Williams River Services has come to it’s “pivot point“. “Although some discount “The Pivot” as an overused buzzword, for a startup, pivoting can mean the difference between becoming the next success story and joining the deadpool.” So says Nicholas Thomas the Director of Business Development at Docudesk Corporation.
Two years in and we are continuing to think of the future. In the business’s beginning, we identified our customer and offered services they needed. They needed an ally to help them though the first meeting. We assisted in making arrangements and explaining pricing and options. Our business is driven by helping the customer get what they need at a fair price.
In the last year, WRS helped families all over the state of Vermont. We provided cremation and burial services as well as brokerage and estate sale services. Our presentations at conventions and group workshops have helped to educate the public on everything end of life. Our Death Cafes have made the conversations approachable and relaxed. We have published a Green Burial Guide and are currently working on our first book “Do you want fries with that?” The Dumbing Down of the American Funeral Industry; I am hoping to have this released by the end of the year.
Most often, Williams River Services has advised families making arrangements for the first time and that are unfamiliar with the process. Many folks have come to us who have an idea of what they want but are not sure how to get it at a fair price. They didn’t want to be sold a lot of costly options they don’t need. We have been proud to help — providing what you want, where you want it, at a price that is affordable.
Regretfully, we have decided to end our cremation and burial services. As we move forward, our resources will be redirected toward our green services, estate and brokerage services. With this focus, it is our intention to continue to assist families in the ways they most need. After 20 years as a funeral director, I have a huge amount of information about the funeral industry. In fact, I have been on both sides of the table. I will continue to use this information and my experiences to help the consumer. Like any other broker, I am only interested in you getting what you want at a fair price.
I will work on this new focus and you will begin to see blog posts reflecting new pricing and services. If I have served your family here in Vermont, I will provide advice and guidance free of charge. New families should not be hesitant to contact us; prices are negotiable. Consider Williams River Services your advocate. Having someone on your side who knows the business only makes sense. Contact us with questions.
Category Archives: home funeral
The Pivot
Filed under At home Services, Cremations, Green Burials, home funeral, Hospice, low cost cremations, Veterans
Yeah, We Do That…….
Broker. I think I love that term. Broker.
Wikipedia says ” A broker is an individual or party (brokerage firm) that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller, and gets a commission when the deal is executed.”
After some thought, I realized that most major transactions we make in life involve a broker: buying a home – Real Estate Broker; purchasing stock for retirement – Investment Broker. Need Insurance for your car? Your local insurance company is your broker who will go out and shop for the coverage that is perfect for you. Joint Venture Broker, Information Broker, Energy Broker, Marriage Broker …the list goes on. If you can buy it, there is a broker that can help you.With the price of funeral services being so high, (US average $6, 000 – $10,000) wouldn’t it be nice to have someone helping you navigate all the options and decisions? Someone who has been in the business for 20 years. Someone who has served 1000′s of families.
- Do I need a vault? What do you mean by vault?
- What is a sealed casket? What IS a sealed casket?
- Do I have to pay for embalming? What the heck is used in embalming?
- How much does a casket cost? Where can I get a loan to pay for all of this?
Williams River Services is offering Funeral Broker services. Let us answer your questions. Let us help you find the best services, at the best prices, for this major expense for your family. We would love to help your family now or at the time of death. We are here and helping families.
Call anytime at 802 353-0021.
A comfortable place to die………
Something interesting that I found this weekend. It was in the New York Times so it must be good, right?
After I watched A Good Death by Joshua Bright all I can say is “WOW”. This is the scene at many a home which I have visited over the years. The hospital bed set up in a bedroom or in the living room where everyone can gather. A lot of nursing homes and hospitals have single rooms just for this reason.
A comfortable place to die. No matter where it is, the addition of close family and friends make all of us more comfortable. 
My Fathers Shirt…….
What do you want to happen with your stuff when you die? I’m sure that some of the big stuff has already been spoken for. I found an article titled “Where’d you get that shirt?” that was written a few years ago but the message will not get old.
“So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.” Helen Keller
Filed under At home Services, burials, Cremations, home funeral, Hospice, low cost cremations, Veterans
Metal Caskets in a Wood World…….
We all can see the beauty and craftsmanship in a wooden casket. Some are very ornate. Others are simple and affordable. I found this article on the net which explains metal caskets. In our area and in my experience most folks here in Vermont choose a wooden casket. I feel that it is still a good idea for consumers to know as much as they can before making decisions on what they might need. 
Since the early 1900′s, metal caskets have been probably the most popular choice. Metal caskets rose to their status as the most common type of casket just as the Industrial Revolution swept the Western World, and steel became the material of choice for thousands of consumer items. People flocked to metal caskets as soon as they became available because consumers wanted a longer-lasting, sturdier casket than the traditional light-weight wood could provide. By the time of World War I, most manufacturers had turned to making metal caskets exclusively.
Despite their popularity, metal caskets left the market for a few years during World War II, as steel was rationed world wide for military uses. But, as soon as metal became widely available for consumer uses again after the war, metal caskets quickly regained their popularity. By 1948, metal caskets, again, were just about the only choice available.
In recent years, metal caskets have started facing more competition from their hardwood casket cousins. Environmental concerns have prompted many consumers to choose the more easily degradable wood material instead. But, nevertheless, metal caskets continue to be the most popular type. The sturdier, longer-lasting material is a comfort for many loved-ones.
Metal caskets are made from a variety of metals. The most popular include bronze, copper and stainless steel. They can be made in a variety of thickness and weight. Bronze and copper metal caskets are often made from 32-ounce metal, and steel metal caskets can come in 16, 18, or 20 gauge metal.
Metal caskets are solidly welded to protect a body from all elements for many years. They are, typically, also very carefully crafted and painted using a sanding process that is very similar to that of painting cars. Metal caskets are also typically adorned with luxurious velvet lining designed to give the body a comfortable, long-lasting rest.
Since most metal caskets are designed to survive the elements for as long as possible, they typically come with a special locking system that makes the metal caskets difficult to open once it has been closed. Most of metal caskets have a special compartment on the side in which written records about the deceased person can be stored for possible later reference.
Metal caskets continue to be the most popular type of casket available. Their renowned durability proves, year after year, to be a great comfort to love-ones. It is important to note, however, that, metal caskets cannot be expected to protect a body from the elements entirely – or forever. That said metal caskets are certainly much more durable than even the sturdiest of their hard wood competitors. But, in recognition of the Bible’s “dust to dust” tradition, many people today choose wood caskets over metal caskets. The important thing to consider in this discussion is that, today, — unlike in previous generations – consumers have a good choice of two equally viable casket materials. And metal caskets are still quite popular.
Filed under At home Services, burials, Caskets, funeral broker, home funeral, Hospice, metal caskets, Uncategorized, Veterans
Lets Plant a Tree……..
I have been asked a lot lately about urns. Not just urns but the urns and containers for cremains.
Alot of cremation families want to know what is available for cremains that still shows their commitment to the environment. I came across this unique urn with a dual purpose.
At first when you look at it, it looks like a gigantic drink cup from Cumberland Farms. The urn is made of biodegradable materials and can more than accommodate all of the cremains in a typical cremation.
The urn will hold the cremains for burial while also nourishing the tree seed which is already in the urn.
This changes everything. What a great idea. A permanent tribute to your loved one anywhere you want. Wouldn’t it be nice to plant the tree in the backyard. The tree can be enjoyed for generations. When mom is doing the dishes she can look out and see the tree and remember her husband. The rest of the family will climb on it and maybe put up a swing or tree house. For a family that might be more transient the tree might be planted in a public place. A favorite church or school that was attended. Organizations might start to offer spaces where these trees can be planted. Of course before any planting can be done a ok by the owner of the property should be consulted.
Scattering urns are also a new popular item. In the coming weeks I will blog about some of the other options that folks have.
Filed under Cremations, Green Burials, home funeral, low cost cremations, Memorial services
Who owns your neighborhood funeral home…….
Let’s clear the air. I have been writing this blog for more than a year, often talking about how the funeral industry is falling apart and people are finding value in other services. I want it to be a clear that when I say “funeral industry” I mean the corporate conglomerates that took over the funeral world back in the 60s and 70s.
There is a huge difference between the local and corporate operations. My experience in the “industry” started after a few years in a family business. While I was doing my schooling, I worked part-time at a family business in Lowell, MA. In the family business, I saw a funeral director who cared about serving his neighbor and friends. He went to church with them; he served in rotary and was on the local school board. When I took my first job with a corporate funeral home, things were quite different.
I worked about 60-80 hours a week. I saw 3-4 families a day and embalmed at least that many later the same day. I never came to know any of those families. I was working for Lowen; the company had come to the Cape in the late 80s. They bought a group of 11 funeral homes, which was more than half of all the funeral business on Cape Cod at the time. Everything was about the money. On the days I didn’t make arrangements with families, I was conducting services for families someone else had met days before.
When I came to Vermont things were much different. I joined the company Keystone; work was enjoyable again. Money was a factor but was not the be-all and end-all. We needed to get paid but we would not turn anyone away. As time went on Keystone, whose owners has previously worked for SCI, started to change. They were now being traded on the Toronto stock exchange. Keystone now had stock holders. Money and spending were of ought most importance. Rumors within the company said that Keystone was getting ready to sell to SCI. This had happened while I worked at Lowen. We were squeezed at the end, trying to make the company as attractive as possible to SCI. Lowen and Keystone had been quietly consumed by SCI.
Business is business. SCI is governed by stockholders. Stockholders only care about the bottom line. SCI continues to show record profits and grow by buying small clusters of family owned businesses.
There are many local funeral homes who still believe in doing the right thing. Here in Vermont and across the country there are family-owned businesses who are not interested in huge profits. They are interested in serving their neighbors and friends. We all need to get paid for what we do, but the continued price gouging by corporate entities makes all funeral businesses look like thieves.
Shop local. Know your options. Know who you are doing business with and be an educated consumer. Corporate funeral companies want you to know nothing when you walk in their door. That is why I started Williams River services.
Call me if you have any questions. 802-353-0021.
Filed under At home Services, Cremations, funeral broker, Green Burials, home funeral, Hospice, low cost cremations, Veterans
Time to take the stroll…….
Yes, I’m shameless… every chance I get, I want to remind you to shop local. Know who you are doing business with. Buy Valentine’s gifts for your loved one or care for them in their last days and in death with the help of your local community businesses.Filed under At home Services, home funeral, Hospice, Uncategorized, Veterans
It has to be me……
I found this article in The Huffington Post. The article points out again and again that funeral homes might not be the best place to get what you need as far as end of life services go.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/home-funerals-death-mortician_n_2534934.html
The article tells of a family with 2 very sick children and there experience with home funerals. Caroline was the first to pass.
“We had taken care of Caroline her whole life,” recalls Alison, whose other daughter, Kate, has the same disease and will also have a home funeral. “Why would we give her to someone else once she died?”
Mom makes a valid point. 200 hundred years ago this was not a choice but necessity. The family was well prepared when the death occurred. Its evident they did their homework and researched all of their options.
The rest of the article talks about how some states have made it hard or impossible to take any of the end of life services away from the funeral professional. Closest case in point is our neighbor New York. New York is one of the few states that requires a funeral director to be present or to sign off on nearly every part of after-death care. Medical examiners and coroners have to turn over bodies to funeral directors, and the law says an undertaker has to personally oversee each funeral. Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska and New Jersey also have similar rules. New Hampshire has a law that says no one but a New Hampshire licensed funeral director can sign a death certificate. Is it just me or is that just crazy?
“Until the Civil War, death was largely a home matter and home funerals were the norm. It was common at the time for unembalmed bodies to be put in simple caskets and buried in cemeteries that weren’t treated with pesticides. (It’s a growing trend today, known as “green burial.”) Historians say that our culture’s approach to death in the pre-Civil War years had much to be praised.”
We should have the ability to care for our dead, if possible. Laws shouldn’t be written in favor of the funeral industry. I realize I’m a funeral director and this seems ironic… but I think people need to know their options. Ultimately, the final good-byes will be more meaningful and you won’t have the chance to do it twice.
Jaweed.Kaleem@huffingtonpost.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/home-funerals-death-mortician_n_2534934.html
#socialmediaperspective
Social media is huge in all aspects and types of business today. The article below was posted on Connecting Directors. Ryan Thogmartin is founder and CEO of Connecting Directors and Disrupt Media Groups. Mr. Thogmartin has his hand on the pulse of the industry.
Thogmartin says “ Please watch the video below (it’s less than 1 minute long) and replace the words “business” and “people” with “funeral homes” and “funeral directors”. This is no joke, its the truth, the real deal, the way it is, the end of the road” …etc. Mr. Thogmartin nails it here.
Gary Vaynerchuk is the expert in the video. The show is called Morning Joe on MSNBC.
At the end of the article there is a test for your Facebook page to see how you stack up against others in the industry. I took the test and realized that all of my social media outlets should be cleaned up and better organized. I will do this because this is the direction of the funeral industry, not just any business.
I am glad that there are hard workers like Thogmartin out there telling it like it is. The industry has to change or it will be replaced.
Filed under At home Services, Green Burials, home funeral, Hospice, low cost cremations, Uncategorized, Veterans
