New Foundation Partners Group CEO John Smith didn’t waste any time in forming a group of former owners to learn more about the Death Care business.  Smith, with lots of management experience but none in the Death Care realm was hired by Foundation Partners Group (FPG) earlier in 2025.  Here’s a Funeral Director Daily article on that news.

The advisory group which this press release from Foundation Partners Group says will “enhance strategic growth and community impact” will also be used to “guide the company’s leadership team during a pivotal time of growth and transformation”.

The following three individuals have been asked to join the advisory group according to the press release:

• Mark Krause, a fourth-generation funeral director and former president of Krause Funeral Homes & Cremation Services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Krause is a nationally recognized leader and educator, who built an innovative portfolio of businesses designed to provide services to families across a wide spectrum of needs from high-touch, traditional services to simple direct cremation.
• Kevin Waterston, a recognized cremation pioneer who, along with his brother, founded the Cremation Society of Minnesota in 1980 to complement the services of his family’s Minneapolis funeral home. Over the next 30-plus years, the Waterston’s grew the business to five locations, becoming the leading provider of cremation services in Minnesota.
• Rick Tuss, a licensed funeral director and former co-owner of Charlotte Memorial Funeral Home, Cemetery & Crematory in Punta Gorda, Florida. From 2012 to 2019 Tuss and his partner modernized and grew the business based on a culture of caring with a strong emphasis on community involvement.

Again, according to the FPG press release:

“Winter Park, Florida-based Foundation Partners Group is one of the industry’s most innovative providers of funeral services and the second-largest funeral home group in the country based on the number of families served. Foundation Partners owns and operates a network of over 250 funeral homes, cremation centers and cemeteries across 21 states. . . . Visit www.foundationpartners.com to learn more.”

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  I think this is a really smart move by CEO Smith and FPG management.  As a company that grows by acquisition Foundation Partners Group acquires many entities that have grown greatly because of their home-ownership knowledge and expertise in their individual market.

I’m also under the impression that acquisition built companies tend to lose some market share shortly after they acquire a family-owned Death Care operator.  In my opinion, some of that loss is justified by the larger acquisition company’s long-term focus and the adjustments that culture might have on the local acquired entity that will win market share in the future.

However, there is also a great deal of “local knowledge” and local operational expertise lost when the founding family members of a firm leave following the sale of their business.  Many of these owner/sellers are ready to retire and want to leave the business.  In a case such as that there can be difficulty with “local business culture” and there is little that can be done by the acquisition company in learning local expertise from the owner/seller while the new operations of the business are set to the acquisition company’s modus operandi.

On the other hand, their are many owner/sellers who, even if they want to leave the business, are greatly concerned with the on-going performance of the business that bears their name.  Nobody has more local knowledge about their former business and, at least it appears to me, that many acquisition companies simply don’t grasp the fact that it was these owner/sellers that built the business that the acquisition company coveted.  Many of these acquisition companies don’t seem to engage the former owner to learn local expertise that could stem some of the post-acquisition problems that they will face.

In any case you probably already understand that I think Smith’s idea of an advisory group is a great idea.  He’s not the first to do it. . . but it is a solid idea.  In my opinion, building on the local knowledge and expertise of how a certain Death Care business was built is certainly an acquisition business best practice that is many times ignored in favor of regional or national upper management perceived know-all.

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Foundation Partners Group Forms New Advisory Board to Enhance Strategic Growth and Community Impact

WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 3, 2025) – In one of his first actions as leader of the second largest provider of funeral services in the United States, Foundation Partners Group CEO John D. Smith today announced the creation of a new Community Advisory Board to help guide the company’s leadership team during a pivotal time of growth and transformation.

Smith, who was named Foundation Partners CEO in January, has dedicated his career to building innovative consumer experiences and transforming legacy business models across multiple industries. As Chairman and CEO of Icon Parking, he was named the National Parking Association’s Innovator of the Year in 2023 for leveraging digital technology to significantly improve the customer experience and produce major efficiencies and cost savings for Icon.

The new advisory board underscores Smith’s commitment to balancing innovation with the deeply rooted traditions of funeral service, as he builds on the company’s strong foundation to ensure that families receive compassionate care and modern end-of-life solutions. His ability to implement strategic initiatives, optimize operations and build high-performing teams has consistently delivered measurable results.

“Our mission is to bring ease and comfort to families,” Smith said. “That’s why our first three Community Advisory Board members are former funeral business owners, who represent the best in service to families. They are smart, creative problem solvers who have proven track records of success. Their advice and counsel will be invaluable as we look to accelerate performance and bring our local funeral homes, cemeteries and direct-to-consumer cremation providers together with modern tools and resources to make the end-of-life experience as easy as possible for families we serve.”

Advisory board members include:

Mark Krause, a fourth-generation funeral director and former president of Krause Funeral Homes & Cremation Services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Krause is a nationally recognized leader and educator, who built an innovative portfolio of businesses designed to provide services to families across a wide spectrum of needs from high-touch, traditional services to simple direct cremation.

Kevin Waterston, a recognized cremation pioneer who, along with his brother, founded the Cremation Society of Minnesota in 1980 to complement the services of his family’s Minneapolis funeral home. Over the next 30-plus years, the Waterstons grew the business to five locations, becoming the leading provider of cremation services in Minnesota.

Rick Tuss, a licensed funeral director and former co-owner of Charlotte Memorial Funeral Home, Cemetery & Crematory in Punta Gorda, Florida. From 2012 to 2019, Tuss and his partner modernized and grew the business based on a culture of caring with a strong emphasis on community involvement.

“By concentrating on best practices, emerging opportunities and an expanded vision for the future, we will begin our next chapter of innovation, excellence and service. Looking ahead, we also see this board as an opportunity to draw on the experience of innovative thinkers from other areas of the end-of-life planning and care community — a community that has expanded far beyond traditional funeral service to all aspects of ending well,” Smith said.

About Foundation Partners Group 

Winter Park, Florida-based Foundation Partners Group is one of the industry’s most innovative providers of funeral services and the second-largest funeral home group in the country based on the number of families served. Foundation Partners owns and operates a network of over 250 funeral homes, cremation centers and cemeteries across 21 states. Our deep understanding of technology and customer experience-centered approach allows us to deliver truly innovative and compassionate care to the families we serve. Visit www.foundationpartners.com to learn more. 

Pictured above (l-r): Mark Krause, Rick Tuss, and Kevin Waterston

Mel Payne has been listed as the co-founder, CEO, and Chairman of the Board at funeral home and cemetery operator Carriage Services since 1991.  In the company’s 2023 Year End Report which was made public on February 21 of this year, the company made note that Mr. Payne “has chosen to step down from his role as Executive Chairman of the Board and transition to a new role as special advisor to the Board of Directors.”

Melvin Payne
Carriage Services

Carriage Services also made this prepared remark in that report, “Mel, who served as Carriage’s only CEO and Chairman of the Board for the Company’s first 32 years, started with a vision in 1991 that was born out of a very personal and impactful experience he had following the loss of a loved one. He turned that experience and vision into a team of more than 2,700 employees and 200 businesses, all driven by a collective mission of serving families during the most challenging time of their lives.”

According to this 2023 article in Healthcare Outlook it was again mentioned that Payne’s own family tragedy, combined with an entrepreneurial spirit, was what inspired him to start a business in the funeral home and cemetery industry. In order to honor the memory of his nephew, Carriage Services was began in 1991.   “I experienced the incredible impact that the funeral profession could have on a family and an individual. Following my nephew’s service, I was so touched by the noble work of the team at the funeral home, that I was drawn to the profession,”  Payne stated.

According to information we could find on Yahoo Finance, Carriage Services went public as a company in 1996 and has remained as a public operating company since that time.

Funeral Director Daily take:  Somebody in the funeral services sector inspired Mr. Payne by their efforts during a family member’s services.  Funeral Directors should know that is not an uncommon occurence. . . . and a testimony to your collective worth to a society in need.

It happens every day in your profession, but many of you are so involved in doing that great work that you don’t notice those who are amazed by it. . . .To most of you, it’s simply what you do to help others in their time of need.  That is truly commendable.

From my point of view, Funeral Directors are some of the humblest and most caring individuals on this planet.  What many of you do every day, as simply part of your job and occupation, is not only appreciated but inspiring to many who are not involved in your compassion-driven occupation every day.

We appreciate Mr. Payne seeing that dedication and then having the resources and vision to try to duplicate what was done for him across the country.  Here’s to a well-earned retirement.

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