A big hello from Missoula, home of the 2024 Annual Convention and Trade Show of the Montana Funeral Directors Association. We have a terrific event scheduled with a great combination of learning and fun. Bring your family and join us for some axe throwing, river rafting and skill building. The annual convention is a good way to build relationships and share ideas with each other as we work together to better serve our communities.

I look forward to meeting with you all in the next couple of weeks at the spring district meetings. I hope to be able to visit with many of you in your establishments.

The past couple of months have been busy. The NFDA Advocacy Summit was a unique opportunity to support funeral service and our communities through the championing of commonsense legislation. The Montana delegation in Washington, D.C., I believe, not only heard us but will support us. The annual ICCFA conference was also held, and it was good to visit with some of you in Tampa as you were seeking to better yourselves through education. If you have not ever attended a national conference held by NFDA, CANA or ICCFA, I would encourage it. It can give a new perspective on what is changing in funeral service.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve you all this year in this capacity. I hope I have had some small impact for good on our association. I reiterate that what we do as a profession has value and meaning. Let us all continue to work together to bring about positive change in how we provide meaningful service to our communities and also bring change to how we are looked at from the perspective of the public. The horrific experiences seen in Colorado give yet another reason to work together as an association to promote the best funeral service Montana has to offer. We must continue the journey of pursuing excellence and holding each other to a higher standard.

Please join us in Missoula in June to build relationships, expand our learning and thank all those who support funeral service in Montana.