May 8, 2007, Edition - Volume 8 - No. 11
Welcome to the ICCFA Wireless newsletter! If you experience any problems with this html version, please let us know by calling 1.800.645.7700.
ICCFA WIRELESS is a biweekly electronic newsletter bringing members of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association the latest government and legal, industry and association news. It is available to all ICCFA members current on their dues. Comments, questions and "hot news tips" are welcome. Write to: wireless@icfa.org.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Pandemic Flu Outbreak: Federal Government Reassesses Severity
Update: Controversial Union "Secret Ballot" Legislation Progresses in the U.S. Senate
ICCFA NEWS
Receive Cremation Certification at ICCFA University
Join the ICCFA at the "Golf Capitol of the World"
Fulfill OSHA Requirements, Earn CE Credits at Home or Office
Product of the Month: DVD—Setting Priorities
Call for Presentations—2008 Wide World of Sales Conference
CLASSIFIED ADS
INDUSTRY NEWS
Pandemic Flu Outbreak: Federal Government Reassesses Severity
Last week, the Mass Fatalities Management Services Sub-Council, co-chaired by NFDA's John Fitch and ICCFA's Bob Fells, participated in a joint conference of government and private sector healthcare coordinating councils convened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of the conference was to update the organizations on emergency planning for a potential avian flu pandemic. Although much of the information reviewed is classified, this second joint session of the year indicated that government officials may be revising their earlier "working assumptions" regarding the severity of a pandemic outbreak.
In particular, the previous assumption that worker absentee rates may be as high as 40% is now considered more of a worst case scenario. However, small employers may be at greater risk than businesses having larger employee pools. For example, if a business has three employees and one of them does not report due to a pandemic, then that employer has incurred a 33% absentee rate.
Also, the priority for flu vaccinations is still under development. Population groups are divided into several categories from first responders on down, then further subdivided based on the severity of the flu outbreak. Some segments of the population may not be in the tracking to receive vaccinations at all. Funeral directors and related deathcare providers are being considered among the rankings, but a final decision as to their priority has not been made at this time. The next joint conference is scheduled for mid-September. For more information, contact Bob Fells at 1.800.645.7700.
Update: Controversial Union "Secret Ballot" Legislation Progresses in the U.S. Senate
As previously reported, on March 1, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 800, the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, by a margin of 241-185. The voting divided mainly along party lines. The misnamed legislation actually abolishes the current right of employees to vote by secret ballot on whether or not they want union representation, among other things. The House bill had already garnered 233 co-sponsors upon its introduction, guaranteeing passage in that chamber.
On March 27, Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, convened a hearing on the bill. Two days later the Senate version of H.R. 800, known as S. 1041, was formally introduced into the Senate with 46 co-sponsors, five less than the number of senators needed to vote in favor of the bill. The Senate version of the bill is still pending at this time. President Bush has stated that he will veto the bill, but proponents of the legislation have promised to continue fighting for its enactment through 2009 and thereafter. The ICCFA has joined the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, an advocacy group formed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to oppose this legislation due to its restrictions on workers' voting rights, the imposition of mandatory binding arbitration on collective bargaining, and significant new fines on employers. Important developments will be reported as they occur.
ICCFA NEWS
Receive Cremation Certification at ICCFA University
ICCFA University will be held July 20-25, 2007, at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. This five-day intensive academic program allows cemetery and funeral service professionals to choose from five colleges, including the College of Administration & Management, College of Funeral Home Management, College of Cremation Services, College of Land Management & Grounds Operations and College of Sales & Marketing.
New this year, the College of Cremation Services includes a certification program available to employees of all cemeteries, funeral homes, crematories and related businesses. Students completing this program will receive three certification designations: Certified Crematory Operator, Certified Crematory Administrator and Certified Cremation Counselor. All courses are taught by qualified instructors and are designed to cover all aspects of crematory operation and maintenance, business and liability and sales.
Students will also participate in a tour of SCI's Memphis Funeral Home, Cemetery and Crematory. The service center operates two cremation units performing 80 cremations per month. In addition, the service center has a flower design shop and handles all administration for this operation. This is a "can't-miss" opportunity for anyone interested in cremation operations.
CE credits are available depending on individual state approvals. For more information and to register for ICCFA University, visit www.iccfa.com/iccfau07.htm or call 1.800.645.7700.
Join the ICCFA at the "Golf Capitol of the World"
ICCFA's Fall Management Conference will be held October 3-6, 2007, at the luxurious Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino in Palm Springs, California. Keenan Knopke, CCFE, will chair the conference, which will feature a wide variety of sessions geared toward managers and executives.
The format, similar to last year, will include a combination of educational sessions and facilitated discussions, encouraging participation and networking among attendees. Nightly receptions and the Annual ICCFA Golf Tournament will provide additional opportunities to network and unwind in the beautiful Mojave Desert.
Known as the "Golf Capitol of the World," Palm Springs offers dozens of championship golf courses, including the 7,305-yard Classic Club Golf Course, home to the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic for 2006 and 2007. This desert oasis features 30 acres of lake and water with 14 stone bridges and more than 5000 pine, California pepper and olive trees. This scenic course surrounded by mountains and vistas will make your golf experience one to remember!
Fantasy Springs Resort's Eagle Falls Golf Course, the newest course in the Coachella Valley, will be host to the ICCFA's Annual Golf Tournament. Built by designer Clive Clark, the championship course mimics the golf courses of Scotland, with stone walls, fescue grass and rolling hills. Less experienced and advanced golfers will enjoy this refreshing and challenging course.
For information on Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, visit http://www.fantasyspringsresort.com, or call 1.800.827.2946 to make reservations. Remember to mention you are with the ICCFA to receive the group rate. The Fall Conference Program will be mailed out in late spring. Check back at www.iccfa.com for updates.
Fulfill OSHA Requirements, Earn CE Credits at Home or Office
Cemetery and funeral home owners, managers and staff can now participate in online safety training, through 12 Web-based courses covering topics specific to our profession and available through the ICCFA Web site at www.iccfa.com/institute.
The courses can be used to fulfill OSHA training requirements, and ICCFA-member funeral directors in most states can earn continuing education credits.
Among the benefits:
- The courses promote increased workplace safety and help staff recognize and correct potential hazards before they become a problem.
- The courses provide testing and verification, allowing managers to confirm participation and maintain appropriate personnel records.
- Staff have 24-hour access, allowing them to complete the work on their own schedule and from the convenience of their home or office.
- The courses are self-paced, allowing staff to spend as much time as needed on each lesson.
- At just $19.95 per unit, with no travel expenses, the courses are the most affordable way to obtain the legally required training.
Visit www.iccfa.com/institute for more information, or call 1.800.645.7700.
Product of the Month: DVD—Setting Priorities
For the month of May, save on ICCFA's "I Am Third" DVD, a presentation by Todd Van Beck in which he addresses the importance of establishing proper priorities in our daily lives.
- First is our customers, the people who come to us when death enters their lives. How can we help them with this once-in-a-lifetime experience?
- Second is our profession and the time and talents we devote to it. What do we need to do to advance cemetery, cremation and funeral service?
- Third is "I." How do our actions and perspectives affect our ability to serve, and how will we be remembered?
Call for Presentations—2008 Wide World of Sales Conference
As preparations begin for the ICCFA's 2008 Wide World of Sales Conference, January 9-11 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in New Orleans, Louisiana, the ICCFA Sales & Marketing Committee invites ICCFA members and attendees who wish to speak at this event to submit proposals for presentations.
This year's conference theme will be "Recipes for Success." We are looking for presentations that offer step-by-step, how-to information on programs and techniques that sales managers and/or counselors can take back and use immediately at their locations.
Interested candidates should submit their proposed presentation to the ICCFA headquarters no later than June 22. Instructions for preparing your proposal are available by downloading them at http://www.iccfa.com/docs/presentations08.doc or by calling the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700.
CLASSIFIED ADS
Business Opportunity
CEMETERY FOR SALE
Location: Jefferson County Texas
Court appointed Receiver is seeking bids for a potential sale of a cemetery.
(Not a Trustee Sale)
Persons not familiar with laws concerning cemetery should seek appropriate counsel before replying to this request for bid.
Interested parties call 409.722.4684, and ask for the Receiver
DO YOU HAVE A BURIAL AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY?
Call Montgomery Vault. We are installing vaults in Arlington National Cemetery every day and can provide the best possible service. We offer a complete line of Eagle, Trigard and Clark vaults. Please call Montgomery Vault at 1.800.346.2069.
Grow Your Business with FuneralHomes.com
FuneralHomes.com—the Funeral Director's Resource for Effective Customer Acquisition. We connect At-need and Pre-planning consumers with Funeral Homes in their area, you are missing out on business! Position your Funeral Home at the top—Call us at 1.800.208.2580 to start receiving business today. www.FuneralHomes.com.
New Opportunities Await You!
People preplan for many reasons. Chief among them is peace of mind. Now you can offer your families additional peace of mind through the Omega Assured Return Plan, a service option offered through Inman Shipping Worldwide. Inman Shipping Worldwide has been the recognized leader in the deathcare industry for the repatriation of human remains, from anywhere in the world, for over 30 years.
With society traveling more and more today for business, vacations and even health care in distant cities, death away from home is becoming more common. When death occurs 100 miles or more away from an individual's legal residence, all the necessary services for returning the deceased to their home are covered for those enrolled in the Omega Assured Return Plan. The Omega Assured Return Plan is the logical companion for cemetery, funeral and cremation prearrangements. An ideal supplemental product, the Omega Assured Return Plan provides another opportunity to maintain contact with your client families. A simple enrollment form and onetime payment will provide a lifetime of coverage for this valuable service. Expand your selling portfolio and earn generous commissions. No license is required. To find out how you or your company can offer the Omega Assured Return Plan, call our toll free number at 1-888-889-8508 from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM Eastern time Monday through Friday or send an email to omegareturninfo@yahoo.com.
Reach Thousands of Cemeteries and Funeral Homes With Your Classified Ad!
- ICCFA Wireless Classified Ads cost $75 and must be prepaid.
- Ads run in three consecutive issues, and include free placement on the ICCFA Web site for six weeks.
- Ads include a link to the company Web site and/or e-mail at no charge.
- Ads with a box number for confidential reply are available for an additional $5.
- Ads must be no longer than 250 words.
- The ICCFA limits the number of ads per issue to five, on a first-come, first-served basis.
- All advertising is subject to the publisher's approval; advertisers assume liability for all content of advertisements printed and for any claims arising therefrom against the publisher.
- For more information or to place an ad, contact Nichole Causey at ncausey@iccfa.com or call 1.800.645.7700.
And More ...
ICCFA Introduces New sales Training Programs by sales trainer and professional speaker Gary O'Sullivan, CCE. O'Sullivan's two latest products include a 10 DVD Series—The Power to Sell Preneed, and a training support system called the GoSell System. Both products provide sales managers with tools and training strategies that will help them to strengthen and motivate their teams. Click here to download a detailed description of each prodcut: www.iccfa.com/docs/osullivan.doc. To place an order, call the ICCFA at 1.800.645.7700.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2006 Keeping It Personal (KIP) Awards! The KIP Awards recognize outstanding examples of personalization of services or products in the cemetery and funeral service profession. Read about the winning entries at www.iccfa.com/kip.htm.
For a limited time, ICCFA members can purchase the McQuaig Job Survey, the McQuaig Word Survey and the McQuaig Self-Development Survey for just $100 per assessment, a savings of up to 50 percent off the regular price. The member discount offer expires June 30, 2007. Companies assessing more than 100 candidates per year are eligible for additional discounts. For additional information, visit http://www.icfa.org/pdf/mcquaig2.pdf and http://www.icfa.org/pdf/mcquaig.pdf. For questions and to sign up for the program, contact Michael Gravelle at The McQuaig Institute at 1.800.387.5455, ext. 361, or mgravelle@mcquaig.com. Join today!
The 2007 Music Licenses are available for just $232, no additional fees. Covers ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Any U.S. funeral home, cemetery or related business is eligible for membership as a Music License Member. Join today!
The ICCFA Store allows members to purchase the latest ICCFA resources and training products online. Some products are available for immediate direct download, including the newly released Wirthlin Report on consumer attitudes and article packages on cremation, cemetery and funeral home valuations and trust funds.
The ICCFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICCFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why.
The Network is an online e-mail service that offers ICCFA members an easy, free way to share questions and answers to everyday on-the-job challenges. Recent discussions have examined issues such as working with the Muslim community, distance between burial sites, direct mail marketing, the growing popularity of geocaching at cemeteries, recruiting staff and more. Ideal for smaller companies with smaller budgets. Join today!
The ICCFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICCFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today!
Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICCFA's HR Law Benefit program offering members no-cost telephone legal consultations, paid for by the ICCFA via an exclusive retainer agreement.
ICCFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICCFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C., for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600.
The ICCFA and Applied Merchant Systems of Chicago, Illinois, currently offer members a Credit Card Processing Program with a special low discount rate of 1.75 percent, with no per transaction processing fee. This new benefit makes it less expensive for cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers and related businesses to accommodate customers who wish to pay via credit card. For more information, call 1-800-675-6573.
The ICCFA Insurance Program, administered by Alliant Insurance Services, allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance -- including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more -- at rates they probably would not be able to afford on their own.
To advertise in the ICCFA Wireless: The ICCFA accepts limited advertising in the ICCFA Wireless newsletter, a bi-weekly newsletter e-mailed to all ICCFA members that are current on their dues and have provided a current e-mail address. For rates and to place your insertion, contact Nichole Causey at ncausey@iccfa.com or 1.800.645.7700.
To unsubscribe from the ICCFA Wireless: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to: wireless@icfa.org. Please include your name and company name in the body of the e-mail.
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association
107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100
Sterling, VA 20164
1.800.645.7700
703.391.8400
Fax: 703.391.8416
www.iccfa.com
Copyright 2007 International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.