Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Roberts
Hi Brandon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story begins in 2004 when I graduated from high school and “went straight to the funeral home” as I like to tell folks. I had always had an interest in funeral service but of course with the profession being something not your average Joe would pursue, I was afraid of what people would initially think. I realized rather quickly that if I wanted to pursue this profession, I needed to go on with it. So it was then that I expressed an interest in it to a local funeral director and was given a part time position helping on funerals, removals, and that sort of thing. I thought it wise to start part time to see if it would fit what I thought it would be rather than jumping right into mortuary college right away. I understood very quickly that this was the profession I wanted for my career and thus I took off and ran with it. Now in 2005, 21 fast-paced years later and at 39 years old, my current location is the fourth funeral home I have personally owned with my first being purchased in 2020.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Anyone who will ever tell you “it’s been a smooth ride” obviously has not been very well versed in their chosen path. There have been many struggles along the way for me. I think among the biggest struggles have been adapting to changing trends in funeral service that seem to occur on a near constant basis. When I first started, cremation for example was not nearly as big as it is today. Back then, 2 out of every 10 people were cremated. Today, the odds are reversed. 2 out of every 10 people are now traditional burial it seems. There have been a lot of changes in 21 years that I would have thought would’ve taken 75 years honestly. I would have never thought that I would have to contend with a cremation rate as high as it is today but here we are. It’s those constant changes that are tough because what worked yesterday, perhaps won’t work tomorrow. And what we did yesterday, is not what we are doing tomorrow. Time, the desire for an end of life ceremony, and a changing culture are all issues to contend with now and going forward whereas funeral directors in the past simply had to deal with “which casket do you want and what cemetery are we using?”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
It is a little known fact that today there are shortages of funeral directors. Therefore, it goes to say that families that had owned funeral homes in the past have had sons and daughters who have had little interest in the family business and have sold off the very business that has been in their family for perhaps 100 years or more to large corporations. I think one of the biggest things that sets us apart from other funeral homes is that we are locally and privately owned. When you come to us, you will meet “Mr. Roberts” and know exactly who you are dealing with and who you are supporting. Whereas in larger, corporate firms, even though a funeral home may bear someone’s last name, that establishment may have been owned by a corporation for 20 years or more. When you use our firm, you put bread on our tables. You don’t contribute to a board of director’s quarterly bonus. Another reason that sets us apart from other funeral homes is that we take our time. Whether it be through our work in our preparation room or through our work in the arrangement room. If you’re good enough to use our firm, we are good enough to spend time with you. There are a lot of choices out there for funeral homes and we are just glad that you have chosen us. I think one of the things that I want your readers to know about us is that we are good, hometown people. We are a full service funeral home and we are here to serve all people. Whether you have a bank in your billfold or a dollar to your name, we will figure something out. Not every gain is financial. Where the Lord guides, the Lord provides.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up in the mountains of Tennessee. Growing up in the mountains instilled a lot in me that I think is missing from a good many people today. I was raised at a time when if the church door was open, you needed to go or have a good reason not to go. Of course with my Daddy being the county sheriff and my Momma working in the courthouse, there wasn’t much you could do to get into trouble without them knowing it almost before you even did it. So I never was one to get into trouble or anything of the sort. I always had a good group of friends and grew up on a four wheeler. If you lived back in the mountains, you had to have a four wheeler. I’m pretty sure that was the 11th commandment, it just hasn’t been discovered yet. I always had an interest in trains and railroads which still holds true today. One of my most favorite vacations was getting on a train in Anchorage, Alaska and traveling up and down Alaska on the Alaska Railway in a dome passenger car. I’ve always had an appreciation for nature. There was so much nature in Alaska. That love of nature also still holds to this day. Plants, trees, animals, you name it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.robertsfhsc.com
