The Last Word – Portia Large

WORDS: Poria Large PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

She can’t stop – or doesn’t seem to anyway. This former Whitsundays water baby who grew up sailing and scuba diving is no longer on island time.

PORTIA Large still loves to indulge her passion for water sports but this one-time surfing body double for Hollywood A-lister Blake Lively is now just as well known for growing and protecting reputations via her public relations firm, LMPR Group. LMPR’s clientele spans arange of the Gold Coast’s most influential operators.

To name a few, LMPR is working with entertainment moguls Tony and Thea Cochrane, who have toured The Rolling Stones, created the international V8 Supercars category and are set to launch SX Global HQ here on the Gold Coast; brokers of the world’s finest assets, including super yachts Torrens Luxury Collection; Australia’s most unique entertainment destination the Pink Flamingo; and the Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation.

LMPR director Portia’s scope is impressive. More recently, her interest in property led her to establish BEDROC Group. BEDROC is an end-to-end project marketing, publicity and sales suite for premium residential developers. ORM sat down with Portia Large for The Last Word.

 

Why public relations?

My work has brought me countless privileges. I have traveled widely and explored Australia professionally. I have met talented and passionate entrepreneurs in the property, marine, arts, hospitality, community and charity sectors. Many of them became clients; a number of them became friends. Crucially, I have been introduced to incredible projects that shaped who I am today.

 

Why is the Gold Coast your ideal home base?

The Gold Coast remains a celebration of those who continue to push the boundaries, creating infrastructure and opportunities for everyone to prosper. So much has been accomplished in the last few years. I’m excited to see what the next chapter holds, the prosperity we can enjoy – as industries, as businesses and, most importantly, as people. This place is the perfect playground for those who seek to maximise life – work hard and indulge their passions – myself included.

 

What inspired you to establish BEDROC?

For many years, LMPR has been working in and around the property sector. During that time I have come to feel we are at a crossroads in this country. We need to put serious thought into the planning we do today if we’re to continue to enjoy the famous Australian quality of life tomorrow.

 

At the end of the day, as nice as it is to stand back and admire an aesthetic building, the real measure of success, and what really matters, is how people interact and engage with it. This normally happens at a street level or on the ground plane. How a structure complements and evolves with the surrounding community and landscape is also crucial. With this in mind, the philosophy behind BEDROC was conceptualised to help developers better communicate and connect with their community.

Passion is something I love about the property industry. People with great aspirations, intentions and ambitions work in this field but their efforts are not always fully realised because of economic and regulatory factors. More money, intelligence, imagination, craftsmanship and emotion needs to be invested into our cities and suburbs to achieve the highest quality of living.

 

How can we achieve a better quality of life via property development?

We must look more overtly at how spaces are used, analysing who’s there, who’d like to be there, what’s there already and what needs to be put in place to meet the needs of the community, the commercial sector, residents and visitors. Along the way, we can demonstrate that, whether you’re talking about community, branding or destination marketing, each discipline is required when creating destinations that meet the needs of different people across various geographic and cultural places.

 

What do you feel is most important to grow destination Gold Coast?

Creative prosperity. Now is the time to invest in and support Australia to become one of the world’s most creative nations. By encouraging creative hubs, we can grow diverse industries at local and regional levels, providing more jobs, education and opportunities. Business typically looks at creativity as an afterthought rather than a driver of growth and understanding. It’s seen as the icing on the cake. But what if it was the cake too? A recipe for better living?

 

Define better living?

Connection, creativity and vitality. Each and every person is endowed with an incredible capacity for innovation, a by-product of the innate human capability to evolve and adapt. Creative capital is a virtually limitless resource.

 

Favourite place on the Coast?

The Gold Coast is a constant source of inspiration. I feel most alive behind the breakers, looking back at our city skyline – it’s a timeless joy for me. I see the Gold Coast as Australia’s Hollywood for film production, Fort Lauderdale for big boats and home to the most tightly held real estate in Queensland.