10 Things You’ll Learn About Ryan Thogmartin from Curtis Funk’s Latest PodCasket Episode

As the founder and CEO of Tukios, Curtis Funk is one of deathcare’s best and brightest (as in both intellect and those bright green shirts). As someone who’s been in the business of serving deathcare professionals for more than two decades, Funk has met a lot of people — many of whom have earned “legendary” status within the industry. 

It’s those legends that Funk is featuring on his new podcast, PodCasket. In each in-depth episode, Funk reminisces with the folks who have shaped deathcare, learning their life stories, exploring their passions, debunking myths, and finding out all the things that make them extraordinary at what they do. 

Since Tukios launched PodCasket in April 2024, Funk has fellowshipped with seven such legends, including the father of funeral home websites, Michael Turkiewicz, Foresight founder Dan Isard, and Johnson Consulting’s own Jake Johnson. His latest episode, however, features someone who is near and dear to us here at Connecting Directors: our founder and DISRUPT Media CEO Ryan Thogmartin.

Funk and Thogmartin go way back (at least 17 years, in fact), and in Episode 7 of PodCasket, the two “dive into the fascinating, unexpected paths that led them into the world of deathcare.” As with all of his guests, Funk gets Thogmartin to open up about his journey, reflecting on the pivotal moments along the way. It’s an honest, entertaining, and insightful conversation from which any listener can learn a little (or a lot) about taking risks, making the most of every opportunity, embracing authenticity, and prioritizing what really matters.

In this PodCasket episode, Thogmartin finally reveals the answers to all those questions you’ve wondered about but never wanted to ask him, including:

• His “colorful” first words…
• How he made the single most important decision of his life at age four…
• What he really thinks about homeschool vs. public school…
• The true origin of his now-famous fascination with sneakers…
• How a gumball fish tank fostered his first foray into entrepreneurship…
• If he actually went to high school with LeBron…
• How a random visit with a sick classmate led to a career in sales…
• That time he thought his future father-in-law made bank vaults…
• Why CD Social was short-lived…and, last but not least …
• The origins of his unique wardrobe!

Most importantly, though, Thogmartin’s PodCasket episode illustrates how the themes of faith and family have run throughout his entire existence. Thogmartin explains how he looks back on his childhood with gratitude that his parents introduced him to Jesus as a child, and the significant impact his faith has had on his life and career.

You can find this and every episode of Curtis Funk’s PodCasket podcast at podcasket.co or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. 

Batesville Blends Innovation, Inspiration and Affordability in its latest Burial and Cremation Offerings

Experience what’s new at the 2024 ICCFA Convention & Exposition                  

BATESVILLE, Ind., April 2, 2024 – Batesville is leveraging insights from funeral directors and consumers to reimagine products for a new generation, blending modern designs, value-added features and materials that are respectful of our environment. The company will display an array of new products at the 2024 International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) Annual Convention and Exposition, April 10-13 in Tampa, Florida.

“Today’s consumers have high expectations when choosing funeral products, and by understanding what families are looking for, we have been able to create some truly unique and compelling offerings that are aesthetically pleasing, and that meet their functional and financial requirements, while also aligning with their values,” said Jenn Parvin, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Batesville.

This includes new investments in the Dimensions^® by Batesville oversize product line, a new rental casket and redesigned insert, Generations™ sustainable products, and the addition of more than 80 new cremation urns, keepsakes and contemporary jewelry items that are on trend for today’s generation. 

Visit Batesville at booth 1331 to explore these new offerings and learn how they can help drive higher satisfaction and profits.

NewPointe^® Artemis Collection: The latest addition to our expansive Dimensions oversize casket line, the Artemis Collection delivers high eye appeal and quality at an entry-level price. Constructed of 20-gauge steel, both models are available in 28” and 32” options. The display includes:

• Artemis Grey 28” with Ivory Crepe interior
• Artemis Copper 32” with Rosetan Crepe interior

Fairview^™ Rental Casket: Inspired by popular casket designs, the Fairview is the first rental product with Batesville’s exclusive LifeView^® personalization panel, allowing families to display treasured photos or mementos. It features hardwood construction, a light pecan finish with wood embossed bars and a fold-down end for easy loading/unloading.

Sureview^™ Rental Insert: More than just a new design, the Sureview* has six-layer reinforced corrugated cardboard construction for added strength and structural integrity with a leak-resistant tray for added peace of mind. 

• Available in standard (24”) and oversize (27”) widths 
• Sold in packs of four 

Generations Sustainable Products: Sustainably sourced and manufactured from fast-growing, abundant hardwoods, with all natural interiors and water-based finishes, Generations 

is an ideal choice for those with an eco-conscious mindset. The dual disposition design and modern aesthetics appeal to a much larger audience of burial and cremation families.

• The Promise^™ has a sleek domed top and intricate design details from end to end, with Family Choices^® personalization
• The Sincerity^™ features a curved plank top with intricate edges and panels, giving it a refined look 

Urns, Keepsakes & Jewelry: After launching more than 50 new products in the fall of 2023, including a collection of affordable NewPointe urns, Batesville is introducing new biodegradable, wood and ceramic vase keepsake urns and an impressive collection of sterling silver and stainless jewelry, new birthstone pendants and a new point-of-purchase display to showcase remembrance jewelry. Talk with a Batesville expert about the free tools and helpful resources available to educate funeral home staff and families about cremation products and services.

Technology solutions to optimize and grow your business: The right technology solutions can increase operational efficiency and improve profits. Batesville experts will provide live demos of its free website platform, including the exclusive Floral Select™ e-commerce offering, show how Batesville Connect^® can streamline everyday account management activities and share the latest 3D Mapping capabilities in its MIS management software.

Educational sessions – sponsored by Batesville

A longstanding partner with ICCFA, Batesville is proud to sponsor four educational sessions:

Wednesday, April 10 at 1:30 p.m. (ET)

• Communicating with Ease: Building Trust through Authentic Dialogue

Tiffanie Kellog, Business Coach

• Creating a World-Class Customer Experience

Vincent Roberge, Johnson Consulting Group

Wednesday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m. (ET)

• Unlocking the Future: Surprising Discoveries from Consumer Insights

George Owens, SoCal Approach

• Digital Marketing is not Rocket Science… but it is Scientific

Troy Brake, Vertin Funeral Homes 

For more information, visit www.batesville.com/news/iccfa-2024/. 

*Patent Pending

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ABOUT BATESVILLE SERVICES, LLC

Batesville (www.Batesville.com) is a recognized leader in the death care industry in North America, offering a comprehensive portfolio of burial and cremation products, memorialization options and innovative technology solutions. For more than 125 years, Batesville has supported licensed funeral professionals in helping families honor the lives of those they love.^® A history of manufacturing excellence, product innovation, superior customer service, and reliable delivery helped Batesville become – and remain – a market leader. 

The business news last week was centered on the Producer’s Price Index (PPI) rising 0.6% in the month February, which equates to an annual 7.2% inflationary rate.  That reading, after being lower and even negative for a couple of months prior,  has caused many pundits to opine that getting rid of inflation in America may be a “stickier problem than once thought”.

Here’s a definition of the PPI and why it may have an effect on the products that funeral homes sell:

“(The PPI) is a collection of indexes economists use to measure the average change over time in domestic producers’ prices for their products or services. This information provides a picture of the marketplace from the perspective of sellers.

So, from my point of view, it indicates what the cost of producing goods will be from the suppliers who sell to funeral homes. . . such as casket companies, vault companies, urn companies, paper goods companies, chemical companies, and so on.  Again, from my point of view, the reason it is so important to funeral homes is that it indicates, with all other things being equal, that in time your costs for those wholesale products will be going up and unless you can mark the retail price of those products up to at least match the increase in the wholesale price rise, you risk going backwards on profitability.

And, in a world where the consumer is very conscious of “costs” for what they are purchasing, that increased mark-up gets harder and harder to accomplish.  Combine that with the Death Care consumer’s thought process of potentially reaching a limit on what they will pay for an earth burial service and you can see the consumer having a greater propensity to choose a lower cash-margin alternative such as cremation with services or Direct Cremation as a result of these price increases.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  I’ve been involved in many businesses in my day, including owning and operating a funeral home for about 35 years.  In all of those businesses when you see input prices, such as products and labor, rising it makes for difficult decisions on how to move forward with your pricing.

There are options, especially if you are profitable at the time, to simply stand pat and absorb those costs without raising prices for the sake of retaining clientele. Or, you can raise prices to retain your margins. . .but you do that with the knowledge that the pricing may drive off some customers or,  in funeral service,  change them to a lesser cost and lower margin service.

That is the “between a rock and hard place”, as is the expression that many funeral homes find themselves in.  In today’s environment, holding on to customers and on to margins is especially critical if you are a business that has debt that has been in an adjustable rate loan environment.

Another factor that may weigh in an owner’s mind is “What is the consumer’s position”?  For instance, if they believe that their consumer is in a very good financial position — which many American retired people, who are a funeral home’s base customer have traditionally been in — the ability to raise prices is probably there.

However, the University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Survey also came out last week and that shows that consumers are slightly less confident about their situation than they were a month ago.  In contrast to a year ago, however, they are much more confident.

One thing I do know is that funeral director independent owners are very skillful and knowledgeable about their businesses.  They are on Main Street virtually everyday and, because of their interaction with local people, have a great feeling how their communities are doing.  When it comes to these types of decisions on pricing, I’m pretty certain that each funeral home owner has a great instinct on what to do.

I was like that.. . . .I took in all information, input, and data that I could, but then let my instincts take over.  And, I never did anything in a hasty manner. . . always making slow, thoughtful decisions.  That’s the best advice I can give to owner/operators on on these type of “between a rock and hard place” issues

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