'Just J' Naparlo's journey is still developing

Mar. 5—DALLAS — The journey began in Plymouth, traveled throughout northeastern Pennsylvania, and landed in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The traveler said he has had several names — Joe, Joey, Jay, Butch and his favorite, Grandpa.

But leaning back in a chair at his Yalick Farms office this week, the hat he was wearing told it all — emblazoned on the front of the cap was "Just J."

J Naparlo, developer, businessman and "Grandpa," took time out of his always busy schedule to tell the story of how he went from a hardworking Burger King employee to regional manager to owner of more than 35 Burger Kings and adding real estate developer on top.

Naparlo, who has never stopped working hard, grew up in Plymouth and he has quite a real estate/business resume. Here in NEPA, for instance, he has developed or is the process of developing:

—Yalick Farms, Dallas — 159 units finished and 20 more under construction — 43 townhomes, 32 condos, 84 apartments and eight patio homes; plus 12 apartments under construction.

—Durkee Farms Hanover Township — 110 units, including houses, townhouses and apartments.

—KM Smith School, Nanticoke — 80 units, including duplexes, townhomes and apartments.

—Yalick Farms Shops — includes Fresenius Kidney Care, knee center, cheese cake store, Mexican restaurant, beauty salon and a dentist coming soon.

And there are housing developments in Nashville, Tenn., and in Virginia.

Plus he recently purchased the former Guys and Dolls Billiards Lounge building on Route 11 in Edwardsville. He is considering several options on use for that property.

J's journey

So let's look at J's journey.

His earliest job was working at Rovinski's Farm along the Susquehanna River in Hanover Township picking crops.

"We had to work when the crops were ready," Naparlo recalled. "When the crops are ripe, they have to be harvested. You learn a lot when you're a kid. We did what we had to do when it had to be done. Simple as that."

Then in 1967, Naparlo got his first job at Burger King on Kingston Corners. He worked hard and became an assistant manager.

Shortly after that, he was transferred to a Burger King in Dickson City. This was a key stop in Naparlo's journey — it's where he met the love of his life, Kathy Scherr. They have three children and nine grandchildren, who call him by his aforementioned favorite name, "Grandpa."

Naparlo returned to the Wyoming Valley in 1971, taking over at the Burger King on Carey Avenue near the crossroads. Then the Agnes Flood of 1972 hit and Naparlo was transferred to the East End Burger King. It wasn't long before Naparlo was promoted to regional director of operations for the Davis Group, which held several Burger King franchises in the area.

But Naparlo was ambitious and he decided to do something few others would ever have even thought of or dared to do — in 1979 he placed an ad in the Wall Street Journal:

"Honest and hardworking person looking for financial backer."

The ad ran in the WSJ business section for two days.

"The idea just came to me," he said.

And the response was overwhelming. He said he received a stack of letters, all asking to meet with him to discuss his ad.

Naparlo said big companies responded — Dunkin' Donuts, Wendy's and even Burger King among them.

One of the interested respondents was Gene Chismer, a retired millionaire living in the Back Mountain area, who also knew Edmund Davis of the Davis Group — Naparlo's employer. Chismer asked Davis if he could meet with Naparlo and Davis approved.

Chismer and Naparlo met and a partnership was formed — C&N Dining. Chismer dispatched Naparlo to Williamsburg, Va., to open a Burger King. The first one opened in 1980; by 1994, Naparlo had built and opened 30 Burger Kings in Williamsburg for C&N Dining.

Chismer moved to Williamsburg in 1988, Naparlo said, and he passed away in 1994.

"I've had some great mentors," Naparlo said. "Edmund Davis and Gene Chismer were two of the best. They were fair, honest businessmen who taught me a lot."

Chismer knew what he had in Naparlo — a guy who would roll up his sleeves and get to work.

"And that's the key," Naparlo said. "Not being afraid to work. It instills confidence in yourself."

Naparlo said he and Chismer agreed that their partnership would be one of hard work and, well, let's just say communication skills.

"I provided the hard work and Gene was the communicator," Naparlo said.

In 'the people business'

Today, Naparlo says he now possesses those "people skills" that are needed to get things done.

"I don't tell people I'm in the burger business," he said. "I tell them I'm in the people business."

Naparlo said he knows his success is predicated on hiring the right people to work for him.

"What could one person do without the right people working for him?" he asked. "I feel I'm able to motivate people."

Naparlo said his son, John, works with him in the business.

"One day John asked me what happens if we open a Burger King and it doesn't work," Naparlo said. "I looked at him and I said you make it work."

With so much of his business in Williamsburg, Naparlo was asked why he has done so much in Luzerne County, his home area.

"I see opportunities in the northeast that major developers don't see," he said. "And knowing that that opportunity is here and the workforce available is made up of hardworking, honest people who realize that to get ahead, you have to work hard. It's that solid work ethic that people here have."

Naparlo said he has never forgotten where he came from.

"As a kid, we could hardly afford to pay the rent," he said. "Now, I can build these developments and create jobs and help people out."

Naparlo has managed to make wise business decisions along his journey. In 1996, he sold that first group of Burger Kings in Williamsburg to, as he described them, "a group of Ivy Leaguers," who, as it turned out, would file for bankruptcy in 2002 and sell the Burger Kings back to Naparlo at a fraction of the original sale price.

And Naparlo brought them back, and he sold most of them again, keeping six to "keep my hand" in the business.

Naparlo said his formula for success has always been, "Take care of the customer every day and everything else will take care of itself."

'I believe in this area'

When he was deciding what to do with Yalick Farms, he and Perry Dunford, a minority partner in Yalick Farms and its construction manager, he nearly sold the large tract to Walmart. Dunford, who built several of Naparlo's Burger Kings in Williamsburg, and Naparlo had been talking for years about doing a project back in his home area.

Naparlo bought the approximately 50 acres of farmland at auction in 1998 for $1.5 million, initially with the thought of putting apartments on it.

So even after Walmart tried to purchase the property on two separate occasions, Naparlo and Dunford forged ahead on their plan to make Yalick Farms a housing development with retail businesses also on the site.

Naparlo recently purchased 18.5 acres of vacant land on Plymouth Avenue in Hanover Township that he is developing into a 118-unit housing development called Durkee Farms.

He will build houses, townhouses and apartments just off of Carey Avenue and at the K.M. Smith property Nanticoke, plus he is building more units at Yalick Farms.

Naparlo said the lessons he learned early in life about hard work, commitment and honesty have served him well and after decades of being overlooked he thinks the region is poised to benefit from those qualities.

"I believe in this area," he said.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.