August 2017

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Page A16 AUGUST 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
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By Mark Pennington
Here’s an excellent example. I know a firm that has
20 funeral homes over a limited area of under 100
miles – easily travelled by car and offering a wealth
of purchasing opportunities. Most importantly who
wants to take on that establishment? It may be time to
reconsider your “stand alone” existence. Isn’t it a little
like a condo development? You each own your own
unit, but together you have a formidable presence in
the market. Look to your neighboring towns with a
new perspective and see if there is a different future
for you all – together.
A Growth
Strategy to Consider
Things are always changing – no one can stay stag-
nant - if you’re not moving ahead you’re falling be-
hind and in our business that leaves you open to com-
petitors. In the last 3-4 years the acquisition pace has
picked up, more firms are changing hands, and not
always for the owner’s benefit. Why? Several reasons,
looser money, there’s just more around, hard lessons
that were learned the hard way, children who don’t
want to share your business, realistic selling/purchase
prices, the rise of cremation and the narrowing of mar-
gins. All of these factors have played a part in the ac-
tive exchange of business and properties.
Perhaps you’ve been in the business a while, small
town, loyal families but the town’s not growing and
you’re getting older, possibly feeling like it’s “open sea-
son” on your community’s families. Imagine a new
arrangement–clustering funeral homes. Combining
operations with other funeral directors in the towns
around you, in effect combining staffs, pooling re-
sources and equipment to maximize coverage, buying
power and most of all staving off interest in your busi-
ness as one too difficult to compete against. What opera-
tor would want to move into a small town and compete
against a firm doing just 50 calls a year? By the time he’d
bought the property and built a facility there wouldn’t be
enough revenue potential to justify the expenditure. Sud-
denly with three to five other funeral homes in your clus-
ter, you all have clout! And that’s important for so many
reasons.
Sound too hard, or complicated because you’re looking
at your 50’s and not 30’s? I can feel you all cringing at the
idea of making this a reality. How am I going to get along
with all these other people, how can we get things done?
Who’s in charge? For starters, some people are going to
be able to do this on their own, but others could benefit
from having a professional guiding them. Look at your
key people, do you have a go-getter on board who’d relish
the opportunity of creating a career path that could lead
to succession. Anyone who’s got a piece of the action is
going to perform better, that’s just human nature.
There’s real magic in joining forces when you utilize
each other’s strengths I’ve seen it happen when 2 or three
come together, it’s a form of synergy where 1 + 1 + 1 =
5. There’s likely to be other like-minded funeral directors
who have been puzzling their future as well. Think about
the small towns around you, undoubtedly there’s some-
one in the same boat. Building a team is very empower-
ing, who’s great at pre-need, who’s the best at need, who’s
great at basic operations, a pro at marketing. As you be-
gin to imagine putting the best people in their “right”
place you can see the benefits developing.
Mark My
Words
Funeral Home & Cemetery News
Contributors share insights and
exchange ideas. B
Mark Pennington has a 45-year history in the cemetery and fu-
neral industries. His expertise in sales and marketing is without
equal and by creating a unique legacy through innovative develop-
ment of products and services he has helped the industry grow and
prosper. A 1973 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Memphis State
University, Mark proudly served in the Marine Corp. He was a mem-
ber of the Honor Guard/Marine Barracks Eighth & I Washington,
DC during the presidency of LBJ. Well known for his support of the
funeral, cemetery, and cremation industries, he earned CCFE, CCrE
and CSE designations from the International Cemetery, Crematory
and Funeral Association (ICCFA). Mark served as Executive Vice
President and COO for Superior Funeral Supply for 27 years re-
fining his management expertise before he left to found his own
firm. A hands-on executive Mark has created a permanent position
in our industry as an innovator, supporter and believer in the im-
mense value of funeral service. He also served as president of the
Casket & Funeral Supply Association (CFSA) from 1999-2000.
Introducing the First “Before I Die” Albuquerque
Festival
Gail Rubin
ALBUQUERQUE,NM— Even though humans have a
100% mortality rate, less than 30% of us make any end-
of-life plans. What will get adults to discuss and plan for
their eventual demise? Put some “fun” in funeral plan-
ning to get people to discuss this serious topic.
Announcing the inaugural “Before I Die” Albuquerque
Festival, to be held Friday, October 20 to Tuesday, Octo-
ber 24, 2017 at various locations around Albuquerque,
NM. The five-day festival offers multiple activities for
people to openly think about, talk about and do some-
thing about our mortality.
The evolving schedule of events, many of which are free
or low-cost to attend, include:
• “Prelude to Eternity” festival kick-off party with Death
Over Dinner discussions
• A panel of local funeral directors discussing “What
You Need to Know Before You Go”
• Daily Death Cafe discussions at various settings
around town
• A tour of historic Fairview Cemetery (established 1881)
• Panel discussion “Making Plans to Live Well Until We
Die” on medical care and end-of-life issues
• Yoga class “From Child Pose to Corpse Pose: Life,
Death, Yoga and Spirituality”
• Movie matinees at the Guild Theater, featuring The
Seventh Seal and Harold and Maude
• “Earth, Air, Fire & Wa-
ter: A Celebration of
Cremation and Art”
with local artists selling
their works in ceramics,
paper and other media
• Day of the Dead educa-
tional events at the Na-
tional Hispanic Cultur-
al Center
“By providing space and
opportunities to openly
discuss end-of-life issues,
we can improve the per-
centage of those who plan
ahead and take actions to address our mortality,” said fes-
tival coordinator Gail Rubin, CT, a pioneering death ed-
ucator, award-winning author and TED speaker. “Right
now, more than 70% of our loved ones will scramble to
pull together information and make expensive decisions
under duress of grief, and it doesn’t have to be that way.”
“Before I Die” festivals are part of a growing social
movement to foster reflection about how we as individ-
uals and as a society manage death and dying. “Before I
Die” festivals have drawn thousands to events in Cardiff,
Wales (UK), Indianapolis, IN and Louisville, KY. This
will be the first such festival west of the Mississippi.
The “Before I Die” Albuquerque festival is being held in
partnership with the nonprofit organizations Oasis Albuquer-
que and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the
University of NewMexico. Sponsorship opportunities are still
available to businesses and organizations that wish to connect
with hundreds of Albuquerque baby boomers, seniors and
younger generations through these festival activities.
Event coordinator Gail Rubin works with companies
and organizations to connect with baby boomers con-
cerned about end-of-life issues. A featured speaker at
TEDxABQ in 2015, she’s the author of three books on
end-of-life issues, including A Good Goodbye: Funeral
Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die and KICKING
THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing
Things to Do Before You Die. In a previous lifetime, she
was a public relations professional and an event planner.
Part of the proceeds from “Before I Die” Albuquerque
will be donated to charitable partner Albuquerque Oasis.
Oasis is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization that promotes
healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles
and volunteer engagement. A portion of sponsorship fees
may be tax-deductible as charitable donations.