SBA Names Costa Mesa Executive State Business Person of the Year

Beating out more than 150 business owners statewide, David Cline, chief executive of Balboa Instruments Inc. in Costa Mesa, has been named the California Small Business Person of the Year 2000 by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

It is only the second time in the competition’s 37-year history that an Orange County businessperson has landed the top award.

Cline, a 56-year-old Cal State Fullerton graduate, has built Balboa Instruments into what he says is the world’s largest maker of electronic spa controls, including devices that regulate lights, bubbles and temperature.

Cline was nominated secretly by his employees and the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce. “I was totally surprised,” he said.

Founded in 1979 in Newport Beach, the company employs 275 workers and posted revenue of $38 million last year, up from 30 workers and sales of $2.5 million a decade before, Cline said. Balboa, which Cline calls “profitable,” customizes its products and fills orders in five working days. As the California winner, Cline will go on to compete for the national title.