November 2018

Page B2 NOVEMBER 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on B Kates Boylston Publica- tions Preneed Summit - Nov 02, 2018, Renaissance Con- course Atlanta Airport Hotel, Atlanta, GA. 732-746-0201. www. k a t e s b o y l s t o n . c om / preneedsummit tparmalee@ kbpublications.com National Concrete Burial Vault Assn 2018 Annual Meet- ing - Nov 04-05, 2018, Hilton Garden Inn Dallas/Arlington, Arlington, TX. 888-886-2282. www.ncbva.org info@ncbva.org National Hospice & Palliative Care Org 2018 Fall Confer- ence - Nov 05-07, 2018, Hyatt Regency New Orleans, New Or- leans, LA. 703-837-1500. www. nhpco.org dcherry@nhpco.org Cremation AssociationOf North America Crematory Operations Certification Program - Nov 06, 2018, East Tennessee Crema- tion Company-Life Event Center, Maryville, TN. 312-245-1077. www.cremationassociation.org/cocp info@cremationassociation.org Funl Dirs Servs Assn Of Great- er Chicago 13th Annual Trade Show - Nov 07, 2018, White Eagle Banquets and Restaurant, Niles, IL. Exhibits. 630-980- 4010. www.fdsachicago.com egoins@fdsachicago.com Pennsylvania Cmtry, Crem & Funeral Assn 2018 Mid-Atlan- tic States Cemetery & Funeral Conference - Nov 07-09, 2018, Golden Nugget, Atlantic City, NJ. 717-236-9970. www.pccfa.com Virginia Cemetery Association 2018 Mid-Atlantic States Ceme- tery & Funeral Conference - Nov 07-09, 2018, Golden Nugget, Atlantic City, NJ. 804-675-7502. www.virginiacemeteryassociation.com dimunn@asscmgmt.com The Dodge Company Inc Tech- nical Seminar-Las Vegas - Nov 08-09, 2018, Flamingo Resort, Las Vegas, NV. 978-600-2099. www.dodgeco.com sbelanger@ dodgeco.com Federated Funeral Directors Of America Regional Meeting - Nov 13-14, 2018, Columbia Club, Indianapolis, IN. 800-877-3332. www.ffda.com info@ffda.com OhioVaultWorks Inc 2nd Annu- alEducationExpo -Nov 14, 2018, Pipefitters Local Union 120 Hall, Valley View, OH. 216-524-8860. www.ohiovaultworks.com/events tmearly@ohiovaultworks.com National Funeral Directors As- sociation Professional Women’s Conference Canada - Nov 16- 18, 2018, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario. 800- 228-6332. www.nfda.org nfda@ nfda.org Canadian School Of Advanced Prep Advanced Restorative Seminar - Nov 20-21, 2018, Homewood Suites, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 905-376-3108. www. canadianschoolofadvancedprep.com kwenzel@cogeco.ca New England Cemetery Asso- ciation 49th Annual Frederick R. Laffond Cemetery Manage- ment Seminar - Dec 03-05, 2018, Publick House, Sturbridge, MA. Exhibits. 203-813-6322. www.newenglandcemetery.org neca1902@gmail.com Canadian School Of Advanced Prep Facial & Skull Reconstruc- tion Seminar - Dec 04-06, 2018, PiedmontTechnical College, Green- wood, SC. 905-376-3108. www. canadianschoolofadvancedprep.com kwenzel@cogeco.ca Kates Boylston Publications Cremation Strategies Confer- ence - Dec 05, 2018, Hilton New Orleans/ St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA. 732-746-0201. kates-boylston.com/conferences/ tparmalee@kbpublications.com Kates-Boylston Publications Annual Cremation Strategies Conference - Dec 05, 2018, Hilton New Orleans, New Orleans, LA. 800-500-4585. w w w. k a t e s b o y l s t o n . c o m tparmalee@kbpublications.com Kates Boylston Publications Annual Funeral Service Busi- ness Plan Conference - Dec 06-07, 2018, Hilton New Or- leans/St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA. 732-746-0201. kates-boylston.com/conferences/ tparmalee@kbpublications.com Kates-Boylston Publications Funeral Service Business Plan Conference - Dec 06-07, 2018, Hilton New Orleans, New Or- leans, LA. 800-500-4585. www. katesboylston.com tparmalee@ kbpublications.com The Dodge Company Inc 2018 Wreaths Across America Proj- ect - Dec 12-15, 2018, Embassy Suites Hotel, Arlington, VA. 978- 600-2099. www.dodgeco.com sbelanger@dodgeco.com New Hampshire Funeral Di- rectors Assn 2019 Annual Con- vention - Jan 12, 2019, Church Landing, Meredith, NH. Exhib- its. (877) 886-4332, 603-903- 4699. www.nhfda.org nhfda1@ gmail.com Utah Funeral Directors Asso- ciation 2019 Annual Meeting - Jan 18-19, 2019, Best Western Plus Abbey Inn, St. George, UT. 801-263-3286. www.ufda.org ufda.org@gmail.com Alabama Funeral Directors Association 2019 Mid-Winter Meeting & Expo - Jan 20-22, 2019, Hyatt Regency Birming- ham – The Wynfrey Hotel, Hoover, AL. Exhibits. 334- 956-8000. www.alabamafda.org dedmisten@alabamafda.org Indiana Funeral Directors As- sociation 2019 Annual Meeting - Jan 22-23, 2019, Indianapolis, IN. Exhibits. 317-846-2448. www.infda.org connie@infda.org Int’l Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Assn 2019 Wide World of Sales Conference - Jan 23-25, 2019, Bally’s Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV. 703-391-8402. www.iccfa.com kase@iccfa.com Selected Independent Fu- neral Homes 2019 NextGen Seminar - Jan 27-31, 2019, Club Med Turkoise, Turks and Caicos Islands. 800-323-4219. www.selectedfuneralhomes.org pattyn@selectedfuneralhomes.org Virginia Funeral Directors As- sociation 11th Annual Winter Conference - Jan 27-28, 2019, The Quirk Hotel, Richmond, VA. 804-264-0505. www.vfda.net lwhittaker@vfda.net Catholic Cem & Funl Services Of The West 2019 Annual Convention - Jan 28-31, 2019, Westin Verasa Napa, Napa, CA. Exhibits. 408-780-8229. ccfwest.org/annual- conference/ admin@ccfwest.org CALENDAR of Events ADDITIONAL EVENTS ONLINE AT WWW.NOMISPUBLICATIONS.COM OR SEND TO: PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 Fax 1-800-321-9040 Email info@nomispublications.com Online at www.nomispublications.com Submit Your Convention, Meeting or Seminar Helene Schultheis, ASD’s Longest Serving Call Specialist, Retires after 21 Years Helene Schultheis MEDIA,PA— After more than two decades of providing empathy and comfort to funer- al home callers, Helene Schultheis, ASD– Answering Service for Directors’ most ex- perienced call specialist, has retired. In her 20 plus years at the company, Helene has steadi- ly built a legacy of compassion, dedication and kindness. Since 1997, Helene has de- voted herself to helping grieving loved ones through the most difficult call they will ever have to make. ASD estimates that during her career, Helene has answered more than 750,000 calls and over 50,000 first calls. When asked a few years ago what she finds most rewarding about working at ASD, He- lene explained, “At the end of the day you go home and feel as though you made a differ- ence by helping people. I am very fortunate to work at ASD. I am so proud to be part of this company.” Helene joined ASD right around the same time new call forwarding options made it possible for the company to offer its services beyond their local area. While ASD’s tech- nology and system redundancies have seen thousands of different iterations, Helene’s gentle and patient phone demeanor have re- mained a constant. Her presence reminds everyone how essential it is to offer a person- al touch to funeral home callers. From han- dling a first call for a high profile celebrity to assisting callers impacted by major trage- dies, Helene’s natural aptitude for providing comfort to the bereaved has never wavered. “My most difficult calls were the calls that came in on 9/11,” Helene shared. “The call- ers were stunned and devastated as was the entire country. Our clients and their callers went through some horrific times that day.” Over the years, Helene made an effort to get to know ASD’s clients and to learn more about their lives. At conventions, her name comes up more than any other. Some can remember her answering their calls over a decade ago with the same warm and com- passionate tone of voice. For ASD staff, He- lene’s kindness and sincerity is truly a gift. Most ASD employees would be able to tell you without hesitation about their first in- teraction with her. Whether it is in the office or over the phone, Helene left a memorable and lasting impression on just about every person she encountered. “Helene was a valuable asset to our compa- ny and a role model employee, dedicated to her position with a friendly presence in the office,” says ASD operations director, Ric Cusumano, who has worked with Helene for more than 20 years. “She achieved per- fect attendance for years traveling in inclem- ent weather and staying overnight when needed. Helene enjoyed helping others, in- teracting with our clients and co-workers. She was always pleasant, caring and com- passionate towards everyone. Helene was not only an employee and co-worker, but she was part of our ASD family.” ASD–Answering Service for Directors has created a new class of answering service for the funeral profession. Family owned and operated since 1972, ASD blends state- of-the-art technology with an extensive, 6-month training program focusing on compassionate care. The company’s custom- built communication systems and sophisti- cated mobile tools were designed solely to meet the needs of funeral professionals. By offering funeral directors unmatched pro- tection for their calls, ASD has redefined the role of an answering service for fu- neral homes. For more information, visit www.myASD.com or call 1-800-868-9950. Legacy.com will Support Funeral Homes with New Business Leads EVANSTON,IL— Legacy. com, the world’s top des- tination for people seek- ing funeral-related infor- mation, has announced the launch of the Legacy Ad- visor Network, a new pro- gram that will match Leg- acy’s demographically ideal consumers who are interest- ed in funeral planning with local funeral homes. With more than 20 million baby boomers visiting Legacy. com monthly, the compa- ny’s user base, which skews toward women 55 and over, is a strong match for the fu- neral planning market. Funeral homes that par- ticipate in the Legacy Ad- visor Network will receive real-time contact informa- tion of nearby consumers requesting funeral planning information through Lega- cy.com. Participating homes will also receive a full-fea- tured, customizable profile page within Legacy’s direc- tory, the most trafficked fu- neral home comparison di- rectory in North America. “We’ve been listening to funeral homes tell us what they need,” says Legacy’s senior vice president and fourth generation funeral director John Heald. “Be- ing able to put new leads from household decision- makers straight into fu- neral directors’ hands is an incredible opportunity to help them.” “For twenty years, Legacy. com has connected fami- lies to the funeral homes in their communities,” says Stopher Bartol, Legacy’s founder and CEO. “We’re excited to take that to the next level with a partner- focused program that helps funeral homes grow their pre-planning market share.” A demo of the Legacy Advisor Network program was available at Legacy. com booth 1547 during the National Funeral Di- rectors Association confer- ence October 14-17 in Salt Lake City. For more infor- mation, contact marketing director Megan Haddad at mhaddad@legacy.com. Legacy.com is the global leader in online obituaries with over 40 million visitors each month. The company provides support and obitu- ary-related services to more than 1,500 newspapers and 3,500 funeral homes in the United States, Canada, Aus- tralia, New Zealand, Unit- ed Kingdom and Europe to help people express con- dolences and share remem- brances of loved ones. Leg- acy.com partners benefit from unparalleled scale and expertise that enables the delivery of industry-leading products, innovative e-com- merce solutions, and award- winning customer service. Visit www.Legacy.com for more information.