Starke County Economic Development Foundation, Inc.

Name

Starke County Economic Development Foundation, Inc.

Legal name

Starke County Economic Development Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://scedf.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Starke County Economic Development Foundation is a nonprofit LEDO serving Starke County, Indiana that drives business attraction, retention, and expansion through industrial park development, SCILL workforce training, the Starke Tank pitch competition, and incentive program facilitation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Educational Support Services (6117), Administration of Human Resource Programs (9231)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Purpose & Alternative Asset Brokerage (BPAJABAH)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Site selection assistance
• Workforce development programs
• Industrial park development
• Business retention services

Headquarters

HQ city

Knox

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Economic Development Services: SCEDF provides economic development services on behalf of Starke County, the City of Knox, and the Towns of North Judson and Hamlet through development of industrial parks, rail spurs, greenfield sites, shovel-ready sites, infrastructure, and workforce development. Funded through local government appropriations, grants, and organizational partnerships.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SCEDF is a nonprofit local economic development organization providing business attraction, retention, expansion, and workforce development services on behalf of Starke County, the City of Knox, and the Towns of North Judson and Hamlet. It develops industrial parks, rail spurs, greenfield and shovel-ready sites, coordinates infrastructure, navigates state incentives, and delivers workforce training through its SCILL affiliate and the Rollie job board.

Product overview

The Starke County Economic Development Foundation is a nonprofit local economic development organization (LEDO) providing economic development services on behalf of Starke County, Indiana, the City of Knox, and the Towns of North Judson and Hamlet. Rather than a technology product company, SCEDF offers a suite of economic development programs including the Rollie automated job board system, Starke Tank business pitch competition, SCILL workforce training affiliate, Rural Opportunity Zone Initiative, Hotel Initiative, and industrial park development with shovel-ready sites and infrastructure. The organization focuses on business attraction, retention, expansion, and workforce development for Starke County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Starke Tank: Countywide business pitch competition for entrepreneurs to establish, grow or expand small businesses in Starke County

Products and services

• SCEDF Economic Development Services (Industrial Park & Site Development) Core service of SCEDF: development and management of industrial parks with rail spurs, greenfield sites, and shovel-ready sites in Knox, Hamlet, and North Judson for businesses evaluating new or expanded Indiana locations.
• Starke County Initiative for Lifelong Learning (SCILL) Affiliate program of SCEDF offering high-quality vocational training in automotive technology, welding, emergency medical training, and adult programs to ensure a skilled workforce for Starke County employers.
• Starke Tank Business Pitch Competition Annual Starke Tank competition awarding seed money (e.g., $12,000 first place, $6,000 runner-up) to entrepreneurs establishing, growing, or expanding small businesses in Starke County.
• Rollie Job Board Automated countywide job posting aggregation system that pulls real-time job openings directly from local employer websites, connecting Starke County talent with employers.
• Rural Opportunity Zone Initiative Marketing and investor-attraction program promoting Starke County's federally approved low-income census tracts offering deferred payment on capital gains for private-sector investors to revitalize post-Recession areas.
• Hotel Initiative Economic development initiative to bring a new 50-60 room mid-scale hotel to Knox to accommodate business travelers and visiting families.

Quantifiable outcome

• SCILL established 1996 provides high-quality vocational training in automotive technology, welding, emergency medical training programs and adult programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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 minor and core.

• Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Worked with SCEDF to develop Rural Opportunity Zone marketing prospectus for investor attraction.
• Mirth & WhimsyminorOthers · 1 January 2022Local production company hired to produce the Rural Opportunity Zone video showcasing Starke County's assets.
• Starke County Chamber of Commerce (SCCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Joint Quality of Life Initiative partners since 2016. Jointly led effort to encourage and provide support to small, local projects that make Starke County a better place to live, work, invest and play.
• Starke County Initiative for Lifelong Learning (SCILL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996Affiliate of SCEDF established 1996 to assist in training the county workforce. Offers high-quality vocational training in automotive technology, welding, emergency medical training programs and adult programs. SCILL continues to strive to ensure a skilled workforce for local employers.
• Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level economic development entity providing access to Indiana incentive programs including EDGE Tax Credit, Industrial Development Grant Fund, Skills Enhancement Fund, Hoosier Business Investment Tax Credit, and other state-level assistance.
• Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor gas and electric utility with representative member on SCEDF governing body. Ensures cooperation and direct access to decision makers regarding new service and issues with existing services. Economic Development contact: Cindy Admave.
• Kankakee Valley REMCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElectric utility cooperative with representative member on SCEDF governing body. CEO Scott Sears serves as representative. Provides direct access to electric service decision makers for industrial development.
• CenturyLinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationTelephone/broadband provider with representative on SCEDF governing body. Pat Welch serves as representative. CenturyLink has installed nearly 100 miles of fiber optics cable throughout Starke County.
• Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides free coaching to Starke Tank contestants. SCEDF partners with Indiana SBDC to provide business development support and dress rehearsals for pitch competition participants.
• Center of Workforce InnovationsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNorthwest Indiana WorkOne Provider; partners with SCEDF to provide workforce development training resources and programs.
• Purdue University Manufacturing Extension Partnership CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartners with SCEDF to provide needed manufacturing training and technical assistance to local industries.
• Starke County Young ProfessionalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCEDF assisted in establishment of organization working to bring young leaders from the county together to network and work on activities.
• Marian University Ancilla CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate two-year community college in nearby Donaldson; offers dual credit through local public high schools. Serves as beginning point of college education for several Starke County residents.
• Ivy Tech Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus in Valparaiso offers dual credit through local public high schools in partnership with SCEDF workforce development efforts.
• Starke County Convention and Visitors CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal tourism organization; funded hotel feasibility study; provides grants for marketing videos; supports quality of life initiatives.
• Starke County Humane SocietyminorOthersLocal nonprofit; Mary Perren serves on Board of Directors as part of SCEDF staff community involvement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Indy Chamber: Large, multi-county regional chamber and economic development organization for the Indianapolis metro. Offers overlapping business-attraction and workforce services but at a substantially larger scale and broader geography than SCEDF's single-county footprint.
• Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC): State-level economic development agency that SCEDF explicitly partners with. Operates as an incumbent umbrella over local LEDOs like SCEDF, administering the EDGE Tax Credit, Industrial Development Grant Fund, and Skills Enhancement Fund that SCEDF routes to local businesses.

Others

• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): Industry association for the economic development profession. Comparable only at the category level — IEDC provides training, certifications, and best-practice frameworks that small LEDOs like SCEDF rely on to professionalize their business-attraction practice.

Direct peers

• Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership: Regional LEDO covering 11 counties in Northeast Indiana. Provides directly comparable business attraction, retention, and workforce-development services and partners with the same IEDC state-incentive ecosystem that SCEDF accesses.
• Northwest Indiana Forum: Regional economic development organization serving Northwest Indiana counties including Starke. Operates the same LEDO playbook of site selection, workforce advocacy, and incentive navigation for member businesses across an overlapping Indiana geography.
• Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance: County-level economic development alliance serving Howard County (Kokomo), Indiana. Provides comparable site/incentive/workforce services to a small-to-mid Indiana manufacturing county, mirroring SCEDF's target-customer profile.
• Greater Lafayette Commerce: County/regional economic development and chamber organization serving Tippecanoe County. Offers directly comparable site selection, incentive coordination, and workforce-development services for an Indiana county-level market.
• Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership: County-level LEDO serving Hendricks County, Indiana. Closely comparable structure: nonprofit, county-funded, board-driven, focused on attraction/retention/expansion and workforce for a single Indiana county.
• Boone County Economic Development Corporation: Nonprofit county-level LEDO for Boone County, Indiana. Directly analogous operating model — local-government-funded, board-governed, focused on industrial park promotion, incentives, and business retention for a single Indiana county.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubestudio.youtube.com/channel/UCceE-3GvTzC_XvDgvMydyrw/videos/upload?filter=%5B%5D&sort=%7B%22columnType%22%3A%22date%22%2C%22sortOrder%22%3A%22DESCENDING%22%7D
• Facebookfacebook.com/Starke-County-Economic-Development-Foundation-Inc-541579929239106
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starke-county-economic-development-foundation-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Starke County Economic Development Foundation, Inc.