Snack Bar 

Industry leader understands the value of investing in Cornell faculty

Martin and Rachel (Weachock) Evanowski ’13, MS ’19, a Cornell research support specialist, perform analyses of bacterial levels in food and environmental samples.
Martin and Rachel (Weachock) Evanowski ’13, MS ’19, a Cornell research support specialist, perform analyses of bacterial levels in food and environmental samples.
By

Over the past 80 years, George Gellert ’60, MBA ’62, JD ’63 has grown a family farm into an international food empire. Gellert Global Group (GGG) is a global food importer that supplies more than 5,500 unique food items sourced from 60+ countries worldwide. GGG’s Atalanta Corporation is the leading private food importer in the U.S.

In recognition of the vital contributions of Cornell faculty to their business, the Gellert family has endowed two professorships: the Gellert Family Professorship in Applied Economics and Management, held by Harry M. Kaiser, and the Gellert Family Professorship in Food Safety, held by Martin Wiedmann PhD ’97.

Professor Harry Kaiser conducts important research into topics of everyday concern to American consumers, such as grocery prices. He recently completed the first comprehensive analysis of grocery taxes in all counties across the U.S. What he found is that grocers routinely pass these taxes along to consumers, causing a significant extra bump in food costs.

Professor Martin Wiedmann's work centers on food safety—from studying microbes that cause food-borne illness, to improving sanitation practices in supply chains, to developing new AI-driven tools to better predict and prevent risks. Martin’s team works with partners around the world to improve food safety, including industry professionals.

Members of the Gellert family across four generations have attended Cornell and supported the university as leaders and donors.

Learn more about the professors and the Gellert Global Group.