Thomas Porter is the owner of adored local businesses, including Our Block Co., Porter Iron Works, Porter Barn Wood and The Coffee Builders. “My businesses focus on building the extraordinary.” Learn about Thomas Porter…
Follow at: @porterbarnwood; @porterironworks; @ourblockco; @thecoffeebuilders
Hometown: Phoenix
First job: Data entry for a construction company.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in AZ: Enjoying time with my family, playing music and hunting.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: Getting married to my wife of over 21 years. Much more than an accomplishment, she has been a gift in my life and has contributed to every bit of our success, including two of the greatest children a father could ask for.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: The cost of starting a company is daunting. Somehow, through saving and very hard work, we were able to pull it off. What once was a backyard garage band of a company turned into quite a commercial operation.
Someone who inspires you and why: Chuck Wagner of Caymus Vineyards in California. He is an accomplished man with an incredible vision but with a humbleness and realness that I admire.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Surround yourself with good people, and don’t give up when you hit that wall of tiredness or frustration.
Favorite quote: “Snow White never has a bad day.” —Disney U: How Disney University Develops the World’s Most Engaged, Loyal, and Customer-Centric Employees by Doug Lipp (It has a deeper meaning when you read the book.)
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I was a massage therapist for over 12 years and played music professionally on the side.
What makes someone fabulous: When they make good on their promise to do something bigger and better. Dreams are nowhere near as rare as the execution of ideas.