June 2019

Page B8 JUNE 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on CRESSON,PA— Tom and Mary Jo McCo- nnell launched Eternal Remembrance so that people can easily connect, honor and cel- ebrate the lives of their deceased loved ones, no matter where they live, through shared stories, pictures, videos and voice recordings, creating a virtual memorial of a special life forever. Tom believes that “a headstone with a name and date doesn’t tell the story of who someone was, what they were passionate about, what they ac- complished in life, or even simply where they came from.” Eternal Remem- brance was inspired by the experience of one of Tom’s friends, who lost her father in a commercial trucking accident. On the day of his funeral, a convoy of almost 60 trucks pa- raded past the cemetery in Pennsylvania to honor this fellow trucker, family man, Marine veteran and community volunteer. The touching sendoff was shared extensively on social media and made the news at the time, yet today there are no pho- tos or tangible record of this tribute. Tom wanted to tell his story, and so many others like his, whose memories begin to fade after the funeral and burial services are over. Tom, who has a computing background, knew that technology could help fill that gap. Eternal Remembrance combines beautifully crafted mementoes with a mo- bile-friendly app to create a permanent online memorial to loved ones through shared stories, photos, videos, and GPS- marked locations that were especially im- portant to them. The emblem is designed to be mounted on their memorial if de- sired, and is accompanied by a match- ing coin that reflects a loved one’s persona which can be carried around or displayed in their memory. Plans to provide digital displays for a funeral or memorial service, with comments scrolling live from those who cannot attend is also in development. Although funeral homes often post obitu- aries on their websites and allow guests to add comments, typical virtual tributes are limit- ed in scope and longevity. Facebook memo- rial pages can be difficult to find, and hackers can destroy treasured information. Eternal Remembrance offers a unique alternative, where data is stored se- curely and permanent- ly on multiple servers, and app users can easily search for a loved one’s information. The per- son creating the pro- file can specify priva- cy levels, invite others to participate, manage content and users and share the pages through all other social media platforms. Recently, Tom and Mary Jo partnered with The Honor Network, a nonprof- it dedicated to honoring heroes who lost their lives in the line of duty. They are giv- ing back to the Honor Network, by pro- viding military and first responder families with a complimentary memorial package. Tom believes that “by creating an ever- growing list of supporters for these fami- lies, their hero’s story will continue.” Tom credits the support he received from Startup Alleghenies, especially his entrepreneur coach José Otero, and the team from Ben Franklin Technology Part- ners for making his dream to help anyone who experiences a loss a reality. To alert Tom about a fallen hero, email him at heroes@eternalremembrance.com. To learn more about Eternal Remem- brance visit eternalremembrance.com, or find them on Facebook. Eternal Remembrance: Honoring A Special Life…Forever Pierce Sales Representatives earn Special Achievement Awards BROADVIEW,IL— Pierce was honored to present sales achievement awards to five regional sales repre- sentatives for their 2018 ac- complishments. Rick Rork was awarded the distinguished Bill Pierce Award, given to one who demonstrates exemplary pro- fessionalism and above-and- beyond efforts. Rick’s dedica- tion to serving his customers and sharing his wealth of expertise with them is sec- ond-to-none. His positive attitude and drive inspires all who have the pleasure of working with Rick. He is also a noted instructor at in- dustry continuing education events and has helped many in the industry improve their embalming methods. Rick covers the state of Illinois. Ryan Lee earned three awards, being recognized for the second year in a row for Top Increase in Fluid Sales. In addition, he achieved the Top Sales in Memorial Books as well as the 110% Club Award which recog- nizes those who grow overall sales by 10 percent or more over the previous year. Ryan covers the states of Califor- nia and Hawaii. Abby Shurtz achieved the Largest Increase in Revenues for 2018, which also earned her the 110% Club Award. Abby is a rep- resentative for portions of Texas. Mark Hecht was recog- nized as Rookie of the Year, achieving excellent sales and territory growth since he joined Pierce in 2018. Mark covers the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. Kevin Russell earned the 110% Club Award for sales growth throughout his ter- ritory of Michigan and In- diana. “All of these individuals exemplify the best of Pierce sales representatives in their professionalism and dedi- cation to their customers,” said Lance Ray, COO and executive vice-president of Pierce. “With an unwav- ering focus on customer needs and problem-solving, these representatives are val- ued by their customers and the entire Pierce organiza- tion and are well-deserving of these awards.” For more information on Pierce, visit www.piercechemical.com. Funeral Directors Life Appoints New Market Center Managers Brian Harpring Amanda Bush ers will be an important asset to our client funeral homes in Indiana and Wisconsin.” Brian has worked as a preneed counselor, life insurance agent, and casket company representative focused on offering technol- ogy solutions to funeral home clients. “Brian began his funeral service career by assisting individual families to prearrange their services and has most recently helped funeral home customers attain their desired outcomes,” said Frank Downing, director of sales development for Indiana. “That kind of experience makes him a valuable asset to any funeral home he serves.” “I am a true believer in the funeral indus- try, and I wholeheartedly appreciate funer- al professionals who perform their valuable service for grieving families,” said Brian. “I am committed to offering whatever I can to help firms enhance their business, sup- port families, and solidify their future.” Amanda has been active in the funeral profession since 2007 and has both sales management and insurance experience. For the last twelve years, she has focused on the value and importance of planning ahead for funeral wishes through preneed services. “We are thrilled to have Amanda on our team. She is well respected in the funeral profession, and her many years of expe- rience as a preneed sales professional will provide a tremendous amount of value to our customers,” said Jeffery Stewart, direc- tor of sales development. “She is focused on the issues that funeral home owners face and is excited to provide solutions that will help them achieve their desired outcomes.” “Over the years, I’ve heard about Funeral Directors Life and gotten to know some of the people who are a part of the organiza- tion, and what stood out to me was that they go beyond just offering a product. They also provide a wide range of services that help funeral homes grow,” said Aman- da. “As a market center manager, I’m look- ing forward to being able to come into a fu- neral home and offer real solutions to meet their needs and help them connect with families in a changing marketplace. It’s very exciting to be a part of such an innovative company that cares about its employees and the funeral homes being served.” Amanda received her degree fromConcor- dia University in Mequon, WI. Since that time, she has developed her skills as a knowl- edgeable preneed sales professional and sales manager, working diligently to provide sales and marketing support, staff development and training, and group presentations to help her funeral home clients achieve their goals for their preneed business. Funeral Directors Life, rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company, is a legal reserve life insurance company which specializes in the sale of insurance-funded preneed funerals. ABILENE,TX— Funeral Directors Life is proud to announce the additions of Brian Harpring as market center manager for Indi- ana and Amanda Bush as market center manager for Wisconsin. “We are very pleased to welcome Brian and Amanda to our management team at Funeral Directors Life,” said Kris Seale, president and CEO. “Their understanding of the funeral profession and their passion for serving oth- Funeral Directors Life Announces New FDTV Video Series ABILENE,TX— Funeral Directors Life In- surance Company is proud to announce the release of a video series that is designed to help funeral professionals grow, succeed, and con- nect with the changing funeral consumers. “As we have spoken to funeral directors and owners across the nation, we have seen that there is a huge need for this type of positive content with a strong message about the fu- ture of our profession,” said Kris Seale, pres- ident and CEO of Funeral Directors Life. “There is too much negativity in the funeral space today, which has led to many funeral directors becoming discouraged. We believe that if we are able to help funeral professionals adapt to the changing market conditions, the future for our profession is brighter than ever! That is what this series is all about.” The series features interviews with company executives, subject matter experts, and indus- try professionals on a variety of topics of inter- est to funeral professionals. “This video series is intended to be a source of information for funeral profes- sionals that offers positive, inspiring, and insightful messages about how to grow and succeed in a rapidly changing market- place,” said Seale. “Our goal is to address the concerns of funeral professionals to- day and offer ideas and solutions that will help them better connect with the families they serve.” The first three episodes in the series have been released on www.funeraldirectorslife. com/blog/media with more to be released in the near future. To receive notifications as new episodes are released, subscribe to Funeral Directors Life’s YouTube channel and click on the bell to be sure you never miss a new episode. Funeral Directors Life, based in Abilene,TX, is a leading provider of insurance-funded pr- eneed funeral products and services. To learn more, visit www.funeraldirectorslife.com. Digital Directory Now Available CALL 1-800-321-7479 Only $125.00 Visit www.nomispublications.com