What Upper Rio Grande Economic Development Council does

Upper Rio Grande Economic Development Council (URGED) is a non-profit economic development organization headquartered in Del Norte, Colorado, serving Rio Grande County and the broader 8,000-square-mile San Luis Valley region. The organization functions as a single-point-of-contact one-stop-shop for businesses and site selectors seeking to start, relocate, or expand operations in the three constituent communities of Monte Vista, Del Norte, and South Fork. URGED does not offer a technology product; its services are advisory and facilitative, encompassing site selection, commercial property search (via a Real Estate IDX tool), access to Colorado Enterprise Zone financial incentives, small business development support through a partnership with the San Luis Valley Small Business Development Center, and workforce development coordination with regional universities (Adams State University, Trinidad State Junior College) and the Colorado Workforce Development Office.

URGED's underlying technology stack is minimal and largely delegated to partners: regional fiber optic broadband is provided by Ciello (up to 1Gbps symmetrical connections to 12,000 households and businesses) and renewable energy infrastructure includes the 37 MWp Alamosa Solar Generating Plant and the Town of Del Norte's carbon-neutral footprint, both leveraged as regional marketing assets rather than URGED-owned assets. The organization's proprietary outputs are limited to data publications (2024 San Luis Valley Statistical Profile) and website content marketing, with no software platform, mobile app, or API surface.

The business model is non-transactional: URGED does not charge for its core business assistance services, and revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed. The organization is funded through a network of state-level partnerships (Colorado OEDIT, Colorado Workforce Development Office) and municipal/county support rather than customer billing. Its customer base spans prospective businesses, existing employers (Rio Grande Hospital, Formation Ag, Coors barley supply chain, Ciello), remote workers targeted via the location-neutral program, and entrepreneurs served through the Small Business Development Center network. URGED's competitive advantage rests on regulatory designation (Colorado Enterprise Zone tax credits), structural cost-of-living differentials (median home value $172,000 vs. state $431,000), fiber broadband availability, and access to public lands for outdoor recreation-based talent attraction.

Name

Upper Rio Grande Economic Development Council

Legal name

Upper Rio Grande Economic Development

Website

https://urg-ed.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Upper Rio Grande Economic Development Council is a non-profit economic development organization serving Rio Grande County and Colorado's San Luis Valley, providing free business assistance, site selection, Enterprise Zone financial incentives, workforce development, and location-neutral remote worker attraction for businesses, entrepreneurs, and relocating professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business site selection
• Small business assistance
• Workforce development programs
• Regional business incentives

Headquarters

HQ city

Del Norte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Economic Development Services: URGED provides economic development consulting and business assistance services to support business formation, relocation, and expansion in the Upper Rio Grande region. Revenue supports organizational operations and regional development initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

URGED is a non-profit economic development organization that serves as a one-stop-shop for businesses and remote workers seeking to start, relocate, or expand in Rio Grande County, Colorado. It provides site selection assistance, financial incentives guidance through the Colorado Enterprise Zone program, workforce development coordination, small business support, and regional marketing for the Upper Rio Grande and San Luis Valley area.

Product overview

Upper Rio Grande Economic Development Council is a regional economic development organization that provides business assistance services including site selection, small business support, financial incentives, workforce development, and relocation services for the Upper Rio Grande and San Luis Valley region in Colorado. The organization does not offer a technology product; its services are advisory and facilitative in nature, connecting businesses with resources, incentives, and regional information rather than delivering a software platform or digital product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level economic development partnership providing access to rural business funding, tax incentives, job training programs, Enterprise Zone programs, investment tax credits, tech assistance, and trade networks.
• San Luis Valley Small Business Development CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional resource providing free consultation to manage and expand businesses, entrepreneur training programs (The Leading Edge, Workshops), and the Veteran Entrepreneur program.
• Adams State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional university 15 minutes east of Monte Vista offering career-connected education, concurrent enrollment, and non-degree credentialing to support workforce development.
• Trinidad State Junior CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional junior college 15 minutes east of Monte Vista providing career-connected education, concurrent enrollment, and non-degree credentialing for workforce development.
• Colorado Workforce Development OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState workforce agency providing free services connecting employers with talent through ConnectingColorado.com platform.
• Rio Grande HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerURGED served on building committee for $12 million expansion and remodel, and participates in planning of Wellness Village. Second largest employer in county.
• CiellocoreTechnology or IntegrationValley's largest fiber optic broadband provider delivering up to 1Gbps symmetrical connections to 12,000 households and businesses. Critical infrastructure partner for remote work talent attraction.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): Industry membership association for economic developers. Not a direct service provider but the principal trade body that defines professional standards and best practices URGED-style EDOs operate against, making it a relevant ecosystem participant.

Direct peers

• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC): Federal-state regional economic development partnership serving the Appalachian region with grants, infrastructure investment, and business assistance for distressed rural counties. Closest U.S. analogue in mission and rural-area service model to URGED.
• Delta Regional Authority (DRA): Federal-state partnership investing in infrastructure, workforce, and business development across the Mississippi Delta. Comparable rural regional economic development mandate with similar small-team, partnership-driven execution.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): Regional economic development corporation with a multi-state rural service footprint focused on infrastructure, energy, and business recruitment. Comparable structure as a regional EDO with utility-adjacent capabilities, though at materially larger scale.
• San Luis Valley Small Business Development Center: Regional SBDC operating in the same San Luis Valley geography, providing free consultation, entrepreneur training (The Leading Edge), and small-business support. Direct peer with overlapping service lines, currently delivered through a partnership with URGED.

Broad incumbents

• Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT): State-level economic development agency that administers the Colorado Enterprise Zone program and rural incentive stack that URGED relies on. Operates one tier above URGED, with broader statewide scope but overlapping mandate on rural business attraction and retention.
• U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA): Federal agency under the U.S. Department of Commerce that funds infrastructure and capacity-building in distressed regions. Operates one tier above URGED with a national mandate but comparable focus on rural economic resilience.

Regional players

• Northern Colorado Economic Development Alliance: Colorado-based regional EDO focused on business attraction and retention in northern Colorado counties. Direct peer in function — site selection, workforce, and incentive coordination — though operating in a more urbanized Front Range geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upper-rio-grande-economic-development

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 Upper Rio Grande Economic Development Council