Portage County Business Council

What Portage County Business Council does

The Portage County Business Council, Inc. is a nonprofit Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization serving businesses in Portage County, Wisconsin, with headquarters at 5501 Vern Holmes Drive in Stevens Point. The organization operates as a membership-based entity supporting local businesses in Stevens Point, Plover, Amherst, and surrounding communities through a portfolio of services including a searchable online member directory, a public event calendar, leadership training programs (Leadership Portage County, Teen Leadership, Partners in Education, and Ignite), a Portage County gift certificate program, and the Monday Mornings with Mike weekly video series. Networking is operationalized through the Business X-Change morning sessions and member events, while economic development resources include property search tools, community data, and business park information.

The council's underlying technology stack is built on GrowthZone, a SaaS membership management platform that powers the member portal, event management, business directory, digital magazine, and website CMS. The organization does not develop proprietary technology, offer APIs, or maintain mobile applications. Revenue is generated through recurring annual membership fees and a tiered ASPIRE sponsorship program that anchors support from regional enterprise sponsors including Sentry, Delta Dental, Associated Bank, Skyward, McCain, Holiday Inn, and rad productions. The council's go-to-market relies on website-driven membership enrollment, a member referral program, an ambassador program, and in-person field engagement across the county.

Name

Portage County Business Council

Legal name

Portage County Business Council, Inc.

Website

https://portagecountybiz.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Portage County Business Council is a nonprofit Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization serving Portage County, Wisconsin businesses through membership services, networking events, leadership training, and community economic development resources anchored by a tiered sponsorship program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chamber of Commerce / Business Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Chamber of commerce
• Business networking
• Economic development
• Leadership training
• Business advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Stevens Point

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: The organization generates revenue through annual membership fees from local businesses in Portage County. Members receive benefits including promotional opportunities, event access, networking, and visibility through the organization's platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Portage County Business Council functions as a local Chamber of Commerce serving businesses across Portage County, Wisconsin. It sells annual memberships and delivers networking events, leadership development programming (Leadership Portage County), community forums (Business X-Change, Monday Mornings with Mike), and promotional programs such as Portage County Gift Certificates and Hot Deals. Its core purpose is to advocate for, connect, and develop the local business community.

Product overview

The Portage County Business Council is a Chamber of Commerce organization providing a portfolio of membership-based services to the Portage County, Wisconsin business community. Its core offerings include a member business directory, a public event calendar, economic development resources (property search, community data, business parks), leadership training programs, a gift certificate program, and the Monday Mornings with Mike video news series. The Business X-Change is its signature networking and educational event series. The Council is built on the GrowthZone/ChamberMaster membership management platform and does not offer a distinct software product, API, or technology platform for external use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chamber Membership

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SentrycoreOthersSentry is an Aspire-level member sponsor of the Portage County Business Council, providing insurance services to the regional business community.
• Delta DentalcoreOthersDelta Dental is an Aspire-level member sponsor, providing dental insurance services to Portage County businesses and their employees.
• rad productionsminorOthersrad productions is an Aspire-level member sponsor providing media and production services.
• Associated BankcoreOthersAssociated Bank is an Aspire-level member sponsor providing banking and financial services to local businesses.
• SkywardminorOthersSkyward is an Aspire-level member sponsor providing software/technology solutions.
• McCain FryminorOthersMcCain Fry is an Aspire-level member sponsor providing food service products.
• Holiday InnminorOthersHoliday Inn is an Aspire-level member sponsor providing hospitality and lodging services.
• GrowthZonecoreTechnology or IntegrationGrowthZone provides the membership management software platform powering the Portage County Business Council's website, member portal, event management, and business directory.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC): Statewide business association representing Wisconsin employers on advocacy and policy. Comparable in chamber/association mission but operates statewide and serves larger employers, placing it as a broader incumbent relative to PCBC's regional focus.
• Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC): State-level economic development organization. Overlaps with PCBC's economic development function (property search, business attraction, retention) but operates statewide with broader mandates and far larger resources.

Others

• GrowthZone (ChamberMaster): Software vendor providing the membership management platform used by PCBC and hundreds of other chambers (per partnerships_and_alliances). Not a peer in mission but an enabler/ecosystem participant whose customer base highly overlaps PCBC's peer set.

Direct peers

• Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional Wisconsin chamber offering member services, networking events, leadership programs, and economic development support. Closely comparable as a chamber-of-commerce chamber with mixed chamber and economic development mandate.
• Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce: Regional Wisconsin chamber of commerce serving the Appleton/Fox Cities area. Directly comparable in mission (business promotion, advocacy, networking, economic development) and product mix (member directory, events, leadership programs, sponsorships) to the Portage County Business Council.
• Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber serving Wausau and Marathon County. Comparable in size and structure to Portage County Business Council, with similar member directory, business advocacy, and event-driven programming.
• Greater Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce: Regional Wisconsin chamber providing business advocacy, networking, leadership development, and economic development collaboration. Direct peer in business model and target member profile.
• Stevens Point Area YMCA: Local Stevens Point-area community organization with membership-based model serving residents and businesses. Less directly comparable but a similar local nonprofit membership/community-service entity in the same geography.

Regional players

• Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce: Regional Wisconsin chamber providing member services, advocacy, and economic development in a multi-county area. Similar chamber-of-commerce model but operates across a wider geography than Portage County.
• Fox Cities Regional Partnership: Regional economic development partnership for the Fox Cities region. Comparable in economic development focus (business attraction, retention, expansion, property search) but in a different Wisconsin geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCfJ18GSa331fJW7g_NDOaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/PortageCountyBusinessCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portage-county-business-council/?viewAsMember=true
• Xx.com/PoCoBiz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Portage County Business Council