ABOUT FRONT RANGE FUNERAL DIRECTORS FOUNDER
When I embarked on my funeral career nearly 30 years ago, I could never have foreseen the dramatic transformations that would shape the industry into what it is today.
In April 1998, at the age of 14, I began my journey in this profession. Many were surprised by my early interest, which was initially sparked by a fascination with forensic pathology. My 8th-grade science teacher suggested an internship at a local funeral home, highlighting the opportunity to learn about anatomy and to determine if working around the deceased was a right fit for me.
I'm thankful for my parents' support during this time. My dad assisted me in creating resumes and cover letters and drove me to funeral homes throughout the Denver area. Despite initial surprises from many, one manager offered me a paid summer internship, which became the foundation of my career.
I started at Newcomer Family Funeral Home, assisting with viewings and rosaries, and eventually services. I even had the chance to lead services. Back then, Newcomer had a single location near Wadsworth on Colfax. John Wines, the manager who hired me, always treated me as a valued staff member and instilled the importance of attention to detail in guiding families through loss.
After high school, I successfully pursued aviation, later joined the Army, and subsequently worked as a law enforcement officer before returning to the funeral industry full-time. Upon returning, I joined the Holt family at Evergreen Funeral Home in Colorado Springs. There, I learned embalming and cremation from Jim Snell and Brian Allan. The Holts, who owned multiple funeral homes throughout southern Colorado and the western slope, taught me the importance of adapting to different demographics, and the significance of running a transparent and well-managed business from Bill Holt himself.
After three years, I moved back to Denver and worked with the Kamm family at All States All Veterans, and joined the Drinkwine family for many years. My decision to move away from the Drinkwine family, was one of the toughest choices I've ever made. I was not only leaving a family I had worked with and grown very close to over the years, I had also decided to leave the funeral industry entirely—or so I thought.
During my first week of no longer being a funeral director, Michael McGraw, the founder of Front Range Cremations & Burial Services, contacted me. He wondered if I would consult with his firm, primarily focusing on updating their website. After several meetings about potential website changes, Mike offered me the lead role at Front Range Cremations. I was given the freedom to treat the company as a blank canvas and rebuild it from the ground up.
As the new general manager of Front Range Cremations & Burial Services, I spearheaded the company's rebrand to Front Range Burial & Cremation. This transformation included two website redesigns and the implementation of new funeral management and decedent tracking software. as a result, Front Range Burial & Cremation has significantly grown the number of families served, from 52 in 2022, to 111 in 2023, and further to 160 in 2024.
As Front Range Burial & Cremation grew, I observed that we were serving significantly more families seeking services beyond simple direct cremation. This growth, while exciting for a small provider like Front Range Burial & Cremation, presented challenges. It became difficult to find trained and reliable staff for these expanded services, as well as a reasonably priced hearse available for hire. Another issue was the fluctuation in case numbers. Whenever I considered hiring additional staff, the case volume would decrease, making the extra help unnecessary. I often remarked to my colleagues, "We have trade services for embalming and cremations, so why not for funeral directors?" This thought kept recurring: "Why isn’t there a trade service for funeral directors?"
Charles Dudley Warner, who is the author of my favorite quote, wrote, “Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” As that saying relates to the topic at hand, I decided to take action.
With this idea in mind, in April of 2024, I spoke with Mike from Front Range Burial & Cremations about my plans to launch a new company called Front Range Funeral Directors. Given my lifelong connection to Colorado’s front range, the name has always resonated with me. Mike agreed that Front Range Funeral Directors would operate independently of Front Range Burial & Cremation and he kindly supported my concept.
After securing my colleague's support, I faced two main hurdles. First, I needed to find an affordable, modern funeral coach. Second, and more importantly, I had to determine whether the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies would permit me to operate this type of business, given the changes to Colorado Funeral Laws and regulations.
Fortunately, locating an affordable, modern funeral coach wasn't as difficult as I thought. After a week of online searching, I discovered a stunning 2013 Cadillac, Federal Heritage Funeral Coach. This hearse was not only affordable but also the most unique funeral car I had ever encountered. I immediately knew it was the perfect fit. My teenage son and I then embarked on an unforgettable road trip, driving this beautiful car back to Colorado from Ohio.
Although the search for a suitable funeral coach was successful, uncertainty remained regarding the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) approval for the business model. Following the submission of the state application to become a funeral provider, approximately nine weeks elapsed before a response was received.
Contrary to the expectation of a straightforward approval or denial, DORA's reply was cautiously optimistic. While immediate operation was not approved, they expressed interest in the business plan and concept. After a seven-month period involving correspondence and a final review conference call with the leaders of DORA’s Funeral and Mortuary Science Services Division, Front Range Funeral Directors was granted the authorization to operate in Colorado.