Dan Solecki, a La Salle College High School graduate and chief operating officer of Life Celebration by Givnish, first came across the Givnish family as an infant.
At the time, John Givnish, Jr.—now the company president—was a 10-year-old paper boy in the Olney section of Philadelphia.
“John was collecting as my mother was bringing me up out front steps. I ended up having that same route years later,” he said. “One of my first jobs as an early teenager was helping at the funeral home doing odds and ends jobs. Fast forward a few decades, and I’m back in that original space.”
Solecki joined the company in 1998 as executive vice president of operations after working for PECO for roughly a decade, and after earning a bachelor’s degree from Albright College in Reading followed by a Masters in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
He and his wife purchased their first house in Oreland. They now live in Maple Glen.
“By extension I consider myself quasi-Glenside. We’ve always wanted to have a physical presence in Glenside, which we view as a unique community,” he said. “I saw the positive impacts the Givnishes were having on the town. An opportunity presented itself and I took it. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
For Solecki, part of Life Celebration by Givnish’s secret to success has been understanding generational differences.
“Different generations are going to have different values, and we have to be flexible enough to develop service models that comport with those values,” he said.
That flexibility led to the monthly payment plans launched by Life Celebration by Givnish four years ago. In December, those payment plans expanded their reach to more than half of the industry nationwide.
The company is currently launching a Select Services plan, which Solecki hopes will meet the needs of more families.
“Our Select Services plan allows for families to pivot toward their specific needs. One size does not fit all,” he said. “We believe that having one catchall service option is not appropriate for everybody these days. We wanted to put together services which meet the needs of the family. Everyone doesn’t have to eat at 7:00 on a Saturday night. People may not desire all the bells and whistles that come with a traditional life celebration.”
A tip of the hat to the company’s commitment to individuation, Solecki says one of his fondest memories on the job was a sports-themed life celebration created by the family.
“That service evolved into a tail gate party. He was an avid sports fan, so everyone came wearing their favorite sports apparel. Hot dogs were served to suit that theme,” he said. “That’s one of my favorite examples of allowing families the freedom to do what they want to do. A traditional service didn’t resonate with that family. “
Among his most impactful moments was taking part in his father’s life celebration in 2022.
“I had participated in thousands of life celebrations, and that was the first dedicated to a member of our family,” he said. “I dropped to my knees, physically, and told myself, ‘This is powerful’. It allowed me to be the grieving son in that moment.”
“When you can share stories about someone, that’s a nice thing. It’s very rare that people know someone across all dimensions of their life. If we can educate visitors about the decedent, we feel that’s healthy for everyone,” he said.
Life Celebration by Givnish’s collaborative approach is another ingredient which helps set the company apart from the crowd.
“It all started with John and his vision, and it’s continued through collaboration. We spend a tremendous amount of time understanding the behaviors of prospective employees, and we’re blessed to have multiple generations as part of our team. It’d be foolish for us not to take advantage of their knowledge and values, and incorporate those into our service models,” he said. “That collaborative approach has led this organization to do some great things within a great company culture. We took a death-centric approach and transformed it into a life-centric approach. Our company culture allows us to respond to evolving needs.”
For more on Givnish Life Celebration Homes, you can visit their website. You can also read our previous stories about William “Bill” Cleary, Vice President of Operations, John R. Freed, Jr., supervisor, Paul Nolan, director of operations and support, Shauna Donnelly, office manager, Bob Wustner, Funeral Director in Residence, Maddie Sydlowski, funeral director, and Christina Manero, funeral director.
For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.