Carlson Funeral Home of Rhinelander is a recipient of the 2012 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Pursuit of Excellence Award. This award honors funeral homes for their outstanding services to families, commitment to the community, and dedication to upholding the highest ethical and professional standards. This is the ninth consecutive year that Carlson Funeral Home has earned the Pursuit of Excellence distinction. It is one of only 163 funeral homes in the nation to earn the Pursuit of Excellent award in 2012.

“The Pursuit of Excellent program is specifically designed to recognize and commemorate funeral homes that go above and beyond the standard level of service to families,” said NFDA Chief Executive Officer Christine Pepper, CAE. “In addition, these firms show their commitment to leadership in the professional development opportunities for their staff members and other key personnel.”

Receiving a Pursuit of Excellence award requires that a funeral home meet strict quality service criteria in six categories of achievement. Categories include ethical and legal compliance documentation, continuing education and staff development, family outreach and support, community service and education, professional association service and participation, and marketing, advertising and public relations.

“We are proud to be part of the Pursuit of Excellence program and to demonstrate our commitment to providing quality and professional services to our families and to our community,” Carlson Funeral Home president Bruce Carlson said. Carlson Funeral Home is a locally owned independent funeral home that has been providing funeral services to Rhinelander and the surrounding area for over 100 years. Recently, Michael Carlson joined the funeral home as an apprentice funeral director and represents the fifth generation of the Carlson family to serve at the firm.