The Hitzeman Family is excited to be sponsoring a night of music and ice cream in La Grange Park on Wednesday, June 27, 2012. We would like to invite you as well as your family and friends to attend this free concert, to come out and listen to the West Suburban Concert Band play patriotic as well as other thrilling songs. The concert series is put on by the Community Park District of La Grange Park and is held at the Memorial Park Amphitheater (off of La Grange Road) from 7:30 – 9:00. Come early because the first 500 people get free ice cream!! In the event of rain, the concert will be moved to Park Jr. High School, 333 N. Park Rd. (Rain hotline: 708-354-4580 x300). We hope you happen to be in the area so you can attend this always exhilarating event. Bring your chairs and blankets so you can sit with family and friends and enjoy the patriotic atmosphere and don’t forget the ice cream!
Hope to see you and your family and friends on Wednesday, June 27th for a night of music and fun under the stars!
Sincerely,
Todd, Sue and Chuck
West Suburban Concert Band
Can I transfer my Pre-arrangements?
Even if you have existing prearrangements at another funeral home, you still have options, as we honor all existing prearrangements. You can transfer your arrangements at anytime to Hitzeman Funeral Home, Ltd. without losing any benefits. Please contact us for more information. We accept the transfer of prearrangements from other funeral homes both in state and out of state.
Family Owned Versus Chains
Question – Is there any difference between a family owned funeral home, and a funeral home that is part of a corporate-owned chain?
Answer – Over the past several years, large multi-national organizations have been purchasing funeral homes and cemeteries at an alarming rate. The nineties saw hundreds of family operated funerals homes across North America brought into the fold of large multinational conglomerates. They will do everything possible to maintain the facade of a family owned operation, knowing that maintain that illusion will benefit the continuity necessary to maintain business.
Question – Is Hitzeman Funeral Home independently owned or is it operated by a large chain or corporation?
Answer – The Hitzeman Funeral Home is locally owned and independently operated by the Hitzeman Family for its entire 108 years of business. It is not operated by a large public corporation; decisions about day to day operations are made by the Hitzeman family, not in a corporate board meeting.
Question – Why are family-owned funeral homes the right choice?
Answer – Hitzeman Funeral Home is family owned and has a single focus; providing the best quality service and value to our families, friends and neighbors. We are not governed by corporate mandates or driven to increase profits and bottom lines, by shareholders. We know that our success depends upon how we treat each and every family we serve. It is our goal at Hitzeman Funeral Home not only to satisfy your needs but to exceed your expectations.
Historically, funeral services have been provided by generations of local families who have deep roots in their community. When dealing with such an important event, turning to a funeral director whom you know and trust can make a world of difference. A family-owned firm will give you the personal attention and caring that you deserve and the extra support that you will need after the funeral is over. A family that has been proven by generations of service to the community does not need to put on a front of caring. Many times this will be seen by corporate employees trained to be over empathic, which often shows through as being insincere. You will receive the outstanding professionalism that only generations of service can cultivate, through a family funeral home. If we were asked to recommend a funeral provider in another town or city, we would generally recommend a family owned funeral home because: 1) They provide better service due to the presence of local ownership. 2) Decision making associated with responding to customer needs is better because those decisions can be made locally and quickly. 3) Local owners tend to be more involved in the community, and many times assume positions of leadership.
Here at Hitzeman Funeral Home, everything we do reflects our on-going commitment to provide affordable, quality services to the community. Customer trust is built slowly over time. Family-owned funeral homes are usually staffed by family members, members of the community, and graduates from local colleges. Conglomerates (corporations) buy funeral homes from all over the country. We live in the community, care for the community and support the community.
The Hitzeman Family
Family (Business) Portraits: Crain’s Chicago Business
Todd, Susan M. and Charles T. "Chuck" Hitzeman
Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield
Author: Samantha Stainburn
Charles T. “Chuck” Hitzeman, 25, great-great-grandson of the 100-year-old company’s founder, joined the family business as a funeral director two years ago. He plans to take over when the current owner and president – his father, Todd Hitzeman, 49 – retires.
Nationally, only 10% of family businesses remain in the family for three generations. How did yours make it to the fifth generation?
Todd: In a lot of businesses, the first and second generation busted their butts to get the thing going. The third generation gets handed the business. The kids walk in, and all of a sudden, they’re vice-presidents. My father, me, my son – we had to start at the bottom of the barrel and work our way up. This way, when my son tells an employee to do something, even if the employee’s older than he is, he or she knows that Chuck has already done it himself.
How are you preparing for Chuck to take over as president in the future?
Todd: Any project we’re doing, I say, “Learn it the way I’m doing it now.” So many people want to show (others) that now that I’m president, I can do whatever I want to.
Chuck: Yes, I’d like to make it better, but no, I’m not going to walk in there and change it. Obviously, they were doing something right to make it 100 years.
Do TV shows about family-run funeral homes – HBO’s “Six Feet Under” and the A&E reality series “Family Plots” – depict your business accurately?
Chuck: It’s not how it happens. (In one episode of “Family Plots,”) they show all the girls who work at the funeral home at 8 or 9 o’clock at night getting changed to go out and party. We close at 11 o’clock at night. By the time we get home, our heads hit the pillows and we’re out in about five minutes.