We are pleased to continue our series of Sponsor Spotlight articles in which we profile from time to time a different CFSA member company that has chosen to sponsor a program or activity. CFSA is very fortunate to have many generous companies that financially support the association during the year, and this is an opportunity for us to thank them and to profile their company for the entire membership.
We continue the series this month with Behalt Casket Company, a relatively new sponsor of CFSA events. Here are the responses we received from Behalt’s president, Ray Yoder, Jr.
When did your company first join CFSA, and what do you value most about your membership?
We joined CFSA in 2010. What really benefits us the most is the information on all of the funeral homes throughout the U.S. that we obtain through the CFSA Credit Guide program. This helps us learn if a particular funeral home pays within terms, pays over 60 days, or indicates to us that we should only proceed on a COD basis. We feel the best way to keep strong relationships in the industry is to go after “prompt pay” accounts and leave the bad accounts alone. We also benefit from meeting other suppliers once a year at CFSA’s Fall Conference & Trade Show, to share information on what’s going on in the industry.
Why has your company become a sponsor of the association?
We want to show our support to the Association, and it also helps to get our name out to the other suppliers.
Tell us a little about your company.
We are a family-owned business that started building furniture in 1999. We build furniture and furniture parts for stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 2008, Spidell Funeral Home, with locations in Mount Eaton and Brewster, Ohio, approached us about building caskets, and that is how Behalt Casket got started. Scott Spidell and I have been friends for 25 years, and I currently am helping him do some home removals and have been for the last 20 years. So, building caskets seemed like a good thing to get into. Scott was kind enough to have representatives from five local funeral homes visit our facility in Dundee, Ohio, and they offered good advice on what they would like to see as far as quality, design, and service. My local funeral homes have been very loyal to me and have been very instrumental in the growth of our company, which we greatly appreciate.
We also build custom caskets to fit the families’ needs, be it in color or size, to give them what they felt their loved ones who have passed would have requested for themselves.
In January of 2014, we hired Ned Spangler to work in sales and be our “face” to the funeral homes. This has helped us to grow at a manageable rate, and makes it possible to continue to give our customers the quality and service they have come to expect from Behalt Caskets LLC. We feel that Ned gives us exactly what we were looking for, as we wanted someone to represent us with integrity, morals, and honesty. We strongly feel we should take Christ’s words to heart and let our light shine before men so they can see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16.
Who should other CFSA members contact if they want to know more about your company?
Please feel free to contact Ned Spangler at 330-241-3365 or call our factory at 330-359-3216 and talk to Miriam Miller. I’ll also be glad to take any calls, if I am available, at the factory number.
