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Transcript of Aurora Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 1
Letter From Bill Backman ............................................................ Page 2
Rep Service Center Awards ....................................................... Page 3
Manufacturing SpotlightBuilding Quality into Every Casket ............................................. Page 4
Logistics News ............................................................................. Page 5
New PartnershpsWestern State Funerla Supply. ................................................... Page 6
Thriving in 2010New Aurora Accounts. ............................................................... Page 7
New Account SpotlightSand Mountain Family Funeral Homes, LLC. ............................ Page 8
Lifetimes/Professional Develpment ........................................... Page 9
Family Advisors ......................................................................... Page 10
The Washington Poplar ............................................................. Page 11
Social Media .............................................................................. Page 12
Aurora in the News ................................................................... Page 13
NFDA ........................................................................................... Page 14
ACCO Scolarship Program....................................................... Page 15
LETTER FROMBiLL BackManREADY. AIM. FIRE.
As we begin 2011, I would like to thank each and every
Aurora employee for your hard work and dedication this
year. I truly believe we have the best people out there,
and despite a shaky economy, we’ve pulled through with
another successful year.
We’ve had several ups and downs that brought us to this
point. Keystone Group, a significant Aurora customer, was
acquired by Service Corp. International at the beginning of
2010. This was a blow that we struggled to make up for, and
we still have some ground to cover to reach our sales and
revenue goals.
However, we saw positive growth in our primary market
segment— family-owned funeral homes—that has allowed
us to achieve a positive position moving into 2011. We have
made significant strides in our manufacturing, logistics, and
quality control processes. We have seen great success with
the introduction of our Aurora Designer Hardwoods. The
acquisition of Alliance-St. Laurent allows us to compete
in a growing market segment. Our sales team is gaining
momentum with several new key account wins. And most
noteworthy, we will take the profession by storm this year with
the introduction of our new Family Advisor technology.
Our KEy TO SuCCESS IN 2011 rESTS IN THE COLLECTIvE
EFFOrTS OF EvEry INDIvIDuAL ON TEAM AurOrA TO
PuLL TOGETHEr AND ExECuTE WITH ExCELLENCE
EACH DAy.
We’re ready with the best team in funeral service.
We’ve taken aim at the opportunity in front of us.
Let’s fire off to begin 2011 like never before.
Bill BackmanBAx
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 2
PROIN vELIT LIBERO, CONSECTETUR vEL CONvALLIS CONDIMENTUM vENENATIS
DUIS qUIS MOLLIS NISL NULLA LOREM UT ARCU EGESTAS CONGUE SIT AMET ARCU PROIN
SAGITTIS vARIUS
CongratulationsREP SERvICE CENTER AwARDS
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2010 SALES INCENTIvE wINNERS!We know these achievements do not come easily, and we all compliment you on your hard work. you
are setting a high standard for others to follow and achieve and look forward to seeing many more
wins from everyone in 2011.
SALES REP OF THE YEAR: GARY wEBERComing from behind quota and pulling out all the stops in December
With 608 units of growth
Mike Nash
Dennis Beasley
Max Miller
Mike Blair
David Bentley
roger Grizzel
Clayton Beasley
Mike Jaudon
Jason Kumm
Stacey Cassidy
Adam Quantz
ALSO, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MIDSOUTH REGION, THE ONLY REGION TO ACHIEvE 2010 qUOTA!
• wEST: DOUG BOwELL – 258 units of growth
• EAST: SCOTT BAIRD – 269 units of growth
• MIDSOUTH: CLAYTON BEASLEY – 340 units of growth
• CENTRAL: ROBERT ACEvEz – 420 units of growth
• MIDwEST: JOHN MEYER – 380 units of growth
• SOUTHEAST: JENAE REGISTER (Second year in a row) – with 312 units of growth
SALES REP OF THE YEAR: GARY wEBER
NATIONAL GROwTH LEADER OF THE YEAR: STEPHEN NAzARETH
REGIONS FEARLESS LEADER: BILL HUDSON
ROOkIE OF THE YEAR: STEPHEN NAzARETH
REGIONAL GROwTH LEADERS:
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 3
LOREM IPSUM DOLOR
CURABITUR ELEIFEND CUME SOCLIS NATOqUE PENATIBUS ET MAGNIS DIS PARTURIENT MONTES
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 4
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Curabitur eleifend semper nibh, luctus rutrum diam varius
hendrerit. Nulla sagittis arcu vel enim sagittis faucibus.
Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient
montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Duis risus erat, mollis viverra
consectetur at, tincidunt a libero. ut suscipit viverra lectus,
nec volutpat mauris iaculis in. vestibulum et dui est, quis
euismod quam. Maecenas volutpat condimentum dapibus.
Proin enim est, fringilla nec sollicitudin vel, facilisis eu
quam. Aliquam pellentesque nibh et mauris dapibus eget
gravida turpis tincidunt. Etiam elementum augue vel sem
tempus fermentum. Aenean at tortor at velit molestie
facilisis eget adipiscing est. Proin lacus augue, lobortis ac
euismod vel, tempus at velit. Suspendisse eleifend, eros
at tincidunt pellentesque, ipsum erat vehicula sem, et
gravida nisi magna et odio. Maecenas lorem enim, rhoncus
sed placerat et, tristique ut nunc. vivamus faucibus dui
sed ipsum tempor convallis eleifend metus consectetur.
Aliquam erat volutpat. Suspendisse eros odio, accumsan
sed vehicula at, interdum vel lacus. Quisque id rutrum dolor.
Nunc vulputate orci in erat ornare sodales.
Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient
montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec dignissim bibendum
dolor vitae dignissim. Fusce euismod tempus semper. Nunc
commodo sollicitudin lectus nec cursus. Phasellus eu diam
sit amet erat imperdiet hendrerit vehicula ut tellus. Nunc
luctus felis et felis rhoncus id posuere tellus facilisis. Morbi
pretium enim id arcu ultrices eget sodales nisl ullamcorper.
Nam hendrerit, nisl et fringilla porta, magna mauris
malesuada lorem, quis vulputate dolor erat non magna.
Nulla interdum mi ac elit placerat commodo. Aenean id
odio in erat sagittis tincidunt. Proin non auctor nunc. Cras
purus lectus, sagittis ac ultricies quis, laoreet ac augue.
MANUFACTURINGSPOTLIGHT:LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SET
Proin velit libero, consectetur vel convallis quis condimentum vene
LOGISTICSLOGISTICS NEwS
Aurora would like to congratulate the Shipping department (Doug Barrett, ray Bryant, rick Clark, randy Deamron, Mike
Dennis, Brad Disbro, Chris Doherty, Sonny Henry, Lewis Hill, Mack Johnson, Joe Meyer, Greg roland, Tim Snider, Lucian Turner,
Mugga Waller, and Keith Wuellner) for their outstanding improvements with respect to quality. Through the use of Standard
Operating Procedures (SOP’s), Quality Alerts, and other problem solving tools; the team has reduced the percentage of
quality defects charged to shipping by more than 30% compared to the same time period last year. This has contributed to
a more than 40% reduction of MrA’s charged to shipping. Congratulations and keep up the good work.
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 5
wESTERN STATES FUNERAL SUPPLYTo create new opportunities for our funeral home clients,
Aurora has joined forces with Western States Funeral Supply.
This Newton, Kansas-based company will distribute Aurora
caskets and technology solutions. The partnership will give
Aurora two distribution points in Colorado, and is expected
to double Aurora’s presence throughout the state.
“Our strategy has always been focused on creating
opportunity for our funeral home clients,” said Jim Wiens,
president of Western States Funeral Supply. “Aurora carries
that same attitude and commitment. We’ve been family
owned since 1954 and are delighted to partner with
another family-owned supplier and offer Aurora caskets to
our customers.” Western States Funeral Supply is a division
of Doric Concrete vaults, Inc. and employs over 60 people
in seven locations. In addition to Aurora products, Western
States Funeral Supply offers burial vaults, monuments and
other memorialization products.
ALLIANCE-ST. LAURENT CASkET COMPANYLast year, Aurora completed the acquisition of Alliance-
St. Laurent Caskets, a company based in New Brunswick,
Canada. Alliance-St. Laurent will operate as a wholly owned
subsidiary of Aurora. Aurora began distributing Alliance-St.
Laurent products in 1996 after acquiring a 50 percent share
of the business.
Paul Michaud will continue to serve as President of Alliance-
St. Laurent. “Our partnership with Aurora has been mutually
beneficial for both of our companies, our employees, and
the clients we serve,” Michaud said. “As a wholly owned
subsidiary, we will continue to focus on quality, innovation
and business growth.” Alliance-St. Laurent, founded in
1978, is a leading provider of hardwood and cloth caskets
and cremation and transport containers to funeral service
providers throughout North America. The company operates
manufacturing facilities in Quebec and New Brunswick.
“We are thrilled to bring another trusted family business into
the Aurora family,” said Bill Backman, president of Aurora
Casket Company. “The products produced by Alliance-
St. Laurent, and the relationships they have established
throughout the funeral service profession will be key to
our company’s growth. There is intense competition for
this market segment, and our partnership with Paul and
the team at Alliance-St. Laurent provides Aurora a strong
position to compete and offer more to our clients.”
LOGISTICS
OUR STRATEGY HASALwAYS BEEN FOCUSEDON CREATING OPPORUNITY FOR OUR FUNERAL HOME CLIENTS.” Jim Wiens, president of Western States Funeral Supply
NEwPARTNERSHIPS
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 6
Proin velit libero, consectetur vel convallis quis condimentum vene
NEw AURORA ACCOUNTSTHRiVinG in 2010
CLIENT CITY/STATE REP SERvICE CENTER
Sand Mountain Family Funeral Homes, LLC Decherd, TN Mike Jaudon 07 Leeds
Ambruster-Donnelly Funeral Home St. Louis, MO Pete Arehart 03 union
Wujek-Calcaterra Funeral Home Sterling Heights, MI Ben Hamilton 43 Plymouth
Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory Lynchburg, vA David Bowman 02 Christiansburg
Ponders Funeral Home Dalton, GA Jenae register 11 Suwanee
right Way Funeral & Cremation Service San Leandro, CA Ed Cox 88 Sacramento
Heald & Chiampa Funeral Directors, LLC Shrewsbury, MA Darren Lewandowski 74 New England
Turner & Son Funeral Home Hillsboro, OH KC Krumeich 98 Tri-State
Miller Sekely Funeral Services, Inc. Elizabethtown, PA Scott Baird 38 Carlisle
victor valley Mortuary victorville, CA Doug Bowell 68 Los Angeles
Starks Family Funeral Homes St. Joseph, MI robert Acevez 15 Kalamazoo
Modell Funeral Home Darien, IL Allison Nelson 82 Chicago
Merle Hay Funeral Home Des Moines, IA John Dukes 36 Des Moines
Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home Grove, OK Scott Houston 77 Tulsa
Brown-Dawson-Flick Funeral Home Hamilton, OH Fred Fowler 98 Tri-State
Carman Funeral Home russell, Ky Stacey Cassidy 98 Tri-State
Whitehurst Funeral Chapels, Inc. Los Banos, CA Malcolm robertson 88 Sacramento
ridley Memorial Inc. roxbury, MA Brett Nazareth 75 Providence
Melton Funeral Home Sylva, NC Taylor Sword 53 Asheville
Craig-Flagler-Palms Funeral Home Flagler Beach, FL Steve risch 10 St. Petersburg
THE FOLLOwING LIST PROvIDES A SAMPLE OF NEw ACCOUNTS THAT wE ARE NOw PRIvILEGED TO SERvE:
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 7
NEw ACCOUNT SPOTLIGHT:SAND MOUNTAIN FAMILY FUNERAL HOMES, LLC.
wHY AURORA?As the owner of Sand Mountain Family Funeral Homes, Jeff
Gamble knew he needed a strategic partner to guarantee
the growth of his business in the future. His funeral homes,
including 13 locations in two states, serve nearly one
thousand families every year. They face many of the same
problems as firms nationwide, such as the rapid rise in
cremation rates. Mike Jaudon, Bill Hudson and Dan Colvin
were able to demonstrate how Aurora can be the total
package—not just a vendor, but a partner that provides
solutions to today’s problems and strategies for creating
future value.
The many locations of Sand Mountain Family Funeral
Homes will be implementing various Aurora solutions. Some
locations are facing cremation rates as high as 40% and
will be implementing the Journey cremation system and
presenting Celebrating Life’s Journey brochures to their
families. Other locations will be installing Family Advisor
to make it easier to show families funeral packages
and merchandise. Lastly, each firm will be launching a
WebConnect Marketing System website. This firm will also
take advantage of our partnership with Homesteaders and
the rollback program.
PREvIOUS SUPPLIER: BATESvILLE900+ CALLS/YRREP: MIkE JAUDON
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 8
Continuing education is a vital part of any funeral
director’s career, and Aurora offers many different courses
in professional development to help our clients meet
these needs. Courses cover topics such as building better
relationships with families, growing local market share and
improving leadership and interpersonal communication skills.
Classes are taught at Aurora’s home office, in funeral homes
and at conventions and other events nationwide.
The cornerstone of Aurora’s Professional Development
program is Lifetimes: A Balanced Funeral Arrangement. This
class teaches funeral directors a simple and practical process
for uncovering what families need early in the arrangement
process. After participating in this class, funeral directors can
see how all aspects of the funeral process work together to
create real meaning and satisfaction. Lifetimes is taught by
Lacy robinson through a combination of lecture, discussion
and skill practices.
Professional Development courses are just one more solution
that Aurora offers to our funeral home clients to ensure that
we can meet all of their business needs.
• Other professional development offerings:
• Making an Emotional Connection
• Meeting the Needs of Cremation Families
• No Religion, Please
• Creating Funeral Packages that Work
• Four Generations in the Funeral Home
• Ten Great Ideas for Your Funeral Home Website
• The New Opportunity with Obituaries
• Simplifying Arrangements with Family Advisor
• The New Rules of Merchandising
• Leading the Next Generation
• Advanced Cremation Arrangements
COMPLETING THE
LiFeTiMeSARRANGER TRAINING wAS AN OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCE
FOR OUR STAFF.”
Chet SteWArt, FrenCh MortuAry, ALBuquerque nM
“Completing the Lifetimes arranger training was an
outstanding experience for our staff. I took the training
myself and learned quote a bit. I figured if this ‘old dog’
could learn a few new ‘tricks,’ then our younger staff would
absorb the information like sponges, which they did.”
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 9
LIFETIMESLIFETIMES
FAMILY ADvIFAMILY ADvISORS
wHAT IS FAMILY ADvISOR?Family Advisor is the industry’s first all-inclusive
merchandise display and funeral home management
system. The software was originally developed in 1997,
and has continued to evolve and grow over the years
based on direct feedback from hundreds of funeral
directors nationwide. Family Advisor Management
Edition, released in 2009, gave funeral directors even
more tools to keep their businesses running smoothly—
the latest version includes self-populating PDF forms
and seamlessly integrates with Microsoft QuickBooks
accounting software.
wHO USES FAMILY ADvISOR?Family Advisor is a solution for funeral homes of all
sizes. Memorial Mortuaries of Salt Lake City, utah serves
over 500 families from seven locations in the Salt Lake
area. They have been using Family Advisor since 2009.
Superstition Funeral Home of Apache Junction, Arizona
is a brand new small funeral home using the software.
Because Family Advisor is flexible and customizable, a
funeral home of any size can use it advantageously.
wHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING FAMILY ADvISOR?As a digital display system, Family Advisor allows funeral
directors to offer families more choices than a traditional
selection room. real-time inventory updates ensure
that families will only see products that are currently
in-stock and available. When funeral homes move from
a traditional selection room to a digital display, they free
up thousands of dollars in inventory and can reallocate
that space for more gathering areas or offices. The
software also makes data management in the funeral
home easy, allowing funeral directors to only enter
information once and export it to forms and stationery
software, streamlining the tasks required to serve families.
SELECTIvE FUNERAL MERCHANDISECAN BE UNPLEASANT. FAMILY ADvISOR MAkES FAMILIES FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE INAN UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION.”
JuStIn BAXLey, hIerS-BAXLey FunerAL SerVICeS, oCALA, FL
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 10
LIFETIMES
THE wASHINGTONPOPLARLate in 2010, Aurora introduced the newest member of the Designer
Series, the Washington Poplar. The Washington continues the trend of
innovation and creativity that Aurora customers have come to expect
from our Clarksburg manufacturing facility and has thrived in test
markets so far.
The Washington Poplar is characterized by its unique two-toned finish,
a design that was actually inspired by a piece of furniture right from
Aurora’s casket showroom. The unique credenza that makes up part
of Aurora’s Family room display blends a deep black finish with rich
wood grain and gold-toned hardware.
To create the Washington’s unique look, solid poplar is stained and
painted then polished to a glossy shine. The gold trim, a defining
feature of this casket, is hand-painted on each and every unit.
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 11
N2H010
UNIqUE TwO-TONE FINISH
TAILORED CREME BASkETwEAvE INTERIOR
SOLID POPLAR CONSTRUCTION
AURORA’S FACEBOOk PAGE
SHOwCASES:Events
• State conventions & conferences
• National conventions & conferences
• Aurora training events
Photos
• Conventions & conferences
• Company events & happenings
Articles & Announcements
• The Aurora community
• Aurora partners & programs
• Aurora news articles
• Company announcements and newsletters
Videos
• Production & manufacturing demos
SOCIAL MEDIA
SEARCH “AURORA CASkET COMPANY”
ON FACEBOOk AND CLICk THE “LIkE”
BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.
GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE LATEST
NEwS AND HAPPENINGS AT AURORA,
AND JOIN THE DISCUSSION!
“LIkE” AURORA ON FACEBOOk
AURORA LAUNCHED ITS OFFICIAL FACEBOOk PAGE IN SEPTEMBER, AND HAS SINCE GROwN TO HAvE SEvERAL HUNDRED FANS. CONNECT wITH YOUR COwORkERS AND GET THE LATEST NEwS, PHOTOS AND COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS wELCOME, SO SPREAD THE wORD AND JOIN THE CONvERSATION.
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 12
AURORAIN THE NEwS:
AurOrA SAyS ITS NEW CrEMATION SySTEM IS PAyING DIvIDENDS By: tom Parmalee, September 13, 2010
Aurora Casket Co. rolled out its new Journey Cremation
System to educate families about cremation choices about
a year ago, and so far, the company says the funeral homes
using it are pretty happy.
The system offers funeral homes free, personalized brochures
that present packages that coincide with a funeral home’s
offerings, according to Marty Strohofer, director of marketing
for Aurora.
Strohofer says that when Aurora looked at the challenges that
its consumers were facing, it found that cremation ranked at
the top of the list. Funeral homes would say that they were
trying to educate families about different choices, but a closer
examination found that there was no uniform method…
[Full article available online at www.funeralserviceinsider.com]
TO AvOID EMPLOyEE WAITS, AurOrA CASKET’S DOCTOr IS IN By: James ritchie, october 22, 2010
Aurora Casket Co. officials wanted to make sure employees
in rural southeast Indiana had quick and convenient access
to primary health care. So, they contracted for their own
company doctor.
“In this area, you can’t always get in to see a doctor the
same day you call,” said Tom Heintz, chief financial officer. “If
you fall ill on the weekend and then can’t see a doctor until
Wednesday, you could end up missing several days of work.”
So Aurora enlisted St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Northern
Kentucky to open the Aurora Primary Care Center in
downtown Aurora, about five minutes from the casket
manufacturer’s headquarters…
[Full article available online at bizjournals.com/cincinnati]
CASKET BuSINESS FAr FrOM DEAD By: Jon newberry, September 27, 2010
Bill “Bax” Backman is the son of a son of a casket maker who
founded Aurora Casket Co. 120 years ago. He followed in his
father’s footsteps as president of the company, which is still
family-owned, and has seen tremendous changes in the past
35 years. “We are literally reinventing ourselves on a daily basis
to stay ahead of the trends,” he said. One big change is the
increased preference for cremation over traditional burials.
That’s a trend Aurora has embraced as a way to continually
improve its service to family-owned funeral homes, he said. It
now makes a separate line of products, from caskets to urns,
specifically for cremations. The bulk of Aurora’s caskets are
made in the united States…
[Full article available online at bizjournals.com/cincinnati]
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 13
ACCO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
ACCO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMAurora Casket Company, Inc. awards one renewable scholarship each year in the amount of $3,000 per year to an eligible
employee’s child.
To obtain an Aurora Casket Company Scholarship application or renewal, contact Andi Bushman at extension 5605.
Scholarship applications must be sent to Andi Bushman by April 30 (by hand delivery or postmarked no later than April 30). This
scholarship will be presented at the student’s awards ceremony if possible. Renewal applications must be received by May 10.
Applicants must meet the following requirements to apply for a scholarship through the ACCO Scholarship Program. You can
only apply if you meet ALL of the general eligibility requirements.
ELIGIBILITY REqUIREMENTS:
• The scholarship applicant must be the child of an Aurora Casket Company, Inc. employee. The student’s mother, father
or legal guardian must be a current employee at Aurora Casket Company, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries at the time of
application with at least one year of continuous service by the application deadline. The employee must be one of the
following: (1) an hourly paid employee, (2) a non-exempt office employee or (3) a truck driver paid on a mileage basis.
• The applicant must be a graduating high school senior in the upper one-third of the graduating class.
• The applicant must fulfill the qualifications established by the school to which he/she intends to enroll. The applicant must be
planning to enroll in a 4- or 5- year college program at an accredited institution. vocational schools or junior colleges are not
to be considered. Full-time student status must be maintained. The student’s mother, father or legal guardian must remain a
full-time employee of Aurora during the school year for which the scholarship is awarded.
• The applicant must make written application and complete the forms provided by the Company. The applicant must also
furnish complete high school transcripts showing all grades for the four year period, except the final quarter or semester.
• The Company will pay the scholarship directly to the student’s chosen institution.
• The scholarship is renewable three times. To be eligible for renewal, the student must maintain full-time college status during
the school year with a minimum cumulative 3.0/4.0 G.P.A. A G.P.A. less than 3.0 will be reviewed prior to renewal. In addition,
the student’s mother, father or legal guardian must still be employed as a full-time employee of the Company. A renewal
application must be completed and submitted by May 10.
THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 14
LOREM IPSUM DOLOR OnSEctEtUR aDIPIScIng ELIt cRaS fEUgIat aUgUE DOnEc fEUgIat aEnEan fEUgIat ULtR.
Aenean feugiat ultricies
10944 MARSH ROADAURORA IN 47001
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