Biography

Laura Nobbe, President of Heartland PreNeed Systems

Telephone: (513) 518-5008
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Over Three Decades in the Death Care Profession

Laura Nobbe has spent more than three decades building a career defined by service, trust, and a deep understanding of what families need during life's most difficult moments. Since entering the death care profession in 1990, Laura has worn nearly every hat the industry has to offer — from the production floor to the boardroom, from independent sales to business ownership — and she brings all of that accumulated experience to her role as President of Heartland PreNeed Systems.

Starting at Franklin Casket Company in Brookville, Indiana

Laura's career began at Franklin Casket Company in Brookville, Indiana, where she worked as a production coordinator. It was here, on the manufacturing side of the industry, that she first learned the craftsmanship, care, and attention to detail that goes into every product a funeral home relies on. That early, hands-on exposure gave her an appreciation for the death care profession that many who enter it from the sales or administrative side never fully develop. She didn't just learn how to sell caskets — she learned how they were made, what made a quality product, and why that quality mattered to the families who would eventually depend on it.

Selling Caskets Throughout the Tri-State Area

When Franklin Casket Company was sold, Laura's career took its first significant turn. Rather than stepping away from the industry, she was offered a position selling caskets throughout the tri-state area, a role that took her out of the production facility and into direct contact with funeral homes and the professionals who ran them. This transition marked the beginning of Laura's decades-long career in sales and relationship-building — a career built not on transactional pitches, but on genuine understanding of what funeral home operators and grieving families actually needed.

Prearranged Funeral Plans with Carriage Services in Cincinnati

That reputation for trustworthy, knowledgeable service didn't go unnoticed. Laura was soon offered a position selling prearranged funeral plans with Carriage Services in Cincinnati, Ohio — a move that shifted her focus from products to planning, and introduced her to the preneed side of the death care industry that would come to define the rest of her career. Preneed funeral planning requires a different skill set than product sales: it demands patience, empathy, and the ability to guide families through deeply personal decisions long before they're facing a loss. Laura excelled in this environment, and her success was recognized through steady advancement within the company.

Six Years as a Regional Manager

Over the course of her tenure with Carriage Services, Laura worked her way up to become a regional manager, overseeing preneed operations across a broader territory and mentoring others in the same work she had once been learning herself. She held that position for six years, building systems, relationships, and a reputation that would serve her well for the rest of her career. When Carriage Services eventually restructured its preneed program and eliminated her position, Laura faced a crossroads — one that many professionals in a similar situation might have seen as a setback, but which she instead treated as an opportunity.

Funeral Home Ownership from 2001 to 2006

In 2001, that opportunity arrived in a significant way: Laura purchased a funeral home of her own. For the next five years, she owned and operated the business, taking on the full weight of responsibility that comes with running a funeral home — from day-to-day operations and staffing to the deeply personal work of serving grieving families in their community. This period gave Laura a perspective that few preneed professionals ever gain: she experienced the funeral home side of the business firsthand, not as a vendor or sales representative, but as the owner responsible for every detail of every service. That experience would prove invaluable in every chapter of her career that followed, because it means Laura doesn't just understand preneed sales — she understands what funeral home owners and directors actually need from a preneed partner.

After five years, Laura made the decision to sell the funeral home, but she didn't disappear from the business entirely. She remained with the company for several additional years, continuing to support the transition and maintain the relationships she had built. This kind of loyalty and follow-through has been a hallmark of Laura's career: she doesn't simply move from opportunity to opportunity, she sees things through.

Founding Heartland PreNeed Systems in 2007

In 2007, Laura returned to preneed work full time, and this time she did it on her own terms. She formed Heartland PreNeed Systems, an independent agency representing Homesteaders Life Company. This step represented the culmination of everything Laura had learned across her career — the product knowledge from her days at Franklin Casket Company, the sales and relationship-building skills honed at Carriage Services, the operational and ownership experience gained from running her own funeral home, and the deep, abiding commitment to families that had guided her through every stage of her professional life.

Leading Heartland PreNeed Systems Today

Today, as President of Heartland PreNeed Systems, Laura draws on all of these experiences every single day. She understands the death care industry from every angle — as a manufacturer, a salesperson, a regional manager, a business owner, and now as the leader of an independent agency built to serve funeral homes and families alike. Her decades in the profession have given her not just expertise, but genuine empathy for the families she serves and the funeral home partners she works alongside. Laura's career has never been about simply making a sale; it has been about building lasting relationships rooted in trust, honesty, and a real understanding of what people need when they are planning for the future or navigating a loss.

For the families and funeral home partners who work with Heartland PreNeed Systems, Laura Nobbe represents decades of hard-earned experience, a steady and knowledgeable hand, and a genuine commitment to doing right by the people she serves. Her career is a testament to the value of staying in an industry long enough to understand it fully — from every seat at the table.