NY Law: Disposition of Remains and Cremation Liability
Tuesday, September 17 • 12:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
This seminar will discuss New York funeral directing law covering the disposition of remains and cremation liability. Larry Cleveland will highlight the liability protections afforded to funeral firms and funeral directors when they comply with the legal requirements as set forth in the statute.
Larry Cleveland is the owner of Hudson Valley Professional Services, a company dedicated to educating the Funeral Service Industry. He is a retired public safety administrator and current adjunct faculty member in the Funeral Service Program at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. He is also a member of the New York State Funeral Directors Association and sits on their Government Affairs committee.
This course has been approved in NY. This course is NOT approved in NJ.
PA Child Abuse Reporting:
Recognizing and Reporting Child AbuseTuesday, September 17 • 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Abused children are in urgent need of an effective child protective service to prevent them from suffering further injury and impairment. This course is designed to provide comprehensive training to funeral directors and other mandated reporters relating to child abuse recognition and reporting requirements under Act 31.
Dr. Joseph A. Marsaglia is currently Dean of Faculty & Students and Chief Operating Officer at Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, he also teaches numerous courses in the curriculum and is supervisor of the clinical embalming practicum. He holds a bachelor degree in business, a master degree in adult education, and a doctorate degree in education. In addition to being a licensed Pennsylvania funeral director for over 32 years, he is also a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner and Certified Funeral Celebrant.
This course has been approved in PA. This course is NOT approved in NJ.
Honoring Those Who Served: Military Funeral Protocols and Procedures
Tuesday, September 17 • 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Thursday, September 19 • 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
This seminar will introduce funeral directors to the procedures and protocols for establishing an appropriate and memorable military funeral ceremony. The instructor will explain the necessity of honoring our fallen, provide a history of military funeral procedure, and explain several important ceremony elements.
After serving with distinction in the United States Marine Corps, Chuck Knutson spent years providing physical protection and military contracting services in multiple countries for dignitaries and executives. After years of providing equipment and manpower support to help other Veterans Services Organizations, he started Last Salute, the most elaborate military funeral honor guard outside of Arlington National Cemetery.
Reputation Management in Today’s Online World
Tuesday, September 17 • 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 18 • 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
In today’s world, it’s not just TV, newspapers and word of mouth that can ruin a reputation; we now have to contend with online reviews, social media and blogs. Your online reputation determines how others perceive your business when they search for, or stumble upon it online. In this interactive session, the instructor discusses how funeral professionals can take steps to ensure they stay abreast of all conversations taking place about their funeral home and how to respond to negative “news”, reviews and comments.
Joe Weigel is currently principal and owner of Weigel Strategic Marketing. Before starting his marketing firm, Joe held senior marketing and communications positions at Batesville Casket, Wilbert Funeral Service and Genesis Casket. Joe has a comprehensive background in all areas of marketing and communications. Joe is also a published author on marketing, communications and media relations. He graduated with a BS in Journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, IN and holds an MBA in Marketing from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH.
Overcoming Difficult Embalming Challenges
Tuesday, September 17 • 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Wednesday, September 18 • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
This seminar will create confidence in funeral directors to overcome difficult embalming challenges by sharing everyday tips and techniques. The instructor will discuss common embalming challenges and attendees will be engaged in depth on the value of pre-injection and the importance of proper fluid selection for listed cases.
Wallace P. Hooker CFSP, MBIE, is the owner, funeral director and embalmer of Family & Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, IN. He has been a licensed funeral director for over 25 years. Wally does a significant amount of trade embalming in his facility along with his own growing funeral home business. In addition, he has served Fountain County, Indiana as chief deputy coroner and investigator.
Funerals Build More Resilient Kids: The Importance of the Youth & Funerals Initiative
Tuesday, September 17 • 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 18 • 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Funerals provide grieving children and teens with the opportunity to express their biggest and scariest feelings, while learning how to become more emotionally literate. This seminar will introduce attendees to the Youth & Funerals Initiative, which provides innovative tools and resources to impact grieving children and teens, equip funeral service personnel with new perspectives on why funerals matter to children and support industry professionals in their everyday work.
Joe Primo is an international speaker and the CEO of Good Grief, which serves hundreds of children and families each month after the death of a parent or sibling. Similarly, Good Grief provides education and advocacy throughout New Jersey and nationally in order to ensure communities effectively respond to the needs of its children. Joe formerly worked as a hospice chaplain at both The Connecticut Hospice and The Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut. He received his Masters of Divinity from Yale University, where he concentrated in end-of-life care.
Be the Ethical Difference: Sexual Harassment in the Funeral Home
Wednesday, September 18 • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, September 19 • 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Each choice we make and each step we take provides the foundation for our future. This presentation will specifically address the unethical activity of sexual harassment. Training for this sensitive topic is needed because of the negative impact that sexual harassment has on both funeral home employers and employees in today’s workplace.
Currently COO of a national company and former Sr. VP of Sales and Marketing for a public company, Chuck Gallagher may have found a sales niche early on in life, but it was the school of hard knocks that provided a fertile training ground for Chuck’s lessons in success. Described as creative, insightful, captivating and a person that “connects the dots” between behavior, choices and success, Chuck gives his clients what they need to turn concepts into actions and actions into results.
Building a Highly Engaged Workforce
Wednesday, September 18 • 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 19 • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Are you walking your talk with employee engagement or are you parachuting strategies in when things go wrong or someone jumps ship? Funeral home employee productivity is a direct reflection of how they feel about their relationship with their manager. This course is designed to introduce funeral home managers and licensees to the four C’s of highly effective employee engagement strategies: credibility, communication, collaboration and consistency.
Cate Collins is president of Powerful Journey Consulting. She has been a leadership speaker and trainer for well over 20 years. Her extensive counselling and coaching background, along with being handpicked to train with Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Success Principles, have given her the privilege to work with the US Army, funeral associations and firms, the Canadian government along with several organizations across North America.
Embalming Basics
Wednesday, September 18 • 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 19 • 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
This seminar will review foundational concepts, tips and strategies as they relate to the art of embalming. Attendees will engage in detailed discussion of distinctive feature setting, such as expression forming of the mouth and eyes and the types of mouth closures. The instructor will also discuss the complications that may be experienced with various sutures and strategies to successfully overcome these complications.
Joseph F. “Frank” Walton is an Associate Professor of Funeral Service & Psychology at Tidewater Community College. He is a second generation funeral director and embalmer from Virginia Beach, Virginia and has dedicated his life to serving families and promoting education within the funeral service profession. His embalming experience is extensive and includes several years of practice in urban environments, providing trade services for numerous firms, serving as a liaison to funeral directors and as a per diem embalmer for the nation’s largest tissue and organ procurement organization.
The Ultimate After Party
Thursday, September 19 • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. • 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Going Out In Style brings the edge and experience from four people with careers as New York City editorial stylists and event planners who are used to fulfilling unique last minute requests and always delivering the most beautiful imagery-no exceptions! Learn how they apply their tricks of the trade to achieve a cohesive and meaningful event which focuses on an individual’s taste.
Going Out In Style is Colleen Banks, Naomi DeManana, Erin Furey and Cassidy Iwersen. Collectively they have spent the last several years as editorial stylists, event designers, florists, and art directors for the most respected publications, brands and designers. They are applying this knowledge and skill to what they believe to be the most important of all celebrations, in order to tell the most important story: the story of a life.