Charlotte alumnus and partners cook up success with Gleezy’s premium hot dogs
From the PGA Tour to local clubhouses and Harris Teeter grocery stores, Belk College of Business alumnus Bryce Rech ’05 and partners are transforming the humble hot dog into a premium culinary experience with their smoking-hot company, Gleezy.
The success of this underdog Charlotte start-up, with its double smoked beef brisket hot dogs and signature Carolina Dog Sauce, is the result of an agile and entrepreneurial spirit and deep Charlotte ties.
“The genius and innovative approach to Gleezy’s business is that it is so simple. Everyone can get behind a hot dog,” said Gleezy advisor Kris Hart, PGA senior director, growth and ventures. “Most every golf course in the country has hot dogs at the (golf course) turn, and most of them are not very good. Make a better, healthier hot dog and get people talking about how great they are, with a brand behind it.”
As the first premium hot dog company by golfers, for golfers, Gleezy set out to claim the lead as the official hot dog of golf. After many rounds of golf at a variety of courses, Rech and friends too often left unimpressed with the food they found.
When Rech found himself literally dreaming about those mediocre dogs, he knew he had to do something.
“I woke up one morning, and I looked at my wife and I said, ‘I think I’m going to launch a hot dog company for golf.’ There’s this idea that we consume hot dogs, typically at an entertainment facility, a sports game or a golf course or maybe at a movie theater or an amusement park, and it’s typically not a memorable experience,” he recalled.
Taking on challenges
The longtime entrepreneur and investor always kept his eyes open for new challenges, even while growing Rech Law with wife Kate Rech ’06, the firm’s founding attorney and also a Charlotte alum, with degrees in marketing and Spanish. Last year the firm celebrated its 15th year.
“I would journal and make lists of what I was passionate about,” he said. “I was looking for something I could sink my teeth into. I just kept circling the word golf over and over and over. This great rise we’ve seen in the sport of golf certainly intrigued me. I have a network that is rich in the golf space, and I’ve never really utilized it. So, my mind was in that space when I was looking for the next opportunity.”
With his wife’s encouragement, Rech reached out to potential partners and advisors, including fellow Charlotte alumnus, Gleezy co-founder and Director of Golf Relations Mitchell Puckett ’06, to shop the idea. Excitement grew, and the Gleezy team raised close to $1.5 million to get the company off the ground. Now, just over two years later, their products are in retail outlets across the nation, even as they close in on their goal of owning golf’s premium hot dog space.
“The team at Gleezy has a very good read on where golf currently finds itself,” said company advisor Gary Williams, the host of 5 Clubs on the GOLF Channel. “Many of the dynamic growth trends appear very sustainable, and they knew how to seize on them.”
While hot dogs have long been a staple in golf clubhouses, no one before had made it personal, Williams said.
“Gleezy is not just a next-level hot dog product, it’s a brand,” he said. “The imaging, quality of product and the true connectivity of the brand to golf will become part of the ecosystem of the game. The Gleezy team is not only creative, driven and determined, but they are made up of a group of individuals with vast experience across the spectrum of food products, marketing, product activation and advertising. My career in golf allows me to give my perspective on certain segments of the golf industry, and advocating for this brand is a tremendous source of pride.”
Building local ties
The company has called upon relationships at local clubs, including Quail Hollow Club, Myers Park Country Club, Pinehurst Resort and Rocky River Golf Club, the 49ers home course, to offer tastings and get their product out into the market. At the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club, for example, the crew served franks from a custom-made Gleezy cart. They also followed the counsel of advisors, such as the PGA’s Hart.
“I’ve given strategic guidance on the golf industry, how to approach certain courses, made introductions to golf courses and suggested they attend the PGA Show and give out samples or sell dogs to all the PGA golf professionals in attendance,” Hart said. “It was a huge success with so many professionals wanting to bring Gleezys to their course.”
In the retail space, the Harris Teeter rollout for the July 4 holiday was reportedly one of the most successful the grocery store company had ever experienced. For Gleezy, it required stepping up to supply chain needs, relying on relationships built with suppliers to meet the strong demand.
Finding a good fit
Rech graduated from Providence High School and majored in marketing in the Belk College. He still remembers a marketing course at Charlotte where he learned about perceived values and how a brand can build out who they become in the eyes of their customers.
“Marketing was a natural fit for me,” he said. “Brand development and the vision for brands is where my brain has always been, even in college. I’m always looking ahead, looking for the next move and the next opportunity for growth.” As a pre-teen, he mowed lawns, and in college, he worked at University City staple Boardwalk Billy’s, eventually gaining an equity stake in the business.
As he pursued his business administration degree, Rech took on internship opportunities, including with Novant Health, that exposed him to practical, real-world experiences. Those opportunities serve him now in his entrepreneurial venture and have inspired him and his partners to offer opportunities to students. Later this month, he’ll share insights with students in an MBA class that focuses on entrepreneurship.
Rech’s advice to students, aspiring entrepreneurs and fellow alumni is drawn from his own innovation journey. “You just have to put yourself out there,” he said. “You just don’t know where a conversation or a meeting or an idea will take you. I’m working harder right now than I’ve ever worked, but when you love it, it doesn’t feel like work.”
Images courtesy of Rech and Gleezy, Inc.