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Q&A with Marc & Janice Brusie,
Brusie Funeral Homes and Cemeteries

Why I partnered

Q&A with Marc & Janice Brusie, Brusie Funeral Homes and Cemeteries

After three generations of funeral home ownership, the Brusies know the importance of planning ahead – especially for the future of their business. Chico, California-based Brusie Funeral Homes and Cemeteries was founded in 1942 by Warren Pope Brusie and his wife, Helen. Their son, Warren Albert Brusie, took over the firm in 1970 and today his son and daughter-in-law, Marc and Janice Brusie, still operate the business. The Brusies joined the Foundation Partners family in November 2020 and have stayed on during the transition. Their top tip for succession planning? Start early.

When did you first hear of Foundation Partners?

Janice: We saw an article online about how Foundation Partners was leaning into the cremation segment, and that really resonated with us. A lot of funeral providers are intimidated by cremation and have shied away from the market, but Foundation Partners knows it is a profitable segment and is making plans to accommodate the growing market. We think that’s really smart.  The funeral profession isn’t particularly known for innovation but, as a family-owned business, we have always tried to keep up with technology. It was refreshing to see how progressive and technologically advanced Foundation Partners is – it made them stand out to us.

Marc: We have always known we wanted to sell at some point. We encourage our children to pursue their own paths and find careers that suit them best, and they haven’t shown interest in the funeral industry. We also know that the business our family built has grown to the point where it is a lot of hard work to manage and we didn’t want to put that on their shoulders.

Janice: Exactly. We have a lot of responsibility and it can be stressful. We knew we wanted to sell early so we could take a big step back.

Janice: We almost sold a few years back, but the sale fell through. This time, we knew we needed to find a company that would take care of our team, and whose values and mission aligned with our own. Joining Foundation Partners doesn’t feel like getting bought by some big, sterile corporation; instead, we’re partnering with other funeral home owners who come from similar family-owned backgrounds. Everyone we’ve worked with has been familiar with what we are doing and how we operate.

Marc: Yes, it has been really easy to work with the Foundation Partners team. They operate like we do and are conscientious people who care about our team and the families we serve.  It’s refreshing that Foundation Partners is always actively looking for people who share their operational values and principles. It feels like the right match.

Janice: Start early! We are in our early 50s and could continue working well into the future, but we wanted to start the process early and are so grateful we did. If you want to get the best price, you have to prep your business and build value. It took us about three-to-four years to prepare and get our EBITDA up. Just like selling a house, you have to get things in order.

Marc: In terms of preparing the business, we also joined trade organizations to build value and talk to other successful business owners. We visited other cemeteries and funeral homes to see what they were doing operationally. That was three-to-four years before we began our discussions with Foundation Partners, so by the time we were ready to sell; we had a good-looking business.

When you’re ready to sell and trying to find the right partner, make sure to talk to different buyers and make sure it’s a good fit. We liked Foundation Partners right away; it felt different from the other firms we had spoken with. I would recommend visiting facilities run by potential buyers. You can see how they maintain their funeral homes and how much care they put into their locations. It’s such an individual decision but consider your priorities and make sure they align.

Janice: We absolutely love having HR and Legal departments to lean on. It has made our lives less stressful because we don’t fear the risks as we did before. We now have a team of professionals we can consult to help us make decisions. We don’t have to worry about personal liability and having our livelihood taken from us. It has been a huge stress relief.

Contact Us

If you’re thinking about succession planning, now is the perfect time to arrange a complementary, confidential financial analysis with Foundation Partners.

    Foundation Partners Group
    369 N. New York Avenue
    Winter Park, FL 32789

    For general inquiries, please call:
    Phone: (888) 788-7526
    Fax: (407) 583-4735