UTICA, N.Y. — Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya will give the commencement address at Utica University’s undergraduate ceremony on Friday, May 9.
Ulukaya will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Utica University, the school announced.
The native of Turkey immigrated to the United States in 1994. In 2005, with help from a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, Ulukaya purchased the former Kraft factory near South Edmeston. The first Chobani Greek yogurt hit grocery shelves in 2007, and five years later, Chobani was the nation’s top yogurt brand. The company has since grown to include oat milk and dairy creamers and ready-to-drink coffee under the La Colombe brand.
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Ulukaya is also the founder of Tent Partnership for Refugees, an international refugee-support organization. It is comprised of more than 400 major employers that help refugees in a dozen countries across the Americas and Europe rebuild their lives and achieve long-term economic stability through access to local labor markets.
He was named an Eminent Advocate by the United Nations Refugee Agency and received the United Nations Foundation Global Leadership Award. Ulukaya was named council chair for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Türkiye Business Council and an SDG advocate by the United Nations.
Utica University’s undergraduate ceremony takes place May 9 at 5 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium, 400 Oriskany St. W., Utica.
