By Lori EhdeAfter Jan. 1, Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, will be in the hands of new owners.Randy Hartquist, Pipestone, is purchasing the business from Vertin Company, Breckenridge, which has owned the local operation since the late Norm Engebretson semi-retired in 1980.David Anderson has been directing funeral operations at Engebretson for nearly two years, and Hartquist said no immediate changes are planned in Luverne as the result of the transaction."David’s doing a good job down there," Hartquist said. "There aren’t any big changes that way."Hartquist has owned the funeral home in Pipestone and managed the one in Jasper for nearly 20 years, and he said he’s familiar with Luverne and Rock County families.Further, he said he has a long-standing relationship with both Vertin Company and Engebretson Funeral Home."I know the Engebretson family feels good about the business getting back into local ownership," Hartquist said Monday."I valued my long-term relationship with Norm and Valoris (Engebretson), and considered them my personal friends. I served as a pallbearer for both Norm’s and Valoris’s funerals."Gary Carlson, director of Vertin Company operations in Breckinridge, said the transaction was a natural conclusion to a long-standing personal and business relationship with Hartquist."Randy used to work with us, and we’ve had a long-term relationship with him. He’s covered for us, and we’ve covered him," Carlson said."It was kind of a natural arrangement for that area."Both parties said the need for funeral homes to establish working relationships with other funeral homes is a major factor driving the purchase agreement."With the tight market for funeral home directors, you’re starting to see some volume of ownership and clusters of funeral homes," Carlson said.Hartquist said night and weekend hours can take their toll on funeral directors and their families, so clusters of funeral homes under the same ownership can provide a leadership pool to spread the work."Funeral service has changed so much over the years. … It’s been hard for funeral homes to keep good men in these small towns. They’re always on call. Weekends can come and go without them seeing their families," Hartquist said."The concept is to consolidate and have a good staff to draw on at all times."Following that concept, the transaction in Luverne coincides with Hartquist’s purchase of Vertin-owned funeral homes in Jasper, Lake Benton and Tyler.Another factor influencing the purchases is Hartquist’s son, Jeff Hartquist, who plans to join the family company in the coming year. Jeff Hartquist currently works at a funeral home in the Twin Cities area.Carlson said he’s confident the purchase agreement will be good for both the Hartquists and the community.… They’ll really like Randy over there. He’s a good funeral director — very good. I look for him to continue a strong tradition over there."
