2026 Ones to Watch - Industry Leaders: Seth Porter, Shawmut Design and Construction

“With over 20 years in the industry, Seth is a trusted leader who is helping drive Shawmut’s growth in New York. His portfolio of hospitality work consists of some of the most impressive hotels, chefs, and restaurateurs in the world. As a leader, he shares this vast experience and expertise with his team and those early in their career.” 

What recent accomplishment or initiative are you most proud of, and what impact did it have on your firm, clients, or community?

Our refurbishment of The Peninsula New York. We renovated the hotel’s restaurant back in 2014, and the hotel team welcomed us back with open arms when they started their major refurbishment project ten years later. With a tight completion deadline ahead of the UN General Assembly, this was a challenging occupied project, but our team did an incredible job maintaining luxury 5-star hotel operations for the client while renovating not only 216 guest-rooms, but also the rooftop bar, main lobby, Palm Court and reception areas.

How do you inspire, motivate, or mentor others within your organization?

I was fortunate enough to have great mentors throughout my career, so I spend a lot of time mentoring employees early in their career through both Shawmut’s structured mentor program and through my teams. I have had a unique career journey through estimating, field, operations, and even a short stint in information technology, so I enjoy sharing all the knowledge I’ve gathered throughout my career to help grow our future leaders.

What is one major challenge you’ve overcome as a leader, and what did it teach you?

One major challenge is prioritizing tasks in an overly busy world. I’ve learned that empowering my team and providing them with stretch opportunities allows us all to learn and develop — and part of that is making sure we’re each focused on the right priorities.

What advice would you share with emerging professionals striving to become future leaders in commercial real estate?

Be curious. Feed that curiosity with self-study. In the various roles I’ve held throughout my career, the one piece of advice I always give is to know the drawings better than anyone else. Knowledge is powerful. Knowing exactly where and what a detail shows on a construction drawing in a group with many stakeholders gives you instant credibility and respect.

Who has had the greatest impact on your career or leadership journey?

My father, a former construction executive, has been a mentor from my first days on a job site.