From behind a cabinet, Phil Gary Scianamblo grabbed a TV tray.
"Here, let me pull out my conference table," Scianamblo said. "It's all I've got."
He put the stand in the only space left inside his Northwest Side condominium.
Stuffed with boxes, strewn with paper and product samples, the condo is the headquarters of Scianamblo's one-man global empire - Phil Gary Enterprise USA.
The company specializes in exports and imports. Scianamblo buys items from manufacturers and works to sell them elsewhere.
His is one of the many small- and medium-sized companies in central Ohio involved in international business.
"This is the American dream," he said, surveying the cluttered condo. "My motto is this: 'You never fail until you quit trying.'"
Scianamblo, 50, is a former concert and events promoter who booked such things as the singing groups, disco dances, mechanical bull riding contests, auto shows and tae kwon do competitions. He sometimes uses the name Phil Gary because Scianamblo was too difficult for some people.
Scianamblo said he often works 14-hour days, but last year gross sales were about $100,000. This year he expects to surpass $500,000.
"I didn't make a sale for the first 18 months," he said. "I'm still at the point where banks won't look at me."
His mainstay has been mini-binoculars made in Taiwan and sold in 12 countries. Columbus customers include Ohio State University bookstores and the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce.
He said he also has worked out deals involving a tire sealer made in Texas and a milk substitute developed at Ohio State University. Linda Joffe, president of Sport Deco of Columbus, which makes decorated clothing, said Scianamblo has been working to get her business in Japan.
"He's very determined," Joffe said. "I'm amazed at his energy. He doesn't let up."
Scianamblo said that about 1988 he saw an umbrella emblazoned with the logo of a professional football team and decided the concept would work with college logos as well.
He went to Taiwan to make the production and shipping arrangements, but his money ran out.
"I thought I was out of business," he said.
But left with a computer, a telephone and a fax machine in Columbus, he decided to pursue international ventures anyway.
"Nobody knew I was broke," he said.
While in Taiwan, Scianamblo had shipped several product samples to the United States, including the mini-binoculars. They were the least expensive of the items, and no duty had to be paid, so he bought 1,000 pairs.
Scianamblo has sought help from many, including the Columbus chamber.
Kimberly Pollins, director of the Chamber's World Trade Center, a joint venture with the City of Columbus, said she got Scianamblo on-line with a computer network linking 257 such centers worldwide. From this, business contacts and trade leads can be generated.
"We've held his hand getting him into the international market," Pollins said.
His efforts are going to be worth it, she said.
"There are just so many people out there just like him. They just don't know where to turn or how to do it," she said. "He's going to make it."