May Lecture – The Changing Funeral Home Industry – Alternative End of Life Choices

Join us for our May lecture: The Changing Funeral Home Industry – Alternative End of Life Choices, presented by Daniel Holland (Founder & President, Boundless Family of Companies) and Mike Mitchell (Operations Manager of Mitchell Funeral Homes).

Dan, age 65, has been involved in banking and the credit union industry, mortgage lending, real estate appraisal, brokerage, development, construction, property management and property tax administration. Holland is currently the Field Operations Section Manager for the Michigan Department of Treasury.

Holland is also active for his own and family interests in real estate development, management, sales, brokerage and construction. Dan has been licensed as a Certified Residential Appraiser, Real Estate Broker, Residential Builder, Michigan Advanced Assessing Officer, and Personal Property Examiner. Dan holds two associate degrees from Grand Rapids Community College and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Western Michigan University.

Dan is the founder and First Metropolitan Curate of The Conscious Church (a secular church) and is a Certified Grief Support Specialist (NMU) and a Certified Crematory Operator (NFDA).

Dan is a parent of three and resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dan has founded several companies and has served as president, treasurer, secretary and board member of several for-profit, non-profit, and ecclesiastical organizations.

Dan’s newest venture, Boundless, is in the relatively new area of Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) within the death care industry. NOR, also known as human composting or Microbial Cremation^TM, is the natural, gentle, process that turns human mortalities into earth friendly soil. NOR started approximately 7 years ago in the state of Washington. Boundless is not yet open for business to the public and is working to make NOR legal in Michigan, as it is in 15 other states. Dan considers himself a generalist in that he seeks education at every opportunity and is continuously striving to learn more about more.

Dan considers NOR to be among the best death care options and wants to see the movement and the community grow and spread so that we each can leave the smallest possible footprint in remembrance of our life in this great world.

For the past 20 years, Mike Mitchell has been directing and managing the operations of Mitchell Funeral Homes, which include overseeing the daily activities of staff and ensuring that each family receives the exceptional funeral and cremation services Mitchell Funeral Homes are known for. Additionally, He is responsible for the planning services, developing and maintaining standard operating procedures. During this time Mitchell has become an industry leader in Green Burial and in-home vigils. He is considered a resource to many cemeteries around the state and country that wish to conduct Green Burial.

Mitchell is a past board member of the Green Burial Council and was recently named to the Global Green Burial Alliance Advisory Committee. Prior to his work at Mitchell Funeral Homes, he worked as an Environmental Resource Specialist at SmithGroup JJR, and conducted environmental field studies, wrote Environmental Impact Studies, and created a wetland mitigation site selection protocol using GIS.  He also specialized in Soil Bioengineering and was certified in MDEQ Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control.

Mitchell gained valuable experience as a Deputy Water Resource Commissioner in Ingham County, Michigan, assisting in the management of various watershed projects throughout the county and oversaw the Tollgate Storm Water Project.

Mitchell also gained valuable experience at the Old Faithful Ranger Station as a Naturalist Assistant for the U.S. National Park Service at Yellowstone National Park. He worked with the visitors and educated them with information related to the Wolf Reintroduction Program and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Mitchell has a degree in Mortuary Science from The Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Inc., as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Policy from Michigan State University.

Mitchell and his wife, Stacey, currently reside in Chelsea, Michigan where they have raised two sons who are now out adulting in the world. He is passionate about fly fishing, floating rivers in his drift boat, upland bird hunting with his black lab Lily as well as hiking and camping.

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The venue for this month’s lecture is the Fountain Street Church – Chapel.

Join us after the lecture for food and conversation!  We will reconvene at Palace of India: 138 Fulton St E, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

Parking Information   

Metered street parking is free after 7 PM.

The nearby GRCC Parking structure is available to the public.

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