Happy summer. I hope everyone is enjoying the weather and the great outdoors. I cannot believe we are halfway through summer.
I had the great opportunity to join MFDA President Tyson Moore and MFDA Association Assistant Terri James in Phoenix for the NFDA Leadership Conference this past June.
The NFDA Leadership Conference is a time for the country’s various state association’s leadership of Funeral Service to gather and share ideas and thoughts about the current state of Funeral Service in our various states. We were presented with some speakers and opportunities to network with leadership from around the country and discuss various issues we are currently facing.
Our keynote speaker was Cassi Chandler, a former FBI Special Agent Assistant Director and current CEO of her company. She gave us a presentation on the challenges of organizations and ways to inspire and influence teams, individuals and organizations to better themselves and their companies to meet the needs of our communities and families we serve.
We had Bob Harris present strategies and ideas for associations to provide a higher level of service to each of our associations and its members. We also had an update on our various mortuary schools and programs and the pass rate for the National Boards, currently rising from falling the past few years.
A treat was Funeral Director Tim Purves from Scotland, who handled the first part of the Queen’s services and rode in the hearse to transport her to final services. It was very fascinating and informative. Tim will also be in Las Vegas for the convention.
We had breakout sessions with each office to discuss current issues. My past president breakout focused on retaining and finding employees to work. It seems that this is a nationwide problem. Finding qualified, caring and educated individuals to work in our industry seems to be a major issue nationwide.
An update on the FTC and the Body Broker Bill, currently working its way through both sides of Congress, was presented. The FTC will be making changes, but we do not know what and when yet.
On our final night, we had the great opportunity to visit the Heard Museum of American Indian Art with a nice dinner and traditional American Indian dancing, which was very impressive. The artwork was amazing and very worth the visit.
The NFDA had an excellent venue and conference site that provided some insight and ideas for our industry. It was an honor to represent Montana and to network with some excellent individuals. I would recommend that leaders in our industry attend at least one conference, if possible. They hold valuable information and insight.
I am honored to represent MFDA with the NFDA; thank you all for the opportunity. I wish everyone a wonderful, safe summer and keep up the excellent work you and your staff provide for our communities in the great state of Montana. God Bless.
Chris Holt
