Dan Shimek '69
Dan graduated Little Falls High School in 1965 and from St. John's University in 1969 with a B.S. degree in Chemistry. He spent two years in the army including a tour of duty in the President's Honor Guard at Fort Meyer, Virginia. He began work for 3M in 1971 as a research chemist. He left 3M in 1986 after holding a variety of business management positions to join Heat-N-Glo on a full time basis.
The fireplace business, which he and his brother Ron started in 1975, grew from a $3 million dollar company in 1986 to a $100 million dollar company in 10 years. In 1996 Heat-N-Glo merged with Heatilator forming the largest hearth products manufacturer in North America-Hearth & Home Technologies. In 2003, Dan "retired" from his position as President with the company annual sales being in excess of $500 million. Since his "retirement" he has actively helped start 5 businesses and is currently president of Fire Stone Home Products-a company focused on outdoor products.
He is a sports, outdoor and golf enthusiast who lives in Apple Valley, Minnesota with his wife Kay. They have four children ages 17-24. His oldest daughter Jessica is a St. Thomas graduate and he has two children attending Colorado University at Boulder. Their youngest daughter is a junior at Holy Angels Academy.
The fireplace business, which he and his brother Ron started in 1975, grew from a $3 million dollar company in 1986 to a $100 million dollar company in 10 years. In 1996 Heat-N-Glo merged with Heatilator forming the largest hearth products manufacturer in North America-Hearth & Home Technologies. In 2003, Dan "retired" from his position as President with the company annual sales being in excess of $500 million. Since his "retirement" he has actively helped start 5 businesses and is currently president of Fire Stone Home Products-a company focused on outdoor products.
He is a sports, outdoor and golf enthusiast who lives in Apple Valley, Minnesota with his wife Kay. They have four children ages 17-24. His oldest daughter Jessica is a St. Thomas graduate and he has two children attending Colorado University at Boulder. Their youngest daughter is a junior at Holy Angels Academy.