aurora report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE AURORA REPORT | SPRING 2011 PAGE 1

Letter From Bill Backman ............................................................

Rep Service Center Awards ....................................................... Page 3

Manufacturing SpotlightBuilding Quality into Every Casket ............................................. Page 4

Logistics News ............................................................................. Page 5

New PartnershpsWestern State Funerla Supply. ................................................... Page 6

Thriving in 2010New Aurora Accounts. ............................................................... Page 7

New Account SpotlightSand Mountain Family Funeral Homes, LLC. ............................ Page 8

Lifetimes/Professional Develpment ........................................... Page 9

Family Advisors ......................................................................... Page 10

The Washington Poplar ............................................................. Page 11

Social Media .............................................................................. Page 12

Aurora in the News ................................................................... Page 13

NFDA ........................................................................................... Page 14

ACCO Scolarship Program....................................................... Page 15

LETTER FROMBiLL BackManREADY. AIM. FIRE.

As we begin 2011, I would like to thank each and every

Aurora employee for your hard work and dedication this

year. I truly believe we have the best people out there,

and despite a shaky economy, we’ve pulled through with

another successful year.

We’ve had several ups and downs that brought us to this

point. Keystone Group, a significant Aurora customer, was

acquired by Service Corp. International at the beginning of

2010. This was a blow that we struggled to make up for, and

we still have some ground to cover to reach our sales and

revenue goals.

However, we saw positive growth in our primary market

segment— family-owned funeral homes—that has allowed

us to achieve a positive position moving into 2011. We have

made significant strides in our manufacturing, logistics, and

quality control processes. We have seen great success with

the introduction of our Aurora Designer Hardwoods. The

acquisition of Alliance-St. Laurent allows us to compete

in a growing market segment. Our sales team is gaining

momentum with several new key account wins. And most

noteworthy, we will take the profession by storm this year with

the introduction of our new Family Advisor technology.

Our KEy TO SuCCESS IN 2011 rESTS IN THE COLLECTIvE

EFFOrTS OF EvEry INDIvIDuAL ON TEAM AurOrA TO

PuLL TOGETHEr AND ExECuTE WITH ExCELLENCE

EACH DAy.

We’re ready with the best team in funeral service.

We’ve taken aim at the opportunity in front of us.

Let’s fire off to begin 2011 like never before.

Bill BackmanBAx


PROIN vELIT LIBERO, CONSECTETUR vEL CONvALLIS CONDIMENTUM vENENATIS

DUIS qUIS MOLLIS NISL NULLA LOREM UT ARCU EGESTAS CONGUE SIT AMET ARCU PROIN

SAGITTIS vARIUS

CongratulationsREP SERvICE CENTER AwARDS

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2010 SALES INCENTIvE wINNERS!We know these achievements do not come easily, and we all compliment you on your hard work. you

are setting a high standard for others to follow and achieve and look forward to seeing many more

wins from everyone in 2011.

SALES REP OF THE YEAR: GARY wEBERComing from behind quota and pulling out all the stops in December

With 608 units of growth

Mike Nash

Dennis Beasley

Max Miller

Mike Blair

David Bentley

roger Grizzel

Clayton Beasley

Mike Jaudon

Jason Kumm

Stacey Cassidy

Adam Quantz

ALSO, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MIDSOUTH REGION, THE ONLY REGION TO ACHIEvE 2010 qUOTA!

• wEST: DOUG BOwELL – 258 units of growth

• EAST: SCOTT BAIRD – 269 units of growth

• MIDSOUTH: CLAYTON BEASLEY – 340 units of growth

• CENTRAL: ROBERT ACEvEz – 420 units of growth

• MIDwEST: JOHN MEYER – 380 units of growth

• SOUTHEAST: JENAE REGISTER (Second year in a row) – with 312 units of growth

SALES REP OF THE YEAR: GARY wEBER

NATIONAL GROwTH LEADER OF THE YEAR: STEPHEN NAzARETH

REGIONS FEARLESS LEADER: BILL HUDSON

ROOkIE OF THE YEAR: STEPHEN NAzARETH

REGIONAL GROwTH LEADERS:


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MANUFACTURINGSPOTLIGHT:LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SET

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LOGISTICSLOGISTICS NEwS

Aurora would like to congratulate the Shipping department (Doug Barrett, ray Bryant, rick Clark, randy Deamron, Mike

Dennis, Brad Disbro, Chris Doherty, Sonny Henry, Lewis Hill, Mack Johnson, Joe Meyer, Greg roland, Tim Snider, Lucian Turner,

Mugga Waller, and Keith Wuellner) for their outstanding improvements with respect to quality. Through the use of Standard

Operating Procedures (SOP’s), Quality Alerts, and other problem solving tools; the team has reduced the percentage of

quality defects charged to shipping by more than 30% compared to the same time period last year. This has contributed to

a more than 40% reduction of MrA’s charged to shipping. Congratulations and keep up the good work.


wESTERN STATES FUNERAL SUPPLYTo create new opportunities for our funeral home clients,

Aurora has joined forces with Western States Funeral Supply.

This Newton, Kansas-based company will distribute Aurora

caskets and technology solutions. The partnership will give

Aurora two distribution points in Colorado, and is expected

to double Aurora’s presence throughout the state.

“Our strategy has always been focused on creating

opportunity for our funeral home clients,” said Jim Wiens,

president of Western States Funeral Supply. “Aurora carries

that same attitude and commitment. We’ve been family

owned since 1954 and are delighted to partner with

another family-owned supplier and offer Aurora caskets to

our customers.” Western States Funeral Supply is a division

of Doric Concrete vaults, Inc. and employs over 60 people

in seven locations. In addition to Aurora products, Western

States Funeral Supply offers burial vaults, monuments and

other memorialization products.

ALLIANCE-ST. LAURENT CASkET COMPANYLast year, Aurora completed the acquisition of Alliance-

St. Laurent Caskets, a company based in New Brunswick,

Canada. Alliance-St. Laurent will operate as a wholly owned

subsidiary of Aurora. Aurora began distributing Alliance-St.

Laurent products in 1996 after acquiring a 50 percent share

of the business.

Paul Michaud will continue to serve as President of Alliance-

St. Laurent. “Our partnership with Aurora has been mutually

beneficial for both of our companies, our employees, and

the clients we serve,” Michaud said. “As a wholly owned

subsidiary, we will continue to focus on quality, innovation

and business growth.” Alliance-St. Laurent, founded in

1978, is a leading provider of hardwood and cloth caskets

and cremation and transport containers to funeral service

providers throughout North America. The company operates

manufacturing facilities in Quebec and New Brunswick.

“We are thrilled to bring another trusted family business into

the Aurora family,” said Bill Backman, president of Aurora

Casket Company. “The products produced by Alliance-

St. Laurent, and the relationships they have established

throughout the funeral service profession will be key to

our company’s growth. There is intense competition for

this market segment, and our partnership with Paul and

the team at Alliance-St. Laurent provides Aurora a strong

position to compete and offer more to our clients.”

LOGISTICS

OUR STRATEGY HASALwAYS BEEN FOCUSEDON CREATING OPPORUNITY FOR OUR FUNERAL HOME CLIENTS.” Jim Wiens, president of Western States Funeral Supply

NEwPARTNERSHIPS


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NEw AURORA ACCOUNTSTHRiVinG in 2010

CLIENT CITY/STATE REP SERvICE CENTER

Sand Mountain Family Funeral Homes, LLC Decherd, TN Mike Jaudon 07 Leeds

Ambruster-Donnelly Funeral Home St. Louis, MO Pete Arehart 03 union

Wujek-Calcaterra Funeral Home Sterling Heights, MI Ben Hamilton 43 Plymouth

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory Lynchburg, vA David Bowman 02 Christiansburg

Ponders Funeral Home Dalton, GA Jenae register 11 Suwanee

right Way Funeral & Cremation Service San Leandro, CA Ed Cox 88 Sacramento

Heald & Chiampa Funeral Directors, LLC Shrewsbury, MA Darren Lewandowski 74 New England

Turner & Son Funeral Home Hillsboro, OH KC Krumeich 98 Tri-State

Miller Sekely Funeral Services, Inc. Elizabethtown, PA Scott Baird 38 Carlisle

victor valley Mortuary victorville, CA Doug Bowell 68 Los Angeles

Starks Family Funeral Homes St. Joseph, MI robert Acevez 15 Kalamazoo

Modell Funeral Home Darien, IL Allison Nelson 82 Chicago

Merle Hay Funeral Home Des Moines, IA John Dukes 36 Des Moines

Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home Grove, OK Scott Houston 77 Tulsa

Brown-Dawson-Flick Funeral Home Hamilton, OH Fred Fowler 98 Tri-State

Carman Funeral Home russell, Ky Stacey Cassidy 98 Tri-State

Whitehurst Funeral Chapels, Inc. Los Banos, CA Malcolm robertson 88 Sacramento

ridley Memorial Inc. roxbury, MA Brett Nazareth 75 Providence

Melton Funeral Home Sylva, NC Taylor Sword 53 Asheville

Craig-Flagler-Palms Funeral Home Flagler Beach, FL Steve risch 10 St. Petersburg

THE FOLLOwING LIST PROvIDES A SAMPLE OF NEw ACCOUNTS THAT wE ARE NOw PRIvILEGED TO SERvE:


NEw ACCOUNT SPOTLIGHT:SAND MOUNTAIN FAMILY FUNERAL HOMES, LLC.

wHY AURORA?As the owner of Sand Mountain Family Funeral Homes, Jeff

Gamble knew he needed a strategic partner to guarantee

the growth of his business in the future. His funeral homes,

including 13 locations in two states, serve nearly one

thousand families every year. They face many of the same

problems as firms nationwide, such as the rapid rise in

cremation rates. Mike Jaudon, Bill Hudson and Dan Colvin

were able to demonstrate how Aurora can be the total

package—not just a vendor, but a partner that provides

solutions to today’s problems and strategies for creating

future value.

The many locations of Sand Mountain Family Funeral

Homes will be implementing various Aurora solutions. Some

locations are facing cremation rates as high as 40% and

will be implementing the Journey cremation system and

presenting Celebrating Life’s Journey brochures to their

families. Other locations will be installing Family Advisor

to make it easier to show families funeral packages

and merchandise. Lastly, each firm will be launching a

WebConnect Marketing System website. This firm will also

take advantage of our partnership with Homesteaders and

the rollback program.

PREvIOUS SUPPLIER: BATESvILLE900+ CALLS/YRREP: MIkE JAUDON


Continuing education is a vital part of any funeral

director’s career, and Aurora offers many different courses

in professional development to help our clients meet

these needs. Courses cover topics such as building better

relationships with families, growing local market share and

improving leadership and interpersonal communication skills.

Classes are taught at Aurora’s home office, in funeral homes

and at conventions and other events nationwide.

The cornerstone of Aurora’s Professional Development

program is Lifetimes: A Balanced Funeral Arrangement. This

class teaches funeral directors a simple and practical process

for uncovering what families need early in the arrangement

process. After participating in this class, funeral directors can

see how all aspects of the funeral process work together to

create real meaning and satisfaction. Lifetimes is taught by

Lacy robinson through a combination of lecture, discussion

and skill practices.

Professional Development courses are just one more solution

that Aurora offers to our funeral home clients to ensure that

we can meet all of their business needs.

• Other professional development offerings:

• Making an Emotional Connection

• Meeting the Needs of Cremation Families

• No Religion, Please

• Creating Funeral Packages that Work

• Four Generations in the Funeral Home

• Ten Great Ideas for Your Funeral Home Website

• The New Opportunity with Obituaries

• Simplifying Arrangements with Family Advisor

• The New Rules of Merchandising

• Leading the Next Generation

• Advanced Cremation Arrangements

COMPLETING THE

LiFeTiMeSARRANGER TRAINING wAS AN OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCE

FOR OUR STAFF.”

Chet SteWArt, FrenCh MortuAry, ALBuquerque nM

“Completing the Lifetimes arranger training was an

outstanding experience for our staff. I took the training

myself and learned quote a bit. I figured if this ‘old dog’

could learn a few new ‘tricks,’ then our younger staff would

absorb the information like sponges, which they did.”


LIFETIMESLIFETIMES

FAMILY ADvIFAMILY ADvISORS

wHAT IS FAMILY ADvISOR?Family Advisor is the industry’s first all-inclusive

merchandise display and funeral home management

system. The software was originally developed in 1997,

and has continued to evolve and grow over the years

based on direct feedback from hundreds of funeral

directors nationwide. Family Advisor Management

Edition, released in 2009, gave funeral directors even

more tools to keep their businesses running smoothly—

the latest version includes self-populating PDF forms

and seamlessly integrates with Microsoft QuickBooks

accounting software.

wHO USES FAMILY ADvISOR?Family Advisor is a solution for funeral homes of all

sizes. Memorial Mortuaries of Salt Lake City, utah serves

over 500 families from seven locations in the Salt Lake

area. They have been using Family Advisor since 2009.

Superstition Funeral Home of Apache Junction, Arizona

is a brand new small funeral home using the software.

Because Family Advisor is flexible and customizable, a

funeral home of any size can use it advantageously.

wHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING FAMILY ADvISOR?As a digital display system, Family Advisor allows funeral

directors to offer families more choices than a traditional

selection room. real-time inventory updates ensure

that families will only see products that are currently

in-stock and available. When funeral homes move from

a traditional selection room to a digital display, they free

up thousands of dollars in inventory and can reallocate

that space for more gathering areas or offices. The

software also makes data management in the funeral

home easy, allowing funeral directors to only enter

information once and export it to forms and stationery

software, streamlining the tasks required to serve families.

SELECTIvE FUNERAL MERCHANDISECAN BE UNPLEASANT. FAMILY ADvISOR MAkES FAMILIES FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE INAN UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION.”

JuStIn BAXLey, hIerS-BAXLey FunerAL SerVICeS, oCALA, FL


LIFETIMES

THE wASHINGTONPOPLARLate in 2010, Aurora introduced the newest member of the Designer

Series, the Washington Poplar. The Washington continues the trend of

innovation and creativity that Aurora customers have come to expect

from our Clarksburg manufacturing facility and has thrived in test

markets so far.

The Washington Poplar is characterized by its unique two-toned finish,

a design that was actually inspired by a piece of furniture right from

Aurora’s casket showroom. The unique credenza that makes up part

of Aurora’s Family room display blends a deep black finish with rich

wood grain and gold-toned hardware.

To create the Washington’s unique look, solid poplar is stained and

painted then polished to a glossy shine. The gold trim, a defining

feature of this casket, is hand-painted on each and every unit.


N2H010

UNIqUE TwO-TONE FINISH

TAILORED CREME BASkETwEAvE INTERIOR

SOLID POPLAR CONSTRUCTION

AURORA’S FACEBOOk PAGE

SHOwCASES:Events

• State conventions & conferences

• National conventions & conferences

• Aurora training events

Photos

• Conventions & conferences

• Company events & happenings

Articles & Announcements

• The Aurora community

• Aurora partners & programs

• Aurora news articles

• Company announcements and newsletters

Videos

• Production & manufacturing demos

SOCIAL MEDIA

SEARCH “AURORA CASkET COMPANY”

ON FACEBOOk AND CLICk THE “LIkE”

BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE LATEST

NEwS AND HAPPENINGS AT AURORA,

AND JOIN THE DISCUSSION!

“LIkE” AURORA ON FACEBOOk

AURORA LAUNCHED ITS OFFICIAL FACEBOOk PAGE IN SEPTEMBER, AND HAS SINCE GROwN TO HAvE SEvERAL HUNDRED FANS. CONNECT wITH YOUR COwORkERS AND GET THE LATEST NEwS, PHOTOS AND COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS wELCOME, SO SPREAD THE wORD AND JOIN THE CONvERSATION.


AURORAIN THE NEwS:

AurOrA SAyS ITS NEW CrEMATION SySTEM IS PAyING DIvIDENDS By: tom Parmalee, September 13, 2010

Aurora Casket Co. rolled out its new Journey Cremation

System to educate families about cremation choices about

a year ago, and so far, the company says the funeral homes

using it are pretty happy.

The system offers funeral homes free, personalized brochures

that present packages that coincide with a funeral home’s

offerings, according to Marty Strohofer, director of marketing

for Aurora.

Strohofer says that when Aurora looked at the challenges that

its consumers were facing, it found that cremation ranked at

the top of the list. Funeral homes would say that they were

trying to educate families about different choices, but a closer

examination found that there was no uniform method…

[Full article available online at www.funeralserviceinsider.com]

TO AvOID EMPLOyEE WAITS, AurOrA CASKET’S DOCTOr IS IN By: James ritchie, october 22, 2010

Aurora Casket Co. officials wanted to make sure employees

in rural southeast Indiana had quick and convenient access

to primary health care. So, they contracted for their own

company doctor.

“In this area, you can’t always get in to see a doctor the

same day you call,” said Tom Heintz, chief financial officer. “If

you fall ill on the weekend and then can’t see a doctor until

Wednesday, you could end up missing several days of work.”

So Aurora enlisted St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Northern

Kentucky to open the Aurora Primary Care Center in

downtown Aurora, about five minutes from the casket

manufacturer’s headquarters…

[Full article available online at bizjournals.com/cincinnati]

CASKET BuSINESS FAr FrOM DEAD By: Jon newberry, September 27, 2010

Bill “Bax” Backman is the son of a son of a casket maker who

founded Aurora Casket Co. 120 years ago. He followed in his

father’s footsteps as president of the company, which is still

family-owned, and has seen tremendous changes in the past

35 years. “We are literally reinventing ourselves on a daily basis

to stay ahead of the trends,” he said. One big change is the

increased preference for cremation over traditional burials.

That’s a trend Aurora has embraced as a way to continually

improve its service to family-owned funeral homes, he said. It

now makes a separate line of products, from caskets to urns,

specifically for cremations. The bulk of Aurora’s caskets are

made in the united States…

[Full article available online at bizjournals.com/cincinnati]


ACCO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

ACCO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMAurora Casket Company, Inc. awards one renewable scholarship each year in the amount of $3,000 per year to an eligible

employee’s child.

To obtain an Aurora Casket Company Scholarship application or renewal, contact Andi Bushman at extension 5605.

Scholarship applications must be sent to Andi Bushman by April 30 (by hand delivery or postmarked no later than April 30). This

scholarship will be presented at the student’s awards ceremony if possible. Renewal applications must be received by May 10.

Applicants must meet the following requirements to apply for a scholarship through the ACCO Scholarship Program. You can

only apply if you meet ALL of the general eligibility requirements.

ELIGIBILITY REqUIREMENTS:

• The scholarship applicant must be the child of an Aurora Casket Company, Inc. employee. The student’s mother, father

or legal guardian must be a current employee at Aurora Casket Company, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries at the time of

application with at least one year of continuous service by the application deadline. The employee must be one of the

following: (1) an hourly paid employee, (2) a non-exempt office employee or (3) a truck driver paid on a mileage basis.

• The applicant must be a graduating high school senior in the upper one-third of the graduating class.

• The applicant must fulfill the qualifications established by the school to which he/she intends to enroll. The applicant must be

planning to enroll in a 4- or 5- year college program at an accredited institution. vocational schools or junior colleges are not

to be considered. Full-time student status must be maintained. The student’s mother, father or legal guardian must remain a

full-time employee of Aurora during the school year for which the scholarship is awarded.

• The applicant must make written application and complete the forms provided by the Company. The applicant must also

furnish complete high school transcripts showing all grades for the four year period, except the final quarter or semester.

• The Company will pay the scholarship directly to the student’s chosen institution.

• The scholarship is renewable three times. To be eligible for renewal, the student must maintain full-time college status during

the school year with a minimum cumulative 3.0/4.0 G.P.A. A G.P.A. less than 3.0 will be reviewed prior to renewal. In addition,

the student’s mother, father or legal guardian must still be employed as a full-time employee of the Company. A renewal

application must be completed and submitted by May 10.


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10944 MARSH ROADAURORA IN 47001

800.457.1111www.AURORACASkET.COM

PRSRT STDCINCINNATI OHPERMIT #5780

aurora report

Documents

team aurora

new aurora accounts

aurora employee

significant aurora customer

funeral service

aurora designer hardwoods

sales team

new family advisor technology