October, November & December 2019
Q4 eNewsletter
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As summer comes to a close and we approach the holiday season, we enter the fourth quarter with a busy schedule and collective focus to end 2019 on a strong note.
Our busy schedule starts with one of the deathcare industry’s largest annual events: NFDA’s 2019 International Convention and Expo. The FSI team looks forward to this convention every year, as it’s often an opportunity to connect with many of you in person and hear from fellow experts on what’s shaping our industry across the country. If you are attending the convention this year in Chicago, we’d love to see you and hear how you are doing!
Another prominent event FSI is attending later in the fourth quarter is Kates-Boylston’s Funeral Service Business Plan Conference in San Antonio, Texas. I am honored to share the stage with our general counsel, Wendy Wiener, Esq. of Nelson Mullins, as we debate the advantages and disadvantages of preneed funding options, trust vs. insurance. We hope you can join us!
As you may know, 2019 has been a year with many changes, opportunities and even threats to the deathcare industry. In this issue of our quarterly e-newsletter, we aim to share some of the most notable and timely topics with you so you understand matters and issues that could impact your funeral home or cemetery. These topics include new benefits for FCCFA members, a regulatory update from Wendy on new updates for shipping cremated remains, and in-office data security measures you should consider to help minimize the likelihood of a breach.
As another year quickly approaches a close, we thank you for your continuous trust in FSI and wish you a safe and memorable holiday season. We look forward to speaking with you very soon.
Sincerely,
Bill Williams
President and CEO, Funeral Services, Inc.
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New Benefit for FCCFA Members!
Workers’ Compensation Insurance with Travelers
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In case you missed it, FCCFA recently announced a new workers’ compensation benefit for its members through a partnership with Travelers Insurance. The program provides FCCFA members with an estimated 20% discount on their workers’ compensation premium regardless of losses during the policy period.
Click here to learn more about this new benefit.
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Regulatory Update
Wendy Russell Wiener,
General Counsel, FSI &
Partner at
Nelson Mullins Broad and Cassel, LLP
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As FSI continues to ensure its clients remain in compliance with all deathcare laws and regulations, we also want to educate you on changes or little-known details within the industry that impact your business.
Our dear friend and general counsel, Wendy Russell Wiener, Esq., who serves as a partner at Nelson Mullins, LLP, provides an insightful update on the regulations in the deathcare industry in each of our quarterly e-newsletters.
Shipping Cremated Remains – What’s New?
The United States Postal Service recently announced new protocols to enhance customers’ experience with the shipment of cremated remains. Read more on the new protocols and how they might affect your business and your clients in this quarter’s regulatory update. Read more...
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Best Practices for Reducing the Risk of a Data Breach
The recent data breaches that plagued Equifax and Capital One prove you can never be overprepared and overprotective of your data. Specific to the deathcare industry, several funeral homes and cemeteries are vulnerable to these types of breaches, especially if they are behind in leveraging the latest technology, trends and safeguards being implemented in other industries.
FSI has made security a core focus in its day-to-day operations of managing your records. While our team puts extensive measures in place to protect your data, you can also take steps to minimize the likelihood of a breach. FSI President and CEO Bill Williams shares data security practices you can implement at your funeral home or cemetery in his latest blog. Read More....
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Mark your calendars, FSI is heading to Chicago later this month for NFDA’s 2019 International Convention and Expo October 27-30. We look forward to meeting new professionals from across the world, seeing familiar faces and hearing from experts on the most pressing issues that affect our profession.
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American Funeral Director Spotlights
FSI’s Paul White
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American Funeral Director (AFD) recently spotlighted Paul White, FSI’s Vice President of Client Development and Marketing. Read the article to learn about Paul’s humble beginnings, his journey over the years in the deathcare profession, and his transition from a funeral director to helping funeral homes enhance their preneed programs with FSI.
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We are pleased to share that FSI is officially now on Facebook! We invite you to ‘like’ the page and share with your family, friends, and colleagues as we continue to post the latest company and industry news.
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FSI is made up of a dedicated team of experienced professionals who work each day to provide you with excellent service. Each individual brings an important skillset that assists us in powering your trust. To help you get to know the FSI team better, we shine a spotlight on one employee each quarter.
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Suresh Venkatesan
Senior Software Developer
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Suresh Venkatesan is one of FSI’s talented software developers. Suresh started his FSI career in 2009 as a programmer analyst and has worked his way up to senior software developer.
Suresh works with a team of software developers to design, test and maintain software applications and databases for FSI clients. Suresh is always up for a challenge and he believes working at FSI presents him with opportunities to work harder and create unique solutions for clients. A notable challenge in his career with FSI was the transition from the old legacy system to PRISM, a more user-friendly system for clients.
During the ten years he’s been with FSI, Suresh has seen the company grow tremendously and is fortunate to work with a friendly and hard-working team. Suresh enjoys working with a company that treats its team as a family and strives to do better every day.
Suresh is a proud graduate of Oklahoma State University and holds a master’s degree in computer science. In his free time, Suresh loves to work out and spend time with his wife and daughter.
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Important FSI Dates to Remember:
September 29 - October 04, 2019
The Catholic Cemetery Conference Convention
Chicago, Illinois - Booth #226
October 14, 2019
Columbus Day
FSI offices will be open
October 27 - 30, 2019
NFDA International Convention & Expo
Chicago, Illinois - Booth #523
November 11, 2019
Veteran's Day
FSI offices will be closed in observance of Veteran’s Day.
November 28 - 29, 2019
Thanksgiving
FSI offices will be closed in observance of Thanksgiving.
San Antonio, TX
December 24 - 25, 2019
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
FSI offices will be closed in observance of Christmas.
January 1, 2020
New Year’s Day
FSI offices will be closed in observance of New Year’s Day
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Copyright © *|2017|*|Funeral Services, Inc.|*| All rights reserved.
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Our mailing address is:
Funeral Services, Inc.
Post Office Box 13407
Tallahassee, FL 32317
(800) 749-1340
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