North Carolina Economic Development Group

What North Carolina Economic Development Group does

North Carolina Economic Development Group, doing business as NCEDA (North Carolina Economic Development Association), is a nonprofit professional membership association founded circa 1970 (with firmographic data also citing 1966) and headquartered in North Carolina. The organization serves economic development professionals at local, regional, and state levels, as well as allied professionals in architecture, commercial real estate, utilities, and academia, providing training, certification programs, networking events, and advocacy with state legislators. Its core service surface includes three annual conferences (Spring, Annual, and Fall), Emerging Executives events, a career center, mentorship programs, a six-award recognition program, and an expanding library of webinars, podcasts, and blog content. NCEDA maintains strategic relationships with the NC Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), and operates the affiliated NCEDA Foundation (established 2020) to fund scholarships and research.

The business model is a hybrid of recurring and event-based revenue streams. Standard individual membership dues are $295 annually with a $25 first-year application fee; the input notes that 50% of dues relate to nondeductible lobbying expenditures. The organization generates additional revenue from conference registrations and from a tiered corporate sponsorship program (Cardinal, Long Leaf Pine, Dogwood, and Patron levels) anchored by Duke Energy, NCRR, ElectriCities of NC, and 37 Gears at the top tier. The NCEDA Foundation hosts an annual fundraiser (approximately $10,000 per year since 2022) to support scholarships and research. Membership enrollment is processed online through a GrowthZone-powered application platform, and renewal is annual.

The technology footprint is limited to standard association-management and event-registration infrastructure; NCEDA does not offer a software product, proprietary platform, or technology solution. Operations are lean (1-10 employees per firmographic data) and the geographic scope is the state of North Carolina. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, with no disclosed private equity, venture capital, or parent-company ownership.

Name

North Carolina Economic Development Group

Legal name

North Carolina Economic Development Association

Website

https://nceda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North Carolina Economic Development Group (NCEDA) is a nonprofit professional membership association serving over 900 economic development professionals in North Carolina through training, certification, advocacy, conferences, and networking programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

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: Annual membership dues provide recurring revenue. Standard membership is $295 annually plus $25 first-year application fee. Note that 50% of dues are related to nondeductible lobbying expenditures.
2. Conference Revenue: Revenue from annual conferences including Spring, Annual, and Fall conferences, as well as Emerging Executives Events and networking luncheons.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at multiple tiers (Cardinal, Long Leaf Pine, Dogwood, and Patron levels) provide revenue and support association programming.
4. Foundation Fundraising: NCEDA Foundation hosts annual fundraiser at conferences since 2022, raising approximately $10,000 each year for Foundation programming including scholarships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NCEDA is a membership-based nonprofit professional association that recruits, trains, and advocates for economic development professionals across North Carolina. Its core offerings are annual conferences (Spring, Annual, Fall), certification and continuing education programs (including the Basic Economic Development Course via UNC Chapel Hill and the NC Certified Economic Developer program via East Carolina University), legislative advocacy in Raleigh, a career center and mentorship program, networking events, and an awards program. The association is funded primarily through $295/year membership dues, tiered corporate sponsorships, and foundation fundraising through its affiliated NCEDA Foundation.

Product overview

NCEDA is a professional association for economic development professionals in North Carolina, not a technology product company. The organization provides professional development programs, networking events (including Spring, Fall, and Annual Conferences), advocacy services, mentorship programs, career center resources, awards recognition, and scholarship/fellowship programs through its NCEDA Foundation. The organization does not offer a software product, platform, or technology solution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCEDA Annual Membership Annual professional membership for economic developers and allied professionals in North Carolina providing access to the member directory, networking events, conferences, webinars, advocacy updates, and career resources. Priced at $295 per year plus a $25 first-year application fee.
• NCEDA Annual Conference Flagship annual multi-day in-person conference for NCEDA members and economic development professionals, held in June and rotating to cities such as Wilmington, NC. Includes networking, professional development sessions, and the annual awards program.
• NCEDA Spring Conference Annual spring in-person conference for economic development professionals across North Carolina, providing networking and professional development programming.
• NCEDA Fall Conference Annual fall in-person conference for NCEDA members including presidential updates, networking, and legislative advocacy programming.
• NC Certified Economic Developer Certification Program State-recognized professional certification for economic developers in North Carolina, delivered in partnership with East Carolina University, providing the credentialed workforce pipeline for the state's economic development community.
• Basic Economic Development Course Foundational economic development training course delivered in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, providing core professional development for new and existing economic developers.
• Legislative Advocacy Program State-level advocacy program representing NCEDA's 900+ members before North Carolina state legislators and agencies (including the NC Department of Commerce and EDPNC) on economic development policy, funding, and legislative issues.
• NCEDA Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship Program Scholarship and fellowship program administered through the NCEDA Foundation (a separately established nonprofit entity) that funds economic development professional development, certifications, and educational initiatives across North Carolina, including rural and underserved communities.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Multi-tiered annual corporate sponsorship program (Cardinal, Long Leaf Pine, Dogwood, Patron levels) for companies and organizations supporting NCEDA events, conferences, and programming in exchange for visibility and engagement with the NC member network.
• Career Center and Mentorship Program Job board and mentorship program for NCEDA members supporting career transitions, placement, and professional development for emerging executives in North Carolina economic development.
• NCEDA Annual Awards Program Annual recognition program awarding the NCEDA Economic Developer of the Year, Emerging Leader of the Year, Deal of the Year, Innovator of the Year, Career Achievement, and President's Awards to honor outstanding achievement in North Carolina economic development.

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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered cardinal sponsor, long leaf pine sponsor and core.

• 37 Gearscardinal sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerCardinal level sponsor providing support for NCEDA events and programming.
• NCRR (North Carolina Railroad)cardinal sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerCardinal level sponsor supporting economic development initiatives and NCEDA programming.
• Duke Energycardinal sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor Cardinal sponsor supporting NCEDA events and economic development in the Carolinas.
• ElectriCities of NCcardinal sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerCardinal sponsor providing economic development services support for NCEDA.
• NC Electric Cooperativeslong leaf pine sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong Leaf Pine sponsor supporting economic development throughout North Carolina.
• Enbridgelong leaf pine sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong Leaf Pine sponsor supporting NCEDA initiatives.
• Smith Andersonlong leaf pine sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong Leaf Pine sponsor providing corporate relocation and incentives legal expertise.
• NC Portslong leaf pine sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong Leaf Pine sponsor supporting economic development through port infrastructure.
• Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey strategic partner collaborating with NCEDA on advocacy and promoting North Carolina for business investment. EDPNC works with NCEDA members to recruit new investments and support business growth.
• North Carolina Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary state agency partner providing collaboration on economic development advocacy and initiatives for North Carolina's economic future.
• NC Rural CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner supporting rural economic development across North Carolina, aligned with NCEDA's mission to strengthen the statewide economic development community.
• UNC Chapel HillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing Basic Economic Development Course and research support for economic development professional development.
• East Carolina UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution providing the NC Certified Economic Developer program for professional credentials.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Planning Association: APA is the national professional association for urban and community planners, whose membership overlaps NCEDA's local/regional economic developers and allied professionals on land use, infrastructure, and workforce topics.
• NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association: NAIOP is a major commercial real estate industry association whose members include many of NCEDA's allied professionals (CRE developers, site selectors). It overlaps with NCEDA's allied-field audience and competes for sponsorship dollars in the same corporate ecosystem.
• CoreNet Global: CoreNet Global is a worldwide association for corporate real estate professionals, including site selection and economic development functions. It addresses many of the same corporate end-users NCEDA serves and competes for member attention at the enterprise level.

Regional players

• Carolinas Gateway Partnership: A multi-county regional economic development organization serving parts of the Carolinas. It is comparable as a smaller-scale economic development practitioner operating in NCEDA's geography and overlapping with NCEDA's members on local/regional site-selection work.
• Georgia Economic Developers Association: GEDA is the state-level professional association for economic developers in Georgia. It mirrors NCEDA's structure (membership, annual conference, advocacy, awards) and competes for the attention and engagement of southeastern economic development professionals.
• Virginia Economic Developers Association: VEDA serves Virginia's economic development community with a similar member-based, conference-driven structure. It is a direct state-association peer competing for Mid-Atlantic economic developer engagement and sponsorships.
• South Carolina Economic Developers' Association: SCEDA is the analogous state-level professional association for economic developers in South Carolina. It provides a directly comparable membership, conference, and advocacy model operating in NCEDA's immediate neighboring market.
• Tennessee Economic Partnership: Tennessee Economic Partnership performs a comparable economic development mission for the state of Tennessee, blending public-private collaboration with member engagement and site-selection support — a clear regional peer to NCEDA.

Emerging players

• Site Selectors Guild: The Site Selectors Guild is an association of professional site selection consultants who work closely with economic developers on corporate location decisions. It is a thematic peer that intersects with NCEDA's mission around business recruitment and investment attraction.

Direct peers

• International Economic Development Council: IEDC is the largest global membership association for economic developers, offering training, conferences, and advocacy. It is the closest direct peer to NCEDA, operating the same professional-association model at the national/international level and competing for the same practitioners' dues and conference time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nceda_
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/820416788301405
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-carolina-economic-developers-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 North Carolina Economic Development Group