Print article

Owners of NAPA Auto Parts stores agree to sell business, employees stay put

By Dermot Cole
Staff Writer
Published January 21, 2008

AUTO PARTS: Greg and Robian Durdik have sold the four local NAPA Auto Parts stores and are planning a move to northern Michigan.

Greg said the 80 or so employees at the store will remain with the new owners of the company, Genuine Parts Company, an enterprise connected to NAPA Auto Parts.

The business began as Brown & Sons Auto Parts in 1978 and expanded over the years with stores on Gaffney Road, Van Horn Road, Geist Road and in North Pole.

Greg said they’ve had many great employees over the years and he’s enjoyed the close working relationship with longtime customers. He said the company and its employees have always taken pride in the service they give to anyone who walks in the door and he has no doubt that will continue.

The transfer takes effect Feb. 1.

SCHOOL WORK: The Community Meeting on Education planned for Saturday is an ambitious undertaking, as reflected in its subtitle: “Educating for Change: How can we prepare all learners to successfully manage changes in society, technology and education?”

The meeting is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wedgewood Resort and it deals with the full range of education, from the years before kindergarten to the university level and beyond.

The Fairbanks Economic Development Corp., the school district, the borough, the university and the J.P. Jones Community Development Center are sponsors.

They are hoping that 200 people or more will gather to offer ideas on where to go from here. Lunch will be provided.

For more information, call 452-2185.

ARCTIC JOURNEY: Matthew Sturm will review highlights of a 2,600-mile snowmachine trip from Fairbanks to eastern Canada in a presentation Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

Sturm, who led the expedition, is a research scientist with the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab. Admission is free.

FUNDRAISER: The West Valley High School cross-country ski team invites the public to a spaghetti feed at 5 p.m. Feb. 2 at the school.

The menu includes spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and desserts. Admission is $10 per person or $35 per family.

LINCOLN DINNER: The annual Lincoln Day Dinner, sponsored by the Fairbanks Republican Women, will be Feb. 2 at the Princess Hotel. Paula Easley, an Anchorage public policy consultant, is to be the guest speaker. Sen. Ted Stevens is planning to attend as well.

Tickets are available at Hops Stationery, New Horizons Gallery or by calling 479-6733.

NANOOK HONOR: One of the obvious first choices for the UAF Nanooks Hall of Fame is the late William R. Wood, who tried to make it to every basketball game. Eight years ago, the Nanooks honored the former UA president as their No. 1 fan.

Up to six people are to be admitted to the Hall of Fame this year, with nominations due by March 31. Go to www.alaskananooks.com for details.

IN TRANSIT: About once every 22 days, a passenger at Fairbanks International Airport reports that something is missing from his or her luggage.

That’s according to a database created by ABC News from federal data gathered from January 2003 to April 2006.

The most expensive of the 61 items reported stolen or lost during that time by a Fairbanks passenger was a laptop computer valued at $2,900. There were numerous reports of missing locks during that time.

In Anchorage, there were 306 reports of theft or loss, with computers valued at $7,100 at the top of the list.

In Seattle, an Alaska Airlines passenger reported the loss of $900,000 worth of jewelry on April 29, 2005, and filed a claim more than a month later.

POVERTY: I hesitate to draw conclusions from this, but the Census Bureau figures there were 1,718 school-age children in Fairbanks living in poverty in 2005, which is about one out of 10 kids. That’s an improvement over 1997, when the bureau estimated that 12 percent of the young population, or 2,311 children ages 5-17 were living in poverty.

NEW FLIGHTS: Alaska Airlines plans to add three new flights from Seattle to Los Angeles in April to defend its turf against Richard Branson’s Virgin American Airlines, which is moving into the neighborhood, according to the Tacoma News Tribune. With the addition, Alaska Airlines will have 15 flights a day between the two cities.

FOR SALE: Ryan Middle School is planning a rummage sale Feb. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tables can be rented for $15. Call Ryan at 452-4751 for details.

Those who want to donate items to the PTSA are asked to contact the front office.

STOP IT: The Alaska State Troopers, I’m glad to report, are looking at what regulation changes are needed so that when the traffic lights are not operating, those intersections should be treated in law like those with four-way stop signs.

HOT SPOT: Writing in the Anchorage Daily News Sunday, Scott McMurren describes Chena Hot Springs as “the hottest place in Alaska during the winter — both for those who want to see the northern lights and those who just want to soak in the natural hot springs.”

Dermot Cole can be reached at cole@newsminer.com or 459-7530.