PartingPro recently sat down with Connecting Directors managing editor Justin Crowe to talk about his views on the current state of the funeral industry and his vision of the 2 specific types of funeral homes that will be successful over the next 25 years.
Innovation is exactly why I sought out Crowe and his penchant for discarding norms,” explained Gillian Grimes, Social Media and Marketing Manager for PartingPro. “Owners talk about taking family businesses into the future of the industry. New businesses want to be on the forefront of technology for families. No one wants to hang on by a thread.”
In the interview, Crowe talks about the challenges facing graduating funeral professionals, the major changes he sees on the horizon of death care, and the importance of inter-generational communication to allow for progress.
“In the next 25-30 years 30% of funeral homes are going to close,” Crowe explains. “I don’t think we need funeral homes. We need a funeral director to sign the [death certificate] and we need someone to pick up the bodies – I think funeral homes are irrelivent…Were in a moment right now where [the public] is figuring that out.”
Crowe contends that this shift doesn’t mean the funeral industry will cease to exist and it doesn’t even mean that jobs will be lost. The death care space will, however, take on a new identity.
