February 2019

Page B8 FEBRUARY 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on B For funeral and cemetery suppliers, business has never been more isolating. Often ideas are done in a vacuum. What you know is only what you know, which limits how far you can go. IMSA membership can change that. We’ve brought together some of the top industry experts to offer our members free one-on-one advice on marketing, business planning, legal issues and more. We also bring to our members insightful business-boosting webinars, meaningful trade resources and networking with other IMSA members. All this for just $175 a year. We’re the only association serving all funeral and cemetery suppliers. Because what’s good for the suppliers is good for the providers and that’s good for the families. IMSA. Supplying opportunity. Who Supplies the Suppliers? IMSA members now get free consultation with Dan Katz & Rolf Gutknecht of LA ads, Jake Johnson of Johnson Consulting, Ryan Thogmartin of Disrupt Media and Poul Lemasters of Lemasters Consulting. www.IMSA-Online.com “As Funeral Directors Life grows and ex- pands, our need for quality leaders in all ar- eas of our company has also increased,” said Kris Seale, president and CEO of FDLIC. Vice president of operations, Amy Biggs joined Funeral Directors Life as a temp on a 6-week assignment 23 years ago. Since joining the company, Amy quickly found her permanent home in the operations de- partment, where she has gained over 20 years managerial and supervisory level ex- perience in the areas of new business un- derwriting, commissions, and policy ad- ministration. In her most recent role with FDLIC, Amy has overseen the claims, new business, and document processing departments as director of policy services. Jason Gazaille was recently named vice president of Finance, currently serves as di- rector of finance for FDLIC. Since joining the company in 2015, Jason has expand- ed his department’s services to include not only funeral home lending, but also a con- sulting services division, Directors Business Solutions, which offers accounting, pay- roll, and valuation services. Jason’s great organizational and customer relation skills were critical in getting Directors Business Solutions off the ground. Jason graduated from McMurry with a BBA in marketing. Newly named vice president of account- ing, Melissa Magers, joined Funeral Di- rectors Life in 2012 and has most recently served as director of accounting. In her role, she has overseen the accounting and finan- cial reporting functions for all but one of Fu- neral Directors Life’s affiliated companies. Among her many attributes, Melissa has a knack for stepping back and looking at the big picture, which has led to improved pro- cesses and procedures in virtually all func- tions in accounting. Melissa received both a BBA and anMBA in Accounting fromHar- din Simmons University.  Zack Shahan, vice president of security operations, has been with Funeral Direc- tors Life since 2006. He worked his way up quickly from his initial position of network analyst to director of technology infrastruc- ture, where he has since advanced the com- pany’s network presence, improved wi-fi capabilities, automated processes, and hard- ened infrastructure security. Zack has led the way for FDLIC to be on the cutting edge of technology unlike anyone else in our indus- try. Zack is a graduate of Texas State Techni- cal College with a degree in computer net- working and systems administration. Mike Gedert has been active in the funer- al profession since 1981 with sales manage- Funeral Directors Life Management Team Appointments Amy Biggs Jason Gazaille Melissa Magers Zack Shahan Mike Gedert ABILENE,TX— Funer- al Directors Life Insur- ance Company (FDLIC) is proud to announce the recent promotion of Amy Biggs as vice president of operations, Jason Gazaille as vice president of finance, Melissa Magers as vice president of accounting, Zack Shahan as vice presi- dent of security operations, and the addition of Mike Gedert as market center manager for Ohio. ment experience since 1990. After spending more than 20 years working with funeral homes, he moved into preneed insurance where he served as an account executive be- fore joining Funeral Directors Life. “We are so excited to have Mike join our team,” said Kevin Gaffney, regional sales vice president. “He knows what funeral home own- ers need to run their businesses well, and he has built an incredible reputation for service.” “I have known Mike for over 25 years. His dedication and compassion for funer- al service is incredible, and he is genuine- ly concerned about the families he serves,” said Pam Ulery, director of sales develop- ment. “His experience, knowledge and passion for serving funeral homes make him one of the top trusted business ad- visors in our industry. We are thrilled to have Mike on our team in Ohio.” “I enjoy working with others to improve their business outlook,” said Mike. “I am a huge believer in the funeral service, and I en- joy introducing funeral homes to new and innovative ideas that will help them better serve the families in their community.” Mike received his degree from the Cin- cinnati College of Mortuary Science and has been a licensed funeral director since 1982. He is also a member of the Ohio Fu- neral Directors Association Mortuary Re- sponse Team and has helped with disaster response for 15 separate events, including the World Trade Center attacks in 2001. Funeral Directors Life Insurance Com- pany (FDLIC), based in Abilene, TX, is a leading provider of insurance-funded pr- eneed funeral products and services. 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Publication Date October 2018