Chris Smith is the owner of Superior Growers. Superior Growers produces apple juice and cider as well as other customized juice products. Their main customers are local school districts.
Steven Belkin is founder and chairman of Trans National Group (TNG), a privately held company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Belkin pioneered the concept of using direct mail marketing to provide products and services to the Affinity Group marketplace and TNG is currently the world leader in Affinity Group marketing.
In September 2003, Belkin realized a lifelong dream by becoming the largest of several owners of a professional sports enterprise consisting of the Atlanta Hawks, an NBA team, and the Atlanta Thrashers, an NHL team, as well as leaseholder for the Philips Arena in Atlanta.
Belkin was awarded Cornell University's 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Belkin graduated from Cornell with a bachelor of science in Industrial Engineering and from Harvard Business School with a master of business administration.
Robert Milligan is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise in the Department of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. His area of focus includes Human Resources Management especially as it pertains to the agricultural industry.
Robert Milligan received his BS and MS from Michigan State University. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from University of California - Davis.
Erika Fowler is the founder of Ithaca Fine Chocolates based in Ithaca, New York. One of the most popular items produced by the company is the Art Bar. Art Bars are organic, Fair Trade chocolate bars that feature an art reproduction by a regional adult artist or an international child artist on a collectible card inside the wrapper. Ten percent of profits from sales are donated to the Kaleidoscope outreach program of the Community School of Music & Arts in Ithaca, NY, and to the International Child Art Foundation in Washington, DC. Ithaca Fine Chocolates aims to promote artists and support art education by bringing together the luxuries of fine art and exquisite chocolate for inspired enjoyment.
A former museum director and art history instructor, Fowler intended to start an art gallery in Ithaca. That plan evolved into Art Bars while she was contemplating how to provide artists with broader exposure.
Fowler received an undergraduate degree from Hamilton College and her Masters degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Elon Musk is CEO and Chief Technology Officer of SpaceX, a company which focuses on space exploration technologies.
Prior to founding SpaceX, Musk founded a company Zip2, which helps newspaper companies put classified ads and other local information on Web sites. He sold it to Compaq for $307 million in cash.
Musk used that to start his next business, PayPal, which enabled e-mail payments. Months after taking it public, he sold it to eBay for $1.5 billion.
Born in South Africa, Musk came to North America at age 17. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned undergraduate degrees in physics and business.
Dan Miller is Managing Director of the Roda Group. He is the former president of Ask Jeeves, Inc., a Roda Group affiliate company. He is currently working with a number of Roda Group affiliated companies to assist them with their business development efforts.
At the end of 1994, Mr. Miller retired from his position as Executive Vice President of TCSI Corporation (Nasdaq: TCSI), a company he co-founded with his Roda Group partner, Roger Strauch. Mr. Miller retired from the Board of Directors of TCSI in June of 1997. TCSI is a leading provider of integrated software products and services for the global telecommunications industry.
Prior to TCSI, Mr. Miller was a systems engineer at Hughes Aircraft's Space and Communications Group where he was responsible for designing communications payloads for commercial communications satellites.
Dan Miller received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, with distinction, from Cornell University and his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He holds three patents in the areas of compression technology and wireless communications systems.
Dan Simpkins founded Hillcrest Labs in 2001 with a team of experienced technical and business professionals to create a revolution in entertainment.
Prior to founding Hillcrest, Simpkins was vice president and general manager of the SALIX Switching Division of Tellabs, Inc., which was established in 2000 when he sold Voice over IP leader SALIX Technologies to Tellabs for $300 million. Simpkins founded SALIX in 1990 and continued as president and CEO through the sale.
Dan Simpkins received undergraduate and Master's degrees in engineering from Cornell University.
Christopher Totman is a fashion designer based out of New York City's NoLita neighborhood on the Lower East Side. Totman is a 10-year industry veteran who has been designing under his own name since 1997. He has translated ecological awareness into some adorable, feminine clothing. He uses recycled materials and vintage fabrics as well as natural fibers.
<p> Candace Kohl is a young professional who is currently working as a Campus Relations Manager within the Credit Suisse (CSFB) organization. </p> <p>Candace Kohl is a graduate of Wake Forest University.</p>