Paul Hollis

Paul Hollis
Louisiana House of Representatives 104th District
Taking office January 9, 2012
Succeeding	Nita Hutter (district revised)
Personal details
Born	(1972-09-01) September 1, 1972 Metairie, LA
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Ashley Tastet Hollis
Children	Bree Hollis Zachary Hollis
Residence	Mandeville, Louisiana
Alma mater	Grace King High School Louisiana State University
Profession	Small Businessman, Author
Religion	Christian
Website	Campaign Website

Paul Bryan Hollis (born September 1,1972) is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the revised 104th District in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. A son of former State Senator Ken Hollis, he defeated fellow Republican Christopher Trahan, 3,905 votes (56 percent) to 3,096 (44 percent) in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011.

Personal Life and Education

Paul Hollis was born in Metairie, LA the third son of Judy and Ken Hollis. Paul attended Grace King High School in Metairie, LA in 1990.

While at Grace King High School, Paul was elected to serve as Student Body President.

Paul held his first job – for a lawn care service – at age 13, and worked through high school as a restaurant busboy. After studying martial arts for many years, Paul attained his black belt in karate and began teaching at Elmwood Fitness Center before his senior year.

While at LSU, Paul opened his first small business. Paul opened a karate school serving the Baton Rouge, LA area.

Paul graduated from Louisiana State University in 1994 with a degree in political science.

Paul met Ashley Tastet in 1996, and they married a few years later. In 2003, Paul and Ashley Hollis had their daughter, Bree, and in 2006 the family settled near Mandeville. In 2013, Paul and Ashley had their second son, Zachary.

Business and Coin Collecting

Hollis began collecting coins in 1978, at the age of six, after receiving a Peace dollar from his grandmother. While Paul's grandmother passed away many years ago, he keeps the depression era coin as one he will never sell.

Paul Hollis began with Blanchard and Company of New Orleans, LA, one of the nation's largest rare coin and precious metal firms. Paul was the youngest salesperson at Blanchard and Company.

He worked for Blanchard and Company until 2001 when he attained the position of "numismatist" or coin expert.

In 2003, Paul had the opportunity to start his own firm, Paul Hollis Rare Coins, supplying collectible coins to television home shopping networks located in Tennessee and Minnesota.

Paul Hollis Rare Coins now specializes in ancient coins that circulated during the lifetime of Jesus Christ.

In addition, Paul is one of the few numismatists to visit and undertake an in-depth of study of each of the United States mints. Paul has also achieved status of expert in treasure coins, often being interviewed by national and international media outlets.

In the winter of 2004, Paul had the opportunity to join the Odyssey Marine Exploration Group and salvage coinage from the SS Republic (1853).

In order to shed light on the profession and hobby Paul gave 1,000,000 Lincoln cents away in 2009. He also gave 1,050 Adams dollars to students at the middle school he attended, John Quincy Adams Middle School.

In 2008,Paul Hollis notably arranged for and escorted the 1844-0 Proof $10 Eagle, worth $2.5 million, to be on display at Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint. This allowed for 20,000 people to see the coin where it was originally minted,

Legislative Career

Paul Hollis was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in November of 2011, after defeating Christopher Trahan, to serve Louisiana's 104 District. District 104 is newly redrawn as a result of the legislative redistricting plan, Act 1 of the 1st Extraordinary Session of 2011, signed into law by Governor Bobby Jindal on April 14, 2011. The district covers parts of the St. Tammany Parish communities of Abita Springs, Covington, Lacombe, Mandeville, Pearl River and Slidell.

During his first year in office, Paul also enjoyed being a part of the Louisiana Bicentennial Task Force and assisted with an exhibit at the Old State Capitol and the writing and production of the "History of Banking and Finance in Louisiana" in cooperation with the Secretary of State's office.

Rep. Hollis serves on the Commerce, Education, and Retirement Committees.

Writing Career

Paul is also the author of American Numismatist, written for the American Numismatic Association. In the book, American Numismatist, Paul details the history of the United States of America through the coins that were struck along the way. The book contains many famous pictures and images of coins. The book is considered a great resource to help beginners learn the trade.

In addition to Paul's contributions to the book, John Albanese, one of the world's top-ranked coin graders, offers a forward.

Awards and Honors

Business Champion Award from Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance

97% rating from LABI

Outstanding Family Advocate from the Louisiana Family Forum

Best U.S. Coin Book 2012 award for his book American Numismatist

Paul has recently been nominated by the Speaker of the House to serve as a member of the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family. Paul is also a member of the newly formed Gulf Coast Legislative Council.