eNews September 2024

Download a PDF of this issue here.

Update

Any Personnel Changes for the Directory or eNews Subscription?

Kindly report any changes in your Licensee information to Susan Barry at sbarry @wilbert.com or call Susan at 708-865-1600 at your first opportunity when changes occur. Thank you!

2024 Convention Calendar

CANA Annual Convention

September 11-13, 2024,

Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, 200 N Columbus Dr., Chicago, IL 60601 www.cremationassociation.org

WMA Annual Meeting

September 15-18, 2024, Amelia Island, FL www.wilbertwma.com

CCC - Catholic Cemetery Conference 75th Anniversary Convention & Exposition

September 30 - October 3, Providence, RI
Omni Providence Hotel at 1 West Exchange Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903

Quality Control School

October 6-9, 2024, Piedmont Precast Atlanta, GA.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Galleria Hotel, 2815 Akers Mill Road SE, Atlanta, GA 30339

NFDA

October 20-23, 2024, New Orleans, LA. www.nfda.org

Quality Control School is Next Month!

Royden and the team are setting the stage for the return of QC School this year in Atlanta, Georgia from October 6-9. Piedmont Pre-Cast has graciously offered to host the event in their state-of-the-art plant located a short drive from the hotel! This year the school will focus on the important points of manufacturing Wilbert burial vaults. We will cover concrete and aggregate, batching onsite or ready mix, chemical additives, seal application, vibrating, stippling, Unidex, and butyl tape, just to name a few. Throw in how to properly maintain your forms, proper lowering device maintenance, practice good housekeeping techniques daily, and more to round out the school. Hotel arrangements have been made with the Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Galleria Hotel, 2815 Akers Mill Road SE Atlanta, GA 30339 (770.984.9300). The nightly rooming rate is $169.00 which includes a full breakfast buffet and nightly reception. They have also reduced the parking rate to $15.00. It is exciting for us to bring back QC School in 2024 because there is so much to share and learn. Watch this corner and your email for information that will be coming on the agenda and the cost of the meeting.

Hotel: Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Galleria Hotel, 2815 Akers Mill Road SE Atlanta, GA 30339 (770.984.9300)

Reservation link: Available Rooms - Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Galleria

Place: Piedmont Precast 4750 Bakers Ferry Road, SW Atlanta, GA 30336

Dates: Arrival on Sunday, October 6, 2024, for the opening reception and departure Wednesday, October 9, 2024

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A Special Promotion on all Wilbert Manufactured Cremation Products

This is reminder about the exceptional promo in the month of September. Wilbert is offering a 15% discount on any Wilbert-manufactured cremation product.

This is a great opportunity to stock up on Universals, Tributes, and Regals before new pricing in October.

Here are the promo rules:

• Minimum order quantity of 12 for any combination of Universal, Tribute, or Regal to get the 15% discount.

• With an order quantity of 24 or more of the P400, P400WS, or P410 Universal urn vaults you will receive the 15% discount plus one free Tribute or Regal of your choice.

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Plan ahead by preordering now through Inside Sales for the September promo.

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Gangs of Broadview, IL

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Pictured above is the 4-Gang Urn Vault Base Mold

Beth Cooper, President of Cooper Wilbert Vault Co. contacted our Broadview office and inquired about making a 4-gang mold for Unlined Concrete Urn Vault(s). This request was forwarded to Broadview’s Engineering and Manufacturing Group (Nabor Cibrian, Edgar Espinoza & Jorge Luna). Engineering reached out to Beth to determine what Urn Vault Style (dimensions) she would like to see developed into a gang mold. Upon receiving the details, a Preliminary Finished Product Drawing of the Urn Vault Unit was provided for her final approval. Once the Preliminary Drawings were approved, the MFG Group and the Form Shop Partners (Manuel Paniagua & Eleazar Nambo) met to discuss the design and function for a 4-Gang Urn Vault Base Mold.

Once the Form Design was created, a formal quote was provided to Beth Cooper to determine if she would like to proceed with this Engineer to Order Form. Beth was very enthusiastic and placed the order.

The 4-gang mold offers the benefit of producing four U/V Bases with a single set-up, compared to the standard urn vault base form, which yields only one unit.

The image below shows the four units produced with one set-up.

If you have difficulties keeping up with production, contact our Broadview office to discuss the urn vault gang form.

Fulfillment of Niche(s)

MICKELSON & RAY VAULT CO. Team had the incredible opportunity to work at the Sedona Community Cemetery. The breathtaking red rocks of Sedona provided a stunning backdrop as they set up a 72-niche Hexagon, two 24-niche single-sided walls, an upright base, and delivered a bench for installation next to the hexagon. The team expressed the experience as truly unforgettable. The team captured some of the mesmerizing beauty of the surroundings in these photos.

It was a lot of hard work, but the results were worth it. What's even more exciting is that the cemetery is now ordering two more niche walls, which is a testament to the success of the Mickelson & Ray team out of Phoenix, AZ.

Congrats on a beautiful job.

Two Words

Our licensees have always thanked Wilbert for our unwavering support throughout the years. We have always strived for excellence in customer service, products, information we provide, and mutual respect and friendships with our licensees. Let’s turn the tables. We want to thank all our licensees for their unwavering support of us. Throughout the years, together, we have created genuine caring, and lasting relationships with many of our licensees. We share stories about our families, accomplishments, and sometimes our tribulations. You have brought incredible value to our partnership. It has been crucial to our success, and we are truly grateful for it. Thank you for believing in our vision and being a reliable business partner. Your partnership continues to be a cornerstone of our operations, and we are genuinely thankful for the trust and faith you have placed in us.

Special recognition is also extended to our licensees committed to our first responder's program, whose unwavering dedication and support have made a significant impact.

Whether our communications are by phone or email, we can hear your sigh of relief, knowing your service will be provided to the families who are grieving and are broken at the unfathomable loss of their family members.

You too, are heroes and we recognize you for your service. The first responders' program would not be possible without the compassion and empathy of each of you.

Thank you for being an essential part of our journey.

Sincerely,

The Wilbert Group

Wilbert^® is on Facebook!

Don't miss out on the latest products and services the Wilbert Funeral Services Inc. licensee network offers. Follow us on our Facebook page to stay updated and in the know. You won't regret it! And while you're at it, click the "Like" button to help spread the word at: https://www.facebook.com/wilbertfuneralservice

WilbertEDU QR Code!

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Is your state convention coming up? Looking for a way to promote the upcoming WilbertEDU Sessions? The WilbertEDU team is pleased to offer this QR Code that you can display in the booth to keep you customers updated! It will take them directly to www.wilbertedu.com for the most up to date details on dates, presenters and subjects.

WilbertEDU^®Webinar Recordings Available to Licensees

Webinar recordings are available to the Wilbert Licensee Network on Wilbert.com. This is a great opportunity to meet with customers and share videos either in person or remotely. WilbertEDU Educational Series

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WilbertEDU^®Updates

WilbertEDU continues to be a huge success! Thanks to all of you and your outreach to funeral professionals, we continue to see our webinar attendance rise each session and to date have seen almost 30,000 attendees since we began in November, 2020. We continued to have informative industry experts last month and look forward to more successful webinars in 2024.

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WilbertEDU^®August Recap

On August 8, Ryan Thogmartin returned to the WilbertEDU stage to present Best Known is Better than Best (What funeral homes need to know about social media in 2024). Ryan has helped funeral homes across the globe create engaging content, and in this presentation, he shared the secret to having a powerful social media presence that is obtainable, maintainable, and profitable. With a focus on Facebook (because this is where funeral homes’ demographic is most active), Ryan helped the audience understand how to work with a small budget, how to know if content is working, the importance of video and how simple it is to create with just an iPhone, how to create your personal brand (and what it is), and how to know what type of content your community needs.

On August 22, Glenda Stansbury returned to the WilbertEDU stage to present Are We Asking the Right Questions? Glenda’s webinar focused on standard questions funeral professionals often ask during an arrangement conference and what they should be asking to help their families. Through beautiful and poignant tribute videos, she shared the stories of four families – mourning the loss of an infant, a high school football star, a dad and grandpa, and a vibrant, young mother - as they mourned their loved one with highly personalized services that were only created because the funeral professional gently probed the family for details of their loved one’s life and how they would like them remembered. Glenda stressed the importance of thinking about services in a new way, not as a funeral but as the first steps of grief journey. She suggested it’s the role of the funeral professional to make suggestions, provide options, and help families begin this journey through a meaningful celebration of their loved one’s life.

Most WilbertEDU webinar recordings are available to rewatch at the following link. https://vimeopro.com/wilbertfuneralservices/wilbertedu-educational-series

WilbertEDU^® Upcoming Sessions

September 5 | Support for Another Kinda Loss: Pets and Their Humans with Coleen Ellis

Explore ways to support pet lovers beyond final arrangements and endear yourself to pet parents.

September 19 | If Cremation is So Simple - Why Are We Getting Sued? with Poul Lemasters

Learn about the three areas of cremation that pose the greatest legal risk and how to safeguard your funeral home.

October 3 | Trust Through Clarity: Redesigning Your GPL to Build Trust with Effie Anolik

GPL formatting and enhancements, factors that influence online decision making, and tools to explain pricing clearly are discussed.

October 17 | Unlicensed Funeral Directing: Why This is the New Regulator Hot Button with Wendy R. Wiener & Lauren Pettine

Discussion of recent events that have garnered the states’ attention, what activities must only be performed by a licensed funeral director, “new” funeral professionals and their licensure requirements, new and coming legislation, and “best of” guidance when hiring unlicensed employees.

To register for upcoming webinars, visit www.wilbert.com/wilbertedu

Commemorating First Responder Deputy Sheriff Fernando Esqueda

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Houston, TX– Deputy Sheriff Fernando Esqueda was shot and killed in an ambush after locating a vehicle wanted in connection to an aggravated assault. Responding deputies transported Deputy Esqueda to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

The deputy passed away on Thursday, July 11, 2024. He was 28 years old.

Deputy Esqueda had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for five years. He was assigned to the Violent Person Task Force and was working mandatory patrols in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. He is survived by his mother, father, three sisters, three brothers, and a fiancée.

Services were entrusted to the care of Memorial Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery, Houston, TX.

Esqueda’s Mother (left) laying her son to rest.

Wilbert Vaults of Houston, L.L.P., Houston, TX. was honored to provide the family with a

Stainless Steel Triune^® burial vault with a Treasured Tribute image and a graveside service.

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Commemorating First Responder Corporal Mohamed Said

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Melvindale, MI –Corporal Mohamed Said was shot and killed while pursuing a subject. Corporal Said arrived at the scene and pursued one of the subjects, who opened fire, fatally wounding him. He passed away on Sunday, July 21, 2024. He was 26 years old.

The subject, who was paroled in June, fled the scene on a stolen bicycle. After an intensive manhunt by local, county, and federal agencies, he was apprehended the next day. Corporal Said's handcuffs were used to secure the suspect. He has been charged with murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and drug possession.

Corporal Said had served with the Melvindale Police Department for 14 months. He is survived by his parents and younger siblings.

Services were entrusted to the care of Verheyden Funeral Home, Detroit, MI.

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DWV Acquisitions Co., LLC., Livonia, MI. was honored to provide the family with a
Stainless Steel Triune^® burial vault with a Treasured Tribute image and a graveside service.

Commemorating First Responder Sheriff Roy Sonny Weatherford

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Gallatin, TN –Sheriff Sonny Weatherford succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day when he fell while attending the 2024 Tennessee Sheriff's Association Conference at Sevierville Convention Center. He suffered a severe head injury as a result of the fall and was transported to a local hospital where he passed away the following day.

He passed away on Friday, August 2, 2024. He was 65 years old.

Sheriff Weatherford had served with the Sumner County Sheriff's Office for 39 years and had served as sheriff for 14 years. He had previously served with the Portland Police Department for two years.

He is survived by his wife, two sons, four grandchildren, and three siblings.

Services were entrusted to the care of Sumner Funeral Home, Hendersonville, TN.

Nashville Wilbert Burial Vault, Nashville, TN. was honored to provide the family with a
Stainless Steel Triune^® burial vault with a Treasured Tribute image and a graveside service.

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