FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ's)


1.  What are the differences between Heritage and a publicly held company (i.e. SCI, Carriage, Stewart)?

• Large funeral companies, especially companies such as SCI that are listed on major stock exchanges, must report at least every quarter to their shareholders and are expected to report that the business is thriving and even growing.  This may lead to short-term decisions made to enhance the next quarterly report.  In addition, these large companies must have large management groups and burdensome operational manuals and procedures, if nothing else just because they are so big they can't manage without such tools.  
• Heritage shareholders also receive quarterly reports, however their expectations are for long-term returns, not short term gains.  By managing the expectations of our shareholders Heritage can make decisions for the long-term benefit of the company.  What that means to day-to-day operations is that Heritage allows a little room for management to learn, to take some chances, to try new things and to be the best in their community. It also means that Heritage can dispense with burdensome corporate manuals; we would rather keep as close as possible to the style of operations and ownership that created your heritage in the first place!

2.  How can employees own shares of a business that is purchased by Heritage?

• Most companies and individuals that acquire funeral homes tend away from any type of employee ownership.  At Heritage we encourage it.  Employee ownership makes us stronger and benefits everyone.  We offer shares of the company to all full time employees.

We value your input with respect to our frequently asked questions.  If you have a question, please submit it to us using the form in the "Contact Us" tab and as we find questions being asked frequently we will add them to the list above.  Thank you for your help.