Case Study: Portage Inc.

While scanning through the many business choices on missionstatements.com I knew I wanted to research a small business, I finally settled on Portage Inc. Missionstatements.com lists their mission as “At Portage we provide competent, responsive, and cost-effective services to customers in federal, state, tribal, and local governments, and private industry. We assist tribal governments pursuing self-determination by developing management strategies for environmental protection and resource development. We provide employment opportunities, internships, and mentoring, to Native American and other disadvantaged students pursuing higher education in natural resource and environmental protection fields.” Portage’s website states their statement as
Portage Inc. has been ranked a Top Idaho Company for 6 years in a row (Inc, 2015). Inc also named Portage to the list of fastest growing businesses 6 times in the last 10 years. Engineering News-Record also named Portage a Top Environmental Firm in 2015 for the seventh consecutive year. (Engineering News-Record, 2015) In addition to a well run and fast growing business Portage regularly celebrates safety milestones. Four years have passed without incident on a uranium tailings cleanup Portage manages in Utah. (Herndon,
I searched their website, a few search engines and even the local paper in Idaho Falls wher the company is based. This isnt to say Portage isn’t doing this but it may also be the reason the Mission Statement has changed.
Though Portage doesn’t have an online record of supplying scholarships to tribal members they are partnering with them in other ways. Due to erosion a dam spillway had collapsed on Santa Clara Pueblo land. Portage provided engineering design services for the repair of Pin Dee Pond as part of their Northern New Mexico Outreach Program. Projects like the Santa Clara spillway are great because they allow the Portage staff to put their expertise to work to directly benefit the communities where we operate and to see direct benefits from our works” says Portage President Mike