Page B10 JULY 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B mont family to work in the funeral industry. Under his leadership, Victoriaville & Co has risen to the top of casket manufacturers and distributors of funeral and commemorative products in Canada, ranking third among North American manufacturers of wooden caskets. “Reviewing the list of recipients over the past 20 years, I receive this prestigious honor with great humility and want to share it with all my colleagues who do an extraordinary job, but also with my wife and partner Michelle, as well as my father Claude and my son Charles-Olivier,” Dumont said. Dumont has also been actively involved in various professional, charitable and sports organizations. He has been the president of the “Hotel-Dieu d’Arthabaska” Foundation, in addition to being directly involved in their cause. Under his leadership, the foundation raised $12 million for a significant project. Kevin Thomson of Dixline Corporation has done a rotation in every department of the company, learning everything from maintenance to press and die casting, plating, painting, assembly and shipping, as well as working as a sales representative. “Working with my family, serving this organization and our customers has been a real privilege,” Thomson said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it weren’t for my family and all the amazing people who have been, and are part of this organization I am grateful for every single day.” Thomson has sponsored many events and organizations in the Galva, IL area, as well as serving as a soccer, baseball, basketball and track coach. He also served on the Kewanee YMCA board, Midland Country Club board and currently serves on the Black Hawk East Foundation board. Both Dumont and Thomson were presented their awards by CFSA outgoing president Jeanette Hiemstra of the Keith M. Merrick Company. Installation of the 2022 Board of Directors took place during the business meeting. JustinThacker, Thacker Caskets will serve as president; Pat Duckers, Artco Casket Company, vice president; and Greg Beavers, Wise Products, Inc., treasurer. Board members for 2022 are CharlesOlivier Dumont, Victoriaville & Co.; Lori Eanes, C&L Containers, Inc.; Julie Haney, Astral Industries; Dwayne Heeter, Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions; Nicolas Lacasse, Cercueils Magog Caskets; Andy Lawrence, Tiedemann-Bevs Industries; Leland Robinson, Southern Craft Manufacturing; Presson Thomson, Dixline Corporation and Scott Weisenbach, Sich Casket Company. Founded in 1913 as the Casket Manufacturers’ Association of America, the Casket & Funeral Supply Association Past Presidents Dinner Keynote Speaker Chris Kuehl Conference panel (L to R) Bill Jones, Justin Thacker and Lori Eanes Dumont, Thomson Receive CFSA’s Lifetime Recognition Award Continued from Page B1 of America is proud to represent the interests of member suppliers to licensed funeral homes and licensed funeral directors. CFSA’s members manufacture or distribute virtually every type of product used by funeral directors. The Association’s objective is to provide useful information and perspectives on the funeral industry and the funeral supply industry to support manufacturers and suppliers of funeral goods and/or services. For more information, visit www.CFSAA.org. To Keep Memories Alive and Add Value to Your Funeral Merchandise, AP Lazer® Releases an Entry-level Laser Machine AP Lazer SN2616LR in position for use (left) and in lowered position weight limitations, from caskets to cremation urns and granite monuments to memorial keepsakes. Covid-19 forced the funeral industry to embrace technologies and add values to compensate for the revenue and profit decline caused by the pandemic and skyrocketing cremation rates. Funeral homes now can add high personalization value on almost all funeral merchandise with an affordable laser machine. The AP Lazer SN2616LR is armed with 60-watt CO2 laser power and a 26-inch by 16-inch cutting and engraving area. The low rider carriage cart can lower the laser machine to meet any height of a casket, and engrave the curved top with high precision. It can also engrave photos and letters on round metal urns, heavy cylindrical granite urns, and a wide range of keepsakes. AP Lazer is introducing its new AP Lazer SN2616LR to the market with a zero percent interest financing plan. While the United States cremation rate has been growing fast, increasing from 32.4% in 2005 to 54.6% in 2019, this trend has dramatically reduced funeral homes’ revenues and profits. Covid-19 not only further increased the cremation rate, but also dropped all funeral services in scale, leaving funeral homes busier than ever with less profit. The market is growing fast with baby boomers entering end of life. The oldest baby boomers are turning 76 this year (born 1946), and the United States average life expectancy is 76.60 (2021 statistics). Boomers are another catalysts for cremation, according to a 2019 NFDA study. Millennials now are joining Generation Xers in starting to memorialize their parents. They are the dominant force for demanding technologies. “As a millennial child of baby boomer parents thinking of the memorialization, I want a more positive experience. My generation has a treasure trove of precious memories on our smart phones, and we want to hold on and cherish those moments forever,” said Dillon Li, president of AP Lazer. “Funeral homes can use their laser machines to keep the memories alive by engraving photos, art, poetry or verses – not only on funeral merchandise, but anything in everyday life.” The AP Lazer SN2616LR can also add memories to a full line of granite cemetery cremation memorials, helping small funeral homes capitalize on the fastgrowing trend with high profit personalization. SuperNova International, Inc., a granite memorial distributor and manufacturer, the parent company of AP Lazer, has designed and developed a full line of cemetery cremation memorials, which can be engraved by the SN2616LR. “As millennials, we are more traditional than people think. We want to get married, have kids and have a home. And most of us love the solitude of cemeteries, while we are also inclined to lean toward green sustainability. We care about environment and strive for balance,” Li added. Founded in 2009, AP Lazer is a privately owned manufacturer and distributor of patented, open architecture CNC laser machines. AP Lazer provides 24/7 tech support 365 days a year. Its customers are located throughout the United States and on six continents. AP LAZER® CO2 laser machines are manufactured in Canada by AP Lazer Canada MFG. Inc., located in Windsor, Ontario. For more information, visit www.APLazer.com, www.facebook.com/lasers or call 1-800-585-8617. LANSING,MI— AP Lazer® introduces a new entrylevel laser machine, the AP Lazer SN2616LR, featuring a low rider carriage cart, allowing the machine to effortlessly move from its standard position to the floor with a simple press of a button. The new model can engrave any object without size and Premier Preneed Marketing Appoints Wojciechowski as New Marketer Jerry Wojciechowski SAN DIEGO,CA— Officials at the preneed marketing agency, Premier Preneed Marketing, have announced the hiring of a new marketer at the company. Jerry Wojciechowski, a licensed insurance professional, possesses a comprehensive and diverse background in all facets of sales, marketing, training, and recruiting in several industries, including the funeral profession. During his career in funeral service,Wojciechowski has held key preneed positions at funeral homes in Pennsylvania. He is well versed in coaching, managing, and retaining exceptional employees. In addition, he has direct experience working with families; helping them to explore the many options available to pre-plan a funeral service that is memorable and unique. “Premier is fortunate to have Jerry join our team as his extensive background working in preneed at funeral homes will be a tremendous asset to our partner funeral homes,” stated JeffWright, vice president of preneed at Premier Preneed Marketing. “Jerry embodies our philosophy of providing big firm solutions with small firm personal service.” “It is truly an honor when families come to funeral homes in their time of need. We can never lose sight of the fact that we are helping families through what may be one of the most difficult times of their lives,” commented Wojciechowski. “There’s nothing more rewarding than when a family tells us how easy we made their experience.” Wojciechowski holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Penn State University. He lives in Wyomissing with his wife, Alexa. They have three grown children and two grandchildren. Premier Preneed Marketing has been providing pre-need support, training, and leading life insurance solutions to funeral homes throughout the country for more than fifty years. The company connects funeral homes with multiple carriers from which to choose and offers single pay, multipay, and preneed annuity options as well as standard and guarantee issue plans. For more information about Premier Preneed Marketing, visit www.premierpreneed.com.
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