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About the Distributor
In 1984, after graduating from Mid American College of Funeral Service, I began working for my parents funeral homes in South Bend, IN. In 1995, my brother Kerry and I purchased the two funeral homes. At that time we provided 145 funeral services per year.
Not satisfied with the size of our business, over the next 15 years we began a series of acquisitions. Presently we own four funeral homes, a cemetery, crematory, monument company, pre-need division and a pet cemetery with cremation services. We will provide close to 600 funeral services and 250 burials this year.
Why is all of that important?
The average size funeral home in North America provides 75 funeral services per year. When we started, that is right where we were. I remember negotiating with casket companies over the years for small rebates and discounts and knowing that larger firms were offered bigger incentives. Smaller funeral homes provide the same dedicated hard work for there families. This is the main reason for founding Heaven Sent Distributors. It levels the playing field for the small to average size independent funeral homes.
So, as a hobby and a business, I have enjoyed serving close to 60 funeral homes in our region. Learning the distribution business has been quite interesting and a challenge. Unlike most casket distributors, I only employ a part-time sales person. Therefore, I do not have much overhead. By learning the value of staying of regional size, I can provide excellent customer service. I do correspond with an occassional newsletter and have recently photographed all of my caskets and can provide a litho book. My biggest joy has been providing caskets to my fellow funeral directors at a great price.
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