Foundation Partners Grouphas acquired five properties in Chico, California, from the Brusie family: Brusie Funeral Home, Bidwell Chapel, Affordable Mortuary, Chico Cemetery Association and Glen Oaks Memorial Park. Brusie Funeral Homes and Cemeteries was founded in 1942 by Warren Pope Brusie and wife Helen. In 1959, they expanded by establishing Glen Oaks Memorial Park. Their son, Warren, took over the firm in 1970 at 27 years old after the death of his father. In the early 1990s, his children, Marc and Amy, joined him in running the business and are now third-generation owners.
The Brusies purchased Chico Cemetery Association and Bidwell Chapel in 1994. In 2005, they added a fifth location when they purchased Affordable Mortuary from a retiring competitor. Marc’s wife, Janice, joined the firm as CFO in 2000, and the three have run the business for the past 20 years.
“We almost sold to someone else in 2016, but it wasn’t the right fit,” said Marc. “Since then, we’ve considered succession planning more seriously and are happy to be joining Foundation Partners Group. They were very organized and efficient, and they wanted us to stay on to support our families and community. That was a huge bonus for us.”
“This acquisition represents our first operations north of San Francisco with five well-established brands providing an excellent platform from which to grow,” said Bob Bukala, Foundation Partners Group president and CEO. “The Brusie family and team have been dedicated to providing exceptional, compassionate care for over 70 years in the Chico community…”
Foundation Partners Group also acquired Akin-Davis Funeral Homes in southwest Florida, adding three locations to the company’s network and expanding its footprint to 30 Florida locations. Akin-Davis had served the Clewiston and LaBelle communities for decades under two prior owners when Cecil Akin and Luther Davis purchased and renamed the firm in the early 1980s. They expanded to a third location (Fort Myers) in 1998, and Akin bought out Davis in the early 2000s. In 2009, the Akin children, Daniel and Kimberly, took over active management of the firm.
Said co-owner Kimberly Akin: “We really didn’t have a formal succession plan, and Daniel’s children had no interest in the business. We didn’t want to be in our 60s and looking for someone local to buy three funeral homes. Foundation Partners Group was a perfect fit for us since they are a privately owned firm that really cares about serving families.” foundationpartners.com