Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers

What Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers does

The Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers (GACE) is a Georgia-based nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1967. It serves as the connective tissue between employer talent acquisition teams and college/university career services professionals across the state, with a stated mission to aid the career selection and job search of students and alumni of Georgia post-secondary institutions. Its membership spans roughly 300 individual professionals and 55+ member institutions representing a combined 380,000+ student and alumni talent pool.

GACE's core offerings center on events and structured programming rather than proprietary software. Flagship products include the GACE Statewide Career Fair held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre (one of the largest college career fairs in Georgia, drawing 800+ students from 40+ institutions), the Annual Conference (with a 2026 edition planned at Sea Palms Resort), the GACE Leadership Institute (GLI), and a 12-month GACE Mentorship Program. Supporting services include a twice-monthly job posting distribution for HR and career services roles, an awards portfolio (Founder's Award, Champion Award, Rising Star, Honorary Lifetime Member, Jack Mangham Experiential Learning Award, NACE MLI, Employer Leadership Award, Research Scholarship), and a mobile event app for the career fair. Technology infrastructure is built on Wild Apricot, an off-the-shelf membership management platform; no proprietary AI, machine learning, or custom software platform was disclosed.

GACE's revenue model is a hybrid of annual subscription and event-based monetization. Membership dues are tiered (Corporate $50/year, Affiliate $75/year, Student $25/year at the individual level) with separately priced institutional/organizational tiers governed by the bylaws. Event revenue is driven by employer career fair registration (early bird $650 for non-members, plus regular and late tiers), annual conference registration fees, and a three-tier corporate sponsorship program (Gold, Silver, Bronze) conferring benefits such as priority booth placement, social media recognition, and event visibility. GACE is formally affiliated with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and adheres to NACE Principles for Professional Conduct; it is member-driven with volunteer leadership under a Board of Directors and annually rotating President and President-Elect roles.

Name

Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers

Legal name

Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers

Website

https://gace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GACE is a Georgia-based nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1967 that links employer talent acquisition teams with career services professionals across 55+ colleges and universities, operating an annual statewide career fair, conference, mentorship program, and leadership institute funded by membership dues, event registration fees, and tiered corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Georgia

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from organizational members including colleges, universities, and employers, with tiered pricing based on member type (Corporate $50, Affiliate $75, Student $25).
2. Career Fair Registration: Revenue from employer registration fees for the annual statewide career fair, with early bird ($650 non-member), regular, and late registration periods. Partnership registration available for GACE partners.
3. Conference Fees: Annual conference revenue from attendee registration fees, including session access, networking events, and awards banquet.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Gold, Silver, and Bronze level partnership sponsorships providing visibility at events and recognition in marketing materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GACE is a professional membership association that connects employers with career services professionals at Georgia colleges and universities. It generates revenue by selling annual memberships (Corporate, Affiliate, and Student tiers), running an annual statewide career fair, hosting an annual conference, providing a mentorship program and leadership institute, distributing job postings, and offering corporate sponsorship packages at Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels.

Product overview

GACE is a professional association that serves as a link between employers and career services professionals in Georgia. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including the annual Statewide Career Fair, GACE Leadership Institute (GLI) for leadership development, a Professional Mentorship Program, an Annual Conference, and a Job Postings service for career services and HR positions. These offerings work together to facilitate career and professional development among career services and talent acquisition professionals across Georgia's colleges, universities, and employers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GACE Statewide Career Fair

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 55+ colleges and universities across Georgia with combined talent pool of 380,000+ students and alumni
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

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

16 partnerships are on record, tiered gold level, silver level, bronze level, core and minor.

• Enterprise Mobilitygold levelGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Level Partner of GACE. Enterprise Mobility actively participates in GACE career fairs and events, recruiting students and alumni from Georgia institutions. Multiple team members are registered attendees at GACE events.
• Cobb EMCsilver levelGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Level Partner of GACE. Cobb EMC participates in talent acquisition activities through the partnership.
• Fastenalsilver levelGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Level Partner of GACE. Fastenal participates in GACE employer activities.
• Metropolitan Atlanta Chamber of Commerce (MACC)silver levelStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver Level Partner. MACC collaborates on workforce development initiatives connecting employers with Georgia talent.
• Waffle Housesilver levelGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Level Partner of GACE. Waffle House participates in career fair and recruiting activities.
• AssuranceAmericabronze levelGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Level Partner with active HR/recruiting representation through Karen McGrath, VP Human Resources.
• Georgia Department of Human Servicesbronze levelGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Level Partner. DHS participates in workforce initiatives through the partnership.
• Georgia Gwinnett Collegebronze levelGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Level Partner. GGC participates in career services and recruiting activities.
• Robinson Career Center at Georgia State Universitybronze levelGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Level Partner. RCB serves as a career center hub for GSU's business school.
• Kennesaw State University Career Planning and Developmentbronze levelGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Level Partner. KSU career center participates in GACE programming.
• Mansfield Energybronze levelGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Level Partner. Mansfield Energy actively recruits through GACE career fairs.
• WellStar Health Systembronze levelGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Level Partner. WellStar participates in healthcare career recruiting through GACE.
• National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGACE is affiliated with NACE and adheres to NACE Principles for Professional Conduct. GACE sponsors members for NACE's Management Leadership Institute program.
• Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner association for professional development and networking among career services and employer professionals.
• Cherry Convention ServicesminorOthersCareer Fair Exhibition Vendor. Handles shipping and logistics for employer materials at GACE career fairs.
• Sea Palms ResortminorOthersConference venue for 2026 Annual Conference at St. Simons Island, GA. Provides accommodation and event facilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Indeed: A dominant national job-search platform that competes for the same employer recruiting budgets that fund GACE's career fair and sponsorship revenue. Represents a broad incumbent alternative for entry-level and recent-graduate hiring.
• National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE): The national umbrella association for college career services and employer recruiting professionals. GACE is a state affiliate of NACE and adheres to its Principles for Professional Conduct; NACE is the comparable body at the national level.

Direct peers

• Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE): A multi-state regional association serving career services and employer professionals in the Eastern U.S. EACE is explicitly listed as a strategic regional partner of GACE and operates an analogous membership/conference/career-fair model across a broader geography.

Emerging players

• Handshake: A digital campus recruiting platform already used by several GACE member institutions (UGA, Spelman) for job postings. Represents the technological alternative to GACE's in-person career fair and member job board services.

Others

• Career Education (CE) — Collegiate Press / CE News: Adjacent ecosystem publication and community serving higher-education career services and college-to-career content. Comparable as an information and networking resource for the same member audience GACE serves.

Regional players

• Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE): A regional association covering the Southern U.S. with a membership, conference, and professional development model closely paralleling GACE's. It serves as a comparable peer for institutions and employers in adjacent Southern states.
• Florida Association of Colleges and Employers (FLAACE): A state-level professional association for Florida career services and employer recruiting professionals. Offers a similar membership, conference, and career-fair model and is comparable in mission and operating approach to GACE.
• Texas Association of Colleges and Employers (TACE): A state-level association serving Texas colleges, universities, and employers with career services programming, conferences, and recruiting events. Directly comparable in structure and scope to GACE's Georgia-only footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gaceofnace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers