Kris Johnson is the founder and chief executive officer of Purpose-Built Trade Co. in Oakley, a local retailer of clothing and accessories for blue-collar workers and their families with a mission to make each trade and community stronger.
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What sets his store apart from others, though, is that Johnson and his employees set out to raise money to fight cancer and for other causes every three months. He says one of his inspirations is his mother, a 16-year leukemia cancer survivor who has been in remission for 15 years. Their most recent car and truck show, called Fast & Furious to Fight Cancer, a Death to Cancer Campaign, was held Oct. 13 at their Oakley store off Neroly Road.
“My grandma has Stage 4 colon cancer, and we have several friends and family battling this horrible disease as we speak,” said Johnson, who bought his in-laws’ store in 2019 and has grown the brand to seven businesses.
“It hits home to our whole team, and that’s why we rally so hard,” he added. “From customers to our own team members, we will always fight. Our goal is to simply help one more person to keep fighting!”
Battling cancer is not the only cause Johnson and his team fight for — they also host fundraisers that include car shows, golf tournaments and Toys for Tots. This year, they set an annual goal of $25,000 and beat it, reaching $27,000.
“In March/April we do a big campaign for first responders, in June/July we raise money for mental health for The Big Silence Foundation, and then we fight cancer every October,” said Johnson, of Brentwood.
Their October Fast & Furious fundraiser helped raise $3,000 for the Hey There Delilah Foundation, which was started by the late Delilah Loya, her mother Samantha Loya and cancer survivor Stephani Pierce. Delilah passed away in July at age 8 from neuroblastoma.
“The foundation’s mission is to ignite hope for tomorrow, and they help families — not just patients — navigate diagnoses, pay bills due to financial hardship, enable those battling to enjoy their bucket list and much more,” said Johnson. “Our donation will wholly fund their new website and directly help families impacted by cancer.”
Madison Clark, the assistant manager of Purpose-Built’s Oakley store, said fundraising for the foundation is extremely important to her.
“Their cause is so meaningful because I’ve had multiple family members go through various forms of cancer. My paternal grandma had lung cancer, which led to her passing, and my maternal grandma was able to beat both breast cancer and Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” said Clark, of Brentwood. “Hey There Delilah is an especially great foundation because they really seek to help with the more unseen parts of a cancer battle.
“Whether it’s dinners or even making hospital rooms more comfortable, they just want to be able to help.”
Nestled in front of their Oakley store during their recent car show in the Diamond Hills Sports Club and Spa parking lot, 150 classic car and truck owners popped their hoods while attendees asked questions and snapped photos of the vintage vehicles. Their top three event supporters included Keen Utility (a prominent boot brand), Gregory Construction Equipment (GCE) and Antioch LineX.
“GCE is one of our Purpose-Built pro sponsors and has family members battling cancer today,” said Johnson. “They dedicated one of their street sweepers to cancer awareness and have a similar mission to ours in wanting to help our communities be better. Their sponsorship paid for our entertainment for the day and allowed us to market the event in a big way, which drew out the crowds.”
Eddie Soper, the general manager of Purpose-Built’s Oakley store, was the lucky one who sat in a dunk tank for a cause — getting soaked about 20 times altogether.
“This cause is very important to me because, unfortunately, cancer is so common,” said Soper, of Oakley. “Everyone knows someone who’s fighting or has fought. For me, the Death to Cancer Campaign is all about our community coming together to have a good time and support a great cause. It’s amazing to see so many people come out and show their support for Hey There Delilah.”
For Soper, fighting cancer is personal.
“Colon cancer runs in my family. My father is actually in remission right now,” he said. “I think it’s really important that we’re thankful for our health. It’s super-important that people get screened for cancer regularly. Catching it early can make all the difference in the world.”
For details on more of the store’s upcoming car and truck show fundraisers, visit purpose-built.com.
Reach Charleen Earley, a freelance writer and journalism professor at Diablo Valley college, at charleenbearley@gmail.com or 925-383-3072.