February 2019

Page A12 FEBRUARY 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A ALUMINUM NAME PLATES 2” Block - Chrome Finish 3” Block - Gold Finish 3” Script - Polished Bright Finish 3” Slant - Polished Bright Finish 2” Block - Polished Satin Finish 2” 2 Line Plate - Polished Bright Finish Available in polished or satin standard finish. There are many custom styles, including bright chrome and brass plated name plates available for an extra charge.  Stock Finish - Polished Bright & Lacquered  Slant Style Font available at no additional Charge  Plates sold in pairs 2” Block, Standard or Slant $8.50 per letter Max 21 letters & spaces per plate 3” Block, Standard or Slant $11.50 per letter Max 13 letter & spaces per plate 4” Block, Standard or Slant $12.50 per letter Max 11 letters & spaces per plate Above prices are per letter, per plate. Minimum charge per plate $100.00 Double line plates are priced per letter - at 2 times the longest line. 50% upcharge for Script Style letter. Upcharge for brass or chrome plating $50.00 per plate, per line. PHONE: 773-489-3700 FAX: 773-489-3434 800-992-1234 800-626-3299 info@church-chapel.com • www.church-chapel.com Johnson Consulting releases Key Findings from its Performance Tracker Analysis: 2018 Insights and Trends At Johnson Consulting Group (JCG) we believe in sharing insight from the data collected through our Performance Tracker™ pro- gram, since understanding the trends will help you plan for the future. This update to Perfor- mance Tracker™ Trends & Insights incorporates 2017 data into the sales and family satisfaction survey anal- ysis, representing findings from almost 80,000 survey responses and over 280,000 sales records from 2015, 2016 and 2017. Year-to-year comparisons of survey responses and sales records highlight significant changes occurring within the industry, and statistical analysis is once again used to understand how family satisfaction is related to sales. New this year is the historical trend- ing of sales and survey data (available in the full re- port) compiled from a total of more than 500,000 cases dating back to 2011. That’s a lot of data! Key findings are summarized here, however, much more information is available. Contact us if you would like to find out more! Key Findings: Survey Results Overall Satisfaction Continued on Page A13 S E N D U S Y O U R N E W S ! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com Mark told me, “When I was in Washington, DC at the legislative hearings for the American Legion in 2016 [dur- ing which the organization laid out their top 5 legislative pri- orities for this Congress] none of the priorities included any of the issues that my generation of veterans is dealing with. Through a tour of charity benefit concerts with my Sinatra Big Band I believe we can serve as a catalyst for discussion and progress on a host of issues for post 9/11 veterans.” The realization of his goals returns him to his mission: to help all of us reignite the passion to achieve our goals and to return to our jobs with driven enthusiasm. Mark has spoken to several funeral associations including the National Funeral Directors Association and their Profession- al Women’s Conference, as well as many state associations. I asked Mark what his message to those in funeral service is. “I feel as though we all go through times in our lives and careers when we need a little jolt or kick in the pants. As I have traveled nationally and addressed audiences of funer- al directors, I have come to understand that the profession of funeral service is no different. Sometimes it is the chang- ing landscape of funeral service and the increased instanc- es of cremation requests that causes stress amongst owners; it could possibly be the challenge of employees capturing your vision for how we care for the family and feeling like your team isn’t quite providing the same level of service you would. Maybe it’s the 3am phone calls, maybe it is jurisdic- tional issues, maybe it is adapting to a younger generation’s desires for how they want to remember mom or dad…From time to time we all need a little reminder of why we do what we do. We could all use a little extra passion for the work we do and the services we provide, whether in funeral service or everyday life.” So many leave funeral service burned out. They have lost the value of what they do. All of us who have spent years or decades serving families feel this. It is just as important to re- invest the time in ourselves as in our business. When I see someone such as Mark, born in a foreign coun- try, put up for adoption, who has achieved so much in a rela- tively few years, and has such a fervor for life and the possi- bilities it offers, it rejuvenates me. “Don’t believe that the system of success that was handed to you is the best simply because it was handed to you What if there was a better way?” –Mark J. Lindquist from his book Passion! Observations Rediscovered Passion “I think that both our lives and the potential directions our lives may go are predestined. By using our free will in mak- ing our life choices, we do nothing else but picking up one of many already predestined options. To us, it seems like we were making the decision, while, we just selected one of many pos- sibilities that were already a part of our destiny.” –Stevan V. Nikolic, Truth According to Michael Gordon and Diane Lindquist of Ortonville, Minnesota wanted a son. They had a natural born daughter and decided adoption was their right choice. They knew of another couple who had adopted a Korean boy through an agency. After all the paperwork, inquiries and legalities, they adopted an infant son from Korea. They named himMark. Mark J. Lindquist has become a successful motivational speaker, author and noted singer. He has performed in one role or another for over 3 million people in 26 countries and all 50 states. The journey of his young life, from a baby born in Seoul, Korea, to the career he has now, and the unending possibilities his talents have to offer, come from two motiva- tions: passion and service. Passion took him through school as an Asian child in a small Minnesota farming town, made up mostly of Swedish and Norwegian descent. His supportive parents made him feel comfortable about who he is and allowed him to explore the opportunities he could feel passionate about. Mark listened to his father sing in the church choir and eventually sang in the choir himself. He sang in the Ortonvile High School Choir and asked to learn how to properly sing our national anthem. Football games and other events stoked his passion for music and using his voice to reach people. Public speaking became another desire. It combined a sec- ond life goal for him: service. Mark was in an Americorps class when he was 20. (Americorps is a national non-profit group that volunteers to help needs in communities such as youth mentoring, fighting poverty, helping our national parks, etc.) At his class graduation in Washington, DC, they auditioned members to give the graduation address. Mark was chosen and delivered his speech before former Attorney General Janet Reno . This last December I was standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with Mark as he wanted to find a specif- ic spot to take a selfie. (See Photos) When I asked him why, he told me that this was the spot where he gave that gradua- By Steven Palmer Steven Palmer entered funeral service in 1971. He is an honors graduate of the New England Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences. He has been licensed on both coasts, he owned the Westcott Funeral Homes of Cottonwood and Camp Verde, AZ, where he remains ac- tive in operations. Steve offers his observations on current funeral ser- vice issues. He may be reached by mail at PO Box 352, Cottonwood, AZ 86326, by phone at (928)634-9566, by fax at (928)634-5156, by e-mail at steve@westcottfuneralhome.com or through his website at www.westcottfuneralhome.com or on Facebook. www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs tion speech. He never realized where public speaking would take him. Service to others became his focus as he worked with Ameri- corps. On September 11, 2001, he was working with the Red Cross at the Pentagon, where he stayed for days into weeks to do what he could. This was a formative moment in his life. Five years later, when the time was right, he joined the Air Force. He became an intelligence analyst with the National Security Agency and was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. While in Hawaii he also had the chance to appear in the tele- vision shows Lost and Hawaii Five-O and the film Battleship . He served for six years and discharged as a sergeant. The Air Force taught him the discipline and organizational skills to pursue his goals. His service also brought him the chance to pursue his other passion: music. Those he served with realized his vocal talents which led him to singing at military retirements, promotions, recognitions, and change of command ceremonies. His tenor voice has been heard at professional games at stadiums and hockey rinks around the country. When I first met Mark, this past August, he had just sung our national anthem at the site where Francis Scott Key wrote it: Fort McHenry in Maryland. The Dodge Company’s delegation of Wreaths Across America had asked him to be part of the wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during that visit. (See Photos Below) Big Band music has always been another passion, and Mark has assembled a seventeen-piece band that performs as his sched- ule permits. His love of music inspired a new goal of using the band and his singing talent to raise awareness and money for younger veterans.