Entrepreneur and philanthropist Leland (Lee) Pillsbury '69 will be the featured speaker in the Conversations with Entrepreneurs series to be presented next Tuesday, October 20, by the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at Cornell University. Pillsbury will lead an open forum in which he and the audience will address issues affecting the future of hospitality from 4:15 to 6:30 p.m. in 196 Statler Hall.

Pillsbury is founder, CEO, and co-chairman of Thayer Lodging Group, a leading hotel real estate investment firm. An entrepreneur with far-ranging interests, he has founded several thriving businesses that serve the hospitality industry. They include TIG Global, an internet marketing company; EMC Venues, a resort and conference center marketing firm; Thayer Insurance Group, provider of insurance coverage to hotel and hospitality firms; HUBS1, provider of a global distribution system and central reservations system for the Chinese hotel and airline industries; and HQuant, a financial and analytical firm and publisher of the HQuant Lodging Real Estate Index. Prior to forming Thayer, Pillsbury founded Grand Heritage Hotels, a manager of historic independent hotels. Earlier, he spent 20 years at Marriott Corporation, serving in leadership roles in hotel general management, sales, marketing, and strategic planning and development. Pillsbury received a BS degree from Cornell's School of Hotel Administration and an Executive MBA from Northwestern University's J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Pillsbury and his wife, Mary, are the founding benefactors of the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at Cornell University.

The Conversations with Entrepreneurs series is sponsored by Hotelie Entrepreneurs, Cornell Hospitality Advisors, and eClips.

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