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OCTOBER 2014
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
S ec t i on B
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LENEXA,KS—
Artco Cas-
ket Company, Inc.,
the
authorized
Matthews In-
ternational
casket distrib-
utor for the upper Mid-
west United States, has
announced a partnership
with the makers of the
Cre-
mation Capsule
(Patent
Pending) line of urns to
exclusively offer the prod-
uct throughout the United
States.
Artco has been a distribu-
tor of the Cremation Cap-
sule urns in the states of
Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Min-
nesota, Missouri, Nebras-
ka, South Dakota and Wis-
consin since March. Citing
the rapidly rising cremation
rate, company sales manag-
er
Pat Duckers
says the de-
cision to expand distribu-
tion was an easy one. “The
sales numbers we origi-
nally projected for the first
year, we did in the first sixty
days,” Duckers said. “This
was the next logical step.”
The Cremation Capsule
comes in two versions: a golf
ball or fishing bobber, and
can be infinitely customized
by the retail funeral con-
sumer with decals or perma-
nent marker. The golf ball
comes in white or light pink;
the bobber is standard half
white/half red. Officially-li-
censed University of Iowa
and Iowa State models are
also available. Purchase in-
formation is expected to be
released by the end of 2014.
Founded in 1952 by
Rus-
sell
and
Frances Sevedge,
Artco Casket Company,
Inc. and its affiliate’s stake
its place in the industry on
its commitment to custom-
er satisfaction. This commit-
ment to customer satisfac-
tion embraces two elements:
total customer service with
Artco’s direct consumers
at the wholesale level, and
product service support for
the ultimate funeral cus-
tomer who are the retail
consumers of products dis-
tributed by Artco. Russell
and Frances’ son,
Roger Se-
vedge,
is owner and com-
pany president. Grandson
Keith Sevedge
serves as vice
president and legal counsel.
Great-grandsons
Matthew
Sargent
and
Alex Sevedge
are employed as the director
of marketing and merchan-
dising and marketing sup-
port specialist, respectively.
A professional in the fu-
neral and burial industry
for over thirty-two years,
Earl Bell
founded Crema-
tion Capsule in 2009. All
products are manufactured
in Iowa, constructed of
1/4” thick ABS plastic that
is comparable in strength
and durability to concrete
or steel. A high-grade fu-
sion sealant is utilized on
the urns, creating a water-
and air-tight seal to eternally
protect your loves one’s ash-
es. The Cremation Capsule
can be utilized for more than
just burial purposes. A cus-
tomized Capsule may best
be suited as an attractive dis-
play piece commemorating
the life and legacy of your
Artco and Cremation Capsule Expand
Partnership
Fairway to Heaven Golf Ball
Gone Fishing Bobber
Wilbert Introduces The Forever
Program
Homesteaders Names Steve Shaffer
Chief Operating Officer
Steve Shaffer
WEST DES MOINES,IA—
Homesteaders
Life Company
president and CEO
Steve
Lang
has announced that veteran industry
leader
Steve Shaffer
will become the com-
pany’s Chief Operating Officer effective Oc-
tober 1, 2014.
A thorough search commenced when
Lang vacated that position upon succeeding
Graham Cook
as Homesteaders’ CEO on
March 1st of this year.
Shaffer is a well-known and influential ex-
ecutive in the funeral and
cemetery business, whose
experience and track record
is a solid match with Home-
steaders’ longstanding com-
mitment to customer suc-
cess and promoting the
value of funeral service.
“Steve has the combina-
tion of financial, operation-
al and funeral industry expe-
rience to further strengthen
our already deep executive
management team,” said
Lang. “Homesteaders is an
insurance company that is
really in the funeral business,
so our leaders must collectively possess insur-
ance, financial and funeral service expertise
to ensure the success of both our company
and our customers, and to protect the secu-
rity of our policy owners.”
Shaffer says joining Homesteaders is a nat-
ural progression in his 27-year career. “This
is a rare opportunity for me to join a compa-
ny with an unparalleled commitment to our
profession and a longstanding commitment
to the success of funeral homes.” Shaffer con-
tinued, “Homesteaders is well-positioned to
continue its strong tradition of growth, prof-
itability and financial strength, and I am ex-
cited for the chance to broaden its dominant
position as a provider of products and servic-
es that promote and support advance funeral
planning and end-of-life expenses.”
In 2010, Shaffer co-
founded and served as pres-
ident and CEO of
Foun-
dation Partners Group,
LLC.
Shaffer led an orga-
nization created to combine
the best aspects of conven-
tional end-of-life care with
new ideas and technolo-
gies that enabled families to
plan, prepare, acknowledge
and share the purpose of a
life. Shaffer was a co-found-
er and CFO of
Keystone
Group Holdings,
Inc.
be-
tween 1996 and 2010,
served as a
Funeral Service
Foundation
trustee since 2010 and will
serve as Board Chair for 2014-15.
Homesteaders Life Company provides
products and services to promote and sup-
Forever in Our Hearts
Forever in God’s Care
BROADVIEW,IL—
Wil-
bert Funeral Servic-
es
introduces The Forev-
er Program
℠
, a themed
commemoration package
that ties together burial
or urn vault carapace im-
ages with keepsakes to cre-
ate a meaningful experi-
ence and remembrance for
families.
Available on many types
of Wilbert burial vaults
or urn vaults, The Forev-
er Program is offered in
two themes: Forever in
Our Hearts and Forever in
God’s Care. Each theme
offers a choice of imag-
es for the carapace which
may be personalized with
the loved one’s photo and
name. Forever Keepsakes
are thematically tied to
the carapace and are given
to family and friends as a
remembrance of the ser-
vice and their loved one.
“Love and faith are prob-
ably the top two concepts
that families embrace and
recall as they commemo-
rate their loved ones,” said
Mark Klingenberger,
vice
president of sales and mar-
keting, Wilbert Funeral
Services, Inc. “The Forev-
er Program allows funer-
al professionals to offer a
beautiful service experi-
ence built around these
two powerful themes while
at the same time encourag-
ing families to incorporate
the all-important graveside
committal service.”
Flexibility is a key com-
ponent of Wilbert’s For-
ever Program, for both
families and funeral pro-
fessionals, as it can be of-
fered on a wide selection
of burial vaults and urn
vaults; the carapace im-
age can be personalized
with a photo and name;
and the attractive heart
or cross keepsakes include
a hole for easy insertion
on a key-ring or necklace
chain.
Wilbert licensees will
work with their custom-
ers to customize a Forev-
er Program with various
vaults as well as provide
brochures and wall graph-
n,
r
.
/