Charles Spann (center in photo) used to to be a big man on his Baltimore block, doing deals, making fistsful of money-and earning himself time in a correction center, where his only goal was getting back to the streets. But one staff member there saw strength and spirit in Spann and got the teenager into a rehab program called Fresh Start. Spann did a turnaround that's separated him from his old life, and from lifelong friends.

Now President of Tico Enterprises, Spann's new deals are lining up investments, making sales and doing publicity for Tico's wood products, boat restorations and dock building. He's had to learn business, communications, and management skills; none of it easy for a guy who hated school. The alternative, he points out, isn't so easy either-dying on cement, with a chalk line around your body. "I hate to hear about young black guys getting killed," he told a reporter. "They just say before the end of the news, 'It was suspected to be drug-related.'"