Economic Forecast: Zac Kearns, vice president, Kearns Restaurant Group

Company: In late summer 2018, Kearns Restaurant Group opened its ninth Fort Myers-area restaurant. It invested $3 million in its second The Boathouse location, a Tiki hut-style eatery on the Caloosahatchee River off State Road 31 just south of Babcock Ranch. It was a bright moment in an otherwise difficult year for the company, whose stable of eight concepts dealt with negative impacts of red tide, green algae and disruptive construction in downtown Fort Myers, among other challenges. 

“It was one of our tougher summers,” says Zak Kearns, vice president of Kearns Restaurant Group, which he owns and operates with his father, Daniel. “Our revenues are still up year over year, so that’s fantastic.”