Pacesetter 2020 01-15
Tribute Pacesetter Newsletter January 2020
Tribute Pacesetter Newsletter January 2020
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The
PACESETTER
January 2020
Happy
New Year!
Pacesetter
A person or organization viewed as
taking the lead or setting standards of
achievement for others.
Get involved! Be Included!
Don’t be left out! Tribute’s next PACESETTER
deadline is April 15.
Submit your photos, family updates, articles
of interest, bragging rights, etc. as soon as
possible to heidib@tributeinc.com.
Three Issues per Year...
•May Issue.................Deadline April 15
•September Issue.....Deadline August 15
•January Issue..........Deadline December 15
Stay Connected
Why Like us on Facebook and Instagram?
Because you love us, you personally know
one or more of us and you are interested in
what we are doing. When you follow us on
Facebook and Instagram, you’ll see what we
are up to and enjoy our journey with us! After
all, we love to keep our family and friends
updated!
If you’re not already following us on
Instagram or Facebook, maybe it’s time to
start. Each week, we post photos and stories
about our team, project updates, industry
news and articles of interest.
Check one or all of us out...
• The Tribute Companies
• Fort Howard Memorial Park
• Pinelawn Memorial Park
• Restlawn Memorial Park
– 2 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
A Letter from the President
We welcome 2020 with open arms, open eyes and an open heart!
The holidays were wonderful, but certainly throws our momentum
off as a team. I hope you all had a wonderfully joyful and peaceful
season with your families and friends.
Tribute has a theme for 2020 which I hope everyone can participate
in: MORE Purpose, MORE Passion, MORE Success. This theme
generally means that by giving just a little more, A LOT more will be
realized to everyone including you, your families and our clients.
Growing individually and as a company means a lot to me and I look
forward to seeing the collective nature of having you all do that this
year as well. It does not take much more to get a lot more in return.
Let’s do this together and make 2020 our best year yet.
There are lots of great projects in the works for 2020 that we will try to keep everyone
informed about through the year. Our new office 365 computer implementation should help
us with some of this, but we are all learning the best way to use it, so bear with us.
This newsletter is also important to us. Your ideas and pictures should be coming to Heidi
continuously so that we can know more about you and share with the team.
Let’s go conquer this year! It’s so much easier when we have each other’s back and
support the team. Thank you for continuing to provide that to me, to the company and to
each other... and give a little bit more as you’re doing that. I guarantee you’ll see results.
Sincerely,
Christie Toson Hentges
President
Hartland, WI – A new flag pole proudly stands
in front of the Tribute offices.
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 3 –
Christmas Card 2019
– 4 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
Exceptional Employee 2019
Christie Toson Hentges – I’m happy to have tallied up the
comments on “Exceptional Employee” throughout the year
from our cemeteries. These come from our surveys we send
and from our online surveys that are sent after services and
when a name is filled in with the individual that the family felt
provided exceptional service.
For the winner... you get the traveling plaque on display at
your location for the next year AND $25 for each time your
name appeared (to be paid out by year end)! Here are the
results:
Family Service Counselor GARY BOYLE at RESTLAWN is our
WINNER with 16 MENTIONS! Gary will receive $400!
An extremely close second goes to Sarah Soetenga, Family
Service Counselor at Pinelawn who had 15 mentions. This
has been the closest race yet and kudos certainly go out to
Sarah for this great honor.
The rest of the results:
David Smith - 7 mentions
Heather Carlson - 5 mentions
Amber Pender - 4 mentions
Christmas at Tribute...All Decked Out for the Holidays
The Tribute office was all
decked out for Christmas this
year.
In addition to festive
garlands, wreaths, trees,
cards and bows, there was
a special tree in the new
conference room. Heidi
Bischmann, Marketing and
Administrative Coordinator,
was pleased to share a
portion of her Mom’s Antique
Ornament Collection with
the Tribute family. The
tree was adorned with 700
hundred twinkling lights and
more than 200 ornaments.
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 5 –
Special Celebrations
Christie Toson Hentges – Maia turned 21 on November 9, 2019 and had a wonderful
celebration on game day in Madison.
Clyde Rupnow, Director of Buildings and Grounds –
Clyde and LuAnn Rupnow are overjoyed to welcome a new granddaughter to their
family. Marcella Ann Rupnow was born on October 25th. She was 5.2 pounds, 18.5". She is
grandchild #3 joining Croix and Elin.
Marcie is already destined for greatness! She was featured on the Green Bay Packers
website photo gallery (shown here with Blake Martinez) after attending an autograph signing
event. Packers LB Blake Martinez and defensive linemen Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster
signed autographs at Lambeau Field in exchange for donations to the Salvation Army.
– 6 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
We Love Our Fur Babies
Adriane Feltz, Accounting –
Adriane’s household has a
new addition! Judy Feltz
is the new fur-baby in our
house. We picked her up
Labor Day Weekend at 9
weeks old. She is an Aussie-
Doodle and full of mischief
and love.
Other recent pup visits to
Tribute include:
Chip (Doug Engel, Ashley)
Christie Toson Hentges visited Mexico to immerse herself
in the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) culture with
friends from Brazil and Guatemala. While there, they
visited Santa de la Laguna where Mama Coco lives. A
wonderful learning opportunity! Amazing experience!!
Mila (Heidi Bischmann)
Rufus (Christie Toson Hentges)
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 7 –
– 8 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
A Brand New Look at Tribute
After many months of hard work and
patience on everyone’s part, the Tribute
office renovation project is almost
complete in Hartland. A few things
remain on the punch list including new
granite counter tops in our kitchenette
which will be installed on January 22.
Here is a write up from the designers
at Iron Age from their Project Gallery –
https://www.ironageoffice.com/projects/
the-tribute-companies
When it comes to starting a new project,
there is always one key detail that sticks
out; design. The Tribute Companies
specialize in an area that many may not
expect; cemetery layout, design and
construction services, including, but not
limited to: Funeral Home and Cemetery
Architecture and Land Planning. Even
though our industries are completely
different, our sense of design is one in the
same. With Iron Age’s sense of design
for designing furniture and The Tribute
Companies sense of layout design, we
knew that we could work together to
create something amazing.
The Tribute Companies got the full
treatment, being outfitted with height
adjustable desks, a standing glen
conference table, a reception desk, and
credenzas. The end result was a total
wash of their ordinary workspace, and a
upgrade to an industrial masterpiece.
The end project was astonishing,
consisting of a more modern and up
to date feel, while still maintaining
functionality. What was once a blank
canvas now consists of workstations, a
communal area, height adjustable desks,
and tables.
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 9 –
Away from the Office
Christie Toson Hentges – I traveled to Paris
over Thanksgiving with my cousin, Justin, his
wife Amy and their daughters Ana, Taylor
and Emily. We visited the catacombs, Eiffel
Tower, Versailles, the Louvre, Champs-Elysée,
went to an opera and did a chocolate tour.
It was a wonderful trip!
Joan Bohl, Accounts Payable made her very
first quilt as a special Christmas present for
her niece, Anna! With a little bit of help from
Heidi Bischmann, Joan selected her pattern
and fabrics, cut, pressed and pieced this
beautiful lap quilt. The quilting was done on
a long-arm computerized machine at The
Quilting Connection in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
– 10 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
Holiday Festivities
Pinelawn and Tribute employees gathered together on Friday, December 20 to enjoy some
holiday cheer and an ornament exchange at Chenequa Country Club in Hartland. There’s
no doubt from these photos that a great time was had by all!
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 11 –
Fort Howard News
At Fort Howard we installed a new columbarium this fall. The features of this unit include 96
cremation niches and seven cremation spaces in the bench of the unit. Another unique
feature is that it has an ossuary which will provide for the burial of cremated remains under
the columbarium and memorialization for the person’s name on the memorial wall of the
columbarium.
We installed state of the art media and sound equipment in the chapel. It consisted of large
screen smart monitors, wireless microphones and new sound bars and speakers. This will
provide a better experience for our families services and programs.
New carpeting was replaced in the chapel giving it a fresh modern look.
– 12 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
Year Long Sales Incentive
Year Long Incentive
Caribbean Vacation
2019
Amanda Heidtman, Regional Administrator
has surpassed the qualifying Volume in Sales
of Funeral/Final Expense Insurance during
2019 and has earned an all expense paid
trip as part of the Year Long Sales Incentive
Program. Amanda will enjoy a five day four
night stay in a Caribbean resort in Nassau,
The Bahamas! GREAT JOB, Amanda!!
Family Service Counselors
& Location Managers
Fort Howard had the Highest Pre-Need Property Volume at
$395,436.57 (January–November 2019).
Welcome to Fort Howard
Annette Peters, Administrative Assistant –
Annette Peters joined Fort Howard on December 13, 2019 as a part
time Administrative Assistant. Annette was born and raised in the
Green Bay area and has worked with the local community for many
years. She is married and has twin sons. Annette enjoys spending
time with her family, especially her granddaughter. In the summer,
she loves to be outside gardening and biking. In the wintertime she
likes to visit her parents in Florida and go snow-shoeing when she is at
home. Welcome, Annette!!
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 13 –
This year Fort Howard sponsored three children in foster care for Christmas. Donations were
accepted to purchase gifts for each of them. When we reached out to the agency for a
“wish list” from each child, they were so excited because no one has ever asked them what
they wanted before; they usually receive one gift each of what they need. Items included:
Bella (9-girl) – La La Loopsy toys, Hatchimals, Walmart gift card
Wade (15-boy) – Kohl’s or Walmart gift cards, Harry Potter Lego set, Red Queen books
Aggie (14-girl) – Kohl’s or Walmart gift cards, clothes, Wings of Fire book series
Received from Foundations Health and Wellness –
“Thank you to Amanda and the rest of her team at Fort Howard Memorial Park for
helping out Santa’s elves by purchasing items from the wish lists of some of the children
in foster care. Your generosity means so much to Foundations foster families and the
kiddos in their care! Christmas is a time of giving, sharing, and love - Fort Howard
Memorial Park, we thank you for exemplifying the Christmas spirit!”
Santa Fun at Fort Howard
Gifts for Kids this Christmas!
A very special Holiday Remembrance Program was held at Fort Howard Memorial Park
Mausoleum on December 5. The program featured light hors d’oeuvres, a beautiful candle
lighting ceremony with harpist, and a special visit from Santa. A free will donation was
collected to be used towards gifts for several local foster children.
– 14 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
Welcome to Pinelawn
Kimberly Padden, Administrative Assistant –
Kimberly Padden joined the Pinelawn team on October 7, 2019 as a
part time Administrative Assistant. Kimberly currently attends MATC
with a major in Dental Hygiene. She enjoys bowling every Friday as
well as spending a lot of time with her family. She travels every year
with her family. She has been to four different countries as well as
46 of the 50 US states. Kimberly also coaches her little sister’s 7 th – 8 th
grade volleyball team. Welcome, Kimberly!!
Sarah Soetenga (Pinelawn) had the Highest
Number of Sales with 172 in 2019, beating the next
Family Service Counselor by 36 sales.
New Cremation Trail
Work is continuing on Phase I of the new cremation trail at Pinelawn. A pond and trail were
installed this year. Inventory has been added with more new features planned.
The asphalt was replaced at both entrances of Pinelawn giving it a new look.
The aging granite on Pinelawn’s 300 building was replaced. Pinelawn is in the process of
re-drilling and installing each name back on the granite. In the month of December the
building will be getting a new roof.
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 15 –
We installed state of the art media and sound equipment
in the chapel. It consisted of large screen smart monitors,
wireless microphones and new sound bars and speakers. This
will provide a better experience for our families, services and
programs.
Happenings at Restlawn
Catering Added to Extended Family Services
Each Tribute Cemetery offers a unique menu of
Extended Family Services that can be offered to our
families.
At Restlawn, when weather allows, beautiful
butterflies, doves, colorful balloons, or lanterns can
be released as a symbolic way to customize a
committal service within the Park.
Special music including guitar or harp, beverage
service or light hors d’oeuvres can also be provided.
To meet the need of families who wish to host a
meal as part of a Celebration of Life at Restlawn, full
catering services have been added.
This picture is from our first catering event.
– 16 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
Holiday Remembrance Program
A very special Holiday Remembrance
Program was held at Restlawn Memorial
Park Mausoleum on December 5. The
program featured light holiday snacks, a
musical performance by the Master Singers,
a beautiful remembrance ceremony and a
slide show.
Thursday, December 5, 2019 • 5:30 pm
www.restlawn.net | 715.675.3309 | Wausau, WI
Cynthia Segura (Restlawn) had the Highest
Average Sale $3,685.94 in 2019 on 34 sales.
Gary Boyle (Restlawn) had the Best Month Overall
$75,116.50 in 2019. Gary sold his first private estate this
month!
Gary also had the Highest Sales Volume in 2019 with
$455,877.98! Way to go, Gary!
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 17 –
Amber’s New Addition
Amber Pender, Office Manager – Our family welcomed a new addition on Friday, December
6. Her name is Tinzie and she is a Chocolate Lab mix, we aren’t sure what breed of dog her
dad is.
Tinzie was adopted from Woof Gang Rescue in Racine. She came from a kill shelter in
Arkansas, and they saved her. Her adopted name was Titos, but we changed it.
Fun fact- The rescue doesn’t reuse names. So they have to get creative with the names they
choose.
Welcome to Restlawn
Casey McCulloch, Grounds Technician –
Casey joined the Restlawn Grounds Crew on October 21, 2019. In
his spare time Casey and his wife Lillie enjoy hunting, fishing, fourwheeling
and horseback riding. Welcome, Casey!
– 18 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
Go, Go, Go Green Bay Packers
Amber Pender, Office Manager and
Heather Carlson, Administrative Assistant –
Amber and Heather had an opportunity to enjoy a
preseason Packer game at Lambeau Field in August. It was
so much FUN!! Let’s hope they can do something AWESOME
in the postseason this month! Go Packers!
Meet Oakley!
Shawn Henrichs, Grounds Manager – Shawn’s
family got a new puppy named Oakley – a
German Shorthair Pointer. The kids call him
Oak, and hope to make a bird dog out
of him. Oakley had a great time meeting
everyone at Restlawn one day this fall. “He is
a handful, but other than that he is a puppy
yet!”
Halloween 2019
Restlawn Group Halloween Costume!
Heather Carlson,
Administrative Assistant –
My boys’ Halloween
Costumes! Proud mom!!
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 19 –
Dean Wardlow, Plant Manager –
Freeport Plant News
I would like to announce the wedding of Lindsey Wardlow
and Lucas Goncalves on December 13, 2019. Lindsey is the
daughter of Dean and Marcia Wardlow of Forreston, Illinois.
Lindsey recently graduated from University of Wisconsin-River
Falls, with a Bachelors degree in Speech Pathology. She is
now attending University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for her
Master of Sciences and Disorders-Speech and Language
Pathology degree. Lucas is a graduate of University of
Wisconsin-Platteville. He has a Bachelors degree in Electrical
engineering and is now working at Seagrave Fire Apparatus
in Clintonville, WI.
Serving Our Country
Melodie Smith, Administrative Assistant –
My son, Ryan Chapman, was pinned as Chief in the United States
Navy on Friday, September 13, 2019 in Oklahoma City, OK. I am so
excited for this to happen for him and his family.
Welcome to Freeport
Robert Knight, Production
Robbie has many interests outside of work. He enjoys hunting,
playing kickball and spending time with his nephews.
He enjoys learning all of the different job duties at Tribute and is
hoping his knowledge will advance him up through the ranks.
His personally and willingness to learn is encouraging for others.
Welcome, Robbie!!!!!
– 20 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
Good Cheer at Christmas
The Christmas luncheon was held at the
Tribute Precast Systems Freeport Plant on
December 19. Christie Toson Hentges and
Zach Rasmussen traveled to Freeport to
enjoy an afternoon with the Freeport team at
a local establishment. A great time and lots
of laughs were had by all!
Ashley Post Holiday Luncheon
Santa Christie and her
elves, Zach Rasmussen
and Clyde Rupnow were
extra busy in December, so
their visit to host the Tribute
Precast Systems Ashley Plant
Holiday Luncheon took
place on Friday, January
10. Plant Manager Doug
Engel prepared a smoked
barbecue with all the fix-in’s
for everyone at the plant.
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 21 –
On the Road...in Canada
Christie Toson Hentges and Zach Rasmussen
ventured up north to Toronto, Canada for a
client visit. After their work was done, they
headed out to a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey
game where they lost to the Winnipeg Jets in
overtime. It’s not all work and no play!
Before and After...Bronze Marker Restoration
Did you know that a bronze
marker can be restored to
look like new? Shown here
are a before and after
picture of a restoration at
Pinelawn Memorial Park by
Clyde Rupnow, Director of
Buildings and Grounds.
– 22 – Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
Upcoming Celebrations
Birthdays
Anniversaries
December
6 James Lameyer
7 Justin Stiver
18 Adam Watson
28 Heidi Bischman
December
1 Amanda Heidtman – 3 Years
Keith Huenefeld – 5 Years
3 David Smith – 1 Year
Joe Scanlan – 7 Years
10 Clyde Rupnow – 16 Years
17 Lynnae Henderson – 1 Year
January
5 Joan Scanlan
11 David Smith
12 Janelle Korinek
26 Danny Merkt
January
3 Zach Rasmussen – 3 Years
5 Dean Wardlow – 25 Years
9 Philip Butler – 3 Years
10 Jack Lancaster – 6 Years
21 Melodie Smith – 1 Year
22 Shelvie Hall – 1 Year
February
22 Bill Toson
28 Billy Gibson
February
1 Seth Roggie – 4 Years
11 Matt Weible – 1 Year
20 Jordan Daul – 1 Year
21 Sarah Soetenga – 2 Years
22 Jeff Kovnesky – 4 Years
March
2 Willie Walker
7 John Allen
9 Dean Wardlow
11 Adriane Feltz
13 Philip Butler
15 Jack Lancaster
19 Gary Boyle
24 Barb Toson
26 Amanda Heidtman
March
1 Barb Toson – 47 Years
Bill Toson – 47 Years
2 Joshua Schemel – 5 Years
5 James Lameyer – 33 years
14 Shawn Heinrichs – 9 Years
25 Darren Meyer – 1 Year
26 Billy Gibson – 6 Years
April
8 Christine Hentges
Melodie Smith
14 David Line
25 Darren Meyer
April
22 Adam Watson – 1 Year
23 Heidi Bischmann – 1 Year
Tribute Pacesetter January 2020
– 23 –
Building & Planning Futures — Together!
The Tribute Companies | Tribute Design Systems | Tribute Precast Systems
Pinelawn Memorial Park | Gardens of StoneBank | Fort Howard Memorial Park | Restlawn Memorial Park