WHEELING, IL— CANA returned to the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino to help business owners, managers, and employees achieve success at every step. From February 26-28, attendees explored strategic solutions in preneed, aftercare—and everything in between!
Attracting leaders from across funeral service, CANA events are known for providing opportunities for owners and managers from across the profession to gather fresh, practical ideas that make a difference in their businesses. The 2025 Symposium showcased sessions that inspired solutions and sparked conversations that carried over to networking, shared meals, and roundtables. Professionals from all business models, locales, experience levels, and call volumes were eager to tackle today’s challenges and share solutions, and industry suppliers are always part of the mix. Together, everyone exchanged innovative business ideas to find success.
Greg Grabowski, Partner at Hospice Advisors and an experienced leader with a proven record of results and revenue generation, kicked off the event with Bridging Hospice and Funeral Services: A Compassionate Continuum of Care. Each registrant received a free copy of his book Engaging the Heart of Hospice.
Following that, Danielle Burmeister, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Homesteaders Life Company, revealed key insights about why families who choose cremation decide to prearrange in her session Preneed Motivators: Cremation Edition. Next, a panel of experts from across the cremation preneed industry shared actionable insights for Cremation Preneed Success: Strategies, Insights, and Innovation in Sales and Marketing. Tyler Anderson, VP, Business Development at Precoa; William Bonacorda, President of Trust 100; Rob Goff, Regional Director, PreNeed Northwest, for United Heritage Life Insurance; and Joshua Rae, CEO of Golden Considerations helped attendees discover how to communicate the value of pre-planning.
Aftercare industry leaders continued the discussion on enhancing a relationship with families while driving business growth in an Aftercare Panel: Supporting Families and Growing Your Business with Greg Grabowski; Jon Lefrandt, Founder and CEO of Elevia; and Matthew Van Drimmelen, Founder of Full-Circle Aftercare. In Preneed Spotlight: Lessons and Ideas from Real-Life Success Stories, Lindsey Ballard, Owner of Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation, led attendees in an interactive and engaging session to showcase participants’ most effective preneed strategies, campaigns, and events.
Welton Hong, CEO & Founder of Ring Ring Marketing, provided actionable insights to grow preneed business in his session, Leveraging Technology to Grow Your Preneed Program. Finally, Wendy Russell Wiener, Managing Member of WRW Legal, PLLC, and Bill Williams, former President/CEO of Funeral Services, Inc., wrapped the event with The Great Debate: Trust vs Insurance. They gave attendees the tools they needed to determine what’s right for their business.
Thank you to Event Emcee Rob Heins and the many attendees and sponsors who chose to join us in Las Vegas! CANA’s advisory group members carefully choose presenters who have insight into new ideas and practical strategies that attendees can put to use right away to meet today’s needs.
What’s next? Be sure to save the dates for CANA’s 107th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention at the Arizona Biltmore on August 6-8, 2025. Next year, CANA returns to the Paris Las Vegas/Horseshoe for the Cremation Symposium on February 25-27, 2026. Reserve time for these events in your busy calendar and contact CANA to learn more: cremationassociation.org
About CANA
Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.
