HOW $10,000 WILL HELP: Colvin’s is an overhead-intensive industry, and he’ll put the money to the most elemental use: “The grant will help the growth of my company,” he says. “I’ll use it to purchase additional equipment.”

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IN AN ERA OF impersonal service — when was the last time you heard of a family doctor, even in a small town, come to someone’s house? — Carl Colvin is all about the human touch. His business, Carl’s Tire Service, is fully mobile, coming to drivers’ home or office to spare them the burden of wasting time at a body shop.

“Customers call me and let me know what kind of vehicle they drive, their tire size and which brand they’d like,” Colvin, 32, says. “My services include installation, mounting and balancing; I’ve got a computerized balancer, high-end tire changer, air compressor and other supplies to provide a professional job.”

Not to mention, naturally, a personal job. So dedicated is Colvin to giving his customers one-on-one service that he doesn’t even maintain a physical space for his company — except, that is, for the one sitting atop four wheels. “I provide all my services out of an Isuzu NPR with a 7-by-14-foot box,” he says. “My truck is my office.” •