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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The H-E-B chain of grocery stores is celebrating the |
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| 6 | 7 | | 110th anniversary of its founding in 2015, and this is an |
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| 7 | 8 | | appropriate occasion to take note of this signature Texan |
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| 8 | 9 | | enterprise; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, On November 26, 1905, Florence Butt invested $60 and |
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| 10 | 11 | | opened the C. C. Butt Grocery Store in Kerrville in order to |
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| 11 | 12 | | support her three children and her husband, who was suffering from |
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| 12 | 13 | | tuberculosis; in its first month, the store made $50.60; and |
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| 13 | 14 | | WHEREAS, During the 1920s, Mrs. Butt's youngest son, Howard |
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| 14 | 15 | | E. Butt, took over the company and established new locations in Del |
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| 15 | 16 | | Rio and Laredo; by the 1940s, H-E-B had opened its first |
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| 16 | 17 | | air-conditioned stores and begun to stock frozen foods and its own |
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| 17 | 18 | | exclusive brands; three more stores were opened in San Antonio; and |
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| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, By the 1950s, H-E-B had created its first |
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| 19 | 20 | | supermarkets, incorporating a fish market, butcher shop, bakery, |
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| 20 | 21 | | and pharmacy in one building, and by the 1970s, the chain owned the |
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| 21 | 22 | | largest milk plant and the largest bread bakery in Texas; and |
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| 22 | 23 | | WHEREAS, Expanding its reach even further, H-E-B launched an |
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| 23 | 24 | | upscale grocery brand with the opening of Central Market in Austin |
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| 24 | 25 | | in 1994, and in 2006, it opened Mi Tienda, a store designed for the |
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| 25 | 26 | | Latino market in Houston; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Today, H-E-B is one of the largest grocery chains in |
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| 27 | 28 | | the nation, and its more than 400 stores in Texas and northern |
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| 28 | 29 | | Mexico employ over 71,000 employees; with annual sales of $15 |
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| 29 | 30 | | billion, the chain is the largest privately held company in Texas; |
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| 30 | 31 | | and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Since 2002, H-E-B has been sponsoring its annual |
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| 32 | 33 | | Excellence in Education Awards, granting more than $600,000 to |
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| 33 | 34 | | outstanding educators each year; the store has received top ratings |
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| 34 | 35 | | from Consumer Reports, and in 2010, Progressive Grocer magazine |
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| 35 | 36 | | cited the chain as Retailer of the Year for its leadership in the |
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| 36 | 37 | | industry and its achievements in community service; and |
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| 37 | 38 | | WHEREAS, From its humble beginnings in Kerrville more than a |
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| 38 | 39 | | century ago, H-E-B has grown to become a retail institution relied |
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| 39 | 40 | | upon by millions of Texans every day and an inspiring story of |
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| 40 | 41 | | triumphant Lone Star entrepreneurship; now, therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 42 | 43 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 110th anniversary of H-E-B and |
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| 43 | 44 | | extend to the company and its owners and employees sincere best |
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| 44 | 45 | | wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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| 45 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 46 | 47 | | prepared for H-E-B as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 47 | 48 | | House of Representatives. |
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