By Thomas A. Parmalee
When Jake Johnson looks back on the 25-year journey of Johnson Consulting Group, he doesn’t just see the growth of a company. He sees the continuation of a mission that started long before he ever signed his first deal — a mission rooted in helping people help themselves.
That ethos began with his father, the late Tom Johnson, a respected industry leader who began his career in banking before serving in several key positions with Batesville Casket Company.
Tom would go on to become president and CEO of Pierce Brothers Mortuaries & Cemeteries in Los Angeles. From that experience, he would start his own funeral business company, Prime Succession, which acquired close to 160 funeral locations in only five years.
After selling his company and retiring to Florida in the late 1990s, Tom found himself being pulled back into the business — fielding calls from friends who needed help buying or selling funeral homes. Those small consulting projects became the foundation of what would soon become Johnson Consulting Group.
“My father was born on Friday the 13th, but he was nothing but lucky in life,” Jake said in a recent video interview with FuneralVision. “He stepped into consulting at a time when the profession was changing, and his timing couldn’t have been better.”
By 2004, Tom and Jake were working side by side — a dynamic father-and-son team operating out of a home office, helping funeral home owners navigate valuations, acquisitions, and succession plans.
Today, JCG has grown into a full-service consulting firm with more than 35 employees, serving funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide. Its services now span far beyond mergers and acquisitions to include business valuations, customer performance tracking software, business consulting, accounting, leadership development and loan sourcing.
While the company is celebrating 25 years, one gets the impression when talking to Jake that he’s just getting started.
From Family Roots to Industry Leadership
Jake’s path to leadership started after graduating with a background in finance and joining Keystone Group. Later, he managed funeral homes and cemeteries at Palm Mortuaries, gaining what he calls “boots-on-the-ground experience” before joining his father at JCG.
“I saw the opportunity my father had created — but I also knew I’d have to earn respect on my own,” he said. “People would acknowledge me because of my father, but I had to prove myself.”
That motivation, coupled with a drive to systematize and scale the business, became the foundation of JCG’s success.
“Phase one was all about creating processes,” Jake said. “We wanted to train others to think like Jake and Tom Johnson — to deliver the same level of service and expertise to our clients.”
As JCG expanded, the firm sought out top talent in accounting, consulting and business coaching, later acquiring Thomas-Pierce & Company, a prominent brokerage from the 1990s, to enhance its M&A capabilities.
Jake, a self-described “big reinvestor,” has always believed in putting profits back into the business — a philosophy that has guided both JCG and his own funeral home, Menke Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Sun City, Arizona.
At Menke, Jake’s hard work has paid big dividends: He’s grown the company’s revenue by more than 30% — which he attributes in part to adding “Cremation Center” to the business name.
It was “an aha moment” when even the landscaper installing the new sign with the additional words “Cremation Center” remarked that he didn’t know the company offered cremation.
“If you don’t say it, people don’t know,” Jake said.
Through his dad’s trust, Jake also owns Weigel Funeral Home in Batesville, Indiana. He recently bought a funeral home with locations in two neighboring towns: Cook-Rosenberger Funeral Homes in Brookville and Sunman. “They are a great fit for employee redundancy and labor sharing,” Johnson said.
Jake has been lucky to have the support of his wife, Robyn, as he has grown the company. The two have been an item since they were teenagers, with their courtship entering a new phase when Jake taught her how to drive at a cemetery he was working at in high school, so she could get her license.
No one can say she didn’t know what she was getting into when she married Jake Johnson.
A Culture of People and Purpose
At the heart of JCG’s growth is a strong internal culture. Jake gives lots of credit to his chief operating officer, Jeff Casey, for championing a people-first approach that has guided the company through change — including a shift to remote work even before the pandemic.
“We have a fun and rigorous onboarding experience, and we’re HR-first,” Jake said. “When your people are happy, good things happen.”
He noted that he’s always the first person to shake someone’s hand and congratulate them for finding their next opportunity. That means the company has done a good job and has helped them grow, he said.
JCG’s people-centered philosophy extends beyond the walls of its offices. Each year, Jake and his team host the Memorial Classic Golf Tournament, now in its 42nd year — a tradition Tom Johnson helped shape through his involvement with the Funeral Service Foundation.
The event was recently renamed the Tom Johnson Memorial Classic in honor of Jake’s dad.
What began as eight golfers and a motorhome headed to Palm Springs has grown into an event attracting more than 120 industry leaders and raising over $1.25 million for funeral service educational trusts.
“For my father, it was always about relationships,” Jake said. “That’s what the golf event was built on — bringing people together for a good cause.”
Watch a tribute video honoring Tom Johnson’s work on the Memorial Classic Golf Tournament.
Lessons in Leadership and Legacy
Over the years, Jake has carried forward many lessons from his father — especially around organization, accountability and lifelong learning.
“My dad always said, ‘Do what you say you’re going to do and be organized,’” Jake said. “He and Steve Tidwell from SCI would summarize their day on a notepad and prioritize the next. If you don’t have the answer, get it — and learn from it.”
That commitment to discipline and self-improvement has shaped not only JCG’s operations but also its philosophy on succession planning — a core service the company offers its clients.
“Most people don’t think about succession planning as employees,” Jake noted. “But we’re all here for roughly the same amount of time, and the last part isn’t as fun as the first. So, what are you doing now to reach your vision? You need to know your goal and how you’re going to get there.”
The succession plan at Johnson Consulting Group is clear: The business will remain in the family.
Jake’s oldest son, Logan, already works at the company as an analyst and is also working to become a commercial pilot.
His younger son, Carson, is finishing his last year of college and plans to join the company.
Navigating a New Era of Acquisitions
The deathcare profession is experiencing a surge of buyer interest, with more than 20 new well-funded companies entering the market in just the past few years, according to Jake. Through it all, JCG has remained a steady and trusted adviser.
“It’s been a busy year,” Jake said. “There’s a lot of energy in the space right now, and that tells you something — we’re a solid, predictable profession.”
Still, not every deal is meant to close. Jake recalls one instance where JCG walked away from a promising transaction after another buyer made a better offer.
“We did the right thing,” he said. “That buyer ended up tripling their equity.”
While he wishes he could have bought the business, it’s always more important to do whatever is best for the client, he emphasized.
The Next 25 Years
As JCG celebrates its 25th anniversary, Jake remains focused on the same core mission his father started with — helping others succeed.
“We’ve built something I’m incredibly proud of,” he said.
Building JCG has not been without its challenges, but he’s grateful for having such a great team around him, which has enabled him to continue his father’s legacy of service.
Johnson Consulting Group is a full-service consulting firm serving the deathcare profession. The company specializes in mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, succession planning, customer performance tracking software, business and leadership consulting, and financial services. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, JCG is recognized for its culture of integrity, innovation, and industry leadership.
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