Wilbert Funeral Services building facility in Republic

Wilbert Funeral Services Inc. announced today it will build a 50,000-square-foot production, storage and office facility in Republic’s Brookline Business Park. That will bring nearly 30 jobs to Republic, according to Joe Suhor, Chairman of the Board of WFSI.

A state-of-the-art crematory with a family gathering room will also be built on the property.

The move to Republic consolidates three existing locations, gaining significant production capacity and efficiencies, according to a news release.

WFSI operates various organizations, most serving the funeral industry, including burial vault manufacturing and cemetery services, caskets, and cremation products and services. In addition, its SI Precast Concrete division serves other industries with precast concrete products such as storm shelters, retaining walls, and septic tanks.

Until a recent merger, the burial vault and funeral services firm operated as SI Funeral Services, with more than 70 locations throughout 12 states. Now operating as Wilbert Funeral Services, two manufacturing locations in Ozark and Springfield and one warehouse in Sarcoxie, will consolidate in Republic.

The Wilbert Group’s Signet Supply, a casket distribution business, will use the Republic facility as a regional distribution center.

The facility is being built by Murray’s Construction of Seymour and designed by A&E firm Buxton Kubik Dodd Creative of Springfield. The move to Republic is expected in January.

Republic officials said in a news release that Wilbert Funeral Services’ new facility would be located in the city’s enhanced enterprise zone, entitling it to a fifty-percent property tax abatement over 10 years, provided it meets criteria such as job creation, offering health insurance to employees and making a minimum $100,000 capital investment.

Brookline Business Park. at Farm Road 144 and Missouri MM, also includes Red Monkey, a spice company that recently announced it was moving to the park; Watson Metal Masters Inc.; Ashley Furniture HomeStore and RepMo Warehouse.

To learn more about Wilbert Funeral Services, visit www.wilbert.com.

[H/T: Springfield News-Leader]