Welcome to the post-2022 Annual Convention edition of The Director’s Digest. As detailed in more depth herein, I am pleased to write that the MFDA annual state convention and tradeshow were held in Helena as an in-person for the first time in three years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Association was forced to cancel the 2020 and 2021 conventions. But, with the lifting of the various government mandates and the drop in COVID-19 numbers, the MFDA restarted this popular and informative member benefit. And what a convention it was!

This year’s MFDA Convention provided our attendees with a great lineup of presenters and programs. Distinguished convention speakers included Leili McMurrough, who covered the areas of FTC rules, Hiring and Retention of Today’s Employees, and the State of Funeral Service Education. In addition, at the request of our membership, Helena attorney Rose James covered the growing importance of estate planning. And Linda Cohen spoke on how kindness can transform the bottom line of a business. Finally, Todd Reinholt proved to be a very popular presenter with the convention attendees, speaking about the importance of funeral celebrants and what the appearance of your funeral home communicates to families and guests.

And, of course, the annual convention always marks the change over of MFDA’s officers and board members. TJ Stevenson was elected to serve as MFDA’s President for the coming year. TJ takes over from Chris Holt, who may have had the most challenging presidency in the history of the MFDA, given all the business and financial-related changes
arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. (You did a great job, Chris!) Chris will continue on the Board as the Association’s Immediate Past President.

You will find within the pages of this magazine a listing of the “new” slate of MFDA officers and District Governors. And to this end, I want to take a few words here to thank all of those who have faithfully served the Association over the last year as a member of the Board of Directors; and to thank those who have stepped up to serve the 2022-2023 time period. Your efforts in making the Association better are recognized and appreciated.

Even though the 2022 MFDA Convention is now behind us, we will soon have another opportunity to get together. The MFDA Fall District Meetings have now been set for the following days and locations:

• November 1 in Billings
•  November 2 in Miles City
• November 3 in Butte
• November 9 in Great Falls
• November 10 in Missoula

MFDA’s district meetings offer attendees the chance to obtain CE credit and provide input directly to the Association on your legislative, policy, and business priorities. With the 2023 Montana legislative session only being a few short months away from convening, the Fall District meetings are always a great opportunity for the Association to discuss and formulate “our” legislative agenda.

MFDA will also be traveling to Baltimore in October to attend the NFDA International Convention and Expo. The scheduled dates for NFDA’s Annual Convention & Expo are October 9-12. And, of course, the Association will be hosting its annual Montana dinner and reception at the national convention. So, if you plan to be in Baltimore for NFDA’s event, please join your Montana colleagues for fine dining, fine spirits, and fine conservation. The NFDA National Convention is
always a fun and interesting experience, and MFDA encourages its members to attend this event.

All this being said, as you can see, this is a busy time for the Association. But a rolling stone gathers no moss — and we at the Association are ever moving forward and advancing your and the Montana funeral industry’s best interests in numerous ways. Terri and I look forward to seeing you in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, have a healthy, happy, and productive summer.