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OCTOBER 2014
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
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CANA hosts Annual Convention in
Minneapolis
CANA welcomes New Board Members
Vinnie Faccinto
Scott Hunter
Robert M. Boetticher, Jr
WHEELING,IL—
Great leaders are the driv-
ing force behind every successful profes-
sional association.
The Cremation Associ-
ation of North America
(CANA) is proud
to announce that the progressive, forward-
thinking tradition of its governance contin-
ues unabated with the latest board installa-
tion. During its 96th Annual Convention,
August 6-9, 2014, at the Minneapolis Mar-
riott City Center in Minneapolis, MN,
CANA’s membership elected two new di-
rectors to the CANA board. Several other
board members advanced into new officer
positions.
Vinnie Faccinto,
vice president for
growth and development for
Smart Cre-
mation
in Cookeville, TN, is one of the
newly elected board members. The other
is
Scott Hunter,
owner and president of
Gateway Pet Memorial Services, Inc.
in
Guelph, Ontario.
Known for his charisma, boundless ener-
gy, and decisive command of the industry’s
“big picture,”
Robert M. Boetticher, Jr.
is
now installed as CANA’s board president.
BBJ is an expert at the strategic analysis of
the Annual Cremation Statistics Report
and plans to make quality education op-
portunities the focus of his year as CANA’s
president.
Sheri Stahl,
vice president and
business manager of
Island Funeral Home
in Hilton Head, SC, is CANA’s president-
elect. The association’s first vice president
and treasurer is
Tim Borden
of Louisville,
KY. Tim is the founder and president of
Borden Mortuary Group.
CANA’s sec-
ond vice president is
Michael Sheedy.
Mike is market director for
Service
Cor-
poration International
(Canada) out of
Ottawa, Ontario.
Mitch Rose,
CEO and
president of
The Woodlawn Cemetery,
is
now the third vice president.
CANA’s executive director
Barbara
Kemmis
is enthusiastic about the new ad-
ministration. “CANA’s board of directors is
passionate about its work and astute about
the potential growth and the challenges for
the cremation industry in the current en-
vironment,” said Kemmis. “These leaders
are ready to tackle the development of pro-
grams, studies, and member benefits that
will advance the association and the impor-
tant services its members provide.”
Founded in 1913, the Cremation Asso-
ciation of North America (CANA) is an
international organization of over 1,300
members, composed of cremationists, fu-
neral directors, funeral home operators
and owners, cemeterians, industry sup-
pliers, and consultants. CANA members
believe that cremation is preparation for
memorialization. Additional information
WHEELING,IL—
The
Cremation Asso-
ciation of North America
played host to
another marvelous meeting this summer.
The 96th Annual Convention took place
in the friendly and fun City of Lakes,
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Before the convention started, over 60
people descended on the Batting Cag-
es of Minnesota to take advantage of the
CANA Crematory Operations Certifica-
tion Program™. The facility is owned by
Kevin Waterston
, the chair of the 2014
convention and a resident of Minnesota.
With over 250 participants, the conven-
tion in Minneapolis successfully combined
networking and education with a healthy
dose of fun. On Wednesday, CANA’s own
Rick Wiseman
threw out the first pitch
when the Minnesota Twins played the San
Diego Padres (San Diego is the site of next
summer’s 97th Annual Convention). A sup-
pliers’ cocktail reception was followed by a
rooftop gathering at the Seven Steakhouse
across the street from the convention hotel.
On Thursday morning, keynote speaker
Thom Winninger
opened with a presen-
tation about seizing opportunity based on
your brand advantage. Then
Dean Fish-
er
and
Jason Bradshaw
discussed alka-
line hydrolysis, followed by the CANA
business meeting, where President Rick
Wiseman passed the gavel over to CANA’s
new leader,
Bob Boetticher, Jr
.
Bill Mc-
Queen
tackled third-party crematories
and liability, and
Michael LuBrant
and
Sandra Myers
talked about their fascinat-
ing research on dental mercury and cre-
mation emissions. The final presentation
of the day dealt with cremation funda-
mentals as interpreted by
David Navarre-
te
,
Nick Savage
, and
Larry Stuart, Jr
.
On Friday morning, Bob Boetticher, Jr.
presented the preliminary figures for the
upcoming annual CANA Cremation Sta-
tistics Report. Bill McQueen and
Alan
Creedy
followed up with a session on suc-
cession plannin
NEWS
Association
CONTINUED