According to Chad Walker, the company’s owner, Hoegh Caskets was founded by Dennis and Jeanne Hoegh in 1966.

“They started making these in their basement,” he said.

In 1971, the company received a Small Business Administration loan of $50,000.

“At that time, Dennis took his — basically — hobby … and turned it into what you see here today,” Walker said.

Jordan Beck | Daily Press Chad Walker, owner of Hoegh Caskets in Gladstone, inspects partially-finished caskets in the company’s main production room. The business was founded by Dennis and Jeanne Hoegh in 1966.

As the first company to sell pet caskets, Hoegh Caskets was something of a curiosity early in its history.

“People Magazine came down here once,” Plant Manager Rodney Maynard said.

Busloads of people toured the company’s factory, as well. Walker said the company continues to get visitors from time to time.

“We still get people all over the country that come in,” he said.

Randy and Beth Carlson bought the business from the Hoeghs in 2011. A crematorium was added on to the company’s main building the following year; this facility serves veterinarians across the Upper Peninsula.

Jordan Beck | Daily Press Hoegh Caskets Plant Manager Rodney Maynard, left, and owner Chad Walker stand by a variety of the company’s finished caskets.

Walker took over at Hoegh Caskets after Randy died in 2017. He said business has been strong since then, and sales of pet caskets and usage of the crematorium have both been going up.

“We’re one of the largest pet and human casket … manufacturers in the world,” Walker said.

The caskets sold by Hoegh Caskets are vacuum-formed from high-impact styrene plastic and are available in eight sizes and 21 styles. The company’s caskets range from 10 to 52 inches in length.

Hoegh Caskets sells its products to buyers in all 50 U.S. states and Canada; on average, it ships about 100 caskets per week. The company has seven full-time employees, along with two part-time workers.

As a manufacturer and wholesaler, Hoegh Caskets does not typically sell its products to members of the general public.

“We’re mainly dealing with pet cemeteries, funeral homes and online retailers that sell our product,” Walker said.

During the fall of 2019, Walker said Hoegh Caskets — which was previously known as the “Hoegh Pet Casket Company” — rebranded.

“There’s a need for our caskets on the human end, as well,” he said.

As part of the rebranding process, the company updated its web presence.

“We just got a new website, new Facebook,” Walker said.

In addition to these changes, Hoegh Caskets recently introduced a new product line — cremation burial urns for pets and humans.

“There’s a huge demand for those right now,” Walker said.

Walker is also looking to expand his company’s reach.

“I bought a list of all the pet cemeteries throughout the country,” he said, noting he plans to go through this list and contact pet cemeteries that are not currently working with Hoegh Caskets.

To learn more about Hoegh Caskets, visit www.hoeghcaskets.com or call 906-428-2151.

See BUSINESS page 3A