Since its founding in 1973, the mission of Tartan Properties has been to bring the highest level of integrity and personalized service to the commercial real estate industry in Northern Virginia. Tartan Properties combines the exceptional service and expertise usually found in larger firms with the personalized relationship between client and real estate advisor that one expects from a small shop. From the beginning, Tartan Properties’s goal has been to represent and protect the best interests of our clients through creative solutions, sharp negotiations, and deep market expertise.
Commitment to our Community
Tartan Properties Commercial has a long tradition of philanthropy and community service with particular focus on education, literacy and youth sports. For 40 years, we have remained committed to being a positive influence in the communities we serve through our giving and volunteerism. As second-generation residents of Northern Virginia, we feel an extra responsibility to improve the area in which we grew up and now live.
In 2016, the Senior Services of Alexandria organization honored Mike along with his mother, Kitty Porterfield, and daughters Keely and Kirby Porterfield, at the Generation-to-Generation Gala for their longstanding service to the Alexandria community. The award highlights members in the community who exemplify how dedication and a passion for giving back can be passed down from generation to generation.
Organizations that TARTAN has supported through direct giving or volunteering include these:
The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria
Alexandria Police Foundation
The All-Night Row for the Wounded Warrior Project
Bike & Build
Carpenters Shelter
Capital Hospice
Movember-Supporting Men’s Cancer Initiatives
Senior Services of Alexandria
Alexandria City High School performing arts & athletics
Volunteer Alexandria
Move 2 Learn
Wilderness Kids Alexandria
Mike Porterfield presenting a scholarship award to a deserving T.C. Williams H.S. student at the 2012 Scholarship Fund of Alexandria Awards Night
Steve Beggs participates in the Movember fundraisers celebration after being named the top fundraiser in the Capital Region in 2011
History
Founded by Jovan Porterfield in 1973, TARTAN carved out a niche as a leading landlord representative in the Northern Virginia industrial commercial real estate market. When TARTAN began, Potomac Yard was an active rail yard, Alexandria was dotted with warehouse buildings, and Bailey’s Crossroads had a working airfield for small planes. Having guided his Cessna to that airstrip from his home in Texas, Jovan worked to establish a commercial real estate firm with an uprightness not always found in the industry. Jovan’s warm demeanor, quirky sense of humor, and dedication to doing honest business earned TARTAN a strong following in the industrial sector in his years running the company.
100 Block of King Street – 1967 and 2017
Photo credit for the 1967 photo: Cox Collection, Alexandria Library, Special Collections
Present and Future
Now in its second generation of leadership, TARTAN has expanded its services to meet the needs of a growing and diversified client base and a quickly changing landscape. Firmly grounded in tradition, TARTAN is proud to say it continues to serve several of its original clients.
While relationships have always been at the center of commercial real estate, technology now drives the industry. Information is gathered, processed and shared more quickly than ever before. TARTAN has long been on the leading edge of adopting marketing and communication tools for the commercial real industry in order to give their clients every advantage when they come to acquire or dispose of property. Like Jovan, Mike is an early adopter of technology which gathers and shares information with his clients.
Going forward, TARTAN will continue to offer clients a full range of brokerage and consulting services, including tenant representation, landlord representation, and buyer representation in Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax County. Our company’s growth will always remain client-focused, and we will continue to add resources and services to better serve our clients.
