December 2021

Page B9 DECEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B MUSIC CITY Addi t ional Highl ights Page A35 2021 NFDA Convention Highlights MK Coach Reveals All-New Grand Floral AMELIA,OH—MKCoach unveiled the Grand Floral at NFDA in Nashville. The new coach fills a market niche that has been vacant for more than a decade from the industry portfo- lio of options. The Grand Floral is a full-size coach and flower car – all in one. “Our dealers wanted something unique to of- fer their customers. The Grand Floral is a special- ized option not currently offered anywhere else in the industry,” said Mike Kellerman, president of MK Coach. The Grand Floral is a ful- ly loaded, full-size coach and flower car built on the Grand Legacy Limited. The Grand Floral boasts an impeccably designed and well-appointed interior. Chrome casket guiderails are standard and designed to protect the coach’s inte- rior from accidental casket damage. The sliding church truck tray table is standard, allowing pall bearers con- venient access during ser- vices. The European-styled low-cut rear casket door is also standard and allows bereaving family members to more easily view their loved one, whether casket- ed or cremated, during the procession. In fact, Grand Floral’s only option is the reverse- hinge rear side doors that allow for 180-degree travel to assist the funeral direc- tor with easy loading and unloading of supplies and flowers. “Orders are now being taken for the Grand Flo- ral. I encourage you to talk with your dealer regarding ordering and delivery tim- ing,” said Kellerman. MK Coach is the pro- ducer of the Legacy, Grand Legacy and Grand Legacy Limited funeral coaches, the Combination Coach multi-purpose funeral ve- hicle, and the Floret flower car. Details of the product portfolio can be found at www.mkcoaches.com . Bryant Hightower presented the Innovation Award to (L to R) Justin Crowe of Parting Stone, Josh McQueen of Passare and Brian Yeazel of Frigid Fluid Passare, Parting Stone and Frigid Fluid recognized with Innovation Awards NASHVILLE,TN— The National Funeral Direc- tors Association (NFDA) presented Passare with the 2021 NFDA Innovation Award during its Interna- tional Convention & Expo. Coming in second place was Parting Stone while Frigid Fluid took third place. Passare users wanted a way to streamline the death cer- tificate process for every case. The Passare team de- veloped and released the first-ever integration with a state’s electronic death reg- istration system – the Penn- sylvania Electronic Death Registration System (PA EDRS). For families that choose cremation, Parting Stone provides solidified remains that can be touched and held. This new memorial product returns 100 percent of an individual’s cremated remains back to the fami- ly in as form that resembles 40-60 beautiful river stones. Frigid Fluid has developed a new embalming machine that features an ultra-sonic sensor and digital displays for flow readouts, formula temperature and pressure. Offering true top-down mixing, the machine pre- vents uneven embalming. It also features two patent pending features, the Mix/ Clean port and the Smart Lid. It is the first machine to allow phenols and hi-index cavity fluid. Established in 2009, the NFDA Innovation Award recognizes and promotes creativity, innovation and excellence among funeral service suppliers and ven- dors. Earlier this year, fu- neral service suppliers had an opportunity to submit a product or service that be- came commercially available after January 1, 2019, for consideration in the 2021 NFDA Innovation Award competition. This year’s judges were: Amy Cunningham, fu- neral director and owner of Fitting Tribute Funeral Service; James McCann, entrepreneur, founder and chairman of 1800Flowers. com; Kevin Smith, man- ager of Berceuse Funeral and Cremation Traditions; Leili McMurrough, pro- gram director of Worsham College of Mortuary Science; Matthew R. Bailey, funer- al director and president of Bailey Family Funeral Homes; Nicole Krause fu- neral director with K rause Funeral Homes & Cre- mation Service; Patrick T. Lanigan, funeral direc- tor and owner of Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home; Timothy McLoone, funer- al director with J oseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home; and Welton Hong, found- er and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing. More information about the winning products by Passare, Parting Stone and Frigid Fluid can be found online, www.nfda.org/inno- vationaward. Photos Courtesy Elizabeth Roberts, Roberts & Downey Chapel Equipment, Argenta, Illinois What Company Would Pay You $1,500 to Buy a Competitor’s Product? DENVER,CO— If you attended the NFDA Con- vention in Nashville, you would certainly know the answer: Fireless Crema- tion™ – the funeral indus- try’s sustainability leader. Attendees considering buying an aquamation sys- tem for humans or pets were thankful they discov- ered Fireless Cremation’s Alkaline Hydrolysis $1,500 Challenge (details available on their website: www.fire- lesscremation.com) . Earn- ing the $1,500 monetary reward pales in comparison to knowing you made an in- formed purchasing decision. NFDA Expo attendees shopping for a cremation system instead discovered the future of cremation: Fireless Cremation. Crematory owners readi- ly realized the advantages of being able to offer four new Sustainable Funeral® options instead of simply adding more cremation capacity. The FC500, an alkaline hy- drolysis 2.0 system, is light- ning fast, easy to operate, and less costly than the old alkaline hydrolysis systems. Operators of the FC500 re- port increased cases, revenue per case, trade work income, and all without the hassle of having neighbors and regu- lators complain about emis- sions. It no longer makes any sense to invest in a cre- matory given a better option for growth and profit is fi- nally available. If you missed the NFDA Expo, consider connecting with your friends who were there, or visit www.fireless- cremation.com, so you too can be in the know about the value of owning Fire- less Cremation’s alkaline hydrolysis 2.0 systems.