Tennessee Economic Development Council

What Tennessee Economic Development Council does

The Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC) is a statewide, private nonprofit professional association organized on June 20, 1967, at the Jackson Golf and Country Club under Chuck Walker and formerly known as the Tennessee Industrial Development Council (TIDC). The organization's roots extend to 1946 through the formation of the Southern Industrial Development Council. TEDC's mission is to serve as the statewide voice for economic development in Tennessee, providing networking, education, and leadership across public and private sector practitioners, and reporting a directory of 477 members and a stated membership exceeding 330 economic development professionals.

TEDC's product set is built around three rotating annual conferences (Day on the Hill in February, Spring Conference in April, Fall Conference in October), bi-annual newsletters (archived from 2013), the Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCED) certification program administered through UT Center for Industrial Services, IEDC-accredited training courses (Basic Economic Development, Business Retention and Expansion, Entrepreneurship, Managing Economic Development, Economic Development Basic Finance, Marketing and Attraction, Workforce Development), a member-only searchable directory, a scholarship program established in 1989, and an awards program (Fred H. Harris Professional of the Year, Jim Spradley Volunteer of the Year, Young Professional of the Year established 2025, Legacy Award, Honorary Life Member). Technology infrastructure is limited to a standard website with directory and event registration functionality; no proprietary software platform exists.

The business model is a classic nonprofit membership association: recurring annual membership dues (Individual and Corporate at 2.5x Individual rates, set by the Board of Directors), a one-time $25 application fee, event registration and conference fees, and tiered corporate sponsorships (Blue, Red, White levels). Membership is billed annually on January 1 with a March 31 lapse cutoff. TEDC is administratively co-located with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry at 511 Union Street, Suite 1550, Nashville, which provides shared administrative staffing including the TEDC Administrator role. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the organization is governed by an eleven-member Board of Directors and serves as the primary networking and policy forum for economic developers across Tennessee's three grand divisions.

Name

Tennessee Economic Development Council

Legal name

Tennessee Economic Development Council

Website

https://tnedc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Tennessee Economic Development Council is a statewide nonprofit professional association founded in 1967 that provides networking, education, conferences, certification, and policy advocacy to economic development professionals across Tennessee's public and private sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues collected from individual and corporate members. Individual Membership and Corporate Membership (2.5 times Individual rate) provide recurring revenue. Dues are set by the Board of Directors.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from annual conferences including Spring Conference, Fall Conference, and Day on the Hill events. Sponsorships also contribute to event-based revenue.
3. Application Fees: One-time application fee of $25 for new membership applications, along with first year's annual dues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC) is a statewide non-profit membership association that sells access to a professional economic development community through annual Individual and Corporate memberships, three recurring conferences (Spring Conference, Fall Conference, Day on the Hill), the Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCED) certification program, economic development training courses, an exclusive searchable member directory of 477+ professionals, bi-annual newsletters, scholarship opportunities, and an annual awards program. The organization unites Tennessee's public and private sector economic development practitioners into one coordinated network.

Product overview

The Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC) operates as a unified platform offering multiple interconnected services for economic development professionals in Tennessee. The core offering consists of annual conferences (Fall, Spring, and Day on the Hill) that provide networking and education opportunities. Supporting services include the Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCED) Program offering professional certification, economic development training courses covering topics from basic development to workforce and finance, bi-annual newsletters, and an exclusive member directory. The organization also administers scholarship programs for professional development and recognizes excellence through multiple awards programs. These products collectively serve the economic development community through education, networking, professional development, and recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual TEDC membership designed for persons representing not-for-profit, civic, or governmental organizations and for-profit company representatives not designated as the primary representative. Provides networking, education, legislative advocacy, and access to the member directory for individual economic development professionals.
• Corporate Membership Annual TEDC membership for the primary representative of a for-profit company, with annual dues set at 2.5 times the Individual Membership rate. Designed to give corporate economic development stakeholders—including site-selection consultants, engineering firms, and utilities—access to TEDC's professional network and resources.
• Annual Conferences (Spring, Fall, Day on the Hill) Three recurring annual conferences that bring together Tennessee economic development professionals with state commissioners, marketing experts, researchers, and consultants on national and state-wide economic development trends. The conferences rotate across East, Middle, and West Tennessee to ensure statewide participation.
• Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCED) Program Professional certification program for economic and community development practitioners in Tennessee, requiring completion of 92 hours of coursework administered by UT Center for Industrial Services. Awards the TCED designation upon completion and provides structured continuing education pathways for working economic developers.
• Economic Development Training Courses Multi-course training catalog for economic development practitioners, including IEDC-accredited Tennessee Basic Economic Development Course, Business Retention and Expansion, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, Managing Economic Development, Economic Development Basic Finance, Marketing and Attraction, and Workforce Development courses.
• Member Directory Exclusive searchable online directory of more than 477 TEDC members, searchable by name, organization, or city. Provides members-only access to Tennessee's economic development professional community for networking and contact discovery.
• TEDC Scholarship Program Continuing education scholarship program for economic development professionals, providing two scholarships awarded twice a year to cover tuition and registration fees. Funded by interest from a trust account created by the TEDC Board of Directors in 1989.
• Awards Programs (Professional, Volunteer, Young Professional, Legacy) Annual recognition programs honoring outstanding economic development professionals, including the Fred H. Harris Professional of the Year Award, Jim Spradley Volunteer of the Year Award, Young Professional of the Year Award (established 2025), and Legacy Award (awarded selectively for extraordinary impact).
• Newsletter Publications Bi-annual member newsletters featuring the latest Tennessee economic development news, policy updates, and success stories from industry professionals, with digital archives available from 2013 to the present.

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• TN Dept. of Economic & Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government department and Blue Level Sponsor. Key partner in providing ECD updates, policy coordination, and legislative advocacy for the economic development community.
• Tennessee Valley AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal utility agency and Blue Level Sponsor. TVA provides economic development support, workforce initiatives, and regional development programs. Multiple TVA representatives serve on TEDC Board.
• UT Center for Industrial ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity technical assistance provider and Blue Level Sponsor. Administers the Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCED) program and provides professional training courses.
• TN Dept. of Labor & Workforce DevelopmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency and Blue Level Sponsor focused on workforce development. Partners with TEDC on workforce initiatives and provides employment and training resources.
• AmazonmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlue Level Sponsor and member company. Represents corporate sector participation in Tennessee economic development through job creation and investment.
• Atmos EnergymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlue Level Sponsor and member company. Natural gas utility serving Tennessee that supports economic development through infrastructure and energy services.
• Barge Design SolutionsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlue Level Sponsor and member company. Engineering and design firm providing site development and infrastructure expertise to economic development projects.
• MBI Companies Inc.majorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlue Level Sponsor and member company. Engineering and architecture firm supporting economic development through site selection and design services.
• Middle TN Industrial Development AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Level Sponsor and member organization. Regional industrial development association representing Middle Tennessee's economic development interests.
• Sain AssociatesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRed Level Sponsor and member company. Engineering firm providing infrastructure and site development services to economic development projects.
• TTL Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRed Level Sponsor and member company. Engineering firm supporting economic development through civil engineering and site development services.
• Jackson ChamberminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhite Level Sponsor and member organization. Local chamber of commerce representing West Tennessee's business community.
• VolkertminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhite Level Sponsor and member company. Engineering firm providing planning, design, and program management services for development projects.
• Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & IndustrycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTEDC is administratively co-located with the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The Chamber provides administrative support including staffing for TEDC Administrator role.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): The largest global membership association for economic developers. IEDC accredits TEDC's TCED training and competes for the same professional members at the national/international level, offering broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA): Statewide nonprofit economic development professional association for Georgia. Operates with a comparable membership, conference, awards, and certification model—essentially the Georgia counterpart to TEDC.
• North Carolina Economic Development Association: North Carolina's statewide professional association for economic developers. Mirrors TEDC's structure of conferences, awards, and member-driven advocacy at the state level.
• Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC): The regional umbrella economic development council that TEDC's history traces back to (founded 1951 as SIDC). SEDC represents multiple state economic development organizations across the South and shares a board representative with TEDC, making it the closest organizational counterpart.
• Mississippi Economic Development Council: Mississippi's statewide economic development association. Adjacent regional peer serving a similar Southern state-level economic developer membership base.
• Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC): Florida's statewide economic development professional association. Comparable scope of activities including annual conferences, member directories, awards programs, and legislative advocacy.
• Alabama Economic Developers Association: Alabama's statewide professional association for economic developers operating under a similar mission of networking, education, and advocacy within a single state.
• Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA): Virginia's statewide nonprofit association for economic development professionals. Comparable membership base, annual conference cadence, certification programs, and state-level advocacy focus.

Others

• Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry: Tennessee's statewide business and industry advocacy organization. Operationally intertwined with TEDC as administrative partner and co-tenant, and competes for some overlapping membership engagement.

Emerging players

• Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA): National association focused on development finance, including bond financing and incentive tools used by economic developers. Tangential peer for TEDC members engaged in financing-side economic development work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tennessee-economic-development-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Tennessee Economic Development Council