Selected Independent Funeral Homes Celebrated 100th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City

Deerfield, Ill. – November 5, 2018-About 300 members and guests of Selected Independent Funeral Homes gathered at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in Salt Lake City for the association’s 100th Annual Meeting on October 10-13, 2018.

With a focus on the association’s next century, the experience featured numerous educational opportunities plus the chance to reconnect with friends and develop new relationships.

In addition, three firms were inducted into Selected’s Century Club, having earned 100 years of continuous membership: Burton Funeral Homes and Crematory, Inc, Erie, PA; Porter Loring Mortuary, San Antonio, TX; and Roper & Sons, Inc., Lincoln, NE. Firms achieving 50 and 75 years of continuous membership also were recognized.

Here are a few of the meeting highlights:

Wednesday, October 10

• The Selected 100th Annual Meeting started with the Selected Welcome Celebration held at The Summit. Members arrived by Aerial Tram to this magnificent venue 11,000 feet atop Hidden Peak and the function served to recognize the donors and sponsors who have helped propel the Selected Educational Trust into a new era.

Thursday, October 11

• Keynote speaker, Karyn Ruth White, presented, When You Are Called to Care-A Humorous Guide to Surviving Yourself as a Giver. White is the owner of Laugh and Learn Productions, LLC, an enterprise helping people show up as their best selves.
• Kim Evenson of Legacy.com moderated the Town Hall Panel – State of the Obituary: Past Present and Future.
• Ashley Montroy of FrontRunner presented How to Break Through to 2020: Top Social Media Marketing Strategies Now and Into the Future. This session empowered members with the tools to create a well- thought-out social media strategy for today that will help prepare them for 2020 and beyond.
• Karyn Ruth White led Core Confidence: Fine-Tuning the Already Fabulous You, a lively conversation on key topic areas including professional presentation, and how to fine-tune existing strengths.
• The Conversation Café featured six Selected Preferred Partners who offered unique educational insight and opportunities for in-depth conversations: Federated Funeral Directors of America, Federated Insurance, Funeral Directors Life, Homesteaders Life Company, Johnson Consulting Group and Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions.

Friday, October 12

• The Early Bird Discussion is a long-time Selected Tradition that offered a unique opportunity to connect with fellow members in open discussion on relevant topics.
• Fifty Cards, Fifty Questions: Ways to Connect with Your Community featured Danelle O’Neill of Funeral Service Foundation and J. Mark Busch of Busch Funeral and Crematory Services who shared their experience creating community event opportunities using the tools offered through FAMIC’s Talk of a Lifetime campaign.

• Shawn Thompkins of Protective Consulting Solutions presented Heightened Awareness: Addressing Potential Violence, how funeral professionals can become more aware of potentially violent situations and how to de-escalate these situations.
• How to Make the Obituary Work Harder was led by Kim Evenson and John Heald from Legacy.com.
• The Association Update was presented by Rob Paterkiewicz, Executive Director & CEO and outlined the association’s new strategic plan.
• The General Session featured Dr. David DeLong’s presentation,
• Building Tomorrow’s Workforce in Today’s Economy. He shared his insight into how to address the challenge companies face today in finding skilled employees while there are underemployed college graduates
• Funeral Home + Cemetery Management Tour of Larkin Sunset Gardens drew nearly 90 participants.

Saturday, October 13

• Funeral Home/Cemetery Management Networking Breakfast. This provided members the chance to gather and discuss the unique challenges faced by these operations.
• Membership Business Session featured Lisa Baue, Selected’s Secretary- Treasurer and Kimberly Farris-Luke, Selected’s incoming and first-ever female President.
• Presented by Robert B. Tucker, the Futures Session was Managing the Future: Capitalizing on the Driving Forces of Change. His presentation energized and empowered members with powerful strategies to seize opportunities amidst the uncertainty of exponential change.

During the Annual Meeting, members also completed a Community Service Project supporting the Red Cross and the Sound the Alarm Safety Campaign, sponsored by Homesteaders Life Company.

Selected’s 2019 Annual Meeting will be held in Nashville, TN on September 23 -26, 2019. For more information, visit selectedfuneralhomes.org or call 800-323-4219.

About Selected Independent Funeral Homes: Selected Independent Funeral Homes (www.selectedfuneralhomes.org) delivers innovative and pertinent resources, solutions and ongoing support necessary for enduring excellence to its international network of independently owned death-care providers who aspire to be the very best in their profession. Members of Selected operate according to specific standards and best practices in order to provide the public with reliable, high-quality funeral services and funeral-related information.