Our Guiding Principles
We’re proud to work side-by-side and share this passion with the genuine, caring people in this profession who help families start healing from one of the most traumatic events they’ll face — the death of a loved one.
In a crowded marketplace, we stand alone with a commitment to excellence that extends to each and every aspect of preneed service. From product, to customer service, to marketing, to consumer experience — we provide the most comprehensive solution to connect funeral homes and families, beginning to end.
We believe every family has a right to know the healing benefits of funeral ceremony, ritual, and gathering. As our society increasingly opts for convenience, we work to create genuine chances for connection.
John Wooden once said, “the most powerful leadership tool we have is our own example.” At Precoa, no one exemplifies our values and walks the walk more than Michael Hornibrook. For Michael, what we do in preneed is truly meaningful and fueled by a profound purpose. Through our work we can help more families experience the healing benefits of funeral service that they all deserve, transforming countless lives in the process. His passion and commitment to this principle are wonderfully contagious to employees, partners, and peers alike.
Before being named President in 2012, Michael worked in almost every area of Precoa, building it from humble start-up to national leader. He played a key role in several projects that helped change the preneed profession, including Precoa’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and agent Web Portal, while also establishing critical departments like business development, operations, and our pioneering Funeral Planning Center (FPC). More importantly, he has helped develop an enriching culture of care, support, and connection at Precoa that inspires us to always be our best
A bonafide hoops junkie out of the office, his dedication to his family could be the only thing that outranks his passion for basketball. And at 6-6, he gives the Precoa rec league team instant credibility in the paint anytime he’s in the lineup.
Michael was born in San Dimas, Calif. and spent much of his youth in Corvallis, Ore. and Cincinnati, Ohio. He now lives in Sherwood, Ore., outside of Portland, with his wife, Heather, and their six children (Jessica, Emily, Kristen, Sara, Samuel, and Lydia).
Read Bio→After more than 30 years in this profession, Brian is more inspired today than ever before to make a difference in preneed. The blue collar leader of our national sales management teams, he puts the game plan into action and provides hands-on support to help onboard new partners and boost existing accounts’ performances. Most importantly, he gets to do it all with his best friends each day. People are everything for Brian. From owners and staff, to families, counselors, and co-workers — a stranger is just a friend he hasn’t met. People fuel his passion to be kind, honest, and diligent...and, famously, to dance like no one’s watching. Don’t let the boots and belt buckle fool you, this cowboy has moves and keeps getting better with age.
A product of Wichita, Kan., Brian now lives in Bartonville, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He and his wife, Paige, have a son, Branden.
Read Bio→Motoko is a professional problem solver who has built her distinguished career helping both privately held and Fortune 500 companies bolster their financial sustainability and responsibility. Her dedication to revenue generation and operational success is helping Precoa to better pursue its vision of pre-arranging all families. It all starts with an emphasis on transparency and accountability, using facts and data to guide decision-making and help chart the best course forward for our growing company. For Motoko, each day provides a new opportunity to overcome unique challenges and develop winning solutions with a team of talented collaborators. And when it’s time to leave the numbers and spreadsheets behind, the natural world is never far away. From mountaineering, to skiing, to scuba diving, her pursuit of outdoor fun provides balance, energy, and inspiration throughout the year.
Originally from the city of Kobe in Central Japan, Motoko spent much of her adult life in California, including stops in Monterrey, San Jose, and Bakersfield. She now lives in Northwest Portland with her husband, Damon, two dogs, and three cats.
Read Bio→Ben is responsible for the overall customer satisfaction of our Funeral Planning Center, client services, and account management departments, while also overseeing the HR and legal teams. To maintain our high standards of success in these areas requires skilled organization, collaboration, and clarification. Meanwhile, Ben’s easygoing approach helps keep the wheels in motion as our operations teams work together to support our national network of partners. After earning his degree in accounting (Kennesaw State), he studied international business in Europe and worked in financial services before helping Precoa begin its rise. An avid golfer and skier, Ben enjoys Portland’s easy access to both. Hitting a perfect shot down the fairway or riding in thick powder on the slopes always keeps his satisfaction high.
Originally from Atlanta, Ben now lives in Oregon City, Ore., outside of Portland, with his wife, Ashley, and their four children (Chase, Landon, Brooklyn, and Kennedy).
Read Bio→Born and raised in the funeral profession, Tyler grew up with a personal appreciation for the importance of ceremony and ritual. His grandfather started his first funeral home in 1944 and the Anderson family continues to own and operate firms in the state of Ohio today. Tyler began his preneed career as an advance planner, then regional sales manager with The Outlook Group, which his father, Charles, founded in 1985. Later, as CEO and President (2010-2016), Tyler helped Outlook Group become one of the nation’s top preneed companies. His unwavering passion to help more families experience a meaningful service fueled his decision to unite with Precoa in 2017. Today, Tyler helps to share our vision nationwide through the connections he builds with funeral homes and professional peers. The Springboro, Ohio native remains eager to celebrate his beloved Cincinnati Bengals’ first playoff victory since 1991.
Tyler continues to enjoy life in his hometown with his wife, Janan, and daughter, Noemie.
Read Bio→Rob Meredith is a preneed force of nature. Travelling the country year-round, he has used his unforgettable blend of enthusiasm, creativity, and integrity to help Precoa forge lasting partnerships with America’s leading funeral homes. Rob has been front-and-center as the company has grown from regional start-up to national leader. His lifelong career in the funeral profession began with his family’s Morgantown, Ind. funeral home (Meredith-Clark) where he gained a deep understanding of the benefits of ceremony. At Precoa, he was directly involved with the early development of our ProActive Preneed® model before spearheading our national business development efforts. Through it all Rob has remained unapologetically passionate about preneed and dedicated to sharing our vision nationwide (which may or may not involve a t-shirt cannon).
Originally from Morgantown, Rob and his wife, Annette, are longtime residents of St. Louis. The couple has four sons (Brad, Tyler, David, and Shaun) and two granddaughters (Payton and Marleigh).
Read Bio→Since his arrival in 2006, Daven has helped Precoa become the leading technology company in the preneed profession. With a blend of curiosity, empathy, and hands-on productivity, he oversees the growth and application of our technology systems, data, and software resources. Though it’s been his lifelong pursuit since starting in the tech sector as a teenager, Daven is no “IT guy” stereotype. Passionate about building meaningful connections and creating positive personal interactions with others, his success fostering individual strengths and team camaraderie go beyond his own technical prowess. Daven’s scientific curiosity is always present in and out of the office. Whether studying the depths of space or the latest artificial intelligence innovations, he lives his life with a spirit of discovery.
Daven grew up in several cities throughout the West, including Yakima, Wash., Orem, Utah, and Loveland, Colo. He now lives in the Southwest Portland suburb of Tigard with his wife, Rebecca, and their five children (Leah, Sydney, Daven, Abigail, and Samantha).
Read Bio→Jim is a lifelong learner and analytical mind who prides himself on coming up with thoughtful solutions to the most complicated problems. His expert knowledge of our insurance products ensure that our national network of partners and the thousands of families they serve are always fully protected at the time of need. Jim began his career in financial services before helping develop Precoa’s reporting, data analytics, and accounting systems. He showcased some impressive time management skills, working full-time while he pursued and ultimately earned his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2014. Never afraid to push past his limits, Jim lives his “work hard, play hard” philosophy as a passionate runner, skier, and mountain biker.
Jim spent his childhood in Upstate New York and Southwest Ohio, and now lives in Sherwood, Ore., outside of Portland, with his wife, Melanie, and their three children (Bridger, Kacy, and Aron).
Read Bio→As a father of four kids separated by less than four years (twins added to the chaotic fun), Carson knows how to stay cool when things get complicated. At work, he is unsurprisingly skilled at turning complexity into clarity. This serves him well in leading our business development group in Portland and coordinating with the national development team to introduce our ProActive model to new partners across the country. With Carson’s knowledge and approachability at the forefront, we’re building meaningful connections and developing lasting partnerships with leading funeral homes everywhere. The office culture all-star is always a top contender in our holiday sweater contest and a rare living person with his face on active currency (though the exchange rate for “Carson Bucks” remains unclear).
Originally from Sandy, Utah, Carson now lives in Sherwood, Ore., outside of Portland, with his wife, Paige, and their aforementioned children (Evan, Dallin, Ellie, and Keaton).
Read Bio→Tyler is the ultimate achiever who gains his greatest joys from the most challenging tasks — be it in the office or on the golf course. There’s nothing he loves more than staring at a mountain of work and leading a team charging up the hill. Tyler started his preneed career in the field as a family service counselor and, later, regional sales manager, where he saw first-hand how an emphasis on marketing and field development could increase families’ knowledge and appreciation of funeral service. As our go-to creative problem solver, he owns one of the largest libraries of business strategy books on the West Coast while somehow maintaining a great sense of humor anyway.
Tyler was born in Batesville, Ind. and spent much of his youth in Corvallis, Ore., Cincinnati, and Houston. He now lives in Damascus, Ore., outside of Portland, with his wife, Kelsey, and their three children (Lucy, Thomas, and Annie).
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In 2004, two leaders from the preneed profession came together to fulfill a shared vision to pre-arrange all families in a way that had never been seen before. Joined by their wives, Ane and Jenny, Mark Hornibrook and Bret Davis finalized the initial deal at the Davis’ kitchen table, creating a company that would offer an unrivaled proactive approach to advanced planning. Precoa was born.
With Mark’s funeral insurance expertise and Bret’s preneed marketing savvy, the company made rapid strides in developing its unique service features, known as ProActive Preneed®. Their innovation was fueled by a desire to create healing experiences for families throughout America. Meanwhile, a culture of kindness, progression, and craftsmanship was established early on throughout the company.
One of the original founders and head of strategic planning for the pioneering Forethought Life Insurance Company in 1984, Mark had helped set the standard for the large-scale preneed insurance market. Beginning with his time at Forethought, he designed and refined a number of groundbreaking insurance products and marketing programs that have since proliferated as a basis for today’s preneed.
Bret, meanwhile, had quickly established himself as a leader in sales, marketing, and development. After starting as an independent agent in 1990 for preneed marketing company Sierra Planning Group, he was named vice president of the company less than a year later. In this role he helped manage and grow Sierra Planning’s client base, which would ultimately include prominent names like Stewart Enterprises and the Keystone Group.
Mark and Bret crossed paths several times in their work before eventually uniting to discuss plans for the preneed company that would first be called Lincoln Heritage Funeral Planning and, ultimately, Precoa — the Preneed Company of America.
From our humble kitchen table beginnings, we at Precoa have grown steadily, expanding our resources and capabilities to strengthen our partnerships with leading funeral homes coast-to-coast. Today, we continue to pursue Mark and Bret’s vision with a purpose of enriching life through meaningful connection.