In this video Max Fragar, our founder, Life Fellow PIA and Registered Planner, talks about how it all started and our company vision.
Click on the “Play” button below to watch now:
Or for those that prefer to read, here is a transcript of the video…
Good day, I’m Max Fragar.
Who was Max Fragar?
So I’m a town planner. I started in engineering when I was about 17 and finished some studies in that. But I decided planning was the way to go. I am so fortunate that I fell into planning so young and, and I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed it, and I continue to enjoy it.And at the moment, working with my son as the CEO of the Council Approval, this is who we are. Working with him is probably one of the best parts of my 53 year career.
Planning to me has always been having a vision, whether it is world heritage listing for the Blue Mountains, whether it’s a vision for a major shopping centre. It is having a vision and then finding ways to achieve it.
What is Our Vision?
The vision we have now is for people. We try to look at what’s the best for them.Let me give you a bit more background. I’ve been in the planning and development industry for 53 years. About a third of the way through the career, my son Colin, who is the boss of the organisation finishes his time overseas. When he comes back and he says, Dad, I want to make your business a proper business.
I’ve been in senior level and director level local government for 20 years. I’ve been in consulting for 15 years and Colin says, I want to make your business a proper business. And I say, of course, Colin, your mother and I put you through uni, you know, and your sister. That’s 2 degrees, an honours degree and a master’s degree. What’s wrong with the business now?
But now I look at the business the way it is and it’s fabulous. We have the best group of town planners – positive, make it happen planners – that I’ve ever been involved with. It’s a great group.
What do we do?
We basically look at properties for people. We have an emphasis on understanding the people, understanding you as a client, and then matching our skills and our knowledge and our work with local government. We’re matching that to achieve the best for you.We enjoy that process. We enjoy having the vision and maybe opening up options to you that you hadn’t thought of. And then we enjoy helping you through the process, whether it’s one of our lead planners managing it with you or whether it’s drawing the architectural plans through our architectural practice. Hopefully, we’re there with you when your projects finished seeing how what we’ve done with you has changed your life.
I thoroughly enjoy working with my son, Colin, and new daughter-in-law, Loren, with their young family. It’s a family practice. We’re focused entirely on how can we make a difference in your life. Of course we have to run a business, but I think we’re unique. I think we’re unique with the team that we have. At 72, I hope I’m still doing this for another 20 years. I thoroughly enjoy it and get a lot of satisfaction.
In the end, I’d like to quote “there’s nothing more satisfying in life than helping people.” If I can help people through this horrible process of dealing with council to achieve something special that makes a difference in their lives, then that’s what I want to do for another 20 years. I hope you hope we can help you at some time in the future. All the best.
Article Last Updated: 28 June 2024