Washington Economic Development Association

What Washington Economic Development Association does

Washington Economic Development Association (WEDA) is a non-profit trade association founded in fall 2001 (succeeding the Washington Association of Economic Development Councils, formed 1995) and headquartered at 3213 West Wheeler Street #424, Seattle, Washington. WEDA serves as the only trade association in Washington State exclusively focused on economic development, with members spanning economic development organizations (EDOs/ADOs), cities, counties, ports, tribal governments, businesses, educational institutions, and community-based organizations across all 39 Washington counties. The organization is led by Executive Director Suzanne Dale Estey and operates with a small professional staff of 4-5 members.

WEDA's core products center on a tiered membership program (annual dues from $50 to $2,400 based on organization type and size), two annual conferences (Summer in August and Winter in February) with registration fees ranging from $240 to $465, and corporate sponsorships from $2,500 (Bronze) to $15,000 (Platinum). Additional offerings include a job board, public policy advocacy with focus on workforce development, housing affordability, clean economy, and ADO support including protection of $5 million in annual state funding for the ADO network. The technology foundation is standard — a website and a Swapcard-powered virtual event platform — with no proprietary AI or data products.

WEDA generates revenue through three streams: recurring annual membership dues, one-time conference registration fees, and recurring annual sponsorships. Its go-to-market is hybrid, combining community-led member engagement, event-driven conference activation, and direct sales outreach. Strategic partnerships with the Washington State Department of Commerce, Washington Public Ports Association, Association of Washington Business, Association of Washington Cities, International Economic Development Council, National Development Council, and NAIOP Washington position WEDA as the connective tissue of Washington's economic development policy ecosystem.

Name

Washington Economic Development Association

Legal name

Washington Economic Development Association

Website

https://wedaonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Washington Economic Development Association is a non-profit trade association serving economic development professionals, EDCs, cities, counties, ports, tribes, and businesses across Washington State through tiered membership, two annual conferences, and public policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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 Dues: Annual membership fees from public agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and individual members. Tiered pricing based on population size for public agencies or employee count for businesses.
2. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue from Summer and Winter conferences with tiered pricing: general admission $465, members $440, group discounts $365, and reduced rates for students/retirees/transitional professionals at $240.
3. Sponsorships: Annual sponsorship levels: Platinum $15,000, Gold $7,500, Silver $5,000, Bronze $2,500, plus event-specific sponsorships for Winter and Summer conferences at $2,500 each.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WEDA is a membership-based non-profit trade association serving economic development professionals across Washington State. It sells membership subscriptions, sponsorships, and conference registrations, and delivers legislative advocacy, networking, professional development training, and best-practice resources to member organizations including EDCs, ADOs, cities, counties, ports, tribes, and businesses.

Product overview

WEDA operates as a unified platform combining membership services, professional development events, and advocacy programs. The core offerings include a membership program providing access to lobbying, networking, and conferences; two annual conferences (Summer and Winter) offering training and best practices; a job board for economic development professionals; and public policy advocacy supporting workforce development and economic vitality initiatives across Washington State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WEDA Membership Program Annual trade association membership providing lobbying, networking, professional development, conference access, and economic development resources to economic development organizations, cities, counties, ports, tribes, businesses, education, and community-based organizations in Washington State.
• Summer Conference Annual in-person conference held each August featuring best practices, new initiatives, case studies, expert speakers, legislators, and networking opportunities for economic development practitioners across Washington State.
• Winter Conference Annual public policy and legislative affairs conference held in February featuring economic development training, networking reception with legislators, policy-making sessions, and Economic Development Awards ceremony.
• Job Board Online job listings platform featuring economic development positions throughout Washington State, with free listings for WEDA members and paid listings for non-members.
• Public Policy Advocacy Legislative agenda and advocacy services focusing on workforce development, housing affordability, clean economy, Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for Jobs, and economic development ecosystem strengthening in the Washington State legislature.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,700 businesses served by ADO/EDC partners in five years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Washington State Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEDA works closely with the Washington State Department of Commerce, which funds Associate Development Organizations (ADOs) throughout the state. WEDA advocates for economic development funding and policies that benefit the state's 39 counties.
• Washington Public Ports AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-advocates on economic development issues including Tax Increment Financing (TIF) legislation. Joint efforts on workforce development, infrastructure, and economic vitality initiatives.
• Association of Washington Business (AWB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide business association collaborating on economic development policy, workforce development, and business climate initiatives.
• Association of Washington CitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on TIF for Jobs coalition and urban economic development initiatives. Joint advocacy for legislation benefiting cities and economic development.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational professional association for economic development. WEDA conferences are recognized for IEDC's CEcD recertification credits. WEDA participated in IEDC's 2025 State of the Field briefing.
• Saint Martin's UniversitysupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHost venue for WEDA's 2026 Winter Conference at the Norman Worthington Conference Center on the Saint Martin's University campus in Lacey, WA.
• SwapcardsupportingTechnology or IntegrationOnline platform partner providing virtual event technology for WEDA conferences, including agenda access, speaker bios, networking, and interactive polling.
• National Development Council (NDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through WA Small Business Recovery Working Group and SmallBizHelpWA.com initiative to help small businesses access PPP loans and recovery resources.
• NAIOP WashingtonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommercial real estate development association collaborating on TIF for Jobs coalition advocacy efforts.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Greater Washington Partnership: Regional business and civic coalition focused on economic competitiveness across Washington and northern Virginia. Comparable mission of cross-jurisdictional economic development advocacy, though operating in a different region and with a more corporate-executive orientation.

Direct peers

• Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA): Statewide association representing Washington port districts on legislative and policy issues. Comparable membership-trade-association model and a close WEDA coalition partner on TIF for Jobs, infrastructure, and workforce issues.
• California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED): California's statewide membership association for economic development professionals offering advocacy, training, and conferences. Closely comparable structure, scale, and member profile to WEDA.
• Oregon Economic Development Association (OEDA): State-level economic development trade association serving Oregon, with parallel structure, membership model, conferences, and advocacy focus to WEDA. Functions as the most direct geographic analog across state lines.
• Association of Washington Business (AWB): Washington's statewide business association, an active WEDA coalition partner on TIF for Jobs and economic development policy. Comparable membership model (dues, conferences, advocacy) for a related but broader constituency.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA) - note: real org is NADO/NASDA family: National organization representing the network of state and regional economic development organizations and associations. Highly comparable as a peer of peers, with overlapping member-base composition.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): National professional association for economic developers. WEDA is a state affiliate and works directly with IEDC on CEcD recertification, making IEDC the closest broad-incumbent peer representing economic development professionals across the U.S.

Emerging players

• National Development Council (NDC): National nonprofit that provides training, financing, and advisory services for economic development. Already a WEDA partner via the WA Small Business Recovery Working Group, NDC operates in adjacent member-based economic development programming.

Others

• Greater Spokane Incorporated: Regional chamber and economic development organization in Spokane, listed as a WEDA member. Functions as a peer in that it delivers regional economic development services and advocacy, but at the regional rather than statewide level.
• Economic Development Council of Seattle & King County: Regional economic development organization in King County, formerly led by WEDA's current Executive Director. Functions as a member organization within WEDA's network and a regional-scale peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wedaonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-economic-development-association
• Xx.com/washingtonecon1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Washington Economic Development Association