13 minute read
Woodard Broadnax Funeral Services
Woodard Broadnax Funeral Services
By Monica Montgomery
Photos Provided by Alphonso Abbott
For the tight-knit community of Greensboro, reputation is everything. Tiffany Woodard-Broadnax and her husband, Alex Bryant Broadnax, understand all too well how being known for providing quality service can take your business to the next level. Woodard Broadnax Funeral Services was established in November of 2022. Just shy of the first anniversary of the business, the Broadnax have no regrets about their not-so-new business venture.
In 1998, Lester Woodard, his wife Annie Woodard, son Reginald Woodard and Family, including Tiffany Woodard started Woodard Funeral Home in their hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. Putting her business degree from A&T to work, Tiffany started as a bookkeeper. “I studied business in college because I’ve always wanted to be a business owner. Even as a child, I was excited about the idea of being an entrepreneur,” Tiffany explained.
A member of the Woodard family business, Tiffany made a lot of connections as she served her community alongside her family. When tragedy struck in 2013, she was sent into a tailspin. “In 2013, I lost my mother, Annie Woodard, and my brother, Reginald Woodard,” Tiffany said with a sigh. “I was so lost. My family is everything to me, and to lose both my mother and brother in the same year took its toll.”
Tiffany, struggling to find her footing after the massive loss, decided to step away from the funeral business for about a year to pursue education. “The grief was overwhelming, and I felt like I needed a change. I thought maybe I could teach on a community college level while working full-time with my father at Woodard,” she explained.
Tiffany returned to school in 2014 and in 2016, graduated with her master’s of arts in teaching. “At the time, I felt like I needed to do something different. I saw education as another way to serve my community.” But after one semester post-graduate, she realized that working with her family and servicing the community the way they did was not just a job; it was a passion and a calling.
If it had not been for Bryant encouraging me and guiding me along this process, I don’t think I would have been able to do it.
Applying a formula based on a community of caring, professionalism, and an eye for detail, Woodard became the standard of excellence in the funeral industry in Greensboro and the surrounding areas. “We took pride in being a household name. My dad instilled that entrepreneurial mindset in me and my siblings. This means that you do everything with excellence because your reputation will either open doors or close them. The legacy he created is based on that premise.” Tiffany explained.
Tiffany met Bryant in the line of duty. In 2017, Bryant lost his son as a result of mental illness and self-harm. In his time of need, Woodard Funeral Home was there to help him and his family grieve. “It was difficult for me, as a father, to lose a son,” Bryant explained. Tiffany, who knows the pain of losing a child, having lost twins shortly after birth, understood the level of grief Bryant was going through. “We bonded and became good friends. Our friendship grew into something even we didn’t see until years later,” Bryant explained.
Over the years, the Woodard Family business continued to grow. With her father at the helm and Tiffany by his side, Woodard Funeral Home became more than just a business to the people of Greensboro, it was a staple and pillar of stability in the community. Over the years, other family members had come on board, and the future looked bright.
“Before 2021, I saw myself in this industry, working alongside my family forever. Sure, there were issues that sometimes happened in business, especially when you are in business with family, but I never doubted where I would be or what I would be doing,” Tiffany shared. After over twenty years of serving their community, Pastor Lester Dean Woodard passed away. The founder of Woodard Funeral Home was gone. While losing her father was difficult, it was what followed that was almost unbearable for Tiffany. “My father passed away in June of 2021. In September of that same year, I was let go from the family business,” she explained solemnly. “The grief of losing my dad and then my job three months later was devastating. I was in a place where I questioned if I was emotionally ready to be there for people. Let’s be honest. Almost thirty years of putting your heart and soul into something and then to have it taken away was an unimaginable pain.”
Tiffany went back to teaching in 2021, but she continued to mourn the loss of her father and being cut off from what she loved, which was being there for her community in their time of need. “It was so hard to move on,” Tiffany shared. “How do you recover from being separated from your family business? It’s something that’s hard to bounce back from. Add to it that I was still receiving calls from community members asking for my help,” Tiffany shared. “At the time, I saw it as the blessing and the curse of being part of a well-established legacy. I wasn’t just an employee. I worked as a manager, and I met with clients. I was out front and visible. It felt like I was their connection to what the Woodard name meant in my community. Then, in an instant, I was gone.”
Bryant, an entrepreneur, saw what tears and grief had blinded Tiffany to. It was time to spread her wings. “I was working as a teacher, and I continued to receive calls from people asking where I was and why I wasn’t there to help them. In many ways, the people were just as devastated as I was that I was no longer working at the family business. They felt like I had abandoned them, and that couldn’t have been farther from the truth.”
Like everyone who is living and working in their purposed and called place, when she was separated from her passion, Tiffany had no peace. “The year she worked in the school, she complained every day. She was miserable,” Bryant explained. With Bryant encouraging her from behind and her passion pulling at her, Tiffany decided it was time to move forward. “In 2022, I decided to connect with another funeral home in Asheboro so that I could service the families from my community who were reaching out,” Tiffany explained.
Charles C. Hodges of CC Hodges Funeral and Cremation Services, located in the neighboring community of Asheboro, a family friend offered to help. “Hodges, who was my mentor in the business for years, saw what had happened and allowed me to work under his business license to service families in Greensboro,” Tiffany shared. “There were others in the industry who witnessed what had transpired, but Hodges was the only one who reached out to me. I will forever be grateful to him for that.”
The Staff of Woodard Broadnax Funeral Services
As Tiffany began reconnecting with her community through the funeral service industry, she and Bryant realized it was time for her to start her own business. Being the sole owner and proprietor of Broadnax Transport Trucking Service LLC, Byrant had the experience and knowledge it took to get a business up and running. “If it had not been for Bryant encouraging me and guiding me along this process, I don’t think I would have been able to do it,” Tiffany confessed. “I know the funeral industry, and Bryant knows how to set up a business. That combination has been the key to our success.”
Tiffany and Bryant remained friends since meeting in 2017, but in 2021, they finally accepted what friends and family had told them for years. They were a perfect match. “We didn’t start dating until 2021 and were married in May 2022,” Tiffany explained. This merger in life and business has been a fruitful one.
In November 2022, the power couple gave birth to Woodard Broadnax Funeral Services. “I would love to say it was a smooth process, but it was everything but,” Tiffany said with a laugh. “We had to find a suitable location and a bank willing to lend us the start-up money. We met obstacle after obstacle, but we kept going,” Bryant shared. “Despite our great credit rating and proof that we had a solid business plan, nobody would give us a loan. So, after much consideration, we decided to use our own savings,” Tiffany shared. “We agreed that who better to invest in our business than us.”
With the finances in place, all that was needed was a location. “We looked at eight different locations before we finally found the one for us,” Bryant shared. “I must admit I needed some convincing,” Tiffany said, shaking her head. “The building was old and just about falling apart. The business I helped build with my family was polished, neat, and well-kept. I was used to things being a certain way and couldn’t envision myself working in a building that was part of a strip mall. I will be honest and say the snob in me came out,” she laughed. “Thankfully, Bryant had a vision,” she said, smiling.
“We got an app that allowed us to do a blueprint overlay showing us what the building could be. There was one or two things the app couldn’t project, but I could see it as clear as day,” Bryant explained. “Once she saw all the possibilities the space held, it was easy to get her on board.”
The legacy her father started lives on in the name of Woodard, but Tiffany’s professionalism, kindness, and genuine love for her community are just as well known. When deciding on a name for the new business, most people, including Bryant, insisted that she use her family name, Woodard. “It’s the legacy her father left her. The name carries something special and lets people in the community know that the traditions and level of excellence Lester Woodard lives on through his daughter,” Bryant shared.
Understanding what her connection to the Woodard name meant to the community, Tiffany agreed, but she had one major requirement. “I insisted that we name it Woodard Broadnax,” she said firmly. “Bryant has been so instrumental in this process that I would have been remiss not to share the moniker with him. He believed in me when I was struggling to believe in myself. Bryant encouraged and supported me through one of the darkest times in my life. He used his knowledge and skills to help me realize my dream of becoming a business owner. We’re in this together, and I wanted to ensure everyone knew it.”
With the establishment of Woodard Broadnax Funeral Services, Tiffany has accomplished something that very few African-American women have in this industry. She started a Funeral business from the ground. It wasn’t inherited or bestowed on her. “Knowing what I was able to accomplish gives me great pride,” Tiffany explains. “You are starting to see more women in the funeral industry, but it is still pretty much male-dominated.”
Another passion of Tiffany’s is opening doors for women that have previously been closed or unobtainable. “Women bring so much to this industry that can’t be overlooked. One of the things I learned from my mother was how to be compassionate. When people are grieving, sometimes a kind word or a soft hand can make all the difference in the world.”
Tiffany is working to make inroads for women in every aspect of the funeral industry. She’s determined to show that women can do more than say, “There, there.” Woodard has a female embalmer and other female employees in key positions within the company.
Having worked in a family business for almost thirty years, surrounding herself with family in the new business is second nature. “Since the launch of the business, we have been super busy, and it’s all hands on deck,” Explained Tiffany. “Bryant hasn’t worked the transporting business since Woodard Broadnax opened. He’s gotten his insurance broker’s license and became a notary. His mother helps by answering phones, and his sister is studying to get her funeral director’s license.”
Between Bryant and Tiffany, they have four daughters and two granddaughters. Although they say the girls haven’t jumped headfirst into the family business, they believe that the girls chosen fields will become an intricate part of the future of Woodard Broadnax. “We have a daughter who wants to be a veterinarian and one working on a psychology degree,” the couple shared. “We see the business expanding to provide aftercare and grief counseling for our families,” Bryant explained. “One thing Tiffany is always cautioning me of is not to become overwhelmed. But it’s hard not to. We know what these people are going through, and you can’t pretend that you don’t notice or that you don’t feel it. Offering them support beyond the memorial service would be invaluable to the families and community.”
As Tiffany and Bryant look to the future, they have taken stock of the past. This journey has been rough, but as they emerge stronger and wiser, they acknowledge the hand of God moving on their behalf. “God gives beauty for ashes, and I’m grateful that I have someone by my side who was able to help me see that God had something better in store for me.”
Losing her mother, brother, and father wasn’t something Tiffany could foresee, but her parents and brother prepared her for a future where the legacy Lester Dean Woodard built would live on.
www.woodardbroadnaxfuneralservices.com
