February 2021

Page B6 FEBRUARY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B I love writing about the funeral industry and know that there are countless stories that need to be told, or risk being lost for- ever – real stories of the industry. The ones that are funny, heartwarming, historical, or the just need-to-be-shared stories. My plan is to create a website of these stories. The site is FuneralHomeStories. com. It’s not running yet, and whether it ever does or not is up to you. I’m looking for at least 25 stories to start. As many of you know, I share stories through this column occasionally and here’s how it usually works: Someone with a story will contact me, normally via email HearseHub@gmail.com. They provide a brief overview of the story, then I contact them to get additional information, often by phone. Then I write the story and send it to them for approval. I anticipate a very similar process for the website. Likewise, we will only include a story on the web- site that has been approved by the sharing party. Your contact information can be in- cluded or anonymously. The stories will not be fact checked, nor will I question you about authenticity. The story does not have to be firsthand; it can just be a story that you were told. However, I do have complete censorship and if I get a story that sounds like a Hol- lywood script, or disparages anyone, it probably will not be included. I have been thinking about this website for some time, and the catalyst that drove me to action is COVID. A lot of the vic- tims of COVID have been elderly. How many stories have been lost in the last year that will now never be shared now? I’m not just talking about the funeral in- dustry, but all manner of stories. If you like the idea of this website, your help with content will be greatly needed. It’s up to you and your stories. By Mike Jamar Your S ource for High Quality Funeral Vehicles F uneral H ome S tories . com • Average Number of Funeral Vehicles Listed: 386 • Number of Hits: 90,264 or 254 Hits per day on average. A “Hit” is not the number of visitors, a “Hit” is counted each time someone looks at the vehicle’s detail page. • Number of links to dealer sites from HearseHub: 14,762 or 42 links per day on average. If you are looking for a new or used fu- neral vehicle HearseHub.com is a great place to shop. We only include funeral vehicles of a professional grade. We oc- casionally do get classic hearses and have even had a horse drawn hearse or two in the past. Check the HearseHub.com out if you are in need of a funeral vehicle. H earse H ub . com 2020 Y ear in R eview Mike Jamar is founder and co-owner of Advanced Integration Technology. Mike has been working with computers since the early 80s and started Advanced Integration in 1994. Advanced Integration specializes in Internet inventories designed for specialty vehicles and equipment. HearseHub was cre- ated through a collaboration between Advanced Integration and Nomis Publications, and is now in its fifth year of service. HearseHub brings together funeral vehicles from a number of dealerships that spe - FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.nomispublications.com Monthly Columns online at cialize in high quality funeral vehicles. HearseHub offers funeral directors a large, and easy to shop inventory, of funeral vehicles. You can reach him at Mike@AITAdvantage.com. PHOENIX,AZ— The Foresight Companies has announced the appointed of Chris Cruger as their new chief executive officer, which he will hold along- side the role of managing partner. His colleague and close friend, Dan Isard, The Foresight Companies Announces Chris Cruger as Chief Executive Officer Chris Cruger Dan Isard best-in-class business solu- tions to our clients, it will allow for Dan to be able to focus his efforts on both existing and future client relationships. “Just as our clients have had to change the way they operate due to the pandemic and other changes in the profession, we as a firm need to as well. This succession plan al- lows me to focus more on the expansion of our client base for the future,” Isard said. Gober stated, “As we fur- ther expand the reach of The Foresight Companies’ offer, we have a person with the perfect set of skills to accomplish our growth objectives. Chris has ad- opted a structured body of knowledge and linked it with experience to help us be successful.” “The growth of the Fore- sight offerings has been sig- nificant,” said Cruger, “our expanded offerings in ac- counting and organic ex- pansion support have been well accepted by the mar- ket. With our addition of several new team members, we have been able to en- gage with our clients and the profession with a new standard of service that is unmatched today.” Chris added, “We have a team of twenty incredibly talent- ed people helping our cli- ents with their business op- erations, accounting, and transactions. With Dan and Doug focusing on our client acquisition we will be growing our staff even more.” Chris Cruger has spent more than 25 years working in and around the funeral industry. Prior to his join- ing Foresight, Chris provid- ed independent consulting to companies in the funer- al and cemetery professions worldwide. Chris started in this business at SCI where he eventually became vice president of business de- velopment, overseeing cor- porate development, real estate, construction, and areas of operations. Chris can be reached at 602- 274-6464 or chriscruger@ theforesightcompanies.com. The Foresight Companies, one of the largest financial and management consult- ing firms serving the funer- al and cemetery business, is dedicated to leveraging its expertise in operations, ac- counting, financing, merg- ers and acquisitions and other key areas necessary to drive success in the space. For more information, visit www.theforesightcompanies. com. 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 former managing partner will continue as the found- er of the company. “We are very honored to announce that we contin- ue to fulfill our long-term plan to be able to provide the highest level of service to our clients and for the next generation by having Chris transition to manag- ing partner effective Janu- ary 1, 2021,” Isard recent- ly announced. “There is no one in this profession with the experience, drive and ethics that Chris has. Chris continues to successfully improve our operational and transactional services. Since joining Foresight, he has demonstrated his pas- sion and ability to help our clients and implemented some key initiatives to fur- ther expand the company,” Isard added. “I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead the way for The Foresight Companies along with Dan and Doug Gober,” said Cruger. “Foresight’s continued growth speaks volumes about the con- stant needs of our industry. The resources that we bring to each client is second to none in the industry. I look forward to continuing to provide the highest level of service to our clients and the industry in general. 2020 has been one of the most challenging times of a generation and I could not be prouder of every mem- ber of the Foresight team. The strength and resilience they have shown in sup- porting our clients and the profession has been second to none.” added Chris. With Chris assuming the role of providing guidance and support to the Fore- sight team to allow for Scan QR for our website 1-888-792-9315 • mymortuarycooler.com Mortuary Coolers starting at $4,299 Beat the price increase increase coming March 2021