April Luncheon – “Branding and Beyond”

“Branding and Beyond”

Join us for our April luncheon meeting on Tuesday, April 7th.  This month we will hear from Mike McGuigan, President of McGuigan Restaurant Concepts, Ford’s Garage on the company’s unusual corporate branding with Kearns Restaurant Group.

It is often said that success occurs when preparation meets opportunity.  Well, meet one prepared professional Mike McGuigan, president of McGuigan Restaurant Concepts and partner in Ford’s Garage a venture with Kearns Restaurant Group.

Mike grew up in the food and beverage business and holds a BSBA double major in Hotel/Restaurant Management and Marketing.  He worked for Stouffer Foods Corp. after college and then opened a food brokerage company on the east coast of Florida.  He sold the company and moved to Fort Myers when he opened his first restaurant, the Channel Mark, at age 25.  He then opened a number of themed restaurants including Morgan’s Rain Forest on Sanibel and the Outlaw Steakhouse on Fort Myers Beach where gun-slinging skis took place nightly.

Mike and his partners created a new restaurant downtown at a time when downtown was undergoing renovations.  The streets were torn up and dirt was everywhere, but they saw life in Art Walk and took a gamble.  Using historical figures from our area, the Ford moniker was chosen.  The local historical connection had paid off well in prior ventures such as Edison’s at the Fort Myers Country Club, so a 1920s themed burger restaurant opened as Ford’s Garage.  And, not long after opening, they heard from Ford Motor Company.  Trademark infringement became a concern.  Join us to find out the rest of the story.

 

 

** Note the meeting location @ Florida South Western (FSW) State College, 8099 College Parkway, Building AA-177, Fort Myers, FL 33919

 

A Reminder: No-Shows Will Be Billed