Press
Fred Melius
Up close and personal with Fred Melius.
This month we visit with Dr. Melius, partner and co-founder of the obstetrics
and genecology practice of Melius, Schurr & Cardwell.
brava Magazine December 2006
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By Anne M. Connor
The first time I met Fred Melius and his wife Connie, our sons were playing hockey together at Eagles Nest Ice Arena in Verona. After the game, the players and their families retreated to the locker room, but it wasn't long before a stranger rushed in.
"A child slid into the boards and can't get up. Is there a doctor in the house?"
All eyes turned to Fred. He blushed, and before running out the door, threw his hands in the air and yelled "I'm a gynecologist!"
The story, of course, ended happily. The boy was uninjured — requiring neither a gynecologist nor any other kind of doctor, but the moment gave us a glimpse into Fred Melius: the doctor, funny guy, sports lover, parent, husband and, in many ways, big hockey kid himself.
Join us, as we join Fred in the doctor's office.
Anne Connor: Hi Fred. Long time no see.
Fred Melius [smiles, extending hand]: Wait … maybe I should wash these. You never know where they've been. We sit, Fred Melius eschewing the formality of his desk for a comfortable chair along the wall.
AC: The place looks great. How long have you been here?
FM: About five years.
AC: I've heard good things about your practice. Melius, Schurr & Cardwell is the only independent-owned OB/GYN office in the Madison area, isn't it?
FM: It is. There are independents in other fields, but we're the only ones who deliver babies.
AC: You've invested a lot in state-of the art equipment here....
FM: That's how we planned it. We didn't want our patients to have to go anywhere else for ultrasounds or labs. We do everything here, except delivery.
AC: In this age of big-box health care, what made you decide to go into business for yourself?
FM: Well, the three of us [co-founders Melius, Julie Schurr and Mike Cardwell] have known each other for years. [The team has recently added a fourth OB/GYN, Kimberly Bergeron, and a nurse practitioner, Mary Carr Ross.] Mike and I socialize a lot, and Julie and I have known each other since residency. We wanted to start an independent practice where we had intimate control of the function of the clinic, the people who worked for us, and the labs. If you're a patient here, and you have a bladder infection when you're traveling, you can call us and we'll call in a prescription. We know our patients and what they're going through.
AC: How do you find most of your clients, or rather, how do they find you?
FM: We've actually tracked this. More than 90 percent of our patients come to us through word of mouth.
AC: How many babies do you deliver a year?
FM: Myself, about 100.
AC: Let's talk about your family. You and your wife Connie have a blended family with five kids, is that right?
FM: We do. Freddie's 18, Lauren and Tyler are 16, Cole is 11 and Allie is 9.
AC: What was it like growing up?
FM: I was born in Minneapolis and we lived there until I was in seventh grade. So I really grew up there, then in Idaho and Wyoming.
AC: Do you have siblings?
FM: I have two sisters: one older, one younger. My parents, Fred and Joan, still live in Wyoming. My dad was an electrical engineer and my mom's an artist; both are semi-retired. My dad didn't like his job, so we moved from Minneapolis to Idaho, and then to Casper, Wyo.
AC: Minneapolis to Casper? That's quite a change.
FM: It was. It was during the oil boom with a lot of young men who had liquor, guns and money. It was a bit lawless. It was tough, so it wasn't really my scene. Still, I did all the stuff every kid does. I backpacked and had a lot of fun. My parents were really outdoorsy.
AC: Do you still like to be outdoors?
FM: I do. My favorite thing to do is coach Little League. On some level, I've coached or helped every year [since my kids became involved]. I also really like water sports. I love to fish, but my fly rod just sits there.
AC: You sound busy. Is it hard to find time for yourself?
FM: Well, I have another business that I started five years ago. It's an assisted living business called KindredHearts. There are 12 campuses with 360 rooms. We do a lot of memory care for those struggling with dementia, and have a great program to help keep patients from falling.
AC: So is business your hobby?
FM: [Laughs] My hobby is playing around with the kids. Whoever wants to play, whoever has a ball, I'm in. My kids and I spend a lot of time in the yard. My least favorite weather condition, by the way, is wind. I can't stand windy days. You can't throw a straight ball in the wind.
AC: Do you ever get too busy?
FM: When I feel like I have too much going on, I make a list. It's the only time I make lists. I've really learned to prioritize.
AC: Let's get back to your family. When I first met you, your son was playing hockey. Does he still play?
FM: [Sighs loudly] Cole decided he wanted to play basketball. I was really sad about that. I loved to be out on the ice, goofing around. At our lake house, I'm always the first one up, the first one out on the lake.
AC: What do your other kids like to do?
FM: The girls play volleyball and dance. Connie plays tennis.
AC: Do you play?
FM: Occasionally. When it's mixed doubles, but that's mostly social.
AC: Are you good at most things you do?
FM: Oh yeah. [Laughs]. If I'm not, I don't do it. I think you have to have some innate passion for what you're doing, and if you do, it's a bit easier for you than it is for other people.
AC: Are you competitive?
FM: In life? Yeah. I used to think I wasn't, but I am. Over time, I've learned what I'm good at and I leave the rest to someone else. I'm good at coming up with ideas and doing the planning. [At the assisted living homes], our fall prevention idea is really good. I did all the initial work because I didn't like the way it was being done.
I'm somebody who needs to think. If I'm involved with something, and if I'm not personally satisfied — even if other people think it's OK — that troubles me. I want this group to be the best group in town. The same for our assisted living homes.
AC: Each time we've met, I've walked away with a different sense about "Fred." Sitting in your office, I hear your stories, see the nice furniture, admire the diplomas on the wall — all the trappings of success. But in your other life, I sense that you're a big happy kid who loves to have fun.
FM: Hmm ... my wife likes to tell me she's not my mother. [Laughs]. Does that make me a big kid?
Actually, we all like to have fun. My sisters are great. My older sister is an artist, like my mom, and my younger sister is a teacher. They're very competitive. They're very social. They can really light a place up. Connie's that way too. When they're all together, it's a riot.
AC: You're close to your family. Tell me something about growing up that people don't know about you.
FM: I'd say it's that I was very fond of all four of my grandparents. When I was growing up, my grandmother and aunt on my mother's side came and lived with us every year from Thanksgiving until February. I think they're part of what made me really like women.
AC: Did they spoil you?
FM: Oh yeah. [Laughs] Those two women thought I walked on water.
AC: What about the others?
FM: My grandfather on my mother's side was a musician. He would sit around and sing songs that seemed really naughty and racy. My dad's father, Fred, was an inventor and electronics guy. He was the smartest guy I knew. He had all kinds of things in the basement and we'd go down and make buzzers and radios. He reminded me of Doc in "Back to the Future." At the time of his death, he was working on a watch that took your blood pressure and pulse. Of course, now, we use these all the time.
My paternal grandmother was a nurse and had lots of kids. She was very nurturing. You would go sit on her lap and tell her things.
AC: They sound like special people.
FM: They were. All four were really different. I have different parts of all of them that I've tried to hold on to.
AC: Your family is really spread out [one sister lives in Wyoming and the other is in Minneapolis]. How do you stay in touch?
FM: My sisters and I talk once a week and I talk to my parents every two or three days.
AC: OK, last question. Name three things you can't live without.
FM: Sun, water and oxygen. [Laughs]. I think I'm flexible, and I can make do without a lot. I like our lake place. And I like pets. When a pet dies I always have to get a new one. But mostly it's the kids. I've gotta have the kids. Better yet? Let's just say my family.
