Executive suite: Kamal Mahajan

Kamal Mahajan, of Advance Micro Power Corp., says he's always been mechanically inclined. As a boy growing up in India, he says, he spent his time building things, such as model trains and airplanes.

Arriving on Long Island in 1982, he worked for several electronics firms before going into business with his wife, Jasbir, the company owner who oversees the accounting and human resources functions. Mahajan, 58, sees to the technical operations, putting in 14- to 17-hour days.

Mahajan and his staff work with inventors and entrepreneurs who come with ideas for products. Among them have been a speech-generating device for stroke survivors and a sewage-backflow detection sensor.

His team also developed the special-effects lighting system for New York City's "Cash Cab," used in the Discovery Channel's game show.

Says Mahajan, "I love everything I do. Some people get lucky to do what they do, and I'm one of them."

How have you been affected by the economy?
The last two years have been tough. But we are seeing some business coming up. We are noticing more people are now coming forward with ideas."

What kind of support would you like to see?
"We need the government to inject some cash into the small businesses. Sometimes we get jobs and we need cash flow. It's hard to work without loans."

Apart from the economy, what's your biggest headache?
"Taxes -- they're killing us. It's very difficult to keep a business on Long Island. I don't know how people can afford to pay the real estate taxes."

What do you look for in a job candidate?
"Someone who matches with our requirements. Someone who works as a team member. Also, [someone] we can afford."

What's it like working with inventors?
"Most of the people who come to us are inventors with an idea and they have no idea how to accomplish it. They hire us to do the job. We listen to them to understand what they want. Sometimes it's not even feasible, and we help them to think it through. It's a collaboration more than anything."

What's an unusual idea that's come along?
"We're working on one we thought was strange. But at the end of the day, it's a great idea: a device to detect how much milk a baby is receiving from a mother who is breastfeeding."

Any thoughts on the globalization of business?
"We're losing our edge in technology. We should keep business in this country. We should not give technology away to other countries." He also says that their products are made on Long Island with mostly U.S. materials. "We rarely go out of the country. Only when we can't find something."

Corporate snapshot

Name. Kamal Mahajan, chief executive.

Company. Advance Micro Power Corp., Ronkonkoma.

What they do. Engineering, electronic product development, manufacturing.

Revenue. $1.2 million expected this year.

Employees. 10 full-time, six part-time, in roles such as engineer, product developer, assembler, tester.