Kates-Boylston hosts the Advances in Funeral Innovations conference Nov. 12-13 in Houston. Over the course of two days, attendees will hear about some emerging trends and best practices for running their operations.

Click here for complete show notes.

In this episode, we speak with University of Cincinnati professor of social work Jennifer Wright-Berryman, a seasoned mental health and suicide prevention researcher with a long-standing commitment to improving understanding of the death-care experience for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. During her extensive research, she discovered a scarcity of resources and support specifically directed towards LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Her efforts include analyzing the websites of funeral homes to identify those that had explicit signaling that they welcomed LGBTQIA+ individuals. Based on that work, Wright Berryman and her colleagues are developing a website that evaluates funeral homes and lists those that are LGBTQIA+ friendly.

Their work aims to ensure everyone has access to dignified and inclusive death care services without fear of discrimination. In this episode, we discuss the recently launched website, EqualDeathCare.org, and the scope of this project, which includes a directory of verified LGBTQIA+ friendly funeral homes. https://www.equaldeathcare.org

Selected quotes from the episode

Educating Funeral Homes: They say, ‘I never thought that I would need to put something on my funeral home website that signaled, whether it be a little pride flag or a graphic of a same-sex couple holding hands.’ They’ve never really given much thought to the fact that not signaling could mean that someone may not walk in your front door because they fear discrimination.

Rising Mortician Classes: This new cohort of mortuary science students that are coming up are going to be savvy with technology. They’re going to be savvy with their values envisioned around who their customers can be and who their customers are.

Inclusive Partnerships: If you’re not listed (on the directory), that means that either A. we haven’t found you yet (and please reach out to us because we would be happy to have a discussion about putting you on the website), or B. your website isn’t clear enough.

Be sure to click here to listen and then subscribe to get show notifications as soon as they’re available. Also, check out our “In Case You Missed It” video series.

Show Web Page: https://www.kates-boylston.com/podcast/

Welcome to the latest edition of ICYMI from Funeral Service Insider. As always, we are here to keep you informed about the latest happenings and trends within the funeral industry. Here's what we have on deck this week:

A Big "What If?': In case you missed the last podcast, we spoke with Tyler Anderson of Precoa about treating your website like you treat your funeral home.

Bought not Closed: Whether you're Park Lawn or a sole owner, keeping the public informed about transitions is also a chance to remind them who you are.

More Transitions: A new GM at a family funeral home and an owner celebrates becoming an employee.

A Win in Court: The Las Vegas, New Mexico, City Council voted to uphold the planning and zoning committee's decision to allow Gonzales Funeral Home to install a crematory attached to its existing building.

Crematory Fined: A Breckinridge Circuit Court judge imposed the maximum civil penalty against Cloverport Funeral Home and Kentuckiana Funeral Service.

Click here for all the ICYMI stories from Funeral Service Insider.

Accounting for shifting consumer preferences is a challenge many funeral home owners face daily. Tyler Anderson of Precoa discusses approaches for accommodating these shifts.

Click here for complete show notes.

Succession Gone Wrong? We dive into the saga of Zeiner Funeral Home in Marion, Kansas, now transitioning to Yazel-Megli Funeral Homes. Despite an initially smooth handover, Ty Zeiner’s recent decision to re-enter the industry calls the deal into question.

Young Newlyweds, Big Dreams Meet Sean and Anne Devlin, two newlyweds who are turning an iconic restaurant in Bennington, Vermont, into a funeral home.

Flag Etiquette: A misstep in a 9/11 memorial display gets some negative attention that acts as a reminder there are practices for flying flags, and people are watching.

Parklawn’s New Moves: Announcements from Park Lawn as it responds to going private.

Advances in Funeral Service Innovations We’re excited to announce our live event in Texas.

New Bonus Episodes If you haven’t already, check out our bonus episodes released every Wednesday! This week, we feature Welton Hong of Ring Ring Marketing, discussing the importance of nailing the basics before investing in paid digital ads.

Welton Hong of Ring-Ring marketing discusses some of the fundamental (and free) things funeral home owners can do before spending money on digital marketing.

Hong will present at the in-person Advances in Funeral Service Innovations conference Nov. 12-13 in Houston, hosted by Kates-Boylston hosts the. Over the course of two days, attendees will hear about some of the emerging trends and best practices for running their operations.

In this episode Jennifer Floyd, the managing director of the funeral home at San Antonio College talks about the challenges that come with running a business with students.

Click here for full show notes.

This week, we'll dive into two significant acquisitions. Foundation Partners has acquired Cake, an end-of-life planning website, while Batesville has picked up Halcyon Death Care Management Solutions. We'll also touch on some news out of Las Vegas involving a stolen casket and update you on the resumption of mass burials on Hart Island in New York. Plus, a heartwarming story about Alan Harrell Jr., who's celebrating 70 years in funeral service.

Click here to register for the Kates-Boylston Advances in Funeral Innovations conference Nov. 12 & 13 in Houston.

Foundation Partners Group Acquires Cake

Batesville Acquires Halcyon Deathcare Management Solutions

Mass Burials Resume at Hart Island

Baltimore County Bans Cremation

Burglar Steals Casket, Leaves Body

Celebrating 70 Years of Service