J. Clifford “Cliff” Bryner has more than 30 years of leadership experience guiding and shaping consumer funeral products, services and delivery channels. An accomplished financial strategist and sales team manager, his vision and expertise in customer-oriented business performance have attracted recognition and praise from industry as well as consumer sectors. As a speaker to groups of all sizes, Cliff also brings a wealth of experience, insights and valuable information to the consumer’s side of funeral matters. He is a knowledgeable, cheerful, considerate and encouraging advocate for the consumer as well as the affected church, synagogue, temple, mosque, or shrine. Cliff’s “insider” understandings of the funeral industry provide positive awareness and education that will empower every church and family member to make decisions that are wiser, more financially sound, more religiously sound, and more church- and family-friendly regarding every aspect of funerals.

Cliff was originally sought for speaking and presenting by the insurance industry because of his experience in identifying insurance agent misrepresentations and fraudulent securities schemes. After becoming a published expert in funeral industry insurance products, he also became more active in addressing groups of many kinds in ways to protect consumers from overspending in funeral arrangements. Offering a rare blend of strengths in financial acumen and customer service, Cliff made his professional mark in the insurance industry by establishing new standards for product sales and profitability. His astute approach to building business is reflected in his executive and managerial accomplishments at Beneficial Life Insurance Company (Salt Lake City, UT); Hudson Reinsurance Corporation (Sarasota, FL); Bear River Mutual Ins. Company (Salt Lake City, UT) and Delta Dental Plan (Salt Lake City, UT). Pierce National Life Insurance Company (Los Angeles, CA and Greenville, SC). As marketing Vice President of Pierce National Life Insurance Company, he created and successfully introduced fifteen new insurance products and then more than doubled production in the field, setting new company records for insurance products designed to cover final expenses.

Cliff acquired additional front-line experience in the funeral industry by opening the first discount casket store in Johnson County, Kansas. Here, he spent four years cultivating relationships with customers, church leaders and professional peers that continue to grow long after he successfully groomed the business for sale. Cliff also invested two years working for a casket manufacturer prior to opening the casket store, five years as a head minister and church executive, and was a duly licensed Assistant Funeral Director in the State of Kansas. Cliff’s unfailing record of improvements for consumers in the funeral industry is based on his commitment to customer-oriented business management. He is known for his ability to quickly identify and respond to consumer concerns by discovering or creating refinements in organizational structure, product lines, and point-of-sale strategies to better serve customers while strengthening the company. Cliff graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He and his wife, Susan, have five children and seven grandchildren and live in Independence, Missouri, where she helps troubled elementary school students.