In this article from earlier in June, the Chattanoogan.com announced that the Hamilton Funeral Home of Hixson, Tennessee, was acquired by a subsidiary of Service Corporation International (SCI).  It was also noted in the same article that Tom Wilson has been named the manager of the facility which was apparently purchased by SCI Tennessee Funeral Services, LLC — described as a division of Service Corporation International in the article.

 

Hamilton Funeral Home opened in 2011 and according to the article it serves the communities of North Chattanooga, Red Bank, Hixson, and more.  The article also points out that the new manager, Tom Wilson, is a nearly 30-year veteran of the funeral profession and he states in the article, “My staff and I look forward to serving our community and offering the exemplary service people have come to expect from Hamilton and Dignity Memorial.  The acquisition means more choices for the people of the North Chattanooga, Hixson and surrounding communities. This beautiful chapel is located in the middle of the city’s growth area and has a great reputation of service. . . .”

 

Another article on the acquisition by SCI, that you can read here, states that the company already owns and operates the four chapels under the Chattanooga Funeral Home banner as well as Advantage Funeral Home in the same metropolitan area.

 

Here is the Dignity Memorial website featuring the Chattanooga Funeral Homes, crematories, and florists.

Here is the Dignity Memorial website featuring Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services of Chattanooga.

 

Funeral Director Daily take:  When a funeral home can acquire another funeral home in the same market it usually turns out pretty well.  It can lead to all kinds of economies of scale including staffing, vehicles, call schedules, bookkeeping, management, and more.

 

I didn’t make up the moniker, but I call these types of acquisitions “Bolt-ons” because an existing death care company can just “bolt-on” these operations to their existing operations in the same market and move forward.  Depending on the individual market and the funeral home brands involved the new funeral home may come into the acquisition company with their existing name or take the name of the purchasing brand. . . . Depending on the attributes and reputations of the different companies that naming decision can sometimes be very critical.

 

If you’re a single funeral home operator in a multiple funeral home community, I would never shy away from taking a good hard look at acquiring a competitor.  It’s those “economies of scale” that can make “bolt-on” acquisitions highly profitable.

 

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Generation Next:  Finding the “Right Fit”.  Grand Forks Herald (ND)
• “How did we miss this?”  Effort to restore historic Mt. Olive Cemetery.  WLBT -TV Jackson (MS)
• What happened to the bodies at Jonestown?  Grunge
• How Robert E. Lee’s home became Arlington National Cemetery. History Channel
• The next generation of funeral directors prepares for change.  Cardinal News (VA)
• Unexpected funeral planning costs and how to avoid them.  Next Avenue

 

Enter your e-mail below to join the 3,275 others who receive Funeral Director Daily articles daily:

.