Green Hills Funeral Home
Troy, AL
Decades of dreaming, years of planning and several months of ongoing construction came together 15 months ago when the walls of Green Hills Funeral Home took shape and its doors opened to provide the community with a premier death care facility. Benny and Krissy Pinckard saw their visions of a funeral home come to fruition in a big way with the help of local financial institutions and services provided by agencies like the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Starting a new business comes with a daunting realm of the unknown--will the construction be timely, is our business providing what the community wants and needs, where will the money come from, among other questions and concerns? Upon the Pinckards' introduction to the SBA through their local lending advisors, Jerry Miller with First National Bank and Todd Romanalski with Superior Bank, they found answers for many of their lingering questions.
'Thank goodness for the SBA. Debbie Parnell was our contact with the SBA, and she was able to offer us extensive knowledge of the process and made sure that we knew exactly what to expect,' Krissy says. 'Our experience doing business with the SBA has been truly amazing and rewarding. Everyone in the program treated us like family and was completely devoted to making our dream a reality.' Debbie was soon the number one advocate for the success of Green Hills Funeral Home. She far surpassed her role of a SBA loan packager and consultant, and built a lifelong friendship with the Pinckards.
With several construction delays hindering the projected opening date, and a slew of unexpected costs such as extra outdoor lighting, driveway expansions, landscaping and additional fixtures, a feeling of uncertainty was hard for the Pinckards to ignore. SBA stepped in with a positive mindset and generous funding to see that every aspect of the project was completed with the utmost precision. 'We thought we had efficiently budgeted to cover extra expenses, but our situation certainly proves that no matter how much you try to prepare for something, there is almost always a loose end,' Krissy says. 'We found that our SBA support and funding really pulled us through to the end of our project.
Green Hills Funeral Come proudly opened their doors in December 2007 to patrons of Pike County and the surrounding areas, and has since taken an active part in providing for and participating in the community. It is Green Hills Funeral Home's goal to serve families in traditional and non-traditional ways, and to provide them with a comfortable environment during their most difficult times.
Jerry and Lynette Dansby, a husband and wife duo, came to Green Hills Funeral Home with more than 25 years of combined experience as dual licensed funeral directors and morticians, while Lynette also specializes in grief counseling.
Though the Danby’s were new to the area, they have taken an active part in introducing themselves and Green Hills Funeral Home to the community through participation in the Pilot Club, Colley Senior Complex, Masons, Exchange Club, Rotary and Relay for Life. Also, Green Hills Funeral Home hosts monthly gospel sings, weekly grief support meetings and special holiday and memorial services.
Funding provided by the SBA made Green Hills Funeral Home's modern capabilities and amenities a possible feature. A full-service kitchen, private and separate visitation rooms, a 250 seat chapel, horse drawn hearse and impeccable service are just a few of the convenience offered at Green Hills Home.
Green Hills Funeral Home is no doubt an SBA success story and prime example of two entities operating on the shared principle: the perception of success will lead you to success. And the Pinckards both agree, 'Green Hills Funeral Home is growing strong thanks to support of SBA.' Green Hills Funeral Home presently employs 10 individuals.
Green Hills Funeral Home
Lynette L. Dansby, CFSP - Manager
1621 South US Hwy. 29
Troy, Alabama 36079
(334) 670-9604
1-866-670-9604 toll free
Fax: (334) 674-1415
1-866-674-1415 toll free fax
Email: greenhills@troycable.net
Website: www.greenhillsfuneralhome.net