NGage

What NGage does

NGage (legal name: Gage Area Growth Enterprise, DBA "NGage," previously known as "GAGE") is a county-wide economic development organization founded in 2012 and headquartered at 218 North 5th Street, Beatrice, Nebraska. It serves all 12 communities of Gage County — Beatrice, Adams, Barneston, Blue Springs, Clatonia, Cortland, Filley, Liberty, Odell, Pickrell, Virginia, and Wymore — with a stated mission of helping businesses start, grow, or relocate to the county while increasing economic opportunities for individuals and families through workforce skills development. Its four named target verticals are advanced manufacturing, logistics/distribution, healthcare-related businesses, and agriculture-related businesses (including ag processing, storage, distribution, and agriculture equipment).

NGage's core offerings are service-based rather than technology-based: site selection assistance, an available-buildings and available-sites inventory, an incentives directory, a personalized business action plan service, workforce data, a member business directory, community resources, and a Young Professionals program for Gage County. In 2021 NGage launched the Communities for Kids (C4K) initiative to address childcare shortages impacting workforce availability — the county was estimated to lose $5.8 million annually due to inadequate childcare affecting nearly 400 children aged 0–6, and over $700,000 has since been deployed into the local childcare industry via a Childcare Coordinator, direct provider payments and grants, and provider trainings. In Q4 2023 the program was spun out into a separate 501(c)(3), the Gage County Childcare Collaborative, with its own dedicated board.

The revenue model is non-profit and primarily membership-driven, organized into six tiers (Advocate, Associate, Catalyst, Champion, Founder, Leader) with Champion-level members including Black Hills Energy and Advocate-level members including Nebraska Public Power District. Funding is supplemented by state-level grants (e.g., Nebraska DHHS CCDBG Childcare Grants) and partnerships with the Nebraska Community Foundation and We Care for Kids. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; contact is via [email protected] or 402-228-5869. NGage has 1-10 employees, holds no patents or trademarks, is not an AI/ML-oriented entity, and has not disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or revenue figures. Its governance includes a Board of Directors and a Staff Advisory Committee, with named staff including Megan Wicht and Callie Smith.

Name

NGage

Legal name

Gage Area Growth Enterprise

Website

https://ngagegroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NGage (Gage Area Growth Enterprise) is a county-wide economic development organization headquartered in Beatrice, Nebraska, serving all 12 communities of Gage County by helping businesses start, grow, or relocate while advancing workforce development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Beatrice

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Programs: NGage operates with membership tiers (Advocate Member, Associate Member, Catalyst Member, Champion Member, Founder Member, Leader Member) suggesting membership-based revenue to support economic development activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NGage provides county-wide economic development services to businesses and community stakeholders in Gage County, Nebraska, including business attraction, retention, and expansion consulting; site selection assistance; incentives coordination; workforce development programs; and community-focused initiatives such as Communities for Kids (C4K) and the Young Professionals of Gage County program. Its offerings are structured around a tiered membership program (Advocate, Associate, Catalyst, Champion, Founder, Leader) that grants access to its action plans, site and incentives resources, and recognition opportunities for member organizations.

Product overview

NGage (Gage Area Growth Enterprise) is a county-wide economic development organization based in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform. NGage provides economic development services including workforce development support, business attraction and retention, housing initiatives, community resources, and childcare support through the Gage County Childcare Collaborative initiative. The organization maintains a business directory, offers site selection resources for businesses considering Gage County, and runs community programs such as the Young Professionals Gage County group. All offerings are service-based community development programs, not technology products or software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Communities for Kids (C4K): Initiative to address childcare shortages in Gage County, launched in 2021 as a workforce development program.

Products and services

• Business Attraction, Retention, and Expansion Consulting Personalized economic development consulting for companies considering new locations, expansions, or retention projects in Gage County, providing data, site information, incentives coordination, and introductions to local stakeholders.
• Site Selection and Available Properties Support Identification and presentation of available buildings, sites, and property options within Gage County supported by an online available buildings and sites database for prospective employers.
• Personalized Business Action Plan Customized roadmap delivered to businesses evaluating Gage County that catalogs relevant sites, buildings, incentives, workforce information, and community resources to support location and expansion decisions.
• Incentives Directory and Coordination Catalog and coordination support for local, state, and utility incentives applicable to business location and expansion projects in Gage County.
• Workforce Development Programs Programs and partnerships connecting member employers with workforce data, local K-12 and postsecondary education providers, and training resources to support hiring and talent pipeline development in Gage County.
• Communities for Kids (C4K) Initiative Community-facing initiative addressing childcare and early childhood education availability in Gage County, supporting employers' ability to recruit and retain working families in the region.
• Young Professionals of Gage County Program Community engagement, networking, and leadership program for emerging professionals residing in or relocating to Gage County that supports talent attraction and retention efforts of regional employers.
• Membership Program Tiered annual membership structure with named levels (Advocate, Associate, Catalyst, Champion, Founder, Leader) that provides local businesses, civic organizations, and partners with access to NGage programs, action plans, recognition, and convenings.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• City of BeatricecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and key municipal partner in Gage County economic development initiatives. City of Beatrice is one of only 38 Nebraska Communities Economic Development Certified through Nebraska Diplomats.
• Gage County, NEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and key county government partner supporting economic development across Gage County communities.
• Beatrice Area Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey community partner collaborating on economic development, workforce initiatives, and business support services in the Beatrice area.
• Beatrice Community Hospital & Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner in healthcare-related economic development and community health initiatives.
• Southeast Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner providing workforce development and training support for Gage County employers and residents.
• Nebraska Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide partner supporting the Gage County Communities for Kids (C4K) childcare initiative through funding and resources.
• We Care for KidscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide partner collaborating on childcare initiatives in Gage County.
• Nebraska Department of Health & Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partner supporting Communities for Kids initiatives through DHHS CCDBG Childcare Grants and regulatory support.
• Gage County Childcare CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 501(c)(3) organization launched from the Gage County Communities for Kids (C4K) initiative, spearheaded by NGage in 2021, dedicated to tackling ongoing childcare challenges to create positive outcomes for children, families, and the entire Gage County community.
• Main Street BeatricecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in downtown development and community revitalization projects, including the Paddock Building redevelopment initiative.
• Landmark SnacksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandmark Snacks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chad and Courtney Lottman, is partnering with Chomps to build a 160,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Gage County Industrial Park.
• Black Hills EnergymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Champion Member partner providing utility services and energy infrastructure support for Gage County economic development.
• Nebraska Public Power DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocate Member partner providing electrical utility infrastructure and services supporting Gage County industrial and business development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development: Lincoln, Nebraska's regional economic development organization. Directly comparable as a Nebraska-based EDO pursuing business attraction, retention, and workforce development across a defined geography.
• Kansas City Area Development Council: Regional EDO serving the Kansas City bi-state metro. Comparable as a Midwest EDO focused on attracting corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturing, and logistics operations.
• Greater Des Moines Partnership: Regional EDO for the Des Moines metro. Comparable as a Midwest regional economic development group pursuing business attraction and workforce initiatives across a defined geography.
• Greater Omaha Chamber: Omaha's combined chamber and economic development organization serving the Omaha metro. Closely comparable in mission, partnership model, and target industries (manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, ag tech) for the eastern Nebraska market.

Others

• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): Industry association for economic developers worldwide. Comparable as the membership and professional-development body that organizations like NGage belong to and benchmark against.
• Main Street America: National program supporting downtown and commercial-district revitalization in small and mid-sized communities. Comparable as a network partner for NGage's Paddock Building downtown-redevelopment initiative.

Broad incumbents

• Iowa Economic Development Authority: State-level EDO serving Iowa with business attraction, expansion, and community-development programs. Comparable as a broader public-sector counterpart operating across the same target industries.
• Nebraska Department of Economic Development: State-level economic development agency providing incentives, workforce programs, and site-selection support across Nebraska. Operates one tier above NGage and is a frequent funding and program partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ngagene_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ngagegroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/ngagene
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ngagene

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about NGage