Restaurant mogul and SFA alumnus to address May graduates

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Mike Karns ’86, Stephen F. Austin State University alumnus as well as founder and CEO of Dallas-based Local Favorite Restaurants and Karns Commercial Real Estate, will give the commencement addresses during the university’s four graduation ceremonies this weekend, one Friday, May 6, and three Saturday, May 7.
 
Karns received a degree in general business and finance. His restaurant company owns and operates a portfolio of over 50 restaurants across 10 unique brands in four southern states as well as substantial real estate holdings. Karns bought the El Fenix chain in 2008 and has since acquired or created nine other restaurant brands, including Snuffer’s, Meso Maya, Taqueria La Ventana, Village Burger Bar, WokStar and Twisted Root Burger Company.
 
Before owning restaurants, he worked as a real estate agent, brokering more than 400 transactions for new restaurant locations across 22 states. This gave him the experience necessary to succeed with Local Favorite Restaurants. Karns also owns Sunrise Mexican Foods, a restaurant supply company, and his collective companies employ approximately 2,000 people.
 
Karns is a member of the Dallas and Aspen chapters of the Young Presidents’ Organization and was a finalist for Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
 
To attend commencement, guests must present tickets to enter Johnson Coliseum. Tickets are free and will help university officials ensure the venue is not overcrowded. Each graduation candidate will be allotted a maximum of 12 guest tickets. All commencements will take place at Johnson Coliseum.
 
The public also is invited to attend, and community tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
Candidates from the College of Liberal and Applied Arts will participate in a ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 6. Candidates from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, the Department of Human Services and Educational Leadership, the School of Human Sciences, and the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts will participate in a ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 7. Candidates from the Rusche College of Business and the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science are slated for the 12:30 p.m. ceremony, followed by the Department of Education Studies and the College of Sciences and Mathematics at 4 p.m.
 
Degrees to be awarded include 1,205 bachelor’s, 300 master’s and two doctoral degrees. Nearly 500 students will graduate with honors, including 157 cum laude, 152 magna cum laude and 178 summa cum laude. Fifty-two students will graduate with the university scholar designation.
 
For more information, visit sfasu.edu/commencement.