If anyone can locate an oasis in the dot-com desert, it’s Paul Verhoeff.

“In a desert, we (in the travel industry) are a bit of an oasis,” muses the worldly chief executive of Calgary-based Tripeze.com, one of Canada’s leading Internet travel companies. “Yet, it can still be hard to find water.”

Tripeze.com, like many dot-com companies, has had to take drastic cost-cutting measures, laying off two-thirds of a 45-member staff. The privately held firm, launched last year with $14 million, is exploring financing options.

Although selling travel online through Tripeze.com may be Verhoeff’s most daunting challenge, he’s a proven entrepreneur with an enviable track record in the travel industry.

The 46-year-old native of The Hague, Netherlands, made his mark as co-owner and manager of some of Uniglobe’s most successful travel franchises over a 15-year span.

1. Who was your boyhood idol or role model?

David Lazarowych, Business Edge
Paul Verhoeff blends his passion for travel and a love of business as chief executive at Tripeze.com.

“My dad (Henk). He was a good role model in that he was a positive, creative type of person who was driven by a vision for a better future. So I’ve always hoped I could provide for my family and be involved in the community.” 2. What values did your parents instil in you?

“My parents were Christians and they instilled that belief in me. The Christian belief is full of all kinds of values. If you had to take one value that was strong and important, I think it would be the value of compassion or love and the ability to look for the best for someone else as opposed to yourself.”

3. What was your first job?

“As a schoolboy, I would organize jobs for a number of people. I had a paper route but, instead of delivering the papers, I would hire younger boys and get them to deliver them. I would facilitate their ability to get the papers to the route and get them home. My first real job was at a pizza place as a cook and the first day on the job I sliced my finger and part of it ended up in the pepperoni. I guess pizza must have ended up in my blood because after high school, I decided to take a year off . . . and started working in a Boston Pizza on 17th Avenue (S.W.).”

4. Is that what sparked your interest in the business world?

“Yeah, I just sort of took a liking to management, and, when they promoted me to manager of that location, I decided to delay university by another year. There, I just got hooked on running a business. So then I decided that if I was going to go into business I’d better go to school (University of Calgary) and learn about business.”

5. So what attracted you to the travel industry?

“My dad had kind of a travel bug so as a family we did a lot of travelling. I knew I wanted to own my own business and there was an opportunity to start a travel agency through the Uniglobe franchise . . . I started in that business in Calgary in 1982.”

6. To what do you attribute your success in the travel industry?

“I think it was an ability to surround myself with strong people and attract them to come and work for me. I know my abilities are limited to certain areas. You have to have the ability to delegate and take a step back. Quite often, entrepreneurs have trouble letting go. But to get beyond a certain level as an entrepreneur, you need to be able to recognize the skills of others and recognize the skills that you don’t have. My forte is in selling and convincing somebody that we’re the better travel agency.”

7. Why did you sell your Uniglobe franchise in Calgary and part of your interests in other travel businesses in 1997?

“In 1996, my wife Cobi and I decided we were going to take a break. We’d been very busy in building our travel agencies and various companies to that point. We sold our house, took our four kids, took off in July of ’97 and started heading east . . . spending time in 27 countries. We didn’t come home until a year later.”

8. What did that experience do for you and your family?

“It was an incredible experience for us. You bond as a family. It also gave us a good perspective on what a wonderful country we live in. We learned to appreciate that our lifestyle in Canada isn’t the norm.

“My favourite country was South Africa. They have a slogan – ‘All the world in one country.’ And it’s true.”

9. So the concept of Tripeze.com was essentially a product of that journey? “Yes . . . I did all the planning during the trip on my laptop and I came to realize what a beautiful tool the Internet would be for travel planning. I . . . saw that no one was doing that in Canada. So I decided to apply my travel background to the Internet company on a national basis, specifically suited to the needs of Canadians.

“I started working on the company in spring of ’99 and we actually formed the company in June of ’99.”

10. Why did the company not go public?

“We were being urged by investment banking companies to go public and we were on track to do that in the spring of 2000 just as the whole Internet bubble (on the stock market) was starting to burst. So we just missed the IPO (initial public offering) window. We were unable to raise the capital through the public offering of our shares.”

11. How difficult has it been to finance Tripeze.com?

“Well, we were able to raise financing to develop Tripeze to the point it is today and we’re continuing on. Like so many things in life, there was too much hype and hope (with Internet companies), but now I think the pendulum has swung too far the other way, so that really good business ideas are not getting funded because people won’t touch the Internet investments.”

12. What is this company’s main hurdle?

“Continued access to capital. We’re looking to all kinds of solutions.”

13. So how is Tripeze.com doing?

“It’s going good. I think the fact that we’re still here is a strong testament . . . we’re continuing to move forward and make progress.”

14. How is the economic slowdown impacting your business?

“By and large, we’re a leisure travel site. That usually takes longer in the cycle of an economic downturn before that stops. The thing with travel is that, regardless of ups and downs in the economy, it continually grows. More . . . people are travelling and more and more people are getting to the stage in their lives when they want to do more travelling.”

15. What’s your vision for Tripeze.com?

“We want to be a leader in the online travel space in Canada and be known as the site that Canadians prefer because it gives special attention to Canadian travellers.”

16. Your younger brother Stephen (CEO of Calgary-based CSI Wireless) told the Edge he loses sleep over the competition. Do you lose sleep over business?

“My brother and I joke about that. Even on my worst day, my head hits the pillow and I’m gone. I don’t know if I worry less. Maybe I’m just more tired. No, I don’t lose sleep. I try to keep my priorities clear. Business is a part of my life, it’s not my life. I have my priorities to my family, my church and the school.”

17. So work is not the end-all to you?

“Business is also something that I probably spend most of my time on and it’s very important to me. I don’t see it as a means to an end. I think it has that aspect to it. But I think it’s also an end to itself. And I think providing a good product and service to a customer is a goal worth seeking. You want to make money so you can continue to do it and provide a very good workplace where people are coming to work for you who love their job . . . and are talking positively about the company. Those are all very important to me.”

18. What’s the dream vacation spot?

“Langkowi, an island off the coast of Malaysia. The beaches are unbelievable. The hotels are like you’ve never believed. The Malaysian people are very, very service-oriented so you just feel like you’re a king or queen when you’re there.”

19. How do you define success in life?

“For me, it’s developing relationships with people that are most important to you where you can contribute to their well-being and they can contribute to yours. I think that’s No. 1.”

20. Do you have any other goals or aspirations?

“I’m now 46 and I would like to at least have the option to retire early. I’m hoping that will be the possible when the kids are finished school or at least that I’ll have the option to spend less time working and we’d have the resources to continue our lifestyle and be generous. And to travel.”

IN PROFILE: Paul Vernoeff

* Born/raised/age: The Hague, Netherlands, Calgary; 46.

* Title: CEO/chairman/founder, Tripeze.com.

* Family: Wife Cobi, children Rudy, 12, Lance, 13, Anya, 18, Lies, 19.

* Education: Bachelor of Commerce, University of Calgary.

* Career: During 15 years as owner and operator of Uniglobe travel franchises, Verhoeff achieved the top agency revenue results throughout the Uniglobe 1,100-agency network. During his two decades as a travel industry leader, he has also owned other travel-related businesses and last year launched Tripeze.com.

* Dream vacation: The Island of Langkowi, Malaysia.

* Passion: Travel.

THE COMPANY: Tripeze.com

* Brass: Paul Verhoeff, CEO/chairman; Doug Walker, president/chief operating officer; Ken Doolan, chief technology officer; Paul Rogers, vice-president, marketing.

* Profile: Tripeze.com is a privately held Internet travel company that provides one-site shopping for brand-name Canadian and international air travel, car rentals, hotels, vacation packages and cruises. The company prides itself in understanding Canadian destinations and Canadian travel tastes. The site also features the E-Waves newsletter, travel guide and membership enrolment.

* Website: www.tripeze.com

* Customer service: 1-877-874-7393

* Phone: 403-517-8747

* Address: #600-1015 4th St. S.W., Calgary.