Funeral Director Daily

The “Tom Johnson Memorial Classic” raises over $150k in three days

By Funeral Director Daily / May 7, 2024 /

    Last week I again had the privilige to attend what is now known as the “Tom Johnson Memorial Classic“.  The “Classic” is part golf, part Death Care, but is really all about “Relationship Building and Friendship”.  This year’s “Classic” was the 41st annual event.   I’ve been to about 25 or so of…

Take a cue from Apple. . . Sell more services

By Funeral Director Daily / May 7, 2024 /

      Apple has been seeing sales of its iPhone declining.  The product, which makes up about 1/2 of the company’s sales, dropped in sales revenue another 10% in the last quarter according to Apple’s 2Q Financial Report which came out last week.   According to this article however, Apple had a jump of…

SCI’s 1Q24 results point out some Death Care headwinds

By Funeral Director Daily / May 6, 2024 /

    Service Corporation International (SCI) reported their 1st Quarter 2024 financial results last week.  North America’s largest death care provider did show an increase in revenue of 1.6% to about $1.045 billion for the quarter, but showed Operating Income dropping 5.6% from the comparable 1st Quarter of 2023 and also showed a decrease of…

A transition in leadership at Foundation Partners Group

By Funeral Director Daily / May 3, 2024 /

    We learned late last week that CEO Kent Robertson was leaving cremation centered acquisition group and operating company Foundation Partners Group and also learned that the interim management of the Orlando, Florida, based business would be led in the interim by Chris Blackwell with assistance from former FPG CEO Bob Bukala.   In…

Technology will be/is here for your funeral home

By Funeral Director Daily / May 2, 2024 /

    A pager that allowed me out of the funeral home. . . .telephone transfers that allowed death calls to be “transfered” to one’s home phones.  That’s about the extent of technology when I started in the funeral business. . . Oh, I suppose you also could consider electric typewriters and better carbon to…

Because that’s where the money will be. . . .

By Funeral Director Daily / May 1, 2024 /

  Again today I’m building off some of the impressions that my friend, Rolf Gutknecht of LA Ads – A Marketing Agency had during his time at the recent ICCFA Convention in Tampa.  As mentioned in yesterday’s article, Rolf puts out a little paper titled “Insights” which included his impressions of the convention.   Today,…

Batesville named one of America’s “Most Trustworthy” companies

By Funeral Director Daily / April 30, 2024 /

    A recent press release from Batesville give us information that the company has been named to “Newsweek’s list of Most Trustworthy Companies in America for 2024.”  According to the press release “Batesville achieved a top 25 ranking in the Consumer Goods category, alongside a variety of global brand leaders, coming in at number…

Loss & Legacy: What does the “new” funeral customer want?

By Funeral Director Daily / April 30, 2024 /

    According to at least one survey 76 million American Baby Boomers will reach the age of “Life-Expectancy” between now and 2042.  Another survey I looked at mentioned that there are “only” 71.9 million boomers alive at this time.  So, while the number is “murky” the one fact remains that there will be a…

Eirene receives $4 million in seed funding, expands into the United States

By Funeral Director Daily / April 29, 2024 /

  It was announced in this recent Pulse 2.0 article that Canada’s online-operated cremation provider Eirene has recently received over $4 million in seed funding led by Relay Ventures with participation from at least two other entities.   According to the article that brings a total of $5 million in funding to the company that was…

C&J Financial expands in Insurance Assignment funding

By Funeral Director Daily / April 29, 2024 /

  It was announced in this press release from last week that C&J Financial would be expanding by “becom(ing) the exclusive insurance assignments partner for Tribute Technology, taking over operations previously managed by the Tribute Insurance Assignments division”.   Jamie Meredith, Executive Vice President of C&J Financial, made this prepared comment in the press release,…