Burnell Cotlon

For the last 10 years, Burnell Cotlon has been a staple in New Orleans's lower 9th ward community, one of the poorest communities in the city. As a native to the small inner city, Burnell, a military vet, felt it was his civic duty to rebuild his community after Hurricane Katrina wiped out all viable businesses and most of the town. Finding happiness in helping others, Burnell invested his life savings to build a grocery store from the ground up, with his bare hands and without a second thought. Burnell's 9th Ward Grocery has been a beacon a hope in the lower 9th ward. Boasting loud music outside, Burnell relishes in the fact that anyone is welcome at his store and is always greeted with a warm heart by either himself, his wife, or his "family" staffers. As the only grocery store within a 5-mile radius, his modest two aisle store is a lifeline for the neighborhood.