December 2021

Page B4 DECEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B www. vischerfuneralsupplies.com OVERLAND PARK,KS— Wilbert Fu- neral Services, Inc is pleased to announce the acquisition of certain assets of the Con- tinental Casket Company (Continental). Based in Watseka, IL, Continental is a re- gional distributor of metal and wood cas- kets with three warehouses serving funeral professionals in Illinois and areas of Indi- ana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri. “This transaction supports Wilbert’s continued growth strategy and ongoing investment in complementary products and services ben- efiting funeral professionals and the fami- lies they serve,” stated Mark Bates, presi- dent and CEO of Wilbert. “Continental joins Astral Industries, Signet Supply, and Hoffman Burial Supplies which to- gether represent Wilbert’s Casket Divi- sion, with further expansion expected.” “We are excited to complete the acquisi- tion and greatly appreciate the working rela- tionship with Todd Harris and other mem- bers of the Continental team. Combining our operations, yields a number of synergies for our company and ultimately the funer- al professionals we serve,” said Don Robin- son, president of Wilbert’s Casket Division. “Continental is a great brand in the mid- west with a history of top-quality caskets, unsurpassed customer service, and great value. Going forward, we are committed to enhancing these great characteristics for all of Continental’s customers.” “We at Continental are pleased to execute this sale with Wilbert. We appreciate Wil- bert’s commitment to the funeral industry and firmly believe their casket division is the best option for our customers,” stated Har- ris. “We are committed to ensuring a seam- less transition over the coming weeks.” This transaction demonstrates Wilbert’s on- going commitment to supporting and invest- ing in the North American funeral industry. For more information, call 708-865-1600. Established in 1880, Wilbert Funeral Ser- vices, Inc is a licensor of, and supplier to, independently owned concrete burial vault manufacturers that are licensed to manu- facture Wilbert® brand burial vaults under an intellectual property license agreement including the sale of cremation products, vault forms, liners, and other related prod- ucts to the licensees. The company sells popular funeral industry products direct- ly to funeral home customers through its brands and vast manufacturing and distri- bution network. The unique wholly owned brands of Wilbert include Pierce, As- tral, Signet Supply, Hoffman Burial Sup- ply, Wilbert Memorials, and SI Precast. Through these combined brands Wilbert offers burial vaults, lawn crypts, cemetery services, urns, urn vaults, embalming chem- icals, prep room supplies, a large variety of caskets, monuments, and an extensive of- fering of precast concrete products. Wilbert also provides industry specific educational programs through its remote continuing education offering, WilbertEDU. Further educational involvement is provided by Wilbert’s sponsorship, support, and align- ment with Pierce Mortuary Colleges, which rank as three of the top funeral service col- leges in America. For more information about Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc, visit www.wilbert.com or call 913-345-2120. Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc acquires Continental Casket Company WEST DES MOINES,IA— Homestead- ers Life Company vice president of stra- tegic markets Will Bischoff is pleased to announce that Scott McClellan has joined the nation’s leading preneed company as regional director of strategic markets. “Scott is an accomplished sales professional with nearly two decades of ex- perience generating leads, managing relationships and maintaining high customer satisfaction and retention,” Bischoff explained. “We are very fortunate to bring someone with his wealth of experience and unique per- spective to our team.” In his role as regional di- rector of strategic markets, McClellan will work with affiliated marketing organizations and the Homesteaders sales team to develop cus- tomized solutions for funeral providers and expand the company’s footprint through- out the country. “I truly enjoy the funeral profession and look forward to working with funeral home owners each day as they strive to serve fam- ilies during their most challenging times,” McClellan shared. “Homesteaders has the products, tools and innovation for funer- al providers to achieve overall success, and I’m excited to partner with funeral profes- sionals to develop and im- prove their preneed pro- grams.” McClellan brings close to 20 years of sales experi- ence to the Homesteaders team, with the last 11 years focused on business devel- opment within the funeral profession. He is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision and currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI with his family. Homesteaders Life Company, a mutual company owned by its policy holders, is a national leader providing products and ser- vices to promote and support the funding of advance funeral planning and end-of-life expenses. Visit www.homesteaderslife.com to learn more. Scott McClellan Joins Homesteaders Life Company Scott McClellan David P. Smith joins The Tribute Companies David P. Smith, Jr joined The Tribute Com- panies team as the director of business development. In his position, Smith Jr will be developing addi- tional markets for compa- ny’s precast and design di- visions, serving the Eastern and Southern part of the United States as well as ex- panding to other interna- tional markets. The Tribute Companies focuses on assisting cemeter- ies and funeral homes with their development needs for over 40 years and helps them develop preplanning programs for the commu- nities they serve. Within the cemetery division, the com- pany owns four prominent cemeteries throughout Wis- consin: Pinelawn Memori- al Park in Milwaukee, Rest- lawn Memorial Park in Wausau, Fort Howard Me- morial Park in Green Bay and The Gardens of Stone- Bank in Hartland. Tribute’s affiliate divisions include Tribute Design, a full ser- vice architectural, design, construction and planning firm and Tribute Precast, manufacturer of cemetery products including mau- soleum crypts, columbari- um niches, lawn crypts and burial vaults. Smith Jr began his ca- reer in the deathcare indus- try in December 2018 as a family service counselor at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Milwaukee, WI. Through- out his time in the role, he HARTLAND,WI— David P. Smith, Jr has served his community for over two years as a family service counsel- or guiding families throughout the process of completing their cemetery arrangements, and in October of 2021 has has guided hundreds of families who have experienced a loss through the process of making burial arrangements. He has worked closely with a multitude of funeral homes to arrange logistics for committal services at Pinelawn Me- morial Park, as well as the Gardens of StoneBank in Hart- land, Wisconsin. He has also helped drive the necessity of pre-planning cemetery arrangements in order to protect families from the emotional and financial burden of mak- ing these important decisions at the time of need. Smith Jr begins this role with a background of understanding in how Tribute can assist cemeteries with their expansion needs. He has traveled with Tribute Precast to help set and seal mausoleum crypts and niches in various states across the country. Throughout his career, Smith Jr has firmly be- lieved in providing the most exceptional customer service demanded and prides himself on his promptness and fol- low up. He looks to continue demonstrating these traits in his new role and is eager to find ways that Tribute can assist cemeteries with their design and precast needs. The Tribute Companies is located at 352 Cottonwood Avenue in Hartland, WI. Further information can be found at www.tributeinc.com or contact Smith Jr direct- ly at davids@tributeinc.com. 4hearse.com (800) 4-HEARSE 2013 Federal Lincoln Stratford Hearse 2013 Eagle Chrysler T&C Funeral Van 2010 Eagle Cadillac Ultimate Hearse 2005 S&S Cadillac Medalist Hearse Lease a new Platinum Cadillac XT5 Hearse & get a FREE Funeral Caddy Memorial Carrier Buy a complete Funeral Van or Convert your own Vehicle is Twenty Twenty TWOooooooos All I want for Christmas...