Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com May 25, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 3 FACES OF BUSINESS Hill finds business is alive in 'death care' industry By Stan Simpson A gifted guitarist as a teenager, the stars were aligning for Howard Kenton Hill as graduation approached in 1986. The Windsor High School senior had earned a scholarship to prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. However, with fatherhood pending at age 18, Hill's focus was no longer on music, but on providing for a son. He took a year off to clear his head, then decided to attend Southern Connecti- cut State University. It didn't take long for the freshman to real- ize that he was party- ing much more than studying. At a family outing, he ran into his uncle, who owned a funeral home in Brooklyn, N.Y. If the birth of a child was becoming a defining moment in Hill's life, so too would his fortuitous reconnection with uncle Manuel E. Faust. "I started to get more information about what he did, then I spent a few weeks with him to see if this is something I can do,'' said Hill. "I became intrigued by the science side of embalming. I wanted to learn more." He did that — and much more. In 2005, with help from a $35,000 loan from the Connecticut Community Invest- ment Corp., Howard K. Hill Funeral Services opened in New Haven. He later leveraged loans from the U.S. Small Business Admin- istration to expand into Hartford. This has been a banner year for Hill and his full-service business, which offers funeral pre-planning and cremations. The SBA recently honored him with its Minority Small Business of the Year Award. He was also elected president of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association, a statewide 126-year-old, Wethersfield-based profes- sional group. He is the first African Ameri- can to lead the organization. Prior to starting his business, Hill was the funeral director at Keyes Funeral Home in New Haven. Before working at Keyes, he was an apprentice at Interboro Funeral Service, the business his uncle operated. While work- ing with his uncle, Hill earned his Mortuary Science degree from the American Academy McAllister Institute of New York in 1991. The sage advice from Faust about what Hill calls the "death care" business was invaluable. "Not only was he talking to me about embalm- ing, he talked to me about business,'' said Hill, 48. "Those are two separate things altogether. The importance of paying your bills, protecting your credit, protecting your reputation. I just listened, absorbing all of it. And he never made it easy on me. Nothing was ever right for him.'' The embalming process — replacing the blood in the body with arterial chemicals, known as embalming fluids, to slow decom- position — is an intricate one. It's all about restoring and preserving a body long enough so loved ones can pay their final respects. Family expectations can be high. In those times, Hill leans on the advice of his uncle. "This person is deceased; your primary role as the embalmer is to preserve and restore. So, there is a science to it,'' Hill said, recalling conversations with his uncle. "The restoration starts with your preservation pro- cess; using the right chemicals and making sure all those technical things happen during the embalming process.'' Unlike buying a car or a home, some peo- ple do not save money for their funeral. The stress of having to bury a loved one, and hav- ing limited money for the process, can be a great burden for grieving families. "It's all preventable,'' Hill said, adding that he tries to work with each family that needs his ser- vices. There is a need, he said, for more educa- tion about life insurance and dedicated savings accounts that sock away money for a funeral. Funeral costs can range from $8,000 and up, depending on the type of casket, cem- etery, and other amenities. Cremations can 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES FACILITY SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE Only one company can build, power, protect, and maintain the critical systems in virtually every type of facility. Our clients trust us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business. We design, install, maintain, and protect systems in: Industrial Facilities Manufacturing Facilities Commercial Facilities Higher Education Facilities Healthcare Facilities Pharmaceutical Facilities Stan Simpson Continued Howard K. Hill was inspired to open his own funeral home business by his uncle, who owned a funeral home in Brooklyn, N.Y. P H O T O | P A B L O R O B L E S

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