Many of you who work in the death care business may know Jim Price.  Jim comes from a funeral service family and has worked full-time in the death care space for almost 50 years.  I met Jim about 30 years ago at a funeral profession golf event and have seen him annually for almost each of those 30 years.

Jim continues to work in the profession.  However, it is probably fair to say that he spends lots of volunteer time and effort on making sure that funeral service will be as relevant to society in the next 50 years as it has been in the last 50 years.  Jim truly wants to give back and pay forward for what funeral service has meant to him over his lifetime.

I was humbled when Jim called me about a month ago and asked me to participate in a project he has going for the International Cemetery, Crematory and Funeral Association’s (ICCFA) Education Foundation.  Turns out that Jim is the inspiration behind that group’s “Honored to be asked to Share” program.

The “Honored to be asked to Share” program is a program whereby those in the death care profession are asked to share insight, through short video clips, with others in the industry.  I found out that these clips not only share what is good about our profession to young people looking at a career in death care, but they can be inspirational to us who have been involved in the business for going on 40 years.

The video clips can be accessed through the ICCFA’s web-site at Honored2Share.org.

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The following is the article “He asked. . They shared – A Conversation with Jim Price” written by Patti Martin Bartsche that appeared in the December 2019 American Funeral Director publication.  We share it in its entirety with permission.

To say that funeral service is in Jim Price’s DNA is an understatement. It was nearly 50 years ago that Price graduated from California College of

Mortuary Science (now Cypress College) and began a career that has seen him co-found two companies (Foundation Partners Group and Keystone Holdings) and hold top positions at corporate and independent funeral operations. Currently, Price serves as senior vice president, industry relations, for Park Lawn Corp.

It was six years ago that Price, who has spent his career working to promote funeral service, took on a new role – president and chairman of the
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association’s Educational Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity that supports the association’s educational programs, including awarding 150 educational scholarships to its members, associates and suppliers this year.

Constantly looking for new ways to engage funeral professionals, Price has developed a one-of-a-kind program – “Honored To Be Asked To Share” – which provides advice from funeral service leaders in a video format. We recently had a chance to chat with Price about the program, its importance and who he still wants to get advice from.

Q)  Several years ago the ICCFA Educational Foundation launched the “Honored To Be Asked To Share” series. What inspired you to do this?

A) Our profession has an abundance of successful leaders. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they all think and operate alike. I thought it
would be a great idea if their ideas could be shared with those younger in the profession, or those just entering the profession, particularly.
Although each participant has achieved a high level of leadership and success, I was uncertain if they would agree to share it in the manner that they did.

Q)  From the initial concept, how did the program evolve?

A)  It began approximately three years ago, when I started approaching certain individuals regarding their willingness to be videoed answering two or three questions from a list of nine options that were provided to them in advance. My experience, over my many years in management,  has typically been that the best way to clear out a room would be to mention that we are going to “video and/or role play!” However, because people like choices, this was not the case. Perhaps being given the option to choose from several questions made it easier to find the one, two or three that these successful leaders had great passion about.

Q)  What do you hope to accomplish with “Honored To Be Asked To Share”?

A)  Our profession, similarly to many others, is challenged to identify, attract, hire and retain talented women and men. It is my desire that more of our current and future profession’s newcomers will be positively impacted and motivated by a growing library of our industry leaders sharing their personal and business perspectives.

Q)  Can you talk a little bit about the people featured in the videos? Who are they? How did you decide whom to approach and how does the process work?

A)  I personally know each of these accomplished leaders and knew they  would have valuable insight to share. Typically, the videographer  sessions are scheduled every 15 minutes over a four-hour period during the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association annual convention and expo. As you see from viewing the videos, the presenters take the request very seriously and give great thought to their questions
and answers.

Q)  How did you develop those first questions that you asked interviewees?

A)  All 41 participants to-date have had the same nine questions to select from. I was hopeful that the questions would be interesting and varied enough that the participants would find them engaging to respond to.

Q)  What kind of responses were you looking for?

A)  Honest, compelling, engaging and inspiring. As it turned out, by sharing their wisdom, insights and experiences, the presenters found themselves giving back to the profession while deriving the personal satisfaction that always comes from helping others realize their potential.

Q)  Were you surprised by how open and honest the interviewees were in their responses?

A)  To be honest, I wasn’t very surprised … perhaps a little uncertain. Once the first three or four “nailed it,” I knew they would all deliver meaningful perspectives – and they did.

Q)  What do you hope people walk away with after watching the videos?

A)  Let’s just say – it starts at the top! I’m very hopeful that management and leaders will see the content’s value and hold their associates accountable to view the videos.  In order for learning to be effective in an organization, the knowledge that is encouraged must be related to the business.

Q)  Why is “Honored To Be Asked To Share” an important program for the ICCFA Educational Foundation?

A)  As a 501 (c)(3) entity, our mandate is to support our members and the profession through educational scholarships and educational  programs like this. The future of our end-of-life profession rests in large measure with those entering the profession as mid-careerists who
aspire to new and greater leadership opportunities. While on-the-job experience and continued education are critical elements for preparing tomorrow’s leaders, the value of mentoring and learning from our profession’s best cannot be overstated.

Q)  Who has helped bring this project to life?

A)  Over the last 20 years I have had the good fortune to work closely with Chad Vriezelaar, owner of GO LIVE Media Group (golivemediagroup.
com). He’s taken every project and looked at it from every angle in the most creative way! He and his associates set up the lighting, filming,
graphics and editing. My role is to simply assist in getting the interviewee comfortable, relaxed and ask them their selected questions. Chad’s role is much more complex. I’m truly grateful that we have always had a mutual passion in our collaborative focus on “telling the story.”

Q)  The website – honored2share.org features 126 videos by 41 interviewees. How will you be growing the numbers?

A)  We’ll be adding at least 15 participants or more each year … perhaps as many as 25.

Q)  Who else would you like to “get” for the program?

A)  We’ve only just begun! My view is the more the merrier! Currently, most are nationally known and many internationally known individuals in our profession. At a minimum, I could name 50 leaders that I have my eye on to share their perspectives!

Q)  What do you think industry professionals can learn from other professionals?

A)  So very much! Good leaders never stop learning. There is something to be learned every day, both by looking in the mirror at yourself and by
looking at the people around you. Today, how does an organization assure their talent is accountable to lead and execute their business plans?
Well, to be an effective leader, you must live by what you stand for. Success as a leader requires a natural ability to engage with others. This
means having a desire to guide and inspire those around you. •

This article originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of American Funeral Director, published by Kates-Boylston Publications,
and is being shared with permission. Visit www.americanfuneraldirector.com to subscribe.

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