Wed to the Biz

Nothing smacks of small-town Americana quite like the “mom-and-pop” shop. It conjures up images of hard-working couples, noses to the grindstone, valiantly locked in battle with corporate Goliaths. Local couples in business together don’t quite fit that Norman Rockwell-esque mold anymore. They are professionals — business partners who share a vision and a knack for getting along through good times and bad — albeit with the occasional door slam. Partnering in life and work, passionate about their dreams and ready to roll up their sleeves, four local husband-wife entrepreneurs prove that it is not only possible, but also downright profitable, to be wed to the business.

Café Terigo – Ed and Debbie Axtell
Married: 36 years. Business Partners: 20 years.

Twenty-seven years ago, Ed and Debbie Axtell built a house together. Then, with four young children in tow, they built a business together. They picked the notoriously fickle restaurant industry to test their partnership, and after two decades, Café Terigo still buzzes with the sounds of clinking glasses, dinner conversations and power lunches.

It’s not unusual to see Debbie by the hostess stand greeting friends and assisting with whatever needs to be done. Yet she started out in quite another position: Debbie was Café Terigo’s first chef. “We immediately switched places,” she recalls with a laugh. Now, Ed whips up Italian-influenced cuisine and serves as handyman, while Debbie runs the front-of-house and business side of the establishment. “It just sort of worked out naturally,” says Debbie of their complementary skills. “We both just did what we did best.”

Their combined talents produced an establishment that has wowed everyone from Zagat to Salt Lake Magazine. The real testament to their success, however, is their loyal staff and regulars — like a group of businesswomen who have lunched there weekly for 15 years. Perhaps even more flattering, the Axtells’ son has followed in their footsteps, opening the neighboring restaurant, Purple Sage; and their youngest daughter has returned from college to hone her culinary skills in Terigo’s kitchen. “Our kids grew up here,” explains Ed. “They understand what’s going on and what it takes to make a restaurant happen.”

Hands-on owners with the unique ability to switch off work when they’re away, Ed and Debbie simply love what they do. The main ingredients in their recipe for success: trust and respect. Oh, and finding a great location —that’s the icing on the cake (or in Café Terigo’s case, the butter rum sauce on the bread pudding). 

RDI Creative, Inc. – Greg and Hollie Ragland
Married: 25 years. Business Partners: 18 years.

“On the first day of art school, we kind of ran into each other,” recalls Greg Ragland. “Actually, I ran into Hollie and almost knocked her down.” Fate brought the Raglands together; their shared loved of the arts translated into good business.

After art school, getting hitched, a stint in New York City (Hollie worked in advertising, and Greg freelanced as an illustrator for clients like Sports Illustrated and Newsweek), the Raglands moved to Park City and opened up shop as RDI Creative.

For 18 years, they’ve worked side by side. They conceptualize together, coming up with ideas and executing designs for everything from corporate branding to print ads to packaging to Web sites. Hollie specializes in graphic design, and Greg concentrates on creating images with his fine art and Photoshop skills.

Aside from their studio dog, a black lab named Rothko, Greg and Hollie are the only members of the RDI Creative, Inc. team. So, they rely on each other’s constructive criticism. “There’s no mincing of words,” Greg says, “but it doesn’t seem to cause friction. It’s a simpatico relationship reached through thoughtful feedback and by coming to a middle ground. “He’s my best friend,” says Hollie. “We learned early on that you can have success if you remember the word ‘compromise.’”

Both Greg and Hollie are self-motivated individuals who pride themselves on never missing deadlines. The advantages of working together, they say, far outweigh the disadvantages. Perhaps at the top of that list is the time they’ve been able to spend with their two sons, Dylan and Dusty.
“To live in Park City, to work together, to have a job that we both love and two boys we think the world of, we feel extremely lucky,” says Hollie. It’s a good thing Greg took that corner so quickly 28 years ago.

Clockwork Café – Ben and Stacey Farquharson
Married: 13 years. Business partners: 5 years.

Ben Farquharson was fed up with corporate life. He was also itching to open a nutritious, community-oriented, deli-like establishment — the kind of place that would cater to families and not “break the bank.” Ben saw a niche. His wife Stacey bought into the dream.

With all hands on deck (including Ben and Stacey’s three children), Clockwork Café began serving breakfast, lunch, coffees and pastries in Silver Summit in 2004. Then the Farquharsons opened a second café on Main Street two years later. A third café, Ben says, is in the cards.

Shuffling shifts, cafés, catering jobs and children’s schedules, Ben and Stacey have a fair number of plates in the air — besides the ones destined for customers, filled with mouthwatering meatball subs and breakfast burritos.

“There are a lot of hats to wear,” admits Ben. He believes that good communication is vital in any relationship. There are, of course, occasional lapses. “Sometimes decisions are made without consulting each other, and that’s when a good back rub or foot massage helps,” he says.

Ben and Stacey share the work: concocting new sandwiches, covering shifts and tending to the weekly Silver Summit Tri-Tip barbecue, even if it means donning a snowsuit at the grill. Ben primarily takes on the big decisions, while Stacey works out the day-to-day tasks. “I’m the one that tries to think ahead a little bit. He’s more of the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants guy,” explains Stacey.

Though the work is “24-7,” as Stacey puts it, one of the greatest perks of a family-run business is flexibility when “something comes up.” “We don’t miss much that the kids do,” she says. It’s really an all-for-one and one-for-all endeavor. Jake, Ashley and Cole (ages 11, 9 and 6 respectively) help out at both cafés. The whole family might be found dining together at either Clockwork spot five or six times a week.

“It was my dream, but I couldn’t do it on my own,” says Ben. “So, it’s our business.”

Skis on the Run – Alison and Bryan Godlewski
Married: 7 years. Business partners: 6 years.
Long skis, short skis, shaped skis, fat skis … Alison and Bryan Godlewski live every day surrounded by shiny skis. Skiing is their shared passion. Getting skis, boots and poles to their clients’ living rooms is their business.

The Godlewskis met in Vail, Colorado as river guides. Alison did the “real-world corporate thing” before tak-ing a ski bum sabbatical; Bryan took his business degree directly to the slopes. They guided together for two summers before their first date. As winter co-workers at All Mountain Sports (Vail’s ski rental delivery company), they found entrepreneurial inspiration.  

In 2002, Park City’s first solely delivery-based, ski rental business was born with the Godlewskis’ Skis on the Run. It sounds like a recipe for stress: newlyweds in a new town, running a new business. Yet, Bryan and Alison recall only one door-slamming incident — a moment immediately followed by shared laughter.

It’s a natural fit. Bryan focuses on the big picture, marketing, employee relations, vehicle maintenance and equipment. Alison gets the big picture process in motion; she also handles the books, IT, environmental initiatives, customer service, payroll, hiring and training. They both handle HR and make the “big decisions” together. “Our strengths and weaknesses are completely different,” says Brian. “We seem to balance each other out very well.”

They admit that it’s tough to leave work at work, particularly in the wintertime. On the flip side, sometimes a summer hike together can be far more productive than a strategic planning meeting in the office.

Skis on the Run has grown from three seasonal employees to 15, with sales rising steadily. Their secret for success: understanding and communication. “We certainly have an advantage because we know, most of the time, what the other person is thinking,” says Alison. They also share good-spirited fun, taking employees “extreme sledding” and recharging with a big trip each year. And, of course, they still ski together.

Editor’s Note: Like a child leaving the nest, sometimes businesses are so successful that it’s only sensible to let them soar. Shortly after this article was written, the Godlewskis sold Skis on the Run to yet another business-minded husband and wife duo, Liz and Patrick Fannon. And like most proud parents, Alison and Bryan haven’t completely let go of their baby:  they still own a small stake in the biz they built.

Freelance writer Jane Gendron occasionally solicits the editing skills of her husband Greg and takes his criticism, ahem, not that well. Should they ever be struck by an ingenious, entrepreneurial idea, she had best heed the advice of her 2-year-old and “toughen up, cupcake.”