Last week we published news releases concerning acquisition companies Carriage Services and Park Lawn Corporation purchasing funeral properties.  Public companies release their information for all kinds of purposes, including publicity, and we print it.  However, we feel it is important to let our readers know that small funeral homes are profitable and active in the growth of their businesses also.

So, today we are bringing you the story of the Huff Funeral Home in Franklin, Pennsylvania, and its coming acquisition of the Scott A. Black Funeral Homes in Stoneboro and Sandy Lake.  The deal is expected to close on January 3, 2018, according to this article in the Sharon Herald.

The article states that an employee of the Huff Funeral Home, Casey Rose, will partner with Huff Funeral Home owner Adam J. Guthrie in the ownership of the acquired businesses.  Rose and his wife, Kelsey, will move to Sandy Lake and become a part of the community that he will be serving.

Funeral Director Daily take:  We are big believers in America and the history and power of small business stoking the engine of our economy.  While small businesses grow to big businesses, it is truly the small funeral homes that continue to drive the majority of business in America.

I think that I read a statistic that Service Corporation International has about a 14% market share in the United States.  StoneMor and Carriage Services have about a 1% market share each and if we are generous and give the other large consolidators – Foundation Partners, Legacy, North Star, and some I may be missing – a total of 5% then almost 80% of the death care market is open to independent operators.  That is a lot of space for independents to maneuver and operate from.

As an independent operator you don’t have to become a large operator but, especially in today’s low margin funeral care environment, you should always be looking at opportunities for your firm.  It might be as simple as buying a place in an adjacent community — the good operator is always looking at ways that would help them make use of economies of scale — if not for your sake, then for your consumer clients.  While it can be scary to look ahead. . . I would argue don’t be afraid to look at growth.

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