Union County Development Association

What Union County Development Association does

Union County Development Association (UCDA) is a private, non-profit economic development organization established in 1997 and headquartered in the Roundhouse building in Uptown Creston, the county seat of Union County, Iowa. Its mission is to strengthen the economic base and well-being of Union County through industrial retention and recruitment, housing programs, and collaboration for total community development. UCDA operates as the single coordinated economic development entity serving Union County, a rural southwest Iowa region positioned as the largest city west of I-35 and south of I-80 in the state.

UCDA's core offerings span four functional pillars. First, housing programs include Bldg 301 Loft Apartments (corporate-leasing furnished units), Parkway Heights Apartments (36 one- and two-bedroom units developed with DEV Partners on the former Lincoln School site, leasing from September 2026), the James Sub-Division (residential lots being absorbed by builders), and Summit Development lots priced $23,000–$31,000. Second, business support services include a Small Business Development Center, Small Business Grants, Just Start entrepreneurship programming, and retention/expansion services, with an Available Sites/Buildings portal integrated via LocationOne. Third, workforce development includes Lead UC and Lead UC Youth leadership programs, Intern It UP internships, Choose UC career exploration, and Union County Young Professionals. Fourth, community engagement includes Fridays After Five (weekly live music fundraiser at the Elks Lodge), Area Business Coffee (co-organized with the Creston Chamber of Commerce as of 2026), National Night Out, and The Roundhouse coworking facility with meeting/event space rentals.

UCDA's revenue model combines investor contributions, membership fees, and grant funding. Major grant wins include a $1.75M IEDA Neighborhood Revitalization Grant awarded in 2024 (for Uptown District improvements including housing rehabilitation, sidewalks, beautification, and safety) and the Creston Thriving Communities Designation from the Iowa Finance Authority in 2023+2024, which unlocked Workforce Housing Tax Credits enabling nearly 40 new housing units. The organization partners with state agencies (IEDA, IFA), regional bodies (SICOG), private developers (DEV Partners, Hymbaugh Construction, American Homes By Grant Long), local banks (First National Bank, First Interstate Bank, Northwest Bank, Iowa State Savings Bank), and broadband providers (Lockridge Networks, Omnitel Communications). GTM is community-led, leveraging organic social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok), the Union County Connection newsletter, and in-person community events to drive engagement with businesses, developers, and residents across Union County.

Name

Union County Development Association

Legal name

Union County Development Association

Website

https://unioncountyiowa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Union County Development Association is a non-profit economic development organization founded in 1997 serving Union County, Iowa, offering housing programs, business support, workforce development, leadership training, and community events from its Roundhouse headquarters in Creston.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSALAKAO

Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Housing Programs

Financial & Insurance/Mortgage & Housing Finance/Housing Finance Agencies & Government-Sponsored Housing Programs

SECONDARYBPAGAEAL

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYIMAFABAL

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Residential Building Construction

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Community development programs
• Housing development
• Small business support
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Creston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investor Contributions: UCDA receives funding from investors to support economic development activities, as evidenced by references to 'Investors' section on the website and UCDA investor programs for housing development.
2. Membership Fees: The organization operates with a membership model where local businesses and entities can invest in UCDA programs, including housing initiatives like James Sub-Division development.
3. Grant Funding: UCDA has received grants from IEDA and IFA for community development projects including the Creston Neighborhood Revitalization Grant ($1.75 million awarded in 2024) and Thriving Communities designation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Union County Development Association is a non-profit economic development organization that strengthens Union County, Iowa's economic base through industrial retention and recruitment, housing programs (apartment leasing and residential lot sales), small business support (grants, SBDC services, entrepreneurship programs), workforce and leadership development (Intern It UP, Lead UC, Lead UC Youth), and recurring community events (Fridays After Five, Area Business Coffee, National Night Out). It also operates The Roundhouse, a coworking and meeting facility in Uptown Creston, and partners with developers such as DEV Partners on multi-unit housing projects.

Product overview

The Union County Development Association (UCDA) is an economic development organization established in 1997 that strengthens Union County's economic base through industrial retention and recruitment, housing programs, and community development initiatives. UCDA operates as a multi-service organization offering a portfolio of programs including leadership development (Lead UC and Lead UC Youth), housing options (Bldg 301 Loft Apartments, Parkway Heights Apartments, James Sub-Division, and Summit Development lots), business support services (Small Business Development Center, Small Business Grants, Just Start entrepreneurship program), workforce programs (Intern It UP, Choose UC career exploration), and community networking events (Fridays After Five, Area Business Coffee, Union County Young Professionals). The organization also manages The Roundhouse coworking facility and provides meeting/event space coordination. UCDA does not offer a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bldg 301 Loft Apartments

Quantifiable outcome

• Creston was awarded $1.75 million in Neighborhood Revitalization Grant funds in 2024 for Uptown District improvements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DEV PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024DEV Partners is a housing developer that partnered with UCDA to transform the former Lincoln School site at 1001 W. Jefferson Street into Parkway Heights Apartments, bringing 36 new housing units to Union County.
• Creston Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs of 2026, Area Business Coffee events are collaboratively organized by UCDA and the Creston Chamber of Commerce. The partnership combines economic development resources with business networking opportunities.
• First National BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst National Bank partners with UCDA to sponsor Fridays After Five community events, contributing to local fundraising efforts for community causes.
• Elks LodgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Elks Lodge partners with UCDA to host Fridays After Five events on their east lawn, providing the venue for weekly live music and community gatherings.
• SICOGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSICOG (Southern Iowa Economic Development Association) collaborated with UCDA on the Creston Neighborhood Revitalization Grant (2024) and Creston Thriving Communities Designation (2023+2024).
• IEDAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa Economic Development Authority awarded UCDA and the City of Creston $1.75 million in Neighborhood Revitalization Grant funds in 2024, and previously completed the Downtown Assessment (2019) and funded the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan (2023).
• RDGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRDG completed the Creston Neighborhood Revitalization Plan (2023) for UCDA, providing strategic planning expertise for Uptown District revitalization.
• EllisPoore Real EstateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReal estate brokerage office available for purchasing lots in the James Sub-Division, acting as a channel partner for UCDA housing programs.
• The Real Estate StoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUCDA investor and real estate brokerage listing Summit Development lots (Lot 2 at $23,000, Lot 6 at $28,000, Lot 7 at $31,000, Lot 8 at $28,000, Lot 9 at $31,000) for attainable housing development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA): The state-level agency that awarded UCDA's $1.75M Neighborhood Revitalization Grant and produced the Downtown Assessment. IEDA is the umbrella funder/regulator that defines the programs (NRG, Thriving Communities, workforce tax credits) through which UCDA channels its work, making it the principal institutional counterparty.
• Greater Des Moines Partnership: The largest regional economic development organization in Iowa, operating in a much larger metro market. Useful as a scale-reference peer for what a mature, multi-county EDO partnership looks like, though it competes in a different talent and capital pool than UCDA.
• Main Street Iowa: A statewide downtown revitalization program that has historically funded Uptown Creston assessments. Comparable to UCDA's Uptown Creston revitalization work in mission and methodology, operating as a statewide program rather than a single-county EDO.
• Iowa Area Development Group (IADG): A private nonprofit economic development organization serving rural and small-town Iowa communities through financing, project packaging, and business recruitment. IADG competes for the same industrial recruitment and retention mandates that UCDA fulfills at the county level.
• Iowa Finance Authority (IFA): The state housing finance body that awarded the Creston Thriving Communities Designation (2023+2024) enabling Workforce Housing Tax Credits. IFA is the funding mechanism behind UCDA's housing pipeline and is structurally comparable as a housing-finance actor, though at state scale.

Direct peers

• Southern Iowa Economic Development Association (SICOG): Regional counterpart that directly collaborated with UCDA on the Creston Neighborhood Revitalization Grant and Thriving Communities Designation. SICOG is a Council of Governments serving a multi-county region of southern Iowa, mirroring UCDA's community/economic development mandate at a slightly larger geographic scope.
• Creston Area Chamber of Commerce: Local partner that co-hosts the Area Business Coffee weekly event with UCDA. The Chamber executes business retention, networking, and community promotion activities in the same geographic market with overlapping investor and member bases, making it the closest functional peer for UCDA's business-support mission.

Others

• National Association of Development Organizations (NADO): The national membership association for regional planning and development organizations. NADO is not a competitor but the category-defining trade body for the type of multi-county/rural EDO that UCDA operates within, providing benchmarking, training, and federal funding access.

Emerging players

• Dev Partners: The for-profit developer partner delivering the 36-unit Parkway Heights Apartments on the former Lincoln School site. Comparable as a housing delivery counterpart in Union County, illustrating the public-private model UCDA uses to execute housing projects.
• Southwestern Community College (SWCC) Workforce & Economic Development: An anchor institution in Creston whose workforce credentialing and continuing education overlap with UCDA's Intern It UP, Choose UC, and Lead UC programs. SWCC is a partner for talent development but also a potential competitor for employer-facing workforce dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unioncountyiowa
• Facebookfacebook.com/unioncountyia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-county-development-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/unioncountyiowa
• TikToktiktok.com/@unioncountyiowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Union County Development Association