funeral business

Visiting non-compete agreements

By Funeral Director Daily / December 6, 2019 /

It’s been a few years since I’ve actively managed our funeral home, but this recent article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune brought me back to one of the issues that I dealt with in the hiring of employees.  That was the issue of non-compete agreements or covenants not to compete. Non-competes have historically been used…

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StoneMor announces California combo sale

By Funeral Director Daily / December 5, 2019 /

We said almost two years ago that the best way for funeral home and cemetery operator StoneMor Partners L.P. to right their ship was to divest themselves of some properties and use the cash proceeds to pay down debt so that they can get to a position where they are operating in a financial positive…

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Social help in funeral costs

By Funeral Director Daily / December 5, 2019 /

Virtually all funeral homes in the United States are profit driven.  I’m aware of one funeral home in Minnesota — in New Ulm — which is a cooperative community based funeral home.  You can see their web-site here. However, I’m guessing that over 99% of funeral homes in North America are profit driven enterprises.   Today,…

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Carriage makes big acquisition, announces new President/COO

By Funeral Director Daily / December 4, 2019 /

Carriage Services, the Houston based funeral home and cemetery operator made a big announcement after business hours on Monday.  The company issued a press release which highlighted not only the acquisition of, what they say in the release is the largest by a combined revenue definition, acquisition in their 28-year history, but also announced personnel…

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Neptune Society sued by State of California

By Funeral Director Daily / December 3, 2019 /

In news that broke after business hours on Monday, it was reported in this article from Oakland that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and three Bay area district attorneys filed a lawsuit against the Neptune Society and Trident Society for misleading customers about the protection of money paid in advance for cremation. Both companies are…

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Indiana funeral home increases community involvement

By Funeral Director Daily / December 2, 2019 /

According to this article in the Kokomo (Indiana) Perspective, the Ellers Mortuary and Cremation Center was acquired by Service Corporation International in 2016.  Some feared that the acquisition would cause the Kokomo business, that had been in business since 1924, to lose its personal touch. However, according to General Manager Jaime Handy, “the acquisition has…

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InvoCare accused of billing irregularities

By Funeral Director Daily / November 29, 2019 /

  Australia’s largest purveyor of death care services, InvoCare, has been accused by some of irregularities in the way that it handles its invoicing.  According to this article from Choice.com,  InvoCare routinely includes a $320, plus taxes, “administration fee” on invoices. Again, according to the Choice.com article, the administration fee functions somewhat as a “late…

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Decision overturned. . .golf course to become cemetery

By Funeral Director Daily / November 27, 2019 /

The Ontario Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) met in October and reversed a decision made more than a year ago about a closed golf course in Lakeshore, Ontario.  According to this article from the CBC, the Roman Catholic Diocese of London (Ontario) appealed an earlier decision that will allow it to turn the 143 acre…

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Matthews reports year end. . .Memorialization sales increase

By Funeral Director Daily / November 26, 2019 /

Matthews International reported their 4th Quarter and 2019 fiscal Year Sales last week.  The Pittsburgh based public company includes in its portfolio, as one of three business segments, a Memorialization unit that includes Matthews Cremation, Aurora Casket, and Star Granite which are of interest to the death care industry. You can access the Matthews International…

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Russell & Pica Funeral Homes plans 3rd location

By Funeral Director Daily / November 25, 2019 /

Russell & Pica Funeral Homes now operate out of Brockton and West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  According to this article,  land is now being cleared for the company’s third location which will be in Lakeville. The funeral home company plans to build a 6,700 foot funeral home on a 70,134 lot across from a Walgreen’s on Bridge…

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