Coleen Ellis is founder and president of Two Hearts Pet Loss Center in Greenwood, Indiana and is chair of the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance. She holds a Death & Grief Studies Certification with a specialty in Pet Loss Companioning.  

Bill Remkus is the third-generation owner of Hillsdale Animal Cemetery & Crematory in Willowbrook, Illinois.

10 to 11 a.m.
The Art of Enchantement  GENERAL SESSION
Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki, best known for his work turning Apple into a successful and beloved brand in the mid-1980s, knows what it takes for a company to capture the hearts of its customers, to take on seemingly unbeatable competition and to create its own "Bright Future."

In this presentation, he'll share how to "enchant" both your customers and your staff so that you change hearts, minds and actions.

Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist for Apple, is the co-founder of Alltop.com, an online "magazine rack" of popular topics on the Web, and is a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures. He is the author of nine books, including "Reality Check," "Rules for Revolutionaries," "How to Drive Your Competition Crazy," "The Art of the Start" and "Selling the Dream."

A regular columnist for the American Express Open Forum and for Entrepreneur magazine, he holds a bachelor's degree from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA.

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lunch at the Expo

2 to 3 p.m.
You Have to Know the Heights of Love to Understand the Depths of Loss
Dr. Marty Becker
In this General Session, Dr. Marty Becker will offer a fascinating exploration of the human-pet connection and its profound effect within the lives of pet owners. Medical doctors, psychologists and veterinarians agree: People don't just want to have pets in our lives, they need pets. Study after study shows that pets have the power to heal; because of this, the loss of a pet can be especially traumatic. The "pet parent" loses a friend and a healer. Having witnessed thousands of people deal with pet loss, Becker will offer his insights into how death care professionals—both those who work specifically in the area of pet loss and also those who operate traditional cemeteries and funeral homes—can offer a skilled, warm hand to pet owners to validate their loss and gently guide them along the rocky road of grief. 

Nicknamed "America's Veterinarian," Dr. Becker is the resident veterinarian for "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show." He is a regular contributor to Parade magazine and is the pet-care expert for the AARP. He has authored and co-authored numerous books, including "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul," "The Healing Power of Pets: Harnessing the Amazing Ability of Pets to Make and Keep People Happy and Healthy" and The New York Times best-seller, "Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet?"

Cemetery Infrastructure: Building a Strong Foundation for Business
Thomas J. DeGrace, PE, PP
For cemeteries, business begins with the grounds. Without an attractive and functional property, you have no sales and thus no opportunity for service.

In this session, cemetery developer Tom DeGrace will examine cemetery infrastructure and the issues that most affect your ability to maintain and manage a successful operation. Using photos from existing cemeteries, he'll provide examples of good and poor conditions and offer expertise on how to prevent and correct potential problems. Among the elements to be discussed:

• drainage
• roads
• maintenance areas
• water features
• dams
• dirt disposal
• vegetation
• garden mapping and pinning

Tom DeGrace is market segment manager for Prime Engineering, Atlanta, Georgia. He has 25 years of experience managing survey programs, due diligence appraisals, site master planning, erosion control programs and other land development projects. He specializes in civil design on behalf of cemetery developers and has managed cemetery development for both independent and corporate-owned cemeteries throughout the Southeast.

Recruiting: Building the Team of Tomorrow
Barbara K. Milton
Finding staff who are passionate about our industry can be a challenge, but it is perhaps the most critical component to building a bright future.

The Buchanan Group in Indianapolis, Indiana, has begun partnering with local educational centers to develop and nurture potential talent. Through efforts such as sports endorsements, field-trip sponsorships and event assistance for scholarship fundraisers, the company has reached out to local youth and the community to improve the image of the industry and present itself as an attractive choice for career development.

Discover ways your cemetery or funeral home can broaden your definition of "recruitment" through investments as simple as providing meeting event space, getting involved in career days, offering internships, helping with interviewing projects, mentoring and serving on local educational boards.

Barb Milton is vice president of community relations for the Buchanan Group, Indianapolis, Indiana. Her background expands all levels of the industry and includes positions as a licensed preneed family counselor, cemetery manager, certified celebrant, certified cremationist, as well as a minister of bereavement.

2 to 4 p.m.
Can the Best Embalmers Still Learn Something?
Ken Whittaker
Many embalmers believe they are the best around at their trade, and they may be right. But even the best of the best can benefit from stepping back and asking themselves: Could I be better? And if so, how?

In this session, Ken Whittaker will challenge you to go from "the best" to "even better" with a look at the value of thorough case analysis. When it comes to quality embalming, there is often more than one way to handle a case. The old one-point approach to most embalming is becoming a thing of the past; it is more important than ever not to get stuck in the "always/never" syndrome and to find creative ways to get the job done. 

Ken Whittaker is a consultant and education director with Pierce Companies in Dallas, Texas. He is a licensed funeral director and embalmer and is a graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science and holds a bachelor of science from East Texas State University.

3 to 4 p.m.
International Moments, Part I
Gus Nichols, Bryan Elliott, Teresa Saavedra and Wang Jisheng

Nichols	Elliott	Saavedra	Jisheng

The ICCFA has invited representatives from Europe, Asia, Australia and South America to join us for "International Moments," an exploration of the funeral and burial customs and best practices from throughout the world. Join us as we welcome:

• Gus Nichols, managing director of J & C Nichols Ltd., Dublin, Ireland, and president, FIAT-IFTA (International Federation of Thanatologists Associations). 
• Bryan Elliott, chief executive officer of Centennial Park Cemetery Authority, Pasadena, South Australia, and president of the Australian Cemeteries and Crematoria Association.
• Teresa Saavedra, chief executive officer, general manager and shareholder of Parque de las Memorias, Cochabamba, Bolivia, and president of ALPAR, the Latin American Association of Cemeteries and Funeral Services.
• Wang Jisheng, president of Fu Shou Yuan Group, Shanghai, China, and director of the Cemetery Committee of China Funeral Association.

Pet Care/Pet Loss: Working Together to Serve Families  PLPA
Veterinarian roundtable
Join Drs. Marty Becker, Amir Shanan and other veterinarians for a highly interactive discussion of how veterinarians and pet loss professionals can work together to best serve families at their time of need.

Dr. Amir Shanan has been a practicing veterinarian in Chicago, Illinois since 1985. His practice, Compassionate Veterinary Care, has helped thousands of pet parents and their terminally ill beloved companions with guidance and support. In 2007, he founded Compassion for Pets, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to educate pet parents and veterinarians about the benefits of hospice care services for pets and to promote the availability of such services. In 2009, he founded the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC), dedicated to promoting comfort-oriented nursing and medical care for companion animals as they near the end of their life and as they die.

Crematory Operator Tricks and Tips
CREMATION COACHING CENTER LIVE!
Larry Stuart Jr.
Larry Stuart will provide a highly practical discussion on crematory operations, examining specific cases and how they differ inside the units and how to most effectively, efficiently, safely and responsibly process each case.

You'll learn how to anticipate conditions within the cremation chamber, especially problem situations, and how to avoid them to ensure a safe cremation.

Larry Stuart is president of Crematory Manufacturing & Service, Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a member of the Cremation Association of North America's board of directors and is editor in chief of CANA's Cremationist magazine. He is part of the ICCFA's cremation coaching team at www.cremationcoach.com.

Becoming an "Undercover Boss" 
Richard F. Perl, CCFE
Sometimes we as owners and managers can become so removed from the front line that we lose touch with what's going on within our own companies. But what we don't know can hurt our businesses, and what we think we know might hurt them even more. 

In this interactive session, Dick Perl will use examples from the "Undercover Boss" TV show and from within our industry to look at the value of walking in your staff's shoes for a day to experience your facilities, your management policies and your company's customer interactions from their perspective. He'll explore the skills that can make you a strong team leader and motivator.

Dick Perl is director of marketing and sales at Mobile Memorial Gardens in Mobile, Alabama. He began his career in the early 1970s selling preneed property and memorialization. He previously served as manager of a cemetery/funeral home combination as well as a cemetery owner in Florida.

4 to 5 p.m.
The Secret Lives of Visionaries  GENERAL SESSION
Eric Haseltine
What does it mean to be a "visionary?" According to neuroscientist and business executive Eric Haseltine, it doesn't mean seeing things others can't see. It means seeing the same things everyone else does, but seeing them in a different way. And it's something you can learn to do.

In this keynote session, Haseltine will show you how to refocus and redefine the business realities that exist right in front of you—how to make the mundane momentous and how to turn perceived threats into opportunities. He'll examine specific issues facing our industry and challenge you to re-envision them to achieve both short- and long-term advantages in the marketplace.

Eric Haseltine, Ph.D., is author of "Long Fuse, Big Bang: Achieving Long-Term Success Through Daily Victories," which was released by Hyperion in July and quickly rose to become one of the top-selling business books of 2010. He is president and managing director of Haseltine Partners LLC in Washington, D.C., and is an expert on managing innovation processes. 

Haseltine has experience in the defense, intelligence and entertainment industries, having served in such diverse capacities as director of research for the National Security Agency, associate director for science and technology for the director of National Intelligence and executive vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering. He holds a doctoral degree in physiological psychology and has published more than 100 articles in periodicals such as Psychology Today and Discover Magazine.

5 to 7 p.m.
IMSA Exhibitors Reception in the Expo Hall

THURSDAY, MARCH 10

7 to 8:15 a.m.

Elvig	Creedy

ICCFA Prayer Breakfast:
"Brother, Can You Spare a Twenty? Charitable Giving in a Cynical Age"
Paul Elvig and Alan Creedy will co-host this open-ended session exploring the tricky terrain of almsgiving to people who may or may not need it. Join us for good fellowship and good food, and bring your comments too!

This year's Prayer Breakfast is complimentary thanks to a sponsorship and is open to the first 85 individuals to request a ticket. You may request a ticket on your registration form.

8:30 to 10 a.m.
Jewish Funeral Directors of America
Annual Business Meeting
The JFDA will hold its annual business meeting on March 10 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. and will hold educational sessions on Jewish funeral customs and practices on the afternoon of March 10.

Beating Burnout: Caring for the Caregiver
R. Scott Boots, MPA
Who cares for the care provider? Those who offer their compassion, skills and resources to those in need often are at risk for burnout, "compassion fatigue" and other trauma. Nationwide focus groups held by the Health Cares Exchange Initiative (HCEI) have confirmed the need among those in caring professions to celebrate their spirit and journey while also learning self-preservation skills for the future.

In this session, wellness expert R. Scott Boots will take you through a series of experiential exercises that will enable you to:

• understand the dynamics of providing care
• articulate how you experience stress
• identify symptoms of compassion fatigue
• develop practical, proven solutions and exercises to reduce stress
• set healthy goals and create a future response plan for personal and professional stress

R. Scott Boots has trained thousands of caregivers on how to beat burnout. He works at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry and serves as co-chair of the college's Diversity Advisory Committee. Previously he held positions at the University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Research Services, the Midwest AIDS Education and Training Center, the Massachusetts departments of Public Health, Social Services and Environmental Protection, as well as other public and private institutions. He holds an MPA from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa.

Accountability: The Ultimate GPS
Christopher Kuhnen
Have you ever developed a solid business, career, sales or marketing strategy for yourself, yet somehow managed to come up short? What was missing? Where did you go wrong? The answer may lie with a lack of accountability.

FRIDAY, MARCH 11

8:30 to 10 a.m.

Can Big Government Be Rolled Back?

Irwin Shipper, moderator

Join moderator Irwin Shipper and his panel of experts as they recommend how you can position your business in response to new and proposed tax regulations, legislation and a Congressional investigation of state funeral and cemetery laws. Email your questions to the panelists in advance of the session through rfells@iccfa.com.

 

 

Partnering with Hospice

Kim Medici Shelquist

Kim Shelquist, director of marketing communications at Homesteaders Life Company and a former hospice employee, is uniquely positioned to understand the potential benefits and challenges involved in forming partnerships between funeral homes and hospice providers. She understands the potential conflict between the two organizations but believes passionately that funeral home owners can benefit from associations with their local hospice organizations.  

In this presentation, she will explain the basics of hospice operations and how funeral directors can create relationships with these organizations that will benefit their preneed programs. Both hospice and funeral service professions care deeply about starting conversations in their communities that lead to enhanced end-of-life experiences. Discover how you can best initiate those conversations.

Kim Medici Shelquist is director of marketing communications at Homesteaders Life Company, Des Moines, Iowa. She oversees the company's internal communications as well as the development of marketing tools funeral home customers use to grow their business. Prior to joining Homesteaders, she served as business development and communications director with Hospice of Central Iowa, the state's oldest and largest not-for-profit hospice care provider.

 

 

 

8:30 a.m. to Noon

Burn Ramirez Strohofer Kara Ludlum Marty Ludlum Roduck The Cremation Customer CREMATION COACHING CENTER LIVE! How do you reach today's cremation customers? How do you communicate the value of tribute and memorialization to them? How do you ensure that you provide them with the level of service and care these families require? This 3.5-hour series of sessions will provide tools and best practices to help you and your arrangements staff better serve your cremation clients. Introduction Julie A. Burn, CCrE, CSE ICCFA Director of Cremation Services Julie Burn will kick off this session with a profile of today's cremation customer, including what they are looking for and how this morning's sessions will help you create meaningful ceremonies that properly express and pay tribute to a loved one. The Time to ACT is Now Nectar Ramirez Join Nectar Ramirez as she shares the most up-to-date consumer research on cremation preferences and identifies the gaps between what consumers want and what we as cemetery and funeral service professionals currently make available to them. Next, you'll learn ACT Now (Acting on Cremation Challenges Together), a comprehensive five-step system that drives both increased revenues and greater family satisfaction. The New Arrangement Conference Marty Strohofer The compact one- to two-hour meeting with the family where all cremation decisions get made is a thing of the past. Today, the family probably has already made a host of important decisions before ever meeting you. Many of the opportunities for service may already be off the table before they ever set foot in your front door, and the family may have developed certain expectations you are unable to meet. In this session, Marty Strohofer will discuss how to shift your business practices to make the arrangement conference of today work for you and your company. He'll examine: how to get information into families' hands earlier in the process, so their preferences have not been hardened in unproductive ways how to handle the challenges presented when all decision makers cannot be present for the conference structural changes you can make to address potential problems with preneed plans that need to be adjusted or supplemented. Making the Cremation Arrangement Conference More Efficient and Inviting Kara Gray Ludlum and Dr. Marty Ludlum The presentation of cremation choices can be confusing for both the customer and the funeral director. In this session, Kara and Marty Ludlum will demonstrate a presentation option that uses today's latest technology to make this process more efficient and organized while also ensuring a comfortable, inviting presentation. Not only will this process save you time and money; it will help prevent costly and often time-consuming mistakes. How to Profit and Grow in a High-Cremation Market Kent Roduck While most cemeteries and funeral homes in North America are coming to terms with the continuing increase in cremation rates, many still are struggling with the transition to this new service model. Kent Roduck's funeral home has found a way to grow and remain profitable in a 90 percent cremation market. In this session, he'll share a dozen secrets to his company's success: making sure your services are current and relevant for today's cremation consumer designing a cremation selection room that works. ensuring your facilities appeal to cremation families. retaining telephone price shoppers. teaching your staff to consistently present all the options. adding hospitality services to your offerings creating obituary notices that will brand your firm in the reader's mind. understanding the five biggest myths about cremation and how to successfully deal with them. understanding the fivebiggest objections from cremation families and how you can make them work for you. creating advertising that gets results! pricing vs. your competition achieving zero receivables Julie Burn is ICCFA director of cremation services and is a member of the ICCFA Cremation Coaching Center team. Nectar Ramirez is director of sales for Options by Batesville, Batesville, Indiana. Marty Strohofer is director of creative marketing, Aurora Casket Company, Aurora, Indiana. Kara Ludlum is owner of Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home, and Marty Ludlum is professor of legal studies, University of Central Oklahoma. Kent Roduck is owner/manager of Island Funeral Services Ltd., Campbell River, British Columbia.

 

Sehee Hodes Olson Elliott Noble   Conservation Compendium: The Economics of Going Green Moderated by Joe Sehee For a number of years, our industry has talked about the growing market for more eco-friendly cemetery services, but we have made few attempts to understand the potential economic savings associated with this trend. This session will reveal how green practices can help not only the environment but also your cemetery's bottom line. We'll explore how environmentally sustainable initiatives can reduce operations and maintenance costs within conventional cemeteries, based in part on a soon-to-be-published white paper by the Green Burial Council as well as on specific case studies. The 3.5-hour morning session will be followed with a one-hour Q&A session after lunch with the full panel of speakers. Participants will include: Jeff Hodes, CCE, president of Cemetery Management Solutions, Herndon, Virginia, who will share his findings from an analysis of operations and maintenance issues at several "green" cemeteries throughout North America. Joe Sehee, executive director of the Green Burial Council, who will take a look at leading-edge products, practices, trends and concerns, particularly those that have emerged over the past year. Stephen Olson, president of Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria, British Columbia, who will provide a case study of Canada's first natural burial ground situated within a conventional cemetery. Bryan Elliott, chief executive officer of Centennial Park Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia, who will share his company's award-winning environmental efforts and will offer advice on how making even small changes such as embracing recycling and reducing landfill waste can affect your bottom line. Tim Smith, JD, president of Hainsworth USA, Glenwood, Maryland, who will present research on the potential for reuse of burial plots, including an analysis of state regulatory issues pertaining to the practice. David Noble, River View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon, who will share his cemetery's experience eliminating the use of vaults, including economic and maintenance challenges and solutions.

10 to 11 a.m.
Death Care: The Emergence of a New Normal
Alan Creedy
Your future can be bright if you understand the trends shaping tomorrow's marketplace and listen to what the 2011 ICCFA Convention speakers teach you about how to steer your company forward. On the Convention's final day, Alan Creedy will share an all-new presentation in which he ties together the most critical components of the future business environment, addresses the impact of trends and their conflict with today's practices and identifies specific things you and your company need to do to remain competitive.

Alan Creedy is an industry analyst and strategic consultant. He is currently president of Trust 100, Raleigh, North Carolina. Previously he held numerous executive positions within the death care industry, including president of Brown-Wynne funeral homes and cemeteries and president of OGR Service Corporation.

National Cemetery Administration Update
Don W. Murphy
The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) operates 131 national cemeteries and manages two programs to honor the memory of our nation's heroes: the Headstone and Marker Program and the Presidential Memorial Certificate Program. The NCA leads the nation in customer service, eclipsing many in private industry as well as all other government agencies with a satisfaction rating of 95 out of 100. 

Join Don Murphy for the latest updates from the NCA, including details on nine new national cemeteries to be constructed within the next few years and the VA's newest benefit, the Medallion.

Don Murphy is chief of operations for the Veterans Administration, National Cemetery Administration, Memorial Programs Service, Washington, D.C. He frequently speaks at private conventions regarding burial and memorial benefits and attends conferences for veterans service organizations to ensure they are updated on legislative changes and new benefits available for deceased veterans and their family members.

10 a.m. to Noon
Embalming Experts Roundtable
Melissa Johnson Williams, CFSP (moderator); Robert G. Mayer, CFSP; Sharon Gee; Karl Wenzel, CFSP

Williams	Mayer	Gee	Wenzel

Join some of the most renowned experts in embalming for a wide-ranging discussion of frequently encountered embalming problems and predicaments. Topics will include:

• preparation of the obese deceased
• preparation of remains with edema
• preparation for viewing without embalming
• how to discuss the issues re: viewing difficult cases with the family
• "green" embalming and what that means
• embalmer safety

Come prepared to share your challenges and ask questions!

Melissa Johnson Williams is an embalmer and funeral director with Johnson-Williams Funeral Service, Forest Park, Illinois. She is the executive director of the American Society of Embalmers.

Robert Mayer is an adjunct professor at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and is author of "Embalming: History, Theory and Practice." 

Sharon Gee is an embalming instructor at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, and is manager of Pixley Funeral Home's Godhardt-Tomlinson Chapel in Keego Harbor, Michigan.

Karl Wenzel is Arbor Memorial Services' lead embalmer/consultant and reconstruction specialist. Karl's home base is McEachnie Funeral Home in Ajax, Ontario, Canada, and he serves on the ASE Board of Directors.

11 a.m. to Noon
Strategic Planning That Works: A Skeptic's Story
Gary Freytag
When Spring Grove undertook a strategic planning initiative for its two cemeteries, funeral home and crematory in early 2010, President Gary Freytag had his doubts. "I was not a big fan," he said. "To me, strategic planning meant wordsmithing some high-minded concepts, putting them on a plaque on the wall, and then going back to real work."

Then Spring Grove brought in a consultant who had successfully developed a strategic planning process for a Fortune 50 company, and the numbers-driven system he introduced turned Freytag into a believer.

In this session, Freytag will share how to develop and adopt a strategic plan that goes beyond lip service to produce results. Whether your company is large or small, whether you wish to develop a plan for the entire company or for a single department, you won't want to miss this presentation. Among the topics covered:

• Determining your strategic planning priorities
• Developing measurable goals 
• Rolling out plan initiatives
• Creating team assignments and achieving staff buy-in
• Conducting ongoing audits and reporting results

Make Your Business ROCK
Michael Bohner
Michael Bohner will walk you through a simple yet comprehensive four-step approach to your business model that involves your entire team and puts them all on the same page:

Revenue Increase – Those things that directly affect the bottom line.  What are the things that create revenue at your location?  How can you increase your revenue stream?

Operational Efficiency – Can you streamline processes? eliminate redundancies? By taking an objective look at how you do things and incorporating everyone's viewpoint, you may discover several areas that need attention.

Culture Building – Ask yourself and your team: Who are we? Who do we want to be?  Often you'll come up with two completely different answers. How can you clearly communicate both internally and externally who you are and what you are all about?

Knowledge – Training is one of the most important tools for any organization, yet it is often one of the most neglected. By identifying needs within your organization, you can develop a targeted training program that addresses those specific issues and you can schedule your training so that it is systematic, with measurable results. Knowledge is power.

Michael Bohner is general manager of Serenity Meadows Memorial Park, Funeral Home and Crematory, Riverview, Florida. Prior to becoming involved in the cemetery and funeral service profession, he served as vice president/general manager for one of the largest independent jewelers in the eastern United States. He helped develop training programs and was a sought-after speaker for the Luxury Jewelers Resource Group, the Jewelers Association of America and many local retailers and associations.

 

 

Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch on your own

 

 

 

 

1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Ethical Choices: The Story of Someone Who Made Some Bad Decisions (and Paid the Price)
Chuck Gallagher
On a crisp October day in 1995, Chuck Gallagher took 23 physical steps, opened a door and began a new experience that was life-changing. Join Chuck for this high-energy, thought provoking and at times painfully honest presentation as he shares life lessons on how to:

• transform self-limiting beliefs into personal and organizational success
• use ethical choices to enhance business growth and success
• understand how corporate social responsibility can create a new dynamic for business growth
• help your employees increase ethics awareness and reduce fraud
• understand the effects of choices on one's personal and professional lives

Chuck Gallagher is chief operating officer for American Funeral Financial, Greenville, South Carolina. He is internationally recognized as a leading business ethics and corporate social responsibility presenter and is author of "Second Chances: Transforming Adversity into Opportunity."

 

 

50 Ways to Love Your Marketing Levers PLPA

Coleen Ellis

As you think creatively about where to find pet parents to tell them about your services, Coleen Ellis will share with you:

• how to you approach local businesses to become a resource to them through their human resource departments
• the true value of getting feedback from a satisfaction survey
• social media success stories – where is the best place to "tell your story" to pet parents
• how to let technology work for you in creating mindshare on your pet loss business within your community

Coleen Ellis is founder and president of Two Hearts Pet Loss Center in Greenwood, Indiana and is chair of the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance. She holds a Death & Grief Studies Certification with a specialty in Pet Loss Companioning.

 

 

 

 

We Don't Sell Dirt… We Sell Memorials

Randall Wood, CCE

Every service performed by a cemetery or funeral home should include the Four R's: Remembrance, Reflection, Refocus and Reverence. These are the cornerstones of our business, and making them the focus of our services produces an "awe" experience for our clients.

Randy Wood will examine the five key areas of service most important to the purchaser and the five risks you need to be willing to take to get an "awe" response.

Randy Wood is responsible for operations, sales and development for Musgrove Family Memorial Parks, Eugene, Oregon. He has been in the cemetery and funeral service profession for more than 45 years and has served in many capacities, including vice president of sales and development, manager and apprentice embalmer.

 
 

 

 

2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Moore	Omps	Zartman

Marketing Channels
That Work  PLPA

Kate Moore, Larry Omps and Dr. Ronald R. Zartman

There are several options for marketing your pet loss business. In this panel discussion, you'll hear both from those who market directly to families and those who work with veterinarians, and how they successfully navigate those channels. Come learn:

• messaging that conveys the value of your services
• marketing tools and resources that work
• how reaching out to local pet charities can help you "do well by doing good"
• barriers to entry in the veterinary world (and how to break through them)
• the sales-service connection
• how providing a full range of end-of-life services can ensure more complete quality care for pet families

Kate Moore, CFSP, operates Beyond the Rainbow Pet Hospice & Memorial Center, Benbrook, Texas, offering total end-of-life care to pets in the comfort and security of their home.

Larry Omps is president and owner of Omps Funeral Homes and All Pets Cremation Center, Winchester, Virginia.

 

Ron Zartman is president of Holland Columbarium Inc., Grandville, Michigan. He served as a consultant for the introduction of the Rainbow Ridge Pet Memorial at Ridgeview Memorial Gardens in Grandville. He holds two patents in columbarium design.

 

 

 

The 4 Keys to Improving Employee Competence

Ingrid Gudenas

Do your top performers perform significantly better than your regular performers?  Would it make a difference if your regular performers moved into the range of your top performers?

 

Training expert Ingrid Gudenas offers a new approach to employee performance that can help close the gaps so the majority of your workforce will move into the range of top performers. She has been working with Cypress Lawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Colma, California to help them develop and deliver training for prearrangement sales, cemetery and funeral arrangements and funeral services. In this highly interactive session, she will use Cypress Lawn as a case study to share practical ways to improve your:

• documentation for specific roles
• on-the-job training process
• employees' ability to learn and retain information and skills
• actual employee performance

Ingrid Gudenas is the founder and president of Effective Training Solutions, Oakland, California. Her trademarked training method, 100% Proficiency training, is considered a "best practice" in the training profession, and her work has been published in a number of training text books, including case studies on how to produce world-class quality, customer satisfaction and financial return on investment from effective training. Ingrid is a past president of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement.

 

 

 

 

2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Alkaline Hydrolysis Summit  CREMATION COACHING CENTER LIVE!

Poul Lemasters, Esq., moderator

Sometimes referred to as "resomation," "water resolution" or "water cremation," alkaline hydrolysis is a form of disposition that has begun to receive a great deal of attention within the industry and in the mass media. Join Poul Lemasters and a panel of stakeholders as they explore the issue of alkaline hydrolysis and its potential future impact on your business. Among the questions to be discussed and debated:

• What is alkaline hydrolysis and how does it work?
• Is alkaline hydrolysis "the next big thing"? Is it a game changer for our industry?
• What are the potential costs and benefits of offering alkaline hydrolysis at your cemetery, funeral home or crematory?
• How are state legislatures and cemetery and funeral service boards handling laws and regulations surrounding this topic?
• What are the public relations challenges regarding alkaline hydrolysis and how can those best be handled both at local and global levels?
• What is the best way to market this disposition option if you choose to offer it? What is the best way to compete against cemeteries and funeral homes that offer it if you choose not to?
• Is the industry in danger of allowing this method of disposition to devalue the importance of tribute and memorialization, and if so, how can we educate the consumer to avoid that?

The panel will be moderated by ICCFA Cremation Coach Poul Lemasters, president of Lemasters Consulting, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Panelists will include Mark Matthews, president of the Cremation Association of North America and president of Wiefels Cremation & Funeral Services, Palm Springs, California; Ed Gazvoda, owner of CycledLife, Lafayette, Colorado; Bradley Carlson, president of Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Vancouver, Washington; Steve Schaal, president of the North America Region for Matthews International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Larry Stuart Jr., president of Crematory Manufacturing & Service, Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Russ Cooper, director of business development, Water Resolution, Brownsburg, Indiana.

 

 
 

 

Strategies and Tactics for Capturing the 50+ Consumer

David Weigelt

Is your Web site designed specifically to appeal to older adults? Does your social media strategy reach out to the audience you most desire?

Having a robust online presence can be an excellent marketing tool, but if you're leaving your online strategy up to tech gurus and graphic artists, you may be missing the boat. In this two-hour session, marketing strategist and "Dot Boom" author David Weigelt will share how you as a marketer need to take charge of your online strategy and how you can successfully do so using identifiable principles that are proven to capture the hearts and minds of the 50+ consumer.

Among the tactics you'll learn:

• the two sides to your "online story" (and how to make sure you convey both)
• removing online obstacles that may keep boomers from doing business with you
• thinking beyond just "where" to advertise online
• mirroring engagement
• measuring your success

David Weigelt is co-founder and chief marketing strategist for Immersion Active, Frederick, Maryland. He is co-author of "Dot Boom: Marketing to Baby Boomers Through Meaningful Online Engagement," which has received praise from Microsoft, PBS and the AARP. David is a founding board member of the International Mature Marketing Network and is host of that organization's monthly Webinar series.

 

 

 

 

3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Remkus	Salvatore

Improving the Efficiency of Your Pet Crematory

Jon Remkus and Ron Salvatore

The act of cremation is all about physics, and as a result, there are certain laws of physics you can use to ensure the most efficient operation of your retort. Jon Remkus and Ron Salvatore will share their research into the body mass and makeup of specific pet breeds and the very practical ramifications of that research for your cremation business. 

Jon Remkus is manager of Hinsdale Animal Cemetery & Crematory, Willowbrook, Illinois, and is a PLPA representative to the Pet Cremation Council.

Ron Salvatore has been with Matthews Cremation Division for more than 20 years and is a member of the ICCFA Cremation Coaching Center team at www.cremationcoach.com.

 

 

 

7 to 10:30 p.m.

Closing Reception and Dinner

Enjoy dinner and entertainment at this gala closing event. Dress is evening casual. NOTE: Ticket required (included with full attendee and spouse/guest registrations or available for purchase separately on the registration form).