Scott and Melissa Porten sit with their children,
Ava, 8, and Grayson, 5, at their Delray Beach
home. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
When Scott Porten assumed leadership of the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce’s governmental affairs committee two years ago, he made a change that proved to be popular. Committee meetings had always revolved around discussion of current government issues; Porten made the meetings livelier by bringing in government representatives to lead discussions. “We’ve changed the focus of the meetings to be speaker-oriented,” he says.
Delray Beach’s city manager, most of the city commissioners, various county representatives, and the local fire chief have been among the invited speakers.
“It’s a very loose, open forum in which members can ask questions and get answers on the spot,” says Porten, 49, whose family-owned residential real estate development firm, The Porten Companies, has been operating in South Florida for three decades.
On Sept. 22, Porten himself will be in the spotlight, accepting the Director of the Year award from the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce at its annual Luminary Gala.
The Chamber role is just one of several ways Porten, who lives in coastal Delray Beach, is serving his community. He also chairs the Old School Square board of directors. He’s vice chairman of the city’s Site Plan Review and Appearance Board, vice chairman of the Delray Economic Leaders Political Action Committee and recently completed service on Delray’s Charter Revision Committee.
All of this prompts the question: Does he plan to run for political office one day?
“No, I really don’t,” he says. “I’m motivated by two things. Since I’m going to spend the rest of my life in Delray Beach, I’d like to have some impact on the environment … and if I’m going to be involved, I’d just as soon lead.”
“The second thing is, getting involved like this was totally out of my comfort zone. And I think by definition, that’s how you grow.”
A self-confessed “gym rat,” Porten enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his wife, Melissa, and their two children, Ava, 8, and Grayson, 5.
“I’ll be a soccer dad eventually. There’s lots of peer pressure to do that,” he says with a smile.
— Paula Detwiller
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. I graduated from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School and then attended Emory University in Atlanta for a business degree. Growing up in the D.C. area exposed me to a diverse culture that can only be experienced in a major metropolitan area. Going on family outings to world-class museums and galleries was something that I took for granted.
Now that I am raising my children in Delray Beach, I realize the important role that the arts played in my development. This observation has been my focus in recent years and is the reason behind my involvement at Old School Square Cultural Arts Center.
Q. What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A. I have worked in real estate for my entire professional career. With my sister and brother, we started Porten Companies nearly 25 years ago. We are real estate developers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area as well as South Florida. One of my most satisfying professional accomplishments was here in Delray Beach with the development of The Estuary. Several developers before me failed in getting through the entitlement process. I was told the site was not feasible due to the significant environmental issues associated with onsite wetlands.
Through dogged pursuit we ultimately prevailed by completing one of the largest preservation/mitigation projects in the county’s history.
This set the stage for me to acquire and develop properties not meant for less agile developers, thus creating a niche in a very competitive industry. In truth, when I have ventured outside of the area of my core expertise, the results were often disappointing.
Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?
A. Before selecting your career, make sure it can support your definition of success. For many, success is not about money, but for everyone it should be about happiness. I never really focused on making money. I found that if you do a good job, the money will follow.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Delray Beach?
A. I married my wife, Melissa, 13 years ago and needed a new home. My home at the time in Boca Raton was too much of a bachelor pad. So we moved to The Estuary out of convenience. Even though we had a project here, I knew very little about Delray Beach. As it turned out, we loved the Delray lifestyle and strong sense of community. We ultimately moved to the barrier island. It is my expectation that I will live here the rest of my life.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray?
A. I don’t know of any other city in South Florida that has a vibrant downtown on the ocean with a strong sense of community. I also appreciate that we have become an understated alternative to some of our surrounding communities.
Q. What book are you reading now?
A. I am reading the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. The fact that I am reading it on my iPad is a constant reminder of how significant his contribution was to all of mankind. He was truly one of the greatest minds in modern history. Isaacson has done a phenomenal job of conveying the complexity of Jobs in an easily understood manner.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. “What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” (Robert Schuller)
For many, the fear of failure is an insurmountable obstacle. It is an intangible that does not fit into any business plan.
Today I am willing to attempt things that were incomprehensible to me in my youth, when I had an overwhelming fear of failure. Don’t get me wrong; I believe that to be successful, one must be able to accurately quantify risk and balance it with an acceptable potential for reward.
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. My father is certainly my main mentor. Not only was he a successful real estate developer, but he possesses a sense of calm that I have grown to appreciate. He taught me that it is better to hit a bunch of singles than trying to hit it out of the park every time.
I have had many mentors in my life. Most of my dealings in business have been through partnerships in some fashion. In the better partnerships, my partner possessed qualities that I did not.
When I find qualities in people that I respect, I try to incorporate those qualities into my being.
To that end, everyone I meet is a potential mentor.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. The movie would only have two tickets sold, to my mother and myself. But since you are asking, I suppose I would pick George Clooney. He is smart and good-looking. He can be serious as well as funny. And he appears to be aging gracefully.
Q. Who or what makes you laugh?
A. Family Guy and Big Bang Theory make me laugh. I still prefer situation comedies over reality TV.
However, the world is a funny place, and Delray Beach is no exception. It is natural to gravitate toward people who make us feel good and, with a few exceptions, nothing feels better than laughing.
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