It’s inescapable. For months now there has been all types of coverage leading up to the fact that this month is the 10 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
On our end, there’s no way we couldn’t honor the anniversary of the devastating event that changed every aspect of this city forever, including the business community.
Originally published in 2003, Biz New Orleans was one of the casualties of the storm. It wasn’t until 9 years later that the magazine was brought back to life in October of last year. We have since done our best to celebrate the growth and rejuvenation of virtually every industry, and the introduction of a few new ones.
In this issue we mourn our losses — restaurants that never returned, homes and businesses destroyed, industries forever changed. A majority of these pages, however, are dominated by hope and success — the story of a city that’s bounced back stronger than ever thanks to the determination and drive of not just locals, but people from around the world that, thanks to a horrible disaster, were introduced to this city, so unlike any other.
This is the New New Orleans, and while a great success story, the work is far from over. Industries struggling to boost our economy, like biotechnology and film, are fighting for funding, while the cost of living increases and the gap between rich and poor widens, placing homeownership in many areas out of reach for so many.
We’ve come so far and have so much to be proud of. I have every confidence that these challenges, like all the others, are soon to be just another success story.
Happy reading.
