|
INDUSTRY NEWS FAMIC Endorses CANA as Recognized Resource for Cremation Training, Certification Last week, during the semi-annual meeting of the Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC), the group approved a motion to endorse the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) for its cremation training programs. The motion states: "FAMIC recognizes and recommends by way of our endorsement the Cremation Association of North America as the recognized resource for cremation operator training and certification." FAMIC was founded in 1990 to serve as an umbrella organization for most of the national trade associations representing the funeral service profession. FAMIC member associations meet twice anually to discuss issues of mutual concern and have commissioned four Wirthlin surveys on consumer attitudes toward funerals and memorialization in 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2005. The current members of FAMIC are the American Monument Association, the Casket and Funeral Supply Association, CANA, the ICFA, the International Order of the Golden Rule, the Monument Builders of North America, the National Concrete Burial Vault Association, the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association and the National Funeral Directors Association. Second Casket Antitrust Litigation Is Filed Last week, another private antitrust lawsuit involving casket distribution and sales was filed in federal court, this time in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee. The plaintiff, listed as "Ralph L. Fancher on Behalf of Himself and All Others Similarly Situated," suggests that the litigation will seek certification as a class action. The named defendants are Service Corporation International, Alderwoods, Stewart Enterprises, Hillenbrand, Batesville Casket, the York Group Inc. and Aurora Casket Company. The complaint is not available for review at this time, but filing information suggests the allegations are similar to the antitrust litigation filed three weeks ago in the U.S. District Court in Northern California by the Funeral Consumers Alliance against the "Big Three" public companies and Hillenbrand/Batesville. (See the May 10 edition of ICFA WIRELESS for details.) The lawfirm representing the plaintiff in the Tennessee litigation is different from the firm representing the FCA lawsuit. Additional details will be announced when available. ICFA Meets with FTC Funeral Rule Staff In late April, ICFA General Counsel Bob Fells met with the FTC's newly assigned Funeral Rule coordinator, Catherine Harrington-McBride, concerning the anticipated review of the Funeral Rule. The review proceedings, which originally began in 1999 but have been largely dormant since that time, will determine whether the FTC will change, expand or possibly rescind the Funeral Rule. The Rule became effective in 1984. The ICFA was advised that public comments filed in 1999 would still be considered in recommendations made by FTC staff. However, interested parties will be given an opportunity to "refresh" their original comments when FTC staff reopens the rulemaking record, possibly later this year. At this point, the just released semi-annual regulatory agenda lists the Funeral Rule in the "pre-rule" stage, with FTC staff recommendations scheduled to be sent to the Commission by December of this year. ICFA NEWS ICFA's Wide World of Sales Presents: 'Reality-Based Selling' Does your sales program need an Extreme Makeover? Is your team equipped to succeed in today's Real World? How do you know whether your newest counselor is an Apprentice, a Contender or The Biggest Loser? The ICFA's Wide World of Sales presents; "Reality-Based Selling," January 12-13 at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, Nevada. Produced by the 25-person ICFA Sales & Marketing Committee, this conference will draw 400+ of your fellow cemetery and funeral service sales and marketing professionals from throughout North America and abroad. Kicking off the event will be Rupert Boneham, America's all-time favorite Survivor, who will share firsthand how he faced tough challenges and managed to come out on top. You'll learn how your business can not only survive, but excel in today's competitive market, and you can join Rupert for a photo meet-and-greet session afterward. Barry Maher, author of "No Lie: Truth Is the Ultimate Sales Tool" and "Filling the Glass: The Skeptic's Guide to Positive Thinking in Business," will share his strategies for increasing sales and productivity in "Filling the Glass for Sales Managers: Real World Tactics and Reality-Based Motivation for Increasing Productivity and Job Satisfaction" In addition, more than a dozen speakers representing cemetery and funeral service preneed, at-need and family service follow-up programs will offer "how-to" advice on topics ranging from recruiting and hiring top producers, to lead generation, to effective presentation skills, to relationship selling and more. Attendees will have numerous networking opportunities and will receive a binder filled with handouts, PowerPoint presentations and additional materials that can be taken back and put to use immediately at their locations. Additional program information will be available this summer. Mark your calendar and watch your mailbox for details! Questions? Call 1-800-645-7700. ICFAU Housing Placement Deadline Is May 27 ICFA University, July 15-20 at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, offers cemetery and funeral service professionals at all levels an opportunity for intensive education and networking in a college campus setting. Class sizes and on-campus housing are limited. Housing assignments will be made beginning May 31. Third- and fourth-year students who register by May 27 will be given priority for their housing options; all other students will be assigned to their rooms on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrations for the 2006 session of ICFAU are brisk, so prospective students are encouraged to mail or fax their forms and payment soon. On-campus housing options include the Fogelman Executive Center and the Holiday Inn University. The registration and housing fee for on-campus housing students includes all meals at the Fogelman Dining Room, beginning at dinner on May 15 and ending with breakfast on May 20. For more information and to register, visit www.icfa.org/icfau05.htm or call 1-800-645-7700. ICFA Sale Item: 'Shall We Dance?' Book for the Grieving This remarkable book by psychotherapist Dr. Annette Childs-Oroz has already changed and saved the lives of people dealing with grief or facing loss of any type. Presented as a simple story, "Will You Dance?" uses symbolism and sensitive prose to explore the change, fear and loss that accompany grief and lead the reader toward faith, hope and joy. The book's 7-by-5.5-inch soft-bound format, enchanting artwork and heartfelt prose make it a wonderful gift, giveaway or addition to your facility's grief library. In his afterward for the book, Dr. Raymond A. Moody says of Childs-Oroz: "She has devoted the bulk of her career to working with the dying and the bereaved, thus, her writing comes from a heartfelt understanding of the struggles that eventually plague us all. I like her way of personifying the forces like 'fear' and 'change' that are always looming over each human life. It harks back to the eternally haunting tales that have come down to us through the ancient Greek myths. And to my way of thinking, using the sacred art of storytelling to tame those forces with which we all contend, is as good a way of dealing with them as any that has ever been devised." Regularly priced at $16.95, the book is available from May 24 - June 6 for just $9, plus $4 shipping. To order, call 1-800-645-7700, ext. 216. And more ... The ICFA has secured music performance rights from the three music licensing agencies: ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. ICFA Music License members can now become fully licensed for the annual price of $238 per location, with no additional fees. Membership is open to any company in the cemetery and funeral service profession in the United States. Companies that are already members of the ICFA in another category must acquire the additional membership category (a Music License Membership) to be eligible for the Music License benefit. The ICFA Store allows members to purchase the latest ICFA 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 ICFA 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 ICFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why. The Network is an online e-mail service that offers ICFA 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 ICFA 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 ICFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today! Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICFA's HR Law Benefit program offering members no-cost telephone legal consultations, paid for by the ICFA via an exclusive retainer agreement. ICFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICFA 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 ICFA 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 ICFA Insurance Program, administered by Driver Alliant, 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 ICFA Wireless: The ICFA accepts limited advertising in the ICFA Wireless newsletter, a bi-weekly newsletter e-mailed to all ICFA members that are current on their dues and have provided a current e-mail address. For rates and to place your insertion, contact Quan Phan at qphan@icfa.org or 1-800-645-7700. To unsubscribe from the ICFA 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 and Funeral Association 1895 Preston White Drive, Suite 220 Reston, VA 20191 1-800-645-7700 (703) 391-8400 Fax: (703) 391-8416 www.icfa.org Copyright 2005 International Cemetery and Funeral Association. |
