IFDG has concluded its continuing education meetings for 2015.
Visit our 2016 Events and Meetings to save the dates!
Event details & registration forms/information is available too!
IFDG's Call for 2016 Continuing Education Presentation Submissions
For consideration, submissions should include the title, description and length of the presentation, as well as the speaker name and biography.
All documentation should be sent to info@ifdg.org.
Visit the drop down windows below for our Conference Exhibitors & Sponsors lists (click to open/collapse).
To visit an Exhibitor's website, click on their name.
Cloud Mortuary Services
Columbia Life Insurance Company
Crain MM Sales
Customer Care Specialists, LLC
Express Funeral Funding
Factory Direct Funeral Products
Georgia Cell and Tissue Diagnostic Center, Inc.
Georgia Clean and Associates
Georgia Funeral Service EXPO 2016
Homesteaders Life Company
My Memories Live
Olde South Casket Company
Partners Risk Services
Shields Southeast Sales
South Eastern Casket
The Dodge Company
Vantage Products Corporation
Ward's Transport Service, LLC
To visit a Sponsor's website, click on their name.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2015 CONFERENCE SPONSORS
Conference Sponsor
Conference Totes & Folders Sponsor
Umbrella Sponsor
Speaker Sponsors
Sunday Hospitality Sponsors
IFDG Welcome Reception in Honor of IFDG Past Presidents Sponsor
Taylor Funeral Homes
Monday Breakfast Sponsors
Monday Morning Break Sponsor
Monday Lunch Sponsor
Monday Afternoon Break Sponsor
Monday Hospitality Sponsor
Banquet Entertainment Sponsor - Joe Smothers
Tuesday Breakfast Sponsors
Tuesday Morning Break Sponsor
Platinum Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Ginn Funeral Home
Vantage Products Corporation
IFDG Partner Sponsors
Beggs Funeral Home
Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home, Inc.
The Paulk Funeral Home
THANK YOU TO OUR 2015 GOLF TOURNAMENT SPONSORS
Golf Tournament Awards Sponsor
Golf Tournament Lunch Sponsor
Golf Team Sponsors
Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, Inc.
Golf Hole Sponsors
Astral Industries
Bearden Funeral Home
Bill Head Funeral Homes and Crematory, Inc.
Ford Stewart Funeral Home - Horace Ford
Georgia Funeral Service EXPO 2016
Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, Inc.
Howard Funeral Home, LLC
Perry Funeral Chapel, Inc.
Pierce - Jason Thornhill
The Paulk Funeral Home
Photos from our 2015 Annual Conference can be found here.
As many of you know, our 20th Anniversary Summer conference was held at The Hyatt Regency in Savannah this past weekend. We had one of the largest gatherings in many years. Our event kicked off Sunday, September 20, 2015, with numerous golfers playing in the IFDG Golf Tournament. On Sunday evening we had our Past President’s Reception. We were able to honor each of our Past Presidents for their hard work and dedication to this association, and presented each of them with a Shadow Box Plaque 20th Anniversary Plate. If you are a Past President and did not make it, you missed out on a truly memorable event. Monday and Tuesday CE Hours drew a large crowd that seemed to really enjoy the speakers and Cremation Panel. We had a phenomenal time at the Banquet on Monday evening with lively fellowship, good food, and ample amounts of entertainment. Congratulations to Harold L. Reece, Jr. for receiving the 2015 President’s Award at the Banquet Monday evening. We gave away 2 Mortuary School Scholarships, and many great door prizes that consisted of IPADS, Fit BITS, Yeti Hoppers, Apple Watches, Droid Watches, Braves Tickets, a 32 Inch Flat Screen TV, and etc. We had a huge 50/50 money drawing that always creates an exciting atmosphere.
IFDG decided with this being our 20th Anniversary that we would take our Exhibits back to old school this year. We had a huge turnout of exhibitors who made sure that they went out of their way to help IFDG honor its 20th Anniversary. IFDG and its members are so grateful to you. We had an overwhelmingly great response on the way each of your booths looked and how it made everything better for the funeral director. It gave the funeral directors a chance to view your product without looking at a catalog.
As I look back on my 2 years as being President of IFDG I am forever grateful to my board that I served with, and my Executive Director, Christie Carpenter. Each of you will forever be a friend of mine. As I presented our IFDG Executive Director, Christie Carpenter, her award at the banquet I really can’t even describe to our members how dedicated and hard this young lady works for our Association. She has kept my head straight for two years, offered me advice when I needed it, and spent countless hours for days, nights, and weekends, working on the website, paperwork, emails, and whatever I needed to make my job as President go smoother. Christie, I appreciate you so very much. As I prepared myself a few days ago to release the ropes to my good friend and current President Rob Roberson I have nothing but a huge smile and a bitter sweet experience to remember for the rest of my life as I know I have left IFDG in good hands. I ask that each of you support Rob Roberson as your new President. Rob has helped me as Vice President for two years. We have made some difficult decisions for IFDG over the past few years, but he has always stood by me whether we were right or wrong. I am extremely lucky to have him as a friend. He will be an awesome President. I ask each of our members whether you are a Past President or just a member of our association if President Roberson ask you to be on a committee or help IFDG in any way to please do it. IFDG is your organization, and the board will only be as good as its members. I also would like to challenge the younger generation of funeral directors to step up to the plate, and be a board member. It is an experience you will treasure forever.
We would also like to announce that the ORGINAL 5th Joint Georgia Funeral Service Expo website has gone live. This fantastic event will be held on January 25-26, 2016 at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. All funeral directors and vendors may register online at www.georgiafuneralserviceexpo.org. We encourage every funeral director and vendor to come and support your two funeral organizations that are NON PROFIT. We will have 10 Hours of CE with a Full Trade Show. The expo will include speakers such as Mike Squires of “Southern Calls;” Walker Posey “The New Customer Experience & Tech Talk of Funeral Directors;” “Gavers Updates” by Donna Moore; and “Specialized Embalming and Restorative Techniques” by Vernie Fountain. You will not want to miss out on this event, so please make plans to attend.
The board would like to thank each of you for your membership and loyalty. We would like to personally invite you and encourage you to participate in any function or activity that we have this year. I also ask that you communicate with other funeral homes about IFDG. Encourage them to join our organization. By doing this, you will truly experience the networking with the funeral directors that IFDG has to offer. I guarantee that you will learn something, make friends for a lifetime, and have fun while doing it.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your 19th and 20th President of IFDG. I look forward to this upcoming year. May God Bless Each of You.
Richard Nathan Stanley, IV
IFDG Immediate Past President
Thank you to everyone who participated and attended our 2015 One Day Training, February 17 at the Central Georgia Convention Center in Forsyth, GA. While the inclement weather in North Georgia did have an impact on our attendance & even more pre-registered attendees had funeral business, we had an overall great turnout! It was a diverse group of funeral directors & vendors. We saw some old friends, made new ones, vendors made sales & everyone enjoyed themselves while learning important information for their business. Attendees received six (6) Hours of Approved Continuing Education. A special thank you to our all of speakers who traveled from across the state to provide excellent programs for our event! Thank you to Sam Gay with Gay's Foods for another delicious meal.
Visit the drop down windows below for our speakers & sponsors list.(click to open/collapse).
"Medicaid, Spend-Downs, Eligibility & Exclusions for Funeral Service Planning" presented by Toni Gay, Program Administrator for the Aged, Blind, Disabled Medicaid, Division of Family & Children Services, Georgia Department of Human Services
"It's a Small World After All: Emerging Infections Diseases and their Impact" presented by Cherie L. Drenzek, DVM, MS, State Epidemiologist, Director of Epidemiology Program, Division of Public Health Protection, Georgia Department of Public Health
"Ebola Outbreak in West Africa & Burial Practices from Sierra Leone to Your Funeral Home" presented by Seung Hee Lee-Kwan, Epidemic Intelligence Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
GAVERS Update & State Office of Vital Records from Michael Coombs, Regional Consultant, South East Region, State Office of Vital Records, Georgia Department of Public Health
Rules & Regulations Report from the Georgia Funeral Service Board
Attendees received 6 hours of Continuing Education approved by the Georgia Funeral Service Board
Thank you for the timely and informative presentations! Another job well done!
Great group of speakers, keep up the good work!
Thank you for providing knowledgeable speakers on the topics we all need to be thinking about and issues that can be confusing! Great job by all!
Great Programs! First time to attend but won't be the last!
Great job! Very interesting programs! I look forward to the next IFDG event!
Left to Right
Charlie Watts, IFDG Lobbyist; Brandon Malwitz, IFDG Lobbyist; Jason Holt, IFDG Director, District VI; Jerry Taylor, IFDG 2nd Vice President & Secretary; Sid Ginn, IFDG Director, District I; Governor Nathan Deal; Ray Howard, IFDG District IV; Nathan Stanley, IFDG President; Amanda Lucas, IFDG Director, District V; Dan Reece, Matthews International Sales Representative; & Richard Stanley, IFDG Past President