William H. Porter, visionary entrepreneur, business owner, athlete, husband and father, died November 10, 2009 at the age of 82. Bill was one of the founding fathers of SIPA and he will be greatly missed by his friends, family and colleagues.
Born January 15, 1927, in Richmond, Ohio, to William L. Porter and Marjorie Hanauer Porter, Bill was raised in Ohio and Florida. He served with the Army Air Corp in Germany after World War II, then graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. After working in Research and Development for the Chris Craft boat company, Bill founded W.H. Porter in 1964 in the old Heinz building on the north shore of Michigan’s Lake Macatawa to build balsa-wood cores for boats.
That business evolved into PorterCorp and the manufacturing of structural insulated panel systems (SIPS), hog confinement buildings, and park shelters and gazebos. In the late 1960s, he moved his company to its current location in Holland, Michigan so he could continue to expand and explore new ideas and processes. His company now employs about 100 people. He holds dozens of patents on products and product components and his Poligon structures are installed in parks and public spaces across the country. He continued designing until the day before he died.
Bill was involved in SIPA during its formative years and continued to be an influential figure in the association. He held the position of Secretary/Treasurer on the SIPA Board of Directors in 1993, shortly after the association was formed in 1990. In 2007, Bill graciously donated materials and engineering for the 3,000 sq. ft. SIPA Village exhibit at the International Builders’ Show. Bill was also instrumental in establishing the SIPA code report – an accredited evaluation report shared by many SIPA manufacturing members.
Bill served on the Saugatuck Zoning Board of Appeals and was an active cyclist with Saugatuck Spokes. He participated in many Holland 100 rides and other endurance events over the years. He was also an avid skier, enthusiastic traveler, and sailor. Bill was survived by his wife, Cynthia McKean of Saugatuck, children Emily, Gay, Fran, Andy, Jeff and Leslie McKean, and seven grandchildren.
