Park Lawn Corp. announced that, on Aug. 5, it acquired substantially all the assets of Carolina Memorial Park of Concord – Kannapolis located in Kannapolis, North Carolina; Carolina Memorial Park of Harrisburg – Charlotte located in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Whitley’s Funeral Home located in Kannapolis, North Carolina (collectively “Carolina-Whitley”). The Carolina-Whitley acquisitions extend Park Lawn’s presence in the North Carolina market through the addition of two standalone cemeteries as well as one standalone funeral home.
In addition, Park Lawn is also excited to announce that, on September 9, 2024, it acquired substantially all the assets of Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funerals & Cremations in Waco, Texas (“WHB”). The WHB acquisition expands Park Lawn’s presence in central Texas through the addition of one stand-alone funeral home.
“We are pleased to expand our existing operating presence in both the state of North Carolina and in central Texas through the strategic acquisitions of the Carolina-Whitley and WHB businesses,” said J. Bradley Green, chief executive officer of PLC. He continued, “These distinguished businesses are market leaders in their respective communities and will be an excellent addition to our existing portfolio of high-quality businesses. We are honored to welcome the Carolina-Whitley and WHB businesses and their teams into the Park Lawn family.”
Leadership Changes
Park Lawn also announced certain changes to its leadership team, effective August 10, 2024, to further support the organization following the completion of its go-private transaction:
- Jay Dodds has been appointed to serve as chief strategy officer. Dodds has elected to step away from his role as president and chief operations officer but will remain an important member of the executive leadership team as the chief strategy officer. Green said, “Jay has been a fundamental and unshakeable part of our foundation for years and I want to personally thank him for his commitment and dedication to Park Lawn. I am pleased that he will remain a part of the executive leadership team and, as chief strategy officer, Jay will be instrumental in advancing our strategic objectives well into the future.”
- Jennifer Hay has been appointed to serve as president and general counsel. Hay joined Park Lawn in 2018 and has served in various leadership capacities, most recently as chief strategy officer and general counsel. “Jennifer has become an integral member of the Executive Leadership Team with her leadership and strategic vision. With her diverse set of skills and experience, in her new role, she will work to more deeply support each of the functional areas of the business including the operations and sales functions as we continue to execute on our long-term strategy,” Green said.
- Mathew Forastiere has been appointed to serve as the chief operations officer. Forastiere is a licensed funeral director and embalmer who has worked in the profession for over twenty-five years. He joined Park Lawn in 2018 and has served in a variety of senior operational leadership positions since that time. “Mat has been a significant contributor to the organization’s core operating philosophy and we are confident that his expertise and passion for service will continue to drive the success of our operations,” said Green.
“These experienced leaders have a depth of knowledge of both our organization as well as the profession which has set us up for continued success and execution on our long-term strategic growth plan,” Green concluded.
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