South Eastern Council of Governments

What South Eastern Council of Governments does

South Eastern Council of Governments (SECOG) is a voluntary association of county and municipal governments in southeastern South Dakota, established in 1970 by Governor Frank Farrar's executive order and headquartered in Sioux Falls. It serves six counties (Clay, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Turner, and Union) and 40 municipalities, functioning as the designated regional planning and development district and as administrative staff for the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Planning Organization. SECOG is led by President & CEO Lynne Keller Forbes, who has held the role since 2001, and currently operates with approximately 15 staff.

SECOG's core service portfolio includes project development (grant and loan application assistance across DANR, SDDOT, GOED, EDA, USDA, and other state and federal programs), land use planning, pre-disaster mitigation planning, comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping. The GIS capability is the organization's primary technical asset, maintaining a public road inventory of approximately 7,630 miles across the six-county region using GPS-collected centerline data, updated annually and archived with SDDOT. SECOG also acts as Regional Technical Assistance Provider for the North Central USDA Regional Food Business Center and administers the SS4A Regional Safety Action Plan.

The business model is a non-profit government planning district funded through voluntary membership dues from member counties and municipalities, state and federal grants, and contractual services. SECOG is the staffing entity for two wholly-affiliated organizations it created: the South Eastern Development Foundation (SEDF, 2002), a regional revolving loan fund and 502 Home Loan Partnership program, and Dakota Business Finance (DBF, 2006), a certified SBA 504 development company operating statewide in South Dakota and in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, as services are provided through grant and government funding channels rather than commercial contracts.

Name

South Eastern Council of Governments

Legal name

South Eastern Council of Governments

Website

https://secog.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South Eastern Council of Governments is a voluntary association of county and municipal governments in southeastern South Dakota, serving six counties and 40 municipalities with regional planning, GIS, grant administration, and disaster mitigation services, and providing staff for SBA 504 and revolving loan affiliates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SECOG is a voluntary association of county and municipal governments. Membership is voluntary with dues supporting operational costs.
2. State and Federal Funding: SECOG receives funding from state and federal government sources, including various grant programs and contractual services for government agencies.
3. Contractual Services: SECOG performs various services under contractual basis, including serving as staff for sister organizations Dakota Business Finance and South Eastern Development Foundation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SECOG is a regional planning and development district that serves as a voluntary association of county and municipal governments in southeastern South Dakota. The organization delivers a portfolio of professional services including grant and loan application assistance, land use and zoning planning, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping, pre-disaster mitigation planning, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), Regional Food Business Center technical assistance, and Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) safety action planning. SECOG also provides staff support to its sister organizations, South Eastern Development Foundation (SEDF) and Dakota Business Finance (DBF), which administer revolving loan funds and SBA 504 loans.

Product overview

SECOG is a regional planning and development district that serves as a voluntary association of county and municipal governments in southeastern South Dakota. The organization provides a portfolio of planning and development services including Project Development (grant and loan application assistance), Land Use Planning, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Pre-Disaster Mitigation Planning, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), Regional Food Business Center (RFBC), and Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A). SECOG also serves as administrative staff for two sister organizations: Dakota Business Finance (offering SBA 504 loan programs) and South Eastern Development Foundation (regional revolving loan fund). The services work together to facilitate responsible community planning and economic development across Clay, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Turner, and Union Counties and 40 municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Development Services Grant and loan application assistance and administration services for member communities, covering funding sources from South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, South Dakota Department of Transportation, US Economic Development Administration, Governor's Office of Economic Development, USDA Rural Development, and other federal and state programs.
• Land Use Planning General planning technical assistance for member communities including development of comprehensive plans, zoning and subdivision regulations, and municipal ordinances.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) GIS mapping services producing land use maps, zoning maps, voting wards, environmental constraints, disaster preparation maps, utilities, community directories, and ownership parcels. Maintains public road inventory for six-county service area using GPS to collect centerline information for approximately 7,630 miles of roads, with annual updates archived with SDDOT in geodatabase format.
• Pre-Disaster Mitigation Planning Multi-jurisdictional pre-disaster mitigation planning services that identify hazards, assess risks, and develop mitigation strategies with goals, objectives, and action steps to minimize damages from identified hazards.
• Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Strategy-driven regional economic development planning that guides economic prosperity and resiliency, establishing regional capacity for individual, firm, and community success. CEDS is required to be updated every five years for EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance program eligibility.
• Regional Food Business Center (RFBC) Technical assistance provider for the North Central USDA Regional Food Business Center, focused on expanding small and mid-sized agricultural value chains in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Services include value chain coordination, supply and demand expansion, business planning, and grant application assistance for food producers and farm businesses.
• Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Regional safety action planning for transportation infrastructure safety improvements across member communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maintains road inventory for 7,630 miles of roads across six counties
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and standard.

• North Central USDA Regional Food Business CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023SECOG serves as Regional Technical Assistance Provider for the North Central USDA Regional Food Business Center, which focuses on expanding small and mid-sized agricultural value chains in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. SECOG assists with developing regional Action Plans, value chain coordination, and helping food producers navigate financial assistance.
• Dakota Business Finance (DBF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006DBF is a certified development company created by SECOG in 2006 offering SBA's 504 loan program statewide and to companies in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. SECOG serves as staff for the organization.
• South Eastern Development Foundation (SEDF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002SEDF is a regional revolving loan fund created by SECOG in 2002 to assist individuals wanting to create or expand a business in the region. SECOG serves as staff for the Foundation. The Foundation also provides financing through the 502 Home Loan Partnership program for home purchases.
• South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECOG assists member communities in applying for and administering grants and loans from DANR's Board of Water and Natural Resources, including drinking water, sanitary/sewer, solid waste, and watershed restoration funding.
• South Dakota Department of Transportation (SD DOT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECOG assists member communities in applying for transportation grants including Economic Development Grants, Bridge Improvement Grants, and Transportation Alternatives Program. SECOG also contracts with SDDOT to maintain public road inventory.
• US Economic Development Administration (EDA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECOG assists members in applying for Economic Adjustment Assistance funding. EDA assistance requires CEDS updates every five years; SECOG CEDS qualifies region for EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs and Economic Development District designation.
• South Dakota Game Fish and ParksstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECOG assists member communities in applying for recreational trails and land water conservation fund grants.
• South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECOG assists members with applying and administering grants including Community Development Block Grant (CDBG up to $2,020,000) and Local Infrastructure Improvement Program (LIIP).
• South Dakota Office of Emergency ManagementstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECOG assists members in applying for Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants including Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities (BRIC) grants.
• USDA Rural DevelopmentstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECOG assists members in applying for Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program and Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program.
• Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)/Urbanized Development CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECOG provides staff for the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization in the Sioux Falls urbanized area, which is the Urbanized Development Commission (UDC). SECOG maintains the administrative arm of the MPO for transportation planning.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First District Association of Local Governments: One of South Dakota's six statutorily created planning and development districts, covering the northeastern counties. Direct structural peer to SECOG with the same executive-order mandate, membership model, and grant administration role in its region.
• Third District Planning Council (SD): Another of South Dakota's six regional planning districts, serving the James River basin counties. Same statutory framework, member-government model, and federal grant administration scope as SECOG, making it a near-identical operating peer.
• Sioux Falls Metropolitan Planning Organization: The MPO for the Sioux Falls urbanized area, for which SECOG already serves as administrative staff. Highly comparable transportation planning, GIS, and federally funded regional coordination function.
• Dakota Business Finance: Sister organization of SECOG offering SBA 504 loans statewide in South Dakota and into IA/MN/NE. Operates with SECOG staff, so it shares the same back office, leadership, and economic development mandate as SECOG.
• South Eastern Development Foundation (SEDF): Sister organization of SECOG, established in 2002 to provide regional revolving loan funds and the 502 Home Loan Partnership. Shares staff, board leadership, and small-business financing focus with SECOG.
• Councils of Governments — National Association of Regional Councils members (broader US COG peer set): The broader cohort of U.S. councils of governments (e.g., smaller rural and mid-sized COGs serving multi-county regions) operates with the same statutory mandate, federal funding access, and member-government model as SECOG, and represents the closest structural peers nationally.

Others

• National Association of Regional Councils (NARC): National membership body for U.S. regional councils of governments. Comparable in the membership-organization model and convening role for COGs like SECOG, though NARC is an advocacy and training body rather than a service-delivery district.

Broad incumbents

• Mid-America Regional Council (MARC): Regional council serving the Kansas City bi-state metro area with transportation, GIS, hazard mitigation, and economic development planning. Same COG service lines as SECOG but at much larger scale and with a metropolitan focus.
• Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG): Regional planning body for the Denver metro area offering transportation, environmental, GIS, and economic development services. Operates the same COG model as SECOG but at significantly larger scale and budget.

Regional players

• South Dakota Association of County Officials: Statewide membership association for South Dakota county governments. Comparable in membership-organization structure and county-government service orientation, though statewide rather than regional and not focused on planning and grant administration.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-eastern-council-of-governments

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about South Eastern Council of Governments