“The original idea was that we’d get enough spillover from people visiting the Lincoln sites,” said Duane Marsh, executive director of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, which operates the museum. “But for whatever reason, that just hasn’t happened. When a business isn’t paying its way, as everyone knows, you have trouble.”

The full release includes information about a class action settlement, stock repurchase, and changes in the Board of Directors.

“With the changes in the economy, funeral homes are not a whole lot different from a business standpoint,” says G. Douglas Stauffer, co-owner of Stauffer Funeral Home. “Operating costs and overhead are far greater than they were. … Contrary to what many people believe, the large profits simply aren’t there. You’ve got to be a good manager and provide good service to survive, and you can’t take shortcuts.” Stauffer Funeral Home has 6 facilities in the area, and recently consolidated their administrative operations in Frederick, to save money.

Stauffer and Keith Roberson of Keeney & Basford Funeral Home in Frederick both say families have not been cutting back significantly on their options, saying that many families have already made provisions for funeral costs. Still, Stauffer says prearrangements are starting to fade slightly at his business.

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Valentine was prepared to sell the business, he said, and had a buyer lined up; he was making final preparations to close the deal. Then a month ago, the buyer backed out, leaving Valentine with no legal way to run the business. “By that time, all of my licenses expired and I just turned 74 and I didn’t want to start over again. I had a friend look into the legalities of it but then his wife got sick. I just can’t continue, there’s no sense any more. The hardest part is not the financial thing, it’s what will the people in town do now?”

The village of just under 1,000 is located near the NY-Mass-Connecticut border. The nearest funeral homes are now 10 to 20 miles away. Valentine hopes his son can keep the monument business open.

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The negative consumer sentiment which impacted preneed cemetery sales coupled with the extraordinary decline in the financial markets had a significant negative effect on our cemetery operating results. On the bright side, our funeral operations delivered solid operating results as we would have expected as they are less sensitive to economic conditions and the financial markets.

Full Release

The trust fund was designed to cover expenses for an estimated 49,000 people who took out policies.

The Illinois Controller’s office recently ruled that the IFDA should not have been in the pre-need insurance business; the association had been granted a license by then-controller Roland Burris, now a US Senator for Illinois.

The association is also facing a lawsuit from two consumers alleging violation of state consumer-protection laws.

A statement on the IFDA website says that Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Co. FSB has assumed the responsibilities of trustee, and that any principal deposited towards pre-need accounts is safe.

He’s purchased a former Jehovah’s Witnesses building, and Columbia City Council approved the rezoning. There were some objections, but the application was single-use, and May agreed to work with the neighbors to address concerns.

NFDA’s “Green Funeral Service Questions and Answers” offers definitions of a green funeral home, a green funeral, green burial and a green cemetery. It also addresses issues such as how a funeral director can facilitate a natural burial if there are no green cemeteries in his or her community; formaldehyde-free methods of preserving a body for viewing; ways to discuss green funeral options with consumers; and strategies for creating a green funeral home.

“Every week, reporters from newspapers, television and radio stations, and online news sources are writing about green funerals,” said James Olson, CPC, chair of the NFDA work group that developed the document. “Media coverage is driving consumer interest in green funeral and burial options. NFDA developed ‘Green Funeral Service Questions and Answers’ so that funeral directors can begin to understand this new frontier of funeral service. This document will help them answer consumer questions and determine how they may begin to offer ‘green’ services to the families they serve.”

According to the document, there are many “shades of green” possible when planning a green funeral, based on the consumer’s preferences, funeral home and cemetery capabilities, and local laws and regulations. The document reads, “As with the concept of ‘green’ in general, green in funeral service means practicing environmental consciousness and being eco-friendly. It encompasses green funeral homes, green funerals and natural or green burial. Any funeral home can be ‘green’ in practice. You have the opportunity to adopt green practices to meet the needs of the families you serve and to improve your business operations.”

Funeral directors can obtain the full document under the “Resources” section on NFDA’s Website. A consumer-friendly version is also available on NFDA’s Website.

“Green funerals are an emerging alternative to the funeral services we’re used to providing. This document is meant to be a starting point for helping funeral directors understand green funerals,” Olson noted. “Funeral directors may have questions about issues, such as public health issues and the environmental impact of green funerals, that we’ve not been able to address in this document. NFDA is researching these issues and will continue its efforts to educate funeral directors as new information becomes available.”

NFDA is the world’s leading funeral service association, serving 19,000 individual members who represent more than 10,200 funeral homes in the United States and internationally. From its headquarters in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy office in Washington, D.C., NFDA informs, educates and advocates to help members enhance the quality of service they provide to families. For more information, visit the NFDA website.

Brookfield, Wis. – Registration is now open for the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) 2009 Family Business Conference, April 6-7 at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona. Those looking to ensure the success of their family-owned funeral home, such as owners, next-generation staff members, CEOs and managers, are encouraged to attend this executive-level conference.

During this interactive two-day conference, attendees will examine best practices for business continuity and growth; competitive advantages inherent in the resources and challenges unique to family businesses; unconventional practices that build lasting family business legacies; and strategies to help prepare the next generation for future leadership roles.

“[The Family Business Conference is] a good seminar that blends theory and practice to develop future business leaders who will continue the family business for generations to come,” said Dan Eckhoff of Christy-Smith Funeral Home in Sioux City, Iowa.

For the fourth consecutive year, NFDA’s Family Business Conference will be led by internationally-recognized family business expert Ernesto J. Poza, graduate of Yale University and Sloan School of Management at MIT. Professor of Global Family Enterprise at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and president of E.J. Poza Associates, Inc., Poza is a top-rated speaker, author and consultant to family-owned businesses. His work has been featured by CNN, NBC, NPR and in publications such as Business Week, Family Business magazine, Forbes and Fortune.

The registration fee for NFDA members is $525 for the first registrant; $425 for each additional registrant from the same firm. The nonmember fee is $625 for the first registrant; $549 for each additional registrant from the same firm. Those who register on or before March 4 can deduct $50 from the registration fee. All conference registrations must be made by March 20.

Campus accommodations are available at the Thunderbird Executive Inn and Conference Center. To guarantee the reduced NFDA rate of $120 (plus tax) per night, reservations must be made by March 4. Attendees should call 602-978-7987 to make their reservation. Additional information and registration forms can be obtained by visiting www.nfda.org/familybusiness.phpor calling your personal NFDA member services representative at 800-228-6332.

NFDA is the world’s leading funeral service association, serving 19,000 individual members who represent more than 10,200 funeral homes in the United States and internationally. From its headquarters in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy office in Washington, D.C., NFDA informs, educates and advocates to help members enhance the quality of service they provide to families. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.