Committees

Dave Shank

Johnson Consulting Company

Dave began his funeral service career in 1973 in his hometown of Sterling, Illinois. He holds degrees in Mortuary Science, a BS Degree in Business Quality Management, an Executive MBA, and is currently a student of Biblical and Theological Studies. Dave was a licensed funeral director and embalmer in both Missouri and Kansas prior to joining Batesville Casket Company in 1997. He served as a Sales Consultant in Kansas and later in North Texas. He was a Region Sales Director in both the Mountain and Midwest Regions, and served 5 years as Manager of Sales Training prior to his retirement in 2019. His awards include Sales Rep of the Year, two John W. Hillenbrand 5-Year Growth awards, and induction into the Batesville Masters Club.

In 2020, Dave joined Johnson Consulting Group as an Independent Business Consultant. He is a speaker, trainer and one-on-one coach, specializing in effectively  communicating the value of funeral service, relationship building, and maximizing family satisfaction. His speaking engagements include ICCFA, Kansas and Texas Funeral Director Associations, and many Batesville sponsored events.

Winning Happens on Pit Lane

Racing teams have long said that “the race is won and lost on pit lane.” The same can be said for funeral home, cemetery and crematory services. Yes, you might consider yourself to be the best driver or the best crew chief out there, but the hard truth is this: You win and lose the race for long-term business success on the performance and efficiency of your “Pit Crew” – the men and women you rely on to make it happen day in and day out. This session will provide attendees several new and practical solutions to improve and inspire high performance and teamwork across each organization.

Dave Shank - Winning Happens on Pit Lane

Doug Gober

The Foresight Companies

Doug Gober began his funeral service career forty-three years ago as a sales representative in the casket industry. He has earned numerous national awards from various organizations within the death care industry. Doug also served as a consultant on various marketing and merchandising projects conducted on an international scale.

In 2018, Doug partnered with The Foresight Companies in his quest to provide funeral and cemetery owners successful business solutions. Foresight enables Doug to expand his service offerings to include Accounting, Business Valuations, Human Resource Services, Strategic Business Analysis, Family Surveys, Accounts Receivable Management and Market Research as well as Financing.

“The Information Race: Who’s Fastest? Us or the Consumer?”

When you look back on 2020 & 2021 from the future as a Funeral Professional, how will you summarize the impacts of the year’s events on funeral service? Any time there is upheaval in society, whether it be education, religion, economics, innovation or a myriad of other possibilities, there is one constant. There are always winners and losers. Most of the time, members of said society have well-thought-out opinions of why they ended up on one side or the other. Losers make excuses. Winners reap benefits.

In the midst of the worst Pandemic in our lifetimes, The Foresight Companies has commissioned independent research studies of consumer’s attitudes about the funeral and cemetery business. Our intent was an attempt to remove opinions and replace them with fact. We not only asked for their frank responses, but we segmented them by before, during, and expectations after COVID-19. The consumer’s replies were swift and direct. Gober will summarize the most impactful highlights of the results and their potential impact on the future of funeral service as we know it.

Doug Gober - The Information Race

James Jiloty

Brown & Brown Inc.

James Jiloty is the Corporate Director of Team Resources (HR) for Brown & Brown, Inc., an insurance brokerage firm headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, with over 12,000 teammates across 9 countries.  In this capacity as a human resources leader, James is charged with enterprise-wide responsibilities supporting people operations and driving strategic business objectives.  He currently serves on the Finance Leadership Team, the National Employee Benefits Leadership Team, and the COVID-19 Task Force, among others.  His past consulting work, speaker appearances, and published articles have sharply focused on talent analytics and getting the right people in the right roles.  James believes service amplifies leadership, and is engaged in service to that belief including as a member of the Checkered Flag Committee at Daytona International Speedway.  James is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, has a Master of Science in Human Resources Development plus a Master of Science in Leadership Development, and is SHRM-SCP certified.

The Great American Talent Race: Put your competition in the wall with Talent Analytics!

It has been days of thunder and major business disruption since late 2019.  Yet, for Brown & Brown, these years have been some of their most successful in company history.  Without data, some businesses wander all over the track trying to manage recruitment, retention, and employee engagement.  In this session, James will demonstrate how talent analytics and key workforce metrics move the needle on major business objectives and accelerate past the competition like they are standing still!

James Jiloty - The Great American Talent Race

Mark Panciera

The Pacific Institute

Mark Panciera is an accomplished business owner, community leader, executive and entrepreneur. As the CEO and Partner of The Pacific Institute, Mark focuses his efforts on driving the growth and performance of organizations, teams, and individual leaders working with Fortune 1,000 companies, government agencies, healthcare systems, educational institutions, athletic teams and non-profit organizations.  Mark is also very proud of his funeral service tradition as the owner of Boyd-Panciera Funeral Homes, led by his wife Tiffany and son Mark Anthony, the fourth-generation caregiver in the business.

A well-recognized TED Talk presenter, speaker and author, Panciera is frequently asked to share his insights and experience. He has appeared on ABC’s Wall Street Journal Report, CNBC and CBC (Canadian Broadcast Company). Additionally, he is a trusted media resource and has been quoted in Forbes, the New York Times, the Miami Herald and the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, with featured articles appearing in USA Today and Inc. Magazine.

MINDSET MATTERS

Taking the ‘Checkered Flag’!

Have you ever paused to consider that the very thing that may be holding you back from winning the race to success, from taking the ‘checkered flag’ in all areas of life and business, could be your view of the circumstances around you, your MINDSET? Backed by scientific research, this session will prescribe the 4 keys to a Performance Mindset that will break through your circumstances and propel you, your career, and your business into the winner’s circle and keep you there no matter what!

This dynamic presentation will provide proven insights to:

• Learn how your mindset impacts results – both positively and negatively.
  • Accept the fact that your mindset impacts the client-families you serve, and how you can change it for the better.
• Uncover your ‘blind spots’ that are holding you back – and fix them.
  • Become your best-self and provide the best service.
• Intentionally design repeatable and scalable answers to:
  • What sets you apart from others? Why do the best people want to work for you? Why do customers choose you now and choose you again?
• Understand how to implement the 4 Performance Mindset keys to transform thinking in yourself and others for extraordinary results.

Join the MINDSET MATTERS movement and discover real tools to ignite you and your business.  Whether it is personal growth or market share expansion, this session will help you make the changes you’ve been waiting for!

Mark Panciera - Mindset Matters

Susan Mena

Lifetime Achievement Award 

Recipient