Efficient and reliable transport can often mean the difference between success and failure in any type of business, from small retailers to large manufacturers.

But poor road conditions and high crime can discourage courier services from operating in different areas.

While some delivery services may have second thoughts about visiting certain neighbourhoods for work, 26-year-old businessman David Hartman saw an opportunity to fill a niche while providing a valuable service to residents and small businesses.

Speaking with Business Day at his office at Marie Road, Morvant, Hartman said his Hartman Group of Companies and General Construction Ltd was born out of a need to cater to the residents in his area who were underserved.

Hartman began his business by opening his own mini-mart at the beginning of the covid19 pandemic, near his home, in 2020.

While sales slowed during this period, he gradually turned his attention to opening his own construction company, employing young men from his neighbourhood and using his popularity within Morvant, the company evolved from small-scale projects to full construction.

While the transition from mini-mart to construction has been challenging, Hartman said he learned a lot from observing the work of other small contractors.

"It was tedious, as it would be to start any business, but the general principles of managing and operating is something I was accustomed to.

"I paid attention to the other young contractors in my community, so it wasn't that hard to pick up on some lessons. But everything is a learning process, and I love to learn. I'm always open to advice and just willing to soak up the experience."

It was not long after starting his own construction company that Hartman saw the need for transportation.

Some construction items could be transported using his personal vehicle, but materials like gravel, sand and blocks needed heavier vehicles. Beginning in 2021 with one Hyundai H100 van he leased, Hartman saw the potential not only to transport building materials but to offer transport services for anyone in need.

He said between the steep, hilly roads of Morvant and high crime, courier services are often hesitant to make deliveries in the area.

"I have companies from Chaguanas and San Fernando that have customers in Laventille, Morvant and even parts of Diego Martin like Bagatelle that they don't send their drivers to.

"I'm usually the person to go and facilitate the transportation of goods.

"But I'm also trying to break this stigma that we have, so I'm trying to break this barrier to show that everyone can have goods and services and get the same treatment that other communities enjoy."

[caption id="attachment_989936" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Morvant businessman David Hartman with one of his Hyundai H100 vans. - SHANE SUPERVILLE[/caption]

Hartman said he was lucky enough to have someone who leased him the van and was eventually able to buy it, using