A hat tip and thanks to Fred, Charlie, Marvin, Tom and Chris -- guys from similar industries and backgrounds, with a common "go-for-it" attitude. These are the guys taking the risks to acquire equipment and build their ventures while all around them businesses are failing, people are being laid off and economic forecasts remain grim.

Whether scrounging for capital, making their own repairs, running equipment themselves or chasing down receivables, these characters make the economy work; they understand that you have to do it yourself. No one instills a work ethic in someone else -- it comes from within. With no business school knowledge to fall back on, no government grants to leverage from, painfully little support from bankers on which to rely, these hardy types are the backbone of what one hopes is an emerging recovery.