Meet Paul White: Managing Funeral Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul White and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
The single most important habit that I can attribute any of my success to is intentional, daily time spent in fellowship with God.

There is something to be said about clearing one’s mind of all the anxieties and pressures that we experience on a daily basis that helps me recharge. But emptying myself isn’t enough. This only wipes the slate clean each day. It is in my prayer time (talking honestly with God) and in my studies of His word (The Bible) that has brought about the greatest inspirations and help in my times of need. No question. I try to spend 1 hour a day doing these activities. I have found that much prayer has brought about much blessing, little prayer brings about little blessing, and no prayer brings no blessing.

What should our readers know about your business?
The thing that sets us apart the most from our competitors is the people we have on our team. I believe that God has brought such remarkable people to serve on our team. And our people are the most valuable resource we have in our business.

Learning how to engage and inspire our team is the most dynamic work I do. If my associates are struggling then it automatically means our quality of care for the clients decreases.

No matter how sophisticated a system or policy or practice is within an organization, it doesn’t matter if people are not engaged and inspired to do a great job. Systems don’t work – people work.

My sincere hope is that people know that taking care of people is the priority. This is the external customer (the client families) and the internal customer (the members of my team).

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Who comes to Southern California and doesn’t go to the beach? The beach is by-far the best thing we have going for us in sunny SoCal. I would recommend Huntington Beach Pier, then a fire pit at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Marina cruise around Naples Island in Long Beach. Obviously got to check out the Santa Monica Pier for some food and festivities.

I’ve enjoyed driving through downtown LA to see the tall buildings. Stop off for lunch at Grand Central Market. Do some sight-seeing and driving around Beverly Hills to see all the cool homes.

The other cool thing about Los Angeles is that no matter where you hang out and no matter what time of year, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have pleasant weather, so it doesn’t really matter what city you hang out in. What a great place to live! Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Two people come to mind:

1.) My dad. Most of what I’ve learned about the funeral profession and about life, in general, has come from my dad. He is the kindest and most loving person I know. He has great poise and wisdom about how to conduct himself in business and in life. I could not have asked for a better dad.

2.) Pastor Dee Duke from Jefferson Baptist Church, Jefferson, Oregon. I came across Pastor Duke at a seminar in 2008 on leadership. His testimony of developing himself as a leader, in conjunction with daily devotion with God, has played a huge role in my life over the past 13 years.

Website: www.whiteemerson.com