West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District (WCAPDD)

What West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District (WCAPDD) does

West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District (WCAPDD) is a private, not-for-profit economic development corporation incorporated in 1967 as one of eight statutorily created economic development districts in the State of Arkansas. WCAPDD serves the ten-county West Central Arkansas region — Johnson, Pope, Conway, Yell, Perry, Montgomery, Garland, Hot Spring, Pike, and Clark counties — delivering grant preparation and administration services to member cities and counties for public improvement projects (water, wastewater, industrial parks, senior centers, parks, fire stations) and workforce development services through a network of three Arkansas Workforce Centers (Comprehensive in Hot Springs; Affiliate in Russellville and Morrilton).

The organization operates four core service lines: Community and Economic Development (grant writing, administration, technical assistance, plus a Revolving Loan Fund for small businesses); Workforce Development (WIOA Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Worker programs, Career Readiness Certificate credentialing, job readiness workshops, business services for employers); Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Relief (CDBG Disaster Funding, EDA grants, FEMA HMGP administration); and the Tri-Lakes Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), a federally mandated branch coordinating transportation planning in the Hot Springs metropolitan area with FHWA, FTA, ARDOT, and the City of Hot Springs. WCAPDD does not offer a proprietary technology platform; its technology footprint consists of a standard website (wcapdd.org), a Virtual Career Center portal, and standard government/community development tools. There is no API, SDK, or mobile app described.

WCAPDD's business model is grant-funded: revenue flows primarily from federal pass-through allocations (WIOA Title I-B, EPA, EDA, CDBG, FEMA), state-administered programs (ADWS, ADEM, ARDOT), and municipal member dues. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization is governed by a 33-member board (21 local elected officials and 12 private citizens) and employs between 11 and 50 staff across its headquarters and three workforce center locations. Notable recent awards include a FY23 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant of $500,000 (June 2023, performance period October 2023 – September 2027) for environmental revitalization of historic properties in downtown Hot Springs.

Name

West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District (WCAPDD)

Legal name

West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Inc.

Website

https://wcapdd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WCAPDD is a 1967-founded, non-profit economic development corporation providing grant administration, workforce development, transportation planning (Tri-Lakes MPO), and hazard mitigation services to member cities and counties across a ten-county region in West Central Arkansas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Economic Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Workforce development programs
• Grant administration services
• Regional transportation planning
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hot Springs Village

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants: WCAPDD receives federal funding through programs such as the EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant ($500,000) for environmental revitalization projects. The organization also administers WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) Title I-B funds for workforce development programs.
2. Grant Administration Services: WCAPDD provides grant preparation and administration services to member communities, helping cities and counties obtain funding for public improvement projects including infrastructure such as water, wastewater, and industrial park improvements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WCAPDD is a not-for-profit economic development corporation that provides grant preparation, grant administration, and technical assistance to its member cities and counties across a ten-county region in West Central Arkansas. Its core offerings cover community and economic development (water, wastewater, industrial parks, public facilities), workforce development programs under WIOA (Adult, Youth, Dislocated Worker), the federally mandated Tri-Lakes Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation planning, hazard mitigation and disaster relief administration, and brownfield environmental site assessment services.

Product overview

West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District (WCAPDD) is a government non-profit organization established in 1967 that provides a portfolio of public services across ten counties in Arkansas. Rather than a unified technology platform, WCAPDD offers distinct programs including: Workforce Development Programs (Adult, Youth, Dislocated Worker programs under WIOA); Community & Economic Development (grant writing/administration, brownfield assessment); Hazard Mitigation & Disaster Relief; Tri-Lakes Metropolitan Planning Organization (transportation planning); and a network of Arkansas Workforce Centers. These programs operate independently with some shared resources (staff, offices) but are not integrated into a single software platform. Supporting services include a Virtual Career Center, Career Readiness Certificate program, job readiness workshops, and business services for employers. The organization does not offer a technology product or SaaS platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tri-Lakes MPO: A federally mandated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) responsible for coordinating transportation projects in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Transportation. It allocates federal transportation funds for projects that improve the region's transportation system. The Tri-Lakes MPO is a branch of WCAPDD.

Products and services

• Workforce Development Programs Comprehensive workforce development services under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) including job readiness workshops, career counseling, occupational skills training, and access to Arkansas Workforce Centers across ten counties. Designed for adults, youth (ages 16-24), and dislocated workers.
• Adult Program (WIOA) WIOA Adult program assisting participants aged 18+ in locating stable employment in high-demand fields through career advisors, occupational skills training, and job placement services.
• Youth Program (WIOA Title IB) WIOA Title IB Youth Program serving out-of-school youth ages 16-24, providing vocational training, career pathway preparation, and services to help youth enter post-secondary education, training, or employment.
• Dislocated Worker Program (WIOA) WIOA Dislocated Worker Program offering training and employment assistance to qualified workers who have been laid off or unemployed due to no fault of their own.
• Arkansas Workforce Centers Physical workforce centers providing job search assistance, career exploration, labor market information, and access to workforce services. Centers located in Hot Springs (Comprehensive), Russellville (Affiliate), and Morrilton (Affiliate).
• Community & Economic Development Grant writing, grant administration, and technical assistance services for public works projects including industrial parks, water/wastewater systems, fire departments, daycare centers, senior centers, and recreational facilities across ten counties.
• Brownfield Project EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant program enabling environmental site assessments (Phase I & II ESA), cleanup planning, and revitalization of properties in Hot Springs and surrounding areas. Total funding: $500,000 (October 2023 - September 2027).
• Tri-Lakes Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Federally mandated transportation planning organization coordinating transportation projects and allocating federal transportation funds. Responsible for the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).
• Hazard Mitigation & Disaster Relief Disaster relief assistance including CDBG Disaster Funding, EDA grants, and FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs (HMGP). Provides mitigation planning and emergency management support for ten counties.
• Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Regional economic development planning document required for federal funding eligibility. Updated and maintained by WCAPDD staff and submitted annually to the Economic Development Administration.
• Virtual Career Center Online portal providing career resources, job search tools, resume assistance, and links to training resources including GCFLearnFree, Google Workspace training, Microsoft Learn, and LinkedIn Learning.
• Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) Program ACT WorkKeys-based credentialing program (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze levels) measuring workplace skills in Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information. Includes job profiling services for employers.
• Business Services Employer services including job postings, screening, Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate information, meeting space, tax credit guidance, Work Opportunity Tax Credit support, and job fair organization.
• Job Readiness Workshops Workshops covering resume creation, application completion, interview basics, and financial literacy to equip job seekers with skills needed to secure employment.
• WCAPDD Revolving Loan Fund Private sector assistance program providing loan capital to small businesses in the West Central Arkansas region.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADWS serves as the One Stop Operator for the West Central Arkansas Workforce Development Area, consortium lead for workforce services delivery across the region.
• Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARDOT is a key planning partner for the Tri-Lakes MPO, working with WCAPDD to allocate federal transportation funds for regional transportation improvements.
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFHWA is a planning partner for the Tri-Lakes MPO, providing federal oversight and guidance for metropolitan transportation planning processes.
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFTA is a planning partner for the Tri-Lakes MPO, involved in transit planning and Hot Springs Intracity Transit programs including TAM and PTASP plans.
• City of Hot SpringscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Hot Springs is a key planning partner including Hot Springs Intracity Transit (HSIT) for transportation planning in the Tri-Lakes MPO region.
• Garland CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGarland County is a planning partner for the Tri-Lakes MPO, collaborating on transportation projects and regional planning initiatives.
• National Park CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner through MOU for workforce development and training services, helping connect students with career pathways.
• ASU Three RiversminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner through MOU for workforce development and training services.
• UACCM (University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner through MOU providing admission, adult education, and WAGE program services for workforce training.
• CASS Job CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce training partner through MOU for providing job corps training services.
• Arkansas Economic Development CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADEC provides CDBG Disaster Funding for communities affected by presidential disaster declarations, administered through WCAPDD.
• Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADEM administers the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) in Arkansas, working with WCAPDD to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after major disaster declarations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• North Central Arkansas Council of Governments: Arkansas EDA peer covering north central counties under the same enabling framework. Operates parallel workforce development boards and grant administration programs in a similarly rural geography.
• Metroplan (Central Arkansas Planning and Development District): Arkansas EDA district covering the Little Rock metropolitan region. Operates both as an EDA district and as the MPO for the capital area, providing a directly comparable workforce/community/MPO service portfolio to WCAPDD.
• Northeast Arkansas Regional Planning Commission: Another Arkansas EDA peer delivering the same suite of workforce, community development, transportation planning, and hazard mitigation services across its multi-county northeast Arkansas region under parallel state and federal frameworks.
• Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District: Sister EDA district covering southeast Arkansas counties. Delivers the same workforce, community, and economic development services and competes with WCAPDD for the same federal funding streams under the Arkansas EDA framework.
• Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District: Sister EDA district in Arkansas covering southwest counties. Shares the same statutory mandate, federal program portfolios (WIOA, EDA, CDBG), and rural economic-development service model as WCAPDD.
• Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission: Arkansas EDA peer serving Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll counties. Operates under the same state/federal framework as WCAPDD but in the higher-growth NWA region, making it a comparable for service model and program scale benchmarks.
• West Arkansas Planning and Development District: Adjacent Arkansas EDA district serving western Arkansas counties. Direct competitor for federal allocations and replicates WCAPDD's workforce development, community development, and planning service mix.
• East Arkansas Planning and Development District: One of the other eight Arkansas EDA districts chartered under the same enabling legislation. Provides identical grant administration, workforce development, and community planning services across its eastern Arkansas counties, making it the most direct structural peer.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Development Organizations (NADO): National membership association representing the 540+ EDA-designated regional development organizations across the country. Provides advocacy, training, and program frameworks that all Arkansas EDA districts (including WCAPDD) operate within.
• Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS): State-level workforce agency that serves as One Stop Operator for Arkansas Workforce Centers. WCAPDD delivers WIOA programs under ADWS oversight, making it the statewide counterpart and funder/regulator relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wcapdd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-central-arkansas-planning-and-development-district-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District (WCAPDD)