When Veer Gidwaney is asked about his role model, there is not a moment’s hesitation.

“My dad,” says the youthful chief executive of Control-F1, swelling with pride.

Dr. Ashok Gidwaney, a renowned Edmonton physician and a director of Control-F1 who was in constant communication with sons Veer and Vinay, passed away suddenly of a heart attack in October at the age of 53.

During this interview, 22-year-old Veer Gidwaney fondly relates how his father has had an impact on his life and how he and his brother somehow stayed on course in building one of Calgary’s fastest-growing technology companies after their father’s death.

Throughout the interview, there was one underlying theme.

It was Veer’s insistence on using the word ‘we’ in response to questions about his life, always including his younger brother, which spoke volumes of the beauty of a close-knit family.

1. How did you manage to stay on course after your father passed away?
“It’s the worst thing that could ever happen to us. Control-F1 itself is an extremely time-consuming thing . . . you have to put your heart into it. It’s everything. It’s our life. We live and breathe this company. What allowed us to do that so effectively was that our dad and mom (Asha) were very supportive. When this happens, all of a sudden, the other highest pressure you could have just got dumped on you. Vinay and I have had the two toughest things that you could do: building a company and losing someone like your father which is extremely difficult. For both things to happen at the same time, I don’t know, it’s a bit unfair but . . . it happens.”

2. Your father must have been very proud of you . . .
“He sat on our board. He advised us on everything. We talked to our dad almost at least once a day, probably several times a day. We’d call him in the hospital. We’d call him when he was in the operating room and he’d always talk to us. He was very instrumental. He was a part of this business and a real important part of our lives.”

3. So, in some way, are you dedicating your career to your father?
“We were raised to understand that, if you want to be successful, you’ve got to work hard and you’ve got to take risks and you’ve got to be intelligent. And intelligence isn’t something you’re born with, you can build it. Those values were ingrained in us. We wanted to be successful. We wanted to do the best we can. We wanted to change the world in our own way because we were brought up to think that that’s how you make your life worthwhile. Whether we do this for my dad or not is secondary. My dad would say that too. We’re not doing it for him. We’re doing it to make a difference and to make our lives worth something. If we can be successful, Dad’ll be proud, for sure.”

4. Your father’s influence must be with you every day?
“When we hit the really bad lows, Vinay and I look at each other and say: ‘Dad would’ve been really pissed off.’ So he’s in us now, right. Everything we do is with his conscience.”

5. It sounds like you had a great rapport with your dad . . .
“Oh, I’m sure there were days when my dad would think: ‘How did I (father) this guy?’ But I really respected him. He was always right. The most annoying thing was when we’d say: ‘You’re wrong, Dad.’ But he was always right.”

6. What about your mother’s influence?
“My mom was also a big part of this, and so much so now. My dad to her was everything. Both my parents were brought up in Calcutta (India), not very well off. When my mom and dad moved away from there, my dad sold his motorbike and bought two tickets to England where he took his residency. Now, with all that has been put on our mom, her support for us has been incredible. She hasn’t told us: ‘Close the business and come home, you have to be with me every day because I can’t take this.’ She said: ‘Look, this is what’s important in your life, now do that, don’t put it on hold and do it with even more vigour.’ She’s always had that incredible strength.”

7. Your most cherished childhood memory?
“We have this videotape that my mom and dad took when we lived in Newfoundland. I was probably six. We were playing Monopoly. Whenever we look at that video now, it’s like: ‘That’s Veer, that’s his life forever.’ I’d get really impatient with the other players because they didn’t roll the dice fast enough, they wouldn’t make decisions to buy stuff and they never controlled the bank properly. So I’d pretty much play for everyone.”

8. So why is that so significant?
“Because, one, I think from an early age it’s an instinct we had. And the second thing is the fact my parents recognized that. They fostered it. It was like: ‘Let’s play with him, even though we don’t have very much fun, but let’s do it because it’ll encourage him and make him smarter.’ ”

9. Your first experience with a computer?
“My dad had an Apple 2E. I remember my dad said: ‘You just wait and see, when it comes to computers, your brother’s going to be the brainchild behind them.’ So it turned out to be that way. Now Vinay builds world-class software with the team. I don’t have any capabilities for coding. They’re wise to keep me away from it.”

10. So you and your brother complement each other well?
“Very much so. I couldn’t do this without my brother. He’s the most important person to me. We’re good friends. We’re also roommates. And I respect his skills tremendously.”

11. Tell the story of how you and Vinay developed computer technology in the basement of your home?
“We started our first company in the early 1970s, selling a product called Classrooms, which we sold to schools. We were really naive about what good advertising and graphical design was about. Our big value proposition was: ‘Most flyers you get are in black and white. Well, we make them in colour.’ It was kind of silly when I look back on it.”

12. What would you do if all computers were banned from the world?
“Unban them. It’s a fundamental way of life. Taking away computers — not to seem like I’m a fanatic — is the equivalent of taking away air or your ability to talk. If you said: ‘I’m taking away the bicycle,’ I’d say: ‘Fine, I’ll walk.’ But the computer is one of those few things that changes the way the world is, kind of like the lightbulb, electricity, the wheel, the printing press . . .”

13. Can you go through an entire day without turning on your computer?
“Probably not.”

14. How would you describe your management style?
“One, risk taking. Two, extreme drive. Three, persistence. Four, integrity. Five, honesty.”

15. Best advice you can offer a struggling young entrepreneur?
“You’ve got to put into perspective how you can change people’s lives. You have to say: ‘What can I do to make people’s lives better?’ And do whatever you can to build it and sell it. And don’t stop. You must have extreme drive.”

16. Is there a celebrity you’d like to meet?
“Steven Spielberg. I think he’s a brilliant director and he’s got a way of capturing life. I’d probably ask him about his childhood and the mistakes he has made. One thing that my dad always said to us was: ‘Failures are the pillars of your success, but you’re better off learning from other people’s failures.’ ”

17. Money. What does it mean to you?
“If I determine success to be the number of mouths I can feed in children in poverty — and one day I might want to do that — I wouldn’t measure success by how much money I had. But if the byproduct of what I do is money and if you’re successful at that, then you’ll do well.”

18. What’s your vision for Control-F1 for 2005?
“If we’re around in 2005, we’re going to be changing the way companies interact with their customers in live environments. As far as we’re concerned, the vast majority of technical support will one day be done by the Web. It’s our aim to make sure we’re the most dominant solution in that space.”

19. Any other ambitions you’d like to talk about?
“There are a couple of things I think will be critical for the world to have one day, but now’s not the right time. I can’t say what they are. I know that if I die tomorrow, knowing all I did was Control-F1 or sit on the couch and eat potato chips, I wouldn’t happy.”

20. You have a Control-F1 licence plate in your office but do you have a Ferrari to put it on?
“When I have enough money, I’ll go out and get my first Ferrari.”

IN PROFILE: Veer Gidwaney
* Born/Raised/Age: Leicester, England/Edmonton/22.
* Title: Co-founder/CEO, Control-F1.
* Education: Western University (London, Ont.), business major (deferred after three years).
* Family: Single.
* Role model: Late father Ashok Gidwaney, prominent physician and a director of Control-F1.
* Claim to fame: As a teenager, launched first software company, DDES Corp., with brother Vinay.
* Passions: Family, reading, watching TV, Steven Spielberg movies.

THE COMPANY: Control-F1 Corporation

* Brass: Veer Gidwaney, co-founder/CEO; Vinay Gidwaney, co-founder/president/chief technology officer; Chris Nyles, COO.
* Profile: Control-F1 is a privately held company formed in 1999 that provides e-support solutions for mission-critical software vendors, technology value-added resellers, outsourced support providers and corporate help desks. Its focus is on live, assisted Web-based technical support anytime, anywhere.
* Awards: Best-in-class winner at 2000 Users Choice Awards.
* Web site: controlf1.com
* Address: #125-3510 29th St. N.E, T1Y 7E5.
* Phone/Fax: 650-0891/668-5183.