Ithaca, NY, Michael Harney ’77 will share the highs, lows, rewards, and risks of being a tea entrepreneur during the Conversations with Entrepreneurs series presented by the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Harney’s presentation will be Tuesday, September 15, from 4:15-5:30 p.m. in 198 Statler Hall. He will dine with selected students after the event and meet with students, staff, and faculty the following day.

Harney has served for 22 years as vice president of products for Harney & Sons Teas, the company started and still run by his father, John. Harney spends much of his time in Asia, seeking out the exquisite blends that have made Harney teas among the most celebrated in the world. He also oversees the company’s financial operations. More recently, Harney has led the firm’s move into the consumer market, highlighted by an engaging and interactive web presence. He has also spearheaded the firm’s export business, which now produces 10 percent of sales.

Earlier, Harney was general manager of the Richmont Hotel in Chicago, a boutique property then owned by Chuck Feeney ’56. In addition to his BS from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, Harney holds a Master’s in Management degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Harney is the author of Harney & Sons Guide to Tea, published by Penguin Press in 2008. For more about the firm, please visit .

The Conversations with Entrepreneurs series, which is sponsored by Hotelie Entrepreneurs, Cornell Hospitality Advisors, and eClips, invites hospitality innovators to share their insights with students and faculty through lectures and personal interactions.

About The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship

An operating unit of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, the institute advances the study and practice of entrepreneurship and innovation in the hospitality industry. Through our network of faculty, industry leaders and entrepreneurs, we give students the knowledge and skills they need to successfully pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. To learn more about the institute, visit: , or contact Tom Ward, managing director, at 607.255.1217 or at [email protected].

Lauren Benfante
607-255-0179
Cornell