“Lots of people said it was impossible. I figured out a different way to operate.” Mr. Brown’s supermarkets offer his customers much more than what is on the shelves. He spends a good deal of time listening to people who live in the neighborhoods where his stores are. “We challenge ourselves to meet their needs,” he says. He helps his customers battle tough problems, such as crime and a lack of healthcare. That’s why he loves his job, he says. Mr. Brown has created spaces in his stores where people can meet. He makes sure his supermarkets are located near public transportation so people who don’t have cars can get to them easily. Two of his stores have health clinics, and they all have a nutritionist available to help customers with improving their diet. Jeffrey Brown Making it easier to eat healthy food Several years ago Jeffrey Brown decided to build a supermarket in a neighborhood in Philadelphia where fresh fruit and vegetables were scarce. In fact, the area was considered a “food desert” because stores didn’t stock affordable and nutritious food. Other grocers didn’t want to operate a supermarket there, Mr. Brown says. They feared crime and violence. They didn’t think a store would make money. And they worried that it would fail soon after it opened. However, Mr. Brown thought he could be successful. He now runs 11 ShopRite stores in the Philadelphia area, mostly in neighborhoods that otherwise would not have a supermarket. First Lady Michelle Obama has acknowledged his work and used him as an example to encourage other grocers around the country to put stores in food deserts. “The success of this store started everything and inspired others,” says Mr. Brown about the store on Island Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. 10 Illustration by Abigail Zuniga, Highland Park Healthy Hawk