SCI

Service Corporation International

A provider of funeral, cremation, and cemetery services, this Houston-based company runs funeral homes, memorial parks, and crematoria under well-known brand names like Dignity Memorial and Neptune Society. It was founded in 1962 by Robert Waltrip, a licensed funeral director who grew up above his family's funeral home and set out to consolidate the many small, independent operations in the industry. Waltrip famously modeled his business on McDonald's, standardizing funeral services much like the fast-food chain standardized burgers.