Skipper's will be handling the growth with a new CEO. Paul Bairdresigned on July 10 and was replaced by Brad Barnett, the company'schief financial officer. Barnett tells GlobeSt.com the company issteering toward profitability and recently cut 40% from its generaland administrative expenses.

"We have flirted with profitability but we are not quite there,"says Barnett. "We're just trying to get lean and mean, and we nowfeel like the company is in a position where it can beprofitable."

Part of that plan is not to spend too much on new locations,which is why the company is seeking existing fast food locations totake over rather than building new stores. "There's enoughopportunity to take over from existing fast feeders to be able tomeet our mild growth needs," says Barnett. "We owned a lot in thebeginning, but since have executed sale-leasebacks that haveallowed us to pay off all our debt and use cash to expand."