Big Move in Deathcare Tech: Courtney Gould Miller Moves from Tribute Technology to Homesteaders Life Company

Courtney Gould Miller, a well-known leader in funeral service technology and digital strategy, is transitioning from Tribute Technology to join Homesteaders Life Company as Chief Growth Officer. The move represents a strategic shift for Miller while reinforcing Homesteaders’ continued investment in innovation, digital growth, and long-term relevance in the deathcare profession.

Courtney has been instrumental in helping Tribute Technology evolve into one of the profession’s most comprehensive digital platforms. During her time at Tribute, the company moved beyond standalone tools and toward a more unified ecosystem, designed to reduce complexity for funeral homes, eliminate redundant workflows, and create a more seamless experience for both professionals and the families they serve.

Her work helped position Tribute as a technology partner focused not just on features, but on usability, integration, and long-term value for funeral homes navigating an increasingly digital landscape.

As Courtney steps into her new role at Homesteaders, her relationship with Tribute will continue. She will remain involved as an advisor, supporting the company through strategic initiatives, industry events, and ongoing collaboration. The transition has been closely coordinated between the two organizations, reflecting a strong and positive partnership that remains intact.

A Strategic Growth Role at Homesteaders

At Homesteaders Life Company, Miller will join the executive team as Chief Growth Officer, where she will bring a digital-first growth perspective across the organization. Her role will extend beyond traditional marketing to include oversight and influence across technology investments, digital consumer journeys, and growth-oriented initiatives tied to preneed education and engagement.

Homesteaders has made significant investments in recent years to modernize how families interact with preneed solutions, and Miller’s appointment signals a continued commitment to meeting consumers where they are: digitally, relationally, and culturally.

In addition to marketing and brand strategy, Miller will be involved in evaluating and guiding technology initiatives that support Homesteaders’ broader vision. Her experience in building scalable, integrated platforms aligns with the company’s goal of creating digital solutions that match the size, reach, and responsibility of its mission.

Continuity and Momentum at Tribute Technology

Miller’s departure from Tribute comes at a time of strength for the company. Tribute continues to advance its vision of being a fully integrated, all-in-one technology platform for funeral homes, focused on reducing fragmented systems and simplifying how funeral professionals operate and serve families.

Leadership at Tribute has emphasized that the foundation built during Miller’s tenure positions the company well for continued growth and innovation. With leadership continuity in place and new product development underway, Tribute enters its next chapter with clarity and confidence.

A Move That Reflects the Direction of the Profession

Miller’s transition highlights a broader shift within the deathcare profession, one where technology, preneed, and consumer experience are becoming increasingly interconnected. Her move from a leading technology platform to a major preneed organization underscores the importance of cross-functional leadership and collaboration across the industry.

Rather than stepping away from deathcare, Miller is deepening her involvement, bringing her experience, perspective, and passion into a new role that bridges innovation and tradition.

As Homesteaders continues to expand its digital footprint and Tribute advances its platform vision, Miller’s ongoing connection to both organizations reflects a shared belief: the future of funeral service will be shaped by leaders who understand technology, growth, and the sacred responsibility of serving families.

Read full press release from Homesteaders Life Company

Read full press release from Tribute Technology

There is a lot to learn about a bill that is 870 pages long.  While not as big as some bills such as the 906 pages of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 870 pages of regulations is a lot to digest.

I don’t pretend to know everything about the One Big Beautiful Bill but here’s what Morgan Stanley Wealth Management says in its “Key Takeaway” bulletin, “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act delivers a lower corporate tax burden that could boost certain U.S. equity sectors, but it also raises concerns over rising U.S. deficits and higher rates.”

Access the Morgan Stanley article here

In their “Key Takeaway” article Morgan Stanley expounds on four facets of the bill and how you and your business might be affected.  Here are the facets they discuss:

1. Corporate and Individual Tax Cuts
2. Fiscal Challenges
3. Stock Opportunities and Risks
4. Bond Yield Pressures

When thinking of your Death Care businesses, here is one highlight about Business that may be to your liking.  Morgan Stanley states:

 

“The law’s biggest beneficiaries appear to be U.S. corporations. The legislation not only reinstates business-friendly TCJA provisions, such as 100% bonus depreciation and immediate deduction of domestic R&D expenses; it also introduces new measures like expanding the Advanced Manufacturing Investment tax credit and full expensing of factories. All told, these provisions could reduce the corporate tax rate from a statutory 21%, to as low as an effective 12%, the lowest rate in U.S. history.”

In any regard, this paper is a good short read that will give you things to visit with your tax accountant about how your business may be able to take advantage of certain items such as the depreciation provisions of the bill.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  One of the items I found extremely interesting was the 100% expensing of factories.  I wondered, “Could I build a funeral home or crematory and expense the entire construction in one year?”

I’ve tried to find the answer and what I’ve found makes me believe that I would not be able to do so.  What I found is that a factory is defined in a new category defined as a “Qualified Production Property” (QPP).  My quick thought is I would not be able to do so under this definition of a QPP as provided:

• It is primarily used for manufacturing, production, or refining tangible personal property.

However, that is exactly why it is important to learn about what is in the bill and how certain new regulations might be able to enhance your financial position.  My guess is that there are those in our profession/industry who will try to make a case that a funeral home or crematory does fit under the QPP regulation.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

If you have been anywhere near a television, radio, smart phone, newspaper, or other news media you know that President Trump’s signature piece of legislation, the “Big, Beautiful Bill” was passed and signed into law over the extended 4th of July weekend.

I’ve always liked to stay up-to-date on current events and learn as much as I can from what is happening in the greater world around me that might affect me, or my business, in the future.  However, I’m not going to read a boring 940-page government-ese edition of this bill.  I’m counting on what I can get from media to help me understand the bill and, as I always do, try to understand the ramifications on Death Care.

First of all, as to your business, for the most part this new bill codifies for a greater length of time the 2017 Trump business changes.  In that regard there appear to be no changes or surprises in this bill for businesses.  Here’s what one source said of that, “(the bill will) increase the small business deduction, and expand expensing provisions. These changes are expected to benefit manufacturers, small businesses, and those involved in international trade.”

One thing that I noticed about the bill is that there is a provision for Social Security recipients.   The first drafts of the bill had a provision in it that would exempt federal taxes on Social Security benefits.  It is my understanding that when the bill went through the Senate “reconciliation” process that provision was taken out of the bill because “changes to Social Security are generally prohibited in reconciliation legislation”. 

However, in its place, what is now being called the “Senior Bonus” was provided for during the years of 2025 through 2028 — 4 tax years.   The “Senior Bonus” is described as such, “a $6,000 deduction (that) would be available to individuals over the age of 65 with up to $75,000 in modified adjusted gross income, and $150,000 if married and filing jointly. It phases out for taxpayers who are above those thresholds.” 

In one overview of this bill that I read it mentioned that the “Senior Bonus” would be available to 88% of current Social Security recipients who fall under those income guidelines.

Related — “What Trump’s “on big beautiful” tax and spending bill means for our money”.  CNBC

Related —  “5 under-the radar pieces of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that may impact your life.”  Axios

 

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  So, I would have to do a little more investigating than I have done so far, but if potential future clients of my funeral home are receiving an extra savings of up to $6,000 (depending on their tax situation) for the next four years, I would look for a way to capitalize on that and help them realize that it might be a smart decision to turn that savings into paying for their eventual funeral — with a preneed funeral plan through their local funeral home.

You can be assured that travel companies, auto dealers, and others will be gearing up some kind of promotional avenue to capture what appears to be a greater positive cash-flow for older Americans.

One way to do so for funeral homes might be, after you know the final ramifications of this legislation, is to work with your local media and putting out information on how the bill might affect citizen’s lives — especially this “Senior Bonus”.  Letting consumers know that legislation may be able to change their lives for the better might also give you a leg-up on the competition.

It seems to me that most funeral homes out there today are concentrating their marketing dollars on getting to be the #1 listed funeral home on SEO searches.  It brings to mind the below podcast where the discussion is about an “authenticity” approach to marketing. . . . . which might include letting consumers know of possibilities.

Related — The latest “Two Guys and a Question” podcast brings some marketing experts on to it and the “tease” for the podcast states, “With decades of combined experience and a deep understanding of consumer behavior, they’re challenging funeral directors to move beyond being “number one in search results” and toward becoming genuine community resources—where relationships, not algorithms, drive growth.”

In my opinion, that’s an appropriate message for preneed and consumer information which may help deepen your relationship with potential preneed clientele.

Connect with the “Two Guys and a Question” podcast here.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

If you have not heard about “it” yet, you will soon.  The “it” in this instance is the reprise of the President Trump Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA).  The reason that you will hear about it is that without something being done during the Congressional year of 2025 the laws, rules, and regulations of the TCJA will expire at the end of 2025. . . . . and, it is argued that the expiration of the TCJA will result in a large tax increase for individuals and businesses.

It is one of the realities of American politics — when you are campaiging for an office you tell everybody what you will do once you are elected.  Those promises get votes. . . . and help get you elected.  But the promises are not as easy to keep as they were on the campaign trail because our two-party systems creates a tide of opposition against those promises in the reality of passing the legislation.

And, it is not only the opposition a President fights against — sometimes it is members of the same political party who believe the bill presented is either “too much” or “too little” from the perspective of where they stand. . . . . That’s probably where we are now and will be until a vote is taken on a compromise bill around the 4th of July.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Not only as an individual taxpayer, but as a funeral home owner, there will be a lot at stake on how the new tax bill shakes out.  It may not only affect your take home income but may also affect how you spend money on your business  — in the case of accelerated depreciation, deductible expenses, and other items.

I happened to find a really good article from Yahoo Finance last week that gives a comprehensive, yet simple explanation on some of the personal income tax goals of the proposed bill.  As you can see in the article, all of the promises have costs. . . and the secret to getting the bill passed will, more than likely, be the ability to cut federal expenses enough to allow these costs to creep in without increasing the federal debt.

From my point of view, I see that as a difficult task.  More than likely for the next six weeks or so, you will hear each side claiming that the “Sky is falling” because of the choices made in this bill.

Related Article — This article from the Non-profit Tax Foundation that gives their insight and analysis of the current proposal, including sections on both individual and business ramifications.

Related Article —  Here’s another viewpoint about the current proposal from the writers of Axios

The manuevering has already started.  Here are two weekend articles that were published about the movement to pass the “Big, Beautiful Bill”:

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Matthews Buys the Dodge Company for $57M — A Big Shift for the Funeral Profession

Matthews Memorialization (a division of Matthews International, NASDAQ: MATW) just acquired The Dodge Company for $57 million. This is a serious move that brings two legacy names under one roof — and it changes the landscape for funeral professionals.

Two Legacy Brands. One Strategy.

Dodge has been a staple in the prep room since 1893. Embalming chemicals, cosmetics, and supplies — they’ve built a name on consistency and quality. If you’ve ever worked a prep table, you know Dodge.

Matthews Memorialization is already one of the profession’s most comprehensive suppliers — caskets, cremation equipment, bronze and granite memorials, and more. This acquisition is about tightening their grip on full-service delivery to funeral homes and cemeteries.

“Our strategy is to be the one-stop partner for the funeral profession,” said Steve Gackenbach, President of Matthews Memorialization. “Dodge is a leader in embalming and brings a loyal customer base we’re excited to serve.”

Here’s What Changes for You:

Nothing.

• You’ll still order from your Dodge sales rep.
• The product line isn’t changing.
• The same team is still running Dodge.

Tim Collison, Dodge CEO, is staying on and committed long-term. Dodge reps will be reaching out to answer questions, but day-to-day — it’s business as usual.

“Selling a 132-year-old family business wasn’t easy,” said Debbie and Kristie Dodge. “But joining Matthews felt like the right move. They care about their people and their customers — same as we always have.”

Why This Matters

If you’re a funeral home looking to simplify vendors or streamline operations, this opens the door. Dodge and Matthews under one roof means more of what you need from a single source — without losing the legacy quality you rely on.

This is consolidation done right: smart, strategic, and built around continuity.

Quick Recap on Who’s Who

• The Dodge Company: North America’s largest embalming chemical supplier. Family-owned since 1893. Trusted by embalmers for over a century.
• Matthews Memorialization: Major player in funeral and cemetery supply. Known for innovation in cremation systems, memorials, and merchandising.

Legal Talk (Because We Have To)

Yes, there are forward-looking statements. No, you don’t need to read them unless that’s your thing. Scroll if you want the SEC-safe version of this announcement.

OFFICIAL RELEASE: MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF THE DODGE COMPANY

PITTSBURGH, May 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Pittsburgh, PA – Matthews Memorialization, a division of Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQ GSM: MATW) (“Matthews”), today announced it has acquired The Dodge Company (“Dodge”). Dodge is a leading supplier of embalming chemicals and supplies in North America and sells a variety of other related products to Funeral Homes. Matthews Memorialization is a leading supplier to Funeral Homes and Cemeteries in North America, selling a broad range of products including caskets, bronze and granite memorials, and cremation equipment. The acquisition advances Matthews’ strategy of providing a comprehensive product offering to its death care industry customers.

“We are excited to welcome Dodge and its employees to the Matthews Memorialization family,” said Steve Gackenbach, Matthews Memorialization Group President. “As a leading supplier to Funeral Homes and Cemeteries, our strategy is to offer customers a full range of products and solutions. Dodge is a market leader and most recognized provider of embalming solutions and is an ideal addition to our suite of offerings. Our goal is to provide seamless service and continuity for Dodge customers, ensuring they continue to receive the same great products from the same Dodge team. Dodge has a long history of strong customer relationships and providing leading embalming offerings to the Funeral Profession. We intend to continue that tradition.”

“The thought of selling our 132-year-old family business was very difficult, but the decision to join Matthews was the easy part; it felt right,” said Debbie and Kristie Dodge. “We’re confident they’ll continue our tradition of providing customers with outstanding service and products and know from friends who are part of Matthews that they value and respect employees – something very important to generations of Dodges.”

For Dodge customers, it is business as usual; essentially nothing will change for customers as a result of the acquisition. Dodge customers will continue to partner with their Dodge sales and customer service representatives to order the same products they do today. Purchasing processes will remain the same. Tim Collison, Dodge CEO, has made a long-term commitment to continue to lead Dodge as part of Matthews. Dodge sales representatives will proactively contact customers with information about the acquisition and to answer any questions. In the meantime, customers with questions may contact their Dodge sales representative.

About Matthews International
Matthews International Corporation operates through two core global businesses – Industrial Technologies and Memorialization. Both are focused on driving operational efficiency and long-term growth through continuous innovation and strategic expansion. The Industrial Technologies segment evolved from our original marking business, which today is a leading global innovator committed to empowering visionaries to transform industries through the application of precision technologies and intelligent processes. The Memorialization segment is a leading provider of memorialization products, including memorials, caskets and cremation and incineration equipment, primarily to cemetery and funeral home customers that help families move from grief to remembrance. The Company has over 5,400 employees in 19 countries on four continents that are committed to delivering the highest quality products and services.

About The Dodge Company
The Dodge Company is the largest supplier of embalming chemicals and cosmetics in North America and provides a vast array of other products for Funeral Service Providers. Since 1893 when A. Johnson Dodge founded The Dodge Company, its goal has been to help embalmers and Funeral Directors do the best work they are capable of doing. Visit Dodge online at shop.dodgeco.com.

Forward Looking Statements
Any forward-looking statements contained in this release are included pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies of the Company regarding the future, including statements regarding the anticipated timing and benefits of the proposed joint venture transaction, and may be identified by the use of words such as “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “plans,” “seeks,” “forecasts,” “predicts,” “objective,” “targets,” “potential,” “outlook,” “may,” “will,” “could” or the negative of these terms, other comparable terminology and variations thereof.

Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company’s actual results in future periods to be materially different from management’s expectations, and no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove correct.

Factors that could cause the Company’s results to differ materially from the results discussed in such forward-looking statements principally include our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the joint venture transaction that recently closed, changes in domestic or international economic conditions, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, changes in interest rates, changes in the cost of materials used in the manufacture of the Company’s products, including changes in costs due to adjustments to tariffs, any impairment of goodwill or intangible assets, environmental liability and limitations on the Company’s operations due to environmental laws and regulations, disruptions to certain services, such as telecommunications, network server maintenance, cloud computing or transaction processing services, provided to the Company by third-parties, changes in mortality and cremation rates, changes in product demand or pricing as a result of consolidation in the industries in which the Company operates, or other factors such as supply chain disruptions, labor shortages or labor cost increases, changes in product demand or pricing as a result of domestic or international competitive pressures, ability to achieve cost-reduction objectives, unknown risks in connection with the Company’s acquisitions, divestitures, and business combinations, cybersecurity concerns and costs arising with management of cybersecurity threats, effectiveness of the Company’s internal controls, compliance with domestic and foreign laws and regulations, technological factors beyond the Company’s control, impact of pandemics or similar outbreaks, or other disruptions to our industries, customers, or supply chains, the impact of global conflicts, such as the current war between Russia and Ukraine, the Company’s plans and expectations with respect to its exploration, and contemplated execution, of various strategies with respect to its portfolio of businesses, the Company’s plans and expectations with respect to its Board, and other factors described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The “Big Game” Special | FFFW 224

DISCLAIMER: None of the F’s in FFFW stand for “facts.”

Alright fam- we’ve reached one of my favorite weekends of the year. It is time for the Super Bowl. This year we’re dedicating this whole FFFW to the big game as we get amped up for Sunday.

Now all we gotta do is pray you don’t get a pick-up call during the 4th quarter.

Days until the Chiefs win the Big Game: 2

Introducing The Memo by MemoryShare

MemoryShare, the #1 Live Streaming software for funeral homes, has announced a new monthly newsletter. “The Memo” is for funeral directors to stay updated on the latest tools, pro-tips, video tricks, and technology op-eds in the funeral profession. Subscribers will get exclusive access to early offers, discounts, and feature releases. To subscribe to The Memo, click the button below. The first 20 subscribers will receive a mystery gift!

[Subscribe Now]

Pennsylvania Funeral Home Shut Down After Owner Exposed as Chiefs Fan

POTTSVILLE, PA — A local funeral home has been forced to close its doors this week after what officials are calling a catastrophic PR disaster. The reason? The owner, Bob Smith, was outed as a Kansas City Chiefs fan just days before the Eagles face off against them for the NFL Championship.

“We just couldn’t believe it,” said local reporter John Michaels. “We always assumed Bob was a good, upstanding member of this community, and then—boom—we find out he’s been secretly rooting for Mahomes this whole time.”

For Eagles fans, the revelation was nothing short of soul-crushing betrayal.

“You think I’m gonna let a Chiefs fan embalm me?” said one outraged resident. “He’d probably give me RIGGED-a-mortus! Get it? RIGGED-a-mortus—because the NFL rigs all the games for the Chiefs.” The man then proceeded to explain the joke several more times, ensuring it landed.

The funeral home, Soaring Memories, attempted to contain the damage with an official Facebook statement on Wednesday:

“You may have heard the shocking news that our owner, Bob Smith, has been a closeted Chiefs fan for years. While he managed to keep his betrayal under wraps during Super Bowl LVII, recent events have exposed his true loyalties. Multiple community members witnessed him liking Chiefs propaganda online, prompting a full investigation.

Our staff confronted Bob in a formal intervention, where he finally admitted his admiration for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Given the severity of the situation, we could no longer, in good conscience, work under such conditions.

In light of these events, Bob Smith has chosen to retire and relocate. Effective immediately, Soaring Memories Funeral Home is permanently closed.

We sincerely apologize for the emotional distress caused by learning that your loved ones were cared for by a Kansas City sympathizer.”

When reached for comment, Bob Smith simply replied:

“I guess losers can’t stand winners. I’m moving back to Missouri.”

Authorities have confirmed that Bob was last seen crossing state lines with a Mahomes jersey in his trunk, and the town has since declared a mandatory cleansing ritual of all funeral homes to ensure no further betrayals.

At press time, city officials were reportedly considering exhuming bodies embalmed under Smith’s supervision just to be safe.

Trivia

If someone had one casket for every point that both the Chiefs and Eagles scored so far this season- how many caskets would they have?

Select the correct answer, and you’ll get a GIF of a raccoon dancing. Select the wrong one, and you’ll get a GIF of someone hurting themselves.

Answer Choices:

A) 108 caskets

B) 801 caskets

C) 1,008 caskets

You Otter Be Proud

Here’s some good news going on in the profession.

1. Wilson Funeral Home director honored for organ donor support
2. Old Lick Cemetery in Roanoke cleaned, repaired with help of national expert
3. Fifth-generation funeral director Jeff Monreal helps families grieve, celebrate loved ones

It’s the middle of the month and time to re-cap the Most Read Stories of the past 30 days on Funeral Director Daily.  Funeral Director Daily tries to publish a variety of information, news, and opinions with a wide variety of Death Care interests.  It looks like we succeeded in the past 30 days as we have news about Experiential sales channels from Service Corporation International and Batesville. . . . we have information on new products introduced. .  . we have information about staff changes at a large Death Care technology firm. . . .and, we have a report from the floor of the recent NFDA Convention in New Orleans.

If you missed any of these Top Read articles — here’s a chance to catch up on what you missed. . .

1. SCI opens “First-of-its-kind” mausoleum
2. CEO Charlie Cole, two other executives leave Tribute Technology
3. Observations from the “Big Easy”
4. Batesville to introduce their “Showroom of the Future” at NFDA
5. Will Cumulus become the standard in digital memorials?

So, there you have it.  Make sure that you catch up on these articles and if you don’t want to miss any more make sure you make use of the space below and sign up for Funeral Director Daily’s “Daily E-mail blast” with our article of the day delivered directly to your inbox.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

I spent parts of 5 days and 4 nights in New Orleans earlier this week participating in the annual National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) convention.  It was a time to learn new things and visit with old friends.  And, while there I attended workshops, took part in some keynote speaker addresses, wandered the exposition hall, and had good off-the-record conversations with some of the highest positioned leaders of the death care world.

Since it is Friday morning when this hits your inbox I’m going to keep it short and concise on some of the impressions that I took home with me to Minnesota on Wednesday. . . I’ll probably elaborate on most of these impressions in the next couple of weeks as we move forward but for now, here goes. . . .

Interesting thoughts on the profession in general:

• The outside business world sees great opportunity in the “Greater Death Care” business space.  Venture Capitalists and Private Equity people were in great attendance.
• Things are continuously changing, but many changes will bring their own opportunities
• There is a lot of “outside money” looking to invest in Death Care.
• Family firms are still in vogue, but each generation brings less families carrying the tradition on. . . leading to greater opportunities for continuing family operaters to scale if desired
• One needs to assess where their company stands in relation to the greater Death Care world. . . . are you ahead of it, with it, or behind it?  If one is “Behind it” market share could plummet if you have aggressive competitors.

On continuing “change”:

• Keynote Speaker Amy Herman did a terrific job in pointing out that “Change is all around us“, but you sometimes have to look for it, in different ways, to see it
• The above point is highlighted by the fact that I heard that over 25% of the exhibitors in the Expo Hall were first-time exhibitors. . . .That fact in itself tells of the changes coming forward
• “Change is not inherently bad, it offers opportunity”
• “Change” may mean refining or expanding the product offerings that funeral homes have historically offered

On Regulation:

• It doesn’t seem like the Federal Trade Commission is in any hurry to finalize the “Funeral Rule”.  Yet, they don’t seem in any way to want to lessen funeral homes’ burden of presenting price information to consumers.
• Regardless of the FTC, price information in a “readable and understood” format on one’s website is of growing importance in funeral service.
• The use of formaldehyde in embalming is still up in the air because of future potential exposure level requirements that may be implemented by OSHA.  I found out regulations that were once thought to exclude funeral service still have hurdles to navigate.
• The election results in less than two weeks could quite possibly make a big difference, at least for the next four years, on if the regulatory environment for funeral service gets tighter or less regulatory.

On Preneed:

• Funeral Service operators seem to be increasingly unleashing Preneed to build market share. . .This has always happened, but it seems to be going on more than ever.  It’s probably a combination of the funeral home wanting market share and the preneed company also striving for increased market share and policies put in place due to actual or anticipated declining face value per account.
• Declining Face Value per Preneed account seems to be a front of the room thought for both commissioned agents/funeral homes and preneed companies.
• I also was convinced that “Brand” is incredibly important to Preneed development.  If your funeral home is not a “Brand” that consumers want, it is very difficult to get them to prearrange with you.  So, targeted preneed marketing without overall “Brand” marketing will be ineffective.  If you are in a competitive environment, it certainly proves the point that you must “Build your Brand”.

On Growing Disposition options:

• There is no doubt that alternative options are getting play  — options like green burial, alkaline hydrolysis, and natural organic reduction were all represented in some form or fashion.
• I also got the impression that the alternative options were less represented at the convention than one would think from all of the consumer articles written about these “coming” options.  The options of what to do with the remains of these methods as well as cremations were much more prevalent than the options themselves.  This is what I would term the “Cremation or Disposition Aftermarket”. . . .Such things as Better Place Forests, Parting Stone, and Eterneva come to mind here as well as many other ideas.

On People in Funeral Service:

• I continue to believe that Funeral Service has some of the greatest human beings in the world involved with it.  I get a chance to talk to everybody and, quite frankly, there is nobody in the profession that I don’t like or enjoy.  I don’t think I’m the only one that thinks that and, because many funeral directors are held in such high regard, it can help us get things done in the legislative world.
• However, we have some ground to make up with consumers.  Surveys that I was presented also show that a very few bad apples in our business have dropped the trust factor perception of funeral directors by the general public. . . .and that can be a difficult problem as we move forward.

So, there you have some initial impressions that I thought about as I arrived home on Wednesday. . . .

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”