HLS 16RS-2565 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 73
BY REPRESENTATIVE MONTOUCET
COMMENDATIONS: Commends John Dan Gielen of Crowley for his many
accomplishments
1 A RESOLUTION
2To commend John Dan Gielen of Crowley for his many accomplishments.
3 WHEREAS, a second generation descendant of immigrants, John Dan Gielen was
4born in Crowley, attended St. Michael's High School, and was grounded in a strong
5foundation of faith, family, and community in his early years; and
6 WHEREAS, John Dan was taught that the United States is a great country of
7opportunity, and he took hold of every opportunity that came his way; he pursued and earned
8a bachelor of science degree from Mississippi College, and used the knowledge gained there
9to launch many successes in business and life; and
10 WHEREAS, in the mid 1960s, John Dan gathered family support to build a
11convenience store close to his childhood home; in May 1966, Shop Rite was incorporated
12and is still in operation at its original location; and
13 WHEREAS, within a scant ten years of its inception, the Shop Rite enterprise grew
14to twenty locations in south Louisiana, spanning from sixty miles west to one hundred
15twenty-five miles east of the original store; there are thirty-five Shop Rite stores in operation
16to date; and
17 WHEREAS, John Dan Gielen's business acumen led him to venture into discounted
18retail and in 1991, he opened his first Tobacco Plus store; today, there are twenty-six stores
19operating in Louisiana; and
20 WHEREAS, the growth of his retail businesses spawned the acquisition of Pelican
21Wholesale in Lake Charles in the mid-1990s, and at the turn of the century, John Dan Gielen
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HR NO. 73
1purchased Church Point Wholesale; his commercial operations employ more than one
2thousand people in fifteen parishes; and
3 WHEREAS, for more than fifty years, John Dan has grown his family with his lovely
4wife Peggy Angelle Gielen; carrying the Gielen heritage are John Dan's and Peggy's four
5children, twenty grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren; Mr. Gielen imparted his
6strong faith to his offspring, and they are lifelong members of St. Michael Catholic Church
7in Crowley; and
8 WHEREAS, John Dan Gielen is a man who shows his love for his community
9through action: he is a member of the Knights of Columbus, an avid supporter of the youth
10of Acadia Parish, was a member of St. Michael and Notre Dame High School of Acadia
11Parish school board, and was named Business Man of the Year by the Crowley Chamber of
12Commerce in 1998; and
13 WHEREAS, John Dan shares his financial gain with others; he is a consistent
14fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital, with his businesses having raised more than a
15million dollars for the cause; in 2012, he funded and built Freedom Plaza in Duson as a
16tribute to members of the five branches of the armed services; the names of soldiers from
17the parishes of Acadia, Lafayette, St. Landry, and Vermilion who fell in battle are engraved
18on a ten foot high granite monument on the site; and
19 WHEREAS, service to his Louisiana customers is the highest business priority for
20John Dan Gielen, and he is grateful to God for the privileges of living in and pursuing
21personal opportunities in the United States.
22 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
23Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend John Dan Gielen for his business and
24personal achievements and does hereby extend best hopes and wishes for continued success
25in the years to come.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
27to John Dan Gielen.
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HR NO. 73
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 73 Original 2016 Regular Session Montoucet
Commends John Dan Gielen of Crowley for his many accomplishments.
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