Mike Shaughnessy.

There are many ways to remember life's benchmarks, whether through memories, words, pictures or stories. When a loved one passes away or a special anniversary comes to pass, it's the days and years before that mark the occasion with feeling and emotion.

Mike Shaughnessy, the founder and driving force behind Tribute Network Systems, knows this all too well. When his father died five years ago, he felt a void when he, family, and friends gazed at the memory board at the funeral home.

"I felt it was anticlimactic," he recalled. "I had seen memory boards before and felt they just didn't cut it."

For those unfamiliar with them, memory boards are a collage of pictures chronicling one's life from youth through the final days.

"I wanted something professional and lasting. Something that was a happy presentation that showed the type of life he led," Mr. Shaughnessy said.

Slide shows could take the experience a step further, but he likens his work to what can be seen on A&E's Biography – minus the narration.

One picture melts into another; some filling up the screen as others slowly fade away, all while touching music fills the room.

"You hear nothing as it begins, but then there's laughter as some of the funny pictures go by," Mr. Shaughnessy said. "That's a good thing to hear. It eases the tension."

The technology to do this has been available for some time now, but the idea to marry bytes with feeling is his own. One Ottawa resident who is happy he discovered it said the results couldn't have been better.

"I got it for my parents' 50th anniversary," said Kevin O'Grady. "They really loved it. The whole thing felt great. Our parents' eyes were watering. First, they were joking and laughing at the images, but then they were getting into it and everyone began crying. It was like sharing their lives with everyone. You don't just slap that together."

To make it all happen, one simply has to provide 15 to 24 pictures for what can be as little as a 24-hour turnaround. Even if the photos are old, battered or creased, Mr. Shaughnessy can enhance them to pristine condition. The result is a documentary-style production that adds something special to an already meaningful occasion.

"They really don't know how touching it can be," said Coles Funeral Services funeral director Laurie Cole, who includes them as a small charge of visitation. "It eases the transition. People may know someone in the family, but not the person who died. This gives them a chance to get to know them."

Mr. Shaughnessy said that while the venture is still young, the possibilities of franchising are endless. He has people in place who are able to complete the technological aspects of the operation, but as time goes by eager businesspeople in other cities may have the opportunity to sell the product.

"People can work from home, which, of course, has tax advantages. Out of everything I've done, this is the most satisfying," stated the man who has a hand in many undertakings, including his own home security business. "Other companies in the United States need four to five days and still don't come close to the presentation we can do."

Revenues are low but building as word spreads. Still, Mr. Shaughnessy said the progress is bordering on steady and fast.

As he approaches more funeral homes to take a look at what today's expertise can do, it's the low cost and the appreciative audience that may very well do the selling for him.

By Scott Taylor

Special to the Ottawa Business Journal