George Frankel, the CEO of Sarasota-based Eternal Reefs, knew he couldn't let the opportunity to bring joy to those who lost their loved ones pass him by.
Co-founder Don Brawley introduced Frankel to the Reef Ball technology during college after he promised his father-in-law that he'd honor his wish to be buried among life rather than in a traditional cemetery.
Frankel, who found out his brother had a terminal illness and wished not to be buried in a cemetery, decided to partner with Rowley to bring both dreams to life.
"In the late '90s, we were first starting to see dynamic increases in cremation rates, so we saw this as an opportune time to start the business with the hopes that a company would adopt us," Frankel said. "Because we were losing a lot of money in the beginning stages."
Over the next three years, the company focused on visiting individual funeral homes to pitch a partnership and the idea of a "green site" burial versus the more traditional burial. However, most funeral homes had no interest in the concept.
The duo then switched their business strategy and, in 2004, began going directly to the consumer through Facebook advertising.
"We started to invite families out to Florida to come and participate in the making of the reef and the memorialization service," said Frankel.
But the company once again had to pivot. Making the reef became too expensive, so the co-founders began producing pre-constructed reef balls. Those were then sent to project sites closer to the grieving family, where they could add items to the reef ball before casting it out to sea.
The reef balls are made with environmentally friendly concrete and become part of a living reef about a mile and a half off the coast of Sarasota. Artificial reefs, much like organically made coral reefs, provide food and shelter for marine life.
"The reef balls greatly benefit the marine environment; with the ball having multiple cracks and crevices, it allows the animals a chance to make a home and propagate before predators can feed on it," Frankel said, adding shipwrecks and oil rigs can also make artificial reefs.
Eternal Reefs is an approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been able to deploy over 3,000 Reef Balls, with most of its funding coming from families.
Depending on the reef size and whether the casting of it is attended or unattended fees range from $2,500 to $8,500.
The company has plans to expand in the future, and while Frankel couldn't divulge exact partnerships, he believes the Eternal Reef technology will be adopted by the masses soon.
"The concept of Eternal Reefs will become a mainstream memorial choice; it just makes too much sense," Frankel said. "People tell us they've been wanting to give back to the planet their whole life, and this project allows them to do that and leave something for future generations."
