Donor Spotlight - Matt Portner, CASP

Matthew Portner, CASP, is the Director of Auxiliary Services at Ashland University and the NACAS Foundation president. Aside from his duties on the Foundation Board, Portner also serves on the indiCo Board of Directors and on the Government Affairs Committee for NACS. He is an adjunct professor for two courses at Ashland University in Spring 2018: Business Ethics and Contemporary Business.

1. Why did you decide to get involved with NACAS/ the Foundation?

Do not leave the room or a conference call at the wrong time or else you too will find yourself in a leadership role for NACAS. It is my sincere pleasure to serve the auxiliary services industry by stewarding the resources of the NACAS Foundation. A lot of good people came before me in this association and it is my honor to continue their good work.

2. What are some of the things you are focusing on as NACAS Foundation President?

Obviously, the largest agenda item for the Foundation this year is our first ever Campaign for the Future. I am very proud of the progress made to date and excited about the possibilities for the professionals in our industry to reach our goal of $500,000. We are going to be close.

3. What has been the most rewarding thing about working in the field of auxiliary services?

Working with some great individuals that I respect very much both on my home campus and the people that I met through NACAS.

4. How has the auxiliary services industry changed throughout the years?

The integration and reliance on technology for operational processing and analytics has been both amazing and horrifying. There used to be a time when, if the power went off our operations turned on flashlights and kept going. Now, we are much more at the mercy of technological winds and whether or not we can process transactions when all is not functioning properly. The other thing that has struck me recently is the ubiquitousness of smartphones. It was not that long ago when all work communication was done by landline or written memo. Now it is texts and emails. I know it makes me sound old, but the industry continues to change, be disrupted, and change again. I think that is why I value the time with my NACAS colleagues so much. It is how I keep pace with the madness that is auxiliary services.