Growing
funeral home network expands in Dayton
From Dayton Business Journal - May 2, 2016, 1:13pm EDT
KaitlinSchroeder, Staff Reporter Dayton Business Journal
A busy funeral home network has expanded a Dayton location to
a larger space, in order to keep up with growth.
Funeral director Eric Lusain said he moved W.E. Lusain Funeral
Home from its 910 Patterson Blvd. location to 2455 Stanley Ave.,
after long outgrowing its original home in East Dayton.
"We outgrew it the first month we moved in there two and
a half years ago," he said.
W.E. Lusain Funeral Home, formerly called Grunn Funeral Home,
is part of the Lusain Memorial Network, with two funeral homes
in Dayton and one in Cincinnati. It performs funerals for families
throughout Dayton, Middletown, Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Lusain attributes its Dayton growth to cremation services. He
said they are the only funeral home in Dayton city limits with
a crematory.
"We're not afraid of cremation, because we want families
to have the services they want at a price they can afford. I really
believe that's what exploded our growth," he said.
Between Lusain Memorial Network's two Dayton locations, he said
the company get about 600 calls a year and used to serve 20 families
a month in the small Patterson Boulevard location.
The funeral home network increased its staff of four in Dayton
to eight to accommodate the recent expansion.
According to Montgomery County property records, the building
sold for $200,000 in a sale recorded April 14. The building, a
recently closed Key Bank branch, was valued this year by the county
at $318,060.
After searching for a suitable site, Lusain said the former Key
Bank branch on Stanley Avenue was a good fit because it will allow
for an 80 seat chapel and it's three times as large as the previous
funeral home spot.
He said the location also has a large parking lot and the facility
was in move-in ready condition, with a few minor changes needed
to open.
Todd Cochran, of Colliers International, represented Lusain in
the deal. Paul Miller and Pete Nichols, also of Colliers International,
represented the seller.
Along with the changes in Dayton, Lusain said he is preparing
to open a funeral home in a third city. The funeral home is now
looking to open a new location in Birmingham, Ala. this year.
As a Birmingham native, Lusain said the location would allow him
to serve his family and friends in the city.
|