What Keda does

Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) is a non-profit regional economic development organization founded in 1983 and headquartered at Skyline Commons in Hancock, Michigan. It serves Houghton, Keweenaw, and Baraga counties in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, operating as the primary convener of business, municipal, and institutional stakeholders in the Keweenaw region. KEDA is governed by a board of directors, led by Executive Director Jeff Ratcliffe, and currently maintains a small staff that includes an Administrative Assistant and an open Business Retention Specialist position.

KEDA's service portfolio comprises five main programmatic lines: (1) Local Revolving Loan Funds offering working capital and equipment financing from $5,000 to $100,000 for businesses in its three-county service area; (2) a Business Financing program that packages SBA 504 and SBA 7(a) loans in partnership with Michigan Certified Development Corporation, Northern Initiatives (a CDFI), and the Michigan Business Growth Fund; (3) MIOSHA workplace safety training courses priced at $130 per session; (4) a Small Business Support Hub, operated as a subgrantee under MTEC SmartZone's $73 million MEDC-funded statewide initiative announced November 2023; and (5) a Childcare Initiative addressing regional provider shortages, which has produced 5 new licensed childcare businesses and 67 new childcare slots through partnerships with Copper Country Great Start Collaborative, MARESA, Keweenaw Family Resource Center, and Keweenaw Community Foundation.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization is funded through member contributions (100+ member organizations including municipalities, healthcare systems, utilities, and businesses), state-administered grant programs, and nominal program fees. KEDA's economic model is grant-dependent and service-oriented rather than commercial, with no software product, API, or proprietary technology platform. Its strategic differentiation rests on its 50-year regional incumbency, structural ties to Michigan Economic Development Corporation funding channels, and its embedded role within a coordinated network of regional partners including UPEDA, WUPPDR, the Houghton County Land Bank Authority, and the Houghton County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

Name

Keda

Legal name

Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance

Website

https://kedabiz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KEDA is a non-profit regional economic development alliance founded in 1983 that serves Houghton, Keweenaw, and Baraga counties in Michigan's Upper Peninsula by providing business financing, SBA loan packaging, MIOSHA safety training, and workforce/childcare initiatives to local SMBs, municipalities, and member organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trade, Industry & Economic Development Administration (BPAIAAAL), Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)

Keywords

• Regional economic development
• Business financing programs
• Revolving loan funds
• Workforce development services
• Site selection support

Headquarters

HQ city

Houghton

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KEDA is a non-profit regional economic development organization that fosters business growth in Michigan's Keweenaw region by coordinating financing packages, managing revolving loan funds, hosting workforce and safety training, supporting small businesses through a Small Business Support Hub, and running initiatives such as a regional childcare provider startup program. It operates as a community-level economic development alliance rather than a commercial enterprise, delivering its services primarily to member businesses, entrepreneurs, municipalities, and partner organizations in Houghton, Keweenaw, and Baraga counties.

Product overview

KEDA is a regional economic development alliance offering a portfolio of business support services, not a unified technology product. The organization provides business financing programs (revolving loan funds, SBA loans), workforce development services (MIOSHA safety training), and economic development initiatives (Small Business Support Hub, Childcare Initiative) to foster growth in Michigan's Keweenaw region. These are programmatic services rather than software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local Revolving Loan Funds Revolving loan funds managed by KEDA providing working capital and machinery/equipment financing for businesses in Baraga, Houghton, and Keweenaw Counties, with loans ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 based on job creation ability.
• Small Business Support Hub A grant-funded program providing mentorship, guidance, and resources to small businesses in Michigan, with KEDA focusing on childcare provider development and non-traditional developer support for property revitalization.
• MIOSHA Safety Training Workplace safety training courses delivered by KEDA including MIOSHA certification programs covering topics such as asbestos awareness, machine guarding, fall protection, and supervisor safety responsibilities; delivered onsite at Skyline Commons and virtually, with course fees around $130 per course.
• Business Financing Programs Comprehensive business financing programs including SBA 504 loans for commercial real estate and equipment, SBA 7(a) loan packaging, and collateral support programs coordinated with the Michigan Business Growth Fund, Michigan Certified Development Corporation, and Northern Initiatives.
• Childcare Initiative (Start Small) Initiative addressing regional childcare shortage through startup support, grants, and coaching for new childcare providers, including home-based and center-based childcare businesses; partnered with the Keweenaw Family Resource Center, Keweenaw Community Foundation, Copper Country Great Start Collaborative, and MARESA's MI Tri-Share program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 new licensed childcare businesses opened/expanded and 67 childcare slots created for local families through the Start Small program

Segments4 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 supporting.

• Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023MEDC awarded $73 million in grants to establish Small Business Support Hubs across Michigan. KEDA participates as a subgrantee through MTEC SmartZone's SBSH grant, enabling expanded programming for childcare initiatives and developer support.
• MTEC SmartZonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEDA is a subgrantee under the MTEC SmartZone's Small Business Support Hub grant, allowing KEDA to increase capacity and broaden outreach in the Keweenaw region.
• Keweenaw Family Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEDA partnered with Keweenaw Family Resource Center and Keweenaw Community Foundation to launch a childcare business coaching program to assist individuals in establishing home-based childcare services and providing direct grants to startup childcare businesses.
• Keweenaw Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partner in childcare initiative providing business coaching and direct grants to new childcare startup businesses.
• Houghton County Land Bank AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEDA works closely with the Houghton County Land Bank Authority and municipalities to address historic building loss in Calumet. Direct grants are used to provide technical assistance for non-traditional developers to finance rehabilitation and redevelopment of properties.
• Michigan Business Growth FundsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides collateral support programs for business financing through the Michigan Business Growth Fund.
• Houghton County Brownfield Redevelopment AuthoritysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides revolving loan fund for brownfield redevelopment projects in Houghton County, helping finance environmental remediation and redevelopment.
• Northern InitiativessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEDA's revolving loan funds can partner with Northern Initiatives to provide appropriate financing. Northern Initiatives is a non-profit CDFI providing SBA 7(a) loans to small business owners in Northern Michigan.
• Michigan Certified Development Corporation (MCDC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCDC provides SBA 504 financing and SBA 7(a) loan packaging throughout Michigan. As the leading SBA lender in Michigan, they support commercial real estate, equipment financing, and working capital needs.
• Upper Peninsula Economic Development Alliance (UPEDA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development alliance covering the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
• Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region (WUPPDR)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning and development organization for the western Upper Peninsula.
• Copper Country Great Start CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads the Start Small initiative addressing childcare provider shortage. KEDA partners on this workforce development initiative serving Houghton, Keweenaw, and Baraga counties.
• MARESA (Upper Peninsula MI Tri-Share Hub)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMARESA serves as the Upper Peninsula hub for the MI Tri-Share Child Care Program, a three-way cost sharing model for childcare.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region (WUPPDR): WUPPDR is a regional planning and development organization covering the western UP, including KEDA's service counties. It coordinates planning, infrastructure, and community development grants in the same geography, with overlapping public-sector clients.
• Ann Arbor SPARK: Ann Arbor SPARK is a Michigan economic development non-profit combining business attraction, acceleration, and community development funding—analogous to a more urban and tech-centric version of KEDA's regional model.
• Northern Initiatives: Northern Initiatives is a Michigan-based CDFI providing SBA 7(a) loans and capital to small businesses in Northern Michigan and is named as a KEDA financing partner. It shares small-business lending and capacity-building functions in overlapping geographies.
• Lake Superior Community Partnership: LSCP is a regional economic development partnership serving Marquette County and central UP, combining chamber, EDO, and foundation functions. Its hybrid model mirrors KEDA's blend of business attraction, financing referrals, and community development.
• Upper Peninsula Economic Development Alliance (UPEDA): UPEDA is a regional economic development alliance covering Michigan's entire Upper Peninsula and is named as a KEDA strategic partner. It addresses a closely overlapping clientele of small businesses, municipalities, and employers using the same grant-funded, public-private development model.
• Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation (MTEC SmartZone): MTEC SmartZone is Houghton-based tech-focused economic development tied to Michigan Tech and serves as KEDA's pass-through SBSH grant partner. It overlaps on innovation-focused business support and tech-transfer attraction in the same labor pool.

Others

• National Association of Development Organizations (NADO): NADO is the industry association for US regional development organizations, providing training, advocacy, and peer benchmarking to entities like KEDA, WUPPDR, and UPEDA. It is an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Detroit Regional Partnership: DRP is a large-scale Michigan regional economic development organization focused on business attraction and site selection. It operates the same playbook of site/employer marketing that KEDA uses for the Keweenaw, but at a metro scale.
• Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC): MEDC is the statewide economic development corporation that awarded the $73M SBSH grant flowing through to KEDA. It operates a broader portfolio (Pure Michigan, business attraction, talent) but shares the mandate of administering economic development programming in Michigan.

Regional players

• InvestUP: InvestUP is a private-sector-led economic development initiative for Michigan's Upper Peninsula with overlapping UP-wide corporate and political stakeholders. It competes for the same regional narrative and grant attention as KEDA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keweenaw-economic-development-alliance

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 Keda