For Christie Toson, president and CEO of The Tribute Companies, the cemetery business has never been about simply waiting for families to need its services, she told CemeteryVision.com.
It has always been about creating reasons for them to engage with the cemetery before a death occurs.
That philosophy dates back to 1973, when Toson’s father, William R. Toson, founded the company as a sales and consulting business focused on helping cemeteries develop their preneed programs, CemeteryVision.com reported.
“He started The Tribute Companies in 1973 as a sales and consulting business because he saw the need for there to be a lot more help on the preneed side of the cemetery world,” Toson said.
More than five decades later, preneed remains central to the company’s philosophy.
“Our perspective as a company is that preneed is everything,” Toson said. “Without that preneed business, we have nothing.”
But The Tribute Companies has evolved considerably since its founding. The Wisconsin-based company eventually expanded into precast concrete, architecture, construction and cemetery ownership. It now owns and operates four cemeteries while maintaining business divisions serving the broader cemetery industry.
Toson’s story — from a somewhat reluctant family-business participant to CEO of a multifaceted deathcare company — offers lessons for funeral homes and cemeteries alike about preneed, diversification, innovation and preparing for the future.
Read the full story of Christie Toson and The Tribute Companies on CemeteryVision.com.
