What Lee's Summit Economic Development Council does

Lee's Summit Economic Development Council (LSEDC) is a public-private partnership and nonprofit organization founded in 1986 and headquartered at 218 SE Main Street in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Its mandate is to promote sustainable economic growth in Lee's Summit by attracting new businesses, retaining and expanding existing enterprises, and positioning the city as a destination for corporate investment. Core services include business attraction and retention support, site selection assistance, incentive negotiation and packaging, workforce development coordination through the Education EcoSystem (Summit Technology Academy, Missouri Innovation Campus, MCC-Longview, and University of Central Missouri), and government relations advocacy with city, state, and utility partners.

LSEDC does not sell technology products. Its underlying "platform" is a relationship-based stack combining a 150+ company investor network, a 21-member Board of Directors, an executive committee, and a public-private governance model with the City of Lee's Summit. Investor members access benefits through a tiered membership program administered via a third-party GrowthZone portal, with services including luncheons, networking events, an investor directory, advocacy representation, and direct introductions to community decision-makers. Operational delivery is handled by a lean staff of two — President Joe Perry and Office Coordinator Ella Phillips — supplemented by board governance, city partnership, and regional alliances (KC SmartPort, Kansas City Area Development Council, World Trade Center KC, Greater Kansas City Foreign Trade Zone, Missouri Department of Economic Development, Jackson County Economic Development, and utilities Evergy and Spire).

Revenue is generated primarily through tiered annual investor memberships, supplemented by city appropriations and partner contributions; pricing is not publicly disclosed and the Investor Benefits Guide is gated. The customer base spans new and expanding businesses seeking site selection and incentives, investor members seeking network access and advocacy, and major employers seeking workforce solutions. Geographic scope is regional, focused on the Kansas City metropolitan area, with international reach enabled through World Trade Center KC partnerships.

Name

Lee's Summit Economic Development Council

Legal name

Lee's Summit Economic Development Council

Website

https://leessummit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lee's Summit Economic Development Council is a public-private nonprofit that promotes economic growth in Lee's Summit, MO by attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses through a 150+ company investor network, site selection support, workforce development partnerships, and government advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lees Summit

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. Investor Membership Program: LSEDC generates revenue through tiered investor membership levels where companies and organizations pay to become investors. The membership provides benefits including networking, visibility, advocacy, and direct connections to key decision-makers. The organization also connects investors with economic insights and business opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lee's Summit Economic Development Council (LSEDC) is a public-private partnership that promotes economic growth in Lee's Summit, Missouri by attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses. Core offerings include business attraction and retention services, site selection assistance with available properties, incentive negotiation, workforce and talent pipeline coordination through educational partnerships, and a tiered investor membership program connecting a network of 150+ companies, private investors, and industry partners.

Product overview

Lee's Summit Economic Development Council (LSEDC) is a public-private partnership that operates as an economic development organization rather than a traditional product company. The organization provides a suite of interconnected services including economic development consulting, investor networking, talent pipeline coordination, site selection assistance, and business advocacy. The core offering is a membership-based investor network of over 150 companies that enables business growth, workforce development, and community development in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Development Services
• Investor Network Membership
• Talent Pipeline Programs
• Development Site Resources
• Business Advocacy

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

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regional and minor.

• City of Lee's SummitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity government partnership providing Development Center services with single point of contact from proposal to permit. LSEDC works closely with city's marketing and advertising team for consistent messaging.
• Lee's Summit Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for business community engagement and economic development coordination
• Lee's Summit R-7 School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partnership enabling Summit Technology Academy and Missouri Innovation Campus workforce programs
• Metropolitan Community College (MCC-Longview)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partnership for workforce development and talent pipeline programs
• University of Central MissouricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership providing Missouri Innovation Campus educational hub and degree programs
• Kansas City Area Development CouncilmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional economic development partnership for broader Kansas City metropolitan area business attraction
• Jackson County Economic DevelopmentregionalGTM or Marketing PartnerCounty-level economic development coordination
• Missouri Department of Economic DevelopmentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState-level economic development agency providing resources and incentives
• World Trade Center KCregionalGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational trade resources and export assistance through network of 330 World Trade Centers
• Greater Kansas City Foreign Trade ZoneregionalGTM or Marketing PartnerForeign trade zone providing cost-saving benefits for international businesses
• KC SmartPortregionalGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit attracting freight-based companies to 18-county Kansas City region
• Downtown Lee's Summit Main StreetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationally and state accredited Main Street program for downtown revitalization
• Summit Christian AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate education institution in the community
• Blue Springs R-4 School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring school district partnership
• EvergyregionalOthersUtility provider partner for business incentives
• SpireregionalOthersNatural gas utility provider partner

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KC SmartPort: Non-profit logistics-focused EDC for the 18-county Kansas City region; competes for freight-based and industrial deals that LSEDC also targets.
• Jackson County Economic Development: County-level EDC covering the same Eastern Jackson County territory as LSEDC; overlaps heavily on business attraction, incentives, and workforce development.
• Kansas City Area Development Council: Regional public-private economic development organization for the Kansas City metro; directly competes with LSEDC for corporate attraction, retention, and expansion deals across the same geography.
• Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce: Local business association in the same city; closely partnered with LSEDC but covers a parallel member-services, networking, and advocacy remit.

Broad incumbents

• Greater Houston Partnership: Large-metro public-private EDC with investor membership tiers, advocacy, and deal attraction — analogous operating model at much greater scale.
• St. Louis Economic Development Partnership: Public-private partnership driving economic development for the St. Louis region; similar structure and service mix but serving a different Missouri metro.
• Missouri Department of Economic Development: State-level agency providing incentives and resources that LSEDC funnels to local prospects; broader scope but a coordinating/competing counterparty in deal-making.
• Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce: Regional business association with investor-style membership tiers, advocacy, and networking — broader scope but overlapping member base with LSEDC.

Regional players

• Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber + economic development organization for Springfield, MO; offers a comparable suite of site selection, advocacy, and investor programming in another Missouri market.
• Overland Park Chamber of Commerce: Suburban Kansas City metro business association and economic development promoter; comparable suburban EDC model on the Kansas side of the metro.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LSEcoDevC
• Facebookfacebook.com/lsedc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/7943121

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 Lee's Summit Economic Development Council