Under the Radar:On first appearances, John Finlay does not fit the image of a man involved in the solemn business of funerals and memorials. His cheerful and relaxed manner also belies that of a man about to attempt to capture a chunk of the €15 billion US funeral and memorial industry.
Finlay has set up Reméire, a new internationally focused business offering a range of Irish and Celtic-themed remembrance and memorial products, including coffins, caskets and cremation urns, to the international Irish community, particularly in North America.
Finlay admits that the idea of selling funeral products to a market in a different continent might seem bizarre to many people.
"The business idea itself was a bit off the wall because nobody had done it before, so you're in territory that people have difficulty getting their heads around. People understand funerals in very localised, parochial terms. I was looking at it in international terms and partnering with companies to provide services on an international basis."
The business is in his blood. The Finlay family from Ardee, Co Louth, have been associated with the funeral and memorial business in Ireland for five generations, dating back to the 19th century.
In the early 1930s, Finlay's grandfather, Jack, established a coffin-manufacturing business.
John and his brother Colman joined their father in the firm in the early 1990s and expanded the business throughout the Republic and into Northern Ireland and then Britain.
As the firm was consolidating, John took a couple of years out to complete an MSc in international business management run by Enterprise Ireland and Trinity College, with an eye to building an international dimension to Finlays.
The idea for Reméire was spawned from his final-year project, which required the students to put their two years of learning into a business plan.
"I decided to look at the opportunities for expanding and developing the business into North America," says Finlay.
Market research indicated a demand there for more personalised and individualised memorial products. The research also showed the demographics in the US were changing, with an ageing population.
"The market is breaking into niches, creating opportunities and expanding," says Finlay. "Over the next 15 years or so, the number of funerals will increase by 60 per cent."
Reméire was launched last October and the company set up a distribution centre in Vermont and a sales office in Boston, building on the Finlay family tradition. Finlay and his family are moving to Boston next month, where he will take a hands-on role in running the business. His brother Colman will continue to run Finlays of Ardee in Ireland.
In its first half year, Reméire has expanded beyond its Irish identity to embrace other forms of memorials and other national identities, particularly Italian.
"Clearly the strength of the linkages with Ireland made it one of the obvious places to start, but the business is not just about Irish America," he says. "It is about tapping into people's identities. It is about other ethnic identities."
Finlay has also signed a letter of strategic alliance with US company Eternal Image, which has set up a new line of funeral and memorial products using the major league baseball brand.
"It's one of those things you see and say 'only in America'. Eternal Image has Yankees and Red Sox urns and caskets as well as other products. They were going in the same direction as we were, which was around personalising and individualising products and making them fit with people's sense of identity.
"We are going to work together on product development and distribution, which is a huge thing in the States, given the size of the country. We are currently looking at setting up the business they have with European brands."
So far, the expansion has been funded out of his own pocket and bank borrowings, but Finlay says the next phase will need private investment and he is looking at using the Business Expansion Scheme.
He is predicting turnover of $4-$5 million by the company's third year in business, but a deal he is currently negotiating with leading New York-based funeral directors Frank E Campbell and a number of other funeral homes could ensure that target is reached much sooner.
"That would be a fantastic leg-up for the business, but if that doesn't happen, we will find somebody else. It's not a make or break situation. The fact that we have what is regarded as the leading retail funeral business in America talking to us is fantastic."
On The Record
Name:John Finlay
Age:39
From:Ardee, Co Louth
Most admired person:My father and grandfather for building this business during the really tough years in Ireland, and how their hard work and integrity paved the way for Finlays of Ardee to become recognised as one of the leading funeral supply companies in Ireland and Britain.
Inspired by:In business, it would have to be Eugene Murtagh of Kingspan, a fantastic example of what is possible for Irish businesses on a global scale and James Brown of Funeral Services Northern Ireland, a visionary in how to develop a caring, successful and robust funeral service business model.
Also Irish-American poet, undertaker and customer Tom Lynch, for how he interprets the human condition and how we deal with death and dying.
Most likes to:Escape to walk in the mountains, particularly the Cooley Mountains with Sinéad and my three children Jack, Alannah and Abha. Real food for the soul!
Other interests:Travel and eating in the company of friends and family.
Favourite music:Favourite album is probably still Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen; favourite concert recently was Roger Waters at the Point.
Favourite books:Fiction - Perfumeby Patrick Suskind; business - Blue Ocean Strategyby W.Chan Kim and Rene Mauborgne; Anam Caraby John O'Donoghue for sheer beauty of writing.
