Jeffrey L. Portman Sr. has been selected to serve as vice chairman of AMC, Inc.
Portman has served as president and chief operating officer of Atlanta-based AMC, Inc. for the past 13 years, which has been a period of spectacular growth and success for the corporation, and he will continue to serve in these capacities in addition to his new responsibilities.
AMC, Inc. is the world’s largest trade mart/trade show organization and parent company of AmericasMart Atlanta, the nation’s largest wholesale home, gift and apparel marketplace. Portman’s AMC tenure dates to the mid-1960s, when he was first employed on the loading dock of what was then the Atlanta Merchandise Mart.
His professional career spans more than 35 years in commercial real estate development and management, including his leadership of the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) as general manager from June 1986 through July 1994, at which time he was appointed Executive Vice President of AMC, Inc. His election as AMC president and chief operating officer followed in February 2001.
Portman subsequently has led AMC, Inc. and AmericasMart Atlanta through a period of growth unprecedented in the companies’ 54-year history, commencing with the rebranding of the former Atlanta Market Center as AmericasMart Atlanta in 1996, and continuing with expansion of its U.S. market share and global business base.
Under his presidency and leadership, AmericasMart Atlanta and Lightfair International, for which AMC serves as managing partner, have been named to the “Trade Show Executive” magazine coveted Gold 100 listing of the world’s largest and most important trade shows. AmericasMart’s January and July Markets additionally have been named to the “Trade Show News Network” Top-250 listing of the largest U.S. shows, ranking 3rd and 5th, respectively, in consecutive years.
A native Atlantan, Portman is consistently named among the Top 100 most influential people in the U.S. home furnishings industry, and comments regularly in national and international home, gift and apparel trade media. Portman was named Atlanta Citizen of the Year by the Atlanta Police Foundation, with Mayor Shirley Franklin bestowing the honor. He serves on the executive committee of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and on the Board of The Lovett School, his alma mater.
Portman did undergraduate work at Mercer University. He received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgia State University and holds an executive Master of Business Administration from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
