UCA

What UCA does

The University Contractors Association of Kansas (UCA) is a Topeka-based, membership-driven advocacy coalition founded in Fall 2021 to lobby for the modernization of state university infrastructure in Kansas. The organization operates with a three-person core team — Executive Director Colton Gibson, Government Relations Consultant David Kensinger, and Education Consultant Ed McKechnie — and is supported by dues-paying construction-industry members. UCA's stated mission is to address Kansas's approximately $1.28 billion in deferred university maintenance, which it characterizes as the state's second-largest liability after KPERS, across 1,131 facilities and 38 million square feet of educational space at six state universities (ESU, KSU, WSU, KU, PSU, FHSU).

UCA's commercial activity is not technology-based; the organization has no proprietary platform, product, or AI components. Its "product" is policy influence: it conducts grassroots advocacy campaigns (under hashtags #RestoreOurSchools and #RestoreKansasCampuses), provides legislators with draft constituent email language, and partners with the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) to analyze deferred-maintenance scenarios and appropriations strategies. The revenue model is membership dues from construction professionals and contractors who stand to benefit from increased university construction spending; pricing is not publicly disclosed. UCA is classified as a private, pre-investment organization with no external parent, venture backing, or funding rounds disclosed, and is described on its own website as "a startup looking for new members."

Name

UCA

Legal name

University Contractors Association of Kansas

Website

https://ucakansas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UCA is a Topeka-based, membership-driven advocacy coalition founded in 2021 that lobbies the Kansas legislature and partners with the Kansas Board of Regents to modernize infrastructure across the state's six public universities, funded by construction-industry member dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Infrastructure Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAAAG

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Public Research Universities

Keywords

• University infrastructure advocacy
• Deferred maintenance lobbying
• Campus modernization coalition
• Higher education infrastructure
• Construction industry association

Headquarters

HQ city

Topeka

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: UCA operates as a membership-based organization collecting dues from construction industry professionals and contractors. The organization recruits new members to join their mission in restoring state universities. Member construction professionals provide operational support and expertise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The University Contractors Association of Kansas (UCA) is a membership-based advocacy coalition that lobbies the Kansas state government and the Kansas Board of Regents to fund modernization of state university campus infrastructure and reduce an estimated $1.28 billion deferred maintenance liability across 1,131 facilities at the six state universities. Its core offerings are membership services for construction industry professionals, legislative advocacy and grassroots campaigns (including #RestoreOurSchools), and strategic consulting support to KBOR on funding strategies for campus restoration.

Product overview

UCA is not a product company but rather a membership-based advocacy organization. It operates as a coalition of construction industry professionals who work to modernize infrastructure on Kansas state university campuses. The organization does not offer a unified product or platform; instead, it provides advocacy services, lobbying support, and awareness campaigns aimed at securing funding to address deferred maintenance on Kansas campuses. Its activities include raising awareness, supporting Kansas Board of Regents priorities, lobbying the legislature for additional funding, and facilitating partnerships between universities and the construction industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UCA Membership Membership offering for Kansas construction industry professionals and contractors that supports UCA's advocacy mission to modernize state university campus infrastructure; members provide operational expertise and are featured on the UCA website.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.28 billion in deferred maintenance addressed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Formal strategic partnership with KBOR. After UCA's inception in Fall 2021, they were asked by KBOR to analyze deferred maintenance data and strategize potential appropriations streams. UCA now supports KBOR's priority to reduce the deferred maintenance liability.
• Kansas State Universities (ESU, KSU, WSU, KU, PSU, FHSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with all six Kansas state universities to modernize campus infrastructure. UCA is working to 'bring universities in as partners' as part of their strategic priorities. Universities are both partners and beneficiaries of the restoration efforts.
• Construction Industry Members (e.g., Trane)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCA relies on its members, described as 'the highest quality construction professionals in the state,' to operate and function. Member company logos (Trane and others) appear on the website indicating active corporate membership relationships.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Kansas Chamber of Commerce: The statewide business advocacy organization in Kansas. Comparable as a Kansas-focused policy and legislative advocacy body that influences state appropriations and economic policy, though with a much broader business scope than UCA's construction/education focus.

Broad incumbents

• Association for Learning Environments (A4LE): International association focused on planning, designing, and managing educational facilities. Comparable in its mission to advance modern learning environments, though it operates as a professional association rather than a legislative advocacy coalition.
• APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities: National association for educational facilities professionals at higher education and K-12 institutions. Addresses the same deferred-maintenance and modernization issues UCA targets, but operates as a broader membership body rather than a state-specific advocacy coalition.
• Society for College and University Planning (SCUP): Higher education planning association serving institutions on integrated planning, including facilities and capital planning. Addresses overlapping themes of campus modernization and deferred maintenance strategy from an institutional planning angle rather than direct lobbying.
• National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO): Membership association for higher education financial and business officers. Engages with capital funding, facilities financing, and appropriations policy affecting universities at the federal and state level — an adjacent constituency to UCA's stakeholders.

Direct peers

• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) - Kansas Chapter: National trade association for the commercial construction industry with a Kansas chapter that engages in state-level advocacy. Directly comparable in representing construction contractors and lobbying Kansas legislators on industry-related policy.
• Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH): California-based advocacy coalition that lobbies the legislature for K-14 school facility funding. Operates the same essential model as UCA — uniting construction and education stakeholders to drive state appropriations for facility modernization — making it the closest functional analog.
• Associated General Contractors of Kansas (AGC-Kansas): The Kansas chapter of AGC represents commercial construction contractors and actively advocates at the Kansas Statehouse for construction-friendly policy and infrastructure funding — directly comparable to UCA in constituency (contractors), geography (Kansas), and advocacy model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-contractors-association

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 UCA