The 34-year-old's acumen selling awards and recognition products has drawn clients such as Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., General Electric, Proctor and Gamble, Royal Bank of Canada, Business Objects, Deloitte and Touche, Telus Corp. and Ballard Power.

Barazzuol's sales to those clients have resulted in his awards sitting in trophy cabinets of recipients such as former U.S. president Bill Clinton, former astronaut John Glenn and actor Martin Sheen.

But his proudest business catch was winning the North American Space Agency contract to provide awards to all the companies involved in building the vehicles that crawled on Mars earlier this year after the successful NASA space mission.

"They have a mandate that they have to buy American first. But they looked at our website and had heard about the quality of service that we provide and ultimately we won what was a pretty big contract," he said.

As Barazzuol grew Eclipse he kept his eye on social responsibility. He recently joined BC Hydro's Green Power certificate program and committed to buying 100 per cent of his company's electricity through Green Power certificates.

Barazzuol moved his company to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside as much to revitalize the neighbourhood as to flee high rents in Yaletown, where he founded Eclipse in 1998.

He is an active board member for the Strathcona Business Improvement Association and is vice-chair of the Strathcona Revitalization Committee. He also chairs the BIA's visual improvement committee, which hires people to plant flowers, paint murals and otherwise beautify the Downtown Eastside.

The graduate of YMCA's New Ventures Network program also helps entrepreneurs in that program draft effective business plans.

Profession you would like to try: Flamenco guitarist or architect

Where do you feel most comfortable? Sharing a meal with family or friends

Favourite movie: Baraka

Currently reading: From Naked Ape to Superspecies by David Suzuki

Toughest decision: Leaving a secure job to start out on my own

Car: Currently none - waiting for the right Hybrid car

Would most like to meet: Jon Stewart of The Daily Show

Born: Vancouver, B.C.

Last CD bought: Outernational Sound by Thievery Corporation

Education: B.Comm, UBC

What's left to do: Expand our business operations into the U.S., transform the Strathcona area into a balanced community and start a family with lots of kids