A Marine's $3 million global ventureA well-traveled veteran turns to a new pursuit: making replicas of the Earth and the heavenly bodies (FSB Magazine) -- After traveling internationally as a Marine and later as a product developer for a plastics company, in 1981 John Szal combined his love of travel and design in Spherical Concepts (sphericalconcepts.com), a maker of acrylic globes. The firm's Earth and sky globes, which range in diameter from three inches to five feet, are handcrafted in Frazer, Pa., using a process based on glass blowing. Continents or constellations are silk-screened onto a sheet of acrylic, which is then heated and inflated. The 12,000 globes sold in 2006 pulled in more than $3 million. Spherical has an exclusive deal with National Geographic Maps and sells globes at upscale retailers, such as Hammacher Schlemmer. In May a four-foot granite globe designed by the company's cartographers was unveiled at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. To give feedback, write to fsb_mail@timeinc.com. From the July 1, 2007 issue
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