July 2021

Page A14 JULY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A Funeral Supply Store 1-800-392-2936 • www.funeralsupplystore.com FREE COT COVER! Magnum Mortuary Cot $1,595 00 1,000 lb. Capacity Dressing Table $895 00 Elite Mortuary Cot $995 00 Scissor Lift $5,395 00 Junkin Mortuary Cot 650 lb. Capacity $1,830 00 FREE COT COVER! FREE SHIPPING! The DD2000-XLC incorporates the capability to secure a standard and oversized cot side-by-side. The system allows four cremation containers, four cots, two air trays, or two caskets to be transported safely by one person. The powered upper deck with safety latch raises and lowers within seconds and can be easily installed inside a full-size cargo van. Robust features like an aluminum deck and steel frame help create the most reliable and durable deck system in the industry. DOUBLE DECK TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT DD2000-XLC Who are your competitors? By A. V. “Augie” Bottiger Once you are in the funeral business you just can’t think of anything else to do. There has always been certain things that a supplier should always do and one of those things is to be loyal to the industry and only sell to qualified funeral homes, cemeteries, and licensed cremation facilities. Now that I have semi-retired and no longer travel, I can reflect on the changes that have occurred in the sales market during my travels. Cremation nearing the 50 percent mark limits the sales of fluids, clothing, and prep room supplies. Memorialization products such as jewelry and urns have created a very competitive mar- ket. The manufacturers have found ways to increase their sales in this field. Many of the jewelry and urn suppliers are burning the candle at both ends by offering their products on the in- ternet to your families using different corporate names. I am sure that you have had families bring in their own urn or jewelry and have even arranged to have their own cas- ket delivered to your back door. Your sales person may not be aware of this, so don’t put much of the blame on them! I never got rich in the supply business but I always made a decent living. I could have built a website using a fictitious name and could have doubled my sales, but I stuck with the rules of the road. Maybe that was the old-fashioned way. Yes, it is true. Your biggest competitor just may be your friendly supplier. Just go on your computer and seek Amazon. Go to “cremation urns” and check out the offerings. You will find the same urn or piece of jewelry offered directly to the public for about the same price you are paying as a wholesale buyer. Some companies are brazen enough to use their own wholesale names although the SKU num- bers will be different from your stock number. Casket companies are still selling to casket stores. The wholesale to the public companies didn’t put me out of business but they tried very hard. Augie Bottiger spent 57 years as a funeral supplier. He owned two embalming fluid companies, Blanchard Fluid and Control-Pav Chemical Co., he was vice president of sales for Belmont Casket Co and manager of market de- velopment for Boyertown Casket Co., as well as owner of Best Friend Tribute Inc. Originally published in 2016, his memoir, Death Takes No Holiday: A Memoir, was revised in 2020 and is available on Amazon. Augie can be reached at 941-753-5539 or by email at augiebo777@gmail.com. Atkins-Northland Funeral Home & Cremation Service joins Foundation Partners Group ORLANDO,FL— Foun- dation Partners Group has announced the acquisition of Atkins-Northland Fu- neral Home & Cremation Service in Cloquet, MN. The acquisition adds a sixth location to the Foundation Partners Group’s network in the state. “We are excited to wel- come Atkins-Northland Funeral Home & Cremation Service to the Foundation Partners Group family,” stated Tom Kominsky, FPG’s chief finan- cial officer. “Bob and Karen Atkins share our values and have been wonderful stew- ards in their community. We believe this will be a wonderful partnership.” Atkins-Northland Funeral Home & Cre- mation Service was originally the “North- land Cooperative Burial Association,” es- tablished in 1936. It continued to operate as a cooperative until 2009 when Bob and Karen Atkins purchased the funeral home. When it came to succession planning, Bob and Karen looked for a partner with similar values. “As funeral home owners, you’re working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 day a year. We’ve made a huge commitment to our business and it was important to us to partner with someone who wouldn’t just see our funeral home as an investment,” Bob said. “We wanted a partner who would respect our legacy and commitment to our community.” A key part of their succession plan was to find a company that would continue to grow their business and support their team members and their community. “Founda- tion Partners Group has resources that can really help the families we serve,” Karen said. “They’ll be bringing in new ideas and tech- nology that will benefit our community.” ADS Classified www. Nom i s P ub l i c at i on s . c om Online www. nomispublications .com