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Who's Who: Dave Gasper

Dave Gasper was the self-acknowledged 'world's worst employee,' but he's fared much better as an entrepreneur. Since founding the Gasper Corp. in 1983, he has signed up hundreds of clients, including some of the biggest banks in the world, who rely on his ATM management software to keep their machines up and running.

March 20, 2006

As a tall, skinny college student with little time for mundane matters like personal banking, Dave Gasper became intrigued by ATMs in 1975.

"Back then, bank branches were open short hours, and it was hard to cash paychecks," Gasper recalled. "When ATMs first appeared, I thought it was good and I was fascinated."

His fascination helped him land a job writing ATM software at NCR Corp., a leading manufacturer that happened to be located in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

That fascination has never left Gasper. Today, he is president of a company that bears his name, a subsidiary of NCR that provides remote management software for 170,000 ATMs throughout the world.

Now nearly two decades old, the Gasper Corporation's success is a reflection of the creativity and determination of its 45-year-old leader. Last year, despite the troubled economy, Gasper revenues grew by 33 percent.

"I knew he knew the ATM business," said Vicki West, who remembers Gasper spending a full year calling on her and others at Dayton's Gem Savings. In late 1984, Gem became Gasper's first paying customer – and later West became the company's third employee.

"He had an idea and believed in it, and every day he worked, it made him more confident of the product. He never backed away from knowing it was the right thing to do," West said.

Gasper's software, West said, revolutionized the ATM business by providing reports on ATM availability that had previously been produced manually. She said it saved her bank 10 man-hours per month and provided a more reliable way to monitor ATMs.

Three years ago, Gasper Corp. was acquired by NCR, though it still operates as its own entity. Tom Volpe, NCR's vice president of ATM Channel Management and overseer of the relationship with Gasper, credits its founder with the foresight to create the business.

"He had a vision 20 years ago to manage ATMs differently and put a company together to do that," Volpe said. "He's continued to push the envelope on ATM management. He's a visionary, a creative guy."

A living room, a TV and a Commodore 64

Like many entrepreneurs, Gasper struggled at first. For three years after establishing his company, he wrote software from his living room, testing his first ATM monitoring solution on an old Commodore 64 and a TV set. It took more than a year to land his first sale. But he said it beat working for the Dayton software firm he left in 1983.

"I didn't start out to be an entrepreneur, but I was the world's worst employee," he said. "I made life difficult for my bosses. I always said 'I told you so.' I had to put up or shut up. I didn't want to be one of those guys who complained. I wanted to do something."

Given his shortcomings as an employee, it's no surprise that Gasper places a great deal of emphasis on company culture. He practices what he calls "open book" management, sharing all financial information with his entire staff of about 100. The result is a loyal group that includes several long-time team members, such as West.

He said he adopted the policy after an employment interview in which the interviewee was able to research and learn everything about the company; he figured he might as well let his staff know the numbers as well.

"Everyone thinks and acts like owners of the company," he said, though acknowledging that since becoming part of a public company, he's a little more careful with the information he discloses.

Dressing the part

He also places emphasis on making things fun around the office. Gasper's eyes light up when he talks about work-related hijinks that have occurred in his career, such as the time a Halloween prank backfired on him.

Gasper, who claims a Transylvanian ancestry including a bloodline traced to cinema vampire Bela Lugosi, came to work dressed as Dracula on Halloween about a decade ago. He said he didn't realize that a key customer was visiting for a demo, which Gasper performed in costume. The potential customer, he said, didn't bite.

Volpe recalled a goodwill gesture Gasper organized, also costume-related. When a staff member announced he was leaving the company to join his wife at a job in Fargo, N.D., Gasper had the entire staff dress in parkas reminiscent of the Coen Brothers movie based in that city.

Even at trade shows, about the only time he ever wears ties, Gasper chooses attention-getting neckwear featuring characters such as Charlie Brown and Marvin the Martian.

The future

When his company was acquired by NCR in 1999, Gasper signed a three-year management agreement to stay on as president of the company. When that term expires this year, he's not sure what will happen – though he seems to have a wide range of options.

"I could leave, I could stay, I could change my role," he said, hedging a bit. "Nothing has been discussed yet."

Volpe makes it clear that his expectation is that Gasper will stay on. "I want Dave to stay forever. We want him to continue and be a part of the company. He's the kind of guy people want to work with."

Yet one of the folks who knows him best thinks he may deserve a break from the rigors of running the company. Vicki West, Gasper's first customer and a 12-year employee, says she has conflicting feelings.

"He's laid a lot on the line and been absorbed in it for 20 years," she said. "I hope that he can relax a little and enjoy his life. For us, I hope he doesn't look around. But he's also not the type to wake up and play golf every day."