Funeral Director Daily

Carriage Services reports 2021 Year End, CEO Payne states “Succession Plan Format”

By Funeral Director Daily / March 1, 2022 /

I think it is fair to say that Melvin Payne, CEO and founder of Carriage Services is an unusual leader — but, it is also probably fair to say that Payne’s style of leadership has been effective since the inception of Carriage Services in 1991. In last week’s published 2021 4th Quarter and Year End…

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Helping families, then losing their connections: Do you make a difference?

By Funeral Director Daily / February 28, 2022 /

If you have been on the front lines of funeral service for any time period you probably have some of the same thoughts that I do.  When I would serve a family there was period of about 7 days from my first connection to the family after the death through a few days after the…

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It’s been 20 years since one of death care’s darkest days

By Funeral Director Daily / February 25, 2022 /

It was news in February 2002 when a player in one of North America’s most sacred occupations was discovered to have stored, what is believed to be, 344 dead human bodies that were poised for cremation.  It was what became known to many of us as the “Tri-State Crematory Scandal.” Led to discovery from an…

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More information on employment issues

By Funeral Director Daily / February 24, 2022 /

Sometimes timing is everything.  On Tuesday and Wednesday we featured articles about “Employment” in the death care industry.  We know, thru the data we receive, that they were well received and well read by our followers. It just so happens that we received more information on employment issues from our friends at J3 Tech Solutions. …

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SCI’s CEO Tom Ryan on 2021 results, 2022 expectations

By Funeral Director Daily / February 24, 2022 /

Recently Service Corporation International (SCI) reported on their 2021 financial results.  As is customary, SCI’s top officers then took part in a discussion with financial services analysts on the results and other thoughts as how they relate to the company moving forward.  You can see a transcript of that discussion here. What we have done…

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Finding those employees when you need them

By Funeral Director Daily / February 23, 2022 /

We are now two years into this pandemic.  I remember late February and March of 2020 very well.  In February of that year Angie and I flew home from a couple of weeks in the Hawaiian Islands, and while there were no masks present on our trans-pacific flight, we did take the precaution to “wipe”…

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Employment and Death Care

By Funeral Director Daily / February 22, 2022 /

Writing this blog I hear from all kinds of people.  Lately I’ve heard from funeral home owners/employers who tell me it is difficult to find qualified funeral directors to work for them in this day and age.  I also hear from employed funeral directors who are down on the profession, or simply their current owner,…

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Where’s the best place to market your funeral home? Everywhere.

By Funeral Director Daily / February 21, 2022 /

I recently read an article from the Watertown (South Dakota) Public Opinion newspaper and it reminded me of how we marketed our funeral home in the days prior to internet and digital marketing.  We always looked for anywhere where we would have a chance to visit with people — especially on a one-on-one basis —…

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Are the days of helping each other over

By Funeral Director Daily / February 18, 2022 /

Throughout my entire career in a small community, the funeral homes and the cemeteries helped each other out.  We had somewhat of a mutual dependence on each other that helped us both. For instance, when our funeral home served a family we would always suggest earth burial or entombment for the full body casketed funeral…

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Here’s our “Top Read” articles for the past 30 days

By Funeral Director Daily / February 17, 2022 /

Over the last 30 days our most read articles have come from a variety of issues in death care. . . acquisitions, the growth of urban funeral homes, casket sales data, funeral poverty and the advent of non-profit funeral homes, and a look at what may be coming next for death care in North America. …

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