Upon finishing college, Bortz became a teacher at Country Day for sixth-grade English and 8th grade Philosophy and served as the Dean of Faculty for Summerbridge Cincinnati,[4] a summer school program designed to give academically qualified, underprivileged students the opportunity to advance their education in a rigorous, nurturing academic environment.
After graduating from law school at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Bortz moved to Cincinnati and joined Towne Properties (a real estate developer) as General Counsel and Special Projects Director.
[6] In May 2006, he signed onto a motion along with Laketa Cole that created an automatic tax exemption for LEED Certified Silver, Gold, or Platinum standards in order to encourage more sustainable development in Cincinnati.
[7] He has also been a major advocate for shared services, sitting on the steering committee for GCEP (Government Cooperation and Efficiency Project)[8] In April 2008, Bortz signed onto the motion that moved for $50,000 be allocated for a professional services contact with the Regional Planning Commission in order to match Hamilton County's $50,000.
As the motion stated, "the Port Authority will become the catalytic development corporation tasked with concentrating development expertise and financial resources required to implement GO Cincinnati, creating jobs and private investment in the City of Cincinnati.