Work is under way at Hamilton Funeral Home and Cremation Services, scheduled to open this summer in the former location of the Golden Corral restaurant at the corner of Hamill Road and Hixson Pike.
Staff photo by John Rawlston/Chattanooga Times Free Press – May 11, 2011A pair of funeral industry veterans are branching out on their own with plans to start a new location in Chattanooga.
Hamilton Funeral Home and Cremation Services is slated to open in late summer at the high-profile Hixson Pike and Hamill Road site.
“Once the building is completed, we’ll go before the state [regulators]. Then, we’ll be ready for operation,” said Josh Jennings, who is teaming with Ralph Mosier Jr. to open the business.
They are renovating an existing building on the site and spending about $2 million to ready the new operation, said Mosier, who has 13 years in the industry.
He said they believe there’s a need for a locally owned, independent funeral home in the area.
It will give people “the care and services needed at a professional level and at prices people expect are fair to the Chattanooga area,” said Mosier, adding he has accounting and mortuary science degrees.
Jennings said he thinks Hamilton Funeral Home can save families “hundreds if not thousands” of dollars.
“I believe we’ll have the nicest facility in the area. It will have reasonable prices,” he said. “It sets us apart.”
Jennings, with 10 years in the funeral home business, said the 11,000-square-foot building is undergoing an extensive renovation by Schaerer Contracting.
“We’ve completely gutted the building,” he said. “There’s nothing left but the shell.”
Jennings said that when finished, the funeral home will boast four state rooms, a chapel and hold 175 guests.
Also, the site has a lot of parking with nearly 200 spaces, he said.
“It’s a great facility and a great location,” Jennings said.
Mosier, who said they’re aiming at the Chattanooga, Red Bank and Soddy-Daisy areas, added the facility will have an up-to-date sound system and a large lounge for families for food and refreshments.
Also, the Hixson Pike-Hamill Road intersection has a traffic light, making for easy access, he said.
“That’s really a plus for us,” Mosier said.
Jennings said that plans are to start with about 10 employees.
“Our real goal is to educate the public on what we have to offer and the services we have,” he said. “We want people to get to know us. We’re focused on the community and a personal level of care.”
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.