Smith Family Business Initiative
Read more about how our initiative is educating, connecting, and innovating in the realm of family business.
![a man standing and speaking into a microphone as he gestures and looks at a screen to his right.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/GradyRaines.600x400.jpg)
Practically Improving the World Through Public Policy and Entrepreneurship
PhD Spotlight: Research by Johnson School PhD candidate Grady Raines reveals hidden hurdles and the role of family in promoting female entrepreneurship.
![upper body shot of Andrew Foley standing on a balcony with trees and buildings in the background.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/Andrew-Foley.600x400.jpg)
Research at the Crossroads of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Network Theory
PhD Spotlight: Johnson School PhD candidate Andrew Foley talks about his research on family business and entrepreneurship.
![people gathered around a table lit up with large video screen display.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/Lavazza.600x400.jpg)
From Cheese to Fashion: Exploring the Family Businesses of Italy
EMBA Americas student Brandon Jernigan recounts his experience in the 2024 Family Businesses in Italy Trek.
![Four female students in a classroom.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/P1040771-600-x-400.jpg)
One Team’s Journey in the 2024 Cornell Case Competition for Family Ownership
Graduate students Rebecca Shao, MPS ’24, Mia Huang, PhD ’25 and Vanessa Wang, MPS ’24, faced challenge and triumph at the Cornell Case Competition for Family Business
![One female and two male students dressed in business attire with two older men dressed in zip-up hoodies with the Flickr logo.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Olin.team_.MacAskills.600x400.jpg)
B-School Teams Focus on Flickr in Cornell 2024 Case Competition for Family Ownership
Olin Business School team wins the Case Competition for Family Ownership, the only such contest where students interact with a family business.
![Two men and one woman seated on a stage. The woman is speaking into a microphone.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/SFBI-Conf.Speakers.266.600x400.jpg)
Cornell’s 2023 Families in Business Conference Ignites Thought Leadership
Clarence Rivette, MBA ’25, provides an overview and shares personal takeaways about the 9th Annual Families in Business Conference held in Ithaca.
![Hailee Greene in one of her fields of hemp.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Hailee.Greene.600x400.jpg)
Seeing a Bright Future for Hemp in New York State
Hailee Greene, MBA ’24, wants to build the first industrial hemp processing facility in the Northeast.
![Fred Lee checks the growth of carrots in one of the 18 greenhouses at Sang Lee Farms in Peconic, Long Island.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/FarmNet.600x400-600x400.jpg)
New York FarmNet Cultivates Stability for Farming Families
Fred Lee was on the verge of losing the Long Island farm he had inherited from his family. A call to New York FarmNet helped change his life and his business.
![Photo taken from behind of a young woman in scrubs with her arm around an elderly, white-haired woman walking through green gardens with a large home or building in the background.](https://business.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/AdobeStock.StaffOnTap.600x400-600x400.jpg)
Founder Kayla Wooley, MBA ’22, Taps into Solution for Understaffed Nursing Homes
Kayla Wooley credits Cornell mentors’ support in her launch of StaffOnTap, a digital marketplace designed to address nursing staff shortages.