About

The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship (PIHE), established in 2006, is the home for entrepreneurial thought leadership in the hospitality industry. PIHE achieves this goal through collaboration with faculty, industry professionals, students and alumni in a series of courses, mentorship programs, competitions, industry roundtable discussions, research and guest speaking engagements.

Students:

PIHE is the hub for Cornell students interested in hospitality entrepreneurship. Students have access to several experiential courses and competitions designed to educate through real-world scenarios such as creating a pitchdeck or a business plan. The courses provide students with an analytical framework for pursuing an entrepreneurial venture, while the competitions serve as a vessel for students to incubate and test their ideas. Additionally, PIHE
hosts an entrepreneur in residence program where hospitality entrepreneurs visit campus and work, one-on-one, with students and a luncheon series where students dine with hospitality entrepreneurs and develop the knowledge, networking skills, and practical experience necessary to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions.

Professionals:

PIHE is the thought leader for alumni and others who operate, or are interested in operating, an enterprise in the hospitality industry. The institute joins faculty and industry through an annual series of sector specific roundtable discussions where participants share knowledge pertaining to entrepreneurship and innovation in the hospitality industry. Also, PIHE works with the Nolan School’s Center for Hospitality Research to regularly publish articles
relevant to hospitality entrepreneurship.

Along with its directors, program manager, and affiliated faculty, PIHE’s Advisory Board members offer vital counsel and help direct and operationalize the Institute’s philosophy and activities.

Executive Director: Robert Gregor Esq. ’00, JD ’07
Academic Director: Linda Canina, George C. and Marian St. Laurent Professor in Applied Business Management
Program Manager: Michelle Mahool