Update to Important Changes and Announcements
Tuesday, February 26th @ 4:49 PM
It is time for another change. Due to a large amount of feedback, I am going to start sending out blog notifications to all members. Like, I said before, I try and respond to the feedback that I receive and make the best decision possible.
There is a simple solution for those who do not want to be notified by e-mail when a blog is updated:
When you receive a e-mail notification just below the link for the blog article there will be a link that looks like this:
( you can turn off blog post notifications from administrators in your blog preferences
http://www.connectingdirectors.com/igroops/connectdirectors+prefs+blog )
All you have to do is click that link and check the box beside "Do NOT send me Administrator blog notifications unless I have selected that I am watching the blog"
This way if you want to receive notifications you do not have to do anything. And if you do not want notified just follow the opt out link. There are far more members who want to be notified then those who do not.
I am excited to announce that Connecting Directors has partnered with Funeral Staff. Funeral Staff will be listing all funeral industry related job openings they are seeking applicants for on ConnectingDirectors.com. Openings will be posted under the Classified Ad section of the discussion board and also on Funeral Staff's member page. Links to their member page can be found under "Featured Links" on the left hand column of the homepage and also right now in the announcement posted on the center section of the homepage. This is just another great way to make our site more valuable to the funeral industry. We are trying to help open doors for our members and this is a big step.
Again, if there are any comment please email me: ryan@connectingdirectors.com.
Important Changes and Announcements
Saturday, February 23rd @ 2:00 AM
Part of the process of building a successful online community is listening to your members and their suggestions. I am always eager to hear or read your feedback. And believe me when I tell you every piece of feedback I receive is deeply thought upon. So, without any more delay, below are a few of the changes that are going to be made to the site:
- Many of you have brought up the question: How can I stop receiving “A New Post Has Been Made to The…..Blog” email notification? Right, now as a default a notification email is sent out to all members when a blog post is made to a specific blog. That is now going to change. If you want to be notified when a blog of your choice has been updated you must select “watch this blog” . To “watch” a blog do the following:
- Go to the blog you want to “watch” (ex: Randy McCormick) When looking at a blog post, on the left column toward the top you will see “Watch This Blog”
and there will be a white box beside it. Check the white box if you want to be notified when a post has been made to that blog. You can “watch” as many blogs as you would like. But remember, IF YOU DON’T CHOOSE TO “WATCH” A BLOG, WILL WILL NOT BE NOTIFIED WHEN A NEW POST HAS BEEN MADE.
I will still be posting updated blog articles on the homepage. And yes a new blog article will continue to be posted everyday. The only reason we have made these changes is to let you as the member, be in charge of when you get notified. This way everyone can be happy!!
A few changes have been made to the homepage. Both are in the left side column.
- First, we now have available for purchase, ConnectingDirectors.com Mouse Pads. The pads are cloth covered and very durable. I myself think they are a must have. If you don’t believe me just ask Randy McCormick, he is the proud owner of 2!!! The cost of the pad is very low, only $8.99, and free shipping. As you know, membership to the site is free, and we would like to keep it that way, so that is why were are selling mouse pads. Not to mention it is a great way to promote www.connectingdirectors.com.
- Second change is a little lower on the page, but still in the left side column. I have added a “Featured Blogs” section that provides a quick link to the most frequently updated blogs. This allows you and our guests to navigate to the most popular blogs without having to go to the blog page where all the blogs are listed and try to find what you are looking for. Also, this allows you to click on the
icon beside the blog listed and subscribe to that blog’s RSS feed.
I have one more MAJOR announcement. We are going to be featuring another guest blogger by the name of Ron Rosenberg. I had the pleasure of listening to Ron speak a few weeks ago at a Wilbert Burial Vault Sales Seminar. Ron is a nationally recognized award-winning expert on marketing and customer service and a winner of the prestigious “International Marketer of the Year” award at the GKIC International Marketing Summit. Ron is going to be sharing with us some of the most innovative and creative marketing strategies and how to apply them to produce tangible, bottom-line results. Ron is normally paid as much as $1,000 to write articles on marketing and customer service is several industry niches, so these articles are truly valuable.
Please continue to check www.connectingdirectors.com everyday to get advice, give advice and connect with other funeral industry professionals from around the world.
If you have any questions please email me at: ryan@connectingdirectors.com
Starting from the Bottom, Ending at The Top
Friday, February 22nd @ 8:52 AM
Recent discussions featured in the "Discussion Board" have been the topics like "Getting your foot in the door of the funeral industry" and "Advice on how to Own your own funeral home". Below is an article featured in the "Charleston Daily Mail Newspaper" in Charleston, West Virginia. This is a perfect example of how to get your foot in the door of the funeral industry and how to own your own funeral home.
Funeral home business is a family affair Chad and Billie Harding own two parlors, a cemetery and a crematorium
by
Monica Orosz Daily Mail Features Editor
Ever since he was in the seventh grade and saw the service a local business provided to his community of Poca, Chad Harding has known what he wanted to do for a living.
Bob Wojcieszak The former J.E. Johnson Funeral home has a new name but remains a family-owned operation. ..
He even asked Norma Gatens, who owned Gatens Funeral Home with her husband, Joseph, for a job.
"She told me I had to be 16," Harding recalled.
So he waited a few years and tried again - and landed a job washing cars and cutting grass at the Putnam County funeral home that has been in business since 1940.
Fifteen years later, Harding owns that funeral home, a cemetery, crematorium and now a longtime family funeral home in Charleston formerly called J.E. Johnson Funeral Home.
"We weren't looking for another funeral home, but we had been helping out Mrs. (Joyce) Johnson when her husband became ill," Harding said. After James Johnson's death, his widow suggested she would consider selling it to Harding.
At just 31, Harding now owns four businesses that keep him working 70 to 80 hours a week. Working with him is his wife, Billie, 34, who was an X-ray technician until they met when Harding handled services for an uncle of Billie's who had died.
She soon exchanged medical scrubs for suits and began learning the business. These days, she works in Charleston and Chad works in Poca.
"We love taking care of our families," Chad said.
The couple also juggles duties of raising a family - they have three children, 10, 3 and 10 months old.
The couple is proud to say their businesses are family owned in a time when many funeral homes are owned by out-of-state companies.
The family nature of the businesses was demonstrated clearly during the recent remodeling project of Johnson-Harding Funeral Home in Kanawha City.
The couple bought the funeral home in July 2006 and began phasing in renovations, a somewhat slow process because the business had to stay open the whole time.
"Everyone was very understanding," Harding said.
The funeral home had dark paneling everywhere and the decor was outdated.
Billie stepped in as designer, selecting all of the wall and floor coverings, color scheme and furniture.
"We wanted something calm, not busy," she said. The colors are soothing soft teal, gold and tan and the renovations including adding new bathrooms and modern amenities such as a flat-screen television in a recessed cabinet. The TV is used for showing DVDs of family albums, a popular feature today.
Employees and family members did all of the work. Billie's uncle, Bob Lett, did all of the woodwork.
"He's made some urns for us, too," Harding added.
The work and change in name at Kanawha City raised some curiosity among longtime residents and area ministers, some of whom thought it had been sold to a large corporation.
"Our Kanawha City families have been very good to us," Harding said.
"I think they see that we're putting back into the community. I've heard people say, 'Have you seen the new funeral home in town?' "
Last year, Johnson-Harding served 80 families, double what it had the year before. Gatens-Harding in Poca served 186 families.
Harding said he believes his job is a calling.
In Poca, where he grew up, he finds himself often helping families of people he knows well.
"It's the last thing you can do for them," he said.
Their Christian faith makes both of them look at death as simply a next step and oldest daughter Shelby isn't the least bit fearful of being in the facilities.
"She runs the vacuum," Billie said.
She recalled when Shelby was about 8 and participated in a school art show with a drawing that featured her and her parents, each in a little box.
"The teacher said, 'Did you see what she drew? You're all in little houses.' And I said, 'That's not what those are,' " Billie said, laughing at the memory of explaining to the teacher what the boxes actually were.
"This is just their life."
Contact staff writer Monica Orosz at mon...@dailymail.com or 348-4830.
R. Brian Burkhardt's reply to "A Sad Day"
Friday, February 15th @ 10:57 AM
This one gave me the shakes, all i knew was the wife ran off another man and the guy lost it.I was elected to measure the three bodies for casket. The fourth body was not given a casket, the father.
yourfuneralguy said on Friday, February 15th @ 10:38 AM:
Your Funeral Guy's First Funeral Horror Storie
This is my never forget event. I thought I had prepared myself for everything I would see as a Funeral Director.The Husband had lost it and killed the three boys at His Home. Yes he had taken a gun and shot the three children 3 kids under 14.
This one gave me the shakes, all i knew was the wife ran off another man and the guy lost it.I was elected to measure the three bodies for casket. The fourth body was not given a casket, the father.
The boys were obviously vibrant. Even after shooting(suicide) himself the Father Looked Stressed.I lost it for about 2 minutes...How do i deal with this?
After 2 minutes I took a deep breath.
I completed the mortuary task.The father was given a cremation with no ceremony. This cost very little.. The three boys were given a lower cost dignified funeral. There is no human explanation for what had happened.
All I remember praying was that all four Rest in Peace.
More stories may be found in Rest in Peace Insider's Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt
Your Funeral Guy Funeral Director, Illinois and Virginia
