Heather Leigh practically grew up in cemeteries. Equipped with an extensive knowledge of the industry and unmatched compassion for grieving families, she’s the perfect person to run Greenhaven Memorial Gardens. With a deep appreciation for both her team and the families they serve together, Heather has brought the cemetery into a prosperous new era.
What inspired you to get started in the cemetery and afterlife care industry?
I’ve always been involved with cemeteries. When I was a kid, I accompanied my mother, an avid genealogist, on her journeys to cemeteries. Armed with freezer paper, charcoal, or a Crayon, I would help her record information from headstones for her genealogy research. One particular historical cemetery, the Washington Cemetery, became familiar to us.
After I completed tech school, a recruiter reached out to me with an interesting opportunity. A nearby cemetery was looking for someone to assist the new superintendent. The headhunter thought I would be a perfect fit for the position, given my familiarity with cemeteries. I got the job and worked there for several years.
After I moved from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, I unexpectedly crossed paths with one of the business partners who owned Greenhaven Memorial Gardens at the time. We got to chatting and he showed me some burial plans and ideas that he had for his cemetery. I noticed a few discrepancies and began asking him all these questions, which took him by surprise.
After I explained to him that I’d been in the industry for a while, he invited me to interview with his co-partner the next day. That was in October 2010. I was hired and started helping them part-time with sales, cemetery property management, advertising, and other tasks related to their venture.
When the original owner passed away in 2015, the other business partner and I had to come up with a strategy and succession plan for the cemetery. That's when I realized that this was my dream job. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. So, I asked to take charge.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your journey?
Helping families memorialize their loved ones by personalizing headstones and making funeral services unique. I’ve met countless people who’ve come up and thanked me days, weeks, or years later for the services we’ve provided their loved ones that passed on. That’s exactly why I do what I do—for the families.
Any lessons learned that you would like to share?
I firmly believe in owning up to your mistakes, because we’re all humans—mistakes are bound to occur. Throughout my experience, I have come to firmly believe in clear communication and transparency as the cornerstones of successful business relationships. Whether it's with my dedicated team, reliable vendors, or the families we serve, I prioritize open dialogue. I'm not hesitant to acknowledge my mistakes or shortcomings, and I strive to make things right whenever necessary. As the proprietor, the buck stops with me, and I am committed to making things right, regardless of the source of the issue.
For instance, there was an incident where a family had their heart set on a flat black headstone, but I mistakenly ordered it in gray. When the headstone arrived and the family and I were inspecting it, it was clear I had messed up. I took immediate responsibility and communicated candidly with the family. I presented them with options: I could reorder the correct headstone at a discounted rate, even though it would take longer, or they could choose to keep the gray one with a discount as compensation.
Our media company’s motto is: “Where ‘aha’ meets ‘oh shit’.”
Tell us about your biggest ‘aha!’ moments.
My biggest "aha" moments come from the interactions with the families we serve. The ideas shared by our families are what guide us toward innovation and improvements in our services. Rather than relying solely on our internal team or third-party vendors, we find inspiration and direction in the feedback and preferences expressed by the families.
I regularly engage with the families, seeking their input and ideas for potential enhancements. Whether it's discussing new projects or getting their opinions on existing offerings, their valuable insights help shape our decisions. Recently, I proposed the concept of a gathering center, and the families embraced it with enthusiasm, appreciating the peaceful, permanently covered location it would provide.
Tell us about your biggest ‘oh shit!’ moments.
One of the significant challenges we face on our property is the presence of a complete irrigation system. To carry out the grave-digging process, we rely on a third-party vendor, so we absolutely have to be well aware of the location of those irrigation lines.
Over time, our team members develop an innate sense of where these lines run on the property. But this knowledge needs to be intentionally passed on during the onboarding process and subsequent training sessions or else mistakes happen. Unfortunately, I failed to remind a newcomer about the irrigation lines' locations. During one of her first burials, the grave digger urgently called for the water supply to be shut down as they inadvertently damaged two irrigation lines and flooded the area.
Although we immediately addressed the issue and made what we believed were thorough repairs, it wasn’t over. A sinkhole emerged in the same area about a month later; we had completely overlooked that the bucket's teeth had punctured the bottom irrigation a month prior. Having to repair the irrigation lines twice more after the initial incident was a harsh reminder of how important those little details are.
Do you have a personal mantra or motto when it comes to your business?
Everybody's been loved by somebody somewhere at some time and they deserve a meaningful service, whatever that should be for them. No matter who they are, their socioeconomic status, or whether they have one family member or a hundred. We try to give everyone a meaningful service that honors them and helps the family.
If you could hit rewind, is there anything you would do differently?
If I look back, there are some aspects that I would approach differently if I had the experience I have now, particularly from 2014 or 2015, when I first got started. I would have expanded some of our wildly successful programs and offerings way sooner. Knowing now how successful and well-received they would be by our families; I wish I had taken that step earlier.
We can’t change the past, but we can certainly learn from it. You’ve got to crawl before you can walk, and you can’t run until you’ve walked. In the same way, each step, decision, and experience has been a part of our growth and learning process.
Did you have any “game-changing” resources or tools that helped you start or grow? Why was that resource a game-changer for you?
The Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the Minority Business Accelerator Program in particular were hugely instrumental in getting me started. The Chamber itself is helpful for getting out there and networking with all sorts of people and businesses.
The International Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) is also a great resource for me because it means I’m not in a silo. I’ve got peers in the industry that I can bounce ideas off of or take inspiration from. That collective, institutional knowledge has been really invaluable to me.
Thinking about the local entrepreneurial community or ecosystem, what do you believe is working well? What do you think is missing or a gap that needs to be filled?
We don't do anything to educate our young people to think about what running a business actually entails. There should be more emphasis on providing resources and support to aspiring entrepreneurs before they decide to launch their own businesses. They should be taught how to assess the marketability of their idea and whether they have the skills and capabilities needed to make it successful.
We should encourage young people to think beyond the traditional nine-to-five job early on. By offering courses and programs that focus on entrepreneurship and business management, we can equip the next generation with the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions about their career path.
Starting a business involves significant risks, including the potential loss of savings, strained relationships, and even personal hardships. By providing resources and education beforehand, aspiring entrepreneurs can make more informed choices and better understand the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
What do you want Greenhaven to look like a year from now – from the market, your product or service, your team or people, the culture, or revenue – describe how you would like things to look a year or two from now. What have you put in place – or going to put in place – to make that a reality?
Right now, the plan is to break ground for two new acres and continue to build out the cemetery. Greenhaven is a 30-acre property, but only seven acres are visible when you first get here. We're going to open up the hillside and build a gathering center that will have more spaces for parking and be a safe place for families to gather.
What makes your team different in the industry?
My approach is rooted in teamwork and camaraderie, ensuring that everyone involved, whether part of my staff or an outside vendor, understands their vital role in our collective success.
I value the relationships with our vendors, viewing them not merely as contractors but as essential contributors to our mission. Whether they’re out installing monuments, cutting the grass, or something else, I engage with them on a personal level. We discuss ideas, seek feedback, and share resources to enhance the overall experience for our families. Regardless of their specific tasks, each member of the team understands that their dedication and involvement contribute to the seamless functioning of our operations.
In the end, it is this sense of camaraderie and shared purpose that makes our efforts in the community more impactful and reinforces our commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of the families we serve.