Restaurants are an eternal industry. Every town has at least one, whether mom and pop or corporate chain. As popular as the investment is, there aren't too many "how to" books for getting into the industry. Robin Gagnon '95 MBA saw that void, and recently wrote to fill it. She and her husband, Greg, are the authors of Appetite for Acquisition, which is described as the "definitive guide for anyone looking to enter the restaurant industry." 

The book has received great reviews, and was recently nominated for a 2012 Small Business Book Award in the category of startups. The contest includes online voting, and the Gagnons ask for your support.

Six out of every ten startup restaurants fail. Your restaurant should not be one of them. So say the authors of "Appetite for Acquisition."

Veteran restaurant brokers Eric and Robin Gagnon present their guide to buying an existing restaurant so you can beat the odds. The book aims to help readers know how to acquire a restaurant in a way that is less painful, more profitable, and delivers a better return on their investment.

It contains hands-on practical advice and real-life examples, and shows you how to avoid common pitfalls and navigate your way to buying a restaurant.

Votes can be submitted daily until February 15. Vote here.

Robin Gagnon is a member of the advisory board for the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship, and a member emerti of the Walker College Business Advisory Council. She is owner of We Sell Restaurants, which is an "industry leader in selling restaurants and food related businesses, franchise re-sales, and site location for the food service industry."

As part of a recent promotion event for the book, Robin Gagnon appeared on "The Donna Show," a radio program in Atlanta. 

John Divine '11 FIN recently accepted a position as a loan documentation analyst with the Charlotte office of Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, a full-service commercial and multifamily mortgage banking company. He also recently made his debut on the The Motley Fool Blog Network with a post entitled, "Disproving the Efficient Market Hypothesis: Starting with Tickers that Begin with "A"."

The article was Divine's attempt to "identify some of the opportunities that current market inefficiencies have created."

All investors who believe they can beat the market or spot an undervalued stock believe in market inefficiency. Sites like the Motley Fool would not exist if at some level this implicit assumption was not made. So without further ado, allow me to identify some of the opportunities that current market inefficiencies have created. Companies that begin with the letter “A” seem like a good place to start:

He focused on three companies - Amazon.com, Abbott Laboratories and Apple.

Richard Stroupe '98 CIS, a Washington, D.C.-based entrepreneur, has joined the new Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Program at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. The programs is overseen by another alumnus, Jeff Reid '93 MGT. 

“By providing our students access to these experienced professionals, the Entrepreneurship Initiative continues to grow meaningful connections between the vibrant entrepreneurship community in the Washington region and a new generation of budding self-starters,” said Jeff Reid, director of the Entrepreneurship Initiative at Georgetown McDonough.

T. Richard Stroupe Jr. is a Washington, D.C.-based entrepreneur, investor, and advisor with experience in supporting mission-critical application development for the U.S. Federal Government. He currently is the founder and managing principal of Crimson Holdings LLC and an investing member of Blu Venture Investors LLC. Previously, Stroupe was the founder and CEO of TRS Consulting Inc, which was acquired by NCI Information Systems Inc. in 2009. Prior to TRS/NCI, Richard delivered software development and database administration support at Oracle Corporation, BAE Systems, and SAIC. Stroupe holds a B.S. in computer information systems from Appalachian State University and an M.S. in engineering management from The George Washington University. He also is a graduate of the Owner/President Management program from Harvard Business School.

Andrew "Littleberry" Gilleland '92 ECON has been named general manager of the Cincinnati regional office for Toyota Motor Sales. The office oversees the automaker's sales and service operations in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.

Jason Graton '10 CIS has joined FleetNet America as a software developer. He will be heading up the sales and use tax development among other projects. His previous positions include web developer for social networking and a global language study site.

Heather Jordan '02 MKT has been appointed Director of Marketing with the Biltmore Estate Wine Company. In her new role, she will be responsible for marketing strategy, market analysis, sales forecasting and wine portfolio development for Biltmore’s extensive wine business -- both on property and across the United States.

Morgan Blaisdell '04 ACC has joined the accounting staff with the Greensboro-based public accounting firm Breslow Starling. Blaisdell is eligible to sit for the CPA exam. He has more than seven years of experience in public accounting prior to joining Breslow Starling and was also a small business owner.

Heidi Williams Ragan '02 MGT recently accepted a position at Transportation Insight located in Hickory, NC as Organizational Development Manager. She was employed at Appalachian State University as Director of Career Services within the Walker College of Business.

Kelly O'Brien '91 MGT, a sales agents with Tarvin Realtors in New Jersey, was recognized recently by the company for sales success in June. She exceeded $1.8 million in sales for the month.

Steven Rogers '91 MGT was recently promoted to Captain from Lieutenant at Burke County Sheriff's Office located in Morganton, NC. He oversees all jail and courthouse operations, civil process and grant writing.

Glenn Cook '89 ACC recently accepted a position at Keen Mountain Correctional Center located in Oakwood, Va. as Business Manager.

Eric Feeney '93 DS and Christine Fadke are happy to announce their marriage on June 18, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. They currently reside in Carrollton, Texas.

Vance Josey '97 ACC and Jennifer Kirchhoff are happy to announce their marriage on July 1, 2011 in Raleigh. They currently reside in Raleigh.

Ginny Paris Lanier '98 MGT and Jon Lanier are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Benjamin Fulton. He was born April 28, 2011 in Raleigh, NC, and weighed 7 lb., 11 oz..

You can read more Class Notes - and submit your own with photos - in the Gold Book.