Veteran Joe Naumann does not shy away from grief. In fact, he embraces it so he can ease the burden for hurting families. Through his own experience, the founder of Teraloom realized that there was little oversight in the death-care industry (and a lot of price gouging) during a family’s most vulnerable time. “The business was started with another friend of mine who I met in the military, and our goal was just to really help people who are grieving from the loss of a loved one,” states Joe calmly, his voice exemplifying how even vocal tone can soothe someone in shock.
After a family experiences loss, Teraloom steps in to handle the logistics of memorial services and ash scatterings, which can take place on land or at sea. “We help them arrange everything from flowers to an officiant,” Joe details. “We’re really familiar with the permitting process, so we usually handle the permits, whether that be with the EPA for an at-sea memorial or if they’re trying to do it at their local park, for example, we find the right authority and help with the authorizations.”
Teraloom hopes to create more awareness for those who require compassionate care during sensitive moments after loss, and would like to be a ready resource available to military families. After competing as a Semi-Finalist in the Military Entrepreneur Challenge, Joe was granted $1,000 for Teraloom from the Second Service Foundation. “We’d like to use the money to hopefully establish some relations in a work with the military and just be able to let this service be available or known to more families looking for something more affordable, something a little bit more unique, and, in our opinion, a little bit more therapeutic,” he says.
