TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 1
Letter from Bill BackmanSolidifying Our Commitment ..................................................... Page 2
AdvisorThe Latest in Funeral Service Innovation ............................... Page 3-6
Website Sneak PeekAuroraCasket.com & AuroraAdvantage.com ....................... Page 7
Aurora on Facebook .................................................................. Page 8
A Better Way to BronzeIntroducing Aurora Bronze Memorials ................................. Page 9-10
Service Anniversaries ............................................................... Page 11
Aurora Achievements ............................................................... Page 12
Aurora in the News ............................................................... Page 13-14
LETTER FROMBILL BACKMAN
SOLIDIFYING OUR COMMITMENT
In 2010, the Aurora leadership team confirmed our company’s
Strategy Foundation. This includes the Big Hairy Audacious Goal
(BHAG) of becoming “The Most Customer-Focused Team in
Funeral Service and Achieving $200 Million in Annual Sales by
the End of 2012.”
To achieve this goal, we must help make it easy for our
customers to operate more profitably.
For the last year, every department and member of Team Aurora
has contributed toward this BHAG. We have introduced new
products, new programs, new processes and new promotions.
I am excited to tell you that, through your efforts,
AURORA IS GROWING!
Both aspects of our BHAG are within reach! And this issue of the
Aurora Report outlines some bold and audacious steps toward
achieving this goal. In March of this year, Aurora introduced a
product line extension of Bronze Memorials, created with a new
technology and partner that brings tremendous value to families
and our clients.
And in September 2011, Aurora will introduce Advisor, the first
customer service system created for funeral service. This new
web-based system will help our customers sell, deliver, and
manage better funeral experiences for their client families.
Both of these new initiatives are consistent with our efforts to
help our funeral home clients operate more profitably. We firmly
believe that these initiatives, along with so many other activities
that are already in place, or scheduled for 2112 will help us
realize our BHAG. But it will not happen without the commitment
of each of you to help us win every day.
Thank you for all that you do for our customers and for Aurora.
BAX
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 2
In 1998, Aurora introduced Family Advisor, the first
computer-based funeral arrangement system.
Born from consumer research that revealed the
anxiety families experience when walking into a
traditional casket selection room, Family Advisor
and Aurora’s E-Litho is used today in thousands of
funeral homes nationwide.
But today, in 2011, new challenges call for
a new solution.
In September of this year, Aurora will introduce
the funeral profession’s first Customer Service
System – Advisor.
THE LATEST IN FUNERAL SERVICE INNOVATION
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 3
AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS BARROTT.
How is Advisor different from the previous Family Advisor system?
CHRIS BARROTT: Family Advisor does a terrific job of helping our funeral home customers simplify the process of meeting with families to make funeral selections. Over the years, customers have told us that Family Advisor created a better planning experience for families, simplified the arrangement meeting, and helped increase funeral home revenue on the casket and the entire service.
But Family Advisor only helped funeral homes during the arrangement conference. Today, with access to more information than ever before, families are starting the planning process before they ever get to the funeral home. Aurora identified an opportunity to provide a solution that helped funeral homes educate families during the time when they are really making decisions.
How does the new Advisor help our funeral home clients?
CB: Advisor helps our customers manage the entire Customer Service Opportunity from preneed to the initial death call, through the planning and arrangement process, and even through the delivery of services and aftercare.
One of the important new innovations is the Family Connections website component. With the click of a button, our funeral home clients can create a private, password-protected website for each family they serve. Family members can log on to learn more about the funeral planning process before they even meet with the funeral professional.
Think of that period of time between when the death occurs and when the funeral arrangements are made with a funeral director. What are families doing? They’re researching their options. They’re already making decisions about what they want. Unfortunately, funeral homes today do not empower families during this critical period. With Advisor, they can give families a place to better understand funeral choices, collect important details, and help with the planning process.
So the new Advisor is far more than a redesign of the existing system?
CB: Over the last 12 years, we have learned a lot about how funeral directors do arrangements. We took the opportunity to keep and enhance all the things that our clients really enjoyed about Family Advisor. But we’ve also added new features and functions that our customers have been missing – things they’ve told us they wanted to help them sell, deliver, and manage a better funeral experience for each family.
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 4
Advisor allows funeral service professionals to better serve families during every part of the customer opportunity.
How does Advisor leverage new technologies?
CB: Advisor provides our customers instant access to critical business information – everything from scheduling and to-do lists to case information and sales analysis. This is made possible by moving the application to a cloud-based, or Internet-based system. Customers no longer have to install software on their computers. They simply access Advisor from any device with internet access, including iPads and ultimately smartphones.
This offers many advantages for our customers and for Aurora. It used to be that many funeral directors lived at the funeral home. That’s not the case anymore. Our customers want the ability to manage their business from wherever they may be – from home, working around town, or even on vacation.
For Aurora, it makes the system easier for our sales representatives and internal team to support. Rather than driving across a territory to help a customer update prices, our reps can now support our customers online from anywhere.
This new technology simply makes everyone more productive.
How will Advisor help Aurora succeed and sell more caskets?
CB: Our company is widely recognized for outstanding quality products and the best customer service in the industry. But today, that’s just not enough for us to grow our marketshare. We need to make day-to-day business operations easier and more profitable for our customers. We need to provide solutions for today’s challenges like rising cremation rates, decreased revenues.
Advisor can and will help our customers with these challenges and more. If we can help funeral directors overcome these challenges, it will position our customers and Aurora to succeed.
Advisor is perfectly positioned with our Strategy Foundation – helping to create an honorable closure to every life, while Advisor is good for families, good for funeral directors, and good for Aurora.
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 5
The Family Connections feature allows funeral homes to interact with families through a private, password-protected website. Families can learn about funeral choices, browse Aurora caskets, invite family and friends to funeral events, and even fill out key information from the comfort of home.
Advisor automates the creation and printing of all funeral home paperwork, from contracts to death certificates to stationery items. Integrated scheduling and sales reports help customers manage daily activities.
With Advisor, families can browse high-resolution images of the entire Aurora product line with real-time integration to our service center inventory.
Advisor provides a more comfortable and familiar environment for families to make decisions about funeral services -- both pre-need and at-need.
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ADVISOR:
“AURORA IS WAY AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION WITH ADVISOR.”
“ADVISOR WOULD OBVIOUSLY PROVIDE AN IMPROVEMENT OVER THE WAY WE ARE DOING THINGS TODAY. AURORA HAS INVESTED IN THIS SYSTEM AND IT SHOWS.”
“THE FAMILY CONNECTIONS WEBSITE WOULD CERTAINLY BENEFIT OUR FAMILIES AND OUR FUNERAL HOME.”
“FUNERAL PROFESSIONALS NEED TO TAKE STEPS TO INTERACT WITH FAMILIES IN NEW WAYS. ADVISOR WILL CERTAINLY SET OUR FIRM APART FROM COMPETITORS.”
“ WHEN CAN I START USING THIS SYSTEM AT MY FUNERAL HOME?”
TO ANSWER THE LAST QUESTION – ADVISOR WILL BE LAUNCHED ON
SEPTEMBER 28 WITH A LIVE WEBCAST PRESENTATION PROMOTED THROUGHOUT FUNERAL SERVICE.
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 7
SINCE 1996, AURORACASKET.COM HAS BEEN THE PLACE FOR FAMILIES AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS TO LEARN ABOUT AURORA’S PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.
BUT AS AURORA ENTERS A NEW ERA OF TECHNOLOGY, OUR WEB STRATEGY IS EVOLVING AS WELL.
HERE’S A SNEAK PEEK INTO WHAT’S COMING LATER THIS YEAR.
We’ve made it even easier for funeral directors to access
their Aurora account and learn more about our products
and services. AuroraAdvantage.com is brand new, and
will launch at NFDA this year. It is a portal specifically for the
funeral director that highlights exactly what Aurora can offer
a funeral home in terms of business solutions and quality
products. Every funeral director can have his or her own
account to log in and view product catalogs, watch videos,
access account information, and even order products and
pay bills. Several Aurora employees will maintain blogs to
help funeral directors stay abreast of the latest goings-on
here at Aurora and in the industry at large. By devoting an
entire site to our client funeral directors, Aurora will better
communicate our value proposition and make it simple for
funeral directors to stay connected.
AURORA ON THE WEB
In the past, AuroraCasket.com has had to serve two distinct
audiences—families seeking funeral information, and funeral
professionals. Moving forward, AuroraCasket.com will target
families only. It will be Aurora’s merchandise showcase on
the web, where consumers can learn more about the Aurora
brand and better understand our company’s philosophy.
We are unique in our industry, as fewer and fewer consumer
products can be called “Made in America.” We want
families to know that each of our caskets is precision crafted,
with care, by dedicated individuals who are masters of their
crafts. AuroraCasket.com will help us better tell this story
through pictures, video, blogs and FAQs.
THE NEW AURORAADVANTAGE.COM
THE NEW AURORACASKET.COM
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 8
Got something to share? Planning a special event in your territory? Submit photos to [email protected]
AURORA ON
“LIKE” AURORA ON FACEBOOK
AURORA’S FACEBOOK PAGE IS CELEBRATING ITS ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY THISSEPTEMBER! IN JUST ONE YEAR, WE’VE GAINED 360 FANS--THAT’S 30 NEW FANSEVERY MONTH! HERE’S HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING OUR COMPANY FACEBOOK PAGE MORE MEANINGFUL.
VISIT FACEBOOK.COM/AURORACASKET
AND US! ENCOURAGE FRIENDS
AND FUNERAL DIRECTORS TO US
TOO, BY ADDING OUR FACEBOOK URL TO
YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE.
Stay on top of local and national events, including conventions, opening houses and training seminars
View photos of conventions, company happenings and community outreach events
Comment on news articles, manufacturing videos and company announcements
Aurora’s technological revolution is not limited to
online applications. In a continued effort to help
our funeral home clients offer their families better
products, Aurora has partnered with Whitehall
Products to create a new line of bronze memorials.
New manufacturing techniques are used to
produce high-quality memorials at a significantly
reduced cost.
Bronze is an alloy of copper, tin and zinc, so the
price of bronze memorials is heavily dependent on
the price of these raw materials. Copper is the main
component of bronze, making up about 88% of the
alloy. Over the past decade, the price of copper
has increased more than 400 percent. Today, the
raw metal trades at over $4.00 a pound. Experts
expect that price to keep rising. Striking evidence
of the growing value of bronze can be seen in
nationwide headlines reporting theft of bronze
vases from cemeteries, often stolen by the hundreds
by individuals hoping to sell them for scrap metal.
In these troubled economic times, families are
seeking ways to memorialize their loved ones
appropriately, yet affordably. However, the
importance of creating a memorable tribute has
not changed. Aurora is bridging that gap with the
new Aurora Memorials, featuring an aluminum core
encased entirely in bronze.
The cost of aluminum as a raw material is about one
fourth that of copper, drastically reducing the cost
of each memorial. The aluminum core also reduces
the weight of each memorial, providing for lower
shipping costs and easier handling and installation.
INTRODUCING AURORA MEMORIALS
A BETTER WAY TO
COPPER VS. ALUMINUM
$0.50
Dec 08
Jun 09
Nov 09
May 1
0
Nov 10
Jan 11
$1.00
$1.50
$2.00
$2.50
$3.00
$3.50
$4.00
$4.50
PRIC
E PE
R PO
UN
D
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 9
AURORA MEMORIALS
ARE MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE THAN OTHERS IN THE MARKET.I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO PASSING THIS SAVINGS ON TO MY FAMILIES.”
The aluminum core is encased entirely in bronze,
so the memorial looks and performs just like a
traditional solid bronze marker. Each Aurora Memorial
is treated with a clear coat, and 30-year-equivalent
environmental tests resulted in no degradation.
This technology was pioneered over a decade ago
by Aurora’s partner in this new venture, Whitehall
Products, based in Michigan. Whitehall is the leading
manufacturer of cast-metal products for the home
and garden. Products such as personalized address
plates are distributed by some of the nation’s largest
retailers, including Home Depot, Lowes, Frontgate
and Brookstone.
Aurora Memorials cost nearly 40% less than their
traditional solid bronze competitors, and are backed
by the strongest warranty in the industry. If the
memorial fails to perform as warranted, Whitehall will
replace it for free. If the memorial suffers damage as
a result of neglect or cemetery equipment, Whitehall
will replace it at 50% of the original price.
This new line of bronze memorials is just another way
Aurora can better serve our clients and create a
memorable closure to every life.
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 10
“
JERRY PERYER,GREENLAWN FUNERAL HOME NORTH, SPRINGFIELD MO
BRONZE
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 10
Michael AtkinsDennis BanksBrian BauschTerri BroganAmber BrothersMichael BryaCharles CampbellFred ConradiJames CornettBarbara CrossLori DarlingtonLisa DowneyTrish FinneganBuddy GaunttDarren GrubbsRickey JacksonDerrick Dwayne KeithMichael KeyesKC KrumeichLisa LackChad RussellSteve SchneidauSteve SlazykWilmer StufflestreetRoger ThomasGary ThompsonJames TurnerBrent WermesTom WheatleyBobby WintersConnie WintersDavis Wright
Ronald Baker Jr.
Andrew Ballew
Randy Brazzell
Albert Burk III
James Campbell
Ed Cox
Keith Currie
Bruce Fenn
Patrick Ferrari
Maureen Jackson
Vanessa Knigga
Brian Merk
Timothy Morris
John Neville
Nyetta Niklas
Gary Peters
Michael Peters
Charlie Roberts
Darrick Schreiner
Karen Schroeder
Donald Stirgus
Gary Stogsdill
Marty Strohofer
Benjamin Walker
Jason Walston
Claude West
William Wright
Keith Wuellner
Aaron Baker
Mike Blair
Charles Booker
Stanley Chmielarski
William Dirr
Paul Kemppainen
Mike Kopper
Mike Nash
Carolyn Schmaltz
Brian Sexton
Wesley Taylor
Harry Walker
Alan Wright
Dale Armstrong
Kendall Chandler
Jim Flippen
Richard Jackson
Michael Mockbee
Darrell Morefield
Ray Rickett
Len Weber
Bill Barrott III
Ricky Barrows
Darwin DisbroNathan Coy
John Cummings
Mark Dennis
Jerry Dick
Wendle Disbro
Kris Kidwell
Stacy Leonard
Kelly McGraw
Charles Ray
Mary Stultz
John Taylor
Joseph Jackson
Jim Koenig
Kevin McCreary
Debbie Snyder
Robert Sommer
Roger Truitt
Barry York
David Zerkle
Gary Henry
Lewis Kelly Jr.
Gary Snyder
Herschel Bovard
Walter Christensen
Dennis Gregory
Paul Lewis
John Platt
Justin Wayne Ray
Timothy Shinkle
Mary Watts
5 YEARS10 YEARS
15 YEARS
25 YEARS
40 YEARS20 YEARS
30 YEARS
45 YEARS
35 YEARS
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 11
From all of us at Aurora
Casket, thank you for your
years of dedicated service!
SERVICE ANNIVERSARIES
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 9THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 12
Congratulations to Ashley Draper, daughter of Melissa
Tiettmeyer (Credit Department). Ashley received
the Aurora Academic Scholarship in 2007 and has
successfully completed a degree in Psychology from
Indiana University in Bloomington. She will continue her
education at Northern Kentucky University in the fall
and begin working towards a Masters in Social Work.
After almost 30 years as
President & CEO of
Alliance St-Laurent Casket
Corporation, M. Paul Michaud
has officially retired on
June 29, 2011. From 1982 to 2011, Paul led this family-owned business
to great success by surrounding himself with a knowledgeable team
of employees, strategic counselors and valued partnerships. He is best
remembered by his exemplary entrepreneurship skills, his leadership and his
perseverance through all the challenges of being in a competitive market
that offers success only to the best. He is most happy to retire knowing that
the continuity of the company is now ensured by Aurora Casket Company,
which shares in the values on which he thrived to succeed.
Aurora congratulates South Dearborn HS gradates
Kelsey Steuver and Stephanie Zeidan for earning the
annual Barrott Family Scholarship!
This scholarship is awarded for outstanding community
service in memory of Emma Jean Barrott.
Paul Michaud’s Retirement
Jim Koenig receives a gift for 30 years of service.
AURORA ACHIEVEMENTS
AURORAIN THE NEWS:
AURORA INTRODUCES NEW BRONZE MEMORIAL MARKERS Aurora, IN — March 1, 2011 —
For more than 100 years, the technology involved in
crafting bronze grave markers has not significantly evolved.
Aurora Casket Company is aiming to change that with the
introduction of its new Aurora Memorial products.
Aurora Memorials feature an aluminum core, encased entirely
in bronze. This technology offers the same appearance,
performance, and durability of traditional bronze markers, but
at a significant savings to funeral homes and cemeteries.
“Aurora Memorials offer a significant advantage over
traditional bronze markers,” said Tim Dugan, senior vice
president of sales and marketing at Aurora. “They provide the
same classic look and appeal, at a more affordable price – as
much as 40 percent less than traditional bronze markers.”
[Full article available online at www.kates-boylston.com]
FUNERAL SERVICE REACHES OUT TO THE TROOPS AURORA, IN — MAY 25, 2011 — The nation’s largest privately owned funeral services supplier,
Aurora Casket Company, sponsored “Armed Forces Day”
on May 21 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Cincinnati College of
Mortuary Science. Item donations and financial contributions
from the event supported the Yellow Ribbon Support Center,
a nonprofit that sends more than 30 care packages a week
to those serving overseas. The event was covered live by
96 Rock, WFTK and featured a Veterans Affairs mobile unit,
concessions and live entertainment by rock band Cover
Model.
“It’s a great opportunity for the public to thank our veterans,
to support the Yellow Ribbon Support Center and for the
students to be good neighbors,” Cincinnati College of
Mortuary Science President Karen Giles said of the second
annual event. Colonel Giles served for 22 years and is the
former Director of the Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base.
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 13
AURORA CASKET COMPANY PROUD SPONSOR OF “MEET THE MENTORS” EVENT AURORA, IN – AUG. 16, 2011 — Aurora Casket Company, the largest family-owned funeral
service supplier in the United States, is a proud sponsor of the
National Funeral Directors Association’s “Meet the Mentors”
program to be held Sept. 13 at the Harvard Faculty Club on
the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass. Held in
cooperation with the Funeral Service Foundation (FSF), the
inaugural event gives 50 randomly selected NFDA members
under the age of 40 the opportunity to learn from four of the
top funeral directors in the nation.
“There is no replacement for the role mentors have in our
profession,” said Tim Dugan, Aurora senior vice president of
Sales and Marketing. “Regardless of how the field may change,
the quality of funeral service professionals rests on the training
they receive from their predecessors.”
American Legion Post 530
WHAT NONRELIGIOUS FAMILIES REALLY NEED: BY LACY ROBINSON, CFSP, AURORA CASKET SENIOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINER — You might consider this a silly notion. What if hymns, prayers
and scripture readings were banned from funerals? It will never
happen, but think about it for just a minute. What readings
would you recommend in their place? Who would be the
master of ceremony? What about those families who are
deeply connected to religion? They would feel disheartened,
confused and a little irritated. But your non-religious families
may be relieved and comforted in knowing that something
they didn’t choose in life before death is not the only option
after death.
A big part of what we do as funeral service professionals
is providing direction to families. Direction for our religious
families can be quite simple, given that funeral rites, rituals and
ceremonies have been around since the beginning of time.
However, direction for our non-religious families can be completely
lost leaving families feeling uncomfortable and empty.
[Full article available online at www.kates-boylston.com]
AURORA CASKET CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF FUNERALPLAN.COM WITH COMPLIMENTARY PERSONAL PLANNING GUIDE AURORA, IN – APRIL 26, 2011 – Navigating the many choices involved in funeral
planning just got much easier with the addition of a new
downloadable Personal Planning Guide at Funeralplan.
com. The site was developed 10 years ago by Aurora
Casket Company as a resource for families on funeral
planning and grief support. More than 100,000 unique
visitors annually turn to Funeralplan.com for information
about funerals and memorialization.
The complimentary Personal Planning Guide provides
families with the opportunity to review choices available
for end of life planning, from traditional rituals and customs
to personalized life tributes and memorial services.
“Ultimately, the best source of information about funeral
planning, grief, and healing is a local funeral professional,”
said Marty Strohofer, director of creative marketing at
Aurora. “Funeralplan.com provides families a starting point
online and a locator guide where they can find a funeral
professional in their community.”
After reviewing information on Funeralplan.com, families
can download the Personal Planning Guide to record
some of their preferences and information required.
“Planning in advance takes some of the burden and
uncertainty from the minds of our loved ones,” Strohofer
said. He also added the importance of reviewing personal
preferences with other family members.
“Funerals are for the living. Many of us want to try to shield
our family from the pain of death and loss, but planning an
appropriate time and place for family and friends to say
goodbye and share memories is an important part of the
healing process,” he added.
[Full article available online at www.connectingdirectors.com]
AURORA CASKET DEVELOPMENT TRAINER TO SPEAK AT MID-AMERICA COLLEGE OF FUNERAL SERVICE GRADUATION AURORA, IN — FEBRUARY 8, 2011 — Mid-America College of Funeral Service announces Aurora
Casket Senior Professional Development Trainer Lacy Robinson
as speaker for the 2011 commencement ceremony...
Robinson, a graduate of Mid-America herself, serves as the
Continuing Education Coordinator to the Association of
Women Funeral Professionals, is an active member of the
Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky and a member of
the Kentucky Speakers Association.
[Full article available online at www.kates-boylston.com]
THE AURORA REPORT | FALL 2011 PAGE 14
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