Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of Tuscaloosa and Northport!
Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Northport Funeral and Cremation Service with Ricky Sherrod
When Ricky Sherrod, the compassionate co-founder of Northport Funeral and Cremation Service, graces our studio, we uncover not just the soul of his family-operated business, but also the heartbeat of an industry often shrouded in mystery. Our conversation peels back the layers of funeral service misconceptions and reveals a narrative of evolution, as Ricky narrates the shift from time-honored customs to innovative practices that honor the unique wishes of modern families.
Throughout this episode, the warmth of personal connection shines through, highlighting the distinction between Northport's family-owned approach and the impersonal touch of corporate entities. Ricky's unexpected journey, led by a higher calling into the world of funeral services, resonates with the transformative power of purpose-driven work. Listen in for an episode that blends deep insight with heartfelt storytelling, promising an enlightening perspective on life's final chapter. #GNPNorthport #NorthportFuneralService #Funeral #FuneralDirector #Death #Cremation #Burial #Mortuary #Mortician #Memorial #Obituary #Compassion #CelebrationOfLife
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, patricia Blondheim.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor podcast. I'm your host, patricia Blondheim, and today we have Good Neighbor Ricky Sherrod. Now, ricky is the co-founder of Northport Funeral and Cremation Service here in Northport. Ricky, how are you today?
Speaker 3:I'm great Wonderful.
Speaker 2:It's good to have you in the studio. Tell me about Northport Funeral and Cremation Service.
Speaker 3:It's good to be here to tell you about it. Northport Funeral and Cremation Service was founded in 1998 by Charles and Ricky Sherrod. It was founded to come here and to reduce funeral costs and give family the comfort of knowing that a Provider got your loved one. That is, a local, family owned business. That really Something that that didn't grow up want to be in funeral business but it had to be something of how you power in myself to place me here and that's why I take it in every day consideration. With that in mind. We're family here that works with families. We would most try to be one of the most affordable funeral service in this city, try to go over beyond to the due practices that family out of the ordinary wouldn't be a They'll be out of the ordinary then traditional would be, because families and in the 21st century there it's more or less now it's not much of tradition, it used to be in the past and funeral service have changed a lot since the past too.
Speaker 2:So we try to stay up on all of those things and continue to satisfy our families stay so you're a family owned funeral business and so I would like, I would like to sort of address the difference between a family owned operation and a Corporate owned Operation. Can you kind of get into that for me?
Speaker 3:Yeah, normally a family owned operation can make decision right on site versus a cooperation. They have to come from the corporate office. Most of the corporate offices over in Texas places like that. So I was a season to make changes. You know they could be done inside, in-house, following the corporate world, and have to go through a Management change to order to make those changes. So we allow the managing funeral directors to to make those changes in house.
Speaker 2:I Imagine that would be really during a very stressful time, that it would be really Very, very stressful to have to address changes that need to be made through a, through a corporate structure, with the delays and the uncertainty added on to all the stress that you're Suffering and the grief that you're suffering already. So it is. I mean I I have been associated with your funeral service before and have found that it is the family atmosphere of it makes it so warm and comforting. So I can see that that just follows the whole trajectory through the experience with Northport Funeral and Cremation Service. You said that you followed a higher power to get where you are right now. So can you tell me a little about that journey?
Speaker 3:Yeah, my journey. I never dreamed of wanting to be at funeral service. We started out in 98 in direct casket sales, meaning that we was only providing all the merchandise which involves a funeral service and we families just wanting us to be full of service. They kept asking I wish you a full service. Why can't you do full service? And God allowed us to just move it to the next level and I just owe it all to him for that, because I knew that this ain't something that I anticipated on doing, so that's why I said how high his power had to be in the part of it.
Speaker 2:Well, are there any misconceptions that people come in with? I mean, I'm sure there's about 100 misconceptions, but can you narrow it down? Is there a major misconception that people have about your industry?
Speaker 3:I just think, in the past. I don't know what is being before the generation now, but you know, look at that funeral service from the past. Look at the funeral service in the 21st century. It's a totally different industry. In the past I don't think they felt that. You know, we're built on service, so that means that we're going to keep our team in place to make sure that we service every family 100%. You know, in the past I guess funeral home didn't have they were family owned business most of them and they didn't want to spend the resources to go outside and get the necessary help that they needed to become a great business. That's what we pride ourselves on making sure our team is always in training, making sure that we hire high skilled people. To be in this situation, you really got to have the skills and the knowledge to be here, and we do extra well at finding those people.
Speaker 2:So that's what made us great at a lot of ways to also Well, Ricky, I wouldn't think that owning a funeral home is fun, so I'm going to sort of change to a more fun topic and ask what do you do to enjoy yourself?
Speaker 3:What do I do to enjoy myself? Do I enjoy funeral business? Which one is it?
Speaker 2:Oh no, what do you do for fun? What do you do for fun when you're not doing the job?
Speaker 3:That's the hard part. You've got to build a team in order to have fun, because funeral service is 365, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It's always something coming up that's coming to disturb you on that day. So unless you've got a team in place, you're not going to ever have it far. But with me we've got that team in place. I like to go to the beach, I like to go to watch NBA basketball game, nfl games, I like to play golf. So I have activities that I like to reach, and I haven't been able to reach those things until I get the right team around me. So we're starting to now see those things can take place.
Speaker 2:That's a huge challenge, not just to form the team but to keep the team, and you have a deep level of devotion with the people who work with you. They obviously feel like their needs are being met and that they're doing something that has a higher purpose, which is the best way to keep valuable people inside of your corporation. I'm going to switch subjects again and ask about a hardship or a life challenge, something that you have encountered in your life that has made you a better and stronger person.
Speaker 3:Well, no doubt, when you encounter God's presence, that changes everything and you're a believer, no doubt I'm a believer that he'll show me to this point. Like I said earlier, funeral service when something that I looked for. It was something that I guess enhanced, but something that I grew up wanting to do every day. So I said the challenge of that was this is what I love to do. I love what I do, and I say that with the mind of caring about families. People think that you can't love funeral service. I love funeral service. You can love funeral service. I think if you're going to be in funeral service and don't love it, you're not found with what you're in it for. I think with me. I think this is my calling. I didn't know it before, but dealing with it every day, that's the feeling I get. I get the peace and when I get home and now I get the rest of that need. So I know in doing that I'm in the right place.
Speaker 2:Well, ricky, tell me, what is the last thing you want to leave us with? What do you want to leave the listeners with about Northport Funeral and Cremation Service?
Speaker 3:Northport Funeral and Cremation Service is a five-star funeral home that works extra hard in earning your family's business. We practice every day to get better. It is a practice, so you continue to grow and knowledge and practice every day to get better and innovative ways for families to have going in the future. And, like I said, it's changed over the years. In the 21st century, funeral homes now are more like any other practice. It's not different if you're going out of law practice, if you're going into a dentist practice, you're still going to get the same resemblance of those practices when you come inside. So there's nothing to be afraid of, because when I started I might have been afraid, but once I got into it and realized this is what I call it, god got me comfortable enough to realize this is what I need to be at.
Speaker 2:You've got a building, an office space that is so human and not depressing at all. It's very uplifting and that's really the first thing that struck me about Northport Funeral and Cremation Service is that I went in and I felt comfortable there. I felt like it wasn't all gloom and doom and dark wood. It was very light, it was very airy. You could see the sun, you could see the beautiful art that was all around. That represented the vibrancy of life. I love that. Northport Funeral and Cremation Service to me, represents life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, just to piggyback off of that, that had a lot to do with the interior decorator that we brought in, because I wanted to tell her how I wanted families to feel and all of that. That came out of it Once she came in here and put her touch to this place, tricia Conyan. I give her the credit for that and it was part of the team to get this place what we need to be at and she had done a tremendous job with that, because every family come in. They really see the calmness. It's not a sad place, it's a place of celebration. It's a place of when I leave there I want to go back. It's not a place that I don't want to come back to. All those things. I have to credit my interior decorator on that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you have a great service, Ricky. Thank you so much for coming by. How can listeners learn more about Northport Funeral and Cremation Service? How do they contact you?
Speaker 3:Okay, they can contact us by phone. Phone number is 205-750-3140. They can contact us by website wwwNorthportFuneralServicecom. They can contact us by Facebook Northport Funeral Service on Facebook. They can contact us in so many different ways. We have to radio to build voice to word of mouth. It's just like I say, it's in so many places that we can be contacted. Just walk in, just stop by. You know, we've got a friend of the staff here that'd be glad to, once you, stop by, give you a cup of coffee or water and just sit down and just talk. You don't necessarily have to be coming in for funeral service. You can always stop by and feel free to visit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I'm encouraging everyone. You're on Watermelon Road.
Speaker 3:We're on 50-4-04 Watermelon Road. That's Northport, just off 82 Highway and a mile and a half up on the left. That's one of our locations. The second location will be Reefloom, 505 First Avenue, west Reefloom. We have a location there and then we have a sort of like a for all the monuments and vaults and a merchandising on Cover Road. That's a 27-38 Cover Road. That's in Tuscaloosa. So we have three places to be reached at Three locations that can help you and continue to grow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, stop by, you'll be embraced, I guarantee it.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:Ricky, it's been great speaking to you. Thank you so much for coming by the studio.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Anytime I get a chance, it's always great to see you, patricia, and it's always good seeing you again.
Speaker 2:Good, same here.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast Northport. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPNorthportcom. That's GNPNorthportcom, or call 205-809-4910.