Business

Casket companies make some news. . . .and what is the future demand

By Funeral Director Daily / October 31, 2025 /

  In a new world order that includes cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, and natural organic reduction it is sometimes forgotten that over 1 million caskets are sold in the United States every year.  To that discussion we will bring you some news from a couple of casket companies today.   Batesville, long known for its casket…

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Green cemetery case ending up in Federal Court

By Funeral Director Daily / October 30, 2025 /

  According to Gemini AI, “(the number of) articles can indicate short-term reactions, they can also foretell longer-term trends by reflecting shifts in public and business attention and sentiment”.  And, if you read the number of articles that I do while researching for Funeral Director Daily, you would probably believe, as I do, that there…

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Small volume firms need to know their potential value

By Funeral Director Daily / October 29, 2025 /

    Within the last month Death Care marketing expert Glenn Gould contributed to a Funeral Director Daily article with this comment, “There are too many funeral homes.  NFDA estimated 15,500 firms in 2023; 30% do fewer than 100 cases annually’, 68% do fewer than 200.  Very small firms should be seeking mergers.”   And…

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. . Dream things that never were and say “Why not”

By Funeral Director Daily / October 28, 2025 /

    When Ted Kennedy eulogized his brother Bobby (RFK) at his funeral following his assasination in 1968 he made this comment about what RFK had at one time said about his ability to look forward, “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why…

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Most people just don’t understand . . . .

By Funeral Director Daily / October 27, 2025 /

  It’s Monday, October 27, and much of the Death Care universe is centered in Chicago, Illinois, attending the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) International Convention & Expo.  I had my schedule of the convention mapped out and was looking forward to attending my friend Doug Gober’s session on “Customer Loyalty” this morning”  and learning…

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Dead people don’t pay taxes

By Funeral Director Daily / October 21, 2025 /

    In early October North America’s largest purveyor of Death Care services, Service Corporation International (SCI), received an approved zoning ruling to build Funeraria del Angel, a funeral home and cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.  You can read about the development in this article from the San Antonio Report titled “Against a school district’s…

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Are we in the midst of a paradigm shift, from “Services selection” to “Memorialization selection”, by the consumer

By Funeral Director Daily / October 16, 2025 /

    As things seem to do in my life, circumstances came together this week to have me reflect on changes in the Death Care profession/industry.  First of all, here’s three items that came together to make me think about changes in our businesses.   I attended the funeral of a long-time member of my…

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Hollywood Forever’s “High-Rise” mausoleum and “Premium” products may be the future of cemeteries

By Funeral Director Daily / October 14, 2025 /

  This information (with photos) from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery announces the opening of their recently completed Gower Mausoleum.  Here’s a paragraph from the cemetery’s recent announcement:   “Hollywood Forever is honored to announce the opening of the Gower Mausoleum, a new architectural landmark in Los Angeles and the tallest mausoleum in the United States.…

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Content planning to boost a funeral home’s online presence

By Funeral Director Daily / October 10, 2025 /

    Boosting Your Funeral Home’s Online Presence: An Action Plan for Content That Engages and Builds Trust In today’s digital world, a funeral home website is far more than a static brochure. It’s the front door of your business for many families — the first place they turn when they need information, reassurance and…

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Can independent funeral home operators undercut “wannabe” national cremation providers on price?

By Funeral Director Daily / October 8, 2025 /

    The question posed in the headline is interesting.  What is happening in Great Britain may be a precursor of what could happen in North America about the billing amount to consumers for the growing trend of Direct Cremations.  A recent 2025 survey of 200 funeral directors and 6,000 adults showed that Direct Cremations…

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