On Episode 100 of Downtown Depot, Austin Meek interviews Josh Blake, Chief Operating Officer of Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home. Josh explains how funeral rites have evolved over time, ways the Covid-19 pandemic shaped his industry, and his service with the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Before that interview, Austin shines the Small Business Spotlight, presented by American Bank, on Starr General Dentistry.

Inside the Episode:

0:38 - Show host Austin Meek on 100 episodes of Downtown Depot
2:09 - The Small Business Spotlight: Starr General Dentistry
6:38 - Josh Blake’s Waco history
9:08 - A facility for funeral directing
11:03 - “Be a swan”
12:25 - Evolving views of grief

14:07 -How he has changed
16:11 - Bodily burial vs. cremation
17:38 - Multipurpose facilities for parties

19:36 - Covid funerals
22:05 - The next generation of funeral home directors
22:55 - Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber
24:23 - An eye on past and future
26:11 - Leadership Waco experience