Built Around Partnership
Founder
Matt Zimmerman, Founder: For more than 20 years, Matt’s work has centered on building strong partnerships. He’s had the privilege of placing executives at all levels across Fortune 500, Not-for-Profits, Start-ups, and employee-owned companies. He’s learned that the strongest partnerships are built by listening carefully, understanding what matters, building trust, and following through.
Matt set out to create the search firm he would want to work with as an executive. One that stays grounded in partnerships, not transactions. One that ensures a high quality of service consistently regardless of market conditions. And one that is based on a client’s desired achievements and not simply the open role. Matt’s core belief is that Portage will know your business as well as you do - propelling Portage as a thoughtful and valuable partner.
Marketing/Operations Advisor
Greg Tucker, Marketing/Operations Advisor: With 20+ years as a marketing, communications, and operations executive across B2B and B2C companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises, Greg has built and lead high performing teams within some of the most complex, mission-critical, and highly regulated industries. He excels at making complex things clear, building things that didn’t previously exist, and delivering growth results executive teams and board members can rely on.
Greg has consistently been recognized as an authentic, collaborative executive skilled at quickly connecting the dots and seeing the situation from all angles. Greg’s core belief is that Portage will deliver on its promises to both clients and candidates, in a way that feels different and truly like a partner on all sides.
Carrie Ek, Growth Advisor: Carrie has always been fascinated by businesses—how they grow, why some scale while others stall, and what it takes to build something people genuinely value. She most enjoys digging into business challenges, understanding the markets, identifying the opportunities, and helping leaders build toward where they want to go next.
For more than 25 years, she’s had the opportunity to help companies answer those questions and launched new markets, built business development organizations, developed strategic partnerships, and worked alongside founders and executive teams to create sustainable growth. Throughout her career, Carrie has often been the first business development or growth leader on board and helped build organizations from the ground up, expand into new markets, and lead teams through periods of growth and change. Her core belief is that helping businesses grow, building strong relationships, and solving complex challenges requires real partners.
Growth Advisor