ABOUT US
Pinnacle Funeral Service is a funeral home acquisition and management firm located in St. Petersburg, FL. Pinnacle’s funeral homes pride themselves on serving families with the utmost compassion and care when they need it most. We’ve built our business on empathy and understanding. We know what it feels like to suffer loss, and our funeral directors and staff are licensed and highly trained in how to provide the kind of support and guidance that families need in one of life’s toughest moments.
Pinnacle is not an impersonal corporate entity like some of our competitors. We don’t impose unnecessary policies on our funeral homes just to have rules, nor do we micro-manage them from afar. Instead, we give them wide latitude to create customized memorial services that fit the needs of the families we serve, in the communities where we live. Celebrating life is about understanding everyone’s unique qualities, demonstrating empathy, showing respect, and honoring those who’ve left us in distinct ways.
Growth
Pinnacle is constantly looking at growth opportunities and already has pre-approved financing. This makes one of the hardest parts of the growth equation already complete. It also leaves us more time to focus our efforts on potential new markets. We take the following approach to growth:
We understand there is always a need for owners to retire or slow down. We often pursue firms that complement our existing markets or existing states. In addition, we look at other opportunities if we see either the potential for growth or great management.
New Builds
At Pinnacle, we’re open to opportunities in markets that are underserved, and we actively investigate commercial real estate for new development or comprehensive renovations.
Partnerships
In special cases, we have created partnerships in an effort to gain entry to a new market. Pinnacle is flexible in how we structure a transaction, so that it is win-win for all parties involved.
The Goal
Our goal is simple. To be the most talked about operator in each market, whether that is as a market leader or a market disrupter. Sometimes being the second largest firm with growth potential is more exciting and competitive than being a stagnant number one, desperately trying to hold onto market share. In today’s marketplace, if you are not growing then you are shrinking. There's no status quo.
By either marketing a heritage brand or growing a new start-up business, we want to be the talk of the town and top of mind for families in of our markets. Pinnacle sees market-share growth as a marathon, not a sprint.
Service Commitment
A really small thing for us is often a really BIG thing for the families we serve. Pinnacle helps our staff with both the really big things and also the really, really small things. We leave the middle for the locations to manage on a daily basis. We believe the little, positive things will have the biggest impact on families.
There’s a lot of responsibility holding the human spirit of your community in your hands. When someone loses a family member, we realize it’s a tragic occurrence. Through our highly trained staff and updated facilities, we attempt to create an environment that is memorable so that families talk positively about their experience with us. If we focus on continually exceeding expectations with families, then we are building a reputation for continued success by becoming a pillar of strength for the community.
Operating Style
The Pinnacle home office is small and efficient. We are dedicated team of specialists in complete support of our locations. As a result we operate as an open, accessible group with a consultative approach.
We’ll be the first to admit that we are not funeral directors and can’t add value when meeting with families like our licensed funeral directors can. However, ask our corporate team about a website, social media, financing, or vendor agreements, and we can add tremendous value.
As we look at the entire company, Pinnacle is more of a board of funeral directors than a board of directors. The home office is fairly removed from the day-to-day decision making, but we are good at setting strategy, having patience, and caring for our employees.
We don’t have all the answers. But we make sure that when it comes to big decisions, we make the right ones for everyone.
Community
Pinnacle holds a huge social responsibility in owning iconic brands in our local markets. Ownership is developed from the ground-up. It starts with our entire staff. Our local managers are our greatest assets and the ones who truly serve the communities themselves. We encourage our people to be involved locally, listening to people about what works in their individual markets. It is hard to remain in touch and create relevance if we don’t deliver an experience that can be shared by everyone. Pinnacle feels that sometimes the locations aren’t really owned by the CEO, the partners, and investors, but rather by a local, family-run company.
