South County Economic Development Council

What South County Economic Development Council does

South County Economic Development Council (SCEDC) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit economic development organization founded in 1989/1990 and headquartered in National City, California. It serves as the regional convening body for seven South County San Diego communities — including the City of San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, County of San Diego, and East Otay Mesa — alongside the State of Baja California, Mexico, leveraging proximity to one of the world's busiest international land borders. Its core service offerings span business attraction and retention, workforce development, government relations and policy advocacy, site selection and incentives advisory, and demographic/business intelligence research via white papers and an interactive location-finder and demographics search platform.

The organization is not a technology company; its product surface consists of four flagship annual events (Economic Summit, Infrastructure Forum, Binational Forum, and South County Leadership Program), a tiered membership program (5 tiers from $400 to $6,000 annually), four levels of annual corporate sponsorships ($7,000 to $30,000), workforce training programs (including ETP Automotive Technical Training), and financial services such as SCEDC Loan Programs and microbusiness grants. Revenue derives from three streams: recurring membership dues, recurring event sponsorship packages, and tax-deductible donations, with all three functioning on annual subscription cycles.

SCEDC's go-to-market is event-driven and relationship-based, with distribution through direct outreach to regional businesses, governments, and member cities, supported by a digital presence (website, email newsletter, social channels across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X). Its customer base spans small and medium businesses, large enterprise sponsors (including Wells Fargo, US Bank, SDG&E, Scripps, Sharp, and Cox), municipal and county government agencies, cross-border/binational entities, and educational institutions (notably Southwestern College). Key strategic partners include the City of National City, City of Chula Vista, City of San Diego, Port of San Diego, SANDAG, County of San Diego, and California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC).

Name

South County Economic Development Council

Legal name

South County Economic Development Council

Website

https://southcountyedc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South County Economic Development Council is a 501(c)(6) non-profit founded in 1989/1990 that drives economic growth across South County San Diego and Baja California through business attraction, workforce development, government relations, and major annual events, funded via tiered memberships, event sponsorships, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business attraction programs
• Workforce development training
• Binational trade facilitation
• Regional economic advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chula Vista

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 Fees: Annual membership dues ranging from $400 for Small Business Advocate tier up to $6,000 for Visionary Leader tier, providing varying levels of access, recognition, and consulting services.
2. Event Sponsorships: Annual sponsorship packages for major events including Platinum ($30,000), Gold ($20,000), Silver ($12,500), and Bronze ($7,000) tiers with varying levels of visibility and recognition.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible contributions to support economic development programs, described as 100% tax-deductible gifts that fuel programs creating opportunity and strengthening communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

South County Economic Development Council (SCEDC) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit economic development organization that delivers business attraction and retention services, workforce development programming, government relations advocacy, and binational trade facilitation across seven South County San Diego communities and Baja California. Its sellable offerings include tiered annual membership programs, annual corporate sponsorship packages, signature recurring events, workforce training programs, small business loan programs, research publications, and online business intelligence tools. Revenue is generated through membership dues, event sponsorships, and tax-deductible donations.

Product overview

South County Economic Development Council (SCEDC) is a nonprofit economic development organization that does not offer a technology product platform. Instead, SCEDC provides a suite of economic development services including membership programs with five tiers (Small Business Advocate through Visionary Leader), annual sponsorship packages at four levels (Bronze through Platinum), signature events (Economic Summit, Infrastructure Forum, Binational Forum), workforce development programs (South County Leadership Program, ETP Automotive Technical Training), financial programs (SCEDC Loan Programs, microbusiness grants up to $2,500), research publications (White Paper Studies), and business tools (Business Intelligence Tools, demographics search, location finder). The organization focuses on long-term economic growth by attracting new business, supporting local companies, and encouraging positive community enhancement in the South County San Diego region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Programs Five-tier annual membership program for businesses and organizations in South County San Diego: Small Business Advocate ($400/year, includes directory profile), Community Supporter ($1,000/year, includes studies and 2 representatives), Regional Connector ($2,200/year, includes Economic Summit pass, logo, consulting hours, committee invitations), Corporate Partner ($3,500/year, includes 6 summit passes, newsletter ad, committee access), and Visionary Leader ($6,000/year, includes 8 summit passes, lunch table, board presentations, unlimited consulting). Sold to local businesses, corporations, and government entities seeking regional visibility and access.
• Annual Corporate Sponsorship Packages Four-tier annual sponsorship package for SCEDC's signature events: Bronze Partner ($7,000/year, recognition at all events plus Small Business Advocate membership), Silver Partner ($12,500/year, program listings and signage plus Community Supporter membership), Gold Partner ($20,000/year, logo display at all events plus Regional Connector or Corporate membership), and Platinum Partner ($30,000/year, title recognition, keynote opportunity, full print/digital/social placement plus Corporate membership). Sold to large corporations and major regional employers.
• Economic Summit SCEDC's flagship annual conference convening regional business leaders, government officials, and community stakeholders to discuss the economic outlook, workforce development, and cross-border opportunities. Includes keynote speakers, panel discussions, and structured networking sessions. Sponsorship and ticket revenue are bundled into the Annual Corporate Sponsorship Packages and membership tiers.
• Infrastructure Forum Annual forum bringing together infrastructure operators, contractors, regulators, and advisors to discuss development opportunities in the South County San Diego region, including cross-border transportation and port infrastructure.
• Binational Forum Annual forum focused on regional influences, communications, and partnerships derived from the binational nature of South County, connecting businesses, governments, and residents across the US-Mexico border.
• South County Leadership Program Workforce and leadership development program designed to cultivate future leaders within the South County community, delivered as a recurring cohort program.
• ETP Automotive Technical Training Workforce training program focused on the automotive industry sector, delivered as part of California's Employment Training Panel (ETP) initiatives to upskill regional workers.
• SCEDC Loan Programs Loan programs providing financing options for South County businesses, including contracted administration of municipal small business loan and microbusiness grant programs (e.g., the 2020 National City CARES Act-funded Small Business Loan Program and microbusiness grants up to $2,500). Administered on behalf of city partners.
• White Paper Studies Original research publications covering topics such as the automotive industry's economic impact in South County, community college district profiles, and regional economic analysis, intended to support grant writing, strategic planning, and policy advocacy.
• Business Assistance Service Consultative service offering location assistance, talent recruitment support, incentives information, and connections to regional resources for South County businesses considering expansion or relocation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Brown Field Airport redevelopment projected to generate $1.5 billion economic impact and 2,500 jobs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 minor.

• City of National CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2020SCEDC was contracted by the City of National City to facilitate their Small Business Loan Program funded with $200,000 in CARES Act funding. SCEDC helped streamline the underwriting process and received over 85 applications within hours of launch.
• California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CMTC to perform outreach to the manufacturing sector in South County San Diego. The collaboration focuses on assisting manufacturers in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, working in conjunction with the US Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
• Southwestern CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner for workforce development initiatives, with SCEDC supporting programs at Southwestern Community College District. The organizations work together on workforce needs assessment and educational programming.
• SANDAGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with San Diego Association of Governments on regional infrastructure projects including Otay II Port of Entry updates and border transportation solutions.
• Junior Achievement of San DiegominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing internship opportunities through the JA Fellows Program, connecting South County students to the business community through year-long leadership and work-based learning.
• City of Chula VistacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor member city and partner in economic development initiatives, home ownership forums, and infrastructure projects including UniverCity development.
• City of San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner city and investor in South County economic development, including Brown Field Airport redevelopment and port infrastructure.
• Port of San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey infrastructure partner in South County, with collaboration on port development, small business inclusion summits, and sustainability initiatives including electric tugboat charging stations.
• County of San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government partner supporting economic development, infrastructure forums, and workforce development initiatives in South County.
• California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with MEP Centers, National Association of Manufacturers, The Manufacturing Institute, and federal agency partners to celebrate manufacturing and provide workforce opportunities.
• MAAC ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCEDC member and partner in affordable housing initiatives, including support for Ventana al Sur senior housing community in San Ysidro.
• San Diego Rescue MissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue partner for Binational Forum 2024 at the National City South County Lighthouse location.
• HomeFedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing development partner, with SCEDC supporting Cota Vera groundbreaking providing hundreds of affordable homes in Chula Vista.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce: Overlapping San Diego business-membership and advocacy nonprofit; competes with SCEDC for small-business and corporate memberships, runs networking events, and engages in policy advocacy, with a broader county-wide footprint versus SCEDC's South County focus.
• Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce: Hyper-local chamber/EDO operating inside SCEDC's footprint (Otay Mesa is one of SCEDC's seven communities); competing for member dues and event sponsorship from the same logistics, manufacturing, and cross-border trade base.
• San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation: Direct regional peer: another nonprofit economic development organization serving the broader San Diego region, competing for the same corporate sponsors, city partnerships, and infrastructure projects, and mirroring SCEDC's three-pillar model (business attraction, workforce, advocacy).
• San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce: Another binational chamber immediately adjacent to SCEDC's border geography; comparable dual-customer-base model (US side businesses plus cross-border trade and tourism) and similar micro-grant/loan-adjacent support services.
• Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation: Regional EDC peer in neighboring Imperial County; runs the same nonprofit economic-development playbook (business attraction, workforce, advocacy, events) for a smaller binational region, making it a close operational analogue to SCEDC.
• National City Chamber of Commerce: City-level chamber that competes with SCEDC for small-business memberships and event sponsors in National City, one of SCEDC's anchor communities; comparable programming (mixers, advocacy, business assistance).

Regional players

• Orange County Business Council: California county-level business advocacy and economic development nonprofit; comparable membership-plus-sponsorship funding model and policy advocacy role, but operating in a much larger and more affluent Orange County market.

Broad incumbents

• Bay Area Council Economic Institute: Research and policy arm of a regional business council; comparable nonprofit EDC model driven by corporate dues and producing white papers, policy briefs, and conferences, but at a substantially larger regional scale.
• Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC): Large, established nonprofit EDC in Los Angeles; same functional pillars (business attraction, workforce, policy) and similar binational/US-Mexico border awareness through the CaliBaja Mega Region collaboration, but at materially greater scale than SCEDC.

Others

• San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG): Regional government planning agency that is simultaneously SCEDC's infrastructure partner (Otay II Port of Entry) and a related institutional actor in transportation and economic-development planning for the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SouthCountyEDC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SouthCountyEDC/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthCountyEDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-county-economic-development-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/southcountyedc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 South County Economic Development Council