Wirtschaftsvereinigung der Grafschaft Bentheim e.V.

Name

Wirtschaftsvereinigung der Grafschaft Bentheim e.V.

Legal name

Wirtschaftsvereinigung der Grafschaft Bentheim e.V.

Website

https://wirtschaft-grafschaft.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Business Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Workplace & Collaboration Consulting (BPAHAEAH)

Keywords

• Regional business association
• Business networking services
• Energy procurement pool
• Professional development forums
• Workforce integration programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Nordhorn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from 200+ member companies, with contributions determined by the general assembly. Membership provides access to networking, advisory services, and bulk purchasing benefits including the electricity and gas pools.
2. Electricity and Gas Pool Services: Collective energy purchasing pool established 1998 (Strompool with 70 companies, 160 delivery points, ~100 million kWh/year) and 2009 (Gaspool with ~150 delivery points, ~50 million kWh/year), generating administrative fees.
3. Professional Services: Energy consulting through WV Forum Energieberatung GmbH, HR development through Forum Dienstleistungsgesellschaft mbH, and continuing education through Bildungswerk der Grafschafter Wirtschaft.
4. Event Services: Event organization including Forums, working groups, and networking events for members and regional stakeholders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

A registered non-profit business association (eingetragener Verein) serving over 200 member companies in the Grafschaft Bentheim region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It delivers bundled member services including a joint electricity and gas procurement pool, strategic HR development forums, energy efficiency consulting, and car rental, complemented by working groups, networking events, and skilled worker integration programs across four competency areas: education/skilled labor, energy, digitalization/innovation, and regional economic policy.

Product overview

The Wirtschaftsvereinigung der Grafschaft Bentheim e.V. is a regional business association serving over 200 member companies through a portfolio of member services, professional working groups, and flagship events. Its core member services include a joint energy procurement pool (Strom- und Gaspool), strategic HR development (Forum Personalentwicklung), energy consulting (Forum Energieberatung), and car rental. These are complemented by a dense program of working groups (Foren) covering digitalization, HR, energy, marketing, IT, and skilled labor migration, as well as networking events (Unter-Uns site visits, Neujahrsempfang, Mitgliederversammlung). Special initiatives include the KomIn 4.0 integration center and Perspektive Ems-Vechte for international skilled worker integration, the Campus Berufliche Bildung (CBB) Innovationszentrum project, the Fachkräftekampagne regional branding campaign, the "Wirtschaft aktuell" magazine, and the "Chefsache(n)" podcast. There is no public or partner-facing API. The association does not manufacture or sell a packaged software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strom- und Gaspool (Energy Procurement Pool) Collective electricity and gas purchasing service for member companies. Strompool since 1998 covers 70 companies across 160 delivery points with ~100 million kWh/year; Gaspool since 2009 covers ~150 delivery points with ~50 million kWh/year.
• Forum Personalentwicklung (HR Development Services)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 participants attended 49 events in 2025, with Neujahrsempfang attracting 400+ guests
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

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

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

• Bildungswerk der Grafschafter Wirtschaft e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated association providing industry-focused continuing education and training programs. The Bildungswerk develops seminars on AI, resilience, and other professional topics for regional companies, operating as part of the unified association network.
• Arbeitsmedizinische Zentren Nordwest e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated association providing occupational medicine and workplace safety services. Offers health management programs and supports member companies with compliance and employee health initiatives.
• WV Forum Energieberatung GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between a subsidiary of the Wirtschaftsvereinigung and ECG Energie Consulting GmbH, providing comprehensive energy management consulting and operating the electricity and gas pools for member companies.
• Forum Dienstleistungsgesellschaft mbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated company providing strategic HR development services and professional networking for personnel managers in member companies, organizing the Forum Personalentwicklung and related events.
• Campus Berufliche Bildung (CBB)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational education campus co-developed by the association with Landkreis and Kreishandwerkerschaft. The association actively shapes the innovation center concept for AI, digital twins, and robotics education to support regional skilled workforce development.
• Kreishandwerkerschaft Grafschaft BentheimmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partner in the 'Freiheit für meine Pläne' skilled worker campaign and Campus Convention, representing trades and crafts businesses in the region alongside the association and county economic development.
• Landkreis Grafschaft BentheimmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partner in joint publications (Wirtschaft aktuell magazine), skilled worker campaigns, and annual dialogue meetings. Provides funding support for integration projects like Perspektive Ems-Vechte.
• Grafschafter NachrichtenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional newspaper cooperating on the 'Chefsache(n)' podcast and covering association events and member news, providing media visibility for member companies.
• ECG Energie Consulting GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in WV Forum Energieberatung GmbH, contributing energy expertise to the collective purchasing pools and consulting services for member companies.
• Grafschafter JobcenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic employment agency partnering on job speeddating events connecting member companies with international job seekers and job seekers with disabilities.
• Agentur für ArbeitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal employment agency cooperating on Forum HR events to present support offers and funding opportunities for qualification and training.
• Wachstumsregion Ems-Achse e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional growth initiative partnering on Campus Convention awards and job database integration for the skilled worker attraction campaign.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IHK Osnabrück - Emsland - Grafschaft Bentheim: The statutory chamber of commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammer) covering the exact same geography as the Wirtschaftsvereinigung. It competes for the same regional business audience with broader mandatory membership, larger staff, and statutory advocacy mandates, making it the most directly comparable convening body.
• Vereinigung der Nordwestdeutschen Wirtschaft e.V. A broader regional industry association covering northwest German states with a more macro-level advocacy and networking mandate. Comparable in its Wirtschaftsvereinigung-style structure but operating at a wider geographic and political scale.

Direct peers

• Kreishandwerkerschaft Grafschaft Bentheim: The regional trades and crafts guild association covering the same district and already an established partner of the Wirtschaftsvereinigung on joint publications, the 'Freiheit für meine Pläne' campaign, and Campus Convention. Represents a parallel member-based regional advocacy body with overlapping event programming.
• Wachstumsregion Ems-Achse e.V. Regional growth initiative that is already a documented partner of the Wirtschaftsvereinigung on the Campus Convention awards and skilled-worker database integration. Operates across an overlapping geography with comparable focus on regional economic development and cross-district coordination.
• Wirtschaftsvereinigung Steinfurt e.V. A similarly structured regional business association in the neighboring Steinfurt district of North Rhine-Westphalia, with comparable mandate of regional economic advocacy, networking, and member services for medium-sized enterprises. Closest geographic peer with matching organizational design.
• Wirtschaftsvereinigung Emsland e.V. Regional business association in the directly neighboring Emsland district, serving a comparable cross-industry membership base and operating a similar energy pool, events calendar, and skilled-worker programs. Highly analogous in structure, member profile, and service mix.
• Wirtschaftsförderung Emsland GmbH: The county-owned economic development agency for the neighboring Emsland district, providing location marketing, business settlement support, and innovation programming. Comparable to the Wirtschaftsvereinigung's regional economic development role but structured as a public GmbH rather than a member association.

Others

• Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag (DIHK): The umbrella body for all German IHKs (chambers of commerce), which collectively set advocacy positions and services across all regional chambers. Functions as an enabling/ecosystem layer rather than a direct competitor, but shapes the regulatory and service environment in which regional Wirtschaftsvereinigungen operate.
• Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI): The federal German industry association representing the broader industrial ecosystem. Comparable in mission and structure but operating at national scale; provides context for the value the regional Wirtschaftsvereinigung offers relative to a top-tier industry advocacy body.

Regional players

• Wirtschaftsvereinigung der Stadt Lingen e.V. A city-level Wirtschaftsvereinigung in Lingen, just outside the Grafschaft Bentheim district, with a comparable membership and advocacy mandate but focused on a single urban jurisdiction rather than a full county. Useful as a benchmark for member-service design and city-level event programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WirtschaftsvereinigungGB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wirtschaftsvereinigung-grafschaft-bentheim

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Wirtschaftsvereinigung der Grafschaft Bentheim e.V.