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INDUSTRY NEWS U.S. House Passes Veterans Memorial Affairs Act of 2006: Opportunity for Private Cemeteries Shortly before its August recess, the U.S., House of Representatives passed H.R. 3082, the Veterans Small Business and Memorial Affairs Act of 2006. Among other provisions, the bill repeals the expiration of a new burial benefit whereby the Department of Veterans Affairs is authorized to provide a government headstone or marker for a grave that has already been memorialized in private cemeteries. In the past, the VA was not permitted to issue headstones or markers (so-called "second markers") to graves already marked. The benefit has also been extended to veterans dying on or after November 1, 1990. The previously enacted program applied only to veterans deceased on or after September 11, 2001. Of particular interest to private cemeteries is a new benefit in H.R. 3082 permitting private cemeteries to place these second markers or headstones in an area other than the grave site itself. The provision states: "If placing the Government headstone or marker on the grave for which it is requested is impossible or impracticable, a headstone or marker may be furnished if the individual making the request for the headstone or marker certifies to the Secretary [of the VA] that the headstone or marker will be placed within the grounds of the cemetery in which the grave for which the headstone or marker is requested and as close as possible or practicable to that grave." H.R. 3082 has been referred to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, where a companion bill, S. 3069, is also pending. Congress will return following the Labor Day holiday on September 4. The ICFA will continue to monitor this legislation. National Trade Associations Volunteer to Serve on Mass Fatality Planning Council Although the potential threat of a mass fatality event in the U.S. has been primarily focused on a possible outbreak of the avian flu, government and private sector agencies have been organizing to coordinate planning in anticipation of mass fatalities from a variety of causes including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and influenza pandemics. The Healthcare Service Coordinating Council (HSCC) has been created by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security to recruit private sector groups into several sub-councils, including the Fatality Services Sub-Council. The interests, priorities and activities of the sub-councils are currently under development with meetings scheduled in Washington, D.C. for September and October. To date, several prominent funeral industry trade associations have provided volunteers from among their leadership to staff the Fatality Services Sub-Council. The members include John H. Fitch, Jr., senior vice president of NFDA's Advocacy Division; Robert M. Fells, Esq., ICFA External Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel; Kevin Hacke, CANA Executive Director; Sharon Seay, NFDMA Executive Director, and George W. Lemke, Executive Director of the Casket and Funeral Supply Association. For more information on HSCC and the Fatality Services Sub-Council, contact Bob Fells at rfells@icfa.org or call 1-800-645-7700. Four white papers discussing the issues and logistics of a mass fatality event can be viewed at the ICFA web page at http://www.icfa.org/government.htm. ICFA NEWS Fall Conference Early Registration Deadline: September 1! Time is running out to purchase tour tickets and take advantage of the early registration rate for the 2007 Fall Management Conference, October 4-7, at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Download a registration form at http://www.icfa.org/pdf/fall06_registration.pdf, and fax it to the ICFA by September 1. Note that September 1 is the final deadline to purchase tickets for the following activities:
2007 Wide World of Sales: Conference Schedule Now Online! The program schedule is now online for the ICFA's Wide World of Sales Conference, January 17-19, 2007, at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Finding Buried Treasure" features more than 10 hours of educational sessions that will equip cemetery and funeral service sales counselors and managers with a treasure chest of ideas, solutions and tools to achieve new levels of success in preneed sales. New this year, to add to the educational value of the conference, the ICFA has incorporated a selection of manager and counselor breakout tracks into the program, allowing attendees to choose sessions most relevant for them. Sending your top counselors and managers to this conference will provide them with the motivation, knowledge and the tools to reach their full potential. Discounted rates are available to companies sending two or more staff. Manager breakout tracks include:
Call for Applications to ICFA Board of Directors Service on the ICFA Board of Directors offers members a chance to learn about and participate in the leadership of the association and is a meaningful way to give back to the organization and to the cemetery and funeral service profession as a whole. The ICFA's Nominating and Elections Committee is currently inviting members to apply to run for the ICFA Board of Directors. The committee will narrow all applications received to 12 nominees, which will be reviewed and approved by the board at the ICFA Fall Management Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 4. Information on the 12 candidates will then be distributed to the membership, which will vote during the ICFA Annual Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 21. The top eight vote recipients will serve three-year terms. To apply, you must be a designated representative of a Regular (Cemetery, Funeral Home or Allied) Member in good standing or you must be an Individual Regular Member in good standing. The deadline to apply is September 1, 2006. Applications can be obtained by calling 1.800.645.7700 or by downloading the file at www.icfa.org/pdf/2007_icfa_board_application.doc. Funeral Care Seminar Coming to Washington, D.C. There are two more opportunities to attend Todd Van Beck's Advanced Seminars in Quality Funeral Care, where he will inspire you achieve new levels of quality service at your funeral home, resulting in better service to clients, strengthened relationships with families and higher visibility in your community. See for yourself why funeral service professionals from across the country have been raving about the value of the conference and how it has helped improve their businesses. Comments from previous conferences include:
CLASSIFIED ADS Sales Manager/Family Service Manager Opening Premier Cemetery location in Northern Virginia seeks energetic leader for its cemetery sales manager / family service manager. We offer excellent training, full benefit package, great 401k plan, and performance based compensation package. To join our growing team email confidential resumes to donna.meier@sci-us.com or mail to Donna Meier, Mount Comfort Cemetery, 6600 S. Kings Highway, Alexandria, Virginia 22306. Mausoleum Sales Representative Wanted: Mausoleum Sales Representative. Cemetery in Southeast Tennessee, 100 interments per year, 90% traditional ground burial. Located in small town located within 25 miles of major metropolitan area. If interested send resume to: Mausoleum Sales, P O Box 8888, Chattanooga, TN. 37414 or email to: boydinv@bigplanet.com Come to Florida Wanted: Funeral Director/Embalmer Family-owned. Multiple locations in FL. Great work environment and schedule. Will keep confidential. Contact Michael Szymczak Call or fax 386-441-1144 Multiple Combination Locations in Florida Looking for energetic leaders to run sales force. Sales Managers and Family Service Counselors needed. Leads furnished. Highest compensation in the industry. Growth opportunity. For confidential interview call Mr. Green at 386-235-8045. Mortuary Manager Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary located in the Los Angeles, California area is searching for a Mortuary Manager. The ideal candidate will possess a minimum of five years experience as a Manager/Assistant Manager including a minimum of three years of staff management. Must be computer literate and be a licensed Funeral Director. Licensed Embalmer preferred. We offer competitive salary and benefits. Please email your resume to hr@hillsidememorial.org or fax your resume to (310)342-0467. Reach Thousands of Cemeteries and Funeral Homes With Your Classified Ad!
And more .... For a limited time, ICFA 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 December 31, 2006. 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 2006 Music Licenses are available for just $220, 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 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 Kim Ferguson at kferguson@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 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100 Sterling, VA 20164 1.800.645.7700 703.391.8400 Fax: 703.391.8416 www.icfa.org Copyright 2006 International Cemetery and Funeral Association. |
