Trigard Burial Vault and Funeral Service

New Healing Tree wall display design

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:35:00 +0000

Dealers and funeral homes across the country continue to see great success with the Healing Tree.

Our marketing team has redesigned the Healing Tree wall display with images that better tell the story of the ceremony and its gentle healing powers.

Help the families you serve remember, celebrate and heal. Call 800.637.1992. to order one of our new Healing Tree displays.

Investing in a brighter future

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:31:00 +0000

The future is looking brighter, literally, at our facilities.

Last week we replaced our old, power-thirsty mercury-vapor light fixtures with new energy efficient ones. To find out more, visit the Trigard Memorials blog.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

Claxton re-elected

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:05:00 +0000

We are proud to announce that our long-time friend and proud Trigard dealer, F. Tom Claxton, has been re-elected president of the Maryland Cemetery Funeral and Cremation Assoiciation.

Tom joined the association in 1976 and has served on the board of directors and all officer positions.

Craig Huff of Moreland Memorial Park, Baltimore was elected Vice President; Lauri K. Brown of the Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Washington, Secretary; and Amy Shimp of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, Baltimore, Treasurer.

Congratulations to Tom and the other members on this great achievement!

Have good news to share? Send us an email and you could find yourself in our blog!

Aegean® urn vault now available in rose granite

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the rose granite finish on our Aegean burial vault, we have decided to offer the finish on our Aegean urn vault as well.

Learn more about the Aegean, or call Customer Service at 800.637.1992 to place an order today.

Layers protect your family

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:57:00 +0000

A single layer of protection isn't enough. You wouldn't send your child out into the cold in only one layer. Give the families you serve the warmth of caring about their protection.

A Trigard lined, sealed burial vault provides a clean, dry casket space, protecting your families' loved one as well as their investment in the casket. Unlike single-layer outer burial containers, a lined burial vault's layers of protection work together to provide strength your families can count on.

Provide the families you serve the layers of protection they deserve. Learn more about the layers of protection, or call Customer Service at 800.637.1992 to place an order today.

Help them remember, celebrate, and heal with the Healing Tree®

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:08:00 +0000

Looking for a way to provide even more value to the families you serve? Did you know the Healing Tree urn vault was recently redesigned to allow you to do just that?

The Healing Tree urn vault now features a removable textured cover plate that can go home with the family after the ceremony or can be buried with the urn vault. Either way, the textured cover plate provides an extra touch to the graveside service.

Offer your families the celebration of life ceremonies they deserve. Visit the dealer area o f our websit e, or call Customer Service at 800.637.1992.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

Provide families with peace of mind with Elite® burial vaults

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:02:00 +0000

Rose granite with bronze Elite burial vault

The Elite provides the highest possible level of structural integrity in a burial vault. It also provides the families you serve with peace of mind.

The patented Trigard arch design, thermoformed polymer interior liner, hand-crafted metal insert liners, reinforced concrete core, tongue and groove design with tape seal, and external high impact polymer layer add beauty and strength to the Elite.

The Elite is available in your choice of rose granite, white marble and black marble finishes. Additionally, your family has a choice of stainless steel, copper or bronze interior lining and metal exterior cap.

Offer your families the protection they deserve. Visit the dealer area of our websit e, or call Customer Service at 800.637.1992.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

US Air Force under scrutiny for handling of cremated remains

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:55:00 +0000

Anyone in our organization that knows me certainly will not hesitate to tell you about my belief system in the funeral service profession. Lord knows they have to listen to me rant and rave when I hear or see mediocrity in funeral service. I was appalled when I heard the Air Force had dumped the remains of 274 US troops in a landfill. It saddens my heart that this had to happen. I don’t know if there is more to the story than we know, but it brings it back home to our local communities.

I wonder why we are so outraged at an event like this (and I think we should be!), but many families think nothing of directly cremating Grandma and then scattering her ashes or leaving her cremated remains in a closet to be disposed of later.

Doesn’t she deserve the same respect? While she may not have gone overseas to protect our freedom, remembering her life is also important. These soldiers deserve to have their lives celebrated and remembered, but so do our loved ones who impact our lives in quieter ways.

Why do you think people minimize the importance of celebrating their loved ones’ lives? Tell us in the comments below.

-Linda Darby-Sempsrott, CEO

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

Trigard awards two scholarships

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:05:00 +0000

Trigard Chief Executive Officer
Linda Darby-Sempsrott and project
manager Blake Swinford present
a scholarship to Sarah Morgan.

This month, Trigard presented two $250 scholarships to promising young funeral professionals. The first scholarship went to Sarah Morgan, a junior at Mid-America College of Funeral Service in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The second was awarded to Lanae Richards, a mortuary science student at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa.

We at Trigard see these scholarships as a continued investment in the next generation of funeral directors who will care for families across the country.

Lowell Coburn, a Watts Vault and Monument sales consultant, awards a scholarship to Lanae Richards on behalf of Trigard.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:23:00 +0000

Seasons greetings from our family to yours.

As the holiday season approaches we would like to take a moment to thank you for helping families remember, celebrate and heal - not just during the holidays, but throughout the year. We are truly blessed to have you as part of our network.

In honor of the holidays, Trigard will be closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

New Healing Tree Images available online

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:03:00 +0000

We know how important it is to provide the best marketing tools to the families you serve. That's why we maintain a library of images for our dealers as our products evolve.

The Healing Tree® urn vault has recently been redesigned with a new textured cover plate. The new removable Healing Tree urn vault cover plate can go home with the family after the ceremony or can be buried with the urn vault. Either way, the textured cover plate provides an extra touch to the graveside service.

Please take a moment to visit the dealer portion of our website and update your image library.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

Maximize the value of your cemetery space with Monu-Niche™

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:54:00 +0000

Information on our newest innovation, Monu-Niche, is now available online at www.trigard.com.

Recently unveiled at the NFDA/CANA Convention in Chicago, the new Monu-Niche is ideal for funeral professionals looking to get the most out of their cemetery space while still providing a stylish tribute to the families they serve.

In a single 18 x 48" footprint, the Monu-Niche provides space for twelve memorials.

Click here and start maximizing the value of your cemetery space today.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

Trigard continues role as innovator at 2011 NFDA

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:43:00 +0000

Our most recent innovations, Façade™ and Monu-niche™, were on display at the 2011 NFDA International Convention and Expo in Chicago last week.

NFDA attendees got a sneak peek of the new Façade personal memorial system designed for families and funeral professionals that require a quick turnaround for a personal memorial.

Also on display at NFDA, the new Monu-niche showed funeral professionals how to maximize the value of their cemetery space by allowing for 12 companion memorials in the space of a single upright.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

Trigard founder James "Big Jim" Darby named to Vermilion County Illinois Business Hall of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:35:00 +0000

Big Jim is the Walt Disney of our company. For more than fifty years, his family's business has flourished to the credit of his entrepreneurial spirit, hard work and dedication to our community. What began as a small family business has grown to provide local jobs for more than 100 employees working in funeral service, manufacturing, customer service, grounds maintenance and horticulture.

James "Big Jim" Darby

Big Jim loves his community and Vermilion County. But it's not an abstract concept of community. He is delighted by meeting each individual person and learning their story. His family has built their business on relationships, and Big Jim continually emphasizes the importance of building strong bridges.

Big Jim was selected as one of four nominees that will be recognized and permanently and publicly memorialized into Vermilion County history at a new display at the Vermilion County Museum. The Hall of Fame inauguration is set for Sunday, March 4, 2012.

We at Trigard believe Big Jim's lasting success and dedication to his community have more than earned him this great honor.

2010 Trigard Sales & Achievement Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:02:00 +0000

After five weeks of wrap-up, we're still not quite done sharing everything about Trigard Convention! On the last day of convention, we recognized select dealers for sales achievement in 2010.

Watts Vault & Monument Company received three awards for sales achievement during 2010. From left: Julie Watts, Lyndall Watts, Carson Watts, Cailey Watts and Scott Watts.

Watts Vault & Monument Company was recognized for the Highest Sales Volume, Highest Percentage of Aegean® Sales and Highest Volume of Healing Tree® Products.

The Highest New Dealer Sales Growth award was presented to Ideal Burial Vault Company. Norwalk Vault Company had the Second Highest New Dealer Sales Growth.

In the Small Business Division, Knight & Sons Monument Company had the Highest Growth Percentage. Bates Vault & Services, LLC, and Minchew Concrete followed with second and third highest growth percentages respectively.

For the Mid-Size Business Division, Baker Concrete Limited was recognized for the Highest Growth Percentage, followed by Forsyth Brothers Concrete Products and Heartland Vault Company.

Gilmer Burial Vaults had the Highest Growth Percentage in the Large Business Division. Second highest was Whited Cemetery Service, followed by Oldcastle Adams Products.
A new award was presented to Ideal Burial Vault Company. The new "You Get It" Award recognizes the Trigard dealer who does an exceptional job of promoting the Trigard brand, serving families and embracing new trends in our industry.

Congratulations to all of our dealers for their accomplishments in 2010 and for helping to ensure our strong future together!

Trigard Convention recap 5/5: The Trigard brand promise

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:44:00 +0000

Linda Darby-Sempsrott, Chief Executive Officer, opened 2011 Trigard Convention by talking about the Trigard brand promise.

She explained that everything we do, marketing, customer service, sales, manufacturing, graveside services, supports the Trigard name. As the Trigard family, we make promises to our industry, to dealers, to funeral homes and to the families we serve. When anyone interacts with Trigard, we are making a promise. And that is our brand promise.

Linda, along with Julia Sullivan, creative director, explained that the Trigard brand promise has three parts:

Trigard is strong - both our vaults and our network of dealers
Trigard creates products families need
Trigard innovates to serve families better

So how do you help support the Trigard brand promise as a dealer, funeral home or cemetery? You're already doing your part by staying connected through this newsletter.

Linda also encouraged dealers to attend conventions, bring funeral directors to Trigard University, and, most importantly, to continue giving families outstanding service.

Your perfect salesman may be hiding in your facility

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:38:00 +0000

The new Vaults Product
Guide was designed for dealers t
o explain Trigard products and
services to their customers.

Jeff Miller, VP Business Development, reminded Trigard dealers at Trigard Convention that their best salesperson might be hiding somewhere else in their business. It might be a customer service person, someone in the shop, or a family member. He stressed that what's important is finding someone who is knowledgeable about the product, passionate about the industry and strong when building business relationships.

Jeff unveiled a new tool to help Trigard dealers present the full line of vaults and marketing tools to funeral homes and cemeteries. It is printed on glossy, heavyweight paper and is big enough to be hole punched for a binder.

It begins with the importance of a lined, sealed burial vault. Using pictures bigger than most of our other literature, it walks through the entire line of products, including the Healing Tree® and Serenity® casket vaults. Full pages are dedicated to marketing tools and the story of the Darby family.

Trigard dealers can order the new Vault Product Guide by calling 800.637.1992. A Cremation Product Guide is being developed as well.

Trigard Convention recap 4/5: NCBVA Update

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Tom Monahan, CAE, NCBVA
Executive Director, provided
many resources to dealers at the
2011 Trigard Convention.

Trigard welcomed Tom Monahan, CAE, NCBVA Executive Director, to the 2011 Trigard Convention to share information with the more than 80 dealers and vendors present.

He discussed many of the projects NCBVA has organized, all focused on boosting the success of burial vault dealers. The list included administering the recent NCBVA survey, creating an industry employment database, and providing merchant credit card processing.

In 2012, the NCBVA convention is being held in conjunction with the World of Concrete. Tom emphasized that the WOC convention is a great opportunity for dealers looking to diversify. Registration forms are available online.

For more information about the many ways NCBVA can support your burial vault company, visit http://www.ncbva.org.

Trigard Convention recap 3/5: Darby family looks into the future

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:40:00 +0000

Rich Darby emphasized that
our strong future will be built on
creating experiences for families.

"Our Strong Future" was on everyone's mind during the 2011 Trigard Convention. The Darby family shared what that future hold for Trigard.
Rich Darby, Chief Operating Officer, spoke about the importance of creating experiences for families. "It's not just about the boxes," he emphasized. "We have to create something that families will connect to and remember."

Case in point? The success Trigard dealers have seen with the Healing Tree burial vault. Not only does it add graveside value, but it helps families begin to heal.

Donna Walthall (third from left)
introduces the next generation
of the Darby family. Trigard is
proud to be family-owned and operated.

Donna Walthall, Chief Financial Officer, talked about another part of the Trigard's future: the next generation of the Darby family.

She introduced her daughter, Lindsey Murphy, and son-in-law Jason Murphy, Rich's sons Ethan Darby and Ross Darby, and Linda's step-daughter, Megan Sempsrott. All five are working in the family business and are proud to be a part of Trigard's future.

Trigard Convention recap 2/5: Trigard awards first Healing Tree certificates

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:44:00 +0000

Rich Darby certifies a group at the 2011 Trigard Convention.

During the 2011 Trigard Convention, we began offering Healing Tree certification. We want to ensure families receive the same Celebration of Life ceremony no matter where they are, so we created the certification program for the Healing Tree burial vault and urn vault.

How do you get certified? Come visit the Trigard booth at the NFDA/CANA Convention later this year or make plans to attend Trigard University.

Trigard Convention recap 1/5: Closing session with "Big Jim" Darby

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:26:00 +0000

The best way to share this session with you is to let "Big Jim" do the talking. Head over to our YouTube channel to watch a clip of his powerful, captivating and motivating presentation.

What does our strong future look like?

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:24:00 +0000

The message was clear at Trigard Convention: we have a strong future when we work together.

More than 80 Trigard dealers and vendors gathered in Danville, Illinois, to learn, share ideas and dig deeper into our strong future.

No topic was kept off of the table, but discussions were positive and forward-thinking. It was exciting for us at Trigard to watch our dealers motivate each other, freely give away tools that have worked for them and get excited about building even stronger relationships.

Thank you to everyone who made the trip to Danville. We loved having you here!

New urn vault appliqué wraps share life stories with pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:53:00 +0000

Our team keeps finding creative ways to use our printer to better serve your families. We are excited to unveil our new urn vault wrap appliqués.
Let our team use an image from our appliqué library or send us cherished family photos to create a custom "wrap" for an Aegean® or Elite™ urn vault. Submit your order by noon, and it can be in your hands in 24 hours.
Call Reta or Marie at 800.637.1992 to place your order or learn more.

A tribute to a friend...

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:02:00 +0000

We lost a very good friend and member of our Trigard Family in December. Bobby Goodwin of Hecox-Goodwin was always so full of life. He was fun to be around. He knew how to have fun, but yet when it came time to be serious, he knew how to do that just as well.

He was always pushing us at Trigard. He was always thinking outside of the box. He was a very successful businessman because he wasn’t afraid to try new things.

We will miss Bobby greatly. He always kept us on our toes, and he has left a great legacy for his family. I feel blessed to have known Bobby Goodwin.

Donna

I remember the first time I ever met Bobby…..I walked away from him thinking, wow this guy has a lot of energy! His energy was always positive. He embraced everything he did with a passion which was contagious. That is what I loved about him the most. He was such a great encourager.

Every time we had a Trigard convention, he would always stand up and speak such positive powerful words to our dealer network. Bobby often times pushed us for things, which we truly appreciated, because it did make us better. I loved that he had a great understanding of family, and what that means to life in general. It made him a great vault man.

We shared a common love of horseback riding. Each time he ran into Bill or me, he would ask us if we had been to the ranch and what we did. I was glad to see he got to take his trip to the ranch. So Bobby, our dear friend and colleague, you will be missed, but never forgotten. May your legacy live on through those around you.

Linda

Please feel free to share your memories with Linda and Donna.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com

NEW technology adds to applique library

noreply@blogger.com (Trigard Burial Vaults and Funeral Service) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:51:00 +0000

Ask how our applique library has improved due to recently added technology.

For more about Trigard burial vaults, go to http://www.trigard.com