Golden Rule School

July 2008

Enroll now to advance your funeral service knowledge • practical • technical • managerial

Does anyone’s education really end upon graduation, or is it just the beginning?

Can you afford to stand still with so much change sweeping the funeral profession?

Appreciating the need for funeral home staff and managers to acquire, maintain — and master —vital techniques and skills, OGR is launching its Golden Rule School this July in St. Louis, with a curriculum designed to advance the effectiveness of the funeral professional’s work with families and to improve the funeral home’s management and operational processes.

Through hands-on exercises and interactive learning forums taught by experienced faculty, the 2008 Golden Rule School will hold full-day courses at the Crowne Plaza St. Louis-Clayton Hotel from 8 a.m. to noon and 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. over three consecutive days, July 16, 17 and 18.

Sign yourself or your staff up today for one, two or all three courses, each offering up to 7 CEUs per day in states where approved. Fees include course materials, continental breakfast and breaks. Plus, participants will receive a certificate of program completion at the end of each day, and member firms will maintain their exclusivity. Class sizes are limited and early sign-up is encouraged. Discounts apply for multiple registrations received from the same firm.

See course descriptions, hotel/logistical information below. To enroll, download the enrollment form (PDF), or contact the OGR education/meetings department, (800) 637-8030, x120.

[BACK TO TOP]

Courses

Wed., July 16, 2008: “Improving Your Customer Service Techniques”
Faculty: Bill Bates, Life Appreciation Training Seminars
This course is intended to guide you toward progressive ideas and tools needed in arranging funerals and memorial services and offering merchandise and innovative resources that have significant meaning for families, including non-traditional and non-church-affiliated. Topics will include: arrangements conferences; innovative funeral service ideas; new thoughts on visitations/wakes; and aftercare, ancillary and cremation services.

Thur.,  July 17, 2008: “Sharpening Your Prep Room Skills”
Faculty: Robert Mayer, CFSP, FBIE, Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science; Wayne S. (Bud) Wieting, Wieting Family Funeral Home, Inc.
This course will demonstrate, through the use of donor cadavers, the latest embalming and restorative arts techniques, much like a clinical lab in mortuary school. Participants will be transported to a facility for the morning, and returned to spend the afternoon in class discussion. Topics will include: preparing the non-viewable; managing edema; and embalming history, theory and practice.

Fri., July 18, 2008: “Enhancing Your Approach to Funeral Home Management”

Faculty: David Nixon, Nixon Consulting, Inc.
This course will equip owners and managers with resources to improve the funeral home’s financial position by providing benchmarks for assessing the firm’s financial performance. Participants also will learn how to comply with government regulations regarding employees. Topics will include: reading and using financial statements; controlling expenses; analyzing business operations; hiring/firing regulations; finding and keeping qualified employees; and staff motivation.

[BACK TO TOP]

Accommodations
The Crowne Plaza St. Louis-Clayton Hotel is is centrally located at 7750 Carondelet Ave., Clayton, MO 63105, in the heart of Clayton, St. Louis’ most prestigious business and residential district, within walking distance of many of the area’s finest restaurants, bars, boutiques and galleries, and just 15 minutes from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The hotel recently completed a $10.5 million renovation, which features its “Sleep Advantage” program, a seven-layer-bed sleep amenity package, and complimentary wired/wireless high-speed Internet access.

OGR has negotiated a room rate of $119 single/double (plus 14.57 percent per night state and sales tax) for Golden Rule School attendees. To reserve a room, call the hotel’s reservation line, (314) 726-5400, and identify yourself as a Golden Rule School attendee to receive the negotiated rate. This room block will expire on June 24, 2008, so call as soon as possible. The hotel provides free airport shuttle service. Hotel self-parking is available at $6/day, with valet parking, $16/day. Visit www.cpclayton.com for more on the hotel. For information about St. Louis, contact the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.explorestlouis.com, (800) 916-8938.

Registration/Cancellation Policy
Full payment must accompany your registration. We welcome checks, American Express, VISA, MasterCard and Discover. If you need to cancel your registration, please notify us in writing ten (10) days prior to the start of the event. Refunds will be processed minus a $75 administrative fee. No refunds will be made less than ten days before the event or for no-shows. Cancellations may be submitted via email to jgabbert@ogr.org, via fax to (314) 209-1289 or via mail to Jenny Gabbert, OGR, P.O. Box 28689, St. Louis, MO 63146-1189. Substitutions may be made at any time. If you are unable to attend, someone else from your firm may attend. Again, please notify us in writing.

[BACK TO TOP]

For questions, additional information or to suggest a topic you would like to see addressed, contact OGR's education/meetings department at jgabbert@ogr.org or call (800) 637-8030.