Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers

What Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers does

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers (GSGP) is a binational intergovernmental organization that convenes the chief executives of 8 U.S. states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin) and 2 Canadian provinces (Ontario, Québec) as equal partners to coordinate economic development, trade facilitation, environmental protection, and tourism across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin. Originally founded in 1983 as the Council of Great Lakes Governors to administer a U.S. Department of Energy biomass program, the body evolved through landmark 1985, 2001, and 2005 water-management agreements, formally adopted the binding Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement and Compact in 2005/2008, and was restructured in 2015 into the current Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers under Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.

The organization's service portfolio is organized as programs and initiatives rather than commercial products. Core offerings include an International Trade Program operating a network of 15 shared international trade offices covering 187+ countries and running 45+ multi-state/provincial trade missions since 2004; a Water Management Program anchored in the Compact/Agreement legal framework; an Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force; protection-and-restoration work with nine priorities and an Impact Investment Platform; tourism programs (Cruise the Great Lakes and Great Lakes USA); a Maritime Initiative; a 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative covering ≈90% of regional commercial catch volume; a Trees Initiative targeting 250 million trees by 2033; and a Sustainable Agriculture Initiative.

GSGP is funded through membership dues and government appropriations from its 10 member jurisdictions, supplemented by grants (e.g., Great Lakes Fishery Trust, Great Lakes Fishery Commission for the 100% Fish Initiative) and trade-mission participation fees. Day-to-day operations are run by a small (1-10 FTE) professional staff in Chicago under Executive Director David Naftzger (in role since 2003), with the current Chair Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Vice Chair Indiana Governor Mike Braun. The legal entity of record is Council of Great Lakes Governors, Inc. GSGP holds no patents, has no commercial software products, and distributes services through member-state governments and shared trade offices rather than direct commercial channels.

Name

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers

Legal name

Council of Great Lakes Governors, Inc.

Website

https://gsgp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers is a binational intergovernmental organization uniting 8 U.S. governors and 2 Canadian premiers to coordinate economic development, international trade, environmental protection, and tourism across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, operating programs including a 15-office global trade network and the binational Water Resources Compact.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Government Funding: GSGP operates as an intergovernmental organization funded through member state and provincial contributions. The organization coordinates regional economic development, trade facilitation, and environmental protection initiatives for its 10 member jurisdictions (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec, and Wisconsin).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GSGP is a binational intergovernmental conference that coordinates regional economic development, trade facilitation, and environmental protection across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin for its 10 member jurisdictions (8 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces). It delivers programs in international trade (network of 15 shared trade offices and trade missions), tourism (Cruise the Great Lakes, Great Lakes USA), maritime, water management, aquatic invasive species, fisheries sustainability (100% Great Lakes Fish), ecosystem restoration, tree planting, and sustainable agriculture.

Product overview

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers (GSGP) is a regional intergovernmental organization, not a commercial product company. GSGP offers a portfolio of economic development, environmental protection, and trade facilitation programs and initiatives rather than commercial software products. The portfolio includes: International Trade services through shared trade offices and trade missions; Tourism programs (Cruise the Great Lakes and Great Lakes USA); Maritime transportation infrastructure initiatives; Environmental programs including Water Management, Aquatic Invasive Species prevention, Protection and Restoration, and the Trees Initiative; Sustainability programs including the 100% Great Lakes Fish initiative and Sustainable Agriculture Initiative. These are public policy and economic development programs serving the member states and provinces, not commercial technology products or software offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Trade Program Facilitates international exports for small and medium-sized companies from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region through a network of 15 shared international trade offices covering 187+ countries and organized multi-state/provincial trade missions with customized B2B meetings.
• Cruise the Great Lakes Regional cruise marketing initiative that promotes cruise experiences in the Great Lakes region through brand optimization and targeted passenger outreach, building on 170,000+ cruise passenger port visits.
• Great Lakes USA International tourism marketing partnership targeting visitors from the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and China to visit the Great Lakes region.
• Maritime Initiative Regional strategy to double maritime trade, reduce environmental footprint of transportation networks, and support the industrial center of the Great Lakes region through smart ships technology and infrastructure investment.
• 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative Initiative to productively use all parts of commercially-caught fish rather than landfilling waste, working with 44 companies handling over 30 million pounds of fish annually and representing approximately 90% of the Great Lakes commercial catch by volume.
• Great Lakes Trees Initiative Regional effort with a goal of planting 250 million trees by 2033 to enhance the Great Lakes ecosystem.
• Water Management Program Coordinates protection of the world's largest supply of surface fresh water through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement and companion Water Resources Compact, managing 21% of the world's surface fresh water.
• Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force Works to stop the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) into the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin through regional coordination and priority actions, including the "Least Wanted" AIS program.
• Protection and Restoration Program Regional effort with nine priorities to guide restoration and protection of the Great Lakes, including the Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform for environmentally sustainable economic growth.
• Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Initiative to strengthen the regional agricultural economy, increase resilience across the agricultural sector, and promote sustainable management of natural resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Facilitated $1.13 billion in export sales through trade missions (2016-2022)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered premier partner, industry sponsor, silver sponsor, core partner and core.

• Bedrock's Urban Tech Xchangepremier partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 February 2026Premiere partner for the AquaHacking Binational Great Lakes and St. Lawrence 2026 Challenge. Hosted the launch event at Urban Tech Xchange in Detroit on February 2, 2026. Supporting innovation competition to tackle Great Lakes water issues.
• Detroit/Wayne County Port Authorityindustry sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 February 2026Industry sponsor for the AquaHacking Binational Great Lakes and St. Lawrence 2026 Challenge. Supporting innovation competition addressing water issues in the Great Lakes region.
• KPMGsilver sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 February 2026Silver sponsor for the AquaHacking Binational Great Lakes and St. Lawrence 2026 Challenge. Supporting innovation competition to tackle Great Lakes water issues.
• Xylemsilver sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 February 2026Silver sponsor for the AquaHacking Binational Great Lakes and St. Lawrence 2026 Challenge. Supporting innovation competition to tackle Great Lakes water issues.
• Iceland Ocean Clustercore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSGP works closely with the Iceland Ocean Cluster, which pioneered the '100% Fish' model using every part of the fish to reduce waste and create new economic value. This partnership informed the 100% Great Lakes Fish Initiative.
• Canada Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Canada, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Canadian markets.
• UK Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in UK, helps Great Lakes region companies export to UK markets.
• Israel Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Israel, assists small to medium-sized companies from the Great Lakes region to export to Israel and Jordan, covering 98 global markets.
• China Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in China, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Chinese markets.
• Korea Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Korea, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Korean markets.
• India Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in India, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Indian markets.
• Saudi Arabia-Dubai Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Saudi Arabia-Dubai, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Middle East markets.
• Australia Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Australia, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Australian and New Zealand markets.
• South Africa Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in South Africa, helps Great Lakes region companies export to African markets.
• Chile Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Chile, helps Great Lakes region companies export to South American markets.
• Singapore Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Singapore, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Southeast Asian markets.
• Mexico Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Mexico, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Mexican markets.
• Japan Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Japan, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Japanese markets.
• Caribbean-Central America Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Caribbean-Central America region, helps Great Lakes region companies export to these markets.
• Brazil Trade OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 15 shared international trade offices. Located in Brazil, helps Great Lakes region companies export to Brazilian markets.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Governors Association: Bipartisan organization of all U.S. state governors that coordinates state policy across diverse issue areas. Comparable to GSGP as a governors-led coordination body, but operates nationally with a much broader issue mandate and significantly larger footprint than GSGP's regional binational focus.
• Council of State Governments: Nonpartisan, interstate organization serving all three branches of state government. Comparable to GSGP in cross-state coordination and small-staff administration of member-state initiatives, but covers all 50 states across all policy areas rather than a single binational region.

Direct peers

• Delaware River Basin Commission: Interstate compact commission that manages water resources and regulates water use across Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Closely comparable to GSGP's Water Resources Compact administration function, including a legal-regulatory compact structure and federal-state coordination role.
• Great Lakes Commission: Binational U.S.-Canadian compact commission focused on the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence basin, with similar scope in water resource management, binational coordination, and member-state policy alignment. Operates the same basin as GSGP with overlapping jurisdictional coverage, making it the single most directly comparable peer.
• Chesapeake Bay Program: Regional partnership directing restoration of the Chesapeake Bay across multiple U.S. states (MD, VA, PA, NY, WV, DE) and DC. Comparable to GSGP in multi-state environmental coordination, compacts/agreements-based governance, and small professional staff administering a complex restoration mandate.
• International Joint Commission: Binational organization created by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to manage U.S.-Canada boundary waters. Directly comparable to GSGP's binational coordination role across the U.S.-Canada border, including shared water management responsibilities for the Great Lakes.
• Susquehanna River Basin Commission: Interstate compact commission governing water allocation, water quality, and resource management across the Susquehanna River basin (NY, PA, MD). Highly comparable to GSGP in structure: member-state compact, water resource management mandate, and small professional staff administering a multi-state regulatory framework.
• Pacific Northwest Economic Region: International U.S.-Canada binational organization of Pacific Northwest states, provinces, and territories focused on regional economic development, trade facilitation, and policy coordination. Directly comparable to GSGP in binational economic development and trade promotion mandate.
• Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative: Mayors-led coalition of 95+ Mississippi River cities focused on water quality, flood protection, and economic development. Comparable to GSGP as a multi-jurisdictional coordination body for a major U.S. watershed, with similar reliance on member dues and political support.

Others

• Tennessee Valley Authority: Federally-owned corporation providing electricity, economic development, and environmental stewardship across the Tennessee Valley. Compares thematically to GSGP in regional economic development, environmental stewardship, and infrastructure coordination across a multi-state watershed, though TVA operates as a federal utility rather than a member-state compact.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greatlakesstlawrencegovernorspremiers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers