Past Football Coach at Snow College & Southern Utah - Dave Porter

Dave Porter is a diamond exporter with Red Rock International Guinea.  Based in Utah, but dealing with product in West Africa, Porter faces many challenges with his job – a fact that excites him each day!

However, Dave Porter learned a great deal about overcoming challenges through his experiences as a football coach.  A former college-level football player, Porter knew the game inside and out – at least, he thought he did. 

Once he started coaching, however, Dave Porter began to see the game of football from a completely new perspective.  Standing on the sidelines as a coach at Snow College and then later on at Southern Utah University, Dave Porter learned some valuable lessons about dealing with challenges, problems, and other difficulties.

Today, Porter would like to share two of the lessons that he’s learned in the past…

• There’s more than one solution to every problem.  On the field, it might seem like there’s only one way out of a play or situation.  However, from the sidelines, Dave Porter found that it was easier to see a variety of solutions. Take a bird’s eye view, and options open up even more.  Dave Porter has found that the same is true of the importing/exporting business.
• Act instinctively and from experience.  Dave Porter knows that instinct guided him well while playing on the field.  As a coach, he was forced to make many crucial, split-second decisions.  When you don’t have the time for a more formal analysis, you have to be ready to think on your feet.  Dave Porter found that thinking on his feet as a football coach usually led to good results.  So far, it’s worked out well for him with Red Rock International Guinea.

While Porter has no plans of returning to his days of coaching, he’s always eager to apply past lessons from the experience to future endeavors.

Diamond Importing & Exporting With Dave Porter

If you’ve ever had a question about diamond importing or exporting, Dave Porter is the man you need to talk to.  Porter made a series of surprising career changes that took him from insurance salesman and football coach to rough and uncut diamond exporter in West Africa.

Currently, Dave Porter is licensed to export rough and uncut diamonds in Guinea and Liberia, as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  He does much of his work through Red Rock International Guinea.

Porter – who is based out of Utah – has found the business to be fun, challenging, and full of surprises.  Of course, working with regions on the other side of the world brings about its own unique set of challenges.  After all, when there’s a problem, Dave Porter can’t simply drive across town or walk downstairs to the manufacturing floor.

Rather, Dave Porter has had to develop top-notch communication and relationship skills in order to address any issues that might arise.  Because he’s frequently dealing with the challenges of time zones and language barriers, Dave Porter has learned the true value of clear communication.

Also, Porter feels fortunate to have RedRock International Guinea on his side as he navigates the sometimes-treacherous waters of the importing and exporting business.  Porter is licensed for selling rough uncut diamonds to anyone in the world.  He can orchestrate shipping and delivery so that his products get into the right hands at the right times.  But, again, when circumstances outside of his control result in something going wrong, Porter has to rely on his skills in diplomacy.

If you’re interested in learning more about the rough diamond exporting business, Dave Porter recommends reading up on Red Rock International Guinea and the literature produced by the diamond exporting business.  It’s a relatively small business, but if you’re good at it, you can be quite successful.