Jeffrey Cruz

• Direct funeral home operations, aligning service standards with family care expectations.
• Oversee location budgets, controlling expenses while supporting revenue growth.
• Guide staff development, reinforcing accountability, professionalism, and consistent performance.
• Coordinate compliance with regulatory, licensing, and safety requirements.
• Strengthened community relationships through outreach, service planning, and local partnership engagement to increase revenue and market share.
• Oversee financial management of the firm, including budgeting, forecasting, and analysis, ensuring fiscal responsibility and profitability.
• Coordinate compliance with funeral regulations, cremation procedures, and Chain of Custody Policies.
• Train staff on service protocols, customer communication, and case accuracy.
• Spearheaded successful client engagements resulting in repeat business and positive referrals from satisfied client families. Maintained the highest positive Google reviews in the Santa Fe market.

• Planned, managed and directed daily board operations to increase revenue and reduce costs through P&L analysis.
• Mentored employees on customer service techniques, linking improved service to revenue growth and customer loyalty.
• Cut spending through effective inventory management and supply sourcing.
• Responsible for Three Funeral Home Locations serving 2600 calls annually.
• Worked collaboratively with functional leaders to implement new procedures and corrective actions to improve quality.
• Oversaw day-to-day production activities in accordance with business objectives.
• Assisted in recruiting, hiring and training of team members.
• Cultivated community relationships to drive revenue and volume growth, enhancing our market presence in Tucson.
• Identified team weak points and implemented corrective actions to resolve concerns.
• Developed and implemented a price shopper-call retention initiative.
• Negotiated pricing and services with customers and vendors, optimizing expenses and boosting profit margins.

• Manage budget implementations, employee reviews, training, schedules, reports and contract negotiations.
• Identified new opportunities for development in the park to generate revenue and visibility.
• Responsible for daily operations of 90 associates. Maintain weekly one on one meetings with location leaders to mentor, support and ensure solid communication between departments.
• Working closely with Sales Manager to achieve targeted sales goals.
• Keeping the brand visible within the community to increase market share.
• Responsible for 1200 funeral home calls and 1000 cemetery interments annually.
• Drove year-over-year business growth while leading operations, strategic vision and long-range planning.

• Responsible for nine funeral homes serving 2,000 families annually.
• Assisted in preparation of annual location budgets.
• Created and developed Public Relations Program to acquire new business for growth and increased market share.
• Developed Shopper Retention Initiative to retain the price-sensitive consumer.
• Communicated weekly with location managers to direct and aid them in profitable growth of their businesses and to enable them to respond creatively to competitive challenges within their markets.
• Negotiated volume discounts with multiple key industry vendors.
• Developed multiple operational reports to enhance efficiency of operations to senior leadership.
• Customized and created location GPL's and CPL's.

• Responsible for all operations and oversight of three locations serving a total of 750 families annually
• Achieved growth in market share, revenue and operating profit
• Grew market share, revenue and operating profit for one underperforming firm, resulting in growth to 243% of budget within a twelve month period
• Mentored 17 employees to enhance average sales and level of service, resulting in higher average sale and survey satisfaction results
• Introduced the SCI San Diego Market to the Jewish Community, resulting in $40,000 in revenue within the first twelve months
• Established programs for Clergy and Community Appreciation events
• Developed special packaging and pricing to appeal to specific niche markets
• Established and managed strategies and initiatives to support a successful preneed sales team.
• Organized budgets, oversaw P&Ls and achieved margin targets consistently to stay on track with growth plans.

• Responsible for all facets of funeral home, cemetery, crematory and full-service preparation facility.
• Managed financials, payroll and expenses of operations, resulting in an overall decrease of expenses.
• Recruited, hired and trained staff associates.
• Increased customer satisfaction results.
• Retained a high level of trust and support with hospitals, care centers, hospices and clergy to achieve market share growth and promote the funeral home/cemetery operations.
• Organized and conducted yearly cemetery Memorial Day program.
• Instrumental in the development of strategies to increase cemetery revenues.

• Opened new funeral home and introduced SCI/Hispanic brand in the Denver area.
• The funeral home expanded into two locations within a four-year period.
• Managed operations of three funeral home locations serving 550 families annually.
• Provided the opportunity to market, establish and manage a Latino Funeral Home in the Salt Lake City market.
• Selected to travel to various cities to act as a liaison to cultivate and establish SCI firms with the Latin American Consulate offices.
• Developed a sales team to achieve sales initiatives and goals year over year.
• Elevated the firm to the status of preferred choice in the Denver Latino community.
• Maintained highest client satisfaction scores for a 24-month period in the Denver group.
• Developed and operated full service preparation facility.

• Marketed and managed a Latino and Jewish presence in the Denver market.
• Recruited, hired and trained staff associates.
• Retained positive client satisfaction scores.
• Liaison between Consulates, Synagogues, Churches and spheres of influence to grow market share.

Duties included: Funeral Arranger, Director and Embalmer