Larry Anspach, Co-Founder
Funeral home and cemetery owner and industry consultant
I have spent my entire career (over 40 years and counting) in the “death care” industry. As a co-founder of Funeralwise, I provide Board-level direction to the company. My day job is being the President and Owner of ACMC (American Cemetery/Mortuary Consultants, Inc.). At ACMC we provide consulting, valuation, and brokerage services to cemeteries and funeral homes. As a broker, we are proud to have been involved in over half a billion dollars in mergers and acquisitions.
It all started right out of college when I went to work for Cedar Park Cemetery in the Chicago metropolitan area. Being in the cemetery business took some getting used to. I was telling people that I worked in real estate and we were selling it by the square inch. I always looked for creative ways to make our cemetery a welcoming and comfortable place to visit. We had Easter Egg hunts, cemetery photo contests and a Heaven Can Wait run. Our innovative approach was once featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. We eventually added a funeral home to our operation becoming the first cemetery-funeral home combination in Illinois.
Over the years I have been very active in funeral industry organizations, often serving on a Board of Directors. In recent years I have been serving on the Government and Legal Affairs Committee of the ICCFA (International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association). We have walked the halls of Congress meeting with members of the Senate and House of Representatives to discuss matters facing our industry and to ensure that we are able to bring the best service possible to the public.
I have always believed that this industry needed to be more progressive, more willing to change. That’s why the idea of Funeralwise was so appealing to me. The web brings funeral planning right to your home, even to your mobile phone. That does not diminish the role of funeral directors and cemeterians, It helps them personalize funeral services and memorialization for their customers.
I look forward to bringing change through Funeralwise in the years to come and helping create even more meaningful funeral experiences for everyone.
