Economic Leadership

What Economic Leadership does

Economic Leadership, LLC is a privately-held economic development and strategic planning consultancy founded in 2013 by Ted Abernathy and Kendall Abernathy and headquartered in Shallotte, North Carolina. The firm serves state and local chambers of commerce, regional economic development organizations, state and local government agencies, technology industry associations, and community foundations, primarily across the United States. Its core service portfolio spans strategic planning, talent and workforce assessments, competitiveness assessments, future trends analysis, technology industry assessments, fiscal impact analysis, locational assessments, executive communications, stakeholder engagement, and leadership and board development via the Group LEAD online assessment tool co-developed with Business SMARTS Suite. The firm has delivered approximately 200 projects across 29 states and internationally over eleven years, and Ted Abernathy is the principal author of close to 125 reports, including a nine-year running North Carolina Technology Industry Report for the NC Tech Association.

The firm's underlying technology is a data-driven research methodology built on an extensive proprietary database of competitive factors for U.S. states and cities, combined with stakeholder survey design, economic impact modeling, and customizable trend analysis. The team of approximately 10 professionals is led by four partners (Ted Abernathy, Kendall Abernathy, Mike Malone, Kat Saunders) plus a Vice President, Director of Research, Communications Director, and supporting project and content staff, with credentials spanning former state and federal government, economic development organizations, and major communications firms.

Economic Leadership generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements sold via a sales-led, consultative go-to-market motion. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to client scope, with no publicly disclosed pricing or subscription models. The firm has no disclosed institutional investment, no venture capital backing, and no parent company; ownership is concentrated with the founding partners. New business is sourced primarily through thought leadership — Ted Abernathy's speaking engagements at venues such as IEDC, the Southern Economic Development Council, the Southern Regional Education Board, and International Eisenhower Fellowships — published reports, and client testimonials and referrals from long-standing engagements.

Name

Economic Leadership

Legal name

Economic Leadership, LLC

Website

https://econleadership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Economic Leadership is a private North Carolina-based consulting firm founded in 2013 that provides strategic planning, competitiveness analysis, workforce assessments, and trend research to state chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, government agencies, and foundations across 29 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Consulting

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA), Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)

Keywords

• Economic development consulting
• Strategic planning services
• Competitiveness assessments
• Workforce development analysis
• Future trends research

Headquarters

HQ city

Shallotte

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. Strategic Planning and Consulting Services: Project-based consulting engagements providing competitiveness research, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and leadership development services to state chambers, economic development organizations, and government entities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Economic Leadership is an economic development and strategic planning consultancy that delivers data-driven advisory services to state chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, state and local governments, technology industry associations, foundations, and private companies. Core engagements include strategic planning, talent and workforce assessments, multi-state/multi-city competitiveness analysis, future trends research, fiscal and locational impact studies, technology industry assessments, stakeholder engagement, executive communications advisory, and leadership/board development using the Group LEAD assessment tool.

Product overview

Economic Leadership is a consulting services firm, not a software product company. They offer a unified set of advisory and analytical services focused on economic development, strategic planning, and competitiveness analysis. Their portfolio consists of core consulting services including Strategic Planning, Talent and Workforce Assessments, Competitiveness Assessments, Future Trends Analysis, Technology Industry Assessments, Fiscal Impact Analysis, Locational Assessments, Executive Communications, Citizen and Stakeholder Engagement, Leadership Assessment (including the Group LEAD tool), and Public Speaking services. These services are delivered through consulting engagements rather than software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Planning Services
• Talent and Workforce Assessments
• Competitiveness Assessments
• Future Trends Analysis
• Technology Industry Assessments
• Fiscal Impact Analysis
• Locational Assessments
• Executive Communications Services
• Citizen and Stakeholder Engagement
• Leadership Assessment and Board Development
• Public Speaking and Conference Events

Quantifiable outcome

• 200 projects completed in 29 states and internationally over 11 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• McCallum Sweeney Consulting: Greenville, SC-based site selection and economic development consultancy serving state and regional EDOs — overlapping in target industry and workforce analysis but more focused on corporate site selection.
• Site Selection Group: Dallas-based location advisory and economic development consulting firm with a broader site-selection and corporate-real-estate practice — adjacent service mix to Economic Leadership's locational assessments.

Direct peers

• Camoin Associates: New York-based economic development strategy firm specializing in workforce development, strategic planning, and ROI analysis for EDOs, state agencies, and nonprofits — directly comparable in service stack and client type.
• Angelou Economics: Texas-based economic development consulting firm producing target industry studies, workforce analyses, and strategic plans for state and regional clients — a near-direct competitor in the same niche.
• Fourth Economy: Pittsburgh-based economic and community development consulting firm serving regions, EDOs, and foundations on strategy, workforce, and competitive positioning — same niche with comparable mid-sized firm profile.
• Avalanche Consulting: Texas-based economic development and strategic planning consultancy delivering workforce, competitiveness, and target-industry analyses to state and regional EDOs — highly comparable in scope and client profile to Economic Leadership.
• TIP Strategies: Austin, Texas-based economic development consulting firm providing strategic planning, workforce analysis, and competitive assessments for states, regions, and municipalities — closely comparable to Economic Leadership in service mix, client base, and team size.
• Garner Economics: Toronto-based economic development consultancy providing strategic planning, location advisory, and workforce studies for North American cities and regions — comparable in services with some Canadian geographic expansion.

Broad incumbents

• Development Strategies: St. Louis-based economic development consulting firm (now part of Deloitte) covering strategic planning, target industry, and competitiveness work for state and regional clients — same niche but operating at greater scale within a Big 4 platform.
• Econsult Solutions: Philadelphia-based economic, real estate, and public policy consulting firm with broader urban analytics and policy practice — comparable economic impact analysis work but a larger, more diversified firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/economic-leadership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Economic Leadership