Anthony Russo

Delmar

Associate Editor at Funeral Service Insider

Pencil-sharpening enthusiast, author Dragged Into the Light Book: https://t.co/A9iooUJvtj Blog: https://t.co/fkpVeg0Kh1

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Articles

SCI at OPY: Tanzberger Addresses the 25th Annual Consumer Growth and E-Commerce Conference

1 week ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

What follows are excerpts from Eric Tanzberger, Service Corporation International’s CFO’s talk and resulting Q&A from the recent Oppenheimer 25th Annual Consumer Growth and E-Commerce Conference. We’ve pulled out some of the more salient numbers and added quotes from the transcript to capture the sense of the meeting. Although there weren’t a lot of surprises in the presentation, discussions about inflation and event centers were particularly enlightening.
A Worrisome Cremation Trend, From Humidors to Urns, and News from Around Funeral Service

1 week ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

In this week’s FSI newsletter we got a chance to talk with Joe Celentano, the president and CEO of NGL which recently announced its decision to restructure as a mutual holding company. That would have been a boring announcement a year ago, but in this climate, whenever an insurance company wants to be more “financially flexible,” it’s worth at least a phone call. We talked to him a little bit about the implications of that flexibility and some of the other things going on at NGL.
Authenticity, a Cemetery Futurist, and Funeral Tech

2 weeks ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

In this week’s issue of FSI we feature funeral director Colin Maxon, a first-generation guy whose only bar to success was becoming an owner. He has a really cool story and it was a pleasure to talk to him. We also talk to Tom Nondorf, the editor of American Cemetery & Cremation, about the June edition. I don’t spend a ton of time on Reddit, but I am a member of the r/askfuneraldirectors Reddit page, so I get notifications.
Questions of Scandalous Behavior

2 weeks ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

I know this moment in time represents the last hurrah for the old white guy club, so many of us are making hay while the sun shines. Still, it’s odd to see such a fanatical aversion to change in a business so well acquainted with the inevitability of mortality. Here I’m not just talking about the NFDA institutionally, but an attitude that pervades the system.
Sunday Column: Authenticity, a Cemetery Futurist, and Funeral Tech

3 weeks ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

In this week’s issue of FSI we feature funeral director Colin Maxon, a first-generation guy whose only bar to success was becoming an owner. He has a really cool story and it was a pleasure to talk to him. We also talk to Tom Nondorf, the editor of American Cemetery & Cremation, about the June edition. I don’t spend a ton of time on Reddit, but I am a member of the r/askfuneraldirectors Reddit page, so I get notifications.
New Leadership, New Approaches, and a Recycling Deep Dive in This Month’s Cemetery News

3 weeks ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

As land availability tightens and cremation rates climb, cemeteries are redefining their purpose. Many are moving beyond strictly interment to embrace their positions as places of memory, history, and connection. In a recent episode of “Funeral Service Insider: The Podcast,” I spoke with American Cemetery & Cremation editor Tom Nondorf, who says the industry is in a “golden age” of reinvention.
Tom Nondorf on the Future of Cemeteries: Storytelling, Space, and Transparency

1 month ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

In this episode we speak with American Cemetery & Cremation editor Tom Nondorf about how cemeteries are embracing community engagement, creatively reusing space space, and recycling transparency. From Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery to innovative columbaria designs and ethical recycling practices, Nondorf shares what’s driving the transformation of memorial spaces in the modern era.
Spann Focuses on the Future in Unopposed Bid

1 month ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

Steve Spann, a seasoned funeral director and embalmer from Tennessee, is vying for the treasurer position of the National Funeral Directors Association. Spann, who owns funeral homes in Dixon and Waverly, Tennessee, and serves as the president of John A. Gupton College in Nashville, brings decades of experience and a deep commitment to the profession’s future to his candidacy. Spann’s involvement with the NFDA spans 30 years, initially through his role at John A.
Mentorship, Hard Work Define Black’s Funeral Career Journey

1 month ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

Carlos Black’s path to his current role as deputy locations manager for Small’s Mortuary & Cremation Services in Mobile, Alabama, has been a deeply personal and decades-long journey. He looks forward to the next leg of it as an at-large board member for the National Funeral Directors Association. Black’s introduction to the world of funeral service was far from the executive suite. “I started there when I was 13.
McBrayer May Break New Ground with NFDA Secretary Bid

1 month ago | kates-boylston.com | Anthony Russo

Funeral director Ellen Wynn McBrayer is hoping to make history in her bid for secretary of the National Funeral Directors Association, a role that could eventually lead to the presidency. While acknowledging the significance of her candidacy, McBrayer says she isn’t running to break a barrier but because she believes she is the right person for the job. “I do feel like I’m running because I’m the best person for this position,” she said. “Other women have run before and haven’t been selected.