Glier's Meats is Newest Honoree for the Goering Center's Family Business Hall of Fame

Cincinnati, Ohio – July 9, 2018  A 72-year old family business that has become synonymous with goetta, one of the unique foods associated with the Greater Cincinnati region, will be honored this year by the University of Cincinnati Goering Center for Family and Private Business. Glier’s Meats, a Cincinnati regional favorite since 1946, was named for its distinctive family business contributions to the region and its corporate citizenship that supports numerous charities. The company will be inducted into the Family Business Hall of Fame this September.

This longstanding regionally-known family business has carved out a specialty niche for its product made from pork, beef, spices and steel cut oats, served up brown and sizzling from the griddle. The scrapple-like product has been on weekend breakfast platters for decades throughout the region.

Goetta, a food of German heritage, now serves as the core component of the Greater Cincinnati area’s third largest annual festival, GoettaFest, with the mainstay product served in omelets, egg rolls, loaded baked potatoes, Reuben sandwiches and pizza.

Glier’s Meats continues its love affair with the Cincinnati region by providing not only its well-known expanded line of goetta products, but also sausage offerings and lunch meats. But however their meats are sliced, the mainstay of the business continues to be the more than one million pounds of goetta that Glier’s sells every year. It is the best-selling goetta in the world, posting more than $5 million in sales annually from its headquarters on Goetta Place in Covington, Kentucky.

Goering Center founder John Goering said Glier’s Meats is a quality Hall of Fame Award winner because it is a fine example of a family business.

“The Glier’s family, along with their 29 employees, took a unique but simple product and grew it into a very substantial line of products, that now does a very substantial business.” Goering said, “Furthermore, they have been great corporate citizens with what they have done for Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati, starting with GoettaFest and in terms of the wide variety of charities they support in the region”. He said, “They are multi-faceted in their qualifications for this award".

The business started in 1946 with Robert Glier, who began with a sausage kitchen and smokehouse. In the 1960s, the growing company added a full meat processing facility and expanded the sausage kitchen. In 1977, current president Dan Glier assumed leadership of the company, eventually recognizing the value of providing goetta as its main offering. He also expanded his company’s horizons by becoming heavily involved in a variety of meat processing organizations, serving as president of the American Association of Meat Processors, and eventually visiting with President George Bush in the Oval Office through these leadership roles.

Established in 1989 as a forum for connecting and educating businesses in Southern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana, The University of Cincinnati’s Goering Center for Family and Private Business is a non-profit membership organization. Members learn from each other, sharing real-world insights and implementing 10 Best Practices that help strengthen and prolong family and private business success. 

Each year, the Goering Center reviews potential recipients from all over the region and selects one candidate for induction to its Hall of Fame. Glier’s will join these other distinguished businesses and individuals: LaRosa’s (2011), The Castellini Companies (2013), Graeter’s, Inc. (2015), Drees Homes (2016) and JTM Food Group (2017). The 2012 honoree was Otto M. Budig and in 2014 the Goering Center Hall of Fame inducted the entire Founding Board of Advisors including such distinguished business leaders as John Goering (founder), Sid Barton PhD (founding faculty executive), Otto M. Budig, Elroy Bourgraf, Dave Freytag, James Funch, Dean R. Gaudin, Charles W. Goering, Robert F. Hoeweler, Thomas H. Humes, C. Oscar Schmidt, Jr., Melvin L. Schulamn, Herman H. Seilkop, Jack Steinman, Carson R. Whiting PhD, Steve Wilson and Jeff Wyler.

“I was flabbergasted when I received news that Glier’s had been named to the Goering Center’s Hall of Fame”. Dan said, “I’ve often said that you are defined by the company that you keep. To have Glier’s Goetta, my family and our entire team counted among the Hall of Fame recipient companies, well, that’s quite an accomplishment. We are all very proud and grateful to be acknowledged this way”.

Presentation and celebration of the award will be September 11, 2018 at the Goering Center’s 19th Annual Family and Private Business Awards. The event is hosted at the JACK Cincinnati Casino in Cincinnati. One winner and two finalists in each of three business categories of the Family Business Division and the Private Business Division will be selected from 75 semi-finalists. Additionally, the Goering Center will also announce and honor the 2018 Baldwin Volunteer Award Winner.

About Glier’s Meats

Kentucky-based, Glier’s Meats Inc., is a family owned and operated meat processing facility that has been dedicated to delivering high quality, handmade products since 1946. Glier’s is most known for being the world’s largest manufacturer of goetta, a German breakfast sausage consisting of pork, beef, steel cut oats, herbs and spices.

Glier’s is Greater Cincinnati’s premier supplier of specialty sausages that are served at Paul Brown Stadium, U.S. Bank Arena, and many other local arenas and college venues. The Oktoberfest brand line is also the preferred sausage of vendors at Cincinnati Oktoberfest which is the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the county. Glier’s participates in many local parades, charity events and festivals, including Glier’s Goettafest, which is fully organized and funded by Glier’s as a yearly thank you to their customers. Glier’s Goettafest is a “celebration of all things goetta” and estimates over 200,000 in attendance each year. 

Glier’s Meats ... Tradition is served.

About the Goering Center for Family & Private Business

Established in 1989, the Goering Center for Family & Private Business serves more than 400 members, making it the country’s largest university based educational non-profit for family and private businesses. The Center’s mission is to nurture and educate family and private businesses to drive a vibrant economy. Affiliation with the University of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business provides access to a vast resource of business programing and expertise. Goering Center members receive real-world insights that enlighten, strengthen and prolong family and private business success. For more information on the Center, participation and membership visit goering.uc.edu.

Media Inquiries

Lisa Jonas, Goering Center, 513-556-7403 or 513-888-8489, lisa.jonas@uc.edu.