In the Beginning
Forever Friends Columbus was founded by Chris Lowe and Adam Dwyer in 2020.
Both funeral directors and animal lovers, there was never a formal business plan to open the business. It just happened with a random phone call one Friday afternoon.
But first, some background.
Chris spent a number of years working at Ohio Public Employees Retirment System in Columbus, Ohio. While working there, he decided one day to enroll in the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science distance education program. The flexibility of the program allowed him to keep his full-time job at the pension fund while working evenings and weekends at a funeral home in Westerville, Ohio and Grove City, Ohio to gain experience and complete some of his educational requirements.
After graduating from PIMS, serving an internship and passing state and national board exams, Chris decided to work full-time in funeral service. He packed up and moved to Dayton, Ohio for several years to manage three of Dayton, Ohio’s busiest funeral & cremation providers.
It was in Dayton, Ohio that Chris met Adam.
After graduating from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Adam went to work as a funeral director and embalmer for the same funeral home Chris worked for.
Chris and Adam became good friends during their time working together. However, Chris’ role, while rewarding, was extremely taxing. After more than the three years, and coincidental with the death of his grandmother, Chris felt the need to return to Columbus where his family & the majority of his friends live. So, he packed up and moved back home to Worthington, Ohio!
Adam, a quintessential entrepreneur, decided to leave the funeral home and start his own business providing professional support services to area funeral homes.
When Chris arrived back in Columbus, there were no opportunities in Central Ohio at the time in funeral service, so he began to look for opportunities in management, where he spent most of his career. He found a senior leadership position in Dublin, Ohio at a medical company, where he would spend the next four years.
Helping run that business provided Chris with the experience and confidence necessary to start a business. So, after that position had “run its course” Chris called Adam to explore ideas in funeral service, where the two of them could possibly partner up.
There is much debate regarding who came up with the idea of pet services. But there is no debate about why they did it. They both believe that every pet deserves to be treated with dignity & respect…and everything they do supports that belief.