On The Move
Local Funeral Home Buys Back From National Company
Jun 13, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC - June 4, 2012 - In a move that defies industry trends over the past 20 years, Shives Funeral Home, a mainstay of greater Columbia, SC has bought back its business from Service Corporation International (SCI), a national owner and operator of funeral homes. This makes Shives one of the only family-owned, family-operated funeral home among its competitors in Richland and Lexington counties.
The decision to buy back the business from SCI comes as Shives Funeral Home celebrates its 80th anniversary and comes on the heels of its most successful year in business to date. “I am excited to be given the opportunity to return this family-named business back to a family-owned business for years. In an age when all we hear about is corporate buy-outs and the demise of small business in our city, I am proud to be in a position to bring a small business back to the Midlands,” says president, E. Randolph Shives III.
In the 1999, Shives Funeral Home, like most of the area’s other larger family-owned funeral homes, followed industry trends of corporate consolidation.
“When the opportunity arose to purchase the company, it was perfect timing. I realized the best way to offer the highest level of personalized services to our customers could only be achieved by making decisions on the local level,” says Shives.
Randolph Shives and his uncle, Bill Shives, who purchased what was then called Talbert Funeral Home in 1967, brings a combined 75+ years of experience to serve their growing customer base.
Shives Funeral Home is one of the approximately 103,000 small business located in South Carolina. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, approximately 90% of the funeral homes in the U.S. are privately owned by families or individuals; the remainders are owned by corporations whose stock is publicly traded.
For more information on Shives Funeral Home, visit www.shivesfuneralhome.com.
