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Each year, American Funeral Director Magazine publishes a yearly forecast article where experts and innovators in the funeral and cemetery profession share their predictions for the year ahead. For 2022, they share their visions of the future of cremation, memorialization, technology, what a post-pandemic world looks like, and more. Chris Cruger had the honor this year to be part of this insightful article.  This article originally appeared in the January 2022 issue of American Funeral Director, published by Kates-Boylston Publications, and is being shared with permission. We have included his excerpt below.  You can also download the entire article Chris Cruger on his vision of 2022 I think we’re going to see quite a bit of the same in 2022 that we saw in 2021. Consumer attitudes and behaviors have changed so dramatically through COVID that it has completely shakin’ […]

Scenario: Ibanez Family Funerals & Cremations has been a successful family-owned funeral home business in Texas for the past 17 years. Due to the continued rising cremation rates in his market, Richard Ibanez decided to build out and expand his prep room space along with having a cremation area and retort installed about three years ago. Along with being licensed funeral directors, Richard’s two sons, Bill and Ricky, are also responsible for managing the prep room and the crematory, respectively. The Ibanez family has continued to serve their community extremely well with both their funeral and cremation service offerings. Unfortunately, Ibanez Family Funerals & Cremations has been dealing with two very angry families who might threaten to bring lawsuits against them. Both families have the last name of Smith. Adam Smith was a 28-year-old male who died in the line […]

How can someone make a cemetery a place that people will be happy to come to? The lore and fiction of our society have us avoid cemeteries. We even believed that whistling while passing a cemetery protected us. In the south, the Gullah Geechees believed in holding their breath to keep the “haints” away (“haints” is Geechee for haunts). Many people have their own personal experience of being in a cemetery typically involving saying goodbye to a loved one. So how can someone make a cemetery a fun place to visit? Well, I have seen it done well. It takes a reset of your mindset. Think about who your consumers are? If you think your consumers are the deceased who are interred in your property, I would ask that you rethink that answer. I think you have two groups of […]

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”– Benjamin Franklin When we gather for the holiday this year, I suggest we take a moment to be thankful. This has been a very long, hard past couple of years. The death care profession has gained new levels of recognition in the media and society. The emergence of the profession as the “last responders” has propelled it to new heights. However, this recognition does not come without a price. Many are worn out, stressed and on their last nerve. The past couple of years have been difficult for most, but extraordinarily so for our profession. To continue to do the incredible work that you do, you must be at the top of your game. Make sure that you are taking care of your –and your staff’s – mental health. There […]