New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke to a tough path ahead for the upstate New York economy at Cornell’s annual town-gown regional meeting on January 26. Hochul also acknowledged a brighter future with hopeful days coming for economic recovery and development. The virtual meeting focused on New York’s college towns and how they may thrive in the post-pandemic era.

“There’s a tremendous opportunity,” Hochul said. “How do we tap into the resources we have… and came back stronger than before? We’ve always done that.”

In addition to speakers focused on clean energy, economics, and transportation, Tom Schryver, the Executive Director of Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, introduced entrepreneurs Jason Goodman and Ashton Yoon. Together Goodman and Yoon created Grabanzos, the crunchy chocolate snack made using chickpeas. The Grabanzos team has taken advantage of entrepreneurship opportunities at Cornell and in the local Ithaca community.

Read the full story in the Cornell Chronicle.