ICCFA Wireless is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter bringing members of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association the latest government and legal, industry and association news. It is available to all ICCFA members current on their dues. Comments, questions and "hot news tips" are welcome. Write to: hq@iccfa.com.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
FTC Announces Top Consumer Complaints for 2010; 0.03% of the Total Are Funeral Related
Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission has published its annual report on the top consumer complaints in the United States for 2010. Over 1.339 million complaints were filed with various agencies including the Better Business Bureau although the FTC states that these complaints are "unverified" meaning that no investigations were performed to determine the validity of the complaints. The top complaints involved fraud at 54%, identity theft at 19%, followed by Debt Collection at 11%; Internet Services at 5%; Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries also at 5%; Shop-At-Home and Catalog Sales at 4%; Foreign Money Offers and Counterfeit Checks Scams at 3%; Internet Auctions at 4%; and Credit Cards at 2%.
For the third year, the FTC also tabulated funeral-related complaints. These totaled 339 out of the 1.34 million complaints, or 0.03%. This represents an uptick from the numbers reported for 2008 and 2009, which were 256 and 269, respectively. However, more agencies provided complaint data for 2010 than in past years. To view the full 98-page report, go to www.ftc.gov/sentinel/reports/sentinel-annual-reports/sentinel-cy2010.pdf.
17th Annual National Museum of Funeral History Golf Tournament
The National Museum of Funeral History is pleased to announce the 17th Annual Golf Classic will be held on Monday, May 16, 2011 at Kingwood Country Club in north Houston. Mark your calendar to ensure you don't miss the opportunity to enjoy the pride and passion of this age old game while supporting the history of our industry. Learn more about sponsorship here or sign up to participate in the tournament here.
Keep Updated on Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami/Radiation Developments
The U.S. Government has provided the following link to keep updated on the latest news and events involved in the Japanese catastrophe: www.usa.gov/Japan2011.shtml. This website will furnish more detailed data than is generally available through the news media.
ICCFA NEWS
ICCFA 2011 Annual Convention & Exposition:
ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKER!
For the third year in a row, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) Annual Convention & Exposition set new attendance and exhibit records. The 2011 Convention, held March 8-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, drew 1,976 total attendance and 408 supplier booths, both all-time high figures for the association's 124-year history.
The breakdown for the 2011 attendance numbers is as follows:
- Total cemetery, funeral home, crematory and allied business representatives: 898
- 18 percent representing combination cemetery/funeral home operations
- 25 percent representing stand-alone cemeteries
- 36 percent representing stand-alone funeral homes
- 5 percent representing stand-alone pet loss providers
- 16 percent "other," including representatives of stand-alone cremation societies, insurance agents, mortuary school faculty, representatives of industry associations and others
- Spouse/guest registrations: 232
- Press passes and speakers from outside the industry: 13
- Exhibitor and supplier registrations: 833
Attendees classified their positions as follows:
- Owners: 46 percent
- Managers: 44 percent
- Staff: 10 percent
- Final purchasing authority: 65 percent
- Make purchasing recommendations: 32 percent
- No purchasing authority: 3 percent
The Convention hosted 163 international attendees and exhibitors representing 22 countries outside of the United States. Attendees rated the event highly, with 88 percent indicating their overall Convention experience was "excellent" or "very good" and 85 percent indicating they "definitely" or "probably" will return for the ICCFA 2012 Convention, March 19-22 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among the comments:
- "I didn't think you would be able to top the 2010 Convention in San Antonio, but you managed to do so! It was an overwhelmingly positive experience filled with learning and networking." Norman E. Connors - Curran-Shaffer Funeral Home & Crematory Inc., Apollo, Pennsylvania
- "The exhibit hall this year was phenomenal! There were so many quality vendors to talk to—if you did not learn something new or get your questions answered, you were not trying!" Joe Vermeersch - Mt. Elliott Cemetery Association, Detroit, Michigan
- "This was the first time I attended the ICCFA Annual Convention. My wife and I were really impressed with the variety of educational seminars and exhibits. We'll definitely be coming back to attend future conferences. We had a really great time and walked away with a wealth of information." Chris B. Miller - Thomas Miller Mortuary, Corona, California
- "Wonderful convention. Quality in every detail: site, program, exhibit hall, food! This is an organization that really sees the future of death care in America and is ready for it!" Mitch Hoyles - Northcoast Crematory Service and Robinson-Walker Funeral Home, Genoa, Ohio
- "Keep the momentum going with great keynote speakers and compelling breakout sessions! Loved how the exhibits and the general session area were situated together. Loved that the memorial service was considered an important aspect of our convention program and not an afterthought." Nancy Lohman - Lohman Funeral Homes, Cemeteries and Cremation, Daytona Beach, Florida
- "I thought the conference offered a lot of variety in topics—very good. Great keynote speakers! The number of vendors attending was incredible." Steve Bartel - East Lawn, Sacramento, California
Exhibitors rated the overall Exposition an average of 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Asked about their plans for the 2012 Convention & Exposition, March 19-22 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, 87 percent indicated they "definitely" planned to exhibit, 10 percent were undecided and only 3 percent indicated they did not plan to exhibit.
The ICCFA will return to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas again next year. MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR OUR 2012 ANNUAL CONVENTION & EXPOSITION, MARCH 19-22.
Online Store Special: Free Shipping on Nick Morgan Book & DVD Package Through April 30; Other 2010 Sessions Available
 Discover the secrets of authentic communication: Nick Morgan's two-hour 2010 ICCFA Annual Convention presentation, "Authentic Communication," complemented by his book, "Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma," is a must-have for cemetery and funeral home owners, managers, counselors, funeral directors and anyone at your company who interacts with the public.
Learn how to break down the barriers to authentic and persuasive communication, whether you are engaged in one-on-one negotiations, assisting a family with an arrangement conference or presenting to your local Rotary Club.
Morgan's presentation at the 2010 ICCFA Convention was one of the most highly-rated sessions, and his book, "Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma," shares research that points toward a new holistic way to communicate with authenticity and charisma. His honest and direct approach challenges even the most confident orators to rethink how they communicate.
Through April 30, purchase the DVD and book package for just $39 and receive FREE SHIPPING! Order online now or call 1.800.645.7700.
Five additional presentations from the 2010 ICCFA Annual Convention & Expo are also now available for purchase on audio CD for $17 for ICCFA members and $37 for non-members:
All sessions on CD include any handouts that accompanied the presentation. To receive the member price, you must be an ICCFA member and logged in as on the ICCFA website.* Members also can order by calling 1.800.645.7700.
*To register as a member on the site, go to the home page, click on "Create New Account" and fill out the form. If your company is a member in good standing, you will be granted membership privileges within 24 hours and will have access to all content throughout the site as well as to ICCFA member discount prices.
- TO BUY/SELL
- POSITIONS AVAILABLE
- Sales Management Professional (Michigan)
- Managing Partner and Sales Manager Opportunities (Florida)
- Unit Sales Manager, Bilingual (Corpus Christi, TX)
- Unit Sales Manager, Bilingual (Los Angeles, CA)
- Regional Sales Manager (east of the Mississippi)
- General Manager, Cemetery (Des Plaines, IL)
- General Manager, Cemetery (Chicago, IL)
- Cemetery Inventory & Operations Manager (Houston, TX)
- Preneed Sales Trainer (Florida)
- Sales Manager (California)
- Funeral Home Manager, Bilingual (Tucson, AZ)
- Funeral Home Manager, Bilingual (Harlingen, TX)
- Funeral Home Manager, Bilingual (Texas)
- Funeral Home Manager, Bilingual (San Antonio, TX)
- Embalmer, San Diego Central Care Center (San Diego, CA)
- Family Service Director (Shreveport, LA)
- Sales Manager (central FL)
- Funeral Operations Regional Manager (central TX)
- Sales Management Opportunity (Tulsa, OK)
- Experienced Implementation Consultant
- Sales Opportunities for You (Florida)
- Funeral Director, Rock Star Needed (Seattle, WA)
- Long-Term Regional Sales Management (Savannah, GA)
- Sales Opportunity of a Lifetime (western TX)
- Experienced Sales Manager (Mississippi)
- Sales Manager (in California between Los Angeles and Las Vegas)
- Sales Managers and Assistant Managers (Nationwide)
- Experienced Sales Manager (Mid-South)
- Sales Management Team Position
- Experienced Funeral Director (New Mexico)
- Regional Management Positions (IL, OH, LA, MS, WV, AR, MO, KY, TN, NJ, MD, DE, PA)
- Executive Director, Catholic Cemeteries (Miami, FL)
Place your classified advertisement with ICCFA today!
member benefits
Access to Abenity Employee Discount Program
Give your staff access to more than 100,000 discounts and more than $4,500 in savings per employee. Click here to read the Abenity brochure or visit www.abenity.com/pricing for pricing details. Corporate code: ICCFA.
ICCFA Supply Link Allows Easy Buyer's Guide Searching
The ICCFA Supply Link, an online buyer's guide members can use to easily search for products and services from the convenience of their computers, can be accessed directly from the ICCFA home page. The Supply Link offers a "Search" function whereby members can search according to product type or company name and can be limited to a state or to a certain radius distance from a specified city or ZIP code. Users also can narrow their search to include only ICCFA-member companies. Suppliers that are ICCFA members and exhibitors are identified as such in their listings.
Online Education
The ICCFA offers low-cost online training on a variety of OSHA topics through a partnership with Dignity University. To access the 23 OSHA courses, visit http://online.ecampustraining.com/Dignityu/.
ICCFA News Page
The ICCFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICCFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why.
Music Licensing
The 2011 Music Licenses are available for just $248 per property, no additional fees. Covers ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Any U.S. funeral home, cemetery or related business is eligible for membership as a Music License Member. Licensing directly with the agencies this year would cost nearly $600 per location, so this price—which requires no additional membership fee—is still the lowest available to the industry. Purchase your license online now at .
Tax-Related Questions
ICCFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICCFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, DC, for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600.
ICCFA Insurance Program
Administered by Alliant Insurance Services, this program allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance—including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more—at rates they probably would not be able to afford on
their own. For details, call 800.390.9099.
HR Law Benefit
Through an unprecedented new benefit program, ICCFA members can now access free legal consultations regarding labor relations, human resource management and employment law. Attorney Michael Pepperman of the Labor Relations and Employment Law department at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP (ORM&H), is available to address questions on topics ranging from hiring and firing, to employee privacy and workplace violence, to wages and hours, to equal employment opportunity and wrongful discharge issues. Michael Pepperman, Esq., has spoken on labor and employment issues at several ICCFA conferences and regional industry meetings. To take advantage of this benefit, please call 215.665.3032.
ICCFA Introduces New Sales Training Programs
ICCFA introduces new sales training programs by sales trainer and professional speaker Gary O'Sullivan, CCE. O'Sullivan's two latest products include a 10 DVD Series—The Power to Sell Preneed, and a training support system called the GoSell System. Both products provide sales managers with tools and training strategies that will help them to strengthen and motivate their teams. For more details or to place an order, call the ICCFA at 800.645.7700.
ICCFA Internet Expo
The ICCFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICCFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today!
Fraud Prevention & Detection Consultation Service
ICCFA has retained the services of veteran fraud investigator Robert A. Garvey Jr., CPA, CFE, CrFA, CVA, to serve as a consultative resource for members' employee theft and fraud concerns. The new member benefit, the "Fraud Investigation and Deterrence Consultation Service" or FIDCS, will allow members to discuss by telephone any issues or concerns related to suspected fraudulent activity or a desire to put systems and controls in place at their locations to deter such activity. There is no cost to ICCFA members in good standing to utilize this benefit. The number to call is 866.649.1902.
Legal Advice on Cremation Concerns
Courtesy of the ICCFA Government and Legal Fund, ICCFA members now have access to pre-paid legal advice on cremation-related issues. Through this exclusive member benefit, the association has retained Poul H. Lemasters, Esq., of Lemasters Consulting in Cincinnati, Ohio. Poul is an attorney and licensed funeral director, and members in good standing may call him at 513.407.8114 to discuss cremation concerns for up to 20 minutes at no charge.
GPL Compliance Check
Members whose businesses must follow the FTC Funeral Rule's General Price List (GPL) requirements can have their lists reviewed for compliance by attorney Poul H. Lemasters, Esq., without charge. Contact Lemasters at 513.407.8114.
CONTACT US
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association
107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100
Sterling, VA 20164
1.800.645.7700
703.391.8400
Fax: 703.391.8416
www.iccfa.com
Copyright 2011, International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association
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