“Thanks to 48 Factoring Inc., we’ve got the financial flexibility to help people in their time of great need. I grew up one street over from where we are located and it’s so rewarding to give back to a community that given so much to me and my family.” Robert Brown, Managing Director, Chapels of Eden Funeral Home.

When Robert (Bobby) Brown’s community held a fundraiser to help him raise the money to go to college, he promised them he would come back home to East Orange, NJ as a proud graduate who would start a local business. And this pillar of his community did just that. Bobby planned on going to medical school, but fate had other plans. After graduating from Morehouse College and his first son on his way, Bobby went on to intern and work at funeral homes in New York. He was licensed as a funeral director in New York and New Jersey more than seventeen years ago and he opened Chapels of Eden Funeral Home in East Orange, NJ in 2006. 


In addition to being a licensed funeral director, Bobby is also an insurance agent as well as an adjunct professor at Eastwood College in Hackensack, New Jersey, where he teaches Bio and Organic Chemistry to mortuary students.

“It’s very rewarding to be able to help people with what all that needs to be done in the midst of one of life’s saddest events, whether due to a normal transition or a tragedy,” said Bobby. “It’s great to be part of the circle of life.”

People are often ill prepared for funeral expenses, and Bobby has adjustments to help them. Insurance and pension payouts can be very slow to process and often times, there is no insurance at all. People may be unaware that Medicaid will help SSI beneficiaries with funeral expenses.

In the funeral business, everything has to be paid upfront, such as caskets, cemetery expenses and obituaries, just to name a few. Bobby knows that being financially nimble is key in his ability to help bereaved families navigate these often unexpected expenses, especially when there is an untimely passing. Bobby turned to 48 Factoring, Inc. to ensure he had the financial flexibility to do so.

“48 Factoring, Inc. provided a straight-forward, easy process to secure capital funding that has helped me with the ebbs and flows of the business, so that I can in turn help my families.” Bobby stated. “48 Factoring uses superior technology and customer service that allows them to deliver on their promise so that we had quick access to funding.”

Bobby believes that Chapels of Eden is a family endeavor. His young daughter already answers the phones and Bob hopes that one day she and other family members will carry on the business. His goal is to build the business and expand to multiple locations in multiple states.

One of Chapels of Eden’s top priorities is community leadership, where they pledge to serve their community as an educational and informational resource center. Bobby, along with other members of Leadership Newark, a local civic organization, visited the White House in April and although they didn’t get to meet President Obama, he and his committee members met with high-level officials such as Senator Bob Menendez, Senator Corey Booker and Congressman Donald Payne, Jr., all of New Jersey to help develop an action plan for corrective measures for inner cities.

“I’m so proud to be able to serve this community of Essex, a county that is so rich in culture and diversity. Yet, as diverse as the city of East Orange is, we are seeped in tradition and our sense of community is unshakable,” Bobby said. “Due to the unending support of the city, I am in the fortunate position to help people who have the means for funeral expenses and those that don’t. Regardless of their economic situation, we help every family honor their loved one with a beautiful service.”

Chapels of Eden Funeral Home is dedicated to providing a funeral service experience that is affordable, personal and inspirational, helping families in as many ways as possible to create a cherished “remembrance of their loved one. Located in East Orange, NJ, Chapels of Eden is housed in a historic 19th century facility. For more information, visit www.chapelsofeden.com or call (973) 674-6100.