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FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS
FUNERAL PROCESSION
There's a touch of oddity in a mortuary winning recognition for longevity.
The operators of O'Connor Mortuary of Laguna Hills took it in stride when they were honored with the longevity award at the annual Family Owned Business luncheon put on by the Business Journal and California State University, Fullerton's Family Business Council.
The event was held Nov. 17 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine.
The company bills itself as the oldest family owned and run mortuary in California, serving Southern California for 107 years.
The O'Connors employ 27 people and serve about 1,000 clients each year, generating some $4 million in annual revenue.
A typical funeral home does 187 services per year, with five workers and roughly $1 million in annual revenue, according to the Brookfield, Wis.-based National Funeral Directors Association.
In the past few years, HBO's "Six Feet Under" and A&E's "Family Plots" have taken the O'Connor's business out of the shadows, portraying families within the funeral business.
The O'Connors said they watch both shows on occasion, sometimes with rolling eyes.
"The media has never been kind to our industry," said Chuck Ricciardi, O'Connor's chief operating officer.
Ricciardi, who married into the O'Connor family, said he thinks the shows demystify what morticians do.
For Chief Financial Officer Joe Fitzgerald, the programs serve as an icebreaker in social settings.
"Normally, when you say you're a mortuary owner, people don't know what to say next," he said.
The shows portray the business as too chaotic, according to Chief Executive Neil O'Connor.
Passed on TV
A&E sought out the O'Connors when it was readying "Family Plots" for prime...