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Family vs. Corporate Owned Funeral Homes
Is There a Difference Between family-owned and corporate-owned funeral homes?
Yes! The first thing you should do when you are dealing with a funeral home is ask the question. After all, we think it is important to find out if the firm you are using has an investment in your local community or is answerable to some far away board of directors.
As a family owned and operated funeral home we believe there are benefits in choosing our services in comparison to a large corporate chain, international funeral service or conglomerate. Some of the benefits are:
- Because this is our family business we take personal pride in all that we do for you. Corporate owned funeral homes are answerable to a board of directors who in many cases are located outside the country and they in turn are answerable to investors or shareholders whose primary objective is to make a good return on their invested dollars.
- We spend a lot of time working with our staff talking about issues of integrity, trust and other important values. Our attention is devoted to making our funeral home one of the best in Scarborough. Not the biggest, but the best, providing the most excellent service possible to satisfy your needs. Because we are family owned we think it makes us more flexible, more responsive to your needs because you are our neighbour.
- Our primary focus is you not profits. Like any business we need to make a profit in order to exist as a business. We don't have staff that focus on meeting selling quotas in order to be eligible for quarterly bonuses. We are answerable to you, your needs. We don't have pressure from corporate headquarters to increase our profits but rather we understand that our local community business will do well when you are provided with services that you believe have value and you were charged fairly without any pressure.
- We have been in the Scarborough community for over 60 years and we want to be around for many more years providing you with the types of funeral products and services that are meaningful and appreciated by you. We understand the importance of building a long-term relationship with you and your family so that you will return to us in the future. The Ogden Funeral Home has a long-term commitment to the Scarborough community along with the various businesses that we partner with to be able to meet your needs.
- Often family businesses that have been acquired by larger chains will keep the family name on the sign and it is only if you ask or examine the fine print below the family name or on the funeral service contract will you see who is the real owner of the operation. Don't be fooled by the name on the door.
- We have numerous individuals on staff from many different cultural backgrounds working with us to have an understanding of your customs and religious practices. Without such, any business, including funeral homes, may have staff and management associated with them, providing operational direction without fully having an awareness of the needs of the community that they serve.
- The profits from the Ogden Funeral Home stay in Scarborough and are returned into the business to allow us to continue to grow and improve our facilities, services and products to look after your personal family needs. And also, when we need work to be done in association with our business we support local businesses by hiring them to work with us.
- Like most services and products that you and we purchase, it is nice to know the people you are dealing within the company. Its nice to know the owners of the company and what they stand for as a company. As a family owned business we feel the same way.
- When the funeral is over and everyone has gone home, we are still here for you. It's nice to know there are still people around that you can turn to for help if needed. Our staff are committed to just such assistance. We connect with every family we serve after the funeral has been completed and meet to provide you with a concrete plan of action addressing various things that must be looked after following the death of an individual. We will help with the completion of documents and their submission and when we don't know the answer to your questions we will find out and point you in the right direction to get the help and assistance you need. If you are having problems coping with the loss our aftercare counsellors will get you connected to various local help agencies or organizations to assist you through this difficult time.
