Who knew sitting at a traffic light could be so amusing?

Travis Chappell sure gets a chuckle out of it every now and then. That is, when he's driving the SUV with his business logo and contact info plastered on it.

Chappell says it happens all the time. Someone in the lane next to him will look at the car, and then frantically start tapping information into their cell phones. That's because in all likelihood, they're going to need his services one day.

It's just another day in the life of Chappell, owner of SmartPhone Medic and local repair savior to the smart phone-enslaved.

"I know that everybody I speak to can't go without that phone for more than a few hours," Chappell says. As proof, he quotes the responses to a recent survey, in which people were asked to rank the things that mattered to them the most. Only God and family/children outranked cell phones. Spouses came in fourth.

That crippling reliance is what's put his four month-old business on such firm footing so quickly out of the gate. SmartPhone Medic in Huntersville could very well be the answer to what ails your iPhone 4 or Motorola Droid.

And what ails them, Chappell says, is usually owner-inflicted. About 80 percent of his business is the repair of cracked screens — an injury brought on by everything from the wheels of the family truckster to the awkward late-night, bar-hopping bobble that ends in a crash to the concrete.

The proximity locally to boats, large bodies of water and no small amount of adult beverages doesn't help, either. Chappell says this summer brought a slew of soggy cell phones to his shop.

"It's amazing how us Southerners will drop a phone before we'll drop a cocktail," he laughs.

As amusing and right on the mark as that observation may be, damaged smart phones and tablet devices are no laughing matter. People pay big money for them, but unless insurance was purchased along with the device and its two-year service contract, owners are basically on their own when it comes time to replace that HTC Evo screen that someone's irate girlfriend decided to puncture with her four-inch stiletto heel.

SmartPhone Medic is definitely a high-tech answer for a high-demand niche market, but Chappell's low-key, small town approach to doing business is what sets him apart.

The Aiken, S.C., native moved to Huntersville's Plum Creek neighborhood about 17 years ago to help out his uncle, who had just founded Scurry Construction on Bailey Road in Cornelius. He knows the area and knows the importance of helping out a neighbor, particularly one in dire cell phone straights.

Chappell tells of some customers who come to him for help with a damaged phone (often their only phone), help that sometimes extends beyond his quick turnaround time or friendly (and free) troubleshooting. It can sometimes mean not settling the repair bill until his customer gets his or her next paycheck, something Chappell has never hesitated to negotiate.

He gets emotional talking about it, because he's a man who's had trying times of his own. Before opening SmartPhone Medic in early July, the father of three young boys had been unemployed for more than a year.

"Lots of folks don't have home phones anymore," he says. "It's the only phone they have. I tell them, 'Let me put the screen on, and you come back and pay me when you can.'"

As a result, Chappell says not one person owes him money.

And that neighborly way extends to his business neighbors, as well. He has worked closely with the owners of Café 100 and Lupie's Café — his original location across the street from Huntersville's Town Hall had him sandwiched between the two restaurants — to steer business their way as his customers waited for their 30-45 minute repair.

In addition, Chappell's homegrown generosity extends beyond working with a customer struggling to pay a repair bill. He's turning the discounts he offers to larger businesses that refer their employees to him into a quarterly charity donation.

One such example is his working relationship with the staff of Joe Gibbs Racing in Huntersville. Chappell checks in with the race team's front office every quarter, tallying up the amount saved by their employees on his discounted services and turning that amount into a donation he makes to a charity of the company's choice.

It's all in the course of doing business, he says.

"You've gotta help each other out," Chappell says. "It's about building good relationships. ... You've got to live it, you've got to practice it. You can't just say it and then not be able to deliver."

Chappell has plans to deliver his business model to customers beyond the Lake Norman area. He hopes to expand regionally at some point to Charlotte's Ballantyne area, Gastonia, Hickory, even the Chapel Hill region.

As for those like him with plans to start a small business in this economy, such as it is, Chappell says not only is it important to have a clear business model, it's imperative to seek — and heed — the advice of those you trust.

"You've got to make sure you have people that will tell you what you need to be told," he says, "and not just what you want to hear.

Need screen?

SmartPhone Medic has moved from downtown Huntersville to 11330 Vanstory Drive, in The Park — Huntersville near Joe Gibbs Racing. For repair work, or to schedule a tutorial class for all things smart phone related, call Travis Chappell at 704-747-5230 or visit SmartPhone Medic on Facebook. Watch for his Web site to launch soon at www.smartphone-medic.com.