College of Land Management & Grounds Operations
Dean Gino Merendino

Exceptional cemetery service starts with the grounds and operations department. Without effective land management and a commitment to an attractive, well-maintained property, there will be no sales or service. You'll learn how to succeed and excel in your role as "keeper of the grounds."

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Friday, July 20

2:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Registration and Check-in

4:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Freshman Orientation

5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
University Reception

6:00 p.m.
University Dinner

Saturday, July 21

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast

9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Maintenance: Do You Really Get It?
Gino Merendino
Would you build a house without consulting a blueprint? Would you bake a cake without looking at a recipe? Do you truly understand that cemetery maintenance is more than cutting grass and digging graves? Gino Merendino will teach you more than how things are done; he'll focus on understanding why they are done.

10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Break

11:00 - 12:30 p.m.
Is Customer Service Part of Your Operations? You Bet!
Anthony Russo
Operations staff can have as much contact with customers as sales counselors and front-office personnel. Yet too often, they are not properly trained to handle customer questions and requests. Customer service is a cornerstone of every business. This class will explore ways to maximize the customer experience and focus on how grounds and operations personnel can most effectively serve customers.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch

1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
The Key Steps to OSHA Compliance
Mary Malotke
Cemeterians must develop and implement an OSHA program for grounds and facility maintenance. This program covers OSHA's expectations for compliance, documentation and training. Topics include hazard communication, chemical safety, outdoor issues such as weather and pests, equipment maintenance, flammable liquids, mowers and trimmers and record requirements.

3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Break

3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
OSHA and Gravesite Safety
Mary Malotke
OSHA has regulations for digging in a narrow but deep space such as a grave. This session covers backhoes, ladders, setting vaults, adjacent grave and monument issues and witnessing liabilities. We'll also examine the requirements for soil assessment, trench protection and air-quality issues that can become critical during opening and closing.

Students will receive a DVD on Gravesite Safety, which you can take back to train your entire maintenance staff to help fulfill your OSHA training requirements. The DVD comes with a user's guide, instructor notes, student handouts, a quiz and completion certificates.  

5:00 p.m.
Dinner

7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Annual Sports Tournament
Join your ICCFAU colleagues for a friendly game of volleyball.

Sunday, July 22

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast

9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Memorial Park Tour
Visit a local cemetery and learn firsthand many ideas and solutions you can take back to your location.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch

1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Cemetery Master Planning Strategies
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE
This course will give you an understanding of land use, both developed and undeveloped. We will discuss options for the fully developed cemetery ("We're out of room!") as well as techniques you can use for planning the development of unused areas within your cemetery.

3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Break

3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Those Sales People! What Are They Thinking?
Jim Hammond
Why is it that the sales force is always making our lives difficult out here—selling products that don't exist, complaining that the property is sub-par and that's why they can't sell, scheduling services at the same time? Find out who is right and how our roles are one and the same. The course objective is to train non-sales department heads and middle managers to become "partners" with the sales department.

5:00 p.m.
Dinner

Monday, July 23

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast

9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Healing Grief: The Essence of Our Industry
Nancy Lohman, CCFE
Lack of compassion is usually caused by a lack of understanding. Upset families, employees missing work ... why? It is vital that we understand not only the consumer who is grieving, but our fellow employees and ourselves. We will explore our own perceptions, society's expectations or misconceptions and the realities of grief.

10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Break

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Developing Hidden Treasures on Your Property
Christine Toson Hentges, CCE
Small spaces, V-ditches, fence lines... what are they good for? Christine will show you how to turn your neglected spots into money-making treasures.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch

1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
The Art of the Interview and the Science of Selection
Mike Hays
Led by one of our profession's top managers, this session will focus on crucial hiring skills, including:

• how to ask meaningful questions
• how to interpret resumes
• how to identify your ideal candidate
• how to follow up on references
• how to conduct second interviews

3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Break

3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Lean Quality in Cemetery Care & Connecting with Military Veterans
Marcea Weiss
Have you heard of the Lean Quality framework? Are you applying it daily to your operations to bring greater value and experience to your cemetery customers? Marcea Weiss will share an overview of lean concepts as well as examples of how they've been applied at Merendino Cemetery Care.  In addition, Marcea will share best practices on how your cemetery can better connect with military veterans—as employees, as customers and as community members!

6:00 p.m.
Dinner

7:00 p.m.
Cryptones concert

Tuesday, July 24

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast

9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Dazzle Your Landscape with Color and Learn to Prune Like a Pro
Tom Smith
Tom Smith will share his expertise on early spring color, great annuals and perennials, new "must-have" woody plants and key elements of a great landscape design. Learn which plants work best in sun and/or shade and which ones will look splashy and showy for a long time without requiring a lot of attention.

Next, learn how to reduce, reuse, rejuvenate. Proper pruning can create a "Fountain of Youth" for your trees and shrubs. Learn how to apply the right techniques to your operations, including selective pruning vs. shearing, the best times to prune, rejuvenation pruning to renew older gardens and tools of the trade.

10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Break

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Continuous Improvements in Cemetery Operations
Tom Smith
Learn to improve your operations through new product use, new equipment and new ideas and cost-cutting methods.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch

1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Cemetery Liability Issues
Poul Lemasters, Esq.
This session will address a broad range of potential liability issues related to cemeteries and land management. We'll examine risk and liability in a number of different contexts and from the perspective of various parties. The session will stress disclosures and procedures designed to prevent or mitigate liability. Attendees will be encouraged to ask questions and to share their own liability problems as well as their near misses.

3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Break

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Internal Relationships
Gary O'Sullivan, CCFE
How valuable is it to your organization to have all departments working in harmony? Some experts suggest it is extremely valuable, not only to customer satisfaction, internally and externally, but to your bottom-line profitability. In this session you'll learn the keys to developing effective internal relationships to help you drive a positive, productive organization.

4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Graduation/Reception for Students Completing Four Years

Wednesday, July 25

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Students' Forum: Q&A
Gino Merendino
We'll take a look at all we've covered this week, share ideas and best practices and discuss how to put the ideas we've learned to use.

10:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Diploma and Class Pictures