Rosen Named E@C Entrepreneur of the Year

The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship (PIHE) announces its sponsorship of Entrepreneurship at Cornell, a university-wide event that honors and celebrates the important economic role played by entrepreneurs. Known as E@C, it is a two-day celebration of what President David Skorton calls the “spirit of innovation and creation.” Scheduled for April 14 and 15, 2011, E@C provides an opportunity for education and interaction for entrepreneurs at all stages of their careers. In addition to networking events, E@C presents symposia covering current issues and opportunities in entrepreneurship.

A highlight of E@C is the presentation of the Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which is now is its 25th year. The Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year Award is given to a Cornell graduate who exemplifies entrepreneurial achievement, community service, and high ethical standards. A committee of Cornell alumni, faculty, and students select the recipient.

The silver anniversary award winner is Harris Rosen ’61, SHA alumnus and president and chief operating officer of Rosen Hotels and Resorts in Orlando. Rosen purchased a bankrupt Orlando hotel in 1974, in the midst of an energy shortage that had decimated travel. He patiently built that business, acquired additional properties, and now operates the 1,500-room Rosen Shingle Creek, which holds a AAA Four-Diamond rating and offers 500,000 square feet of function space and fourteen F&B outlets.

Rosen’s entrepreneurial energy also extends to initiatives that assist his employees and neighbors, including a self-insured health care program, a free preschool program and a free vocational or college education for students in a nearby neighborhood, and an endowment for the University of Central Florida.

Rosen is the fourth graduate of the School of Hotel Administration to be honored as Entrepreneur of the Year. In 1985, Christopher B. Hemmeter ’62, creator of destination resorts in Hawaii, was named. During the 1988 celebration, Julius Kayser ’47, of Seneca Foods Corporation, was honored with his associate Arthur Wolcott, a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences. The following year, James McLamore ’47, co-founder of Burger King Corporation, was honored.