The seCTer team is helping Twyon Martin provide a better life for his 12-year-old son than he had growing up in a tough area of South Florida.
“He’s my pride and joy and the whole point of this is to have something to offer my son, to give him a better start than I had,” Twyon said as he described his decision to start Martin & Son Services in Groton about a year ago.
Twyon started the business with just a roadside service truck, assisting motorists in need of a tire change, an emergency dose of fuel, oil, or coolant, or getting them back into a locked car.
He knew he needed to grow his business and a seCTer loan helped him double his services by allowing him to purchase a tow truck this past summer.
“Joe Violette and the seCTer guys have been very helpful and I thank them for the success I’m having today. They worked hand-in-hand with me to get my business situated to where it needed to be to apply for this loan,” he said. He also received help from the local SCORE office.
“It was about a five-month process to get me set up to work with the bank. If I tried this on my own I wouldn’t have been prepared for all that was involved,” he said.
With a tow truck and more equipment financed by the seCTer loan, he has been able to get referrals from motor clubs and other organizations that now send business his way. A former football player for UConn who spent one season with the Philadelphia Eagles – on the practice squad he readily admits – Twyon is an imposing figure with a gentle personality, speaking respectfully of others in his field and noting there is enough business to satisfy all.
“I’m a sole proprietor and it’s a 24/7 operation, so it’s a grind every day, but when your mind is on the goal you take that call at 2 in the morning. My next goal is to hire someone next spring and to keep making as much as I can,” he said. Any future goals will be in support of his original goal.
“I named the business Martin & Son for a reason. I wanted to start something that’s generational,” he said.
