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Naples,
FL – July 2025 / NewsmakerAlert: Many parents are deeply involved
with their children’s athletic endeavors, but Melissa and Joe Belz of Naples,
Florida have taken their support to the next level by becoming business
partners for their young son’s Chicago Dog catering venture, Derek’s
Dog House. Like many budding entrepreneurs, Derek Belz began his journey
with a lemonade stand to earn some spending money. Although he worked tirelessly,
the ten-year-old wisely sensed that lemonade sales alone would not generate
enough funds to fulfill his dream of buying an expensive gaming computer.
Around the same time, the
Naples Daily News published survey results revealing the restaurants locals
wanted to see in their community. Topping the list was Portillo’s, a renowned
restaurant chain famous for its Chicago-style hot dogs. Derek’s dad, Joe
Belz, Founding Broker of Compass real estate in Naples, shared an inspiring
story with his son. Dick Portillo, founder of Portillos,
started a hot dog stand with just $1,100 and sold it for a billion-dollar
profit. Fueling his ambition, suddenly, hot dogs were flashing on Derek’s
entrepreneurial radar.
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To help explore this potential
possibility, Joe ordered a Chicago
Dog Kit from Vienna Beef, complete with all the fixings for a “proper”
Chicago dog. As the family sampled the dogs, Joe shared an intriguing fact:
Dick Portillo is now a Naples resident. The plot thickened. With encouragement
from his parents and hours of brainstorming sessions, Derek’s Dog House
was born.
Enter Biz Kidz. In
May 2024, Derek, competed in a Biz Kidz Expo at the Coastland Mall, an
event tailored for young entrepreneurs from 7-17. Much like a kid-sized
“Shark Tank,” participants pitched their products to judges for a chance
of a monetary prize. Biz Kidz is a national financial literacy initiative
based on the Emmy award-winning public television series where kids teach
kids about money and business. Since 2008, the series has been in national
syndication with its episodes reaching more than one million viewers around
the world, showcasing real-life stories of young entrepreneurs.
During his Biz Kidz presentation,
Derek shared the challenges of balancing schoolwork with his business aspiration.
As a middle school student, he could only work on weekends, so he wisely
decided to start a catering business centered on Vienna Beef hotdogs to
fit his schedule. Although he did not win the competition, Derek’s journey
captured Biz Kidz attention and later that year they launched a podcast
featuring Derek as one of its first young entrepreneurs. Click
for Podcast
Hot Dog University.
A video from Derek’s Biz Kidz presentation amazingly found its way to Vienna
Beef’s headquarters in Chicago, where their premium-quality hot dogs
with the finest ingredients have been a staple for hot dog vendors since
1893. The company has built a reputation as one of the United States’ premier
hot dog manufacturers with no artificial colors, flavoring, or fillers.
Vienna Beef invited Derek, now 11 years old, to attend Hot
Dog University on a scholarship.
Hot Dog University provides
aspiring vendors with the knowledge needed to establish and operate a successful
hot dog business. The program covers topics like equipment, pricing strategies,
food safety and handling. At the conclusion of the course, Derek was named
their youngest graduate, earning the distinction of his business being
“Hot Dog University Certified” and guaranteeing customers with an authentic
Chicago-style hot dog experience. The business started with one tabletop
steam well.
While in Chicago, Derek noticed
several homeless people. After serving Vienna Beef employees in his classes,
he prepared a Chicago Dog and a water to donate to one of the homeless
people, later posting this on his Instagram account. Vienna Beef executives
saw the post, sending him a gift and letter congratulating him about their
impression with his journey.
Private Parties. As
sales increased, a second steam well was added and later a snazzy custom
cart with three steam wells and a grill, allowing them to expand menu options.
“We now focus on private parties rather than events like farmers’ markets,”
says dad Joe Belz. “This helps us know in advance the number of guests
we may serve. One of our largest was a sports-themed office party with
100 guests. Derek has worked art shows, kids’ birthday parties and house
parties. He also serves guests at some of my broker open houses and VIP
parties at new listings, where his tip jar is brimming with large bills.”
At each event, Derek is in
the customer-facing front of the house while his parents handle back-of-the-house
duties much like in a restaurant. Adds Joe, “Unlike helping with a lemonade
stand, Derek’s business requires different assistance. I handle accounting
and administrative functions and Melissa helps with food service. Derek
and I collaborate on marketing, but he is the social media wizard and creates
amazing videos on his computer.”
This summer, Derek enjoyed
a 2-week camp in North Carolina and often visits a gym that is focused
on boxing. He has spent countless hours on his dream gaming computer, which
he happily purchased about eight months ago. When school starts in August,
Derek will be 12 years old and in the 7th grade at Gulf View Middle School.
“I don’t know if I will be
selling hot dogs as I get older, but for now, I’m making good money, have
a nice little savings account, and am starting to learn a lot about business,”
says Derek.
After about 18 months of
helping Derek grow his business, Melissa and Joe are proud to continue
to provide unwavering support and help him grow his business. His enthusiasm
and boundless energy have demonstrated that there is no age barrier to
entrepreneurship.”
This young man is frankly
on his way as he personifies his company slogan: Derek’s Dog House:
Serving up smiles one hotdog at a time!
To see Derek in action, visit
his website www.DereksDogHouse.com
or follow him on Instagram @dereks_dog_house.
Media
Contact:
Marge@LennonCommunications.com
for
Derek’s Dog House
239-841-0553
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