Funeral Director Daily

Technology and Innovation: Some help from our friends at Funeral365

By Funeral Director Daily / March 4, 2024 /

    Our friends at Funeral365 are bringing us a free webinar where those of us with small funeral homes have the opportunity to gain insight on how the bigger consolidators are using technology to help innovate and grow.   On Thursday, March 7, from 11 am until noon Eastern Time (10 am Central Time)…

“Preneed” or “Funeral Contribution Funds”

By Funeral Director Daily / March 4, 2024 /

    There is an old saying that goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink”.  I think that the meaning of that phrase, in human terms is something like this, “You can tell a person the situation, but you cannot make them act on it”.   In my…

Carriage Services CEO Carlos Quezada on 2023 Results: “. . instills confidence and excitement”

By Funeral Director Daily / March 1, 2024 /

  American funeral home and cemetery operator Carriage Services recently shared the results of their 4th Quarter and Year-End financials with the public.  In doing so, and in spite of a continuing COVID “pull forward” impact resulting in modest declines in funeral contract volume experienced during the year, the company reported total 2023 revenues 3.3%…

Permanent Memorialization: How long is “Permanent”?

By Funeral Director Daily / February 29, 2024 /

      How long is “Permanent”?  That is a question that has never been answered, but in many cases you will find out that “permanent” is not really “permanent”.   There is an interesting dilemma going on in Surrey British Columbia, Canada, right now.  According to this article, a popular pet cemetery is about…

Who will be the “Disruptive Force” in Death Care?

By Funeral Director Daily / February 28, 2024 /

    About a month ago I read this article from Yahoo Finance titled, “Retail employees are working fewer hours.  Here’s why that is a risk to the economy”.  While the article was good and informative in its own right a portion near the end caught my eye and I related it to Death Care.…

San Antonio College opens “working mortuary” on campus

By Funeral Director Daily / February 27, 2024 /

    It’s obvious that today is becoming “College Day” at Funeral Director Daily.  Our first story was about the University of Minnesota and their progressive realistic mortuary education and this story is about San Antonio College (TX) and the mortuary program there opening what is believed to be the nation’s first college-based “Consumer-facing funeral…

Mortuary Education: It’s our future and needs to be relevant

By Funeral Director Daily / February 27, 2024 /

    In this recent article from the student operated  Minnesota Daily (University of Minnesota) the Director of the Mortuary Science program Michael LuBrant says this, “Really, it’s a form of health care. It’s serving families, deceased individuals and people at the end of the life cycle. . . . “   LuBrant explains that…

The Future of Death Care in North America

By Funeral Director Daily / February 26, 2024 /

    What appears to me as about as impressiive line-up of presenters that you will ever find in one day is on tap to tell you what they know about the “Future of Death Care in North America” later this week.  On Friday, March 1, you have the opportunity to pick up 6 CEU…

The dilemma facing rural funeral homes

By Funeral Director Daily / February 26, 2024 /

      The University of Michigan, and their Center for Sustainable Systems Fact Sheet states, “It is estimated that 83% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, up from 64% in 1950. By 2050, 89% of the U.S. population and 68% of the world population is projected to live in urban areas.”  …

Propel Funeral Partners makes New Zealand acquisition, raises $80 million

By Funeral Director Daily / February 23, 2024 /

    Last year the largest death care service provider in Australia and New Zealand, InvoCare, was taken private in a buy-out by private equity company TPG Global.  It appears that action has led to the 2nd largest provider of death care services of those nations, Propel Funeral Partners, to rapidly move forward with their…