Member Spotlight Member Spotlight What does your funeral home do in order to create a strong community presence? Do you believe that this is important? This presence is key to my operation. I realized a long time ago that advertisements are not always read by the community. Being in the community that you serve is very important. It’s about showing you care! In what ways do you use technology to further the services you offer? More recently live streaming has been added to our service abilities. That is now and will continue to be something we do for each family we serve. What growing trends have you noticed in the funeral service profession? How do you keep up with these changes? Cremation has and will continue to be part of our industry. The options for services have exploded in this area and will continue to grow over the years. Keeping up with all the trends around cremation has been my greatest focus. A glass hearse at Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home & Crematory in Yankton, S.D. (OGR Photo / Nancy Weil) Keeping up with cremation has been easier with my membership. Is there anything in particular that you do at work to keep your spirits high or the spirits of your staff high? Staff meetings help every month. Allowing staff to share their experience at home and at work. Cards, letters and positive reviews that the staff has done for our families have been wonderful. What are three future goals that you have in mind for your funeral home? 1. Continue expanding our area of service. 2. Educate our communities regarding death. 3. Help the staff be as comfortable as they can be helping those with questions about their future. Kevin Opsahl, right, and his staff take part in OGR's "Conquering the Conversation" staff training at their facility in Yankton, S.D. (OGR Photo / Nancy Weil) What do you value most about OGR? Why did you become a member? I became a member of OGR to be part of the best funeral service providers I could find. My funeral home would not be in the position it is today without the members of OGR and the programming it has to offer. Kevin is an OGR past president (201011), and served on the Board of Directors overall from 2005 - 2012. A licensed funeral director since 1984, Kevin worked at several different funeral homes before moving to Yankton in 1991 and joining the Kostel Funeral Home. He eventually purchased the business from Laddie and Pam Kostel in 1998. Kevin obtained his Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) designation on May 15, 2011. You can email him at Kevin@OKFHC.com. www.ogr.org | The Independent® 13
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