Firm mixes concrete and ashes to make memorials for dearly departed....
Houston Business Journal - June 22, 2007
by Greg Barr
Houston Business Journal
Growing up in Louisiana, Kay Van Cleave recalls how her mother would ship the kids off to school and head for a nearby lake to fish. When the family moved to Houston in the 1950s, her mom made regular trips to Galveston for offshore fishing.
"She loved to fish and would go every chance she could," recalls Van Cleave.
Houston Business Journal - June 22, 2007
by Greg Barr
Houston Business Journal
Growing up in Louisiana, Kay Van Cleave recalls how her mother would ship the kids off to school and head for a nearby lake to fish. When the family moved to Houston in the 1950s, her mom made regular trips to Galveston for offshore fishing.
"She loved to fish and would go every chance she could," recalls Van Cleave.
After her mother's death in 1989, a Van Cleave scattered half her ashes in the Irish Sea and Kay kept the rest. She later read an article about a company called Eternal Reefs and knew she had found the ideal final resting place for her mother's remaining ashes.
Eternal Reefs mixes concrete with remains to make reef "balls," underwater memorials that provide a habitat for fish.
"That was so cool. The best thing I ever heard of," says Van Cleave.
Her mother's ashes are part of a memorial reef ball placed on the Gulf floor near South Padre Island in 2004.
The combination of angling and environmentalism made a fitting dual tribute, she says.
"She loved fishing, and here was a chance to do something good for the ecology," says Van Cleave. "I thought about how tickled my mother would be about this. And it gave me closure."
Eternal Reefs mixes concrete with remains to make reef "balls," underwater memorials that provide a habitat for fish.
"That was so cool. The best thing I ever heard of," says Van Cleave.
Her mother's ashes are part of a memorial reef ball placed on the Gulf floor near South Padre Island in 2004.
The combination of angling and environmentalism made a fitting dual tribute, she says.
"She loved fishing, and here was a chance to do something good for the ecology," says Van Cleave. "I thought about how tickled my mother would be about this. And it gave me closure."
Reef balls roll off Freeport
George Frankel hopes to hear from others like Van Cleave.
The CEO of Atlanta-based Eternal Reefs is looking for prospects who want to preserve the remains of family members -- even pets -- in the company's first Houston-area reef ball placements off the coast near Freeport.
The balls will become part of the George Vancouver fishing reef created from a sunken World War II Liberty ship about seven miles offshore. The site is under permit and maintained by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Frankel says Eternal Reefs has seen growing interest in Texas, especially Galveston, which lacks the reef stuff.
"The area around Galveston doesn't work so well because the bottom is too soft and there are so many oil and gas transmission lines around," Frankel explains. "Freeport has several established reefs."
Six families have signed up to be part of the Freeport memorial. As many as 15 separate commemorative reef balls will be placed in a cluster 50 feet below the surface when the late-October dedication takes place.
Reef balls are available in varying sizes and price ranges, depending on personal preferences.
The Mariner, the largest, weighs nearly 4,000 pounds and can accommodate up to four sets of remains for a cost of $6,495.
George Frankel hopes to hear from others like Van Cleave.
The CEO of Atlanta-based Eternal Reefs is looking for prospects who want to preserve the remains of family members -- even pets -- in the company's first Houston-area reef ball placements off the coast near Freeport.
The balls will become part of the George Vancouver fishing reef created from a sunken World War II Liberty ship about seven miles offshore. The site is under permit and maintained by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Frankel says Eternal Reefs has seen growing interest in Texas, especially Galveston, which lacks the reef stuff.
"The area around Galveston doesn't work so well because the bottom is too soft and there are so many oil and gas transmission lines around," Frankel explains. "Freeport has several established reefs."
Six families have signed up to be part of the Freeport memorial. As many as 15 separate commemorative reef balls will be placed in a cluster 50 feet below the surface when the late-October dedication takes place.
Reef balls are available in varying sizes and price ranges, depending on personal preferences.
The Mariner, the largest, weighs nearly 4,000 pounds and can accommodate up to four sets of remains for a cost of $6,495.
The cost for placing remains in a community reef to commingle with ashes of non-family members is $2,495.
Pet owners can consign the remains of a beloved dog or cat to a permanent ocean resting place on the Pearl reef ball for a price of $895.
Pet owners can consign the remains of a beloved dog or cat to a permanent ocean resting place on the Pearl reef ball for a price of $895.
A father's request
Don Brawley founded Eternal Reefs in 1999, a year after he was asked to include his father's remains in a reef ball. Brawley had earlier set up Reef Ball Development Group to produce concrete reef "balls" to help repair ecologically important reef structures.
The memorial castings are done under subcontract by Reef Innovations in Sarasota, Fla.
Eternal Reefs has placed more than 600 memorial reef balls, mainly around Florida and along the East Coast as far north as Maryland and New Jersey. More than 100 memorial reefs are expected to be added this year.
CEO Frankel says the privately held company, which expects to exceed $1 million in revenue in 2008, is eyeing the Pacific Northwest as well as the Caribbean for future reef sites.
He says families like having a permanent marker instead of merely tossing the loved one's ashes into the sea.
Says Frankel: "It's astonishing to us how many people have been interested in this. It's a very positive memorial, and they get to make a contribution to the marine environment that is substantial."
The cremated remains of the deceased are mixed in with the other ingredients to create the concrete reef ball. Surviving family members are given the option of traveling to Florida to assist in the mixing process and pouring the concrete into the reef mold, even adding handprints to the wet concrete form.
Van Cleave recalls that before watching her mother's reef ball lowered into the water, she was allowed to write an inspirational saying on the memorial with concrete chalk.
"You're going to love this," she wrote, as parting words to her mother.
Don Brawley founded Eternal Reefs in 1999, a year after he was asked to include his father's remains in a reef ball. Brawley had earlier set up Reef Ball Development Group to produce concrete reef "balls" to help repair ecologically important reef structures.
The memorial castings are done under subcontract by Reef Innovations in Sarasota, Fla.
Eternal Reefs has placed more than 600 memorial reef balls, mainly around Florida and along the East Coast as far north as Maryland and New Jersey. More than 100 memorial reefs are expected to be added this year.
CEO Frankel says the privately held company, which expects to exceed $1 million in revenue in 2008, is eyeing the Pacific Northwest as well as the Caribbean for future reef sites.
He says families like having a permanent marker instead of merely tossing the loved one's ashes into the sea.
Says Frankel: "It's astonishing to us how many people have been interested in this. It's a very positive memorial, and they get to make a contribution to the marine environment that is substantial."
The cremated remains of the deceased are mixed in with the other ingredients to create the concrete reef ball. Surviving family members are given the option of traveling to Florida to assist in the mixing process and pouring the concrete into the reef mold, even adding handprints to the wet concrete form.
Van Cleave recalls that before watching her mother's reef ball lowered into the water, she was allowed to write an inspirational saying on the memorial with concrete chalk.
"You're going to love this," she wrote, as parting words to her mother.
Frankel says the most interesting mixture of ashes he has seen so far included the remains of a woman, her first and second husbands, and the first wife of her second husband.
He also recalls a memorial that included the remains of an endangered Kemp Ridley turtle chosen by a sea turtle rescue clinic in North Carolina.
Each reef ball contains a bronze plaque bearing the name of the deceased. The GPS coordinates of the reef ball are given to family members who, in some cases, will don diving equipment in future years to visit the underwater site.
The company's Web site also touts products for sale.
A pendant contains the name and GPS coordinates of the deceased. A small desktop reef ball replica includes a sprinkling of the deceased person's remains. Also available are Eternal Reefs T-shirts and ball caps.
Says Frankel: "We're not competing with the funeral industry. It's more of a value-added service."
He also recalls a memorial that included the remains of an endangered Kemp Ridley turtle chosen by a sea turtle rescue clinic in North Carolina.
Each reef ball contains a bronze plaque bearing the name of the deceased. The GPS coordinates of the reef ball are given to family members who, in some cases, will don diving equipment in future years to visit the underwater site.
The company's Web site also touts products for sale.
A pendant contains the name and GPS coordinates of the deceased. A small desktop reef ball replica includes a sprinkling of the deceased person's remains. Also available are Eternal Reefs T-shirts and ball caps.
Says Frankel: "We're not competing with the funeral industry. It's more of a value-added service."
State permits no barrier to Eternal Reefs
Eternal Reefs has the blessing of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Doug Peter, a natural resource specialist with the artificial reef program, says Eternal Reefs has an open-ended permit that allows the company to place reef balls at approved sites.Peter says the reef balls are a good choice for gradual expansion of existing reefs used to enhance conservation efforts and improve fish stocks.The state monitors 58 artificial reef sites, between six and 100 nautical miles offshore."We've used reef balls ourselves and have placed 132 so far," Peter says. "The dome shape with a hollow center gives fish hiding spots and a hard substrate for invertebrates to attach to, and are maintained pretty well in a storm situation."The state also works with the numerous oil drilling companies in the Gulf under the "Rigs to Reef" program. Eighty-eight offshore structures have been transformed into artificial reefs so far."When the rigs quit producing, they are required to be taken ashore and it's an expensive process," Peter says. "But when they reef those structures it saves them a lot of money, and we get 50 percent of what they would save by not taking it to shore."
gbarr@bizjournals.com , 713-960-5932
Eternal Reefs has the blessing of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Doug Peter, a natural resource specialist with the artificial reef program, says Eternal Reefs has an open-ended permit that allows the company to place reef balls at approved sites.Peter says the reef balls are a good choice for gradual expansion of existing reefs used to enhance conservation efforts and improve fish stocks.The state monitors 58 artificial reef sites, between six and 100 nautical miles offshore."We've used reef balls ourselves and have placed 132 so far," Peter says. "The dome shape with a hollow center gives fish hiding spots and a hard substrate for invertebrates to attach to, and are maintained pretty well in a storm situation."The state also works with the numerous oil drilling companies in the Gulf under the "Rigs to Reef" program. Eighty-eight offshore structures have been transformed into artificial reefs so far."When the rigs quit producing, they are required to be taken ashore and it's an expensive process," Peter says. "But when they reef those structures it saves them a lot of money, and we get 50 percent of what they would save by not taking it to shore."
gbarr@bizjournals.com , 713-960-5932
