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Manager Management

Location:
Nine Mile Falls, WA, 99026
Posted:
March 09, 2010

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Resume:

Charles S. "Chuck" Wetmore

**** *. ******* ******, **** Mile Falls, WA 99026 509-***-****

( abnaek@r.postjobfree.com

Career

Highlights Helped increase trust funds under management by over $65

million.

Established cremation business sites in eight states for

national corporate companies.

Principal of small and large community based funeral

homes in corporate, partnership, and sole proprietorship

arrangements.

Developed direct market home service models for marketing

pre-need senior life insurance products.

Qualification

s Over twenty years of funeral service experience, combined

with extensive pre-need insurance marketing and agency

building knowledge has provided me with exceptional

attributes for corporate development, merger/acquisition,

operations, and marketing positions.

Work History Corporate Development

Smart Cremation January 2009 - November 2009

Redmond, WA

Director of Corporate Development and Compliance

Responsible for all aspects of new location development.

Successfully established fully-operational cremation

locations in Washington, Oregon and California, which

included all aspects of property location, leasing, site

construction, building improvement, furnishings,

licensing and staffing.

All projects completed under budget and ahead of schedule

Developed ten new office locations within the first five

months of the company's first year of operation.

Completed extensive work towards establishing locations

in Arizona and Texas.

The Essential Planning Group November 2004 - January 2008

Beaverton, OR

Director of Client Relations & Corporate Development

Responsible for the comprehensive national marketing of

funeral and cemetery trust services to funeral homes,

cemeteries and state associations.

Marketing efforts increased the market value of funds

under management by over $65 million.

Helped the company expand from a regional provider of

trust services to a national company in three years.

Negotiated the collaboration of providing services for

three state association master trusts.

Neptune Society 2001 - 2004

Vice President of Corporate Development and At-Need

Operations

Responsible for nationwide company service operations.

Corporate management team member research and site

development of new company locations throughout the

United States, location policy review and procedures

implementation, research and development of strategic

marketing plans, liaison with regulatory boards and

agencies. At-Need Operation responsibilities general

supervision of fourteen at-need death care managers and

75 employees from Florida to the State of Washington (ten

states) including but not limited to budget, personnel,

inventories, legal and accounting, and daily operational

issues. Over 7000 families served annually.

Vice President of Operations 2000 - 2001

As Vice President of Washington Operations, I served as

the Regional General Manager of both the Spokane and

Seattle offices of the Neptune Society. Responsibilities

included the development of at-need and pre-need business

in the Pacific Northwest, as well as business expansion

and regional development for the Neptune Society.

Ownership and Managerial

Cremation Society of Washington 1995 - 2000

Spokane, WA

General Manager

As co-founder, co-owner, and general manager of the

Cremation Society of Washington, I created all office

procedures, established the pre-need insurance

department, developed marketing and public relations

formats, hired and directed staff, and was responsible

for all at-need business development. Over a period of

five years the business grew to 475 cases annually.

Goodwin Funeral Home 1990 - 1995

Manchester, NH

Vice President & Senior Staff Director

Responsible for at need services

Goodwin Funeral Home was one of Southern New Hampshire

largest non-denominational funeral homes providing

services to over 250 families annually. Duties included

general management of daily at-need business, supervision

of pre-need insurance sales, and at-need staff

operations.

National Western Life Insurance Co. 1987 - 1990

Regional General Agent Manager - Northeastern United

States

Responsible for preneed insurance sales development.

Responsibilities included the territorial development of

a regional five-state funeral pre-need insurance agency.

Marketing included the senior life "Burial" market with

"Modal" concepts emphasis. This position also included

the development of direct market "Home Service" lead and

referral programs for the senior market, and extensive

development of general agent recruiting, licensing, and

training concepts. In this position, as a liaison between

home office and the field force of general and personal

producing agents, I pioneered business in the

Northeastern United States previously undeveloped.

During the course of my professional career, I owned

three funeral homes in California and a funeral

home/floral shop in Pennsylvania.

Education Bachelors of Science, Business Administration

California Coast University, Santa Anna, CA

Associated Arts, Funeral Directing and Embalming

San Francisco College of Mortuary Science, San Francisco,

CA

Licenses &

Certification Currently licensed in California (Funeral

s Director/Embalmer,)

Colorado (Mortuary Science Practitioner), Idaho (Resident

Mortician/Embalmer), Washington (Funeral

Director/Embalmer), and as Crematory Operator.

Funeral Director/Embalmer licensure in Pennsylvania is

currently in escrow.

Previously licensed in New Hampshire (Funeral

Director/Embalmer).

Previously held Life, Accident & Health Insurance license

in Idaho, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Washington.

Previously approved Enucleation Technician, Northern

California Transplant Bank, Pacific Medical Center,

University of California, San Francisco, CA.

Awards Awards Received

Received &

Memberships Executive of the Year (1996), Associated Cremation

Societies of America

National Excellence Award (1997), Associated Cremation

Societies of America

Memberships

Past Chairman and Board Member, Washington State Board of

Funeral Directors and Embalmers, appointed by the

Governor of Washington

Member, Spokane Masonic Lodge # 34 F & AM

Member, Spokane Scottish Rite Consistory

Member, Spokane York Rite Bodies

Member, Spokane Lodge # 228 B.P.O.E. (Elks), Spokane, WA

Member, El Katif Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S. (Shrine), Spokane,

WA

Narrative Summary of Experience

I have devoted a majority of my professional life to management,

supervision and business-building endeavors. Although my original intention

was to obtain an undergraduate degree to teach music in high school, I

found myself living and working in a funeral home in order to pay for my

college expenses. I was attracted to the opportunity to assist people

during one of their most vulnerable times as well as the technical aspects

of embalming and funeral directing, which eventually led me to enroll in

the funeral education program at the San Francisco College of Mortuary

Science.

Studying Mortuary Science provided me with a strong academic base in

Anatomy, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pathology and embalming

science (embalming science draws heavily from anatomy and biochemistry

sciences). Additionally, the program required management and accounting

classes, which helped provide the needed foundation for my undergraduate

degree in business administration.

Owning and operating a funeral home requires a unique blend of management

expertise, technical applied science and the ability to know, understand

and care for those who have experienced deep loss in their lives. I

believe my career as an owner and entrepreneur has enhanced my ability to

direct, oversee, and monitor the daily operations of a business, which

included managing people. Additionally, my experience as a funeral

director and embalmer has provided me with a technical understanding of

many complex subjects and the ability to research, interpret, and promote

such findings.

As a funeral director, one must "take command of the situation," educate,

plan and effectively manage the many details surrounding a deceased's final

disposition. This is often completed within specific time constraints and

must be carried out simultaneously for multiple families. The funeral home

is an ideal training ground for a successful management career. Funeral

Directors are active leaders in their community, are adept at promoting

their profession and business and are highly organized.

I later utilized these essential skills as Director of Corporate

Development and Vice President of at-need services for a large national

cremation provider based in Los Angeles. My duties included the management

and direct supervision of 14 separate location managers and over 45

employees serving 7000 families annually from Florida to California. I was

responsible for hiring and terminating employees, administering staff

evaluations, and developing performance plans to emphasize the company's

goals and objectives. Additionally, my corporate development

responsibilities included the establishment of 9 new offices for the

company in five years.

The marketing and sale of prearranged funeral and cremation services has

recently become a major part of funeral home operations. As a regional

general agent manager for National Western Life Insurance Company, I

developed a five-state regional senior life insurance sales agency

specializing in the funding of prearranged funeral plans. This marketing

endeavor included the management of 104 sales agencies extending from Maine

to West Virginia.

My experience with promotion, marketing and client services increased

significantly when I accepted a position as Director of Client Services and

Corporate Development for a regional funeral and cemetery trust

administration company in Portland, Oregon. This position included the

comprehensive national marketing of funeral and cemetery trust services to

funeral homes, cemeteries and state funeral director associations. In three

years, Charter Management Associates, which has been rebranded as "The

Essential Planning Group," expanded from a regional provider of trust

services to a national company-serving three state funeral association

master trusts with an increased market value of over $65 million. My

position required extensive knowledge of local, state, and federal statutes

and regulations, frequent interaction with numerous state regulatory

agencies and a comprehensive knowledge of financial trust agreements

(Declarations of Trust, Trust Agreements, Investment Management Agreements,

and industry-specific documents (Association Agreements, Firm Agreements,

etc.). As part of the management team at Charter Management I was active in

planning and forecasting the company's annual expansion, departmental

budgeting and assessing new areas of business development. Another

essential component of my job was to approach state associations and offer

our services. This included initial promotion and marketing our trust

administration, making presentations and submitting to boards and other

committees, which often resulted in the negotiation of participation

agreements. I frequently engaged in discussions and consultations with

trust officers, attorneys, investment managers and administrators. In an

effort to provide continued support to association's clients, I would

frequently provide status reports in written form and educational and

training presentations at conventions, association board meetings and state

regulatory board assemblies. Additionally, I provided state regulatory-

sanctioned continuing educations seminars to industry professionals for

credit towards their licensure renewal.

As Director of Corporate Development and Compliance at Smart Cremation, I

was required to formulate strategic goals, develop procedures and expand

the company's location footprint in three states at an accelerated pace. I

was responsible for completing all aspects of establishing fully-functional

locations which included identifying appropriate sites and building space,

negotiating a favorable lease agreement, satisfying all zoning

requirements, obtaining all mandatory use permits, ensuring compliance with

local and state regulations, designing the floor plan,, purchasing

furniture and determining placement, selecting signage, negotiating

maintenance contracts, coordinating telephone and IT installation, and

purchasing office equipment and supplies. I established 10 new company

locations in the first five months of 2009. I consistently accomplished my

objective of completing every project in on time and under budget.

Although I consistently and successfully accomplished the tasks that have

been placed before me, I continually strive to exceed my personal

expectations, which are more stringent than any company has required. I

believe that "team work" is vital for success and that a collaborative

contribution of ideas, solutions and perspectives are essential for

effective management of any division or group.

I have learned that the best way to achieve success is to motivate staff

with well-defined objectives and empowerment.

My management philosophy is based upon integrity, quality, and service,

provided with a positive attitude, an aptitude for strategic thought and

planning, and the ability to adapt quickly to new ideas and situations.

This philosophy has allowed me to achieve consistent and significant

success. My resume illustrates my experience and training, but it cannot

communicate my dedication and commitment.



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