[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E53-E54]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING WILLIAM C. PORTMAN II AS A GREAT LIVING CINCINNATIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 2005

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor William C. Portman 
II, my father, who will be formally honored on February 24, 2005 as a 
Great Living Cincinnatian by the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of 
Commerce. Recipients of this prestigious annual honor are chosen on the 
basis of professional achievement; leadership; vision; and community 
service. Past honorees include such Greater Cincinnati leaders as Neil 
Armstrong, Albert Sabin and Charles Scripps.
  Although my father has always been an extraordinary role model for 
me, he has also been a role model for so many others in our community. 
Throughout his lifetime, he has led, trained and motivated people with 
integrity and by example.
  Dad was born in the Pleasant Ridge neighborhood of Cincinnati, and 
graduated from Walnut Hills High School in 1941. He received a 
bachelor's degree in chemistry from Dartmouth College in 1946, after 
interrupting his studies to serve as a lieutenant in World War II. 
After the war, he went on to earn an M.B.A. from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck 
School of Business Administration in 1947.
  He began his career in Cincinnati with Procter & Gamble's chemical 
division, and then joined the Clark Equipment Company as sales manager. 
He enjoyed the material handling business, and in 1960, he decided to 
strike

[[Page E54]]

out on his own and start his own business. Along with my late mother, 
Joan, as bookkeeper, the Portman Equipment Company began modestly, with 
two salespeople and two mechanics. The company was started with 
borrowed funds, and it took a few years to turn a profit.
  Today, the company employs over 400 people, handles multiple lines 
and services, and is one of the largest material handling distributors 
in the United States. Dad would tell you that's because he hired 
outstanding people, which is true, but it is also because he is a good 
leader and a hardworking entrepreneur.
  He was the first equipment dealer in the country to recognize the 
importance of operator safety and mechanic education. In 1972, Dad 
initiated a training operation, now called the ``Learning Center,'' 
which offers twenty industry courses, has instructed over 80,000 
students worldwide, and is the largest regional training site for 
Caterpillar and Mitsubishi forklifts. Portman Equipment Company, now 
run by my brother, William C. ``Wym'' Portman III, is now one of the 
country's largest Cat Lift Truck distributors, and was listed as one of 
Cincinnati's top 100 privately held firms twelve times.
  Dad always recognized the importance of giving back through community 
service. In 1975, he became the first small businessperson to chair the 
Greater Cincinnati United Way campaign. He was the first chair to visit 
all 105 agencies that received United Way funding, and fundraising set 
a new record. He has served on the boards of United Way; Community 
Chest & Council; the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce; and the 
Greater Cincinnati Foundation. He has held leadership positions with 
the Cincinnati Business Committee; the Federal Reserve Bank of 
Cleveland's Small Business Advisory Council; the Hamilton County 
Regional Airport Authority; and chaired the Chamber's first Leadership 
Cincinnati class, which is one of the country's most prestigious 
leadership development programs.
  In all his business and community endeavors, he was strongly 
supported by my mother, Joan, who herself was an accomplished civic 
leader. Among her accomplishments, she was named a Cincinnati Enquirer 
Woman of the Year in 1979, and was the recipient of the Jacob E. Davis 
Volunteer of the Year Award of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
  Our family, including my wife, Jane; brother, Wym; sister-in-law, 
Jan; sister, Ginna; brother-in-law Allan; and Dad's nine grandchildren; 
are proud of all of Dad's accomplishments, and congratulate him on 
being named a Great Living Cincinnatian.

                          ____________________