending music and art festivals?
By using cemetery grounds for a festival in his honor.
Evergreen Washelli, Seattle, Washington
36 KIP: INNOVATIVE PERSONALIZED PRODUCT
PlotBoxs multi-sided platform keeps deceased persons records in
one place PlotBox allows cemeteries to combine mapping and records
management with a public platform so that families can preserve their
deceased love ones legacy.
Plotbox, Porglenome, Northern Ireland, and Palo Alto, California
38 Timeline organizes a persons stories and photos on
webCemeteries.com Timeline by webCemeteries.com was designed
to provide families with a central place to gather photos and stories
in order to tell and share the story of a loved ones life.
webCemeteries.com, Virginville, Pennsylvania
ICCFA calendar
go to www.iccfa.com for program, registration & scholarship information
2017 Cremation Certification
May 24-25, CANA operator training May 24, ICCFA arranger
traning May 25; Wilbert Funeral Services, Broadview, Illinois
June 7-8, ICCFA arranger training June 7, ICCFA operator training
June 8; Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service, Decatur, Georgia
July 11-12, ICCFA arranger training July 11, ICCFA operator traning July
12; Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Texas
July 18-19, ICCFA arranger training July 18, CANA operator traning July
19; Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Ohio
ICCFA Cremation Programs Coordinator Poul Lemasters, Esq.
2017 ICCFA University
July 21-26
Fogelman Conference Center,
Memphis, Tennessee
Chancellor: Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE
2017 Fall Management Conference
October 4-6
Indian Wells, California
Co-chairs: Paul Goldstein and Lee Longino
2018 Wide World of Sales Conference
January 10-12
New Orleans Marriott, Louisiana
Co-chairs: Shawna de la Cruz and Andy Lopez
2018 ICCFA University July 19-26, Memphis, Tennessee
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
Washington Report
by ICCFA General
Counsel Robert Funeral-related complaints down on
M. Fells, Esq.
FTCs list of consumer complaints
I
robertfells
@iccfa.com n early March, the Federal Trade The point of these numbers is to serve
1.800.645.7700, Commission published its widely- as a type of barometer for consumer
ext. 1212 anticipated annual report on consumer transactions that require government
direct line: complaints. Of special interest to ICCFA
attention and enforcement. Clearly,
703.391.8401 members is the category of funeral services.
The 100+ page report summarizes the data funeral services is not among these.
Fells is
ICCFA execu- collected in the Consumer Sentinel Network related complaints would have been 0.03
tive director Database from federal and state agencies, percent.
and general private organizations and, most importantly Critics like to say that these numbers are
counsel, responsible for maintain- for funeral service, from the Better Business only the tip of the iceberg, but it seems more
ing and improving relationships Bureaus. like an ice cube as a practical matter. The point
with federal and state govern- While the actual data may be accessed only of these numbers, indeed the point of the entire
ment agencies, the news media, by law enforcement authorities, the FTC staff report, is to serve as a type of barometer for
consumer organizations and provides a good overview of the volume and consumer transactions that require government
related trade associations.
types of complaints contained in the database. attention and enforcement.
The number of complaints filed between Clearly, funeral services is not among these,
January and December 2016 is 3,050,374. and therefore allocating resources and funding
Oddly, this number is down from 3,140,803 to funeral service issues seems misguided
complaints in 2015 and marks the first time the and wasteful. However, this doesnt mean
total has dropped since 2001when the program that efforts wont be made by industry critics
MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR started. to claim that there are mounting abuses that
Why we vote. A series of Out of 30 categories listed, the top consumer require government action.
articles on the importance of complaints involve debt collection at 28 Such advocates will cite anecdotal data
engagement in the democratic percent, imposter scams at 13 percent and involving individuals who had a bad experience
process in the United States. identity theft, also at 13 percent. At the bottom with a funeral home or cemetery as the basis for
www.iccfa.com at #30 is buyers clubs, at less than one percent. enacting federal legislation or regulations.
Funeral Radio. Second-to-last at #29 is funeral services, also Data measuring trends or critical issues
ICCFA General less than one percent. needing attention such as the FTC report
Counsel Robert Specifically, funeral services complaints for are shunned by funeral industry critics. This
Fells, Esq., talks 2016 numbered 1,212, or 0.04 percent of the approach suggests an approach to legislation
about legal and total. The number was higher in 2015 at 1,222, that is based on anecdote instead of cumulative
legislative issues affecting fu- but still 0.04 percent of the total complaints. data that is updated every year.
neral, cemetery and cremation The number was yet higher in 2014 at 1,229, or The complete FTC Consumer Sentinel
businesses at 0.05 percent. Network Report can be accessed at https://
www.funeralradio.com
Perhaps if the total complaints had not www.ftc.gov/reports/consumer-sentinel-
declined in 2016, the percentage of funeral- network-data-book-january-december-2016. r

ICCFA officers International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral

Scott R. Sells, CCFE, president
Jay D. Dodds, CFSP, vice president
Gary M. Freytag, CCFE, vice president
Paul Goldstein, vice president
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE,
vice president
Richard O. Baldwin Jr. CCE, treasurer
Robbie L. Pape, secretary
Robert M. Fells, Esq., executive director &
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 & mem-
ber services manager
kd@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1224
Jason Brown, communications assistant
jason@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1224
Robert M. Fells, Esq., executive director &
publisher
robertfells@iccfa.com ; 1.800.645.7700, ext.
1212
Brenda Clough, office administrator
& association liaison; bclough@iccfa.com;
1.800.645.7700, ext. 1214
May 2017 Association. Subscription rates: In the United
VOLUME 77/NUMBER 4 States, $39.95; in Canada, $45.95; overseas:
$75.95. One subscription is included in annual
membership dues. POSTMASTER: Send ad-
Daniel Osorio, subscription coordinator dress changes to ICCFA Magazine, 107 Carpen-
(habla espaol) ter Drive, Suite 100, Sterling, VA 20164-4468.
danielo@iccfa.com; 1.800.645.7700, ext. 1215 Individual written contributions, commentary and
advertisements appearing in ICCFA Magazine
do not necessarily reflect either the opinion or
ICCFA Magazine (ISSN 1936-2099) is published
the endorsement of the International Cemetery,
by the International Cemetery, Cremation and
Funeral Association, 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite Cremation and Funeral Association.
100, Sterling, VA 20164-4468; 703.391.8400;
FAX 703.391.8416;
www.iccfa.com. Published 10 times per year, with
combined issues in March-April and August-
September. Periodicals postage paid at Sterling,
VA, and other offices. Copyright 2016 by the

8 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
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by Gary OSullivan, CCFE,
and David Shipper
ICCFA Magazine author spotlight
OSullivan and Shipper are co-authors
of THE SYSTEM, the professions only
complete preneed selling online training
program, and LeadTrak, the industrys
leading CRM. THE SYSTEM University
program of online training for sales coun-
selors and managers is offered exclusively
by the ICCFA at www.iccfa.com.
go@garyosullivan.com
OSullivan is president of
Gary OSullivan Co., Winter
Garden, Florida, a consult-
ing firm specializing in the
cemetery and funeral profes-
sion. He works with clients in
the areas of leadership and management
development, service and sales processes
and corporate culture.
www.garyosullivan.com
twitter.com/GOgaryosullivan
facebook.com/garyosullivancompany
linkedin.com/in/garyosullivancompany
His experience began at 18 years of age
selling cemetery property door-to-door and
includes leading a national sales organiza-
tion and then forming his own consulting
and speaking company in 2001.
In 2014, OSullivan received the first
ever Lasting Impact Award from the ICCFA
Educational Foundation, in recognition
of the significant educational contribution
he has made to the profession. In 2009,
the ICCFA presented OSullivan with an
honorary doctorate for his 20 years of con-
secutive participation in ICCFA University,
where he is dean of the J. Asher Neel Col-
lege of Sales & Marketing.
MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR
OSullivan is dean of ICCFA
Universitys J. Asher Neel College of
Sales & Marketing. The next session will be
July 20-26, 2017, at the Fogelman Confer-
ence Center, Memphis, Tennessee. More on
p. 52 and at www.iccfa.com
ds@djshipper.com
Shipper is a third-
generation funeral home
and cemetery owner and the
co-creator of THE SYSTEM,
the industrys only complete
selling system for cemeteries
and funeral homes.
He has been involved with the ICCFA
since 1978 and has served in all officer
positions, including president in 2000-
2001. In 2014, he was inducted into the
ICCFA Hall of Fame.
10 ICCFA Magazine
PRENEED SALES SUCCESS
Whats the secret to success in preneed sales?
If its any one thing, its accountability. But what does that mean?
It doesnt mean staring at sales totals and demanding more
sales! It means sales managers need to make sure every day that
their salespeople are doing whats required to meet sales goals.
Creating growth with preneed sales
Accountability: The game-changer
that creates consistent sales success
T
his is the third of a three-part article,
The elements of top performing
sales organizations. Our first two
articles focused on the importance of having
a strong sales leader and the significance of
having a well-defined selling system. In this
third article, we address the importance and
impact of daily accountability.
One of the biggest challenges most
salespeople have is staying focused on the
things that help them generate preneed
sales. Depending on the type, size and other
details of the organization they work for, the
amount of stuff they can find to do can be
enormous and time-consuming.
Yes, salespeople may have to do other
things besides work on generating preneed
sales. However, generating preneed sales is
the major reason you have salespeople.
The challenge for the sales manager is
to ensure the salespeople are doing enough
of the right activities to generate whatever
level of sales volume you require. This
can only be accomplished by creating and
executing a culture of accountability.
The accountability concept
Over the past 10 years of focus and intense
observation, we have discovered a few things
that seem to work in all circumstances, as
well as things that dont work.
Focusing on volume doesnt work.
Focusing on proper activity does.
Having control over your sales goals
requires monitoring the daily activities and
results that create sales. Your salespeople
must know what activities they will be
expected to accomplish every day, in what
quantity and with what results. We believe
that the accountability system we have
developed successfully drives proper activity
with known and repeatable results.
We define accountability as: A method of
measure to ensure that the daily activities and
outcomes are achieved in order to reach your
weekly objectives.
It is only by consistently tracking daily
activities and results that a sales manager
has the ability to know exactly who is doing
what, who needs help where and what their
preneed sales pace is for the week. Whether
your salespeople are on pace or not, the
good news is you will know exactly why,
regardless of where they are.
This process also tells each salesperson
exactly what he or she needs to do every
day to achieve the desired sales goals. At the
same time, it tells the sales manager which
salespeople need help and in what area they
need it.
We hope you are starting to see that the
accountability process gives sales managers
the insights they need and salespeople the
direction they need and that is essential to
their success.
For this process to work, salespeople must
report on their activities and results daily.
In addition, the sales manager, or someone
else, must review the data in a timely manner
to determine who needs coaching on what
and then respond immediately. Correcting
behavior daily is critical to connecting a
salespersons activities with their results.
Correcting behavior daily is the fastest way to
better results.
Measuring what matters most
David says it this way: Volume is a lagging
indicator of the activity that proceeds it.
Volume can only tell you what has already
happened. Analyzing daily activity reports
can tell you what is and will happen, in a
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 PRENEED SALES SUCCESS
The sales manager must monitor two critical aspects of essential activity daily:
Was the activity accomplished, i.e. did the salesperson spend the needed amount
of time prospecting? Did the salesperson meet the company standard?
timely enough manner to allow you change
the outcome when the salesperson is not on
pace.
This is why monitoring what is happing
in your sales organization every day is
critical. That is why Gary coaches sales
managers on this basic concept: Dont
focus on making your sales goals for the
month. Determine what activities and
outcomes need to be accomplished every
day, and focus on ensuring that they are
accomplished. If the activity goals and
correct outcomes are achieved every day,
and that happens five days in a row, you
will make the week. If that happens four
times in a row, you will make the month.
So, what does the sales manager need
to monitor every day? We have discovered
over the past decade that there are only a
few activities that need to be accomplished
every day. As you read them you may think,
I know thatnothing new here!
However, what we have learned is that
its not knowing what needs to be done,
its instantly knowing if it was done that is
the game-changer. You know this only by
monitoring all sales activity every day.
The first thing to do to drive accoun-
tability is to make sure you understand
exactly how many hours of prospecting,
how many appointments, how many
presentations and how many sales at
what average dollar volume per sale your
locations needs to make your budget.
Then you must do the same breakdown
for each salesperson. Finally, you must have
all salespeople fill in a weekly calendar
showing when and for how long they will
prospect in the coming week.
Once these calculations have been made,
the process starts with knowing the number
of prospecting hours required to obtain the
needed number of preneed appointments.
On average, a salesperson will only be
able to prospect about 10 hours a week. If
you are short of the number of prospecting
hours the organization needs, you know you
need to hire more salespeople.
If you achieve success even though you
havent had the number of prospecting
hours that your plan requires, you are either
lucky or your numbers are incorrect.
Now, lets take a closer look at each of
the daily activates and required results.
12 ICCFA Magazine
Prospecting
As we addressed in part two of this three-
part series, to achieve consistent volume,
consistent effort must be put into daily
prospecting efforts. We have focused on
prospecting as the single most important
source of preneed sales. Remember, if your
salespeople dont have people to see, then
nothing else really matters.
The sales manager must monitor two
critical aspects of essential activity daily:
Was the activity accomplished, i.e. did the
salesperson spend the needed amount of
time prospecting? Did the salesperson meet
the company standard?
We have found when people follow a
proven script and respond appropriately
to objections to setting the appointment,
they should set one appointment for every
hour of prospecting. This is the minimum
standard of acceptable performance.
show the dollar impact of activities such
Appointments
We have catalogued and analyzed hundreds
of thousands of hours of prospecting. As a
general rule, we are comfortable using the
following ratios as reasonable benchmarks.
Of course, nothing will work in all circum-
stances. If you have a question, feel free to
ask.
Lets start with the goal of two sales
per week. A salesperson needs to have five
presentations to generate two sales. To have
five presentations, the salesperson will
need 10 appointments. In order to have 10
appointments, the salesperson will need to
prospect about 10 hours per week. In that 10
hours, they will need to average setting one
appointment per hour.
Prospecting can be a complicated
endeavor, and there are many other rules
of the road we have come to understand.
One is that setting an appointment more than
three days out is going to drastically affect
the hold rate. If appointments scheduled to
be held within three days generally hold at
50 percent, for appointments more than three
days in the future, you will have a 75 percent
no-show rate.
Another good rule is to make sure each
salesperson already has a certain number
of appointments to start each week on
Monday. This can only be accomplished
when salespeople are prospecting every day.
As a rule, Monday through part of Thursday,
they are focusing on setting appointments
for the week they are in. Part of Thursday
and Fridays prospecting efforts should be
focused on setting appointments for the
following week.
Another thing to remember: Unless
everyone in your organization understands
the role that accountability plays in reaching
their goals, people may feel micro-managed.
We make sure all salespeople know how
much each prospecting hour contributes to
their income. Once they understand that,
its much easier to get them to willingly
participate.
To accomplish this, we have a series
of helpful spreadsheets designed to be
used when managers and salespeople are
discussing activities. Using these spreadsheets
that we call earnings calculators will quickly
as one more hour of prospecting per day,
a higher average sale or an increase in the
closing rate.
We have found it is very helpful to be able
to mathematically show how a small change
in behavior will create a large change in
results.
Presentation
Making sure your salespeople are in preneed
selling situations that they created is critical to
ensuring the consistent achievement of your
sales goals. That is why two activitiesdaily
prospecting and setting appointmentsare
essential. It is only when salespeople are
consistent and effective at these activities that
they can put themselves in a position to make
preneed presentations.
We have found for a salesperson to
generate two preneed sales a week, he or she
needs to make five self-generated preneed
presentations.
Based on a five-day work week,
lets look at what must happen. Each
day represents 20 percent of the weekly
needed activities and results (not dollar
volume), that should be achieved. For
example, when Thursday morning arrives,
a salesperson should have achieved 60
percent of their needed prospecting efforts,
set 60 percent of their needed number of
preneed appointments and made 60 percent
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 PRENEED SALES SUCCESS
of their preneed presentations.
The salesperson may have made only one
sale at this point, but that is not what matters
most. The point is not the number of sales
made so far, the point is achieving the needed
prospecting activity and its results.
We have found that when the activity
goals of prospecting are met and the number
of preneed presentations are being made, the
sales volume goals are achieved. In other
words, if the prospecting, appointment-setting
and presentation-making goals are being met,
by the end of the week, the sales goals will
be, as well.
Closing
Once a salesperson has been effective at
getting themselves in a selling situation,
you want to ensure they are achieving the
standard closing percentage of approximately
40 percent. That means if they are making
five self-generated preneed presentations a
week, they should make sales in two of the
five presentations.
There are only three reasons sales closing
averages are not met: One, the salesperson
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is not following the systematic process of
making a proper presentation. Which means
they are not following the steps and scripts as
prescribed by the selling system.
The other two reasons are that the sales-
person is not skilled in managing objections
or is not following the defined closing
sequence.
If you have a salesperson who is not
achieving the right closing percentages, the
sales manager must act quickly. They should
debrief the salesperson to determine where
the issue may be, role play with them to
ensure they are following the process and/
or go and observe them making a preneed
presentation.
Where to put your focus
We hope you are now starting to see that
focusing on what you can controldaily
activity and the expected resultsis the key
to achieving your sales goals.
Remember, volume only tells you what
has happened. Monitoring daily activities
and results tells you what is happening in real
time. This feedback gives you the information
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you need to make any needed corrections
before the week is over.
Holding your salespeople accountable for
achieving the daily activities and outcomes
is not doing something to them, its doing
something for them. You are helping them
stay focused and on pace daily to achieve
their weekly sales goals.
Gathering information daily, analyzing it
and then using the data to coach an individual
takes minutes, not hours.
The secret
If there is a secret to making preneed
sales more controllable, predictable and
repeatable, we believe that it is the process
of daily accountability. The rigor and
relentless focus on monitoring a few daily
activities and outcomes that create sales is
the secret to consistent sales success.
As we have said before, and proven over
the past 10 years: Good sales managers
focus on volume. Great sales managers
focus on the daily activities and outcomes
that create the volume. r
Contact us to set up your no fee account.
Choose from multiple
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scanners available.
May 2017 13
by ICCFA Magazine columnist
Todd W. Van Beck, CFuE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
vanbeck@
guptoncollege.edu; Using personal examples when talking
toddvanbeck@
gmail.com to families making final arrangements can backfire.
ICCFA Magazine Learn the art of making suggestions.
author spotlight
Van Beck is one
of the most sought-
after speakers and
The keys to service: How
educators in funeral
to use personal examples
M
service.
He is the director of continuing educa-
tion for John A. Gupton College, Nashville, y experience in the use of personal
Tennessee. examples (from my funeral service
www.guptoncollege.edu career) is that such memories,
which hold great meaning for me, might not
Van Beck is dean of ICCFA Universitys hold that much meaning for others, so I have
College of Funeral Home Management
concluded that as tempting as it is to share
and received the ICCFA Educational
Foundations first ever Lasting Impact them, I should be cautious about doing so.
Award in 2014. Giving personal examples from a funeral
career is not the same thing as relying on
experiential expertise as a professional
f
Like Todd Van Beck
on Facebook today! internal navigator and guide. For instance, I
have had some of the most hilarious things
MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR happen on death calls, funeral, burials and
Van Becks book cremations, but if I shared those stories, the
Reverence for the Dead: clients probably would faint dead away!
The Unavoidable Link, If youre not convinced that a personal
addresses in detail the story will be helpful for the client family,
ethical standards of car- a safe rule is to be conservative with such
ing for the dead and the storytelling. (Which will require some
ethical consequences of willpower. To be sure, funeral directors,
not doing so. myself included, do like to tell stories.)
www.amazon.com Now, if the client family solicits these
experiences, that changes the situation, and
Van Becks new book we may well choose to comply with this
The Story of Crema- request. But even then, it is prudent to qualify
tion, walks the reader words with a remark such as: This has
through the history of worked for others, but I cant say whether
cremation, its historical it will work for you, or This helped other
uses to its use today. It clients, but I wonder how you feel about it as
concludes with a discus- regards to yourself.
sion of the downsides of
In this way, we indicate that it is the client
cremation.
www.amazon.com
family who is central in the situation, and that
they need not copy my example or anyone
elses. The client family will also realize
that we do not look upon our experience
or examples as necessarily providing the
solution for them.
One approach which is less confronting
is to draw upon the experiences of others
by means of distant generalization and
depersonalization. For example: I have
known clients who, when faced with a similar
situation, have found it helpful to How do
you feel about this?
Or, People do come up against problems
like this. They often feel better when they are
14 ICCFA Magazine
able to How does this strike you?
There still remains the danger that the
client family will think they ought to adopt
the course mentioned because others have,
and particularly because we have pointed
it out, but I have discovered this is only a
minimal danger.
One great skill which contemporary
funeral/cemetery professionals have em-
braced and excelled at is making suggestions.
Lets explore this a moment. A suggestion is
a mild form of advice. It is offering an idea
the other person might not have thought of.
Its overtones tend to be tentative and vague.
Its how the funeral professional can proffer
possible lines of actions.
A suggestion does not demand compliance
nor threaten the client family with consequen-
ces should they decide not follow it through.
I am speaking of true suggestions, and not of
masked commands. Suggestions provide the
client family with the funeral professionals
considered opinions, but leaves them free to
accept, refuse or propose ideas of their own.
Indeed, the purpose of a suggestion may be to
stimulate the client family to think and plan
for themselves.
When this is the funeral professionals
sincere intention, a suggestion communicates
this silent thought: I think my suggestion
is a good one and may work. Its up to you,
of course, to decide. If clearly stated and
genuinely intended as a suggestion, it is an
open rather than closed form of commu-
nication; it is provisional rather than final.
It is equal speaking to equal, one of whom
(the funeral professional) hopefully may
possess more information, knowledge or
experience with the matters at hand, but is not
determined to force ideas on the other.
I firmly believe that in the 21st century,
funeral/cemetery professionals must abso-
lutely include the ability, skill and interest in
taking on a new role: That of the suggestion-
maker. The more suggestions the better.
Finally, concerning suggestions, two items
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 PROFESSIONAL Commissions Lowered? Unappreciated? Corporate Politics?
DEVELOPMENT Cemetery and Funeral Sales

lurk in the background of too many funeral Why do Sales Managers and Sales Counselors move most of their selling careers? Always getting a new deal and it gets harder to earn a

interviews and need to be put to rest.

quality living. Grow Roots!

The first is, If I were you, I would Its a known fact that mausoleum sales generate the most amount of income for sales professionals. Join one of the leading mausoleum
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Well, I just dont believe it. If you were me,

more than the rest of the country.

youd feel just as confused and unsure as I If you are interested in a quality life with a quality company with no micromanagement and the opportunity to become one of the highest
paid sales professionals in our industry, email your resume to: LN@memorialproperties.com, fax to 732-834-0759 or call Larry Nikola at
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you wouldnt know what to do any more than
I do!
The second point concerning suggestions
needs only a coup de grace in funeral
service. His name is, I know just how you
feel and I did The client family thinks:
Im not taken in. How can you know
how I feel? Iszvc your child also dead
right now? And if you do know, so what? Help your families . . .
You dont feel the way I feel, or you would
never think of saying that you know.
This I know how you feel approach is
very cold and very remote. If a funeral or
cemetery interviewer saying such a thing has
a mind, he or she surely has no heart, and so
away with them is my vote.
What I do believe is that the funeral
professional must gently and quietly lead
and question and make suggestions so that
the client familys experience of loss is in
the end expressed in a meaningful way. A
way that is meaningful to them, not us.
I have no mixed feelings about the
following attempt at encouragement in the
funeral interview; the funeral professional
should avoid it like the plague. Here are
several examples of the interview plague:
Well, you know, everyone has to go
through this sooner or later.
Every cloud has its silver lining, and by
tomorrow morning youll feel much better.
A good nights sleep always helps, so
why dont you try that?
As ridiculous as these responses
sound, they nonetheless have been used
in funeral interviews in the past. This type
of encouragement expressed to a client
family is belittling to the professionalism
Connect with us to find out
expected from us. how Thumbies & Buddies
If we genuinely empathize with the client can help your business too.
family and what they are feeling, if we can
let them know by our behavior that we are 847.381.9000 meadowhillco.com
feeling with them and interested in them, and
if we can show this without getting in their
way, we dont need to tell them, for they will
already know. They will understand that we
shall never know just exactly how and what
they feel, but as a fellow human being, we are
trying our best to help them. r

Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com May 2017 15

by Jim Ford

jim.ford@ T E C H N O L O G Y / S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S
foundationpartners.com
407.680.2777
What could be more personal than your DNA? Its also
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight a familial link, and one that can be lost forever after death,
Ford is senior unless the funeral home offers families DNA collection.
vice president, chief
customer officer, for
Foundation Partners
Group, Orlando, Florida.
Foundation Partners Group is a
private company which serves more
than 7,000 families annually at 59
funeral homes and nine cemeteries in
15 states.
www.foundationpartners.com

DNA samples can provide future generations with helpful informa-

tionif they are preserved. Funeral directors are in a prime position
to educate families about the possibilities and offer the service.

The DNA boom:

A case study in incremental
revenue opportunities
W
inston Churchill once said, We
make a living by what we get,
but we make a life by what we
give. As funeral professionals, we work
hard to preserve the memories of loved
ones in unique and memorable ways, but
what if you could give families something
extraordinary?
What if funeral homes offered a way
to save lives, instead of just caring for
families after the loss of life? Did you
know you could increase your revenue
opportunities while helping future
generations uncover medical problems in
their family history, potentially preventing
the onset of deadly diseases?
DNA preservation is an exciting and
innovative way for families to preserve
otherwise irretrievable information about
a loved one before burial or cremation.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the
hereditary material in humans that contains
each persons unique genetic code. It
can provide vital information for future
generations important in:
Determining disease risk and
prevention
Diagnosing medical conditions
Calculating inherited risks for children
Measuring generational mutation rates
Discovering genealogical history
Finding relatives
Establishing citizenship
Having the ability to track, diagnose
and prevent anything from skin disorders
to cancer has huge implications for the
future. In fact, many people are already
reaping the benefits from this technology.
You may recall that in 2013, actress
Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy.
Through genetic testing, doctors were able
to determine Jolie had a gene that gave
her a four in five chance of developing
breast cancer, the same disease that had
killed her mother. The knowledge gained
from genetic testing enabled her to avoid

16 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 T E C H N O L O G Y / S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S
Families can purchase custom, handcrafted jewelry and remembrance crystals that weave
in a loved ones DNA with a swirl of color in a glass remembrance item or piece of jewelry.
developing breast cancer and may have
saved her life.
Why, you might ask, is the funeral
industry such a critical piece of the puzzle?
The answer is simple: We represent a
familys last opportunity to collect DNA
from a loved one before he or she is buried
or cremated.
When someone is cremated, that
persons DNA is completely destroyed.
When a person is traditionally buried,
disinterment is financially and emotionally
challenging, and there is no guarantee that
the DNA will be intact and usable. This
makes it vital that funeral homes harvest
DNA before final disposition of the body.
The DNA collection process
For funeral homes, the overall DNA
collection process is simple. After you
choose a DNA preservation company,
they will send you a collection envelope.
A funeral home staff member performs
a simple cheek swab, places the swab
in a sample envelope and mails it to the
company.
Once the DNA preservation company
receives the sample, it is purified and
stabilized in a permanent form, protecting
the DNA from environmental damage. It is
then either stored in a lab or mailed to the
designated family member, based on the
familys preference.
Depending on your provider, the DNA
sample can be sent in a sealed glass vial
and presented in a display box with a
certificate of authenticity. Because the
DNA is sealed and preserved, a sample can
be extracted multiple times. It is preserved
in a way that, five or six generations later,
the DNA can still be testedand it never
needs refrigeration.
The family may then take the sample
and have genetic or medical testing done at
their lab of choice. The funeral home does
not offer any part of the genetic testing
process, and that fact has been one of the
drawbacks to offering DNA preservation
for FPG funeral homes.
Sometimes family members want
more than DNA preservationthey
want some testing done right away, some
data included when the DNA sample is
returned.
Our research indicates that many of
18 ICCFA Magazine
An exhibit of DNA being extracted at the
Berlin Naturkudemuseum.
the well-known and nationally-advertised
DNA collection companies that do provide disease, and some do it for sentimental
detailed testing and reporting do not offer reasons. Many people say it makes them
post-mortem services. We are working
on a solution, but in the meantime, we
are counseling families to begin the
testing process with their general practice 39-year-old husband to a heart attack.
physician.
Even though the DNA preservation
company Foundation Partners Group uses
does not provide the genetic or medical
testing process, it does offer keepsake
items for families.
Families can purchase custom,
handcrafted jewelry and remembrance
crystals that weave in a loved ones DNA
with a swirl of color in a glass remembrance her team have experienced with DNA
item or piece of jewelry. Once the DNA is
embedded in glass, it cannot be extracted,
so DNA preservation in a separate vial is
included in the purchase price.
DNA incremental revenue
opportunities
Foundation Partners Group owns and
operates more than 55 funeral homes
across the country. Part of our core
strategy as a company is to always be
at the forefront of new technology and
innovation. When we learned about DNA
preservation and related offerings, we were
immediately interested.
We tested it for several months at many
of our locations to see if it would take
off. It started slowly, but in early 2016, it
started gaining traction as our arrangers
became more proficient at presenting the
option and explaining the value.
We received media coverage, including
local television broadcasts as well as
stories in local newspapers, at multiple
locations across the country. We also
have found promoting DNA preservation
through Facebook to be successful.
Jennifer Parks, general manager
at McDermott-Crockett & Associates
Mortuary in Santa Barbara, California, has
seen tremendous success with the DNA
preservation program.
Although DNA preservation is a
relatively new offering, families seem
really excited about it, she said. About
25 to 30 percent of the families we offer
it to decide to go ahead and do it. Some
choose to preserve their loved ones
DNA because there is a family history of
feel like their loved one is still here
because they have retained their DNA.
Parks recalled a woman who lost her
This young widow wanted to preserve
her husbands DNA, because she was
concerned that if her children, ages 5 to
17, contracted an illness, the DNA could
carry genetic information helpful in the
diagnosis and treatment. In addition, she
said having her husbands DNA makes it
feel like hes still there with her.
When asked about the success she and
preservation, Parks said, I believe we are
successful with the DNA program because
I believe in it, and my staff believes in it.
I used to work in womens healthcare,
and we offered (umbilical) cord blood
banking. Families would pay thousands of
dollars to bank blood, and many could not
even afford it.
DNA preservation is so inexpensive.
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 TECHNOLOGY/SERVICE
T O FA M I L I E S

For a small fee, families can preserve

their loved ones DNA. Weve come so
far medically in just 30 years. What could
this information mean for someones
great-great-grandchild? Whats another
few hundred dollars, when you could
potentially save a life?
The entire process is so easy; it takes a
total of 15 minutes. I ask the family to sign
a waiver that they understand declining a
DNA sample means that once a loved one
is cremated or buried, that information is
lost forever.
If a family is on the fence about
whether or not they want to purchase the
service, Parks allows them to go home and
think about it, and stores the DNA sample
in that loved ones file.
The DNA sample is actually good for
about 30 days before it has to be sent off,
Parks said, so with every person who
comes into our care, I collect a sample and
file it away just in case. I have families
who end up changing their mind and
wanting a sample, and then I can just pull
it from their loved ones file. The more
they understand about the process, the
more they come back.
While most DNA preservation is sold
after a person has passed away, it also can be
collected on a preneed basis. Many families
find it valuable to go ahead and have DNA
preservation completed while they are
preplanning. Whether taken before or after
death, the DNA collection process consists of
a simple, non-invasive cheek swab.
For Foundation Partners Group, offering
an innovative service to save someones life
in the future is a privilege, and we believe
DNA preservation holds the key to unlocking
medical breakthroughs.
It not only offers the potential to save
lives, but also offers one more way to
incrementally increase revenue at funeral
homes across the country.
We believe in revolutionizing the
funeral profession, and a few years down
the road I think you will see a majority of
funeral homes offering DNA preservation.
This DNA boom will help sustain the
industry with incremental revenue, while
preserving the future.
Churchills quote rings especially true
in this case. We make a living by what we
get, but we make a life by what we give.
We believe we are not only making lives
in our industry, but saving them, too. r

Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com May 2017 19

by Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D.
drwolfelt@centerforloss.com
ICCFA Magazine author spotlight
Dr. Wolfelt is a respected author,
educator and consultant to funeral service.
He advocates for the value of meaningful
funeral experiences in his death education
workshops across North America each
year.
Among his many other books are
Funeral Home Customer Service A to Z
and Creating Meaningful Funeral Experi-
ences: A Guide for Caregivers.
He advocates for the value of meaning-
ful funeral experiences in his death educa-
tion workshops across North America
each year.
MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR
Dr. Wolfelts annual training program
for funeral directors on the WHY of the
funeral will be June 12-14, 2017, in Fort
Collins, Colorado. For more information or
to receive a descriptive brochure, call the
Center for Loss at 970.226.6050, email Dr.
Wolfelt directly or go to the website.
www.centerforloss.com
20 ICCFA Magazine
M A N A G E M E N T / S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S
Dr. Alan Wolfelt has long talked about the whys of funeral rituals,
why they are important to families. His latest book addresses the
hows, how funeral directors need to change their approach to
serving families in todays culture where ritual has been devalued.
What two funerals for one elderly
woman can teach funeral directors
I
n my latest book, A Tale
of Two Funerals, I tell
a story in which, due to
a Twilight Zonesque space-
time anomaly, two funerals
are held simultaneously for
the same elderly woman,
Carol Williams. One funeral
is arranged by funeral director
Sam Standard, and the other
by funeral director Grace
Gatekeeper.
The two funeral directors
have different approaches,
which in turn result in two very different
ceremonies. The question the book poses
is: Which funeral is more helpful to family
and friends, and why?
I thought it might be helpful to talk
about the bookwhy I wrote it, why I
took this approach and what I hope people
learn from itin a question-and-answer
format.
Youve been an advocate for meaningful
funerals for a long time. Why?
I discovered long ago that when words
are inadequate, have a ceremony. I trained
for 13 years as a talk therapist, and I
discovered early on in my career that the
funeral ceremony is an essential rite of
initiation to get people off to a good start
following the death of someone in their
life.
But more and more, people today lack
an understanding of the value of funerals.
I feel I have a responsibility as a grief
counselor and death educator to attempt to
counter this trend toward deritualization.
Its bad for families, its bad for funeral
service and its bad for our society as a
whole.
In my writing and teaching, Ive
attempted to articulate why weve had
funerals since the beginning of time. The
pyramid graphic on page 22
shows the main purposes
of funerals. I call it my
hierarchy of the why of
funerals. The essential idea
is that personalized, full
funerals give families the
chance to begin working on
healing, and the whys of
the funeral are what helps put
them on the path to healing.
Reality, for example,
is the foundation of the
pyramid. Funerals help
families acknowledge the reality of the
death. Recall is the next layer, because
funerals help families actively remember
and tell stories about the person who died.
Next we come to support. Funerals are
all about people gathering to support one
another in their grief. Expression means
embracing and outwardly expressing
the pain of the loss, and meaning is all
about the thinking through that goes on
at funerals of the meaning of the life and
death of the person who died.
Finally, we come to transcendence.
Ultimately, good funerals help us take a
step toward transcending our grief and
continuing on with a life of purpose
and love. When families dont have a
meaningful funeral, they often struggle
much more than they otherwise would.
Im honored that many organizations
now use the pyramid and other visual
tools Ive created to help families and
their communities better understand why
we have funerals. I hope to continue to be
an advocate for meaningful funerals, and
writing A Tale of Two Funerals is one
way to achieve that goal.
Youve written other books on the subject.
Why did you decide to try this creative
storytelling approach?
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 M A N A G E M E N T / S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S

Back in the normative days of funeral service, when families knew what they wanted,
tended to have multi-day funerals and understood the importance of ritual,
you could get away with not educating. But now, in the integrative phase of funeral service,
we need funeral directors to teach families about everything.
I realized its one thing to talk in the using the many elements of the
abstract about what funeral directors funeral together is what creates what
should do, but its another thing I call the tapestry of experience
to show it. The story in A Tale of for the family. If a basic, generic
Two Funerals shows, moment-by- funeral is a serviceable throw rug,
moment, step-by-step, how the two then a comprehensive, personalized
different funeral directors work with funeral rich in elements and the
the family. The reader gets to be a participation of people who cared
fly on a wall throughout all the steps, about the person who died is a
from the transfer all the way through beautiful tapestry. Thats the goal.
to aftercare. You present a fair and balanced
In the story, one of the funeral view of funeral service in this book.
directors, Grace Gatekeeper, stops Both funeral directors are good
now and then to explain to the people who are good at their jobs.
family why they might consider Why didnt you make one of them
including a certain element or piece the bad funeral director?
of ritual. Is this important? Im honored to be invited to speak
Educating families about the at many funeral service conferences.
why of the funeral is the crux I also count many funeral direc-
of the matter. For a number of tors among my friends. In my
reasons, todays families are often experience, funeral directors are
inexperienced with death and funeral rarely bad at their jobs.
planning. They dont understand On the contrary, theyre kind,
why many of the elements of ritual and theyre good at getting families
that funeral service takes for granted through the experience quickly
are included. Not understanding the and efficiently. Theyre skilled at
value of many of the elements, they making things as easy as possible for
often subvert or eliminate them. The families.
more they eliminate, the less likely Dr. Alan Wolfelts pyramid graphic shows the main The trouble is, some funeral
they are to achieve a sweet spot of purposes of funerals. directors whom Ive observed (and I
experience. could say this about funeral service
thing they do with information, education
So funeral directors must educate in general) tend to confuse efficiency with
and choices, they have the power to help
families. Why have a visitation, for exam- effectiveness. I would suggest that fast and
families in profound waysways that will
ple? What functions does the visitation efficient are not better.
impact their lives for decades to come.
serve? If you look back at the hierarchy When it comes to planning and carrying
of the why noted above, youll see that Do you think funeral directors know out a truly meaningful funeral, slow and
the visitation helps mourners with many of why weve traditionally used the various thoughtful are much more effective. I
them. elements of funerals, such as music or the believe part of my role as a funeral service
Spending time with the body is one committal? educator is to encourage funeral directors
significant way in which families really I think funeral directors understand that to slow down and try not to confuse
begin to acknowledge the reality of the most of the elements are helpful, but I efficiency with effectiveness.
death. Memories start coming up, and dont think theyve ever been asked to We have good funeral directors. What
people share those with one another. They articulate why. Why is it good to have a we as a culture now need, because of the
also hug, talk to and support each other. personalized eulogy, for example? To help deritualization trend I mentioned earlier,
Expressing the pain of the loss is families, youve got to be able to explain are great funeral directors. Weve got
natural at the visitation as well, as is this and many other whys to them as you to train both veteran and rookie funeral
talking about the meaning of the life and help them plan. directors in how to anchor everything they
death of the person who died. Its essential A Tale of Two Funerals gives many do in the whys of the funeral.
to educate families about all of the reasons examples of how Grace Gatekeeper teaches For funeral directors to be able to teach
why we have visitations. the Wilson family about the whys. the purposes of the elements of funerals,
When funeral directors connect every- I also wanted to show readers how they have to study the body of knowledge

22 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 MANAGEMENT/
S E R V I C E T O FA M I L I E S

in ways they have not done before. My

goal in the book is to hold the mirror
up to funeral directors and ask: Are you
educating every step of the way, from the
moment youre receiving the call all the
way through to aftercare?
Back in the normative days of funeral
service, when families knew what they
wanted, tended to have multi-day funerals
and understood the importance of ritual,
you could get away with not educating.
But now, in the integrative phase of
funeral service, we need funeral directors
to teach families about everything.
Because the choice today is to educate
people or run the risk of going out of
business.
How do you envision A Tale of Two
Funerals being used?
My hope is that the book will be an
excellent training or in-service tool for
funeral homes. Its concise, and the story
format makes it engaging to read. Ive
included discussion questions at the end LIFE'S TOO SHORT FOR PAPER
of each chapter, so funeral directors can
reflect on what theyve read and come
to a meeting prepared to talk about their
responses.
Of course, it also makes a refreshing
textbook for mortuary schools. Funeral
directors-in-training would really benefit
from seeing their roles as educators from
the get-go. info@plotbox.io +1-650-320-7685 www.plotbox.io
I also enjoy hosting an annual training
for funeral directors every June in
Colorado, so I will use this book as one of
the resources for that course as well.
Whats the one thing you hope funeral
directors take away from A Tale of Two
Funerals?
That its doable and rewarding to create
exceptional funerals. All it takes is a
slight shift in focus and a commitment
to doing whats really and truly best (not
necessarily easiest) for the families you are
honored to serve.
Lets all remember: Good funerals are
no longer sufficient.
Based on the trend away from
ceremony when death occurs, funeral
services commitment must be great
funerals, funerals that help people see the
value in every aspect of the experience.
The goal should be for every funeral to
conclude with families and guests saying,
Now that was a great funeral! r

Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com May 2017 23

by Jeff Harbeson
602.274.6464 M A N A G E M E N T / P E R S O N A L I Z AT I O N
jeff@theforesight
companies.com
Personalization has been a funeral and cemetery buzzword
ICCFA Magazine
author spotlight for a long timelong enough that nearly every organization
Harbeson is the director offers families something in the way of personalization.
of marketing for The Fore-
sight Companies LLC, a But if what you offer isnt regularly reevaluated and refreshed,
Phoenix-based business and manage- it will become stale and fail to impress or help families.
ment consulting firm specializing in merg-

From pass to progressive:

ers and acquisitions, valuations, account-
ing, financing and customer surveys.
He is a funeral home owner, business-
man and former Batesville representative
who has marketed his companies under
the social media labels of The Funeral
Commander.
MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR
Harbeson teams with Ryan Thogmartin
to co-host a weekly video podcast called
Funeral Nation.
Educational information, including
copies of this article, can be found at
www.theforesightcompanies.com
For more information on Harbeson or
The Foresight Companies, follow them on
Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Rethinking personalization
M
y objective for this article is to
challenge readers to consider
refreshing stale practices
developed over the last few years. In
addition, I challenge you to take a new
view of what has become pass (for my
fellow preppy rednecks, that means the
same old thing) in many funeral home and
cemetery operations.
Offering keepsakes and personalization
has become a staple in our business, but in
some cases, the way were going about it
is making us lazy and failing the families
we serve. I wonder whether keepsakes and
personalized products have the same value
to the families you serve as they do to you.
From a historical perspective, keepsakes
to remember the dead have been around a
long time. Just for reference, the Websters
Dictionary definition of keepsake: (noun)
something given or kept as a memento. It
is interesting to me that the definition does
not include purchased, but Ill address
that later.
I have many friends and acquaintances
who supply the funeral and cemetery
industry with keepsakes and/or personal-
ization. In fact, there was a time when I
was among them, doing my best to make
sure that funeral directors knew the value
of a casket adorned with personalization.
I also believe that everyone should have
a chance at redemption. Thus, I publicly
beg forgiveness for the words I invariably
used: Families will love this.
Before any suppliers or funeral
directors initiate a social media campaign
(todays weapon of choice) against me,
please take a deep breath. Remember, this
is a cerebral exerciseI want to challenge
assumptions, to make you think about what
youre doing and consider some changes.
The personalization boom
In recent years, we have witnessed a
boon of keepsake and personalization
innovation.
If you attend any of the convention
expos, you will see lots and lots of
keepsakes, everything from coffee cups
made with cremated remains to 3-D
replicas of a persons head to an actual
tattoo, still affixed to the skin of the
deceased, repurposed for artistic display.
You can even buy a personal massager
that holds some cremated remains so you
can keep a deceased loved one close,
especially in those lonely times.
I submit that the market for personalized
keepsakes is saturated, though Im sure that
somewhere out there is an inspired genius
inventing the newest and best memento for
us.
Lets ponder the definition I cited earlier:
something given or kept as a memento. I
can offer a couple of personal examples that
may resonate with the families you serve.
Last summer, we lost my wifes
younger sister to cancer. Because of my
industry knowledge, our family had access
to virtually any keepsake and memento
available on the market, but the sweetest
and most poignant item that reminds us of
her life is the decorative art-glass flower
plates (garden ornaments) my sister-in-law
made herself. When I see these pieces,
Im reminded of her: simple, sweet and
whimsical.
Another keepsake that is one of my
prized possessions is my grandfathers tin
drinking cup. Where we live in rural eastern
South Carolina, the summers oppressive
heat causes everyone to seek shade and cool
drinks.
I have vivid memories of my grand-

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 M A N A G E M E N T / P E R S O N A L I Z AT I O N
These personalized funerals are great examples of funeral professionals co-creating,
with the families who loved the deceased, services that reflect the life lived. If your standard
personalization offerings are a picture board and a cap panel, youre missing an opportunity
to show people what a funeral can and should be: a reflection of a persons life.
father drinking tea (so sweet your teeth
shook) from this tin cup full of ice
chipped from a block. He would offer
me sips, and that cold tea was heaven in
a heated hell. I touch this cup every day,
using it to measure water for my one-cup
coffeemaker, and sometimes I fill it with
ice and tea to fight the dry Arizona heat.
Such keepsakes cannot be purchased
in a funeral home or online; they are truly
personal. I give these examples because
they are examples of keepsakes as defined
by Websters.
However, not everyone has such
memory-evoking items to hold onto.
Thus, funeral homes and cemeteries offer
all sorts of alternatives. The question is,
which ones should you offer families?
Consider taking a refreshed look at
your keepsake offerings by conducting an
inventory of products in your display. If a
keepsake has not sold five to eight times
during the past year, its not worth the
shelf space.
If you paid wholesale for something that
has not sold and collects dust, it must go.
If it hasnt sold, it probably wont sell in a
different color, size or even price point.
Just because you like something
doesnt mean that your families will, and
just because your competitor cant have
it doesnt mean that you should. Think
logically about keepsakes and whether
they truly can be personalized enough so
that consumers will value and buy them.
What does personalization mean?
And speaking of personalization In
an effort to maintain consistency, I offer
Websters definition of personalize:
(transitive verb): personify; to make
personal or individual specifically.
Our profession has taken personal-
ization in different directions. Of course,
just as everyone has a bellybutton,
everyone will have an opinion on what
constitutes personalization.
Early on in my funeral career, personal-
ization involved including elements
on a casket that reflected the life of the
deceased, or displaying a picture board,
or maybe showing a video that included
26 ICCFA Magazine
photos and a few songs.
Recently, personalization has reached
new heights of creativity, and I salute those
leading the way. One example that comes
to mind is a service for a young boy who
was a big superhero fan. At his funeral,
virtually everyone, including the preacher
(dressed as Batman), attended in costume.
That service reflected his young life and
was deeply personal.
Another example is a service for a
young girl who was a rodeo competitor.
The funeral was in a horse arena adorned
with rodeo-related items, including horses.
Everyone in attendance knew her story
without even hearing the eulogy.
How about a veteran who was a
helicopter pilot in Vietnam having his
casket loaded up on a chopper, or a tow
truck driver having his casket placed on
the back of his tow truck for a last ride?
Some funeral professionals are setting
the standard for the rest of us to follow.
When was the last time you created some-
thing memorable? Not just for the family,
but for those attending the service.
If the people who attend a funeral
your firm handles leaves saying, I want
something like that, it bodes well for your
firms future. If they leave saying, That
sucked, you know that does not bode well.
These personalized funerals are great
examples of funeral professionals co-
creating, with the families who loved
the deceased, services that reflect the life
lived. If your standard personalization
offerings are a picture board and a cap
panel, youre missing an opportunity to
show people what a funeral can and should
be: a reflection of a persons life.
Unfortunately, some funeral homes
continue to limit themselves to now stale
products and practices, to the detriment
to the entire profession. A funeral director
needs to beor to hirean event planner.
I can sense the resistance from some
people reading this statement, and I know
that many directors disagree.
But those same people are the ones who
refuse to see that the hospitality industry
is diligently working to persuade families
to use their properties, event-planning
experience and catering services for a
better funeral experience. Those same
naysayers dont believe that churches
are vying for some of our professions
memorialization business by offering
cremation niches.
It is often easy to identify the people in
our profession with their heads in the sand
by looking at their websites. What source
do you think consumers are going to when
researching information regarding funeral
providers? The Yellow Pages? No; theyre
checking out websites.
I have some bad news for you: Families
researching different websites are not
your families. They have no allegiance
whatsoeverthats why theyre checking
out you and your competition online!
You no doubt have some loyal families
who will come to you no matter what, but
consider their children and friends who
attend the funeral. I wont have the type of
funeral my dad did is a recurring theme,
even with our beloved baby boomers.
If your website is provided free to
you in exchange for buying boxes with
graphics just like other funeral homes
all over the country, youre in trouble.
If your website has music playing in the
background, too much copy (words) and
no video, you have cause for concern.
This is an opportune time to refresh our
industry in the eyes of the consumer. I am
passionate about the funeral and cemetery
profession, as well as optimistic about
what our collective future holds for those
of us willing to consider positive changes.
The alternative is continuing to see the
world the way it was and letting people
outside the industry determine our future
and possibly our very existence.
Its time to refresh what may have
become stale in our own views and
operations to accommodate the ever-
shifting markets we serve. The ICCFA
provides an international platform for
discussions about how to advance our
collective businesses. Get involved in the
discussion and become passionate about
moving beyond pass to progressive.
I truly would enjoy your feedback; send
me an email or give me a call. r
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 IN THE DEATHCARE INDUSTRY

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Optimized.

Dedicat and focused, Bills

Dedicated
knowledge and experience of the
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focus on what truly matters
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Bill Newman, CPA

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Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com May 2017 27


First Place Winner
& Grand Prize Winner:
Manasota Memorial Park
and Funeral Home
Bradenton, Florida
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
n Amazing and elaborate.
n Attention to detail and
creativity impressive.
n What a unique and beautiful
way to remember someones
life.
n This was not your traditional
funeral, and I thought it was a
fantastic idea.
n Beautiful.
n A great celebration of life.
n Not only very personalized,
very innovative and really out
of comfort zonebut great!
n Very personal and a true
celebration of life.
Harry Sacchetti,
who worked with
the family, was a
florist for 25 years
before becoming
a funeral director.
He is a graduate
of Rhode Island
Community Col-
lege and of Fine Mortuary Col-
lege in Norwood, Massachu-
setts. He joined Manasota in
2015 and has been promoted
to funeral director in charge.
all photos by
Bonnie Harmsen, Suncoast
Professional Photography,
Bradenton, Florida
28 ICCFA Magazine
KIP AWA R D S : M O S T P E R S O N A L I Z E D S E R V I C E
An unexpected death left family members devastated
and unsure about having a service, but after several meetings
with a funeral director, they threw themselves into planning
a beach-themed send-off for a woman who loved parties.
Photos of On the
Patricia with back of the
family and photos it
friends were said,Live,
hung in the Laugh, Love
chapel as ... Dont
mementos Panic,
people something
could take Patricia used
home. to say.
Manasota Funeral Home became
a beach house for special service
O
n May 27, 2016, Patricia Ann Gadberry
passed away suddenly at the age of 52.
Her surviving family was not simply
shocked but completely devastated.
Initially, the family was unsure if they wanted
a service to pay homage to their vivacious
wife, mother, daughter, and sister. After several
meetings with funeral director Harry Sacchetti,
the family decided to have a service.
The service would not be by any means
traditional, and would be unlike anything
Manasota Memorial Park and Funeral Home had
seen in its 17 years of operation.
Patricia loved to host parties with lots of
food, games and fun for everyone who attended.
Collectively, we set out to have a big celebration
that encompassed those elements.
With some help from the staff, Patricias
family took on the work of decorating the chapel.
In the end, this proved to be great therapy for
them, as it gave them an outlet to facilitate their
grief. By Wednesday the funeral home had been
transformed into a beach oasis.
Guests were greeted at the door with Hawaiian
leis handed out by Patricias sister. From there, they
walked across a bamboo mat into our chapel, where
The funeral home was completely transformed
balloons hung from the ceiling with photos of her for the casual, beach-themed celebration of life.
to page 31
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 The KIP Awards marks to a beach-themed celebration of life ICCFAs Personalization Subcommittee to

T
he ICCFAs Keeping It Personal contest
drew nearly 55 entries. The KIP Awards
recognize personalization in funeral, cemetery
and cremation products and services.
This years judges gave the highest
by Manasota Memorial Park and Funeral
Home, Bradenton, Florida. This grand prize
winner received a free registration to the 2017
convention in Nashville, Tennessee, at which
all KIP Award honorees were recognized.
The contest was started in 2001 by the
encourage the sharing of ideas for person-
alizing services and products to better serve
families. A pet category was added in 2011.
Entries for the 2017 contest will be
due late this year. Forms will be available
for download from the ICCFA website. r

KIP: MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE/GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Left, the themes
of the celebration
of life spelled out.
Below, people
in casual beach
attire look at the
memorial photos,
exhange stories
and enjoy refresh-
ments.

Patricias sister handed out leis to people

as they entered the funeral home.

A register was one traditional touch.

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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com May 2017 29

 KIP: MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE/GRAND PRIZE WINNER

From left, sack races, 2,000 pounds of sand to play in, bingo and
a photo booth were available during the five-hour life celebration.

RIght, the chapel

was set up with
Patricias boogie
board as the cen-
tral feature, using it
as a table for flow-
ers, a photograph
and her beach-
themed urn.

Below, close-ups
of some of the
food and decor.

30 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 KIP: MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE/GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Above, beach-themed memory cards were

available so that people could leave mes-
sages for the family. Right, games were
followed by a balloon release.
from page 28
and the family attached as mementos people
could take home. Her boogie board was up
front with her beach urn, photo and flowers.
Guests played bingo, heard stories, ate
food and had a toast in her honor. Then
they headed outside for more fun, with corn
hole set on a beach of 2,000 pounds of sand
brought in for the event.
Guests then had time to use the photo  
booth to created a memory of Patricia with
a special photo print with her saying of
Live, Laugh, Love ... Dont Panic.
There were also wheelbarrow, three-
legged, and sack races, as well also
other games Patricia used to plan for her
gatherings. This was followed by a balloon
release, where over 150 biodegradable
balloons were released in honor her.
Her favorite music added to the
ambiance as guests had fun, exchanged
 
memories and enjoyed cupcakes. The event
was set for 6 to 8 p.m., but ended up lasting 
 
  
five hours, and was attended by more than  


250 people.
This celebration of life was not the norm
for Manasota. We had to think outside the 
box as we tried to bring the family together  
 
for Patricias celebration.
One thing that was unusual was hiring
a professional photographer to capture the
event for family members, since some of
them had not seen each other in many years.
They were able to have family photos taken
before and during the celebration and have
a record of the event.
The photo booth, the sand, the games,
the use of Patricias patio furniture inside
and outside the funeral home and the boogie
board set up in the chapel were all outside
the norm.
By the end of the night, her family,
friends and the funeral home staff had
learned to live, laugh and loveand we
didnt panic. r

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com May 2017 31

 KIP AWARDS: MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE OR MEMORIAL

How do you celebrate the life of a talented and creative

young man who loved attending music and art festivals?
By using the cemetery grounds for a festival in his honor.
Honorable mention:
Evergreen Washelli
Seattle, Washington

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

n Incredibly personalized,
age-appropriate, engaging
remembrance event.
n Simple and cost-effective
way to deliver a perfect
service and honor Chase.
n Love the food trucks and
drums.
n It is tragic when a parent
loses a child. What a beautiful
way to memorialize their son.
n Fantastic job.
n Nice tribute.
n Connected with Chase on
so many levelsart, music Family and friends gather at Evergreen-Washelli for a service remembering a young man who
and food. Truly memorable. loved attending art and music festivals and had hoped to attend Burning Man.

Evergreen-Washelli creates festival to help

family honor artistic, creative young man
W
e received word in our office that a he was so talented
23-year-old had overdosed and passed he could pick up an
away. My heart instantly hurt, as I was instrument and make
at the time 29, and young tragic deaths struck a it sing, or a paintbrush
special chord with me. His name was Chase. and make it dance. He
When I met his parents, I could tell they were took to rare hobbies
unique. Well-dressed, down-to-earth, a good like fire dancing and
sense of humor, drumming. He was
with a certain free the very definition of
spiritedness about creative.
them, and in so much He loved to go to
pain. art and music festivals
When they spoke and reveled in the
of Chase, they creativity of others
showed me photos like him. His ultimate
of their family trip to dream was to attend The front of the keep-
Italy. He always had Burning Man, which sakes Evergreen-
a smile, and often he had planned to do Washelli staff created:
custom concert badges.
was giving a thumbs- that year. His father
up. would be taking his urn there instead.
They glowed There was only one way, in my eyes, to truly
when they told me memorialize such an uncommon soul. We would
of his imaginative put on a festival for him.
Evergreen-Washelli staff who worked on the service,
from left: Damaso Garcia, working foreman; Aaron side and how he In our cemetery, there is a large open area
Sholes, operations lead; Nikole Mitchell, funeral direc- was truly an artist surrounded by trees with lush green grass. I
tor; and Christina Shepherd, funeral coordinator. at heart. They said immediately began to visualize this area turned into
to page 35
32 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
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funeral homes, cremation society, cemetery,
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Our blogs let families learn more on their
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generated leads the first week we started.

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 KIP AWARDS/MOST PERSONALIZED SERVICE: EVERGREEN-WASHELLI
The result was a beautiful piece of
remembrance art.
funeral director Nikole Mitchell

For the programs (above and right),

Evergreen-Washelli created a trifold
that included a set list outlining the
order of service and a poem Chase had
written himself, along with personalized
graphics.

Above, attendees look at some of the art set up for the event. Right, a basket with
the concert badges Evergreen-Washelli created as keepsakes.

Above, a hired food truck provided Chases favorite

food, pulled pork sandwiches.

Right, since the young man had a serious sweet

tooth, a table was set up with a variety of desserts.

34 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 EVERGREEN-WASHELLI
from page 32
an art exhibit honoring Chase. We started
with signs throughout the cemetery to direct
folks to the area. We used a black and white
photo of Chase with directional arrowsthe
conventional signs wouldnt do.
We set up stations for attendees to
visit. One station was a tent with DVD of
his life playing inside on a large screen.
Another had a microphone and podium for
open sharing, and a live band. His friends
came and performed their fire dancing to
pay tribute to his love of it.
Enlarged photos of Chase were set
on easels like art around the perimeter
of the service.
Another station
included favorite
deserts, as Chase
had a serious
sweet tooth. His
favorite food, LED Lighting Solutions
pulled pork
for Memorial Products
sandwiches, was
provided by a
hired food truck. E N E R G Y S AV E R
As keepsakes
The memorial DVD for family and LED light bulb for Crypt
played on a large friends, we & Niche Fronts
screen in a tent.
created a custom Warm color for Bronzes
concert badge on a lanyard with a collage
of Chases interests and a poem on it. E A SY TO I N S TA L L
A large board for signatures and custom www.septechnologies.com
art pieces was erected so that funeral-goers 1 877 515-4672
could express themselves via art as he
would have done.
The programs were customized trifolds,
unlike anything we had done before.
They included a set list for an order of
(3&7&3

8"3%
service and a poem Chase himself wrote,
and were saturated in beautiful colors and $&.&5&3:
1-"//*/(
personalized graphics. The result was a
beautiful piece of remembrance art.
After the service we held a giant drum
circle to end the event. It was wonderful.
His parents gave hugs and cried while
speaking of their sons memory. His 1-"//*/(
$&.&5&3:
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eclectic group of friends told stories that 4*/$&

brightened the day and were in keeping &2035(+(16,9(0$67(53/$16&216758&7,213/$16 63(&6
with Chases free spirit.
I received tearful thank-yous from 6(&7,21/$<2873/$16&5(0$7,21*$5'(13/$16

the family, who said their sons love of 3/$17,1*3/$16 63(&6

festivals had been honored in a way they /27/$<287 6$/(60$3663$&(5(&29(5<352*5$06
never thought possible. I can honestly say 6,7((9$/8$7,216 )($6,%,/,7<678',(6
that being able to personalize a service like
this was not only fulfilling for myself, but *:*5(9(5 :$5'
&HPHWHU\3ODQQHUV
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seemed so needed and healing for this one-    1 % 8 ) )$ / 26 7
2 5 & + $ 5 '3$ 5 . 1 <         

of-a-kind family. r

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com May 2017 35

 K I P A WA R D S : I N N O V AT I V E P E R S O N A L I Z E D P R O D U C T

PlotBox allows cemeteries to combine mapping

and records management with a public platform so that families
can preserve their deceased love ones legacy.
First Place Winner:
PlotBox
Portglenone, North Ireland,
and Palo Alto, California
www.plotbox.io

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

n Visiting a grave virtually,
sending flowers genius.
n Useful.
n Good solid program.
n Badly-needed product.

The core modules of PlotBox focus on one place to keep all records related
to a plot intuitively linked to each other. Onc click shows who owns the plot,
who is buried there and any other related records.

PlotBoxs multi-sided platform keeps

deceased persons records in one place
Plotbox co-founders CEO Sean

I
McAllister and Chief Commer-
cial Officer Leona McAllister.
n 2009 Sean McAllister, an engineering saw two main problems. First was the lack of
surveyor from Ireland, was asked to survey linkage of records to the maps, and second was
the plots in his local cemetery. Given that it the lack of modern technology. These problems
was his parish, he wanted to do a little extra, so affect two stakeholders in particular: the cemetery
he took photographs of the headstones and his operatives and the public.
wife Leona transcribed the inscriptions. Together Surely there had to be a better way than
they linked the records and images to the accurate having all the different pieces of information
GPS location on Seans map using a simple in separate books, spreadsheets and systems
spreadsheet. accompanied by (largely inaccurate) old paper
This experience maps.
highlighted a Fast-forward seven years, and the McAllisters
number of issues, have created PlotBox, a multi-sided platform
including burials in which allows all records for a deceased person
the wrong place, lost to be held in one place, linked to the accurate
burials in unmarked location of their interment or memorial.
graves and lost and On one side of the platform, cemeteries and
damaged records, crematories use PlotBox to manage their daily
that sparked a desire operations online and in real-time
in the McAllisters to On the other interface, families and members
PlotBoxs platform is designed for use by cemeteries and explore this industry a of the public can search the records and maps via
crematories and also by families, genealogists and people little further. Discover EverAfter, a website designed to show
researching local history. Sean and Leona not only a deceaseds name and date of death,

36 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 K I P A WA R D S : I N N O V AT I V E P E R S O N A L I Z E D P R O D U C T

Left, PlotBoxs Discover

EverAfter website, where me-
morials can be created with
uploaded videos and photos,
and where people can search
for grave sites, listed here by
cemetery.

Far left, a cemetery employee

uses an iPad to take a photo
of a memorial for uploading
to the PlotBox platform.

but also a picture of their memorial as well
as photographs and videos to tell their
story and preserve their legacy.
PlotBox is used by cemetery and cre-
matory operators in the United States,
Uniked Kingdom and Ireland to manage
their full business functions, including at-
need and preneed sales, calendar booking
system, accounting, CRM and much more.
It allows funeral directors online access
to book a service 24/7, providing a better
service to the bereaved.
It allows
sales council-
ors the oppor-
tunity to sit
in a family home and pull out an iPad to
navigate an aerial drone map displaying
all available plots closest to their deceased
loved ones. They can DocuSign a contract
then and there and make payment online
so that the family doesnt even need to
visit the cemetery.
For the public searching for a loved one
or a genealogist looking to
find that missing link on the
family tree, Discover Everafter
allows them to search records
of PlotBox users all around
the world, virtually visit the graves and
order flowers.
This website is due for re-launch in
2017, and during the year users will see
increased functionality. They will be able
to remember their loved ones via an online
memory box where they can share stories
and memories everafter. r

CEMEtErIES CrEMAtorIES FUNErAL hoMES SUPPLIErS PEt LoSS ProFESSIoNALS

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 colleagues all over the worldsend it in to ICCFA Magazine!
Its a simple way to receive some well-deserved publicity for you & your staff & to share ideas with peers.
heres how to get your news in ICCFA Magazine:
n Write it down. It doesnt have to be written perfectly (thats 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:
Email your Word document as an attachment to sloving@iccfa.com, or write your release in the body of
your email. Please include your full name and title and the companys name and location in the body of your
email.
Photoshigh-resolution jpgscan be emailed. remember you must adjust digital camera settings to take
high-resolution images before taking the photos! Check the owners manual for instructions. (If youre scanning in
glossies, they must be scanned in at a minimum of 300 dpi at the size they are to be printed.)

Questions? Need some guidance?

Email ICCFA Magazine Managing Editor Susan Loving at sloving@iccfa.com.

Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com May 2017 37


Honorable Mention:
webcemeteries.com,
Virginville, Pennsylvania
www.webcemeteries.com
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
n Very useful for preplanning.
n Nice program.
n Great connection to
genealogy.
Nick Timpe,
partner at
webCeme-
teries.com
Photos and an article that
are included in this the
Timeline Timpe created for
his grandfather.
38 ICCFA Magazine
K I P A WA R D S : I N N O V AT I V E P E R S O N A L I Z E D P R O D U C T
timeline by webCemeteries.com was designed
to provide families with a central place to gather photos and stories
in order to tell and share the story of a loved ones life.
Timeline organizes a persons stories
and photos on webCemeteries.com
T
he stories that make up a lifetime are shared
by friends and family members spread out
across the country and around the world.
Rarely are these memories captured in one place for
all to treasure.
The photos that bring these stories to life are in
boxes, on phones and buried in computer drives.
It is too easy for these memories to fade and these
visual reminders to be lost.
Our industry is flush with memorial pages that
announce the death of a dear loved one and collect
condolences and expressions of grief. These tributes
focus on the death and the end of a life, rather than
the lifetime that was lived.
To address this need, webCemeteries.com
gathered an industry focus group of leading
cemetery and funeral directors to design a new
product. These industry experts inspired the design
of the software, and the technology has now been
brought to consumers with great success.
Timeline of a Lifetime is a collaborative digital
platform that allows friends and family to submit
memories, photos, videos and other content through
one simple form that will automatically build this
content into a timeline of their loved ones life.
This platform combines the ease of social media
interaction with the need to tell the larger story of
who a person was and what defined them.
When cemeteries and funeral homes use this
platform on their website, the program automati-
Timeline
from
webCem-
eteries.
com as
it ap-
pears on
a laptop,
pad and
Smart-
phone.
cally creates a Timeline page for every single one
of the thousands of individuals they have served,
immediately allowing families to upload an unlim-
ited number of memories, photos and other content.
The cemetery or funeral home pays a flat license
fee to support all of these pages, making them
free to the family, and, in contrast to traditional
condolence sites, permanently available.
As more and more people are realizing the
benefits of preplanning their final arrangements to
ease the burden on their families, there is also an
opportunity for those individuals to participate in
building their own Timeline page and capturing the
stories that they want to share with their families.
Building a page during the preplanning process
creates a digital time capsule that the cemetery will
publish at the appropriate time, releasing the story
of their life. The page can also collect letters, videos
and other content that can be privately shared with
specific people. Items are organized into categories,
including family, relationship, education, career,
hobby and military.
The Timeline page is geo-referenced to the final
resting place of the deceased. Whether that location
is in the cemetery, or at a favorite family spot where
scattering took place, the Timeline page will provide
the satellite image and GPS navigation back to that
special place.
Every life has a story, and those stories are worth
saving. r
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 Your Real Source.
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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com May 2017 39
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.
n WEST LAUREL HILL, Bala Cynwid,
Pennsylvania celebrated its 15th annual
Easter Egg Hunt. To mark the occation, the
cemetery partnered with Alexs Lemonade
Stand Foundation to raise money to fight
childhood cancer. Children searched for
thousands of prize-filled and chocolate eggs
from Zitners Fine Confections. Music was
provided by More FM, someone was on
hand to make balloon animals and the Easter
Bunny stopped by for photos.
Also, the cemetery hosted its fifth annual
Kentucky Derby Party. Attendees at this
ticketed event could watch the derby on tele-
vision, enjoy horse and carriage rides and live
music and dress in Southern attire and hats
to compete for prizes. Free mint juleps, other
drinks and hors doeuvres were available.
n OLD CITY CEMETERY MUSEUMS
& ARBORETUM, Lynchburg, Virginia,
recently held a Help Our Pollinators
nature walk. A columnist from the local
newspaper lead a casual walk around the
cemetery to locate plants that attract bees,
butterflies and other pollinators and to discuss
what people can do to help the insects and
other animals critical to our food supply.
Maureen Lindley, left, vice president
of marketing at Flanner and Buchanan
Funeral Centers, presents the Volunteer
of the Year award to hospice volunteer
Connie Sieferman.
n FLANNER AND BUCHANAN
FUNERAL CENTERS and LEGACY
CREMATION & FUNERAL SERVICES,
Indianapolis, Indiana, recently honored
hospice volunteers and caregivers. At the
annual hospice awards banquet, held at the
Flanner and Buchanan Geist Event Center, all
the Caregivers of the Month and Volunteers
of the Month for 2016 were honored, and
two were named Caregiver of the Year and
Volunteer of the Year.
40 ICCFA Magazine
Children take
part in West
Laurel Hills
annual East
Egg Hunt while
parents take
photos.
n Burcham-Jennings Funeral Home, n PIERCE MORTUARY
Fairborn, Ohio, has unveiled a new name, COLLEGES, Broadview,
BURCHAM-TOBIAS FUNERAL Illinois, has named Jay D.
HOME. The company now has five loca- Dodds, CFSP, and Timothy
tions: Burcham-Tobias in Fairborn, Tobias R. Borden to its board of
Beavercreek Chapel, Tobias Belmont Chapel, trustees. Dodds is a licensed
Tobias Englewood Chapel and Tobias Far funeral director with over 33
Hills Chapel. years of experience in the
Dodds
n Rick Touchette, executive director of funeral and cemetery profes-
ALBANY DIOCESAN CEMETERIES, sion. He is founder, owner and
Albany, New York, has been re-elected president/COO of the Signa-
to the executive board of the National ture Group, which owns and
Catholic Committee on Scouting. The com- operates 20 funeral homes and
mittee, which is advisory to the Boy Scouts 10 cemeteries in five states.
of America, seeks to sustain and strengthen Prior to founding Signature
the relationship between the BSA and the Group in 2011, he was execu-
Catholic Church in the U.S. tive vice president and COO
Borden
Also, Albany Diocesan Cemeteries is now of Carriage Services, where
managing St. Patricks Cemetery, Coey- he had 17 years in various senior operations
mans, New York, bringing the number of leadership and management roles. A graduate
cemeteries managed to 18. of Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, he is
an ICCFA vice president and a trustee for the
n PARK LAWN CORP., Toronto, Ontario, ICCFA Educational Foundation, the Funeral
has expanded its funeral operations into Service Foundation and the Matthews Chil-
British Columbia. The expansion is through drens Foundation.
purchase of two funeral homes, a cremato- Borden is a licensed funeral director and
rium and a discount funeral operation in the embalmer in Kentucky, Indiana and Michi-
Okanagan Valley, all from Ron Crooker. They gan. He is the founder, president and CEO of
are Providence Funeral Homes & Cremato- the Borden Mortuary Group, with locations
rium, which consists of a funeral home and in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, and
separate crematorium site in Penticton and a Scottsburg, Indiana. Founded by Borden
funeral home in Summerland, and Credible in 1995, The Borden Mortuary Group is
Cremations Service Ltd., a low-cost funeral Kentuckys largest volume mortuary service,
service provider in the Okanagan Valley. providing embalming and cremation services
n Nancy Lohman has retired as director, as well as mortuary supplies for funeral
corporate development, of STONEMOR professionals in the area. He and his wife also
PARTNERS, Trevose, Pennsylvania. operate a pet cremation business in Louis-
StoneMor acquired Lohman Funeral Homes, ville. A graduate of Mid-America College
Cemeteries & Cremation, of which she was of Funeral Service, he is also a member of
vice president and co-owner, in 2012. In its advisory board. He is president of the
addition to continuing as a board member or board of The Cremation Association of North
officer with several nonprofit organizations, America and past chairman of the British
she is completing a masters degree. Institute of Embalmers. r
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 Which of the 3
funeral business
building blocks
can you do
without?
NONE... You cant build your business
without ALL of the pieces, I know, Ive tried. As a
funeral home owner I understand firsthand the value of
what Johnson Consulting Group can bring to a funeral
home. Without their accounting, management services
and customer satisfaction surveys our organization
wouldnt be nearly as successful. Their extensive
industry knowledge & experience helped me maximize
profitability and achieve higher levels of customer service
satisfaction.
While JCG is legendary for their merger and acquisition
expertise, they are equally experienced in the core
building blocks every funeral home needs. Im using
each one of their key services and each one has helped
increase my profits. I wouldnt risk eliminating any
of them.
I was tired of waiting months
for year-end statements and
other financial data. They got
it to me in weeks rather than months
which helped me improve my cash
flow. And their interpretation of the
information is unmatched.

Paul C. St. Pierre, President

Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service & Crematory &
Brown-Butz-Diedring Funeral Service & Crematory

888.250.7747 | www.JohnsonConsulting.com

Mergers & Acquisitions Valuations Accounting Management Services Financing Customer Surveys

2017 MKJ Marketing

Supply Line
n HEKMAN, Zeeland, Michigan, has
introduced a six-piece collection of
counter and bar stools. Fabric selections
range from residential to extra-durable
contract grade. Four different stain finishes
are available: satin black, French roast,
aged grey or vintage brown. The stools
height makes it easy for people to slide
in and is especially convenient for people
with knee or back issues, said MaryAnne
Scheuble, sales director.
616.748.2660; www.hekman.com
Heckmans new counter and bar stools. n PASSAGES INTERNATIONAL, Al-
buquerque, New Mexico, has added new
sizes, designs and prices to their scat-
tering tube collection. The new designs
are Orchid and Lily, available in adult and
mini sizes. The size selection has been
increased by the addition of token (10 cu)
and extra-large (240 cu) in select designs.
The token sizes, designed for families who
want to split remains, are available mixed
and matched in packages of six and come
Above, Passages in an eco-friendly blue presentation box
Mount View tokens
with a magnetic closure. 1.888.480.6400;
with presentation
sales@passagesinternationalcom;
box. Above right, Passages Orchid and
Lily cremation scattering tubes. www.PassagesInternational.com
n NEW MEMORIALS DIRECT, Gig
Harbor, Washington offers votive candle
urns for memorializing people or pets.
Colorful options are available in both a
New Memorials Di-
rects new votive
full-size square cremation candle holder
candle holder. urn and a small cylindrical sharing size.
The urns have a brass fitted top and bot-
tom and an interior with a matte finish
in espresso, sage, scarlet and violet. Urn
access is from either top or bottom with
secure threaded screw closures. Padded
feet are affixed to the bottom of the urn.
The urns can be personalized with any-
thing from elegant text engraving to baby
New Memorials footprints.
Directs new
The company has also released a new
layered memo-
rial pendant, layered memorial pendant that allows
for additional memorial personalization.
with finger-
The pendants are layered together with a
print, photo
and birthstone combination of texture, shapes and a pop
charm. of color. The base layer is a an elegant
stainless sterling silver dog tag engraved
with a full coverage fingerprint. The
middle layer is a durable stainless steel
round engraved with a photo. A birthstone
charm lies atop the fingerprint and photo.
The three elements are free-standing, so
can be separated onto different chains or
charm bracelets. The two metal pices can
be engraved with text, a custom signature
42 ICCFA Magazine
or an additional print or photo.
1.877.995.8767; service@newmemorials-
direct.com; www.newmemorialsdirect.com
n SPARTACRAFT,
Connelly Springs, North
Carolina, has hired David
Maguire as vice president
of sales and marketing. He
previously served as director
of visual merchandixing at
JELD-WEN Windows and
Maguire Doors. 1.800.282.8044;
sales@spartacraft.com;|
www.spartacraft.com
n EXPRESS FUNERAL
FUNDING, Clarksville,
Indiana, has hired Deanna
Dydynski as marketing
and public relations man-
ager. She previously pro-
vided marketing and brand
development for nearly two
Dydynski years to Thacker Caskets.
Before joining the funeral industry, she
worked in marketing and public relations
at the Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, and Patrick Ellis, DO, Psy-
chiatry & Nutritional Medicine, Morman,
Oklahoma. 1.800.231.8383;
www.expressfuneralfunding.com
n AMERICAN COACH SALES,
Cleveland, Ohio, has redesigned its
website. The new interactive site allows
customers to view the up-to-date inven-
tory, both new and used, and inquire about
vehicle pricing. Hitting the contact us
button allows people to fill out an inquiry
form that will be sent directly to the com-
panys email system. From there, Jay Maz-
zarella, a third-generation employee of the
family business, will promptly respond.
1.888.321.6613;
www.americancoachsales.com
n SECURITY NATIONAL LIFE
INSURANCE CO., Salt Lake City, Utah,
has hired Aurelio Calero as market sales
manager for the San Antonio, Texas,
area. He has extensive background in
both the sales and sales management side
of the life insurance/preneed business.
He worked for a Texas-based national
funeral service provider as both a mar-
ket sales director and a market manager.
1.800.574.7117;
www.snlabetterway.com
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 Industry Specific
Online Courses & Quizzes
Online Library
A complete system of learning
materials for selling success
Dozens of online classes on
prospecting, closing, the pre-need
presentation and more
Online quizzes for each course
Take as often as you like to reinforce
what youve learned
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com
presents the Industrys only
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and Industry CRM
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Request a demo
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May 2017 43

Meadow Hills
new brochure and
catalog.
Quinn Eagan of Preneed Funeral Pro-
grams accepts the Daniel M. Voecks
Sales Achievement Award from Home-
steaders COO Steve Shaffer (left) and
Steve Lang (right), Homesteaders chair-
man, president and CEO.
Terrybears new urns and keepsakes
with a hammered metal finish.
READERS: To find the products and ser-
vices 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.
44 ICCFA Magazine
S U P P LY L I N E
n MEADOW HILL, Fox River Grove,
Illinois, has released its new product
catalogs and brochures. The marketing
pieces design is a result of feedback from
funeral directors, said Sandi Simos, vice
presidentmarketing and customer ser-
vice. They wanted materials that made it
easier to walk family members through the
process of selecting custom keepsakes.
Copies are available on the directors re-
source page of the website or by calling or
emailing the company. 1.877.848.6243;
info@meadowhillco.com;
www. meadowhillco.com
n PRENEED FUNERAL PROGRAM,
Metairie, Louisiana, has received the
Daniel M. Voecks Sales Achievement
Award for volume for the fourth con-
secutive year. With 28 of PFPs sales
counselors qualifying to attend the confer-
ence this year, six were represented in the
top 10 overall producers and two took
home top awards. PFPs top counselor
took home the James O. Wilson Personal
Achievement Awards for volume and for
paid annualized premium and another PFP
counselor received the Dennis G. Kerschen
Persistency Award, which recognizes the
highest achievement in persistency during
the calendar year. www.preneed.net
n TERRYBEAR, St. Paul, Minnesota,
and has introduced its new Legacy
Metallics collection. It features a ham-
mered finish and is available in pink, blue
or silver with pewter accents. The collec-
tion includes matching heart, memory and
traditional keepsakes. Personalization is
available for all pieces.
1.888.588.8767; www.terrybear.com
n ASD, Media, Pennsylvania, has been
issued a patent for its MobileFH feature.
MobileFH gives funeral directors control
over their outgoing called ID, so they can
use their cell phones for business calls
while keeping their business and personal
use of the phone separate. To activate
MobileFH, directors tap on any phone
number within ASD Mobile and tap on
the funeral home number. The call will be
connected displaying the funeral homes
phone number as the outgoing caller ID.
The proprietary technology also allows
funeral directors to record these calls for
future reference. This is the fourth patent
the company has received.
Kevin@myasd.com; 1.800.868.9950;
www.myasd.com
n NATIONAL GUARD-
IAN LIFE, Madison, Wis-
consin, has hired Kirsten
Pedersen as vice president
actuary. She is responsible
for the product and busi-
ness development area of
actuarial. This is a newly
Pedersen created position designed
to support the growth of NGL. Pedersen
has more than 20 years of experience in
financial services, coming to NGL from
CUNA Mutual Group, where she was
vice president, compliance/life product
executive. Previously she worked at Penn
Mutual Life and AIG. Besides managing
product development and compliance, she
held multiple senior leadership positions,
including being responsible for operations
and underwriting. She has a bachelors
degree in mathematics from University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities..
1.877.402.5900; www.nglic.com
n MESSENGER CO.,
Auburn, Indiana, has hired
a new sales consultant,
Kevin Durkan. He will
cover the New England area.
He is a graduate of Mount
Ida College in Boston.
1.800.827.5151;
Durkan
www.messengerstationery.com
website@messengerstationery.com;
n COLUMBARIUM BY DESIGN,
Santa Fe, New Mexico, has moved its of-
fices to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The new
address is 150 Washington Ave., Suite 201,
Santa Fe, NM 87501. 1.877.7NICHES;
www.columbariumbydesign.com
n THE CENTER FOR LOSS AND
LIFE TRANSITION, Fort Collins,
Colorado, has workshops by Dr. Alan
Wolfelt scheduled across the country
and in Canada and Brazil. The content
workshops helps participants understand
their own grief, how to companion others
in their grief and the significance of how
when words are inadequate, have meaning-
ful ceremonies. Sponsors include hospices,
hospitals, universities, funeral homes and a
variety of community agencies. Check the
centers website for details about locations,
dates and registration.
970.226.6050; www.centerforloss.com
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
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Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com May 2017 45

IMSA: Advocating memorialization since its beginning
by Jeff Hodes, CCE
president, International Memorialization
Supply Associationt
M emorialization of a loved one has
always been important for families, but
it seems to be a topic that is receiving more
attention lately within industry publications
and conferences. Perhaps this is because of a
concern that society seems to
be more casual, or worse, in a
rush to get things over with,
and we need to be sure that
families realize the importance
of memorialization.
Whatever the reason
for the renewed focus on
Hodes
memorialization, it is to be
celebrated, and is something the International
Memorialization Supply Association has
supported since its inception in 1976.
As IMSA commemorates 40 years as an
association, it is interesting to look back at
how it came to be and how it continues to
evolve.
IMSAs predecessor was the Cemetery
Supply Association (CSA), which began in
1955 as an organization of suppliers serving
the cemetery industry. One of the CSAs main
functions was holding an annual trade show
where its supplier members exhibited their
products to cemetery personnel.
Separately, another association comprised
of cemeteries held annual meetings for its
members. This group was called the Ameri-
can Cemetery Association (ACA), which
also evolved, merging with other cemetery
organizations and eventually becoming
the International Cemetery, Cremation and
Funeral Association (ICCFA).
Understanding the value to their respective
members of one event combining the ACA
convention with the CSA exhibit, the two
groups began cooperative annual convention/
expos in the mid-1970s. During this same
period, the CSA changed its name to the
International Cemetery Supply Association
(ICSA) to reflect the expanding composition
n PIERCE CHEMICAL, Broadview, Il-
linois, recently presented sales achievement
awards to four regional sales representa-
tives and one distributor. Jason Thornhill
was awarded the Bill Pierce Award, given
to one who demonstrates exemplary profes-
sionalism and above-and-beyond efforts. He
covers Georgia and Florida. Ryan Lee earned
46 ICCFA Magazine
of the supplier group.
While the ICSA and the ACA each had
other programs for their members, the annual
convention and exposition proved to be a
success both in terms of participation as
well as in fostering relationships between
the organizations. This was beneficial for
the industry as a whole and demonstrated
the value of working together on common
interests.
Ultimately, the ACA came to view the
trade show as such an integral part of its
convention that it assumed the management
of the expo. Still, the cooperative relationship
remained strong, as the ICSA worked
closely with the ACA on decisions regarding
convention locations, facilities, program
schedules and other matters.
Eventually the expo component was so
interwoven into the ACA convention that
logistics and related decisions were absorbed
entirely by the ACA, which in the mid-1990s
became the International Cemetery and
Funeral Association (ICFA).
Still, the value of memorialization was
a major theme that continued to unite the
associations. Funeral professionals and ceme-
teries help families with commemoration
services for their loved ones, while ICSA
member companies offer the memorialization
products and services to help create those
meaningful services and final resting places.
As the suppliers branched out to serve
funeral homes, combination operations and
crematories and the concept of memoriali-
zation strengthened, the ICSA decided in
1991 to become the International Memoriali-
zation Supply Association (IMSA).
Over the ensuing years, IMSA has forged
relationships with the other industry trade
groups, including the Catholic Cemetery
Conference and the National Funeral
Directors Association, again sharing common
goals in the advancement of memorialization
and professionalism in the industry. IMSA
and its members also work with various state
and regional associations.
S U P P LY L I N E
three awards, including 2016 Rookie of the
Year. He has been a sales rep for California,
Hawaii and Nevada for just over a year, yet
grew the territory so quickly that he also won
Top Memorial Book Sales Growth and Top
Sales Growth Overall, increasing overall
sales by 30 percent. David Hicks, who covers
Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, was given
Cooperatively working with other industry
associations is considered so important to
IMSA that the IMSA Board of Directors
incorporated doing so throughout its
organizational strategic plan, revised in 2016.
In fact, all three core IMSA objectives reflect
collaboration to some degree:
Promote the success of its members
by supporting best standards and practices
in the death-care industry through open
communication and information-sharing.
Expand the dissemination of innovative
information throughout the industry.
Advocate cooperation amongst various
associations serving the industry.
IMSA members have long recognized that
the most important area of cooperation for
everyone in the profession is in understanding
and serving families. To that end, for over
two decades, IMSA-member companies have
provided the results of their own extensive
consumer research at industry seminars and
conventions.
In addition, IMSA has been a member
and supporter of the Funeral and Memorial
Information Council (FAMIC) for many
years. The FAMIC surveyinitiated in 1990
as the Wirthlin Reporta long-term study
of consumer attitudes toward all aspects of
memorialization, has provided an invaluable
resource for every segment of our profession
regarding how families think about funeral
services, cremation, preplanning, cemeteries
and many other related topics.
From a nascent group of several suppliers
60 years ago to a vibrant association of more
than 100 suppliers today, the International
Memorialization Supply Association is a
collective group of subject-matter experts
who share common goals with those who use
their products and serve families.
Regardless of whether a familys choice
of final disposition, dignified memorialization
of loved ones provides fulfilling experiences
for family members and validation of the
important guiding role of the funeral service
profession. r
the award for Top Cosmetics Sales Growth
in 2016. Don Summers received the 2016
Top Urn Sales Growth Award. His territory
is Texas. American Wilbert Vault Corp.,
Bridgeview, Illinois, received the 2016 Top
Distributor Sales Award.
1.800.527.6419; www.piercechemical.com
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff

n ASTRAL INDUSTRIES, Lynn,
Indiana, has hired Scott Weisenbach as
a distributor representative. He has a
bachelors degree in business from Indiana
University and has spent the last 20 years
in the funeral industry, six of those in
ditributor sales. 1.800.278.7252;
sales@astralindustries.com
www.astralindustries.com
n JOHNSON CONSULTING, Scott-
sdale, Arizona, has announced the win-
ners of its 2016 Excellence in Customer
Service Awards. Awards were presented
to client funeral homes with the highest
scores from family satisfaction surveys
mailed to families in 2016. The funeral
homes were divided into categories based
on call volume.
Category one winners: Hoyt Funeral
Home & Cremation Service, New Canaan,
Connecticut; Ascension Funeral Home,
Gonzales, Louisiana; Baker Funeral Home,
Baker, Louisiana; Adams & Jennings
Funeral Home, Tampa, Florida; Kersey Fu-
neral Home, Auburndale, Florida; DeGu-
sipe Funeral Home & Cremation, Ocoee,
Florida; Harper-Talasek Funeral Home,
Killen, Texas; Lagrone Funeral Home,
Roswell, New Mexico; Skradski Funeral
Home, Kansas City, Kansas; George Funer-
al Home & Cremation Center, Aiken, South
Carolina; Morrison Funeral Directors,
Dumas, Texas; Grissom-Serenity Funeral
Home, Cleveland, Tennessee; Bartlett-
Chapman Funeral Homes, St. Albans, West
Virginia; Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service
& Crematory, Pendleton, Indiana; Weigel
Funeral Home, Batesville, Indiana.
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com
S U P P LY L I N E
Category two winners: Crapo-Hatha- Luyben-Dilday Mortuary, Long Beach,
way Funeral Home, Taunton, Massachu- California. 1.888.250.7747;
setts; Phillips Funeral Home, Ironton, info@johnsonconsulting.com
Ohio; Smith Benton Funeral Home, www.johnsonconsulting.com
Benton, Arkansas; McGuinness Funeral
Home, Woodbury, New Jersey; Heartland
Funeral Home, Early, Texas; Seawinds
Funeral Home & Crematory, Sebastian,
Texas; Weed-Corley-Fish, Lake Tavis,
Texas; Lucas Funeral Home, Keller, Texas;
Brown-Butz-Diedring Funeral Service,
Anderson, Indiana; Turcotte-Piper Mortu-
ary, Kingsville, Texas; Daniels Family Fu-
neral Services, Rio Rancho, New Mexico;
Forest Lawn Funeral Home, Henderson,
North Carolina; Coxe & Graziano Funeral
Home, Mamaroneck, New York; Williams
Funeral Home & Crematory, Columbia,
Tennessee; and Weed-Corley-Fish, South,
Austin, Texas.
Category three winners: Whitney &
Left, Bill Sheehan, president of Bass-
Murphy Funeral Home, Phoenix, Arizona;
Mollett, and Saul Goldstein, Elegante
Smith North Little Rock, North Little Brass, at Miami Funer, a trade show
Rock, Arkansas; DeGusipe Funeral Home sponsored in Miami, Florida, by Tan-
& Cremation, Maitland, Florida; Ra- expo, Bologna, Italy.
benhorst Funeral Home, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana; Andrews Mortuary, Wilm- n BASS-MOLLETT PUBLISHERS,
ington, North Carolina; Twiford Funeral Greenville, Illinois, has named Elliott
Home, Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Goldstein as sales representative in New
Michels & Lindquist Funeral Home, New Jersey. He has a bachelors degree in com-
Port Richey, Florida; Treasure Coast Fu- munications from the College of Staten
neral Home & Crematory, Stuart, Florida; Island, New York, and has been represent-
Menke Funeral Home, Sun City, Arizona; ing funeral homes for 17 years.
Lucas Funeral Home, Hurst, Texas; Custer Also, Elegante Brass Co., Brooklyn,
Christiansen Mortuary, Covina, Califor- New York, recently acquired by Bass-Mol-
nia; Altmeyer Funeral Home, Virginia lett, will continue supplying its products,
Beach, Virginia; Weed-Corley-Fish, North, but only to industry distributors. Bass-
Austin, Texas; Starks & Menchinger Fam- Mollett will continue its services to funeral
ily Funeral Home, St. Joseph, Michigan; directors. www.bass-mollett.com r
May 2017 47
New Members
Providing exceptional education, network-
ing 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
brochure and an application form.
Call 1.800.645.7700 to have membership information faxed or
mailed to you.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Admission to ICCFA membership normally requires a majority vote
of those present and voting at any meeting of the executive commit-
tee. 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 committee will conduct an in-
quiry. 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 Jardines del Apogeo SA Professional/Supplier

Blacks Funeral Home PA Bogota, Colombia Angel Pawprint
Thurmont, Maryland Kern Funeral Home Las Vegas, Nevada
Camposanto La Piedad SA Mt. Vernon, Washington Bright Corp.
San Jose, Costa Rica La Aurora Funerales y Capillas Anderson, Indiana
Casa Napolitano SA Manizales, Colombia Dadant Candle Co.
Buenos Aires, Argentina Lauck & Veldhof Funeral & Cremation Hamilton, Illinois
Chapel of Memories Ltd. Services Eternal Brandings*
Peace River, Alberta Indianapolis, Indiana Daytona Beach, Florida
Chestnut Grove Cemetery* Mesa Cemetery EVERDAYS
Herndon, Virginia Mesa, Arizona Birmingham, Michigan
City of Mesa Cemetery* Mount Vernon Cemetery Inc. Funeral Innovations*
Mesa, Arizona Mt. Vernon, Washington West Des Moines, Iowa
Cobb Funeral Home* Mountain View Cemetery* FuneralMarketingServices.com
Blytheville, Arkansas Oregon City, Oregon Lynbrook, New York
Cooke Funeral Home Inc.* Newton Parks & Recreation Department Galaxy Audio
Cedar Grove, West Virginia Newton, North Carolina Wichita, Kansas
E. Harper & Son Funeral Home Organizacion La Esperanza SA GetUrns
New Haven, Indiana Cucuta, Colombia Dallas, Texas
Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory Parque de la Paz SRL Granite City Tool
Inc. Guayaquil, Ecuador Waite Park, Minnesota
Buford, Georgia Parque de las Memorias HoverTech International
Ford City Cemetery Association Cochabamba, Bolivia Allentown, Pennsylvania
Kittanning, Pennsylvania Parquesanto del Ecuador Landmark Control Services Inc.
Greenlawn Memorial Park Quito, Ecuador San Jose, California
Natchez, Mississippi Roller-Citizens Funeral Home Makey WoodUrns Factory
Greenwood & Myers Funeral & Mortuary West Memphis, Arkansas Qingdao, China
Boulder, Colorado SCI Hispana East Memori Diamond
Hogg Funeral Home Inc. Miami, Florida Mequon, Wisconsin
Gloucester Point, Virginia Senoriales Corporacion de Servicios Memorial Markers LLC
Inmobiliaria Herkas Ltda. Guatemala City, Guatemala Palm Harbor, Florida
Pueto Mont, Chile Town of Harwich Preferred Payments
Inversiones El Paraiso Parque Cementerio Harwich, Massachusetts Westlake Village, California
SA Westlawn Cemetery Shenzhen Tidelong Industrial Develop-
Bogota, Colombia Norridge, Illinois ment Co. Ltd.
J. Garcia Lopez SA de CV Futian Dist Shenzhen, China
Mexico City, Mexico Professional: Pet Loss Services
The Living Urn
In Loving Paws LLC
Jardines de la Paz Greenwood, Colorado
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Lima, Peru Wards Transport and Supplies
Metro Pet Crematory Inc.
Jardines de Paz S.A. Douglas, Georgia
Upper Sackville, Nova Scotia
Bogota, Colombia Xiamen Rikata Commercial Trading Co.
The Pet Memorial
Jardines de Trujillo SA Ltd.
Flora Vista, New Mexico
Trujillo, Peru Xiamen, China
*rejoined r

48 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 I C C FA N E W S
JULY 21-26, 2017 FOGELMAN EXECUTIVE CENTER MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
D
ear prospective students,
I am honored to serve as your
ICCFA University chancellor. I
have had the pleasure over the past two
years of seeing the university from all sides,
first attending and graduating, then becom-
ing a professor in several colleges, and
finally serving as dean of the College of Land
Management & Grounds Operations for five
years.
I was raised in the funeral service industry,
with my family owning a cemetery and funeral
homes in the Philippines, and me personally
working for memorial design companies
for numerous years. I thought I had a pretty ICCFA University Chancellor
good grasp of what was going on in the Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE
profession until I was encouraged to attend
ICCFA University back in 1992. After I attend-
ed, my career really began.
Why is the ICCFA University so life-changing and one of the
most revered educational programs in our profession? The pro-
gram is more than just a training seminar or conferenceit is an
EXPERIENCE. The experience starts from the moment you
arrive in Memphis, and actually continues for the rest of your ca-
reer. The professors and fellow students you share the week with
will become lasting friends. The memorable conversations during
breakfast, lunch and dinner with fellow students are enlightening.
The opportunity to sit on a couch and have a late-night fireside
chat with Gary OSullivan is priceless. The hospitality provided
by the Fogelman Center staff will be difficult to explain to others
(its awesome!). Everything you learn will alter the lens through
which you view the profession from that point forward. This is a
situation where the whole is much more than the sum of its parts.
ICCFA University boasts seven colleges in tune with our
profession today.
21st Century Services
Land Management & Grounds Operations
Leadership, Management & Administration
J. Asher Neel College of Sales & Marketing
Funeral Home Management
Cremation Services
College of International Studies
The success that ICCFA University enjoys is the result of the
dedication and hard work of our seven remarkable deans and
Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com
tthe numerous professors who have amassed a
wealth
w of real-world experience in their fields.
They truly are experts at what they do. They
continually fine-tune their curricula throughout
the year to present you with the most relevant
and current information to take back and ap-
ply as soon as you get home. And we should
note that most of them donate their time and
share their expertise on a volunteer basis.
They just want to give back to our profession
that has so generously rewarded them over
the years.
The 2017 ICCFA University is the ulti-
mate educational opportunity in our pro-
fession. Everyone involved in the university is
proud to continue this one-of-a-kind experience
by which thousands have already enriched them-
selves, their firms and ultimately their customers
through superior, relevant and contemporary service.
I encourage you to enroll in the 2017 session of the U to begin,
or continue, your journey of professional development today.
Sincerely yours,
Jeff Kidwiler, CCE, CSE
ICCFA University Chancellor q
Find complete program
details, hotel reservation and
registration information at
www.iccfa.com/university
May 2017 49
 I C C FA N E W S

stories, songs and experiences that defined the deceased.

COLLEGE OF
21ST CENTURY
SERVICES
Dean Glenda Stansbury, CC
How do you respond to a family who says, We dont
want a traditional funeral? Youll 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.
Classes include:
Celebrant Training: Doug Manning and Glenda Stansbury
Celebrants offer an alternative to services provided by clergy for
those families who are not affiliated with a church or who do not
wish to have a traditional religious funeral service. They design
services that are completely personal, incorporating those unique
Celebrants schedule a special family time meeting when
the family can share memories, anecdotes and defining mo-
ments in the loved ones life. They then base the essence of
the service on the remembrances of the family, and family
and friends are encouraged to participate.
Celebrants develop a library of resources available for
readings, music, ceremonies and personal touches. They con-
sult with the family to help them choose elements of the service
that reflect their loved one. They are bound by a code of ethics
for complete confidentiality in all dealings with the family.
Becoming a Certified Celebrant
After completing this college, students will be certified as cel-
ebrants. The training for celebrants as established by the In-Sight
Institute seeks to provide the most comprehensive and sensitive
training available for people who wish to develop this as a profes-
sion or to add to their current job description. It is important that
a family knows they are being served by someone who under-
stands the process and is prepared to offer the very best funeral
possible. q

Please note: This college includes a one-day option for those who
C
COLLEGE OF wish to attend only the Certified Crematory Operator program.

CREMATION
C Administrator Curriculum: Zoning/NIMBY/Equipment
Real and Imagined Issues: Ron Salvatore
SERVICES
S One of the highest-rated portions of the College of Cremation
Services, this curriculum covers:
adding a crematory to your operation
Dean Jim Starks, CFuE, CCrE
D municipality zoning hurdles to installation
timing, from ordering to being fully operational
Cremation doesnt have to mean no service or no costs to purchase/maintain equipment
memorialization. Youll discover how to better serve facility requirements
families, improve cremation operations and increase considerations in selecting a crematory supplier
your companys cremation-related revenues. Youll Arranging More Than a Cremation: Gary OSullivan, CCFE
also earn three types of certifications: operator, Too many times, funeral homes and cemeteries dont have a
administrator and arranger. systematic process through which they help families consider the
power and value of cremation memorialization. The beliefs and
Classes include: behaviors of how these options are approached, both preneed and
Crematory Operator Curriculum (sponsored by Matthews at-need, have a lasting impact on both the family and the firm. In
Cremation Division): Ron Salvatore and Richard Thomas this session, you will be challenged and enlightened on how to
You will receive an extensive operations manual and training on: make your cremation memorialization options more than a pas-
professional terminology sive phrase.
incinerator terminology Arranger Curriculum: Reducing Your Liability to Add to
principles of combustion Your Bottom Line: Poul Lemasters, Esq.
cremation and the environment This seminar will focus on the Cremation Authorization Form,
and educate the arranger on why each section is critical. Partici-
incinerator criteria and design
pants will not only learn the importance of each section, they will
basics of operating cremation equipment also learn how to explain the sections to the family. There will
general maintenance and troubleshooting also be examples of lawsuits that have cost providers millions.q
forms and record keeping
handling and exposure control

50 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 I C C FA N E W S

Creating Economic Visibility for Your Company

COLLEGE OF
FUNERAL HOME
MANAGEMENT
Dean Todd Van Beck, CFuE
Too many managers consider creativity someone
elses department. In funeral service, creative
management is the key to differentiation. Youll learn
Dr. W. Edwards Demings creative service management
system and its specific applications to our profession.
This portion of the Funeral Management College is predicated on
one idea: Action This Day. One important way that you can dif-
ferentiate your funeral home or cemetery from others in your area
is through your community outreach efforts. Becoming involved
and visible in your community is easier than you may think,
especially when you have Todd Van Becks master list of best
practices and creative marketing ideas. These workable and at-
tainable programs range from the little things of customer service
to presenting major community outreach programs and wowing
your local hospices.
Creative Ideas for Under $500
Community Outreach Programs: The Turn-Key Approach
The Little Things of Service
30 Community Outreach programs with instructions
20 Hospice programs q

COLLEGE OF LAND MANAGEMENT

GROUNDS OPERATIONS
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. Youll learn how your grounds management team can succeed and continuously improve interments,
landscaping, buildings, grounds maintenance and exceptional client experience and satisfaction.

Cemetery Sustainability: Gino Merendino

This session will focus on people, planet and profits, the triple bottom line results required to be successful for the next 100 days
or the next 100 years. Proven methods of using low-maintenance plants, equipment and procedures that have been successful
with some of the biggest and well run cemetery systems in the US will be presented. q

The Greek Orthodox Experience of Death & Mourning:

COLLEGE OF
INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES
Dean Jim Hammond
Globalization is making the world a much smaller place
to live in. Are you sure that 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.
Christina DiBari
Viewed as a temporary separation of body and soul, death for the
Greek Orthodox community is a rich and powerful experience.
Because Jesus overcame death, the Greek Orthodox believe that
death is a passage to a new life where we are able to be in closer
union with God. This class will provide you with the theologi-
cal fundamentals and reasoning for many of the Greek Orthodox
customs. You will learn the symbolism and various traditions,
some deeply rooted in rituals performed in Greece, as well as
how families keep the memory of their loved ones alive.
Jewish Funeral and Burial: Paul Goldstein
Jewish tradition teaches that human beings are created in the
image of God. This is the foundation for all Jewish funeral and
burial rituals. This class will examine those practices and the
religious traditions behind them. You will learn about funeral
customs, their origins and the practices of modern Jews. q

Start every day at the ICCFA Caf at www.iccfa.com May 2017 51

 I C C FA N E W S
COLLEGE OF LEADERSHIP,
ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT
Dean Gary Freytag, CCFE
The cemetery, cremation and funeral service profession is changing, and so are the skills needed
to manage and lead effectively. Youll receive solid, relevant, results-focused training targeted at todays required
core competencies.
A Critical Look into the Future: Adjusting to Issues, Trends Carol Little brings 15+ years of experience as a certified master
and Changes: David Nixon
What are the critical issues, trends and changes in our market-
place and in our profession? David Nixon will uncover and ex-
amine these and provide the strategic ideas and adjustments you
need to embrace to maintain your success.
Well examine threats and opportunities and specific programs
to help you compete both in the short term and the long term.
Learn how to build a stronger, more viable business with the
knowledge of these future trends, and discover programs you can
implement now to prepare yourself and your business for success
in the future.
Communication and the Art of Effective Feedback: yourself? How often does your company truly analyze its ex-
Carol Little
We all know that powerful communication is essential to strong
leadership. But what is powerful communication and how can
you effectively deliver feedback so your team will actually re-
ceive and benefit from it?
As president and CEO of The Little Training Company LLC,
J. ASHER
NEEL COLLEGE
OF SALES
MARKETING
Dean Gary OSullivan, CCFE
The principles of sales and marketing dont change, only
technique and application do. Learn how to take the
tried-and-true principles of cemetery and funeral sales
and apply them within todays highly mobile, multi-
cultural, high-tech, information-driven marketplace.
Generating Leads Without a Phone: Daniel Thomas
In this session you will be shown how to go far beyond the
traditional methods of prospecting. While making phone calls
and going to the front door are great ways to generate leads, there
are numerous other ways to reach your target audience. From the
mall to the farmers market, this session will show you where and
52 ICCFA Magazine
trainer and public speaker to these questions to help you improve
the way you communicate with your team. In this workshop, she
will discuss:
The essential elements of feedback
How, when and where to deliver feedback
How to address problems and get your team to buy in to
the solutions
Funeral Home and Cemetery Accounting: Keys to Affecting
Your Bottom Line: Bill William
Profit is all about increasing revenue and decreasing expenses.
But what are the standards against which you can benchmark
penses? Do you sometimes wonder whether there are line items
you should be taking a keen look at but are missing? In this
session, well examine critical expense items, including how to
manage them, ideal ways to reduce them and industry norms to
benchmark against them. q
how to find more leads. Not only will you learn how to evaluate
the opportunities you have and develop strategies for implemen-
tation, you also will learn what role training needs to play in
developing your salespeople to be able to generate business from
these events.
The Seven Vital Signs That Drive Your Sales Teams Success:
Patrick Downey, CCE
This session will show you the seven key diagnostics that can
show a sales manager how to take the pulse of his/her sales
organization and how to direct their skills and energy toward the
actionable areas that matter most. Participants will learn what
sales performance warning sign to watch for and how to apply
the best proven prescriptions for keeping a sales team healthy
and on track for high performance.
Branding from the Inside Out and the Outside In:
Tiffany Gallarzo
Learn how to leverage your brand to create a culture and envi-
ronment for development and growth that will unite your staff,
increase retention, enhance your companys reputation and ulti-
mately increase sales. Walk away with real life examples that will
allow you to internally build your brand and externally stand out
in your market. q
Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
 E-mail calendar listings and additions or corrections to bclough@iccfa.com and sloving@iccfa.com.
For continually updated meeting listings and direct links to websites
for professional associations, go to www.iccfa.com; select Directory,
then Industry Association Directory.
Wide World of Sales:
Call for presentations
W
e are seeking presentations on
the most relevant and thought-
provoking sales and marketing insights,
tools and techniques for the 2018 IC-
CFA Wide World of Sales conference
to be held in New Orleans on January
10-12. We are looking for presentations
that offer concrete, how-to information,
with an emphasis on the how rather
than the why.
This is your opportunity to give
back to the profession by sharing your
knowledge and expertise. Proposals
are due to the ICCFA by Friday,
July 14. 2017. When submitting a
session proposal, the ICCFA Sales &
Marketing Committee requests that
you include:
1. Your contact information, a brief
bio regarding your background and
qualifications and a head and shoulders
picture of yourself.
2. A detailed description of your
how-to topic, including the specific
tools, techniques and/or initiatives the
attendee will be able to use immedi-
ately.
3. The primary target for your
presentation (managers, counselors or
both.)
4. Any request for compensation
must be included in your proposal or it
will not be granted.
WWS breakout sessions are typi-
cally 50 minutes in length, so please
narrow your topic to one or two key
points that you can fully develop and
communicate within that time frame.
All speakers are required to provide a
one-to-two-page supplemental handout
which will be printed in the onsite
program.
Speakers will receive a complimen-
tary registration. Panelists or speakers
sharing the stage with three or more
people will be offered a discounted
registration.
Please send proposals to Kirsten
Kase at kase@iccfa.com. Questions?
Call Kirsten at 703.391.8402. r www.gfda.org
Visit the new and improved www.iccfa.com
Calendar
To see all industry conventions and meetings for a particular month,
go to www.iccfa.com; select Directory, then Event Calendar.
Go to www.
iccfa.com
and choose
Directory/Find
a Member/In-
dustry Event
Calendar to
see a monthly
calendar
of industry
association
meetings
worldwide.
May 2-4: Nebraska Funeral Directors June 5-6: Missouri Funeral Directors &
Assn. Annual Convention, Younes Conf. Embalmers Assn. Annual Convention, Lake
Center, Kearney. www.nefda.org Ozark. www.mofuneral.org
May 4-7: Oregon Funeral Directors Assn. June 5-9: Funeral Service Assn. of Canada
Annual Convention, Holiday Inn Eugene- Annual General Mtg. & Trade Show, Char-
Springfield. www.ofda.org lottesville, Prince Edward. www.fsac.ca
May 8-9: New York State Assn. of Cem- June 6-8: Funeral Directors Assn. of Ken-
eteries Public Affairs Seminar, Albany. tucky Annual Convention, Crowne Plaza
www.nysac.com Hotel & Kentucky Fair & Expo Center,
May 10-12: South Dakota Funeral Direc- Louisville. www.fdaofky.com
tors Assn. Annual Convention, Watertown, to page 54
South Dakota. www.sfda.org
May 15-18: Ohio Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Hilton Columbus at
Easton. www.ofdaonline.org
May 16-17: Iowa Funeral Directors Assn.
Annual Convention, Altoona. www.iafda.org
May 21-24: North Carolina Funeral
Directors Assn. 130th Annual Convention,
Raleigh. www.ncfda.org
May 22-24: Minnesota Funeral Directors
Assn. Annual Convention, Minneapolis.
www.mnfuneral.org
May 24-25: CANA-ICCFA Cremation Op-
erations Certification & Cremation Arranger
Certification, Wilbert Funeral Services Inc.,
Broadview, Illinois. www.iccfa.com
May 24-26: Funermostra, including FIAT-
IFTA Mtg., Feria Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
www.feriavalencia.com
May 25-27: Pieta, Dresden, Germany.
www.pieta-messe.de
May 26-28: 2nd Funeral & Cemetery
Equipment Expo, TIF Helexpo Center,
Thessaloniki, Greece. www.atou.gr
June 2-4: Necroexpo, Targi Kielce Expo Proven Solutions for the Mausoleum
Center, Kielce, Poland. www.targikielce.pl
June 4-7: Texas Funeral Directors Assn.
Casket Protection
PPE Kits
Summer Convention, Austin. www.tfda.com
Mausoleum Trays
June 4-7: Georgia Funeral Directors Assn. Consultation
Summer Convention, King and Prince
Beach Resort, St. Simons Island.
ensureaseal.com
800 864 4174
May 2017 53
 AD INDEX

19 American Cemetery/Mortuary 35 Grever & Ward 35 Nunn Products

Consultants 39 Holland Supply 31 Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell &
27 ASDAnswering Service for 55 IMSA Hippel
Directors 43 Paradise Pictures
45 Inman Shipping Worldwide
5 Coldspring 23 PlotBox
41 Johnson Consulting
7 Continental Computer Corp. 29 RBC Wealth Management
25 Kryprotek
25 Eagles Wings Air 35 SEP Technologies
23 Madelyn Co.
3 Eickhof Columbaria Inc. 27 Supply Link
9 Matthews Cemetery Prodcuts
53 Ensure-A-Seal 31 The Key Chain Urn Co.
15 Meadow Hill Corp.
13 Eternitys Touch 43 THE SYSTEM
15 Memorial Properties LLC
27 Flowers for Cemeteries 11 The Tribute Companies
17 Merendino Cemetery Care
47 Franklin Wrap 45 Triple H Co.
19 Miles Supply Inc.
39 Funeral Call Answering Service 21 U.S. Metalcraft
33 MKJ Marketing
2 Funeral Home Gifts 27 WithumSmith + Brown
23 Mortuary Lift Co.
56 funeralOne 11 Zontec Ozone
39 Nomis Publications r

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

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

Cemetery sales opportunities
Are you looking for a change?
Are you tired of all the corporate
changes, lowered compensation,
unfulfilled promises and concern
about your job security with your
current employer?
This could be your last call!
The fastest growing privately
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Long Island, New York
Charleston, West Virginia
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Central Illinois
Northern California
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You can ask any of them. r

CALENDAR
from page 53 www.nationalfuneralexhibition.co.uk Assn. Annual Convention, Oshkosh.
June 10-13: Louisiana Funeral Directors www.wfda.info
June 6-8: Arizona Funeral, Cemetery &
Assn. & Mississippi Funeral Directors June 12-14: The Center for Loss and Life
Cremation Assn.Annual Convention, Litch-
Assn. Joint Annual Convention, Windsor Transition trainning session by Dr. Alan
field Park. www.azfcca.org
Court Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana. Wolfelt, Opening Your Communitys Eyes
June 7-8: ICCFA Cremation Arranger Cer-
www.lfdaweb.org to WHY We need Funerals, Fort Collins,
tification & Cremation Operations Certifi-
June 11-14: California Funeral Directors Colorado. www.centerforloss.com
cation, Gupton-Jones College of Funeral
Assn. Convention, Monterey Hyatt Regency. June 14-16: Pennsylvania Cemetery,
Service, Decatur, Georgia. www.iccfa.com
www.cafda.org Cremation & Funeral Assn. Annual Mtg.,
June 7-9: Independent Funeral Directors
June 11-15: Catholic Cemetery Conf. Kalahari Resort, Pocono Manor.
of Florida 25th Annual Convention, Rosen
School of Leadership & Management Ex- www.pccfa.com
Shingle Creek. www.ifdf.org
cellence, University of Notre Dame, South June 22-24: Southern Monument Builders
June 9-11: National (British) Funeral
Bend, Indiana. Assn. Annual Convention & Trade Show,
Exhibition, National Agricultural Center,
www.catholiccemetery conference.org Rockwall, Texas.
Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, England. r
June 12-13: Wisconsin Funeral Directors

54 ICCFA Magazine Like the ICCFA on Facebook & friend ICCFA Staff
Free Them

Only IMSA members get a free hour of consultation with

marketing guru Dan Katz of LA ads, business strategist
Jake Johnson of Johnson Consulting, social media maven
Ryan Thogmartin of Disrupt Media and legal eagle Poul
Lemasters of Lemasters Consulting. Thats over $1000 of
value alone for the annual membership fee of just $175.
But of course theres so much more, including networking
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