Springfield Business Journal_2021-03-29

HOW TO Abe McGull TRENDING Abby Glenn EXPERIENCE Patrick Little STARTUP Christine and Austin Mayfield LIFE Daniel Ogunyemi INSPIRE Brandy Harris WATCH THE STORIES OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE STORIES #BizinMotion SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 21 MARCH 29-APRIL 4, 2021 COVID-19, as of March 24, according to the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. Statewide, the Missouri De- partment of Health and Senior Services has recorded 8,434 COVID-19 deaths. While Howell doesn’t attribute the business increase solely to COVID-19, she knows it played a big part. While Gor- man-Scharpf typically grows each year, the death rate doesn’t usually fluctuate enough to be a big factor. On March 24, the Health Department announced a full week without a CO- VID-19 death in the county for the first time in 35 weeks. “I think we’ve handled it, but we are seeing a decline in COVID cases and busi- ness numbers are getting somewhat back to normal. I think that’s good because the system was going to get overwhelmed,” Howell said. “It was getting a lit- tle crazy, and it’s good they’re be- coming normal – if that word is possible to say.” On another side of the indus- try, Jerry Eason, owner of Missouri Casket Co. Inc. in Seymour, said his company is struggling to keep up with the demand for caskets. Eason’s company sells wood and metal caskets and urns to distributors and fu- neral homes in 34 states, primarily in the Midwest and southeast. “We’re overcome with orders – about busier than we’ve ever been. And we’re having a major hard time getting people to come to work,” Eason said. Labor shortages were compounded with issues in receiving materials to build the caskets. At one point, Eason said the company ran completely out of the han- dle hardware used to carry the caskets. No caskets left the shop for two weeks. Cloth used inside the caskets, which Eason would normally order by 48 rolls at a time, was cut back to 24 rolls – then 12, then nothing – as supplies ran out. Ea- son said some materials ran into shipping delays during the pandemic if they came from overseas, while other manufactur- ers struggled with labor. While supply levels are returning to nor- mal, Eason is still struggling with his own lack of labor to meet the increased demand. As a result, he has missed out on approxi- mately 400 casket sales so far this year. “If I were to have made those sales, we’d probably be up about 15% over the year. But those sales are gone, and gone forever. They went somewhere else,” Ea- son said. “We used to be able to supply or- ders every two weeks, and now we’re four weeks to two months, and that’s just too long. If someone passes away, they don’t wait a month to bury them.” Howell said Gor- man-Scharpf has contended with a shortage of available urns, flag boxes and other items over the last four months but hasn’t had issues with casket shortages. The pandemic also has introduced a new element to the local funeral business. As part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency will be offering financial as- sistance for funeral costs of deaths related to COVID-19 beginning in early April. Howell said she has never experi- enced FEMA reimbursement for funeral expenses in this area but has heard of it occurring following natural disasters. While the funeral home will assist where possible, Howell said the primary work to receive reimbursements will fall to the family of the deceased. Assistance is limited to a maximum of $9,000 per funeral and an official death certificate must attribute the death to COVID-19. Funeral expense documents must be supplied, as well. FROM THE COVER Funeral: Federal assistance coming for customers Continued from page 1 If I were to have made those sales, we’d probably be up about 15% over the year. But those sales are gone, and gone forever.” —Jerry Eason Missouri Casket Co. CYNTHIA REEVES Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home has not experienced a casket shortage, according to its owner.