ASD - Answering Service for Directors is pleased to welcome 10 Call Specialists to their team of highly trained professionals. Every month, hundreds of applicants apply for positions at ASD, but only a select few make it through the company's rigorous 6-month training program. Employees are carefully selected and must exhibit compassionate communication skills and be qualified to handle some of the most difficult situations.

Des Moines, IA - Homesteaders Life Company celebrated another successful year during its national sales meeting held January 16-18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Twelve individuals were recognized for excellence in a variety of areas. They include:

R.D. Monson, Graham J. Cook Account Executive of the Year
R.D. is the Homesteaders AE for Virginia. The Graham J. Cook award recognizes the AE who best demonstrates the wide variety of qualities necessary to provide exceptional service and support to Homesteaders customers.

Batesville, IN – January 24, 2012 – Batesville, the leading provider of burial, cremation and technology solutions to licensed funeral homes, reaffirmed its mission to help families honor the lives of those they love with the launch of MeaningfulFunerals.com, a website designed to educate consumers on the value of funerals, the planning process and the significant role funeral professionals play in creating meaningful services that both honor the lives of loved ones and start families on the path to healing.

Brookfield, Wis. - Representatives from the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), Cremation Association of North America (CANA), National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association (NFD&MA), KAVOD - Independent Jewish Funeral Chapels, the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR), and Selected Independent Funeral Homes (SIFH) will come together with one voice in the nation's capital during the 2012 NFDA Advocacy Summit to advance important federal legislation that impacts funeral homes, small business and families served by funeral homes. The 2012 Advocacy Summit will take place March 7-9 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Marshall, IL - Doric Products, Inc., a leading manufacturer of lined concrete and steel burial vaults, is pleased to announce the addition of James "Elgan" Altizer as the newest member of its sales team. Elgan is currently on the road promoting both Doric Products and Classic Metal Vaults in the Southeastern mountain region of the country.

13 January 2012 - Cincinnati - Wintertime without a coat can be unbearable, especially for a child. Lemasters Consulting, a Cincinnati-based law firm, completed its third year of raising money to purchase brand new coats for Cincinnati-area adults and children.

"Something as simple as a new coat can really take the edge off of a family that is struggling," said Poul Lemasters, Owner and Attorney. "Each year, my goal is to donate more and more coats so that more and more people are warm this winter. And this year, we really did well."

Argent indroduces the new and improved ThanoSeal™. A product developed and tested by embalmers to eliminate the need for suturing in many applications, ThanoSeal conforms easily to curves and other hard-to-stick-to surfaces. ThanoSeal tape is a transparent occlosive incision and wound sealant with an extremely aggressive pressure sensitive adhesive designed to eliminate leaks, prevent skin slip and seal incisions.