CFSA Members to Vote on 2015-16 Board Candidates in November

CFSA’s Annual meeting will take place during the Fall Conference & Trade Show’s Business Meeting on Thursday, November 19, at the JW Marriott Indianapolis. Members will elect the 2015-16 Board of Directors and Officers. The Business Meeting is scheduled as a stand-alone session prior to the educational programs. In addition to the elections, the Treasurer’s Report and In Memoriam will be presented.

The Nominating Committee, with approval by the 2014-15 CFSA Board of Directors, recommends election of the following individuals to the Association’s 2015-16 Board of Directors:

 

OFFICERS

President
Peter Galletly

Tiedemann-Bevs Industries – Richmond, Indiana

Peter Galletly is Executive Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of Tiedemann-Bevs Industries, Inc., located in Richmond, Indiana. Tiedemann has been a supplier of casket textiles since the 1860’s, and Bev’s Threads, a supplier of manufactured sewn parts and notions, has served the casket Industry since 1985. The two companies merged in 2008 under the ownership of Bob and Pete Galletly, both third-generation in the industry. Pete graduated with a business degree from Nasson College, has been a previous CFSA board member, was elected as Treasurer in 2013, Vice President in 2014, and has served on several for-profit company boards. His father, Robert C. Galletly, is a past winner of the CFSA Lifetime Recognition Award (2011), and his brother, Robert C. Galletly, Jr., is a CFSA Past President (1996-97). Pete currently is the Chairman of the Board of the New Hampton School, a nonprofit, grade 9-through-12 boarding school in central New Hampshire. He is married to Karen, and they have a daughter Leanne.

Vice President
Gerald (Jerry) Burchett

IVC Industrial Coatings – Brazil, Indiana

Jerry has worked for IVC Industrial Coatings for 21 years as a Sales and Technical Service Representative. Currently the National Sales Manager for the Casket Division, he has been in the coatings industry, both liquid and powder, for 33 years. Jerry previously served a three-year term on the Board, and was elected as Treasurer in 2014. He and his wife, Patti, have been married for 36 years and currently live in Nolensville, Tenn. They have two children. Their son Kale and his wife Amy have two children, Piper Kate and Annalee, and live in Cookeville, Tenn. Their daughter Katie and her husband Brian have two children, Brody and Anagail, and live in Nolensville, Tenn. Jerry and Patti enjoy spending time with the grandchildren, and relaxing at their farm. IVC Industrial Coatings was recently acquired by PPG Industries, and Jerry will continue in a similar employee role with PPG, which recently was approved for CFSA membership.

 

Treasurer

Rodney Robinson
Southern Craft Manufacturing Inc. – Loretto, Tennessee

Rodney is President of Southern Craft Manufacturing, founded in in Loretto, Tennessee in 1994 by he and his wife, Tina. He has been in the casket industry since 1981, beginning his career in Richmond, Indiana, with Wallace Metal Products. He and Tina live in Loretto, and recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Spending time during the summer with family in Michigan is a family tradition that has been ongoing for nearly 90 years. He and Tina have two children, Nichole and Leland. Leland works with Transportation for Southern Craft, and Nichole’s husband, Eric, heads up the daily operations at Southern Craft. Nichole and Eric have two children, Lane and Aubrey, who are often seen at CFSA functions. Rodney previously served a three-year term on the CFSA Board.

Immediate Past President
Tina Houck

Schuylkill Haven Casket Company -Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania

Tina Houck is President & General Manager of Schuylkill Haven Casket Co., a 96-year-old hardwood casket manufacturer located in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. She is the third generation of her family to hold the position. She has a Business Administration degree from Penn State University, and previously served three years on the CFSA board before becoming an officer. She was elected as Treasurer in 2012, Vice President in 2013, and President in 2014. Her father, Donald W. Houck, is a former CFSA President (1987-88) and winner of the CFSA Lifetime Recognition Award (2003). Tina lives in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania, with her fiancé, Fred Schwartz. According to CFSA’s bylaws, Tina now automatically moves to the officer position as Immediate Past President, and remains a voting member of the Board of Directors.

DIRECTORS

Pat Duckers
Artco & Milwaukee Casket Companies – Lenexa, Kansas

Pat Duckers is the Director of Sales for Artco and Milwaukee Casket Companies, with corporate headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. Artco and Milwaukee are the exclusive distributors of Matthews Casket Division caskets in eight upper Midwest states. Pat came to work for Artco and Milwaukee in 2004 after spending 20 years in the automotive industry. A lifelong resident of the Kansas City area, he graduated with honors from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, with a degree in Business Administration. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for the Matthews Children’s Foundation. Pat and his wife, Brenda, have two children: Steven, an officer in the United States Air Force, lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife Sonya and stepson Kevin; and, Melissa, who resides in Basehor, Kansas, with her husband Michael. An avid sports fan, Pat has been actively involved coaching youth basketball in the Kansas City area for over 30 years.

Dan Sauder
Sauder Funeral Products – Archbold, Ohio

Dan Sauder is part of the third generation at Sauder Woodworking Co., and is serving as the Executive Vice President of Engineering & New Markets.  Sauder Woodworking Co. is an 81 year-old, privately-held family business that was founded in 1934 by Erie Sauder (Dan’s grandfather).  The company’s core product line is RTA (Ready-to-Assemble) furniture sold at all of the major mass retailers in North America.  As part of the company’s effort to expand into new markets, in 2007 Sauder launched Sauder Funeral Products to bring fresh value to the market.  Sauder Funeral Products now produces and sells a line of low cost/high value burial and cremation caskets to distributors throughout North America.  All Sauder funeral products are made at the factory in Archbold, Ohio.  Dan oversees the funeral products division as well as the other new market of WoodTrac Building Products.  In addition to overseeing the new market businesses, Dan is in charge of the product engineering, R&D, and machine-building departments for the Sauder RTA furniture business.  Dan has a degree in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University in South Carolina, and has also obtained his Professional Engineering License in Manufacturing Engineering.  He has served on many different boards over the years, but this is his first involvement on the CFSA board.  Dan and his wife Ezzie live in Wauseon, Ohio, with their three children: Daniel, Andrew, and Elizabeth.

Justin Thacker
Thacker Caskets – Clinton, Maryland

Justin Thacker is the Director of Manufacturing Operations at Thacker Caskets, and has been with the company since graduating with Honors from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with a degree in Business and Finance.  As part of the Honors program, Justin defended a thesis on the changing death and memorialization trends in America.  While working for the company during his summer vacations and winter breaks while in school, Justin has worked at nearly every facet of the business at some point while growing up in the family business.  Since joining the company full time, Justin works by and large with, as he called it, Thacker’s “esteemed manufacturing team.”  Together, they work to consistently raise the bar regarding product quality and new product development.  While not at work, Justin enjoys spending time with his fiancée Katie, all sorts of watersports at the family lake house, hunting, working on cars, and fishing.

The CFSA 2015 Nominating Committee members were: Lou Tobia, Jr., Chair (CFSA Immediate Past President; New England Casket Company); Michael Fleming (Keith M. Merrick Company); Betsy VerPlank-Kerl (VerPlank Enterprises); Peter Galletly (Tiedemann-Bevs Industries); and, Alan Elder (Vandor Corporation).

Four CFSA Board members will be retiring on November 19th at the Fall Conference, as their terms will expire: Lou Tobia, Jr., (CFSA Immediate Past President; New England Casket Company); Betsy VerPlank-Kerl (VerPlank Enterprises); Peggy Rouzzo (Nomis Publications); and, Alain Dumont (Victoriaville Funeral Supplies). Director Shannon Robinson (Matthews International) recently resigned her Board position subsequent to Matthews’ acquisition of Aurora Casket Company, which then yielded two Board members from the same CFSA-member company (prohibited by our bylaws). Her unexpired one-year term will be filled by a new candidate to be selected by the nominating committee and voted on at the Fall Conference. Five Directors will continue on the 2015-16 Board: Jeanette Hiemstra (Keith M. Merrick Company); Steve Gadaleta (NorthStar Industries); Bill Jones (Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions); Jason Mims (Cherokee Casket Company); and, Terrill Vieth (Geneva Manufacturing Corporation). There are a total of 13 volunteer members of the CFSA Board of Directors.