outside of Savannah. “As we grew, we looked further out. If you look east on a map, all you see is ocean, so I started looking across the bridges into South Carolina — places like Bluffton, Hilton Head, Beaufort County and Jasper County, which were actually closer than some parts of Effingham County,” Jerry said. “I’d go to a school that was looking to hire a band direc- tor, and we’d help the school find the right one, because, out in the country, if a band director taught at more than one school, they might be at one school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and another Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, then switch halfway through the year so each school got equal time. That’s just how beginner programs worked back then.” As the years went on, Jerry helped Port- man’s expand school music programs into neighboring South Carolina. “I built up programs in Ridgeland, South Carolina, Jasper County, South Carolina, and other neighboring counties in the state. It was closer to Savannah,” Jerry said. “If you wanted to reach Macon, Georgia, that
was 150 miles in the other direction. So, we grew first by solidifying our program and giving parents a good experience get- ting their kids started on an instrument.” Today, Portman’s services more than 200 schools and has eight road reps working out of the dealership’s four store locations. The store’s music academy in Savannah alone sees some 238 weekly students and contracts with 19 instructors. “Across all four locations, we have 595 students and 46 instructors,” Jerry said, adding that the four locations employ some 59 full-time employees. “Today, we cater to professional musicians looking for the newest gear. We sell sound systems for schools, and we teach kids and adults how to play. We do a little bit of everything. We’re organized into different departments, and in each one we try to hire people who are genuine experts in each department’s field so they can really help our customers.” NINE DECADES OF RELATIONSHIPS When asked what reaching the 90-year mark means to him, Jerry called it an honor and said retailers hoping to achieve similar
longevity need to remain flexible. “To be in business for 90 years, you have to adjust,” Jerry said. “The business has changed just like music has changed.” Jerry also said building deep-rooted re- lationships in the community as a business owner has been key to Portman’s success. “When I talk to customers, I’m always reminded of how important it is to hire the right people and build real relation- ships,” he explained. “My parents’ motto was ‘everything for the musician,’ and that relationship-building is really the foundation of our longevity. We’ve had band directors come work for us after they retire. I’ve also been to funerals of people we worked with for years, because we’ve been in business a long time and have known a lot of people. “My wife and I can’t go anywhere in the Savannah area without someone walking up and asking, ‘Are you the Portman from Portman’s Music?’” Jerry continued. “And I’ll say ‘yes,’ and they’ll tell me their parents bought their instrument from us, or they bought one for their son or daughter or grandchild or great-grandchild. We’ve been
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