Arnett & Steele Funeral Home, Inc. has been honored by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) with the 2021 Pursuit of Excellence Award. Only 542 funeral home locations around the globe – 110 funeral businesses and 432 funeral home branch locations were honored with a 2021 Pursuit of Excellence Award, placing Arnett & Steele Funeral Home, Inc. among an elite group of funeral service providers. Pursuit of Excellence Award recipients raises the bar on funeral service excellence by adhering to the highest ethical and professional standards and providing unsurpassed service to families and communities.

To earn an NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award, a participating funeral home must meet or exceed business standards set forth by the program and demonstrate proficiency in key areas of funeral services, such as compliance with state and federal regulations, providing ongoing education and professional development opportunities for staff; offering outstanding programs and resources to bereaved families; maintaining an active level of involvement within the community; participating and actively serving in the funeral service profession; and promoting funeral home services through a variety of marketing, advertising, and public relations programs.

Participants are also required to adhere to a Pledge of Ethical Practices.

“As the pandemic continues to impact our country, funeral homes are finding extraordinary ways to meet the moment and provide meaningful support to grieving families and communities,” said NFDA Director of Public Relations Jessica Koth, who manages the Pursuit of Excellence Award program. “The Pursuit of Excellence Task Force was very impressed with an entry submitted by Arnett & Steele Funeral Home, Inc. and commends the staff for their hard work and dedication during these challenging times.”

Jay Steele remarked that he was excited to earn his 26 straight years in the Pursuit of Excellence Program.

More information about the NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award program can be found on the association’s website,

www.nfda.org/pursuitofexcellence.

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics, and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities, and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

Arnett & Steele Funeral Home, Inc. has served the residents of Bell County continually since 1867.