Michael Jewart Appointed as Leader of Starmark®, North America’s Leading Cremation Solutions Provider.

RICHMOND, IN, August 15, 2025 – Starmark is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Jewart to lead Starmark. With more than a decade of helping funeral professionals succeed, Michael expands Starmark’s mission to deliver innovative, cost-effective, and operationally seamless cremation solutions that empower funeral providers to serve families with excellence and profitability.

Starmark currently serves North America through its factory-direct approach and white-glove Starmark Local Service Centers. Over the next 24 months, the Starmark Local expansion will cover more than 50 territories across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. 

“By being closer to more funeral professionals across all of North America, Starmark can best respond to their needs in real time and ensure those who serve families have the resources, products, and support to deliver exceptional service,” added Jewart. “We’re offering funeral professionals the best cremation solutions along with the Starmark Promise: Guaranteed Best Pricing Apples to Apples Every Time.” 

As part of his role at Starmark, Michael will serve as Chief Commercial Officer, overseeing the entire portfolio of funeral brands — from Goliath™ Oversize and Elderlite® Cloth-Covered to CJ Boots Signature Hardwoods, Chateau Urns, Nature’s Way® Green Funeral Line, AMA Containers, Artisan Containers™, and many other partnered brands, all unified by a common mission: helping funeral professionals succeed in a rapidly evolving marketplace. 

Family-owned and rooted in funeral service for over a century, Starmark and its parent company’s team of more than 300 dedicated members serve thousands of funeral professionals and collaborate with hundreds of world-class brands, including many Fortune 500 companies and OEM automotive manufacturers worldwide. Supported by over 950,000 square feet of operations across North America and more than 80 issued and pending patents, Starmark is leading the future of Funeral Service with a mission to make the world a better place.

“I’ve known Michael for over a decade, and his experience and vision are exactly what Starmark needs to further solidify its leadership in cremation solutions while remaining steadfast in our commitment to helping funeral homes thrive,” said Justin Davis, Starmark President. “Our goal has never been to be just another casket company offering cremation products. By truly listening to funeral professionals and the families they serve, Starmark has helped lead funeral service into a new era with innovative and meaningful solutions for cremation.” 

About Starmark: Starmark Cremation Products creates Sensible Solutions™ for funeral professionals to help families honor life’s most meaningful moments with grace and respect. It is all about celebrating the lives of loved ones with dignity and care. This belief inspires everything we do at Starmark, allowing funeral service professionals and families to focus on love, legacy, and healing.

For more information, visit: www.starmarkcp.com 

I had the opportunity to attend a funeral mass at our local Roman Catholic church last week for a retired funeral director friend of mine.  He was a really good person who was a one-time competitor of mine but most recently his daughter, a really exceptional funeral director in her own right, is employed at the firm I operated for over 30 years and is now part of our team.

I’ve been out of funeral home ownership and operation for over 11 years already.  However, much of the team that I worked with is still together and out of respect for their fellow team member, not only conducted last week’s funeral, but attended en masse as well.

Those fellow workers sat as a group of about  16 people three pews in front of my seat.  As I looked at them being ushered in I looked at them with awe for at least two reasons.   First of all, it came to my mind how good they all are in their chosen profession.  And, I know from living in the community my entire life, the personal sacrifices they have made for the community they live in and the families that they have served.

Secondly, I thought of how fortunate I was to be able to work along side that group, and some others now retired or deceased, for my entire funeral director career.  Being the funeral home owner, I always considered myself their “leader” and tried to lead by example.

For quite a long time, I’ve had the graphic that you see at the top of this article on a bulletin board next to my desk at home.  While only my fellow team members can relate their own experience with me, I hope they saw me as a “Leader” and not a “Boss”.  The graphic was there to remind me every single day what “Leadership” actually is all about.

Here’s an article that I found from Indeed.com listing ten differences between a “Leader” and a “Boss”.

Funeral Director Daily take:  I once took a class on “Servant Leadership” and realized that without even knowing it, I had been a “Servant Leader” for most of my life.  I would also argue that if you are a funeral director who serves your community daily, and at times through times of crisis because of untimely tragic deaths, you are probably also a servant leader.

“Servant Leadership” by my definition is leading in a Christ-like manner. . . .”serve others like you would want to be served”.  I think that attitude is not only good for business — but good for life as well.  It’s my opinion that trying to improve on your “Leadership” capabilities every day is a great exercise.  . I still try to.

If you are like me you probably need constant reminders that serving in this capacity is what needs to be done.  I wear a bracelet on my left wrist that says, “Lead. . . for God’s sake“.  It reminds me of a book on leadership that I read authored by former basketball coach Todd Gongwer titled the same.

I also read an excerpt every day, and have done so for over 20 years, from a daily book in which I try to improve the traits of Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, and Patience in my life.  This year’s daily book is Billy Graham’s “Wisdom for Each Day”.

Finally, a book that I have read more than once in that 20 years is Tony Dungy’s “Uncommon Life Daily Challenge”.  It’s a book that has improved my life and leadership skills and is, coming from Dungy’s football background, a daily book that really relates to men.  I’ve given it as a gift to dozens of people and would suggest it for those of you who want to improve your leadership capabilities.

Tony Dungy and I at a U of Minnesota football game

An Interesting Story:  When I attended the University of Minnesota eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach Tony Dungy was the quarterback of the football team. . . i.e. an alumnus of the University of Minnesota.  After being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 he was invited back to the University of Minnesota to be recognized at a football game.

During that time I was serving on the Board of Regents at the U of Minnesota.  Unknown to me, the night before the football game the University President, CFO, and Athletic Director went to dinner with Mr. Dungy.  They all brought his book, “Uncommon Life Daily Challenge” to be autographed.  Turns out that they eventually realized they all got those books as gifts from me.

I received a call later that night from the CFO.  He wanted to know if I was going to be at the football game the next day. . . I said “Yes. Why?”. . . . He then told me that Tony Dungy wanted to meet the guy buying all of his books. . . To make a long story short, that led to a wonderful visit with Tony Dungy, someone whose faith has inspired me to grow mine.

Servant Leadership — In the future I will write a column about why I think Servant Leadership can improve your business, why your staff should know about it, and where to learn more about it.

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

I’ve been around long enough to see many people call themselves a “Leader”.  Some of those people are and some aren’t.  I’ve also been around long enough to recognize a “True Leader” when they are in my midst.

And, tomorrow night those of you who tune in for the Cremation Association of North America’s (CANA) monthly Peer Support meeting will get to hear from one of the “True Leaders” of funeral service, Randy Anderson.  Anderson, no relation to me, is a first-generation funeral director, former owner of Radney’s Funeral Home and Langley Funeral Home in Alabama, and past president of the National Funeral Directors Association.

According to the CANA press release, ” (Anderson) has spent his career supporting funeral service and professionals through volunteering and teaching and will continue this mission and inspire others at the peer support meeting.”

In that same press release Anderson gives a little self-advice about leadership to others as he makes this comment, “I have had many opportunities to lead throughout my life and have been taught and supported by many wonderful leaders.  In every leadership position, I have learned that everyone wants to be heard and it’s important to listen. I have learned that everyone does not see every experience the same. Looking back, I would advise myself to try to look more through the eyes of others.” 

For what it is worth, I was ecstatic when I saw that Randy Anderson had signed up to recieve Funeral Director Daily a few years ago.  His leadership at NFDA was truly inspiring and the thought that he would sign up to hear what I had to say is proof that he believes in what he says according to the preceding paragraph.  I eventually got to meet Randy at the Baltimore NFDA convention and even though we didn’t talk for long it was apparent to me that he lives to serve others and to serve funeral service.

To learn more or join the peer support meeting featuring Randy Anderson you can click here.  The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT via Zoom link.  No registration is required, simply follow the link to join.

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