We had the good fortune of connecting with Brett Schwartz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brett, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I am a fifth-generation funeral director. My great-great-grandfather, Morris Rosenberg, started his own funeral home in 1877. Later, his son Judah followed in his footsteps and started to work with Morris. One of Judah’s daughters, Jane, married my grandfather, Bernard Schwartz, a lawyer who had studied at The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Bernard made the decision to join the family business and became a funeral director. In 1958, Morris Rosenberg’s Son, Directors of Funerals, merged with another local funeral home, Raphael-Sacks. My father, Harry, followed suit and became a licensed funeral director as well. In 1992, Goldsteins’, a large funeral home in the Philadelphia area, merged with our family business to become Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s Raphael-Sacks. I received my funeral director license in 2003 after graduating from Penn State University and Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service. I am currently a Co-Owner and Vice President.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The funeral profession is certainly unique, to say the least. While I am sure you can imagine some of what we deal with in our day-to-day, even the more cliché aspects that may be the butt of a joke, there is much more to it. It takes a very specific type of person to be a good funeral director and a lot of sacrifice to be a great one. Communication is key. A funeral director must possess acute listening skills but also be able to communicate clearly to serve grieving families best. Along with that, sympathy and, even more so, empathy plays a huge role. People want to feel a sense of compassion and that they are truly cared about during what may be the worst time in their lives.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The Lucky Well Incubator. Roseys. Butcher and Barkeep. Reading Terminal Market. Angelos. Rim Café. Hop Sing Laundromat. Franklin Mortgage Company. Vibrant Coffee. Great food, killer craft cocktails, quality coffee, and all-around awesome experiences are what I look for when heading out for a good meal or a night on the town. My wife and kids say I’m boujee, and they’re not wrong. I know what I like, and I’m not a cheap date, but I will make sure you have a great time!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Bruce Goldstein : Bruce Goldstein is old-school. He’s a funeral director’s funeral director. It’s amazing how many families he is able to serve in the course of a day without making them feel as though they are “just another family.” He holds their hands as he walks them through the arrangements and the funeral to ensure that every service is a loving tribute honoring the loss of a loved one. I truly admire him, and hope that one day, I am capable of doing the same.

Eileen Norman Perice: Eileen has always been a driving force at Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s Raphael-Sacks. Whether she was serving a family or tending to business matters behind the scenes, she is ALWAYS working. And even though she had to step away from the company for several years due to medical issues, she was able to come back in beast mode as a driving force, taking us into the future and beyond. She has even been named Supervisor of our corporate headquarters and is the first woman to do so in our over 140 year history.

Randi Sherwood: Randi is our marketing guru. She has been with us for years, and whether it’s 11:30 at night or 7:00 in the morning, local or on the beach in Florida, she is always available to help. From one-off ads for annual events to mass marketing campaigns, Randi always makes us looks good and aids us in our quest to bring our message to the people. “Caring. Committed. Compassionate.” That’s what we are and what we stand for, and the families we serve now or those we will serve down the road know it because of her.

Jeff Hoffmann: Jeff is one of our attorneys and primarily helps us when a family we have served has decided not to pay us. It is not a service we want to utilize, but we need it, and Jeff does it with tact. He realizes this is a sensitive matter that needs to be handled delicately, so is very careful to tread lightly, unless the situation calls for a more stern approach. Jeff also assists us when we have questions concerning business matters, wills, and estates. He runs the gamut, has been with us as long as I can remember. We have always been able to count on him, and I have no doubt he will be with us until he retires.

Website: www.GoldsteinsFuneral.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldsteinsfuneralhome/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goldsteins’-rosenberg’s-raphael-sacks-inc-/about/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldsteinsRosenbergsRaphaelSacks

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.