Final gift owners Leon Hill, center, his wife, Marie, and their son Kevin Vadenais have formed relationships with about 75 veterinarians in the region.
COMPANY PROFILE
Final Gift
OWNER: Leon Hill
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Pet crematorium
LOCATION: 25 Starline Way, Cranston
EMPLOYEES: five
YEAR FOUNDED: 2004
ANNUAL REVENUE: $1 million
Cranston facility fulfills need in local market, now eyes possible expansion
A pet is often more than a pet; it can be a member of the family. The question then becomes: How can a pet owner note the passing of a beloved friend?
Leon Hill and his family were confronted with the issue when their 12-year-old miniature poodle died unexpectedly several years ago. Unfortunately, the answer Hill found was not sufficient.
“We wanted to do something special for her,” he said. “We didn’t just want to dig a hole in the yard.”
But Hill had to take a day out of work and drive two hours to the nearest pet crematorium. On the way home, Hill and his wife, Marie, thought there had to be a better way.
Thus began the odyssey of Final Gift, a pet crematorium in Cranston.
After about nine months of research, Hill determined that there was a need for a business in Rhode Island that filled the need, and veterinarians in the region agreed.
There are about 3 million pets in the company’s market area – a 60-mile radius from Cranston – that spans Providence, to Boston, to Worcester and into Hartford, Hill found.
With that, the business opened in November 2004. After only a year and a half, the company is already into year four of its original business plan, Hill said. A new facility in New York is already being planned.
The company offers individual and communal cremations for pets up to 400 pounds.
About 55 percent of all customers opt for a communal cremation, where the pet is cremated with other pets, Hill said, while the remaining customers prefer an individual cremation that allows them to take the ashes home.
About 95 percent of all cremations involve dogs and cats, with the others being exotic pets, including, so far, sheep, monkeys, gerbils, birds and alligators.
Hill has formed relationships with about 75 veterinarians in the area and guarantees pickup of the pet and return of the remains within 72 hours.
When Final Gift entered the market, Hill said, the average return of ashes for a pet was two to six weeks. Unlike most services that return the ashes by mail, all of Final Gift’s clients get the ashes delivered personally, complete with a sympathy card, grief package and certificate of cremation.
“It is bad to lose a pet, but then four weeks later when the pet comes back in the mail you have to relive that whole experience,” said Hill.
To this end, the company strives for quick, reliable service, said Hill, and the goal is to cremate the pet the day it comes in.
The company operates two machines on 1,100 square feet of space at the Cranston facility, and there are plans to add a third machine soon. In all, it was about a $300,000 investment to start the crematorium, Hill said.
The company has five employees who perform the pickup and drop-off service and the sales and marketing activities for the company. The company is looking to add two more employees in the near future.
Communal cremations range from $25 to $75, depending on weight, while an individual cremation can cost $75 to $300.
About 85 percent of customers use the pickup and drop-off service that Hill established with vets in the area. About half of the remaining customers bring the pets to the Cranston location, while the other half take advantage of a home pickup service that is offered by the company. For those who bring in their own pets, Final Gift provides a private viewing and garden area for the client to wait out the cremation. They can then take the remains home in about two hours’ time.
The majority of walk-in business is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to better accommodate today’s busy schedules. Hill’s research indicates, however, that this part of the company’s offerings is not well-known, leaving room for growth for the company.
Final Gift has contracts with vet clients to include a complimentary urn for all pets. For walk-in customers, the urns can range in price from $40 to $110. All urns can be customized with either a picture or an engraving for $9 and $12, respectively.
In addition, the company offers resources to help parents explain the loss of a pet to their children.
Hill said that about 1 percent of clients still prefer a traditional burial, so Final Gift has created an affiliation with Rose Hill Pet Cemetery in Peacedale to cater to that need.
