HOUSTON, June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Carriage Services,
Inc. (NYSE: CSV) is extremely pleased to announce that we have
acquired Bradshaw-Carter Memorial & Funeral Services and
Cypress Fairbanks Funeral Home, both in Houston, as the newest
Being The Best operating members of the Carriage
family of elite funeral homes. Bradshaw-Carter was founded in
2003 and opened in March 2004 as a
"Vision Come True" by Ron Bradshaw
in partnership with Tripp
Carter. Ron was previously a highly respected interior
decorator in New York City
renowned for re-creating historic European looks in five-star
hotels and the grandest upper eastside townhomes.
Bradshaw-Carter, which primarily serves the inner loop oldest
neighborhoods in Houston, has been
described and is known nationally as "the prettiest funeral home in
America," more akin to an elegant "Baronial Mansion" decorated with
Ron's collection of beautiful antiques with personalized service to
match that is second to none.
Ron and Tripp grew Bradshaw-Carter rapidly and in 2008 acquired
Cypress-Fairbanks Funeral Home in the booming and growing
Northwest Houston market.
After Ron's tragic death from cancer in 2008, Tripp has continued
to grow both businesses, which now serve over five hundred families
annually.
Mel Payne, Chairman and CEO of
Carriage, stated, "My wife Karen and I met Tripp about six years
ago and became social friends, but he and I also connected on our
common passion and purpose that a funeral should always be
meaningfully customized and never 'corporatized,' each one
carefully designed around the unique and specific relevance of the
deceased loved one to family and friends. As Tripp grew the
business larger, we would occasionally have lunch and discuss how a
marriage between Carriage and Bradshaw-Carter would be a wonderful
win-win partnership where all the Carriage Being The Best
support teams and services would enable Tripp and his team to focus
only on growing the market share by being even more visible in the
community while continuing the 'one of a kind' high value
personalized service of Bradshaw-Carter.
"And on a very personal level, I was devastated when two of my
dearest personal friends and my wonderful mother-in-law died over
the past fifteen years and Carriage did not have a local facility
at that time to handle their funeral and service their
families. No longer, as we now have Bradshaw-Carter and
Cypress-Fairbanks joining our two Schmidt west Houston locations, including our new showcase
facility on the Grand Parkway near Katy.
"Not only does the acquisition of both Bradshaw-Carter Memorial
& Funeral Services and Cypress Fairbanks Funeral Home expand
Carriage's presence in the large strategic Houston market, but also demonstrates our
continued mission to only affiliate with the best remaining
independent funeral homes in the country. Tripp is a member of
Selected Independent Funeral Homes with a membership of about 1,500
and personally has so much energy and passion that it is a
certainty that his business will benefit greatly from Carriage's
decentralized partnership model. Additionally, today is the
25th Anniversary of Carriage's founding, and this
announcement on Bradshaw-Carter is a testament to the
Being The Best Vision I had for Carriage on
June 1, 1991, a vision that will live on locally with
Tripp Carter," concluded Mr.
Payne.
Tripp Carter said, "We are
honored to join the other elite independent family owned funeral
homes that have chosen to be part of the Carriage Being The
Best family of businesses, while striving to become even better
and more successful in the future with all the support that
Carriage provides under its decentralized Standards Operating
Model. Bradshaw-Carter Memorial & Funeral Services and Cypress
Fairbanks Funeral Home will now have customized value added support
resources to complement the sensitive and respective services on
which we have built our reputation, which in combination will
enable us to seize upon the wonderful growth opportunity that is
available in the Houston
market."
Carriage Services is a leading provider of funeral and cemetery
services and merchandise in the United
States. Carriage operates 169 funeral homes in 27 states and
32 cemeteries in 11 states.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carriage-services-announces-purchase-of-bradshaw-carter-memorial--funeral-services-and-cypress-fairbanks-funeral-home-300277557.html
SOURCE Carriage Services, Inc.