Waybright Funeral Home
ronwaybright@hotmail.com
We were not in the market to sell, although we had been approached by many companies and individuals to acquire our firm. I have been licensed for 40 years and in 2015 my son, Kasey, joined us and has been managing the firm for the past several years.
We are in a small town and had acquired both funeral homes 30 years ago. We purchased a large building and consolidated both funeral homes into one (25,000 square feet) facility for more convenience for the families along with our staff. We grew to almost double our call volume, which was the goal, but that brought other challenges such as additional administration duties and staffing problems. The business was running us.
Most companies we talked to didn’t feel like a good fit to carry on what we worked so hard to build, but, from the start, Landmark felt like a good fit, and we have not been disappointed.
Our initial meeting was with Seb D’Appolonia. After he explained the vision of Landmark, Kasey and I felt very comfortable and started talking more about our succession planning. My wife, Connie, has been around the funeral industry since birth as her grandparents opened one of the funeral homes in town that we acquired. So, as you can tell, the emotional side to this decision weighed heavy.
After meeting with Seb several times, mutual trust and respect (not to mention friendship) was established right away. We told him about our challenges and business plans for the future, and he listened to all our plans, hopes, and fears, of advancing our firm. With no pressure, Seb presented a plan that made partnering with Landmark a great fit. They tailored a plan that worked great for my family, our staff and our business.
Now, we are able to offer more options to the families we serve, and they don’t see any difference in the way the funeral home is operated from the past as Landmark did not come in and make changes for the sake of making changes. They have taken a significate amount of administration duties off our plate, and we are able to concentrate on serving each family better and more personal. This has also given us more free time to spend with family and friends.
Our great staff is like family, and it telling them about our transition was difficult. However, they now know that they will be taken care of in ways we weren’t able to offer or afford. Also, the way our staff is taken care of means we will continue to build relationships in our community and show consistency in caring for our families. Employees are what make the business go. I’m excited for them to grow with a firm that believes in innovation in a changing industry.
The partnership with Landmark assures us that our family name and funeral home will continue to be the leader in funeral service in our area, which is very important to us and our legacy.
