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Pastor David Mathews [Google Review]
Family Owned vs. Corporate Owned
The words “family owned” are important. Here’s why it matters to you and to our community.
Doing business with a locally owned business directly supports local families and other businesses in your community. We use local vendors and support numerous non-profit organizations right here in in Vienna.
Other funeral homes have been operating in our community for years without many families even realizing they are owned by far away, publicly-traded corporations even though their names have not changed.
Demaine Funeral Homes, Murphy Funeral Home, Everly Funeral Homes, and Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home have been sold to national and international conglomerates.
These funeral service conglomerates keep the original family name on their businesses because they know that at your greatest time of need you are more likely to turn to a local business you feel you can trust, than to a national chain you know nothing about.
Ultimately, publicly traded companies are accountable to Wall Street and their investors. We hold ourselves accountable to you. That is the family owned difference.
The following is a list of such conglomerates and the funeral homes they are operating in the greater Vienna area:
SCI Group – Service Corporation International (stock symbol: SCI) Houston, Texas. The world’s largest funeral cemetery conglomerate owning more than 1,800 funeral homes and cemeteries in 43 states, eight Canadian Provinces, and Puerto Rico. SCI owns 100% of the following locations operating in our area:
- Demaine Funeral Homes
- Murphy Funeral Homes
- National Funeral Home & Memorial Park
- Cremation Society of Virginia
CLICK HERE to Read About the SCI Business Model
Carriage Services (stock symbol: CSV)
Houston, Texas. Carriage Services operates 170 funeral homes in 28 states and 32 cemeteries in 10 states. Carriage owns 100% of the following locations operating in our area:
- Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home
- Fairfax Memorial Park
- Everly Funeral Home & Cremation Service
- Everly-Wheatly Funerals and Cremation
CLICK HERE to read about Carriage Services, Inc.
Foundation Partners (Owned by Private Equity Group Sterling Partners)
This chain of funeral homes began when the SCI chain purchased another funeral home chain, Keystone North America. To comply with antitrust concerns, the Federal Trade Commission mandated the divestiture of 23 locations. Former Keystone North America executives Steve Schaffer and Jim Price founded the funeral home consolidator, which is backed by Sterling Partners, a private equity firm and bought those locations
- Advent Funeral & Cremation Services
CLICK HERE to read about Foundation Partners
Corporately owned funeral homes pose as a “Mom and Pop” operation, attempting to reap the goodwill developed over prior generations. They are generally more concerned with sales goals, bonuses, volume targets, and keeping stockholders happy. Don’t expect the conglomerate owned business to advertise their affiliation or ownership out in the open.
