Marlene "Marty" Shoemaker is the co-owner & operator of Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home & Crematory in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She shared her experiences with running a successful funeral home that has been around since 1905.

Do you ever notice that during the Christmas season, we always hear the comment “Christmas comes so quickly, it's over before you know”?

Here is your REMINDER to use your health coverage benefits for your annual wellness visit, dental cleaning, vision exam or any preventative care. There is still time to get an appointment before the end of the year! The healthcare industry has seen an increase in individuals and families delaying their care for both serious illnesses and general wellness visits with their doctors or care team.

The team at LIG Solutions - an OGR supply partner - is answering all your questions and breaking down any common insurance misconceptions, especially around Annual and Open Enrollment, which are happening now!

The information below comes from some of the leading experts and information resources on healthy living. LIG Solutions, an OGR supply partner, has curated these articles to help keep you up-to-date on the latest news, trends and data on leading a healthier lifestyle, which can help save you money and keep your health care costs down when paired with the benefits of your health coverage.

November 11 is a day set aside to honor those who have served in the United States armed forces. What began on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month as Armistice Day, has evolved over the years to include all veterans. 

Kimberly Knight a 42-year-old funeral director and office manager at James A. Dyal Funeral Home in Summerville, South Carolina.

Bishop Rick August, president of Infinity Funeral Home in Biloxi, Mississippi, and his children Lasha and Jonathan August - vice president and CFO, respectively - share their experience running a successful funeral home.

OGR asked some of its international members to offer perspective on how the coronavirus pandemic has forced innovations in their cities and countries.

I started Veterans Funeral Care in 2001 with the goal of serving the veterans in my community better than any other funeral home. It was the first funeral home in America that was named after the customer we served rather than the owner. Since then, we have grown to a more than 900-case funeral home and I attribute our growth to gaining the business of disloyal customers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many facets of our lives. That includes changes in how we, as consumers, shop for and purchase goods and services, which in turn change funeral service. 

A 401(k) is how most Americans save for retirement, but many business owners think that a small business retirement plan is too expensive, too hard to manage or not valued by employees. However, more than half of small business owners say offering a 401(k) plan attracts better employees, according to a CNBC small business survey. They also note that nearly 25% of departing employees cite a lack of retirement benefits as part of the reason for leaving.

While I was attending university many years ago, I had a part-time job at a funeral home right across the street from campus. I was well-positioned in those days as I lived right across the street from the funeral home as well.

In 2013, scientists shared a discovery they’d made at a burial site of Natufians, the earliest prehistoric people believed to systematically bury their dead. In these graves, found on Mount Carmel in Israel and dating from between the 13,700 and 11,700, scientists found that a number of the dead had been buried on a literal bed of flowers. This discovery answered a longstanding question of when humans started connecting flowers with the ritual of burial: from the beginning: turns out, we’ve been doing it from the beginning.  

What’s a hula hoop got to do with change? Whenever I speak on resilience and responding to change, I invite the audience to go on an adventure with me. We stand up. We imagine ourselves running across the shire. Together, we shout, “I’m going on an adventure!”

What's Your Excuse?

Regardless of the size of your firm, if you do not have a dedicated pre-need program, you are doing your funeral home a disservice and only kidding yourself. Throughout the year, we hear a multitude of reasons/excuses as to why a particular firm does not need a dedicated pre-need person, writing agent or even a set plan. The smaller funeral homes are quick to report that the families they serve do not like to prepay or that they do not have time for pre-need
because they are simply too busy. They then will round out the conversation with the fact that they do not believe in time pay. If you relate to any of these excuses, I urge you to change your mindset a little or I believe that your entire business will flounder.

Why 2021 is the year to buy a new funeral home or sell yours

Big changes? Small changes? Whether you’re facing a process change or a total reorganization, upheaval at work can zap your energy and dampen your spirit. I’ve been there! Here are some self-care tips for managing the stress of change.

The world has gone digital. There is no denying that we are living in a digital world, and with that comes new risks and responsibilities. In 2019, there were an estimated 4.4 billion active internet users. With the upcoming emergence of 5G wireless technology, telecoms giant Ericsson projects more than 65% of the world population will have access to the internet by the end of 2025.

Starbucks, which recently filed a trademark application for its popular “puppaccino,” is not the only one to have noticed the way we feel about our dogs.