John Phillips is just 32, but already he’s had four demanding careers. He’s been a member of an elite federal drug interdiction task force. He founded both a retail stock brokerage and a consulting firm. Now, he’s president and CEO of high-tech start-up Satellite Security Systems of North America.

The skills he has developed blend into a professional mix that he says works perfectly for running his cutting-edge company.

S3’s flagship product, GlobalGuard, uses the Global Positioning System to track vehicles and monitor sites, guarding against security breaches. Phillips and S3 have several U.S. patents pending, including one on “Virtual Perimeter,” a technology that detects boundary violations. S3’s systems are used by corporations and government agencies, including the San Diego Police Department.

Phillips co-founded S3 in May 2000, after relinquishing the helm of his consulting firm, Corporate Advisors. Just as the nation went into security overdrive post-Sept. 11, S3 was gearing up. Phillips used that shift to meet ambitious goals. Over the next year, he aims to triple S3’s employees from 25 to 75.

Phillips maintains memberships in the International Forum of Corporate Directors, UCSD Connect and other groups. This summer he even squeezed in time to get married. His wife, Marina, is a bank manager.

Just like his timing with S3, Phillips has been consistently visionary in his choices, entering industries at fortuitous times. Earlier, when the stock market was hot, Phillips co-founded Janda, Phillips and Garrington, a retail securities brokerage and investment banking firm. Before that, from 1990 through 1995, he was on the drug task force. “Envision a SWAT team,” he says, working in foreign countries.

Black belts in tae kwon do and aikido helped Phillips land that job and continue to help him now. “My martial arts training helps center me and gives me power and confidence,” he says, to stay focused on S3, a job he calls his greatest challenge yet.

— Sarah Z. Sleeper