May 2021

Page A14 MAY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A MADISONVILLE, KY- Tim Wilson (C), Trudi Wilson (R) of Harris Funeral Home are shown taking delivery of their new 2019 Cadillac Renaissance Hearse. Built by Federal Coach and sold by John Muster (L) of Muster Coaches. Harris Funeral Home Muster Coaches 1-800-274-3619 Calhoun, KY ed. “They are tired, but they have proven repeatedly over the past year their resiliency and dedication to serving our clients at their greatest time of need.” After an initial decline in company volume during the confusion and shutdowns that gripped the nation dur- ing the March-May period in 2020, EWA has been managing at an average year-over-year growth rate of 22 percent. “I believe this is a testa- ment to our service mod- el and the value we offer the funeral service profes- sion,” explained Dave Mc- Comb, co-owner of EWA and a former independent funeral home owner. “I’m excited how we’ve emerged as a team stronger and better positioned than ever. We’ve added staff and invested in new technology – all to en- hance the service we provide our funeral service clients.” Originally co-founded in late 2007 by Kaiser and Mc- Comb, EWA managed its first transfer of a loved one in March 2008. Since then, and thanks to the expertise of the EWA team members and the combined airline and funeral home experience of Kaiser and McComb, it has grown to become the global leader in managing the air transportation required to bring loved one’s home for cer- EWA Not Only Survives the COVID-19 Pandemic, but Thrives While Celebrating 13th Anniversary Dave McComb Frank Kaiser FORTWAYNE,IN— Eagle’s Wings Air (EWA) has cel- ebrated its 13th anniversary after a year of historic opera- tional challenges and organizational growth. “Despite the profound impact of COVID-19 on the available airline capacity throughout much of 2020, EWA solidified and strengthened its position as the in- dustry leader thanks to its highly dedicated and hard- working team members and a quick change to a more flexible work-from-home operating model,” said Dave McComb, CEO of EWA. “The past 12 months have certainly been the most chal- lenging of my 25-plus-year career in the air logistics busi- ness,” said Frank Kaiser, president of EWA. “Even more than September 11, 2001, when I was leading a cus- tomer service function at an airline and we grounded our entire fleet of aircraft for three days. The loss of capacity and disruption to global airline networks re- lated to the pandemic has been much more dramatic and required constant co- ordination with our airline partners.” “It’s hard to put into words how incredibly proud I am of our team,” Kaiser add- emony. “While our nation is making progress against the pandemic, challeng- es certainly remain within the airline industry,” Mc- Comb added. “Carriers have slimmed operations, parked hundreds of jetlin- ers, and eliminated or fur- loughed thousands of jobs. Capacity on internation- al flights continues to be very limited, and domes- tic networks are operating 55 percent below pre-CO- VID levels. Finding flights and managing the logistics associated with shipping human remains will con- tinue to be a challenge for funeral service across the country. I’m very proud to be associated with EWA and happy that our com- pany is positioned so well to serve my industry col- leagues during these chal- lenging times.” Through a centralized customer service center, EWA leverages proprietary software and their knowl- edge of airline operations to find the best flight itiner- ary, secure space on the air- craft, and proactively mon- itor status of transfer from start to finish, delivering time-savings and peace-of- mind to its funeral service clients. To date, EWA has proactively managed more than 175,000 transfers of loved one’s home for cere- mony. Learn more at www. EWAcares.com or by call- ing 866-550-1392. L ike Us On Facebook! 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 Beat the price increase coming June 2021