Cy Hume
President, CEO, Funeral Director, & Embalmer
A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory
Decatur, GA
Average call volume: 1,000 calls/year
When you’re purchasing a funeral home, you need a lender who truly understands your business.
But finding that kind of partner isn't easy.
That's the situation Cy Hume found himself in when he set out to purchase A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory. The traditional lenders Cy worked with didn’t understand the funeral home business model and couldn’t offer the support he needed.
Then Cy found a lender who truly understood the way funeral homes operate.
With the right lender by his side, Cy secured the financing he needed, and since then, the partnership has only grown.
“Working with FDL is completely different,” Cy said. “The lending team truly knows our business. They understand cash advances, our revenue, and know where our money comes from.”
Keep reading to hear more about Cy's experience working with FDL.
What challenges did you face when trying to secure financing through traditional lenders?
We originally worked with a bank, but they just didn't understand funeral homes. And that made it really difficult to get a loan. They were pushing us to get an SBA loan, but there were so many hoops to jump through.
What's your favorite part of working with FDL's lending team?
The lending team understands the importance of remaining an independent funeral home, which is a big reason we decided to use FDL’s lending services.
Also, Ian Seekins [Director of Funeral Home Lending at FDL] is so easy to work with. He understands my business, listens to what I have to say, and helps me work through any problems that come up. Sometimes the person sitting in the chair makes all the difference in the world, and in my case, that's Ian. It all goes back to FDL’s core values. All their employees want to be there and be a part of what’s going on. Ian is the same way. He wants to help us grow our business.
What do you think would've happened had you not partnered with FDL's lending team?
Without FDL, I would’ve had to go with an SBA loan, which would have taken much longer to complete. And by that point, I might have missed the opportunity to purchase the funeral home, which would’ve been devastating.
Can you tell us about your experience with FDL's digital marketing services?
We've had a great experience with FDL's digital marketing services. The team is incredible. They sit down with us once a month to review what we're doing, and they're very creative with our ads.
Our marketing, specifically the digital ads, gets a lot of traction. Families are calling in, and our community is more aware of what we offer. Today’s market is a digital market, so our online footprint is essentially our new front door. Families look at our website, Google reviews, and social media before they ever step foot in our building, which is why I believe digital marketing is important.
How was your experience working with the AV team?
John Greer [Video Production Specialist at FDL] was great to work with. We were so impressed with John and what he accomplished. He worked well with our team and got a lot of high-quality videos of our facilities and people.
You also use FDL's preneed product. How has that been?
Before FDL, we tried a few other preneed providers, but it just wasn’t working. We decided to give FDL a try, and I’ve been happy with that decision ever since.
You can’t beat FDL’s preneed product, especially with the policy growth. The growth is my favorite part because it means we're not losing any money on those policies.
How would you describe your overall experience with FDL?
Everything and everyone has been great. You can always talk to someone, and if they don't know the answer, they'll find someone who does and get back to you in a reasonable amount of time. I couldn’t recommend FDL more.
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