Products

Re-visiting Recompose

By Funeral Director Daily / March 7, 2022 /

I’ve been an entrepreneur and started new companies so I know the drive and dedication behind one who does so.  And, to invent a new industry, which in some cases may include legislative law changes, to start the company in that environment is an even tougher hill to climb.  That’s why I’m such a fan…

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Current events and how they are impacting cemetery services

By Funeral Director Daily / March 2, 2022 /

In Minnesota being at the “Lake Cabin” from Memorial Day to Labor Day is cherished time.  We are having our cabin kitchen remodeled this winter and expect to purchase new appliances to be in place by Memorial Day.  It’s interesting as we look at appliances to purchase “availability dates” are a new variable in what…

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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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Messenger acquires Bass-Mollett Publishers

By Funeral Director Daily / February 15, 2022 /

We expected 2022 to be a year of mergers and acquisitions in the funeral home business.  However, we are also quickly learning that the marriages of companies will not be confined to those in the funeral home business, but in death care suppliers as well.  Last month we reported on Wilbert’s acquisition of Memorial Monument…

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The Arrangement and Preneed Conferences

By Funeral Director Daily / February 4, 2022 /

I’ve been out of active funeral directing for the past eight years.  And, I won’t apologize for it, but I’m a traditionalist when it comes to funeral service.  That means I still believe in the value of the public acknowledgement of death, the tradition of a service or celebration of life, and the idea of…

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Cremation provider launched consumer “Pay what you Want” price for January

By Funeral Director Daily / February 3, 2022 /

How would your funeral home come out in terms of profitability if you advertised a pricing method billed as “Pay what you want”?  Now, Caledonia Cremation is not your normal “Mom and Pop” funeral/cremation shop, but their January promotion is unique. Here’s what they say on their promotional website which you can access here: “Everyone…

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A contemporary funeral home for Urban life

By Funeral Director Daily / January 31, 2022 /

It’s been called a “hipster” funeral home.  That’s at least what one person labeled Brooklyn, New York’s new contemporary funeral home, Sparrow.  Erica Hill, a co-owner of Sparrow says this of comments like that, “Yes, we look different than what you expect a funeral home to be, but that’s okay.” According to this article in…

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Titan Casket shows top-line growth in 2021

By Funeral Director Daily / January 20, 2022 /

According to this article from Business Wire online retailer Titan Casket grew its revenues by 400% in 2021.  The company also disclosed that November 2021 was its “largest month ever”.   Titan was started in 2016 and allows consumers to purchase their caskets directly online for shipment to the funeral home of their choice. Titan Casket…

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A new idea for permanent memorialization

By Funeral Director Daily / January 14, 2022 /

I would guess it was twenty years ago or about that length of time that I was asked to volunteer as a board member of our community’s largest non-denominational cemetery.  The cemetery was large enough and did enough business that it had a full-time caretaker who took care of sales, provided interment services using cemetery…

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Wilbert merges Memorial Monument into fold

By Funeral Director Daily / January 13, 2022 /

In a transaction announced last week but completed on December 27, 2021, according to this press release, Wilbert has merged operations with Memorial Monuments & Vaults (MMV) headquartered in Meridian, Idaho. According to the press release, MMV has 19 locations in the western part of the United States and provides monuments and related funeral services…

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