National Center for Economic Gardening

What National Center for Economic Gardening does

The National Center for Economic Gardening (NCEG) is a private nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Evergreen, Colorado, that operates the registered "Economic Gardening®" program, an entrepreneurship-led economic development methodology originally developed in Littleton, Colorado in 1987 by Chris Gibbons. The organization serves two primary customer layers: local Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) that fund and coordinate programs, and Stage 2 growth companies (10-99 employees, $1-50 million in revenue) that receive 40-billable-hour strategic research engagements over 4-6 weeks. These engagements use proprietary frameworks (Five Strategic Frameworks, 2% Factor/Sales Window Theory, Intercept Investigations, Bathtub Analogy, Complex Adaptive Systems Framework) and leverage over 100 commercial databases, GIS mapping, competitive intelligence, SEO analysis, social media listening, and AI-powered search to deliver market research, competitor intelligence, qualified sales leads, and root-cause strategic analysis.

NCEG monetizes through professional-services engagement fees paid by EDOs ($4,750 per single-company engagement; $23,750 for a 5-company pilot program), supplemented by a recurring Training & Certification program and downloadable educational resources (book, webinars, sample deliverables video). Distribution operates through EDO intermediaries rather than direct-to-company sales; certified professionals and the National Strategic Research Team deliver engagements to participating company CEOs, requiring only 8-12 hours of CEO time. Programs have been deployed with Sacramento Metro Chamber and SUTL, Cabarrus EDC, Florida, Kansas, Rochester, and internationally with the Oman Business Forum and Oman's Ministry of Commerce, with over 800 communities having inquired about the program historically. Recognition includes Harvard Innovation in Government Awards finalist status, IEDC, SBA, NPR, Inc. Magazine, and presentation invitations at Harvard (seven times), European Innovation Council Conference, and North/Central/South America's Competitiveness Conference.

The unit economics are differentiated by a claimed $1,500-$2,000 cost-per-job versus $20,000-$250,000 for traditional recruitment-based economic development, supported by documented outcomes including Littleton doubling its job base from 15,000 to 30,000 over 20 years without recruiting a single company, Rochester documenting 1,126 jobs and 30% revenue growth, Florida adding 4,000+ jobs, and Kansas averaging 15%+ growth rates among participating firms. The organization remains small at 6 employees, founder-led by Chris Gibbons, and operates without venture capital or institutional investors, with revenue not publicly disclosed.

Name

National Center for Economic Gardening

Legal name

National Center for Economic Gardening

Website

https://economicgardening.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Center for Economic Gardening is a Colorado-based nonprofit that delivers the registered Economic Gardening® program, providing strategic research, competitive intelligence, and lead-generation engagements to Stage 2 growth companies ($1-50M revenue) through local Economic Development Organization intermediaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Evergreen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Engagement Fees (Program Services): Economic development agencies (local, regional, or state) pay for 40-billable-hour company engagements conducted by the National Strategic Research Team. The EDA funds or co-funds engagements and is responsible for finding and vetting company participants. Local EDAs act as intermediaries who pay for and facilitate the program.
2. Training and Certification: Registration-based training and certification program for economic development professionals and programs in Economic Gardening. Open year-round with online registration.
3. Pilot Program Contracts: 5-company pilot programs at $23,750 total cost (all-inclusive), representing the standard entry point for new community programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Center for Economic Gardening delivers the Economic Gardening Program—an entrepreneurship-led economic development engagement of 40 billable hours over 4–6 weeks that provides Stage 2 growth companies ($1–50M revenue, 10–99 employees) with market research, competitor intelligence, GIS mapping, SEO analysis, qualified sales-lead lists, and root-cause strategic frameworks. It complements this core offering with a Training & Certification program for economic development professionals, sold primarily to local, regional, and state Economic Development Organizations that fund and vet participants.

Product overview

The National Center for Economic Gardening offers a single, unified program called the Economic Gardening Program as its core offering. This program is supplemented by a Training & Certification Program for professionals, an Introduction to Economic Gardening Webinar, a downloadable Economic Gardening Book, and a Sample Deliverables Video. The core Economic Gardening Program delivers strategic research and analytical frameworks to local Stage 2 growth companies through 40-billable-hour engagements over 4-6 weeks, while the supplementary resources provide training, educational content, and program demonstration materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Gardening Program A 40-billable-hour strategic research engagement delivered over 4–6 weeks to Stage 2 growth companies (10–99 employees, $1–50M revenue) through local Economic Development Organizations. Engagements include market research, competitor intelligence, GIS mapping, SEO/web analysis, social media listening, qualified sales lead lists, and root-cause strategic frameworks, with 8–12 hours of CEO time required.
• Training & Certification Program An online certification program for economic development professionals covering Economic Gardening principles, practices, tools, and techniques, delivered via recorded webinar and downloadable registration forms, available year-round.

Quantifiable outcome

• Littleton, CO doubled job base from 15,000 to 30,000 over 20 years without recruiting a single company
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Oman Business ForumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2024The Oman Business Forum, in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP), hosted an Economic Gardening session titled 'Economic Gardening: Nurturing & Cultivating Second Stage Companies' at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat, Oman. This marked a significant milestone for entrepreneurship-led economic development as a globally recognized strategy.
• Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2024The Omani government ministry partnered with the Oman Business Forum to host an Economic Gardening session, demonstrating global applicability of the approach for emerging and developing economies seeking sustainable job creation.
• Redevelopment InstituteminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022The Redevelopment Institute works to rebuild America through promotion of best practices, education, and technical assistance. It featured Economic Gardening through podcast interviews and articles about the approach for economic development practitioners.
• Sacramento Urban Technology Lab (SUTL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2020SUTL was launched in 2018 as part of the City of Sacramento's efforts to bring innovative companies, infrastructure, and jobs to the region. It serves as the facilitator for Sacramento's Economic Gardening 2.0 program in partnership with the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and CSUS Career Center. SUTL also implements a $1 million Innovation Grant program.
• Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2020The Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, established in 1895 and representing 1,400 members across six counties, partners on Sacramento's Economic Gardening 2.0 program. As the largest business voice in the Capital Region, it advocates for inclusive economic prosperity.
• California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) Career CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 30 January 2020CSUS Career Center serves as a partnership component for Sacramento's Economic Gardening 2.0 program, providing opportunities for student fellows to work with participating businesses and offering talent development support.
• Cabarrus EDCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 December 2019The Cabarrus EDC in North Carolina launched a 5-company pilot program called 'Grow Cabarrus' in partnership with NCEG. The EDC awards grants to local, second-stage companies to participate in the Economic Gardening program.
• Local Economic Development AgenciescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNCEG's primary distribution model relies on local economic development organizations that fund/co-fund engagements, identify and vet eligible Stage 2 companies, and provide implementation support after engagements. Programs operate in numerous communities across the country with over 800 inquiries received.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• MassChallenge: MassChallenge is a global accelerator supporting early-stage and growth-stage entrepreneurs through programs and corporate partnerships. Comparable as a nonprofit that delivers structured support to growth companies, though focused on accelerators rather than market intelligence engagements.
• Strong Towns: Strong Towns is a bottom-up urbanist and economic development movement that frequently cross-promotes Economic Gardening. It targets similar audiences (city leaders, EDOs) but focuses more on fiscal/land-use policy than direct company intelligence.

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company: Bain & Company is a global management consultancy with practices advising economic development organizations and governments. Comparable as a broader consulting incumbent addressing similar EDO client problems but without NCEG's Stage 2 specialization.
• McKinsey & Company: McKinsey serves governments and corporations with strategy consulting, including economic development advisory. It is comparable as a management consulting provider but operates at far larger scale and serves Fortune 500 and national governments rather than Stage 2 companies.
• Huron Consulting Group: Huron provides management consulting across industries including public sector and higher education. It overlaps with NCEG's advisory function for organizations and governments but lacks NCEG's specific Stage 2 growth-company focus.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): IEDC is the largest membership association for economic developers globally and a key industry body that recognizes NCEG. Both serve economic development professionals and influence practitioner standards, though IEDC is a broad trade association while NCEG delivers a specific operating program.

Regional players

• Smart Growth America: Smart Growth America advocates for equitable, sustainable economic development and works with municipalities. It shares NCEG's economic development audience and policy-aligned approach but is focused on land-use and infrastructure rather than direct company intelligence services.

Direct peers

• SSTI (State Science & Technology Institute): SSTI supports state-level economic development and tech-based economic development programs with research, training, and convening. It overlaps with NCEG in serving EDOs and advancing entrepreneurship-led growth strategies.
• Edward Lowe Foundation: The Edward Lowe Foundation runs Big Ideas for Small Business and peer-to-peer programs for second-stage growth companies. It shares NCEG's focus on Stage 2 firms, making it the most directly comparable organization in mission and target audience.
• Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC): ICIC runs Inner City Capital Connections and data-driven growth programs for small businesses in underserved areas. It is comparable to NCEG as a nonprofit that delivers structured consulting and intelligence to small/mid-market firms through intermediary partners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-center-for-economic-gardening

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Center for Economic Gardening