January 2018

Page B4 JANUARY 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on B Memory Glass Shines Brightly at NFDA Memory Glass in the sky! Their Touchstone keepsakes and new “Stars & Stripes” Tribute Orb shined brightly on the Boston Convention Center’s 76’ tall dynamic Marquee during this year’s NFDA Convention. GOLETA,CA— It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a... Memory Glass Memorial! Imag- es of Memory Glass’s popular memorials shined brightly in the sky on the 76’ tow- ering dynamic Marquee at the front of the Boston Convention Center, and on the 160’ wide video wall in the entrance dur- ing the NFDA Convention in October. The impressive LED-lit tower was dif- ficult to miss as it featured their Touch- stone keepsake and new “Stars & Stripes” Tribute Orb, visible throughout the sur- rounding Boston community. The base of the tower featured Memory Glass’s own viral video of how a Memory Glass is made, which has received nearly 16 mil- lion views to date across the internet. “Having a 76’ tall presence at NFDA this year was so exciting!” said Kim Price, vice president of sales and co-owner of Mem- ory Glass. “2017 marks our 15th year ex- hibiting Memory Glass at this exceptional convention. We are proud to be a market leader in the funeral industry.” Memory Glass launched it’s new “Stars & Stripes” Tribute Orb design earlier in 2017, and featured the memorial at their NFDA booth, along with their complete line of products. To get Memory Glass in a funeral home or crematorium, vi sit www.memoryglass. com to learn more or email info@memo- ryglass.com . Established in 2002, Mem- ory Glass creates customizable solid glass memorials and keepsakes that preserve cremated remains, or earth from a special location, which are suspended within the glass. Memory Glass products are avail- able in over 2,000 funeral homes and cre- matoriums in all 50 states, Canada, Aus- tralia, and the United Kingdom. Passages International, Inc updates Willow Carriers and Introduces a Second Carrier Size Willow Carrier with Shrouds ALBUQUERQUE,NM— Passages Inter- national, Inc has updated the construc- tion and overall quality of their Willow Carriers. The new carriers are built with reinforced paulownia wood bases to fur- ther improve structural integrity. They also now include a pillow alongside the eco-friendly lining to improve the prod- uct for families and those providing ser- vices to them. Passages has also introduced a second, smaller size of the carrier. Funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries can now or- der the two sizes of carriers nested together to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping and the required storage space for inven- tory. In addition to these improvements, the new carriers are certified fair trade by Traidcraft, ensuring that those manufactur- ing them are paid fairly, work in a safe envi- ronment, and are able to afford necessities like education and healthcare. Carriers are designed as a dignified op- tion for families to view, cremate, or natu- rally bury a dressed or shrouded body, and are tested to 350 pounds. No trees are cut down in the construction of Passages’ carri- ers, and no metal or plastic components are used. This allows for a sustainable process from start to finish and full compliance with most green cemeteries’ burial requirements. Passages International, Inc has been lead- ing the green sector of the funeral indus- try since 1999, with the largest selection of innovative, environmentally-friend- ly urns, caskets, and memorial prod- ucts. For more information on Passag- es’ biodegradable product lines and their aGreenerFuneral.org education program, visit www.PassagesInternational.com . NORTHRIDGE,CA— Sich Casket has announced the win- ner of their monthly Year of the Funeral Director casket give- away. The October winner, Jack “Bill”White Jr is co-own- er of Brooks &White Funeral Home in Roxboro, NC. White received the Sich 18-gauge steel Silver Rose cas- ket, featuring Silver Rose finish and Misty Rose Velvet interior. Delivery was provided by Steve Wilson of Ad- dvantage Casket Company, the Sich Casket distributor in Raleigh, NC. White is a third generation funeral director whose grandfather, in 1914, co-founded Brooks & White. Un- til this time, the funeral home has only offered domestic brand caskets. “But I’m always looking for new ideas and new products,” said White. Upon seeing a Sich Casket ad in one of the monthly fu- neral magazines, White visited the website and noticed the casket giveaway promotion. “They seemed like a substantial business operation, so I decided to give it a shot. I usually don’t win contests,” said White, “so this was a great surprise. Maybe I’ll buy a ‘Pick Three’ lottery ticket tonight!” As for the new Sich casket, “I’ll put it in the showroom. I expect it October Sich Casket Giveaway Winner Announced Sich Silver Rose 18 Gauge Steel Casket Sich Casket winner Jack “Bill”White Jr of Brooks &White Funeral Home in Roxboro, NC accepts his new Silver Rose Sich Casket from Steve Wilson of Addvantage Casket. will sell quickly!” White is the seventh per- son to win a Sich casket as part of the monthly give- away. Previous winners in- clude Daryl R. Berry of Ly- on-DeWitt-Berry Funeral Home in Campbellsville, KY; Todd Schrag of Roper and Sons Funeral Home in Lincoln, NE; Todd Howell of Woodfin Funeral Cha- pels in Murfreesboro and Smyrna, TN; Howie Van- Rensselaer of VanRensse- laer & Son Funeral Home in Randolph, NY; Brent Shehorn of Lake Shore Fu- neral Home in Waco, TX and Frank Nosek of Kurat- ko-Nosek Funeral Home in North Riverside, IL. Sich Casket Company is a pioneer of the Chinese casket industry. In just ten years the company has grown from a small fami- ly-run furniture factory to a significant internation- al manufacturer of wood and metal caskets and a leading Chinese supplier of caskets in North Amer- ica. Founded by compa- ny president Sirius Chan, Sich sources its materials globally to provide the fin- est quality and best value at every price point. With more than 250 models and styles of solid hard- wood, wood veneer and metal caskets, Sich caskets are sold through a distribu- tor network serving funer- al homes throughout the United States and Canada. Visit www.SichCasket.com for additional information. Buyright Alliance, LLC Announces Group Purchasing Organization to Level the Competitive Playing Field operators better and more profitable, amid North American corporate giants. The arrival of a purchasing solution with the scale and management experience to serve a diverse and fragmented market comprised of eighty-six percent indepen- dent operators comes at a time when un- welcome and ongoing disruption is erod- ing profits and ability of independent operators to preserve quality of care. While there is a consensus that change is needed, there is the need to look beyond traditional procurement-centric perspec- tives to open up a new value-cost frontier. “An uneven playing field combined with changing consumer and market demand is why the time is ripe for a cooperative group to form, to challenge old assump- tions and to uncover new possibilities to create highly effective, win-win relation- ships between buying members and key suppliers,” says Tom Cohn, principal of Buyright Alliance. Strength in numbers, Buyright’s coop- erative framework is all about buying power; however, the group’s model brings an in-depth understanding the greatest output is achieved by balancing three key performance indicators– cost savings, quality and delivery which are mutual- ly inclusive. Focusing on only one attri- bute could result in an overall less effi- cient system. Properly aligned, the result is a foundation of continuous improve- ment year after year of program benefits. “Those who become early adopters and champions in the program see tremen- dous value quickly in many different ar- eas of their business,” said Cohn. After meeting and hearing the busi- ness concerns from many of the more than 3,000 independent operators that attended the 2017 NFDA Convention, the Buyright Alliance team left with a strong belief they can contribute to helping them achieve unapparelled ac- cess to the most in-demand product and service providers, improved supplier re- lationships, savings and rebate levels un- attainable on their own. Buyright members can expect to be in- troduced regularly to exciting programs as key and valued suppliers craft togeth- er with Buyright management Preferred Partner programs. Independent opera- tors and best-in-class suppliers inter- ested in contributing to standards and learning more about joining the ini- tiative can call 301-657-3065 or visit www.buyrightalliance.com . BETHESDA,MD— Just the right time and venue, Buy- right Alliance, LLC chose the 2017 NFDA Interna- tional Convention and Expo to initiate a much- needed paradigm shift for the end-of-life industry. Buyright Alliance’s group purchasing platform has been honed across mul- tiple, highly competitive verticals ultimately prov- ing to make independent