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April 12, 2008

By Brian Hudgins

For many dentists, discussions with a business partner take place strictly in the office. For others, business matters might be discussed in the office, at the breakfast table, or in the car on the way home from work. That is the daily routine for dentists whose business partners are also their spouses.

Many of those married couples first met either as undergraduate students
or in dental schools they jointly attended. Dr. Matt Verheul and his wife, Dr. Taylor Verheul, met at a new-student orientation at the University of Minnesota in 1999.

"When you are in school and you are with each other so much, you study together and have all the same classes," Matt Verheul said. "It's really a benefit for couples. You have someone to study with and someone to rely on with the stresses."

A handful of their peers went down the same path. Matt Verheul mentioned a few other couples who met in the same classes at the University of Minnesota and later married.

Following graduation, the Verheuls served as associates for a couple of years in Matt's hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D. The decision to start their own practice sent the couple in search of a new destination.

"We got an atlas and narrowed it down to Montana or Colorado," Matt Verheul said. "We fell in love with Colorado and three months later, we were there."

The Verheuls have been in Carbondale, Colo., since making that move.

After running their own practice for three years, the Verheuls recently merged with Dr. Gene Covello in a partnership.

"When we started and we were building a patient base, we had more free time," Matt Verheul said. "It was harder early on. You have to be careful because you are around each other more and everybody likes their space."

The Verheuls each maintained some private time by alternating their work schedules, with one working in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

"One of the hard parts of starting as a couple was the leap of faith it took," Matt Verheul said. "We didn't have anything else we could do for income. We had to figure things out ourselves. We didn't know any other husband and wife doctors."

Since those early days, the Verheuls have managed to divide office duties based on their specific interests.

"Since we are doing the same thing, everybody feels equal," Matt Verheul said. "I handle some business aspects and she handles human resources and marketing."

The Verheuls make an attempt to keep some space between work and home.

"We try to keep it separate," Matt Verheul said. "There are always things that come up that we need to talk about. We try to do it on a lunch break or on the way home. Sometimes it's inevitable, but I think we do a good job of it."

To Matt Verheul, the combination of skills he and Taylor have is a plus. In addition, the commitment to a spouse's success runs deeper than other business partnerships.

"With the two of us, we approach things differently and we can bounce ideas off each other about patient care and business sense," he said. "You bring different things to the table, but their interest is the same as yours. The income and motivation is there for you to succeed. That aspect of it definitely helps."

Like the Verheuls' choice of moving to either Montana or Colorado, Dr. Vicki Frey and her husband, Dr. David Thompson, faced a similar decision. David graduated from dental school a year before Vicki. He did a residency while she completed her senior year. They are both from Owensboro, Ky., but they entertained the idea of making a move.

"We went to Florida on a shoestring budget on spring break, and we talked to dentists while we were there," Dr. Frey said. "We thought we would miss the seasons too much and decided we should go home where we knew people. It has been the best decision."

Dr. Frey and Dr. Thompson have developed their own system for handling
office tasks.

"The biggest advantage is we each have different gifts," Dr. Frey said. "I treat most of the young children and he sees patients with dentures and partials. Together, we cover most areas. I am in tune to dealing with the books. He maintains the equipment and oversees the building." Work matters are open for discussion once office hours are over. "We have been in practice for 22 years," she said. "We openly discuss work at home. Our kids have sat through many meals with dental talk."

Dr. Jason Scorza and Dr. Heather Scorza in Rocklin, Calif., opened their office and have been operating it for about five years. Having a two-person team allows some flexibility when it comes to setting schedules and pursuing other activities.

"We opened this office from scratch," Jason Scorza said. "We were able to do it the way we wanted. I also run a real estate company."

When the Scorzas are working during office hours, they are able to maintain privacy, but also easily discuss any questions that might arise.

"There is not a ton of interaction because we have separate private offices," Jason Scorza said. "We have no problem talking about work outside the office, but we don't do it too much. We usually get it taken care of here."

Similar to the Verheuls' meeting at the University of Minnesota, Jason and Heather Scorza met while they were enrolled at the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in San Francisco.

"There were four or five couples that got married from our dental class," Jason Scorza said. "One couple ended up not practicing together. I think in most cases, it is a benefit. It makes it easier on me and allows us to do outside activities more freely. It's also nice to have a dual-income family."

Brian Hudgins, a Houston native, has covered topics ranging from coastal erosion to child support issues during the last decade. A graduate of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., his writing credits include material for Referee, Louisiana Life, and Online Degrees. Hudgins is an avid sports fan who keeps tabs on the NSU Colonels. He enjoys the interview process and finding out about various business and life experiences of people. He resides in Lafayette, La. You may contact him at BHud21@aol.com.

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