Delivering exceptional products, personalization, technology, and service.
Creating forward-thinking and meaningful memorials.
Caring for the lives and legacy of customers, families, and each other.
It all started with a teddy bear and a van. In 1986, our founder, Terry, was selling stuffed animals on a Minneapolis street corner. When the Minnesota Twins reached the World Series in 1987, Terry saw an opportunity and expanded, offering Twins t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and Homer Hankies.
As the Twins won on the field, Terry won on the street corners, garnering enough success to launch his street business into a corporation and expand into new areas.
After sharing in the success of the Minnesota Twins World Series win, the business grew from stuffed animals into home décor, giftware, framed artwork, and brass handicrafts—one of which is responsible for propelling Terrybear into its next phase of business.
After a while, our growing team at Terrybear discovered that a customer of one of our brass products had begun using it as a pet cremation urn. The lightbulb ticked on, and we leaned into the idea, designing more pet memorials and urns for the funeral industry.
It’s always good to remember where you started. The Terrybear name is a way of remembering our humble beginnings, our founder Terry selling teddy bears.
In 2021, we celebrate our 35th anniversary. We strive to be a one-stop shop for funeral and pet loss professionals. While you take care of your families, we have your backs and are here to help you grow our businesses together through a wide range of products, services, and our forward-thinking digital shopping portal, Memory of a Lifetime®.
As our team continues to grow, we remember that our mutual success starts with quality people, quality products, and quality services. This is the foundation of all we do. We are compassionate, committed, and inspired to help our customers, who in turn are serving families who lost their loved ones and beloved pets.
While continually facing new and unexpected challenges, we ask: how does our corporate vision guide our actions? It is clear, now more than ever, that our focus needs to be on our customers, our employees, and our industry.
Customer – We do whatever we can to help you succeed. We are here for you!
Employees – We thrive because of our passionate and engaged team, supporting their health and safety is always our top priority.
Our Industry – Finding new and creative ways to offer support is our focus.
We deliver results for our customers, our shareholders, and each other. We are ONE entity, winning together while accepting individual responsibility for our results.
We’re honest, reliable, and genuine in our actions. We act with integrity. If there is ever a problem with your order, our dedicated team will work with you to make it right.
We go beyond the status quo, learn and grow, and innovate to improve processes and deliver better outcomes. We have an entrepreneurial spirit and we are open to learning from our failures.
We work together for the good of the team and our customers. Across functions and geographies, we encourage and respect diverse opinions and individuality. We share knowledge and support each other.
We make a positive impact on the people around us, our community, and our world. We inspire others to make a positive difference too. We help others grow as we grow ourselves.
At Terrybear we are committed to doing what is right. This simple concept guides every decision we make and we are always looking for ways to put this philosophy into action. Here are just a few examples of how we have worked to enrich our community, support important causes, and do what is right:
Terrybear is blessed to have a large amount of open space surrounding our office. To put this land to good use, we have teamed up with local organizations to turn this space into productive garden space. A community garden fills one large plot of land while a second plot of land is farmed by a neighbor who sells the product at local farmers markets.
We feel it is important to support our industry and those who work in it. Terrybear has made monetary donations and donations of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We also feel it is important for our employees to feel empowered to make a difference. Terrybear makes paid volunteer time available to all employees who wish to donate their time. We have also empowered employees to decide where monetary donations will be sent. We have a caring team that works hard to support a diverse array of causes.
Meet the people who breathe life into our brand.
Empathetic, Considerate, Spirited
Movie Buff, Outdoorsy, Outgoing
Husband/Dad, Outdoor Enthusiast, Mentor
Dad, Musician, Record Collector
Woodworker, Bike Rider, Dog Dad
Artist, Naturalist, Enjoys the Little Things
Mom, Canine Cuddler, Chocoholic
Learner, Mom, Leader
MOM, Karuna Reiki Master, Crystal Lover
Gregarious, Kind, Helpful
Mortician, Passionate, Respectful
Compassionate, Courageous, Adventurous
Theatre Maker, Cat Mom, Golfer
Dad, Pet Lover, College Sports Enthusiast
World Traveler, Foodie, Mixologist
Appreciative, Committed, Mentor
DIY-er, Outdoor Enthusiast, Houseplant Collector
#girlmom, Crafter, Boating Lover