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Business Leaders Including John Wagner Share Their Secrets and Give to Charity


19 January 2024

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Toowoomba businesses will have direct access to expert business and thought leaders through new local enterprise Purpa.


The brainchild of local businessman Chris Black, Purpa has been created to help local businesspeople thrive, show them how and why to keep investing in their business, themselves and the community and ultimately leave a legacy for their families and our region.


Mr Black said Purpa would provide any business owner in Toowoomba with the experience, wisdom, and connections of corporate leaders like John Wagner, Jo Sheppard, Andrew Douglas right through to experts in human behaviour like Dr Clive Williams and Alisha Weston guiding as psychologists.


“John Wagner has also kindly donated his time to the business community with all funds raised going to It’s A Bloke’s Thing. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be mentored by John who is one the most accomplished businesspeople in Australia.”


“Our experts all have purpose. That purpose is to see you succeed,” he said.



“Toowoomba has a secret sauce, an innate superpower to establish and grow sensational businesses with global scale using local talent.”


“We have a growth mindset and those that think big create companies that become the fabric of our community - FKG, Wagners, Hannas, Berghofers, Rowes, Russell Mineral Equipment, Hogans Family Jewellers and more recently Excavation Equipment.”


“I was fortunate to be the emcee for It’s Bloke Thing last year which raised over $1.5M and saw from the stage how generous our successful business leaders are.”


“I also noticed those aspirational businesspeople who haven’t quite made ‘it’ yet but have the desire to become greater. I realised at that moment, I had the ability to turn their dreams into reality and started Purpa.”

Chris Black from Purpa

Mr Black said the great companies create emotional connections with staff, customers and the community which live and breathe through the culture they have created – they have purpose.


John Wagner

“Purpa has the aim of empowering our people to follow the path of our local titans and create their own success, which we hope gets reinvested back into our region to improve the lifestyle we all love for generations – leaving a legacy,” he said.


“We are all responsible for our community, and running a successful and profitable business creates an opportunity to amplify your ability to do good”.


He said Purpa offered programs ranging from mentoring, executive coaching, business coaching, advisory boards, and business workshops to help the entrepreneurs in the region increase their chances of becoming successful.


“These are designed specifically for businesspeople but also integrate personal improvement and development through the availability of psychologists,” Mr Black said.


“The top performers not only work actively on their business, but on themselves to create a sustainable and positive foundation of resilience to achieve difficult things.”


If you would like to know more about our experts, follow this link.


Business Coaching, Mentoring and Advisory Boards for businesspeople with purpose.


About Purpa

We know Toowoomba, we know business and we are experts in helping business and businesspeople achieve a greater level of success. We have the best independent business minds available that engage you and your business to take you to the next level.


We deliver our programs and partner with you in several ways that are customised for your big picture goals, but with practical consideration that you still have a business to run. We focus on your return on investment, tangible outcomes and building your business acumen to ensure what we deliver is sustainable, repeatable, and importantly great value to you and your team.


Our clients benefit by using our systems to improve their revenue, get crystal clear strategy and vision on what and how to achieve success, build resilience so when hard times come, they can thrive. Our processes help build a team of high performing and aligned leaders, becoming employers of choice which means they attract and retain the best people possible.

About It’s a Bloke Thing

Photo Opportunities and Media Enquiries

Chris Black: 0483 843 129 (Purpa)



Dan Dwan: 0418 799 792 (It’s A Bloke Thing)


Photos and video available for use upon request.

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