David Porter of Vienna, Va., will step into the shoes being vacated Zoltan Szigethy at the Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council (KREDC).

Porter is an economic development professional, with ties to the Northwest. For the past two years, he has served as the marketing manager of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), which is located in Tysons Corner, Va. Fairfax County is right in the center of Virginia’s bustling technology corridor and headquarters to many high-tech firms as well as companies doing business with the federal government in Washington, D.C.

Prior to taking the job in Fairfax County, he held a similar position in Roanoke, Va, and was recruited away by the FCEDA to take his current job.

Porter also served as director of marketing and membership development for the EDC of Snohomish County for 10 years before moving to Virginia, as well as director of marketing for Seattle’s Restaurant Services Corporation before that.

Szigethy announced to the KREDC board several months ago that for personal reasons, he would not be renewing his contract when it came up in August. He has however, in his very organized and methodical way, spearheaded the search for his successor.

There were over 50 candidates from 13 states that applied for the position. The search committee, which was comprised of Szigethy, KREDC President Pete Crane, former longtime board member Tim Arnold, Immediate Past President Linda Niebanck and board members Lary Coppola and Jim Robinson, narrowed the field to eight semi-finalists and after interviewing all of them, narrowed it again to three finalists.

The three were Porter, Jeff Deardorff, who has held several economic development and marketing positions all related in some way to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Dept. of Energy and privately-owned facilities in Oak Ridge and Knoxville, Tenn.; and Robin Howarth, an Atlanta resident who was originally from the U.K. and has been involved in the economic development side of international business both in the U.S. and abroad including helping organize the World Expo held in Liverpool.

However, during the initial interview process, Porter quickly became the standard by which all the other candidates were measured and was the overwhelming first choice of the search committee.

Porter’s background features an eclectic mix of positions that include economic development, human resource management, marketing, as well as having owned his own business. He brings a wealth of current working knowledge about the high-tech industry, the federal government, and Dept. of Defense, as well as contacts in those areas, to the KREDC.

“I am particularly attracted to this position because of the focus on marketing, local business development and organizational management,” said Porter. “These are strong suits for me. I am a street-level player who can sell a program, grow a business and energize a not-for-profit organization.”

It was exactly that sense of “just the facts” self-confidence that the search committee found attractive in Porter, who is a very friendly, outgoing, and engaging fellow. But he is also aggressive and understands the necessity of the community as a whole being invested in economic development. Additionally, he understands and has experience in dealing with the funding issues surrounding the operation of a non-profit organization like the KREDC as well as being very skilled at working within the political process on the local, regional, state and national levels.

“As a former resident, I have kept an eye on the economy in the Puget Sound region,” added Porter. “I note that Kitsap County has emerged in recent years as a vibrant business and economic development community. I also recognize the challenge of taking the KREDC to the next level — of doing economic development in ways that help the community build capacity, leverage assets and embrace the future,” he said. “I am up for the job.”

Porter will begin work here on Sept. 2.