Delivery drivers are often the unsung but crucial link between shops and their suppliers, and NAPA customers in the Toronto area are sorry to lose a good one, even as they wish him a fun and active retirement.

NAPA driver Henry Burdo hung up his keys after nearly a decade delivering parts for the company throughout the city and surrounding area. But what some of the local shops who had depended on him since 2012 may not know is that Henry pursued a successful career as an executive and entrepreneur prior to joining NAPA.

He started his career with Magna International as an administrative manager, spending 13 years with the company travelling around Canada and the U.S. working to get new business units up and running, before striking out on his own to launch a metal recycling business. After the recession of the late 2000s claimed the business, he decided to seek something less stressful and more people-friendly, and driving for NAPA turned out to be a great fit.

“Henry’s lovely personality, work ethic, and customer service experience allowed him to bond with shop owners and their employees. If the dispatcher said Henry was bringing over your parts, you knew they would arrive quick, efficiently, correctly and with a big smile,” says Josie Condito, owner of High Park Master Mechanic in Toronto. “He made each and every one of his customers feel special every day.”

Henry’s wife Diane, who also worked at NAPA, will join him in a well-deserved retirement. The couple’s friends and customers in the Toronto aftermarket community wish them both the best of luck in the next chapter of their lives!