Irwin Maltz shares the story of how the passing of his father gave him, his three brothers and their families the inspiration to turn a family tragedy into a growing business.

They say that every dark cloud has a silver lining…in our case it had a paper one!

My brothers and I, along with our mother, wives and children, lost our beloved father, Bernard Maltz, in November of 2006 after a long, tough battle with cancer. O ur father always instilled in us the power of family and to always look for the good; for the “silver lining”.  When he passed away we planned to sit Shiva at my Long Island home.  Being brought up with a strong Jewish background, my brothers and I wanted to do everything “kosher” and prepare the house for a proper and respectful mourning period.

For those not familiar with the customs of the Jewish religion, when a parent, sibling or spouse passes away there are traditions to be observed, one of which is the sitting of Shiva, a week-long formal mourning period.  During this time, it is customary that all of the mirrors in the Shiva home be covered.

Our entire immediate family gathered in my home, looked around at my mirrored walls, and faced a dilemma; how do we respect Jewish tradition and cover all of these mirrors?  My wife, who keeps an impeccable home, shuddered at the thought of messy glass wax to cover the mirrors.  The walls were too large to cover with sheets, and we didn’t know what to do.  It was at this time that one of my sister in laws suggested using paper shades, similar to the self-adhesive ones that builders or interior designers would use as temporary shades to cover the mirrors.

Well, anything was worth a try.  We adapted these shades to fit our need.  Their ease of use, with adhesive tape and adjustable sizing were just what were needed to solve the mirror problem.  We were able to cut the shades, or place them side by side, according to the size of the mirror.  We used clips to shorten the shades as needed.  All of the mirrors in my home were covered in less than fifteen minutes.

During that extremely sad and difficult week, the many friends, relatives and rabbis who came to offer their condolence, would complement us on the elegant way that we covered the mirrors.  On more than one occasion, people commented on our “shiva shades”.  They were a simple yet stylish solution, which enabled us to adhere to our Jewish customs.  One evening while sitting with our immediate family and reflecting on the day, the topic of “shiva shades” came up.  Suddenly, someone said, ”why use a schmata when you can use a shiva shade?”  Laughter broke across the table for the first time in many days. We started talking; if our family had a problem covering the mirrors, many other Jewish families must as well.  At such a difficult time when a family is mourning, this simple creation can make setting up the Shiva house less stressful and easier.

The next morning, we started to talk about taking our idea to the next step and going into business.  ShivaShade Inc. was born.  We started talking to funeral homes and synagogues in our area to see if they would be interested in offering ShivaShades to those individuals that they knew who were in mourning.  Quickly, we began to get orders for our product. We have also started attending funeral director and bereavement conventions.  For my brothers and I, The ShivaShade business has become our passion – allowing us to keep our father’s memory alive.

In the months since our father has passed, our business has grown exponentially. We have Rabbis and funeral homes distributing our products as far away as California.  We have also discovered new markets, learning that many other cultures share in the tradition of covering the mirrors in a time of mourning.

ShivaShade, Inc.will be attending the next New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association Convention in September 2007 and National Funeral Director’s Association Convention in October 2007.  Until then, you can find out more about Shiva Shade by visiting our website at http://www.shivashade.com/, or by calling 516-665-8323 .  You may place an order by contacting your local funeral home, synagogue or online at our website.  

From day one, this has been a family run business – with each of us lending our talents to help get the business off of the ground.  One grandson developed the Web site, while another grandson developed the logo.  A granddaughter took the photos demonstrating how the ShivaShades were to be hung, which are now seen on our Internet site.

My brothers and I created ShivaShade, Inc. in memory of our beloved father, Bernard Maltz.  We are a family owned and operated company, with three generations involved in the production, distribution and marketing of our product.  Shiva Shade is the “paper” lining to our dark cloud, and we know that our father is looking down on us with pride.

One of our newest friends, Deborah Ross of Remembrance Reproductions, has created a new, patent-pending product:

This is the Legacy Board in blue.  The rectangle sections are open to the background.  A sturdy base board offers space to glue, tape or temporarily attach a photograph.  The front framing spaces (the foreground) lays over the photos and give the inpression of a hand-scrapbooked memory board.

Deborah’s boards wholesale for less than $60 a board, making this a viable, timesaving product for your clients.

Check out her site at www.remembrancereproductions.com.

Our booth neighbors, Roadside Memory, have just improved their product.  Utilizing an extremely precise laser, they etch a photo and other relevant info onto a powder-coated aluminum temporary marker.

These are great markers and are a wonderful alternative to the typed temporary marker that most funeral homes use.

Check them out at www.RoadsideMemory.com and look for my video interview with Gary of Roadside Memory in the next few days.

This interview is part of the series, 45 Exhibitors in 45 Days, which highlights companies which are exhibiting at the NFDA Convention in Las Vegas.

FINAL EMBRACE:  My guest today is Dirk Jaekel of Pictures in Motion.  Tell me, Dirk, what does Pictures in Motion do?

DIRK:  We specialize in creating professional DVD photo tributes.

FE:  What is your product’s best feature?DIRK:  Our attention to detail and uniqe creativity is our best feature. We color-correct all photos, fix scratches and blemishes, remove dust and add special effects and backgrounds to enhance our productions.

FE:  What makes Pictures in Motion unique?

DIRK:  Our graphic artists use several different software programs to create the highest quality productions.

FE:  What is the advantage to working with Pictures in Motion?

DIRK:  Our hours of operation are 24/7 with a guaranteed turn around time of 12-24 hours with no contracts and no minimums…”We do the work, you get the recognition.”

FE:  Why are you attending the NFDA Convention this year?DIRK:  We have been attending for the past 5 years….it’s a great way to meet potential new clients and bench mark ourselves against our competition.

FE:  I know our readers are always looking for great memory-makers like your videos.  How can they reach you?

DIRK:  You can call us at 1-866-767-8770, e-mail us at sales@picturesinmotion.com or visit us at http://www.picturesinmotion.com/.

(click the picture for a larger view)

NFDA Convention Exhibitor 24k Rose Co. is reaching out to convention attendees ahead of the big show with a postcard that describes their great product.

We’ve already featured 24 Karat Rose in our series, 45 Exhibitors in 45 Days.  You can read their profile and other articles about the company here.

Special thanks to Greg from 24 Karat Rose for sharing this with us!

The following interview is part of our continuing series, 45 Exhibitors in 45 Days, which highlights some of the vendors who will be showing their wares at the upcoming NFDA Convention in Las Vegas.

FINAL EMBRACE:  Susan, tell us a little about United Priority Distributors.

SUSAN:  We offer a wide variety of cremation urns and keepsakes.  We manufacture unique products like our Keepsake Rosary Urns, Boy Scouts of America exclusive urn line and Music Box Urns.  We also have a full line of plush Teddy Bears, the largest selection of jewelry and more.

FE:  And why are you attending the NFDA Convention?

SUSAN:  We are so excited to attend this year, as it is actually our first NFDA show.  And since the last ICCFA show we attended in March, we acquired the BSA license, the Log Cabin urn, the wood pendants and more.

FE:  Are you going to have a convention special or be giving away a prize?

SUSAN:  Yes, we are giving away 350 Blue Spruce Tress, and a drawing for a BSA Urn.

FE:  Where is UPD located?

SUSAN:  We are located just 10 minutes from the Sequoia National Park and reside in a small town called Three Rivers.  Thousands of visitors pass through 3 Rivers, every year.  We love living here and really have made this place our own in just 3 short years.  We like to say “ From the smallest seed grows the largest tree, and we still growing!”  That’s us, a small family business.

FE:  How can our readers find you?

SUSAN:  Best way to contact us, is to go to http://www.unitedurns.com, but our phone number is 888-445-4449.

FE:  I look forward to meeting you in Vegas!

SUSAN:  Me, too!

I’ve been putting together a list of people I want to meet when I get to Vegas for the NFDA Convention.

I added another name to the growing list after talking to Toni Noel, owner of A Touch from Beyond.

I’ll be interviewing Toni at the NFDA Convention, but until then, one of her associates replied to our email with the following facts about their product.  This is profile #15 in our feature, 45 Exhibitors in 45 Days.

A Touch from Beyond sells a genre of touching cards with a powerful impact which will be sent to loved ones of the client upon his or her passing.

This product is unique because of the personalization of the preplanning package in which the client simply chooses from a wide variety of cards to send and creates a list of the loved ones who will receive the product. A Touch from Beyond also adds you logo to the back of each card, thus establishing a client connection with the next generation and initiating a family tradition of dealing with you in this time of life.

The products best feature is the quality of the cards that are sent and also the beautiful verses that are embellished on each card to deliver that final message.

The reason A Touch from Beyond is exhibiting at the national convention is to offer our cards to funeral home owners and funeral directors for their preplanning marketing.Your readers can reach A Touch from Beyond by calling 888-32CARDS or by accessing the website www.atouchfrombeyond.com.

While checking out other funeral-related sites (In Repose, Life in the Garden, Embalmed to the Max) I often read about products or people I haven’t seen or met yet.

One of those people is Nancy Brown of Louisville, Kentucky.  Nancy creates interesting pet urns, with most designs based upon specific attributes of the animal being commemorated.

After browsing the website for her company, Spirit Remains, I knew I had to chat with this woman.  here’s the interview I conducted:

FINAL EMBRACE:  A lot of businesspeople start selling a product because they have a specific need. Can you share with our readers the life event that started Spirit Remains?

NANCY:  The idea to create custom pet urns evolved after the death of my yellow Lab, Suzie, in August of ‘05.  Her ashes came from the vet in a very nice, black, wooden urn that had a tassel on the top.  I kept the urn in a room out of sight, but that didn’t seem right.  I decided to make an urn for her ashes that was more uplifting and more about the way I wanted to remember her.  I wanted something whimsical and light-hearted that wouldn’t depress me to look at.  Then when I lost my job and had a lot of free time, I started making other urns, thinking that other pet lovers might appreciate something similar.  Then I built a website to show people what I was making.

FE:  What has been the reaction from customers?

NANCY:  From what they’ve said to me, my customers have been delighted with what I’ve created for their pets.  Several have offered to help me market them; and I know some who have passed along information to other pet lovers and pet service organizations.  One woman in Phoenix seems determined to get me as much business as she can.  I’ve received e-mails with some really nice comments from my customers which I’ve posted on the Quotes page of my website.

FE:  What is your most popular creation?

NANCY:  I have software that allows me to see what pages people gravitate to, and the ones most viewed are the Cat looking at a cardinal in tree, the Dog with tennis balls, and the Dog in bed.  There seem to be more requests for dogs in beds than anything else.

FE:  How do you find customers?

NANCY:  I’ve been working on optimizing my website lately to try to get more business from the Internet.  And I’ve gone to veterinarians and left binders with photos and information for them to show their customers. I’ve donated urns to animal organization fund raisers and I was in a local arts and crafts show. 

I wrote to a journalist for the business section of our local newspaper and asked him to check out my website.  He did and then set up an interview which produced a very nice article and brought me some good local business.

I also heard from some non-profit places after that article and several people wanted to help me and asked for nothing in return.  I was also offered a place to display urns at an animal shelter.  And a funeral director bought an urn to display in her establishment; she has since gotten an order for me, too.  I hand out business cards when I feel it’s appropriate. 

I’ve advertised in the New York Dog and the Hollywood Dog and have gotten a few customers that way.  My brother is in the sign business and he made me two signs to advertise the business on the sides of my car.  I’m in the process of getting brochures designed and printed.

FE:  What is the most important concern you try to address when designing an urn?

NANCY:  I like for it to be balanced as far as the placement of the items, and I want it to be as close to what the person has requested as is possible.  And I like to add personal touches, such as taking a photo they’ve e-mailed me and shrinking it to fit in a tiny, tiny picture frame which I put on a table on the urn.  You almost need a magnifying glass to see the animal in the photo, but they’re very cute. 

When the customer requests it, I paint the figurine to resemble their pet.  I recently had to take a figurine of a greyhound and enlarge the head and change the ears and paint it to look like a mixed breed dog that looked like a Staffordshire bull terrier with long legs.

FE:  Do you sell through funeral homes or veterinarians?

NANCY:  Yes, I do sell through funeral homes and veterinarians, as well as through other websites.

FE:  How can funeral professionals and veterinary professionals better serve your customers?

NANCY:  I don’t think a lot of people know that some funeral homes handle pet cremations, urns, and burials.  And it might be worthwhile to start handling them if they don’t already.  I’m not sure how to get the word out there, but with all the pet lovers out there, they ought find a way to tell people. 

And I get lots of people coming to my website by doing searches on putting a pet to sleep or cremation or how to put the pet’s ashes in the urn. I think there’s a lot of ignorance about cremation and that sometimes brings fear.  Educating people would help a lot.

FE:  Anything to add that our readers (funeral professionals) should know?

NANCY:  Part of the problem that I have is timing.  I don’t want to tell someone about my urns right after their pet has died.  I’ve gone through that myself many times and I wasn’t thinking about what to do with the ashes and I didn’t want to think about that either. 

Telling people while they’re out with their healthy pets is not received very well either.  No one wants to think about losing their pet.  So one thing they can do is make people aware that Spirit Remains offers custom pet urns when they’re ready to deal with it.  From experience I’ve found that when the customer helps with designing the urn it actually helps the grieving process and also helps them focus on doing something positive. 

The other thing funeral directors can do is ask for a binder to show customers, or buy an urn to display.

FE:  Nancy, thanks for letting us interview you on Final Embrace!

NANCY:  Thanks for the chat!

The following interview with Dan Greene of Info on Hold is #13 in our series 45 Exhibitors in 45 Days.

Dan was one of the exhibitors we met at the IFDF Convention, so it was nice to chat with him again.

FINAL EMBRACE:  Dan, we met at the IFDF Convention in June, didn’t we?

DAN:  Yes, we did.  And we started reading Final Embrace right after that.

FE:  Good to know we created some buzz there.  Why don’t you tell our readers what Info On Hold can do for the funeral industry?

DAN:  We provide on hold telephone messages and music when Funeral Homes place families on hold.

FE:  And what makes Info On Hold better than similar companies?

DAN:  Our owners come from a funeral background so while we produce on-hold messages and music for any business, we specialize in funeral homes.  (Editor’s note:  you can hear a sample of their work by clicking here.)

FE:  What is the best feature of your service?

DAN:  The dignity and delivery of the messages and music.  This industry requires a respectful message delivered in a dignified manner.  We have superior talent to accomplish this.  Our music is second to none.

FE:  Why are you attending the convention this year?

DAN:  To meet and talk to funeral homes about our product.  To show them why we stand alone in the on-hold message and music industry.

FE:  What special are you offering to convention attendees this year?

DAN:  We are offering a handsome discount if you sign up at the convention.  You do not pay us until the equipment and CD’s are delivered!

FE:  Where are you located?

DAN:  We’re in Athens, Georgia.

FE:  It was nice catching back up with you.  How can Final Embrace readers contact you?

DAN:  They can call us at 800-849-9098 or email us at Infohold@aol.com.  Or visit our website at www.greenecommunication.com.

FE:  Great! See you Vegas!

I’ve just had the most exciting conversation with Mike with Universal Technologies.  This interview is #12 in our series, 45 Exhibitors in 45 Days.

FINAL EMBRACE:  Mike, the name, Universal Technologies is kinda confusing.  What does your company do?

MIKE:  We provide Custom Website Development and the Expressions Tribute Obituary System.

FE:  And how is your company different?

MIKE:  Universal Technologies offers the highest quality for the best price.

FE:  Don’t take this the wrong way, Mike, but lot’s of companies claim the same thing.  What sets Universal Technologies apart?

MIKE:  Our “Expressions Funeral Resource Center” offers a patented obituary system unlike anything ever brought to the market before.

FE:  Why are you attending the convention this year?

MIKE:  We’ve been working on this for years, and it’s finally time to officially launch the new “Expressions Funeral Resource Center” Obituary System nationwide.

FE:  Are you offering a “convention special” to attendees?

MIKE:  The “Expressions Funeral Resource Obituary System will be offered absolutely FREE to any funeral home in the country who wishes to use it.  And that’s any funeral home, not just those who attend the convention.

FE:  That sounds great.  How can Final Embrace readers contact you?

MIKE:  The can call toll free telephone at: 866.941.1919, or they can email: mmoore@universaltechnologiesinc.com.

After the interview, Mike sent me a presentation about the new “Expressions Funeral Resource Obituary System” and I was blown away.  We’ll be highlighting the product here very soon.  In the meantime, check out their website!