NCBVA Newsletter

Sept 18, 2019 - In this newsletter: Highlights from St. Louis Annual Meeting, upcoming legal article on social media, new NCBVA Facebook page, bylaws, and more...

The annual meeting was held on Saturday, August 10, in St. Louis, MO. The meeting was conducted at the Drury Inn & Suites and was attended by more than 60 burial vault manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, and guests stretching from Phoenix to Boston – a 100% increase in attendance year-over-year.

The general session included a legal liability presentation as well as a bylaws discussion, and then hands-on demonstrations were held at Bruns Doric Vault. Bruns Doric Vault personnel gave a plant tour of the facility and pouring operations, and demonstrated best practices for vault lowering devices – everything from record keeping to safety and proper care checklists.

Several vendors led additional sessions:

• Garcia Casket Lowering Devices - Casket lowering device daily checklist and how to maintain a safe device
• T & J Manufacturing Corp. - Burial vault lowering device inner workings and maintenance
• Axis Corporation - The dos and don’ts including OSHA regulations for vault carts
• American Cemetery Supply, Cemetery Funeral Supply, & Holland Supply - a show & tell on tent safety, liability, & maintenance
  
  

The event concluded with a group outing to the St. Louis Cardinals MLB baseball game.

Read the Press Release.

• Maintain and grow memberships - DONE

• Develop sponsorship programs - in progress
• Conduct 3 educational programs - in progress - 2 complete

• Conduct annual meeting + 2 board meetings - in progress - 2 of 3 complete

• Manage expenses; reduce accounting hours year over year - in progress - net income at $23K YTD; down 31 hours for same time period

• Evaluate FAMIC relationship / options - DONE
• Roll out new certification schedule / process - DONE

Thank you Mark Bates for serving as the NCBVA Board President over the last 2 years. Steve Handley, the new NCBVA Board President, presented Mark with a personal bobblehead. What a fun way to document his tenure and to thank Mark for staying on an additional year as a non-voting board member!

The vote for the changes to the Bylaws was held on Thursday, 8/29, via a conference call open to all members. All changes were approved.

You can view the final bylaws on the NCBVA website.

A mid-year single-site membership is valid for the remainder of 2019 and available for $225 (instead of $450). Mid-year memberships are available for a limited time and not applicable to any other year. With the membership, you receive a copy of the NCBVA legal document on disinterment/reinterment that you can use with your funeral homes and cemeteries.

Doric licensees - remember that you need to submit a copy of your dues payment to Doric for reimbursement of 50%. Also, you must be an active NCBVA member before a certification visit will be scheduled at your plant.

There is a new NCBVA page to get the latest information shared with all members. Connect with us for updates on legal articles, Q&A sessions, and industry news.

LIKE US!

The next legal topic will be: Social Media Protection/Risks. Be on the lookout for a full article and a Q&A call where you can ask your questions to Poul Lesmasters, NCBVA Legal Counsel.

"You know the old story. An employee posts some bad comments about his boss. Boss fires employee. Employee sues for wrongful termination. Employee wins.

Yup - you read that right. You, the employer may not be able to fire someone just because they say some negative stuff about you on social media. So what can you do when it comes social media? Do you have a policy? Are you allowed to have a policy? And forget about employees - what about consumers talking about you on social media outlets - what can you do there? Make sure you know the ins and outs of social media and how it effects your business."

Full article coming soon and a follow up live Q&A call with Poul on 11/13 at 2pm ET (you can pre-register now).

If you are interested in promoting your products or services to the NCBVA membership, below are some new options.

• Sponsor our next newsletter – $500
  
• Sponsor our next legal newsletter – $500
• Sponsor our next legal postcard – $700

• Sponsor our next newsletter/postcard combo - $1000 - save $200
  
  

Need more information or ready to lock a sponsorship? Contact us now.

The NCBVA is looking for individuals to serve on the Board of Directors. Members will serve on a sub-committee and participate in conference calls and occasional meetings. Applicants must be a current NCBVA member. Interested in applying? Submit your information now.

2020 open spots: 3-year term (1)

2021 open spots: 3-year term (2) + 1-year term (1)

Did you see?

The NCBVA annual meeting press release is featurered on The Funeral Business Advisor Magazine. View here.

We'd like to extend a warm welcome and a thank you to our latest members (July 1 - September 17) listed below:

• Baxter Vault Company (KS)
• Brutsche Concrete Products
• Cooper Wilbert Vault
• DePue Wilbert
• Doody Burial Vaults
• Doric-South
• Edgmont Metallic Pigment
• Forsht Products
• Garcia’s Lowering Device Service
• Grand Rapids Wilbert
• Merz Vault Co
• QPS of South Bend
• Rocky Hill Vault
• Southside Grave & Vault
• T&J Manufacturing Corp
• Tomlin Funeral Supply
• West Michigan Burial Vaults
• Wilson Burial Vaults

See the full directory to view all current members (payments received through September 17, 2019).

You can now print this newsletter (PDF) and share with others in your plant. PRINT NOW.

Website: http://www.ncbva.org/resources/Documents/NCBVA-newsletter-sept172019.pdf

Feel free to forward this newsletter to a colleague. They can join NCBVA or sign up for upcoming communication on the NCBVA website.

Email: info@ncbva.org
Website: http://www.ncbva.org
Location: PO BOX 8314 | GREENVILLE SC, 29604
Phone: 888-886-2282

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