SIDE BY SIDE: COUPLES MAKE BUSINESS, MARRIAGE PARTNERSHIPS WORK

Surgeons Louis and Bridget Ostrow, seeking a quiet family life, decided to become partners in medicine as well as marriage.

Chuck and Laura McGinty learned to respect each other's differences and not worry about who is right in order to make their jewelry and gift business partnership, C.P. McGinty Jewelers, work.

Ramona Brinkopf was drafted to help her husband, Bill, in the early years of their business, but loved it. The two have worked together at Sunny Hill Pet Center nearly 20 years now.

These three couples are among dozens of business partners locally who put their hearts into both marriage and business day and night, year after year, working side by side to balance home and work.

---

The Ostrows said if they weren't partners in their professional lives they probably wouldn't see much of each other.

"I'd rather be with him than anyone else," Bridget Ostrow said. "If I had a 9-to-5 job, and he got home every night at 7 p.m. and left again in the morning. I wouldn't get to see him."

The Ostrows have practiced in Cape Girardeau since 1991. They both serve on the medical staff at St. Francis Medical Center.

Louis Ostrow is a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon who initiated the open-heart surgery program at St. Francis. Bridget Ostrow specializes in vascular surgery and is first assistant to her husband in cardiothoracic surgery.

The Ostrows met at a medical meeting, fell in love and decided to marry.

"We both already had gone through most of our training and had established our own specialties," Bridget Ostrow said. "I'm a vascular surgeon; he's a heart surgeon, and there is some similarity in what we do."

The Ostrows treat their medical partnership like other physician partnerships. He said they take turns making rounds to visit each other's patients at the hospital.

"I have my patients and he has his," she said.

"I don't do all the operations she does," he said.

"But the patients know we will both be there if they need us." Bridget Ostrow said.

"I have had a couple patients tease me not to have a fight the night before their surgery.

"The patients seem to do real well. They know if my husband is the one to check on them, I will ask about them."

Spending so many hours together requires special considerations also.

"We have to be careful of each other's feelings," Bridget Ostrow said. "In any practice, your partner might do things that annoy you. But you won't see that person at home that night.

"I don't always agree with what he does, and I'll tell him. But we try to offer constructive criticism. We are very sensitive to each other."

"You have to be more tactful and word what you say more carefully," Louis Ostrow said. "But we still get the point across."

The Ostrows said they work very hard at home to preserve a normal family life, especially for their daughter, Anne, who will soon turn 3.

Louis Ostrow said, "We are private people who guard our time together."

Louis Ostrow said, "We try to leave work at work, as much as anyone can."

"We work really hard to make a normal, non-physician life," Bridget said.

"I'm not sure every couple could work together," Louis Ostrow said. "You have to be willing to give and take. It's your job. You just happen to be standing next to your spouse."

---

The McGinty's started their business together 12 years ago, but soon discovered it wasn't working.

"We had been married only a year, had a baby, and then had a new business," Laura McGinty said. "We started together. It didn't work well."

"It was a struggle to work together," Chuck McGinty agreed.

After about two years, Laura McGinty quit the jewelry business, and about six months later began her own business, a gift shop called Finney Giggles. "I ran that by myself," she said.

"In that period of time we had to learn to respect each other and what it takes to run a business," Laura McGinty said. "When we finally decided to combine our businesses, we were ready to work together."

"We had to overcome the evil of who's right," Chuck McGinty said.

"It was a struggle," Laura McGinty admitted. "We're both hard-headed."

"But ultimately," he said, "we came to the point that it's unnecessary to feel you are right. You trust each other so much."

The McGintys have established some ground rules for working together.

"It's a very workable relationship based on the idea that each individual has their own space and area of responsibility," Chuck McGinty said.

Chuck McGinty serves as the creative force in the business, designing jewelry and dreaming up ideas.

Laura McGinty refines the ideas and plans, organizes and budgets.

"She's an excellent planner and a superb budgeter," Chuck McGinty said. "If it was up to me, we'd be broke in a week."

Laura McGinty said: "Chuck is an artist, a master craftsman. He's self-taught in the jewelry business.

"We have developed mutual respect for each other's strong points."

"We love our business," Laura McGinty said. "We live it and we love it. We talk about it all the time.

"We have excellent, outstanding employees, but you just can't hire people who will love this business like we do."

"The business has not always been easy," Chuck McGinty said. "Now we are on an uphill spurt. That makes it more of a challenge and more fun. I think sharing the success in the business has enhanced our personal lives at home."

They have two sons, Charles, 12, and Samuel, 9. The McGintys said business is often a topic of conversation away from the store.

"We're always thinking about what we might do next," Laura McGinty said.

"Sometimes it's like walking on eggshells around here," she admitted. "But it doesn't last long. We're both pulling for the same thing.

"I can't imagine it any other way," she said. "When things are tough or tense, we couldn't do it if we weren't a team."

Chuck McGinty said, "I think we feel a greater strength as a couple, and that's a strong asset to our business."

---

When the Brinkopf's son started school in 1965, Ramona Brinkopf started working with her husband, Bill, at Sunny Hill Garden and Pet Center.

"I was drafted," Ramona Brinkopf said with a smile. She has been working side-by-side with her husband ever since.

The Brinkopfs say they can't imagine running a business any other way.

"It works out well," said Bill Brinkopf. "There are two of you, both familiar with the business. It's nice to have someone to talk it over with."

"You are going to have to make a living some way," Ramona Brinkopf said. "I think this has been a convenience for us."

He said: "This way you can be together, and that's good. Besides, I think she's a better businessperson."

She protested the compliment, "Oh, no I'm not."

The Brinkopfs sold the garden portion of their business a year ago and now operate the Sunny Hill Pet Center only.

"I tease her that now she can do all the work," Bill Brinkopf said.

Actually, the Brinkopfs are thinking of retiring in another few years. Their son will take over the pet store.

The Brinkopfs enjoy a quiet lifestyle. "We're not exactly socialites," she said. "We hope to travel."

But they're not in a rush to give up the business. It's been part of our lives for so long.

"We don't have this part for me and that part for him," Ramona Brinkopf said. "I don't think you can be happy that way."

And, despite setbacks along the way, including damage from the 1979 snow storm and 1986 flooding, Bill Brinkopf said, "We've been fortunate to have a lot of good people work with us and a lot of good customers over the years."

Bill Brinkopf still sweeps up and carries out the trash himself; Ramona Brinkopf polices the parking lot to make sure no litter greets customers.

They both love the business and can't imagine that other couples might not enjoy working together day after day.

"I don't see how it could be a problem, especially if you really love each other," Ramona Brinkopf said. "We go home together, get up together, work together; we're together almost all the time."

Bill Brinkopf said: "About the only thing I do that she doesn't is I go to basketball games. I'm a big, basketball fan."

"Life is too short to fight," said Bill Brinkopf. "Life is supposed to run smooth."