ENROLLED
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 73
BY REPRESENTATIVE MONTOUCET
A RESOLUTION
To commend John Dan Gielen of Crowley for his many accomplishments.
WHEREAS, a second generation descendant of immigrants, John Dan Gielen was
born in Crowley, attended St. Michael's High School, and was grounded in a strong
foundation of faith, family, and community in his early years; and
WHEREAS, John Dan was taught that the United States is a great country of
opportunity, and he took hold of every opportunity that came his way; he pursued and earned
a bachelor of science degree from Mississippi College, and used the knowledge gained there
to launch many successes in business and life; and
WHEREAS, in the mid 1960s, John Dan gathered family support to build a
convenience store close to his childhood home; in May 1966, Shop Rite was incorporated
and is still in operation at its original location; and
WHEREAS, within a scant ten years of its inception, the Shop Rite enterprise grew
to twenty locations in south Louisiana, spanning from sixty miles west to one hundred
twenty-five miles east of the original store; there are thirty-five Shop Rite stores in operation
to date; and
WHEREAS, John Dan Gielen's business acumen led him to venture into discounted
retail and in 1991, he opened his first Tobacco Plus store; today, there are twenty-six stores
operating in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, the growth of his retail businesses spawned the acquisition of Pelican
Wholesale in Lake Charles in the mid-1990s, and at the turn of the century, John Dan Gielen
purchased Church Point Wholesale; his commercial operations employ more than one
thousand people in fifteen parishes; and
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WHEREAS, for more than fifty years, John Dan has grown his family with his lovely
wife Peggy Angelle Gielen; carrying the Gielen heritage are John Dan's and Peggy's four
children, twenty grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren; Mr. Gielen imparted his
strong faith to his offspring, and they are lifelong members of St. Michael Catholic Church
in Crowley; and
WHEREAS, John Dan Gielen is a man who shows his love for his community
through action: he is a member of the Knights of Columbus, an avid supporter of the youth
of Acadia Parish, was a member of St. Michael and Notre Dame High School of Acadia
Parish school board, and was named Business Man of the Year by the Crowley Chamber of
Commerce in 1998; and
WHEREAS, John Dan shares his financial gain with others; he is a consistent
fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital, with his businesses having raised more than a
million dollars for the cause; in 2012, he funded and built Freedom Plaza in Duson as a
tribute to members of the five branches of the armed services; the names of soldiers from
the parishes of Acadia, Lafayette, St. Landry, and Vermilion who fell in battle are engraved
on a ten foot high granite monument on the site; and
WHEREAS, service to his Louisiana customers is the highest business priority for
John Dan Gielen, and he is grateful to God for the privileges of living in and pursuing
personal opportunities in the United States.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend John Dan Gielen for his business and
personal achievements and does hereby extend best hopes and wishes for continued success
in the years to come.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to John Dan Gielen.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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