Small Business Spotlight: Gad Shaanan Design, Inc.

Gad Shaanan was perfectly happy working for someone else, but as life changes, so do jobs, and Shaanan soon found himself starting his own company. As his current employer was struggling to survive, Shaanan's clients began to turn to him for help with their projects and, eventually, Gad Shaanan Design, Inc. was founded.

Now, 23 years later, Gad Shaanan Design has achieved $6 million in revenue in each of the last two years and has worked with many locally and nationally based clients.

Gad Shaanan Design is a full-service product development firm helping companies develop products by converting ideas into products.

"We don't look at ourselves just as designers," Shaanan said. "We are the fuzzy connection between businesses, marketing, sales, product development and manufacturing."

Shaanan's company has designed the new San Diego Trolley, currently on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and set to be introduced to the public in the next month, as well as many products for companies, including Hewlett-Packard Corp., Kyocera Wireless and Starbucks.

RESUME

Name: Gad Shaanan.

Title: Chief executive officer, founder.

Company: Gad Shaanan Design, Inc.

Address: 236 S. Sierra Ave., Solana Beach.

Phone: [phone].

Founded: 1981. Headquarters moved from Montreal, Canada, to San Diego in 2000.

Prior experience: Product design firms in Italy and Canada.

Average hours worked weekly: 60.

Source of startup capital: None, really. After I got my first contract, I continually reinvested in the firm.

2003 revenue:...