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.