NGL celebrates team members’ impressive achievements and performance

Madison, Wis. (October 7, 2025) – National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) recognized four team members with G.R.I.T. Awards during its companywide All Hands Meeting in September. The awards incorporate NGL’s vision for the future, Together for Tomorrow, into its team members’ daily professional lives. The peer nominations recognized and celebrated colleagues for their outstanding achievements and performance.

The awards highlight the winning mindsets that need to be demonstrated for everyone to deliver and successfully achieve NGL’s goals and vision.

There are four distinct categories for the G.R.I.T. Awards:

Growth and Personal Development Award – Kyle Steensland, New Business Process Analyst

The recipient of this award sets clear professional and personal growth objectives. They hold themselves accountable for their own growth and NGL accountable for support. The individual also embraces courageous conversations and chooses to stay resilient through challenges.

Kyle was nominated two times for the Growth and Personal Development Award and received a nomination for a different category. One person who nominated Kyle shared, “Kyle has been endlessly dedicated to the New Business team and NGL. He always goes the extra mile when approached with questions or requests. Kyle is not afraid to dive deep into the nitty gritty to find an answer when something is unresolved or unclear. On top of that, while he is generous with both his time and knowledge, his work is never short of being detailed, thorough, and timely.”

Resilience and Accountability Award – Cody Lomholt, Assistant Vice President, IT Operations

This award recipient is resilient and perseveres. They believe in holding themselves and others accountable for actions and outcomes. Commitment to results and follow through is a basis of their work ethic.

Cody received three nominations for the Resilience and Accountability Award. Nominators shared, “Cody consistently demonstrates resilience and accountability in managing the IT Software and Services budget with exceptional diligence and integrity. He holds himself and vendors to the highest standards. Cody has been instrumental in pulling together large IT initiatives and working closely with vendors to achieve good outcomes.”

Initiative, Drive and Execution Award – Terry Bosky, Senior Payment Specialist

This award is for the NGL team member who takes initiative with a bias for effective action. They ask for help when needed and look beyond daily tasks to effectively execute plans.

Terry received five nominations for the Initiative, Drive and Execution Award. One nomination explained, “Terry incorporates initiative, drive and execution into each of his projects at NGL. Terry is not only meticulous and organized in creating clear and accurate resources for all NGL employees to utilize, but he creates an environment where people feel safe to take risks and share ideas without fear of judgment. Terry encourages team members to develop their skills and others to help them along the way. His knowledge tagged with his understanding make you feel valued and supported.”

Trust in Each Other Award – Sarah Reed, Operations Manager

This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated trust in themselves, peers and leaders. They empower others, is empowered and delegates, as well as fosters open communication by giving and receiving constructive feedback. Collaboration within and across teams is paramount to their work.

Sarah received five nominations for this award. “Sarah goes above and beyond for our team. Multiple times I have gone to Sarah with any kind of issue, and she does all she can to track down the resolution and always makes me feel like I am an appreciated member of the team. She really does care about all of us and wants us all to become the best versions of ourselves.”

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

NGL celebrates team members’ impressive achievements and performance

Madison, Wis. (August 5, 2025) – National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) recognized four team members with G.R.I.T. Awards during its companywide All Hands Meeting in July. The awards incorporate NGL’s vision for the future, Together for Tomorrow, into its team members’ daily professional lives. The peer nominations recognized and celebrated colleagues for their outstanding achievements and performance.

The awards highlight the winning mindsets that need to be demonstrated for everyone to deliver and successfully achieve NGL’s goals and vision.

There are four distinct categories for the G.R.I.T. Awards:

Growth and Personal Development Award – Dylan Etter, Payroll and Disbursements Manager

The recipient of this award sets clear professional and personal growth objectives. They hold themselves accountable for their own growth and NGL accountable for support. The individual also embraces courageous conversations and chooses to stay resilient through challenges.

Dylan was nominated three times for the Growth and Personal Development Award. One person who nominated Dylan shared, “Dylan is a remarkably dedicated team player and is consistently willing to take on new challenges to ensure business needs are met. Dylan is not afraid to ask tough questions when needed, and approaches problems with a practical, thoughtful mindset. He is considerate of other viewpoints and always open to learning new things.”

Resilience and Accountability Award – Courtney Shaffer, Senior Business Systems Analyst

This award recipient is resilient and perseveres. They believe in holding themselves and others accountable for actions and outcomes. Commitment to results and follow through is a basis of their work ethic.

Courtney was awarded the Resilience and Accountability Award. “Courtney has shown growth and resilience by learning and approaching her understanding of technical integrations and corresponding work. Through all of this she has now taken on a large assignment to look more wholistically at integrations for an initiative.”

Initiative, Drive and Execution Award – Andy Mohr, Assistant Vice President, Internal Audit

This award is for the NGL team member who takes initiative with a bias for effective action. They ask for help when needed and look beyond daily tasks to effectively execute plans.

Receiving four nominations for the Initiative, Drive and Execution Award, Andy incorporates initiative, drive and execution into each of his projects at NGL. “Andy quietly and consistently accomplishes all that he is asked to, and more. His analytical and mindful approach has helped to streamline timelines, test procedures, and expand scope; resulting in reduced fees and increased internal understanding of workflows. He willingly takes on additional responsibility if it benefits the organization.”

Trust in Each Other Award – Jaime Perez, Senior Agent Solutions Coordinator

This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated trust in themselves, peers and leaders. They empower others, is empowered and delegates, as well as fosters open communication by giving and receiving constructive feedback. Collaboration within and across teams is paramount to their work.

“Jaime is always the first one who takes initiative to complete daily tasks and with an upbeat attitude. She is always available for the team as a resource for help with escalated calls, questions in regards to a pending application or a process or just to bounce ideas off. Jaime is truly someone that we can rely on and is there for the team in the most upbeat, can-do personality and always rooting for the team.”

NGL is a life and health insurance company specializing in individual and group products. We offer a suite of innovative insurance products for life’s journey, giving our customers financial stability, careful guidance and peace of mind. With 116 years in the insurance industry, we take pride in delivering on our promises across generations with collaboration and compassion.

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

Photo from left to right: Dylan Etter, Payroll and Disbursements Manager; Jaime Perez, Senior Agent Solutions Coordinator; Courtney Shaffer, Senior Business Systems Analyst; Joe Celentano, President & CEO. Not pictured: Andy Mohr, Assistant Vice President, Internal Audit.

Service Corporation International (SCI) reported their 1st Quarter 2025 financial results last week and in doing so showed an overall revenue increase of 2.8% in year over year results.  Total Revenue for the quarter was $ 1.074.2 billion as compared to the 1st Quarter of 2024 which came in at $ 1.045.4 billion.

Those revenue numbers led to an overall improvement in Operating Income of about $ 19 million for the quarter.  The operating income margin also improved to 23.4% from the 1Q2024 mark of 22.2%.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

In my opinion, what was really strong for the company was the performance of the funeral side of the business.  In what SCI terms “Comparable Funeral Results” — a term for a comparison of the funeral side of businesses that were operating in both comparable quarters — revenues increased a total of 3.9%.  The actual numbers were revenue of $ 625.9 million in 1Q25 as compared to revenues of $ 602.6 million in 1Q24.  (Comparable results don’t include revenue from new acquisitions or disposed of properties)

And, it was a “double-barrel” increase as both the number of services performed increased as did the revenue per service.  SCI reported that the number of services performed in 1Q25 was 95,624 as compared to the number in 1Q24 of 93,967 — a 1.8% increase.

They also reported that the revenue per service grew 2.3% from $ 5,613 per service in 1Q24 to $ 5,743 per service in 1Q25 — that’s an increase of 2.3%

Tom Ryan
SCI CEO

Here’s what SCI CEO Thomas Ryan said in a prepared statement from the 1Q2024 Earnings press release which you can access here, “This was driven by strong performance in our funeral segment with year over year increases in the number of services performed and average revenue per funeral . . . .  . Additionally, effective cost management drove solid gross profit performance and margin expansion.” 

On the flip side of that report, the “Comparable Cemetery” results were not as impressive.  Revenue, gross profit, and gross profit margin all declined from what was reported one year ago in 1Q2024.  The numbers for those categories in 1Q2025 were reported as such:

• Comparable Cemetery Revenue :  $ 432.9 million (Compared to $440.7 million in 1Q2024)
• Comparable Cemetery Gross Profit:  $ 136.8 million (Compared to $142.6 million in 1Q2024)
• Comparable Cemetery Gross Profit Margin:  31.6% (Compared to 32.4% in 1Q2024)

Here’s what CEO Ryan said in a prepared statement that was aimed at the cemetery segment, “In the cemetery segment, we are continuing to focus on production, which will benefit us in future periods, as undeveloped property sold is constructed.”

It should also be noted that Preneed production mostly slipped in 1Q2025 also.  However, it should be pointed out that the preneed sales staff is in the process of moving from a trust based system where some revenue is counted upon early delivery to an insurance based product, with their new alliance with Global Atlantic Insurance, where most of the revenue will not be counted until delivery at need.

I think it will be very difficult to comprehend how the actual preneed numbers are for SCI until they have at least one full year of comparables in the insurance-based operating model under their belts.  At this point they are, in my opinion, in a transitionary process.

On preneed however, SCI did report average preneed contracts moving up 1.1% in dollar volume.  One might wonder, however, if that actually portends a trend of less services being purchased in the future because 1.1% is certainly not keeping up with inflation.

Finally, in CEO Ryan’s opening statement he did mention acquisitions.  Here’s what he said on that subject, “. . . our robust cash flow has allowed us to continue investment toward our extensive pipeline of acquisitions while also providing us the flexibility to be opportunistic with stock repurchases.”

Disclaimer — The author of this article for Funeral Director Daily is a shareholder of Service Corporation International.

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

NGL celebrates team members’ impressive achievements and performance

Madison, Wis. (April 17, 2025) – National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) recognized four team members with G.R.I.T. Awards during its companywide All Hands Meeting in April. The awards incorporate NGL’s vision for the future, Together for Tomorrow, into its team members’ daily professional lives. Over 100 peer nominations recognized and celebrated colleagues for their outstanding achievements and performance.

The awards highlight the winning mindsets that need to be demonstrated for everyone to deliver and successfully achieve NGL’s goals and vision.

There are four distinct categories for the G.R.I.T. Awards:

Growth and Personal Development Award – Brandon Hellwig, Senior Sales Analyst

The recipient of this award sets clear professional and personal growth objectives. They hold themselves accountable for their own growth and NGL accountable for support. The individual also embraces courageous conversations and chooses to stay resilient through challenges.

Brandon was nominated four times for the Growth and Personal Development Award. “Brandon has shown leadership, is courteous and professional,” shared one nominator. “He is reliable, knowledgeable and extremely organized. Brandon has grown and developed in his position.”

Resilience and Accountability Award – Bruce Nyberg, iSeries Support Specialist

This award recipient is resilient and perseveres. They believe in holding themselves and others accountable for actions and outcomes. Commitment to results and follow through is a basis of their work ethic.

Receiving six nominations from his colleagues, Bruce was awarded the Resilience and Accountability Award. One person who nominated Bruce said, “Bruce holds himself strongly accountable for all the work that he does. He is an invaluable resource for NGL, as well as an outstanding person. He is always willing to help others and solve problems. Bruce goes above and beyond to stay later or drop everything he is working on to help.”

Initiative, Drive and Execution Award – Mandie Hall, Account Success Associate

This award is for the NGL team member who takes initiative with a bias for effective action. They ask for help when needed and look beyond daily tasks to effectively execute plans.

Receiving four nominations for the Initiative, Drive and Execution Award, Mandie incorporates initiative, drive and execution into each of her projects at NGL. “Mandie is understanding, compassionate and knowledgeable. She takes the time to make sure that any issues are heard and resolved. She shows tremendous leadership, is a great worker and an even better person.”

Trust in Each Other Award – Colin Regan, Senior Agent Solutions Coordinator

This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated trust in themselves, peers and leaders. They empower others, is empowered and delegates, as well as fosters open communication by giving and receiving constructive feedback. Collaboration within and across teams is paramount to their work.

“Colin exemplifies trust through his strong communication skills, deep understanding of the business and commitment to collaboration. He consistently demonstrates professionalism by articulating ideas clearly, facilitating productive discussions and guiding teams toward well-informed decisions. Through his actions, Colin not only builds trust but also strengthens the success of those around him.”

NGL is a life and health insurance company specializing in individual and group products. We offer a suite of innovative insurance products for life’s journey, giving our customers financial stability, careful guidance and peace of mind. With 116 years in the insurance industry, we take pride in being there for our customers when they need it most.

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

In the cover photo: From left to right: Joe Celentano, President & CEO; Bruce Nyberg, iSeries Support Specialist; Brandon Hellwig, Senior Sales Analyst; Colin Regan, Senior Agent Solutions Coordinator; Cara Capretta, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer Not pictured: Mandie Hall, Account Success Associate

Johnson Consulting Group’s Volume 8 of the Performance Tracker X Trends and Insights Report Now Available

[Scottsdale, Arizona]: Johnson Consulting Group (JCG) has officially released their Volume 8, 2025 Performance Tracker X Trends and Insights Report, Powered by J3Tech Solutions. 

Performance Tracker X is the complete customer service management tool that evaluates staff and financial performance by sending out surveys to families to get real-time, accurate feedback for a funeral business to make data-driven decisions. 

Each year JCG analyzes every survey that goes through their system to determine what today’s families need and where the profession is headed. Of 135,100 total contracts entered into the system in 2024, they analyzed 113,921 sales and survey data records.  

Some key takeaways from their recent findings include:

• Survey response results: 9.5% of completed surveys generate actionable leads, with an average response rate of 36.7%. This is a total of 5,433 leads generated in 2024. 

• ICPs increase revenue and satisfaction: Per the data, Incentive Compensation Programs do boost revenue and customer satisfaction.

• Cremation is gaining ground: All cremation case types have higher customer satisfaction scores than any burial case types, indicating a shift in family preferences. This could also suggest an exceptional effort being put forth by funeral professionals to enhance customer satisfaction for cremation families.

• Low NPS (Net Promoter Score) for pre-planning: Pre-planned funeral arrangements have the lowest NPS score compared to other reasons for choosing a funeral home.

The report is available to download for FREE.

“It has been said that…If you take care of the families, they will take care of you!…To this end, it’s a privilege to annually present this critical report to our profession,” says Jake Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Consulting Group. “The customer experience remains central to every facet of funeral service, and this report offers invaluable insights for owners and operators, providing a comprehensive understanding of the evolving priorities of today’s families.”

About Johnson Consulting Group and Performance Tracker X: 

The JCG Performance Tracker X tool provides funeral homes, cemeteries, and cremation operations with timely, accurate measurements of customer service and sales performance. Through sending out surveys that allow for direct family feedback, the software offers comprehensive reporting that shows business owners what they are doing well and identifying the areas that need fine-tuning and improvements to increase enterprise value and profitability.

Johnson Consulting Group started its customer survey program in 2008 with continual improvement key to its success as a premier customer survey platform in the funeral space. This growing amount of survey data has proven invaluable for providing insight into customer needs and satisfaction. The company attributes its rapid growth based on its ability to offer the program with no contract to sign, a low monthly cost and accessibility to its experienced Consultants for interpretation and usefulness of the reports.

NGL celebrates team members’ impressive achievements and performance

Madison, Wis. (December 31, 2024) – National Guardian Life Insurance Company’s (NGL) inaugural G.R.I.T. Awards were launched during its December End of Year Celebration. The awards incorporate NGL’s vision for the future, Together for Tomorrow, into its team members’ daily professional lives. Peer nominations recognize and celebrate colleagues for their outstanding achievements and performance.

The awards highlight the winning mindsets that need to be demonstrated for everyone to deliver and successfully achieve NGL’s goals and vision.

There are four distinct categories for the G.R.I.T. Awards:

Growth and Personal Development Award – Oscar Hernandez Tinajero, Technical Support

The recipient of this award sets clear professional and personal growth objectives. They hold themselves accountable for their own growth and NGL accountable for support. The individual also embraces courageous conversations and chooses to stay resilient through challenges.

Oscar was nominated four times for the Growth and Personal Development Award. “Oscar is driven to learn and advance his career at NGL by challenging himself,” shares one nominator. “He joined the IT Customer Service team from a business role, volunteered to join the implementation team for the Data Center moveout weekend, and has now volunteered to assist a more technical team in order to challenge himself and further his career. Oscar continues to show a drive to challenge himself to grow and impresses everyone around him with his ability to succeed at those challenges.”

Resilience and Accountability Award – Jen Hatton, Senior Commissions Administrator

This award recipient is resilient and perseveres. They believe in holding themselves and others accountable for actions and outcomes. Commitment to results and follow through is a basis of their work ethic.

Receiving five nominations from her colleagues, Jen was awarded the Resilience and Accountability Award. One person who nominated Jen says, “She sets an amazing example of resilience and accountability on the Commissions team. Jen’s continual commitment to finding solutions and generating new ideas, even in difficult situations, is a testament to her resilience and perseverance. She also leads by example by keeping herself accountable. She freely admits mistakes, along with learning from them, while frequently helping our own team and even other teams identify and overcome challenges in order to succeed.”

Initiative, Drive and Execution Award – Jessica Miller, Assistant Vice President, Financial Planning, Payroll and Disbursements

This award is for the NGL team member who takes initiative with a bias for effective action. They ask for help when needed and look beyond daily tasks to effectively execute plans.

Receiving three nominations for the Initiative, Drive and Execution Award, Jessica incorporates initiative, drive and execution into each of her projects at NGL. “Jessica has worked tirelessly to improve key processes. She drove the implementation of a new accounts payable software which enabled better workflow, tracking and automation of disbursements coding. She overhauled the budget process and has worked collaboratively with every budget owner throughout NGL to help them understand their costs and plan accurately for the coming year. Jessica executes on every task she takes on and has a true drive for excellence. She is a team player and does her best to provide one-on-one customer service to the organization, no matter how busy she is.”

Trust in Each Other Award – Lisa Warner, Claims Adjudicator

This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated trust in themselves, peers and leaders. They empower others, is empowered and delegates, as well as fosters open communication by giving and receiving constructive feedback. Collaboration within and across teams is paramount to their work.

“Lisa is always available to help deal with complicated claims or to help train newer members on different types of claims. She has been the point person on several complicated claims this year, some of which have involved multiple beneficiaries who have unique needs and questions. She also has a wonderful personality and adds so much to the team.”

NGL is a life and health insurance company specializing in individual and group products. We offer a suite of innovative insurance products for life’s journey, giving our customers financial stability, careful guidance and peace of mind. With 115 years in the insurance industry, we take pride in being there for our customers when they need it most.

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.