Funeral Industry News

Deathcare Trends With Dave McComb – Columbariums, NOR & Travel Plans | Talks With Dave

August 11, 2026

Deathcare Trends With Dave McComb – Columbariums, NOR & Travel Plans | Talks With Dave

Ryan sits down with Dave McComb — 40-year funeral director, transportation expert, and owner of Eagle’s Wings Air, Inman Shipping, and Travel Plan by Inman — for another quarterly installment of Talks With Dave.

In this episode Dave and Brian cover what’s actually moving the needle in death care right now, from unexpected cemetery opportunities to the growing demand for natural organic reduction, and why funeral homes that ignore these trends are leaving money and families on the table.

In this episode: Why the cemetery side of SCI’s Q2 earnings was the star — and what that means for independent funeral homes

  • How funeral directors can partner with churches, VFWs, and parks to install columbariums without owning a cemetery
  • Why 50% of cremated remains end up in closets and what you can do about it
  • The case for travel plans and why Dave’s network of 800 vetted providers makes the difference
  • Natural organic reduction — not a fad, and why you want to be the person in your community who offers it
  • Why crossing racial and religious lines in your community is one of the smartest business moves you can make
  • The hardest part of funeral service today — and it’s not what you think

Dave is one of the most practical, glass-half-full voices in death care.

If you have five months left in the year and you want to finish strong, this conversation is required listening. 🔔 Subscribe to Connecting Directors for weekly content on funeral industry news, marketing, and innovation. 🌐 ConnectingDirectors.com 📞 Reach Dave at shipinman.com or ewacares.com