POWER COUPLES Prominent partnerships perform balancing act in business, home

The five couples the Columbia Business Times selected as Columbia’s most prominent agreed years ago to love each other for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. However, all agree that in today’s busy world, a vow encompassing time management might have been equally useful.

Bob and Ellen Roper, Craig and Shelly Simon, John and Karla DeSpain, Mark and Kate Mehle, and Greg and Laura Nauser have all made names for themselves in business and community service while also maintaining happy home lives. Challenging? You bet. Rewarding? Yes, that too.

The common thread running through the lives of all these couples is “teamwork.” Instead of arguing over whose turn it is to pick up the kids or cook dinner, they work together to fulfill the obligations of very hectic schedules and to meet their business, civic and family goals.

The Ropers
Bob and Ellen Roper, married 34 years, top our list. Bob is president and CEO of Central Trust & Investment Company, while Ellen, who retired from a 28-year career as a circuit court judge in January 2007, launched a consulting firm, Civil Mediation Services, a year ago.

Ellen admits that her new role as a consultant is less demanding than being on the bench. “It’s an ideal situation for me. It’s part-time and flexible,” she said. “Rather than practicing traditional law, I’m not tied down with an obligation to a client.” Although Ellen’s professional obligations have been reduced to part-time, she has taken on extra volunteer duties since retiring from the bench.

Ellen serves on the board of directors for the Missouri Symphony Society and is president of the Missouri Theatre Restoration Project. She also is active in the Assistance League of Mid-Missouri, Rotary South, the University of Missouri Law School and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

Bob, too, is active in the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and is president of its government affairs committee. He is a long-time volunteer for the City of Columbia and the Special Business District, with a wealth of experience in economic policies. A seven-year member of the city’s Public Building and Finance Board, Bob has chaired the committee largely responsible for Columbia’s proposed new city building.

Bob’s current office, on the fourth floor of the Boone County Bank building on Broadway, overlooks the current, overcrowded city building. Of the new building project, Bob said, “I guess it’s a little controversial, but we’re fresh out of options. We think we have a good solution. Sure, it’s costly, but we don’t believe in luxuries. We just need a nice city building.”

Bob also writes a column for the Columbia Daily Tribune and, in his own words, is “stretched pretty thin” working on the Power Supply Task Force, a group struggling to come up with viable solutions for Columbia’s long-term energy needs.

Ellen and Bob share a deep love of Columbia. Both moved here to attend law school at the University of Missouri. Ellen had earned her bachelor’s degree in European language and literature at Brandeis University, and Bob had earned a degree in psychology and anthropology from Dartmouth. The pair met when Ellen was in law school. They have two grown children, JoAnna Shear, an engineer for Intel Corporation in California, and Jason Shear, a chemistry professor at the University of Texas in Austin. Bob and Ellen say they often make quick, mid-week trips to visit the grandkids in Texas and California.

Like many of the other couples, Bob and Ellen’s civic commitments double as social events. “We enjoy being busy,” Bob said. “In fact, we love it most of the time. If you are happy with the other person and have a good life, you work stuff out.

The Simons
A close second in marriage duration is the union of W. Craig and Shelley Simon, who have been husband and wife for 31 years. While they own separate businesses, the two have worked together on some major building projects in mid-Missouri.

Shelley is president of Simon Oswald Associates Architecture and Interiors, Inc. The firm originally opened in 1987 as Simon+Walther. Bill Oswald began working for the firm in 1990, and in 1998, Shelley bought out her partner, Kathy Walther, and the firm was re-named Simon Oswald Associates. Having just celebrated 20 years in business, Simon Oswald has 17 employees and a wall full of awards and citations for their numerous architectural and interior designs throughout mid-Missouri, including the MSHSAA Building on Keene Street; the MFA Oil and MFA, Inc. buildings; and the Shelter Insurance building.

Craig is president of Professional Contractors & Engineers (PCE), a 1989 reorganization of the family’s previous company, B.D. Simon Construction Company. B.D. Simon was opened in 1912 by Craig’s grandfather and was operated by Craig’s father and uncle until the 1989 reorganization. PCE has 33 employees and continues to grow. “We’re growing gradually, more in terms of refining our top line as opposed to growing our bottom line,” Craig said. He did say, however, that PCE’s revenue has risen from around $400,000 in the first year to $15 million annually now.

Craig and Shelley met while students at Notre Dame University. Craig earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1974, and Shelley earned her degree in architecture in 1976. Shelley was a member of the first class of 125 freshman women admitted to Notre Dame in 1972. Prior to that, the university had granted enrollment to male students only.

Both are die-hard Notre Dame alumni, and their daughter, Kelly, attends Notre Dame now, giving Craig and Shelley plenty of opportunities to visit their alma mater. The Simons’ son, Pete, graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., and is an assistant golf pro at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.

Because Craig is an engineer and Shelley an architect, their firms—though not always Craig and Shelly themselves—often work on the same projects. Issues of ethics and confidentiality can make working together difficult; however, both agree that they have learned a great deal from each other. Both PCE and Simon Oswald deal exclusively with commercial construction and have not been significantly affected by the recent downturn in the residential construction industry.

Like the Ropers, the Simons find that professional or civic functions often double as personal time. “We use professional activities as personal time together too. It’s just the way we are. You’ll often see us visiting with each other at functions,” Shelley said.

Both Simons are heavily involved in the United Way, as are their respective companies and employees. “They are a very generous group and do great stuff,” Craig said. Craig and Shelley are also members of Regional Economic Development Inc., or REDI. Along with several professional and trade associations, Craig belongs to the Northwest Rotary and the Boys & Girls Town fund-raising campaign committee. Shelley is involved in the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s Intersport Network and is a member of Boone County National Bank’s board of directors.

The DeSpains
John and Karla DeSpain’s business experience differs from that of the previous two couples. Instead of running separate enterprises, the DeSpains, married 28 years, work together at John’s dermatology practice. However, Karla is best known for her tenure on the Columbia Public Schools Board of Education; she currently is serving her third term as a board member and second year as board president. Meanwhile, Karla has been the financial officer for DeSpain Dermatology Center, taking care of payroll and accounts payable and receivable, since 2000.

“I was in banking in my previous life,” Karla said. “I used to work at Boone Clinic and at Boone County National Bank.” Karla earned a bachelor’s degree in business from William Woods College while John was earning an undergraduate degree in biological sciences at the University of Missouri. Although both attended college in mid-Missouri, they met in their hometown, Kansas City, and married a year later.

John credits Karla for his success at becoming a physician. “I didn’t get accepted to med school my first try. I was going to go another direction, and Karla convinced me to apply again,” John said. After John earned his medical degree from MU, the DeSpains settled in Columbia, and they say they feel blessed to live in this community.

“We enjoy giving back. It’s a good sense of personal fulfillment,” John said. “Lots of wonderful things have happened to us in Columbia. We feel blessed to live here.”

“We are deeply involved in our church, the kids’ schools and our causes, the arts and hunger,” John said. Karla serves as a church elder, teaches Sunday school and conducts an adult Bible study class at Broadway Christian Church. She also is involved in the Assistance League of Mid-Missouri and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. Both John and Karla are involved in the United Way and Job Point. John volunteers monthly at the Family Health Center and is working on the capital campaign committee for Ragtag Cinemacafé.

John admits that he’s impressed with his wife’s election to the Columbia Board of Education. “Karla was always capable and skilled but didn’t strike me as a leader,” he concedes. “She wears the pants now; they fit her better. She’s very assertive, more outspoken.”

Karla said that serving as board president has more than doubled her previous time commitment as a regular board member. “The greatest challenge is making sure someone is home with the kids,” Karla said. The kids are Caitlin, 16, who attends Hickman High School, and Ryanne, 14, who attends West Junior High.

To make time for themselves, John and Karla have started rising at 5:30 a.m. to walk their dogs and talk. “Before, it could often take several days for us to get a chance to discuss things,” Karla said. Although it makes for early mornings, both John and Karla agree that the extra 30 to 45 minutes in the morning can help them prepare for the day.

The Mehles
Mark and Kate Mehle, married for 15 years, juggle a sizable number of obligations. Together they have three young daughters— Molly, 12; Susie, 10; and Katharine, 6—attending Columbia Catholic School. In addition, they own and operate eight McDonald’s restaurants in mid-Missouri—three in Columbia and the others in Ashland, Kingdom City, Mexico, Boonville and Fayette. Mark is president of MDM Enterprises, and Kate is vice-president. MDM Enterprises employs more than 420 people, and many of the McDonald’s locations are open 24 hours.

“The biggest reward is being your own boss, being in control of your schedule—although sometimes the schedule takes control of you. You definitely have to be flexible,” Kate said.

Mark, who took over the family business in 1992, represents the third generation of his family to own and operate McDonald’s restaurants. Mark earned a master’s degree in business administration from Rockhurst College in Kansas City and worked for a time as a commercial lender for Boatman’s Bank. While at Rockhurst, Mark met Kate, who eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in business and communications. The couple moved back to Columbia in 1992, and Kate worked as a sales manager for KFRU until shortly after the birth of their second daughter.

Kate’s background in sales, marketing and promotions has served her in her volunteer duties as well. Currently, Kate volunteers at Columbia Catholic School and is working as a fund-raiser for the proposed new Catholic high school in Columbia. She also serves on the steering committee for the capital campaign for Ronald McDonald House and chairs its house operations committee. “The Ronald McDonald House staff does 99 per cent of the work; I just serve on the board and help them raise money,” Kate said.

The majority of Mark’s volunteer work is related to corporate programs sponsored by McDonald’s restaurants. “We’re very proud of our support for the Ronald McDonald Houses and our McTeacher’s night, where we give money back to the local schools,” Mark said. Also, Mark has a long-standing relationship with clients of Job Point. “We have a great history of hiring the developmentally disabled,” Mark said. Mark also serves on the UMB Bank board of directors.

Mark and Kate enjoy coaching their daughter’s basketball team and volunteering in their kids’ classrooms. Their restaurants also sponsor a variety of youth sports teams; donate items to fund-raising charity auctions; and award scholarships to their own college-bound employees.

“I find it rewarding to be able to provide somebody with their first job, to develop those kinds of job skills. Then, 10 years later, they’re in your lobby, eating a cheeseburger, saying hi, and they have moved on to another successful career,” Mark said.

Although Mark and Kate admit that finding and retaining quality employees in the fast-food industry can be a challenge, they employ several long-term managers. “We have really dedicated people,” Kate said.

Mark said MDM Enterprises built a brand-new McDonald’s restaurant in Mexico in October and will be renovating the Stadium Boulevard McDonald’s, which was built in 1971, in the near future.

“Mark never knows what his day will be like,” Kate said. “He could be talking to the corporate office in the morning and dropping a basket of fries that afternoon.”

The Nausers
Greg and Laura Nauser have been married 14 years. Greg owns and operates Nauser Beverage Company, a wholesale beer and soft drink distributor originally opened by Dan Devine in 1978. Since taking over the distributorship 15 years ago, Greg has made several acquisitions and is looking to continue his growth.

“We sell to bars, restaurants and grocery stores in eight counties and have approximately 30 employees,” Greg said. “We’ve had a sales increase every year. My first year, we sold 280,000 cases. We look to sell 1.1 million cases this year.” Since taking over the business, Greg has almost doubled the size of the original facility. “We started at 20,000 square feet and are now up to 39,000 square feet,” he said.

Because of Greg’s business goals, he said, he works seven days a week. “I come in most Saturdays and Sundays while it’s quiet to catch up on paperwork or help load out trucks,” Greg said. Laura said she doesn’t mind Greg’s long hours, as she is pretty busy herself representing the 5th Ward at Columbia City Council meetings.

A self-described “late bloomer,” Laura earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia College just months before she took her first stab at running for office, an election she won, commencing her first term in April 2005. “I had just graduated and learned from John John that he wasn’t going to run again. I didn’t think any of the other candidates running were a good fit for the 5th Ward, so I filed on the very last day,” Linda said.

With a 20-year background in title insurance and real estate, Laura said she loves serving on the council, even though the hours are long and the current tasks being tackled are challenging. She already has filed to run again and is unopposed so far.

Laura describes herself as probably the most conservative member of the Columbia City Council. “I believe more in personal responsibility. I’m not big on legislating personal behavior,” she said. Laura believes that the current city council is willing to tackle the tough issues. “I believe this is a more engaged city council,” she said. Laura’s personal mission is addressing the recent spike in crimes in Columbia. “I’m taking the lead on that issue,” she said.

Neither Greg nor Laura imagined that she would one day run for elected office. “It was never on my horizon,” Laura said, adding that Greg warmed to the idea quickly. “Greg worked on fund-raising and was my main sign man. He put up and took down many a campaign sign,” Laura jokes.

The evening meetings are fairly infrequent, Laura said. Still, it’s a challenge to determine whether she or Greg will be home for their 12-year-old son, Ryan. They also have a 24-year-old daughter, Heather Haley, who lives in Tampa, Fla.

Most of Greg’s volunteer efforts go toward professional and trade associations. In addition, his job requires him to travel and entertain a great deal. Laura said she enjoys that part of his job. Laura’s main volunteer outlet is serving with CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization that helps abused and neglected children. Specifically trained for this volunteer position, Laura works with kids in foster care. “It’s important work and time-consuming, but I love it.”
In a family-oriented city with such a diverse power base, there were many prominent couples deserving recognition for their contributions to our social, civic and business communities.

Among the many considered for this article were: Hank Waters and Vicki Russell; Jose and Barbie Lindner; Jim and Kathy Ritter; Kenny and Renee Hulshof; Steve and Wendy Knorr; Jerry and Michell Kennett; Chris Stevens and Jennifer Perlow; Melvin and Burrell Watkins; Skip and Kathy Walther; and Chris Kelly and Nannette Laughrey.

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