Drafting the Blueprint for AHBA: Thanks to Clai Porter for Years of Service

By: Shannon Gallagher, AHBA Director of Operations

Today, students type their spelling tests, books are enjoyed on tablets or in headphones, and receiving a text is more common than a phone call. Technology is hard to escape but that doesn’t mean everyone subscribes to the idea that it’s always an improvement. 

“I prefer to hand draw. I'm faster at hand drawing,” says Clai Porter, an AIA-licensed architect and owner of NCP Design/Build. 

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Porter is what some would call “old school,” and he knows it. “If you saw my office today, you would think it was an organized mess,” he says. Porter’s office hosts three drafting boards and a roll-top desk. It looks the same as it did when he started his career half a century ago. 

Porter graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1963, and a master’s in Architecture and Urban Design from the Catholic University of America. He moved to Anchorage in 1972 to work as a licensed architect at a construction firm. In 1975, Porter set out on his own and started NCP Design/Build. 

“I went from working with the largest builder to the smallest builder in one day,” Porter jokes. 

But Porter wasn’t really alone, he had the personal and professional support of his wife Marilyn Porter, who works as a real estate broker. Despite being early in his career, he’d already built about 780 apartments and 600 homes. He also had a vast professional network thanks to his involvement in the Anchorage Home Builders Association. 

Porter joined AHBA in 1972, shortly after moving to Anchorage. By 1976, he was already serving as the president. At the time, there wasn’t even a state organization. But even in its infancy, Porter knew AHBA could make a difference in his community. 

“It's beneficial for the industry because there's a tremendous amount of knowledge in the residential and multi-family construction industries that a lot of the public doesn't want to recognize and the municipal governments don't wish to recognize,” Porter says. 

Porter helped start the Alaska State Home Builders Association, the Fairbanks Homebuilders Association, Kenai Peninsula Builders Association, Mat-Su Home Builders Association and the Southeast Alaska Building Industry Association. He also served as the Alaska state representative to the National Association of Home Builders. 

Additionally, Porter got involved in AHBA and NAHB’s Political Action Committees. Porter says Home Builders Associations are one of the driving forces in connecting the construction industry with government. He believes it’s important for the homebuilding industry to work with elected officials to ensure that building benefits the industry and community. 

Porter is also one of the three founders of the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, helping builders around the state use smarter building technologies and materials in Alaska’s climate. Additionally, Porter served on the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation board of directors for 12 years, first as vice chairman and later as chairman.

From just a handful of members to hundreds, Porter has watched AHBA grow. He can remember the first Anchorage Home Show. “I was the first builder to enter the Home Show, builders didn’t do that back then,” Porter says. “Then all of a sudden they started doing it and it keeps getting more successful.” 

Today, you can still find Porter drawing at one of his drafting boards. He’s a firm believer that hand drawings provide a better sense of scale and proportion, but he doesn’t write off technology completely. He compromises by having a draftsman put the drawings on the computer. And while he’s no longer a full-time AHBA board member, he still serves in an advisor role. 

With 50 years in the business, Porter’s designs are woven into the landscape of Anchorage. His knowledge and commitment also built into the foundation of AHBA. 

Thank you for your years of service to AHBA and our community.