Kates-Boylston Publications has been covering death care for more than a century. Funeral Service Insider brings that institutional knowledge to bear on current events with the aim of helping funeral service professionals better understand the present and plan for the future.
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Earnings Reports, NOR Company Opens in Nevada, Unclaimed UK Remains and More
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In this episode, we run down the implications of this week's earnings calls and their implications. SCI's numbers weren't off the chart, but their new preneed plan is worth hearing. Carriage Services delivered another beat and revealed its success was in cremation. Although lots of states have legalized NOR, Nevada is just the third state where it'…
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Professional Development: Multigenerational Wisdom and Bridging the Gap with Sanchez Burns Turner
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This week we speak with Sanchez Burns Turner on what it took to prepare for the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association centennial celebration and his hopes for the future. Burns Turner has been working in the national office for most of his professional career and recently was elevated to National Office Lead in addition to his respons…
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Matthews Dividend, Event Centers, and other news from around Funeral Service
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In this week's roundup, we bring you updates on Matthews' dividend payout, a unique funeral band in Singapore, and recent incidents in Iowa. We'll also share the latest appointments and recognitions from around the funeral service profession. Join us as we dive into these fascinating stories and get a glimpse into the ever-evolving landscape of fun…
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Licensure Questions, M&A, Promotions, and More
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In this episode, we review the licensure discussions in the U.S. and UK, consider some recent acquisitions, and talk about some promotions and appointments from around the industry. Links to the stories are below: UK Funeral Director Bump U.S. Regulation Commentary Anderson Appointed NGL Pomotions Caldwell Parrish M&A Mohawk Valley Sale…
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End-of-Life Care: Education and Collaboration in the Funeral Industry with Christa Ovenell
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In this week’s episode we speak with Christa Ovenell about her journey from a non-teaching administrator to a funeral director and death doula. Click here for complete show notes.By Tony Russo
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More Partnerships, PA Gas Problems, and Legacy Obituary Changes
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11:23
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This episode of "In Case You Missed It," covers a range of topics, including a partnership announcement between Global Atlantic Financial Group and Service Corporation International, and a new program from Legacy. We also touch on the implications of a gas company decision to stop serving a Pennsylvania funeral home and announce new webinar archive…
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Professional Development: Bridging Passion and Purpose with Jedd Lapid
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Click here for complete show notes.
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New Decomp Revelations, Death Certificate Controversy, and Tesla Sues Matthews for $1 Billion and more
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Click here for the complete show notes. Story Links: Delaware’s Death Certificate Practice Challenged New Decomposition Discovery Washington Splits the Difference on Unclaimed Remains Billion-Dollar Matthews Suit
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Park Lawn Next Steps, Cremation Temps Lowered, Found Remains, and more
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Park Lawn has set the record and meeting date for its special meeting of shareholders. This meeting is convened to consider the proposed going private transaction. Under the terms of the transaction, Viridian Acquisition of Homesteaders Life Company and Birch Hill Equity Partners Management Inc., will acquire all outstanding common shares of Park L…
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Mortuary School: Beyond Embalming with Faith Haug
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Faith Haug, who runs the mortuary science program at Arapahoe Community College in the Littleton, Colorado, transformed the curriculum by incorporating modern practices and a broader understanding of death care. Click here for full show notes.By Tony Russo
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Pride-Friendly Funeral Homes, ‘Chop Shop’ Series, and More Succession Issues
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As your trusted source for funeral service news and updates, we wanted to share the links to the stories we covered in this episode of In Case You Missed It. - LGBTQIA+ Funeral website launches - Closure and succession - Performance Tracker X Customer Service Trends & Insight Report Award - 'Chop Shop' Series Announced - Funeral Home Evicts County …
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Park Lawn Goes Private, Mr. Gay GB, Cremation Legislation, and more
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In this week's episode, Tony Russo covers some headline-making news in funeral service. From the acquisition of Parklawn by Homesteaders Life Company and Birch Hill Equity Partners Management to the regulatory changes in New York and Pennsylvania, Tony delves into the implications for funeral homes and crematories. He also touches on the noteworthy…
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Grief Support: Empowering Grievers with Crystal Webster
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In this week’s episode, Crystal Webster, founder of Sharing Solace, shares stories and insights highlighting the transformative power of community support and the journey from grief to healing. Click here for full show notes.By Tony Russo
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Illinois Tracking Regulation, Contentious Elections and a New Scholarship
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10:52
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As your trusted source for funeral service news and updates, we wanted to share the links to the stories we covered in this episode of In Case You Missed It. The debate surrounding preneed sales and a response to a Wall Street Journal article Regulatory developments in the Illinois State House regarding a tagging system for human remains Election c…
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Green Funerals: Ceremonial Caskets as an Environmentally Friendly Alternative with Landon Elder
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Ceremonial caskets can be a big part of helping green your business. Click here for complete show notes.By Tony Russo
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Bad Actors Get Caught: Funeral Industry News from FSI
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Click here for complete show notes.By Tony Russo
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Funeral Service News: Carriage Earnings, Mortuary School Insights, and Stupid Is as Stupid Does
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Grief Support: Children’s Books about Death with Amanda King
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In the latest episode of Funeral Service Insider, Amanda Marie Eilis King talks about the importance of children’s books and resources in funeral service. Click here for complete show notes.By Tony Russo
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Funeral Service News: SCI Lawsuit, Earnings Season Begins, N.Y. Funeral Home Woes and Green Cemeteries
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A roundup of this week's news in the end of life industry. Click here for complete show notes.
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Funeral Service News: FTC, DOL and the Weekly ICYMI Roundup
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10:07
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In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, we discuss how recent FTC and Department of Labor changes could affect funeral service, plus a roundup of funeral service news from the week. Click here for complete show notes.By Tony Russo
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Tech In Funeral Service: Eco-Friendly, "Frictionless" Death Care with Alexis McCurdy
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Click here for full show notes.By Tony Russo
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Funeral Service News: American Cemetery & Cremation Editor Tom Nondorf
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In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, Tom Nondorf, who joined Kates-Boylston Publications in late November as the new editor of American Cemetery & Cremation magazine. His responsibilities include finding and developing stories, as well as working closely with writers. Click here for complete show notes.…
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Empowering the Next Generation: Madeline Lyles on Funeral Service Camp for Teens
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Funeral director Madeline Lyles discusses the summer camp she and business partner Dana Taylor created for young individuals interested in funeral service. Click here for full show notes.
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Graves: A Cultural History with Allison C. Meier
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In this episode, we speak with writer and tour guide Allison Meier about burial practices, cemeteries, and her latest book, “Grave.” Meier shares her insights on the cultural and societal significance of graves, drawing from her experiences leading tours at New York City area cemeteries and her profound interest in the storytelling potential at the…
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Improving Follow-Up, Phone Etiquette, and Lead Generation with Niki Wiedeman
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In this episode, we speak with Niki Wiedeman, call excellence facilitator for Dead Ringers, a secret shopper/phone etiquette consulting company, about the importance of impeccable customer service when answering the phone. Click here for full show notes.By Tony Russo
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The Rise of Direct Aquamation with Eric M. Bester
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Eric M. Bester talks about "Tranquility Cremation by Aquamation” which was the first standalone facility of its kind in North Carolina, possibly the country. Click here for complete show notes.By Tony Russo
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Recruitment and Retention Insights with Bob Heidlage
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Bob Heidlage, president and managing partner of Global Recruiters of Batesville, discusses the ins and outs of recruiting and retaining employees in the funeral service profession. Click here for full show notes.By Tony Russo
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Maximizing Production and Managing Labor Costs with Bill Ford
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In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, we speak with Bill Ford, president of SESCO Management Consultants, about aspects of the Kates-Boylston Compensation Report, which collected a decade’s worth of data from funeral directors and funeral home owners. Click here for complete show notes.By Tony Russo
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Year in Review with Death-Care Reporter Stan Goldstein
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Stan Goldstein, who writes for both American Funeral Director magazine and American Cemetery and Cremation magazine joins us for our inaugural Year In Review episode. Click here for full show notes.By Tony Russo
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Funeral Planning Software with Effie Anolik
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Effie Anolik, co-founder and CEO of Afterword, talks about her decision to build a funeral home management platform that helps families arrange funerals online and shares her personal experience of arranging her father’s funeral in 2018. Click here for the full show notes.By Tony Russo
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Funeral Director of the Year: A Conversation with Patricia Quigley
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An in-depth interview with the American Funeral Director magazine Funeral Director if the Year. Click here for detailed show notes.By Tony Russo
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Valuing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Funeral Service with Tori Dixon
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In this episode, we speak with Tori Dixon about how to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion while also strengthening your business in the long term. Click here for complete show notes.By Tony Russo
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Saving Michigan Preneed: A Conversation with Jon O’Hara
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Jon O’Hara, CEO of the Great Lakes Family of Companies in Michigan, which supports funeral homes on their preplanning and marketing, talked about how he worked to change the law in Michigan to allow preneed insurance carriers to continue operating in the state. He said that it was important to have a local voice working on the issue, and that the r…
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Solving the Mystery of Unclaimed Remains with Jo Ciavaglia
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In this episode, journalist Jo Ciavaglia talks about the incredible journey she embarked upon with her colleagues to create an unclaimed remains program. From the initial curiosity sparked by stories of homeless individuals passing away, to the development of a comprehensive database and the impact it has had on families and communities, Ciavaglia’…
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Hospice and Funeral Home Relationships: A Deep Dive with Greg Grabowski
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Greg Grabowski, hospice professional and co-author of "Engaging the Heart of Hospice,” a book about the relationship between hospice and funeral directors. Written in collaboration with funeral director Lacey Robinson, the book discusses the disconnets and taboos and how to break them. The book is available here. Click here for the show notes.…
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Creating a Unified Personal and Business Brand with Dr. Camelia L. Clarke
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In this episode we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Camelia L. Clarke, who shed light on the evolving landscape of social media and its impact on personal and business branding. She emphasized that it is crucial to define your personal brand, because otherwise someone else will define it for you. This rings especially true in the funeral indus…
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The Silent Struggle: Battling Burnout with Mike Dixon
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In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, host Tony Russo welcomes Mike Dixon, a veteran funeral director and founder and executive director of Funeral Professionals Peer Support. Dixon is dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of professionals in the funeral service industry. Click here for the show notes.…
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The Power of Earned Media: Danielle Burmeister on Expanding Your Reach and Reputation
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Danielle Burmeister, vice president of marketing for Homesteaders Life Company discusses the best ways to get and leverage earned media. Click here for more info and the transcript.
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Doak Morasco on Navigating Climate Change in Cemetery Landscapes
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In this episode of Funeral Service Insider, Doak Marasco discusses the effect climate change has on cemetery landscapes. See full show notes here.By Tony Russo
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Taelor Johnson on Implementing Green Funerals
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On this episode of Funeral Service Insider, Taelor Johnson of Interra Green Burial by Mueller Memorial talks about that firm’s unique approach to offering green options to their families. Johnson grew up in the funeral business and has seen how it has changed in the last 20 years. Listen to the show for discount a promo code to the Kates-Boylston F…
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Barbara Kemmis, executive director of the Cremation Association of North America, joins host Tony Russo to discuss ways to navigate local opposition when opening a crematory. The Not-In-My-Back-Yard movement is often driven as much by ignorance and surprise as anything else. Working to assuage NIMBYs before they get all het up is easier than trying…
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Derek Maher on Maximizing Space and Memorialization
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On this episode of Funeral Service Insider, host Tony Russo interviews Derek Maher - a fourth-generation funeral director, who grew up with death being a normal topic of conversation at the dinner table. Maher emphasizes the importance of having conversations about funeral arrangements well in advance, citing the lack of guidance often resulting in…
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Tony Kumming on Acquisitions and Partnerships
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Tony Kumming, the new president of Pinnacle Funeral Service, joins Tony Russo to talk about his vision for growing the company and the shifting concerns surrounding the succession or sale of a funeral home. Kumming has been in the finance end of funeral service for 16 years. He started in 2007 with Keystone which was soon purchased by Service Corpo…
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Samuel Perry, assistant lecturer of mortuary science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, teaches green funeral practices to future funeral directors. Perry came to funeral service having started as a groundskeeper for his local funeral home in high school. It wasn’t until he started working as a funeral director, though, that he realized he…
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Jennifer Wright-Berryman on LGBTQ+ Issues for Funeral Directors
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Jennifer Wright-Berryman, associate professor of social work at the University of Cincinnati, was looking into death care in stigmatized circumstances when she turned her attention to how funeral homes interact with LBGTQ+ people. She found the industry lacking in her initial research into whether funeral home websites were LGBTQ+ friendly. FSI rep…
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"Dr. T." Tanya Scotece on Mortuary School
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Tanya Scotece, program coordinator for the Funeral Service Education Program at Miami Dade College, discusses teaching adults and trends in mortuary education. While there are lots of things she thinks mortuary schools do well, she also recognizes there can be gaps. Scotece speaks at length about how she has made changes in her own program and how …
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Death care is changing now more than it has in 100 years. Each episode features conversations with funeral directors, cemeterians and other death-care professionals working to navigate this traditional vocation as it transforms to continue meeting each family's needs. Funeral Service Insider: The Podcast is a Kates-Boylston production. Visit Kates-…
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