Sean Suydam was born and raised in the mountains of Butte, Montana. After high school, he left Montana for Phoenix, Arizona. There Suydam studied Electronic Engineering at DeVry Institute of Technology. After studying at DeVry, Suydam moved to San Diego and began working in information technology (IT). After being frustrated with the way the companies he worked for treated customers, Suydam decided to start his own business, Sephno Systems Inc., an IT service and network-support company focused, as he likes to say, “on the customer.”

Since 2000, Sephno Systems Inc. has been working to make individual and business IT systems more efficient and cost effective. “At Sephno, every consultation begins by listening to the customer explain how their business operates, what seems to be the problem(s) and where the bottlenecks are,” Suydam said. Suydam designs, installs and maintains computer networks and systems that make customer’s “IT dreams come true.” “It’s because we leverage the support of our partners like Microsoft, Symantec, IBM Novell, Sonic Wall and Apple,” Suydam said, who believes his business not only provides a service but also creates long-lasting relationships. “I am a firm believer that developing long term relationships with my clients is the key to a successful business,” Suydam said. “That is why, at Sephno, a sale does not signal the end of a transaction but the beginning of a partnership.”

Suydam loves San Diego. “When I first arrived in San Diego, I knew this was not only a great place to live and work, but a place where I could be who I am,” Suydam said. The city quickly took on a personal note for Suydam. “It is the city where I came out, found my first boyfriend, experienced my first breakup and was truly able to come into my own,” Suydam said. “Slowly the city became part of me and I part of it.”

Since 2007, Suydam has been heavily involved with the AIDS/Lifecycle, a seven day, 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles that raises money and awareness for the HIV and AIDS services for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “Each June, I join over 2,500 riders and roadies to raise over 11 million dollars for AIDS related charities and services,” Suydam said.

Outside his charity and IT work, Suydam likes to keep active, playing volleyball, visiting the San Diego Zoo and riding his bike on “the rolling hills of Torrey Pines.”