Matthews International Agrees to Buy Aurora Casket Co.

Reposted from Kate-Boylston Publications Matthews International Corp. has announced that the company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Aurora Casket Co. from Kohlberg & Co. Aurora will be combined with Matthews Funeral Home Products to form Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions, which will be a cornerstone business of the memorialization segment of Matthews. Under the terms of the transaction, Matthews will purchase Aurora’s stock for $214 million in cash on a debt-free basis subject to …

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Congratulations MCC Mortuary Science Class of 2015

Thursday, May 14, 2015 was the graduation ceremony for the MCC Mortuary Science program; congratulations to all this year’s graduates! We would like to recognize this year’s scholarship recipients: The AFCCA William Aaron Scholarship Recipient, Denise Horton and The Dodge Award recipient, Jill Caldwell. During the ceremonies, William Aaron also congratulated the 3 MCC Mortuary Science Students that went on to Houston and received scholarships from the SCI Scholarship competition. You can read about these three students here. The ceremony …

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8 Reasons to Attend the AFCCA Annual Convention

Do you remember the first time you attended Convention? Maybe you were a young newbie entering into the aftercare industry, looking to connect with others in the field, be inspired about your chosen career path and learn about new advancements. However, if you’ve been in the industry for a long time, you may wonder how attending a convention can benefit you. We’ve put together a list of just some of the ways that attending our AFCCA …

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ASD Expands Spanish Bilingual Team to 20 Employees

Media, PA—In an effort to provide 24/7 seamless support to funeral homes serving Spanish-speaking families, ASD – Answering Service for Directors, the only funeral exclusive answering service, recently increased the company’s bilingual team. With 20 Spanish-speaking Call Specialists on staff, ASD’s bilingual team ensures Latino callers can always communicate their needs to ASD clients. Since ASD started building this team, the company has assisted more than 40,000 Spanish-speaking callers. Over the past decade, ASD has …

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FTC Annual Undercover Report

Undercover Inspections of Funeral Homes in Six States Prompt Compliance with Funeral Rule Disclosure Requirements FTC’s Funeral Rule Requires Funeral Homes to Provide Price Lists to Consumers Investigators working undercover in six states found failures to disclose pricing information to consumers, as required by the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, in 27 of the 100 funeral homes they visited during 2014. All but two of the 27 homes have agreed to enter the Funeral Rule …

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Congratulations to 3 MCC Mortuary Science Student SCI Scholarship Recipients

SCI held their annual scholarship competition last week, April 15th -17th; three of our very own MCC Mortuary Science School students were chosen to attend. Jill Caldwell, Sara Becker and Carol Harings flew out to stay at the Woodland’s Resort, with 27 other students from around the country to compete for fifteen $3,000 scholarships and fifteen $500 scholarships. 250 Mortuary Sciences students from around the country filled out applications beginning in September of 2014 to be considered for …

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NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award

In 2015, NFDA will, for the 35th time, honor member firms with the Pursuit of Excellence Award. Make this the year your firm is recognized for its commitment to providing exceptional service to grieving families and the community, while adhering to the highest ethical and professional standards. Pursuit of Excellence is the premiere recognition program for funeral homes, setting standards of excellence that motivate staff, inspire innovation and sustain consumer confidence in the funeral profession. …

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AFCCA Request for Proposal Photography

Description of Needs The AFCCA (Arizona Funeral Cemetery and Cremation Association) seeks service throughout our Annual Convention,  Tuesday, June 2, through Thursday, June 4, 2015, at the Carefree Resort and Conference Center, in Carefree, AZ, to capture: Candid shots of each session and event Photographs of speakers and entertainment Group shots at the offsite Golf Tournament BONUS: The ability to record each speaker session (Total of 6 speakers, 9 hours of video) Photographer is to provide digital copies of …

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VA Announces Final Rule on Reimbursement of Casket and Urn Costs for Indigent Veterans Being Interred in a VA Cemetery

Sourced from NFDA, T. Scott Gilligan, NFDA General Counsel | Posted: April 17, 2015 On April 13, 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published the Final Rule on reimbursement of caskets and urns used for the interment or inurnment of the remains of indigent veterans in VA cemeteries. To qualify for reimbursement, the following criteria must be met: Reimbursement is only available for veterans who die on or after January 10, 2014, and whose …

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