Funeral Director Daily

Hillenbrand Reports Record Earnings – Batesville Sales Slide

By Funeral Director Daily / November 20, 2017 /

Last Wednesday Hillenbrand Industries reported 4th quarter 2017 and full year 2017 results.  For both the quarter and the year the company reported that company’s overall revenue had grown about 3% overall. For both the quarter and the year, however, revenue increased in the Process Equipment segment of their business and decreased in the Batesville…

Where Would You Be on This Issue

By Funeral Director Daily / November 17, 2017 /

The web-site for the Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery describe it as a National Treasure that was founded in 1829.  It is known as a cemetery with soldiers from as far back as the Revolutionary War among the sacred dead.  The site goes on to say that the cemetery was abandoned in 2008 and “is…

What’s Happening in the Pre-Need Market

By Funeral Director Daily / November 16, 2017 /

It is interesting for me to speculate on what is happening in the Pre-Need insurance market.  While I have access to some statistics – it is by all means when considering the national perspective – a small sampling size.  However, I do see a couple of things trending that I would indicate that the Pre-Need…

Park Lawn Reports 3Q Results

By Funeral Director Daily / November 15, 2017 /

Park Lawn Corporation today released the results of their 3rd Quarter operations.  The company reported that their revenue increased by over 29% to a $22.4 million mark in 3Q 2017 as compared to $17.3 million in 3Q 2016.  All dollar figures are reported in Canadian dollar figures. The company had several one time non-recurring expense…

Check Up Time with Your Pre-Need Provider

By Funeral Director Daily / November 14, 2017 /

Pre-Need insurance means different things for different funeral homes.  Some funeral homes use pre-need to build market share, some use pre-need as a cash-flow tool, and some use pre-need as a means of providing revenue and net income to the bottom line.  Probably more often than not, funeral homes use pre-need for a combination of…

Carriage Services Enters Colorado Market

By Funeral Director Daily / November 13, 2017 /

Late on Thursday Carriage Services issued two press releases indicating that they had closed the purchases of two funeral firms in the corridor between Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado.  The public death care company announced that they had acquired Carroll-Lewellen Funeral and Cremation Services in Longmont, Colorado and also acquired the Viegut Funeral Home in…

How Would You — And Your Community Cope

By Funeral Director Daily / November 10, 2017 /

There is no doubt that we all agree that what happened in that small Texas town last Sunday was a great tragedy beyond proportions.  It should never have happened — but it did. From where I sit, in Minnesota, over 1000 miles away from the village of Sutherland Springs, Texas, it seems so distant —…

The Changing Face of the American Funeral

By Funeral Director Daily / November 9, 2017 /

We have talked about it here before — how the American death care business is changing.  It all has to do with the changing culture of the American populous.  Not much has changed in what is accepted in America at the time of death — for the past forty years we have accepted burial, funerals,…

Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit against StoneMor

By Funeral Director Daily / November 8, 2017 /

U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno, of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has dismissed a class action lawsuit against StoneMor Partners L.P. according to an article in the Delaware County Times.  In this lawsuit, lead plaintiffs Judson Anderson was trying to show that investors were misled and/or materially harmed by statements StoneMor made between March…

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher

By Funeral Director Daily / November 7, 2017 /

Yesterday I read of two cases where funeral homes faced examiners because of problems at their mortuaries and in both cases both funeral homes have had their licenses revoked for a period of time from the respective examining boards. While the funeral homes may have the chance to plead their case and appeal, much of…