OGR Installs New Board at 2009 Annual Conference; Koven Brown Accepts Presidency

Golden Rule Firms Earn Near-Perfect Satisfaction Score From Families

OGR Installs New Board at 2009 Annual Conference; Koven Brown Accepts Presidency
(May 11, 2009) On April 25, 2009, the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR) installed its 2009-2010 Board of Directors during ceremonies held at the conclusion of its annual conference in Nashville, Tenn.

Koven L. Brown, CFSP, owner of K. L. Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Jacksonville, Ala., was sworn in as president. Other officers installed were president-elect Kevin Opsahl, Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., Yankton, S.D.; and Secretary/Treasurer Jeffrey S. Wages, Wages & Sons-Gwinnet Chapel, Lawrenceville, Ga.

A graduate of the Kentucky School of Mortuary Science, Brown has owned the K. L. Brown Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jacksonville, Ala., for 30 years, and 10 years ago founded the Brown and Kughn Memory Chapel (presently, K. L. Brown Memory Chapel) in Anniston, Ala. In addition to serving OGR on the board, on committees and as a Regional Chairperson, he created the Koven L. Brown Scholarship in 2005 to support mortuary school students in need of financial assistance.

Brown has traveled extensively on service missions, most recently to Ecuador helping to complete construction on a day care center. His community volunteer activities include serving as vice chairman of Jacksonville State University’s International House, a organization that promotes cultural understanding, and sitting on the board of the Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center. In 1996, Brown was named Small Business Leader of the Year by the Jacksonville Area Council of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, and in 2007  he received the Leadership Calhoun County Roy Crow Award.

Additionally, Brown is an enucleation technician, a former trustee at the Alabama Eye Bank in Birmingham, and serves in the Region IV DMORT program, for which he assisted following the Korean Air crash in Guam in 1997 and hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“This is a person who inspires others to make a difference,” said Dianne Hughes, CAE, OGR executive director. “Koven’s convictions and service record show a rare strength of character. He brings significant skills to the board and a keen understanding of funeral service. We are fortunate to have Koven leading the association this year.”

“I am truly honored to have been given the privilege of serving the membership as president,” said Brown. “Being an OGR member means being part of something bigger than yourself, something that can impact the entire industry, other independents and the local community in ways large and small. It’s not business as usual anywhere these days. And I expect to see societal changes reflected in how we, as an association, adapt. It’s an interesting time for our profession and for OGR. I look forward to a challenging and rewarding year.”

Continuing on the board as directors are: Michael S. Lewis, Lewis Funeral Home, Inc., Milton, Fla.; J. Tyler Pray, Pray Funeral Home Inc., Charlotte, Mich.; Catherine A. (Cathie) Tattrie, William J. Smith & Son, Inc., Warren, R.I.; Donald I. Green, George Irvin Green Funeral Home, Inc., Munhall, Pa.; John M. Kreidler, Kreidler Funeral Home, Inc., McAllen, Texas; and Cari Spence, Spence-Miller Funeral Home, Grove City, Ohio.

Photo shows: 2009-2010 OGR Board of Directors (from left ): Director John M. Kreidler; President Koven L. Brown, CFSP; directors Catharine A. (Cathie) Tattrie and Michael S. Lewis; Secretary/Treasurer Jeffrey S. Wages; and directors J. Tyler Pray, Donald I. Green and Cari Spence. Not shown: Kevin Opsahl, president-elect.
Photo by Robert Levy Photography

Golden Rule Firms Earn Near-Perfect Satisfaction Score From Families
(March 17, 2009) Among 15,000 families surveyed last year, 99 percent said they would recommend a Golden Rule funeral home to others, according to a report recently published by the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR). This glowing statistic is one of a number of favorable factors found in OGR’s 2008 Family Contact Annual Report. The full report was compiled and sent in February to OGR members participating in the program. The data was extracted from responses to survey forms submitted from families served last year by Golden Rule firms and which formed the basis for the report.

“Family Contact has proven an invaluable tool for our members,” says Guy Linnemann, CFSP, OGR president. “It allows families to evaluate the quality of service received, while in turn helping our members to gain a greater understanding of families’ needs and to recognize areas for improvement.”

“This good news comes as no real surprise,” notes Kevin Opsahl, 2008-09 membership committee chair. “Our members know the service they provide is superior. It is meaningful, though, to get this feedback directly from the families.”

“Besides being a timely and effective way to monitor areas for improvement, Family Contact is also used by owners and managers to applaud employees for superior service,” Opsahl added. “This service is also a primary opportunity to contact families who are interested in pre-planning.”

In fact, the survey revealed that 83 percent of responders said they would pre-plan a funeral service. Plus, it indicated a better-than-average overall rating for products and services selected, and most frequently cited reputation, previously served the family, attended other services conducted by the firm, that the firm is independent/locally owned, and location as reasons for choosing a funeral home.

In addition to a breakdown of satisfaction with the particular funeral home, the report illustrates performance statistics of all member firms participating in the program, enabling them to compare their performance with that of the other participants.

To learn more about Family Contact, visit www.ogr.org and login. For information about the progam or abo