June 2019

Page B10 JUNE 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on CFSA 2019 FALL CONFERENCE ANDTRADE SHOW Casket and Funeral Supply Association of America 49-Y Sherwood Terrace, Lake Bluff, IL 60044 • P 847-295-6630 • F 847-295-6647 • E info@cfsaa.org • W www.cfsaa.org MARKYOUR CALENDAR November 11-12, 2019 • JW Marriott • Indianapolis, Indiana The CFSA Fall Conference &Trade Show is the premier annual event for manufacturers, distributors, and service providers in the casket and funeral supply industry. Join us to network with decision makers, evaluate new product offerings, and gain industry insight. OUR FALL CONFERENCE IS RETURNINGTO INDIANAPOLIS Matthews International Reports Results for Fiscal 2019 First Quarter and Quarterly Dividend afpHorizon Selects the Travel Plan by Inman as their Preferred Travel Plan Provider 2018 Brings Record Financial Results and New Initiatives to Unity Financial Life Celebration, Inc. introduces the Shape-It Series other ‘same-old funeral’ and instead they experience a time capsule of memories of their loved one full of engaging take- aways that are branded to the local Life Celebration Home.” LasX Application Engineer, Dr. Garrett Potter spoke about the equipment: “LasX offers some of the highest speed, pow- er, and precision equipment in the laser processing industry. Our systems bring solutions to a wide variety of industries and materials, from textiles to aerospace. LasX is excited to partner with Life Celebration to help bring truly unique and important funeral products into the market. While LasX has established expertise in the digital print market, the funeral industry is new to us. We love Life Celebration’s moto ‘Cre- ating Color and Light inTimes of Darkness’. In the laser in- dustry, we understand the power of light, and we’re always inspired by our customers’ drive to create more. Powered by our customers’ creativity, LasX systems are here to help build exceptional products that brighten our customers’ experience.” Life Celebration, Inc. is a multi-faceted design, print, and consulting company based out of North Wales, PA. Driven by a passion to tell stories, share memo- ries, and create experiences, Life Celebration, Inc was founded by licensed funeral directors, Gerry Givnish and Jim Cummings. Over 150 funeral homes rely on the robust resources Life Celebra- tion, Inc provides, including customized printed memo- rial items, training and consulting services, website design, and promotional and marketing materials. To see examples of the Shape-It Series line and to learn more about Life Celebration’s multi-faceted membership program and cus- tomized products, visit www.lifecelebrationinc.com or call 888-887-3782. NORTH WALES,PA— Life Celebration, Inc has in- troduced a cutting-edge line of shaped and enhanced products called the Shape-It Series with the invest- ment and installation of a LasX Laser Cutter. Life Celebration community members recently began providing their client families with the profession’s only laser cut memorial items that are completely custom- ized and delivered overnight. The new line includes pop- up memorial folders and thank you cards, shaped book- marks and coasters, large and shaped flip cards among many other enhanced products. The Shape-it Series is the latest innovative offering from Life Celebration, Inc. Life Celebration began looking into the laser equip- ment over three years ago. Their team traveled to LasX technologies, based out of St. Paul, MN to test out the equipment. They ensured that it would be able to pro- duce mass-customized laser cut items overnight for fu- neral homes all over the country. Life Celebration president Gerry Givnish shared his vi- sion for the series: “From the start, we have been focused on the future and supplying our community members with the most dynamic offerings within the funeral profession. The Shape-It Series gives our members yet another edge in their competitive marketplaces. It also elevates our posi- tion as thought-leaders and visionaries in custom print in- novation, nothing like you’ve seen before, you simply can’t get this anywhere else. Families walk into funeral homes in some of the most rural areas in the country expecting an- CINCINNATI,OH— Uni- ty Financial Life Insur- ance Company (UFL), Cincinnati, OH, report- ed after tax earnings that beat 2017, record results for asset growth, and re- cord Capital and Surplus in their year-end 2018 fi- nancial statements. Jay Hardy, president of UFL, said “2018 was a solid year for Unity Fi- nancial. The company introduced a new Single Premium Immediate An- nuity, expanded our rela- tionships with Medicaid planning industry, paid bonuses to all of our em- ployees, and earned more than we did in 2017.” All investments con- tinue to be investment grade, fixed income secu- rities. For eighteen years, no investment purchased and owned by Unity Fi- nancial has defaulted or been downgraded to be- low investment grade. Al- though interest rates are still near historic lows, the increase in assets al- lowed Unity Financial to report record investment income in 2018. Unity Financial added several new sources of dis- tribution during 2018 and did not lose any major pro- ducers. The home office employees and the agency field force are both stron- ger and more experienced now than at any time in the company’s history. Unity Financial is a leading provider of fu- neral preneed and Medic- aid compliant insurance products. The company is licensed to do business in all states except Alaska, Michigan and New York. For more information, visit www.uflife.com or call 877-523-3231. PITTSBURGH,PA— Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQGSM:MATW) announced financial results for its fiscal second quarter and six months ended March 31, 2019. In discussing the Company’s results for the quarter, Jo- seph C. Bartolacci , President and Chief Executive Of- ficer, stated: “Our businesses demonstrated solid un- derlying performance, which was muted by significant headwinds during the quarter. As a result, we are con- tinuing to win new accounts and build market share by providing creative solutions for our customers. “Our core consolidated operating performance im- proved for the fiscal 2019 second quarter compared to last year. We again reported organic sales growth in our In- dustrial Technologies segment on the continued strength of the warehouse automation business. In addition, last quarter, we discussed softening conditions for this seg- ment’s product identification sales, but recent trends in order rates are reflecting improvement.” Matthews International Corporation also announced that its Board of Directors declared, at its regularly sched- uled meeting today, a dividend of $0.20 per share on the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable May 20, 2019 to stockholders of record May 6, 2019. Matthews International Corporation is a global provid- er of brand solutions, memorialization products and in- dustrial technologies. The Company has approximately 11,000 employees in more than 25 countries on six con- tinents that are committed to delivering the highest qual- ity products and services. FORT WAYNE,IN— afpHorizon, a premier preneed or- ganization, has selected the Travel Plan by Inman as their travel plan provider. “We only offer products that align with our own high standards for customer service and quality. Owner Dave McComb, is a fourth generation funeral director and dedicated to serving the death care industry. He truly understands the needs of funeral di- rectors as well as the families they serve. This is what sets them apart from other companies,” stated AFP Horizon executive vice president, Mark Hutto. “It is our honor to be associated with a company like AFP Horizon,” said Dave McComb, Inman Shipping Worldwide CEO. “I have known Mark Hutto and Ter- ry Woodall for years and look forward to working with them and their team.” The Travel Plan by Inman offers AFP Horizon families’ peace of mind in knowing loved ones won’t have to worry about details or cost should they die away from home. A one-time fee of $450 covers the cost of bringing a loved one home for ceremony if they die more than 100 miles from home. This coverage is good for anywhere in the world. afpHORIZON has been helping funeral homes since 1997, providing our partner funeral homes with ongoing training, marketing and services, as well as a range of pre- need funding options. They are a financial and market- ing organization whose mission is to help them promote their funeral home, build customer loyalty, and increase their at-need and pre-need sales. For more information, visit www.afphorizon or call 936-537-7163.