Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536; Emilee High, 262-814-1547

NFDA Family Business Conference offers solutions to common challenges facing family-owned firms

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is now taking registrations for the 2010 NFDA Family Business Conference, April 12-13, at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Ariz. According to the Family Firm Institute, the survival rate of family-owned businesses decreases significantly with each generation – only 30% of family-owned businesses survive into the second generation, and just 12% carry on into the third generation. Family-business owners and next-generation family members or key staff looking to ensure the success of the funeral home for generations to come, secure future profitability, and solidify family relationships, should attend this conference.

Over two days, attendees will discover solutions to common family-business challenges, including family feuds, best management practices, miscommunication between generations, and estate and succession planning.

For the fifth consecutive year, internationally-recognized expert in family-business education, research and consulting, Ernesto J. Poza will lead NFDA's Family Business Conference. A graduate of Yale University and Sloan School of Management at MIT, Poza is a top-rated speaker, author and consultant to family-owned businesses. His work has been featured on CNN, NBC and NPR, and in publications such as Business Week, Family Business magazine, Forbes and Fortune. Poza is a faculty member of the Thunderbird School of Global Management and president of E.J. Poza Associates, Inc.

"[NFDA's Family Business Conference] was helpful to my husband and me, and it helped save my relationship with my father. I recommend this program to all family-owned funeral homes," said Kristen Westwood of Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

The Family Business Conference registration fee for NFDA members is $395 for the first registrant; $295 for the second registrant from the same firm; and $125 for the third registrant from the same firm. For nonmembers, the registration fee is $565 for the first registrant; $415 for the second registrant from the same firm; and $295 for the third registrant from the same firm. All conference registrations must be made by March 22. Registration can be obtained by calling NFDA at 800-228-6332, or by visiting www.nfda.org/familybusinessconference.

On-campus accommodations are available at the Thunderbird Executive Inn & Conference Center. To guarantee the reduced NFDA rate of $120 (plus tax) per night, reservations must be received by March 11. Attendees should call 602-978-7987 to make their reservations.

Aurora Casket Company, a family-owned and operated business, has generously supported NFDA's Family Business Conference since its inception in 2006.

NFDA is the world's leading funeral service association, serving 19,000 individual members who represent more than 10,200 funeral homes in the United States and internationally. From its headquarters in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy Division office in Washington, D.C., NFDA informs, educates and advocates to help members enhance the quality of service they provide to families. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

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