Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association

What Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association does

Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA) is a non-profit, statewide membership association founded in 1980 by local civil defense directors to unify emergency service personnel in Louisiana. The organization serves emergency preparedness and response practitioners across local, parish, state, and federal government agencies, as well as business, industry, and volunteer organizations. LEPA's primary members are emergency management professionals — directors, coordinators, managers, and specialists — who join to access networking, legislative updates, training calendars, a membership directory, and advocacy for the emergency management profession.

LEPA's core product offerings are organized around two pillars. First, the membership program operates on tiered annual subscriptions: individual memberships at $90 per year, student at $20, corporate Tier 1 (1–500 employees) at $600 covering up to 8 seats, corporate Tier 2 (501+ employees) at $1,000 covering up to 12 seats, and government/institutional memberships at $250 covering up to 3 seats. Second, the Louisiana Emergency Manager (LEM) certification program is the association's flagship credential, offering three tiers — LEM Professional (LEM-P) at $275 ($200 for members), LEM Basic (LEM-B) at $100–$175, and LEM Technical (LEM-T) at $50–$75. The LEM certification is administered through an online application portal hosted at LSU (lem.lsu.edu), with applicants required to pass a 75% threshold exam, demonstrate experience and training hours, and pay non-refundable fees via PayPal.

The association's revenue mechanics rely on recurring membership subscriptions, one-time certification fees, and modest ancillary income from corporate sponsorships (e.g., BLD LLC, Storm Services) and an apparel store. LEPA's GTM is community-led: members and certification applicants are acquired through the lepa.org website, an annual Fall Meeting (e.g., the 2026 Fall Meeting at Crowne Plaza Baton Rouge, October 26–27), Facebook engagement, email communications, and referrals through GOHSEP and partner emergency management organizations. The technology stack is light: LEPA operates its public website, a membership management back-end, and contracts with LSU for the LEM certification portal. The organization has 1–10 employees, is headquartered at 8550 United Plaza Blvd, Suite 1001, Baton Rouge, and has not raised venture funding or pursued M&A.

Name

Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association

Legal name

Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association

Website

https://lepa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LEPA is a non-profit statewide membership association founded in 1980 serving Louisiana emergency preparedness professionals. It generates revenue through tiered annual memberships and the three-tier Louisiana Emergency Manager (LEM) certification program administered via an LSU-hosted portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADACAF

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDAAALAO

Environmental, Health & Safety / Sustainability (EHS, Environmental Compliance CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

Keywords

• Emergency management certification
• Professional membership association
• Disaster preparedness training
• Emergency response coordination
• Continuing professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership: Annual membership fees ranging from $20 for students to $90 for individual professionals, providing access to networking, news, membership directory, and professional resources.
2. Corporate Membership: Corporate tier memberships at $600 (Tier 1, 1-500 employees, up to 8 employees) and $1,000 (Tier 2, 501+ employees, up to 12 employees), providing group membership access for organizations.
3. Government/Institutional Membership: Government and institutional membership at $250, including up to 3 employee memberships.
4. LEM Certification Fees: Louisiana Emergency Manager certification fees: LEM-P at $275 (or $200 for members), LEM-B at $100 (members) or $175 (non-members), and LEM-T at $50 (members) or $75 (non-members).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LEPA is a non-profit statewide membership association providing professional membership services and the Louisiana Emergency Manager (LEM) certification program for emergency preparedness practitioners in Louisiana. Founded in 1980 by local civil defense directors, the association offers tiered memberships (Individual, Student, Corporate, and Government/Institutional) and a three-tier professional certification program (LEM-P, LEM-B, LEM-T), serving as the premier statewide network advancing emergency preparedness, response coordination, and resilience.

Product overview

LEPA is a non-profit statewide organization of emergency preparedness and response practitioners founded in 1980. The organization offers a membership program (Individual, Student, Corporate, Government/Institutional tiers) and the Louisiana Emergency Manager (LEM) certification program with three levels: Professional (LEM-P), Basic (LEM-B), and Technical (LEM-T). LEPA's main offerings include the LEM Certification Program for professional certification of emergency managers, membership services with networking and resources, and an annual Fall Meeting. The portfolio consists of membership services, professional certification offerings, training resources, and a merchandise store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEPA Membership Tiered membership program for emergency preparedness and response practitioners, providing networking, news, a membership directory, and a membership certificate. Tiers include Individual ($90/year), Student ($20/year), Corporate Tier 1 ($600/year, 1–500 employees, up to 8 employee memberships), Corporate Tier 2 ($1,000/year, 501+ employees, up to 12 employee memberships), and Government/Institutional ($250/year, up to 3 employee memberships). Membership is open to anyone involved in emergency preparedness, homeland security, or response activities across local, parish, state, federal government, business and industry, and volunteer organizations.
• Louisiana Emergency Manager (LEM) Certification Program State-recognized professional certification program certifying achievements within the emergency management profession, with three levels: LEM Professional (LEM-P) requiring two years experience, 200 contact hours, management essay, 75% exam passage, and six professional contributions ($275 non-members / $200 members, recertifies every five years); LEM Basic (LEM-B) for entry-level managers requiring 100 contact hours including ICS 100/200/700/800 and FEMA PDS, and 75% exam passage ($100 members / $175 non-members, expires after five years); and LEM Technical (LEM-T) for professionals demonstrating mastery across 18 National Response Framework occupational fields, requiring two years ESF experience with no minimum training ($50 members / $75 non-members, does not expire).
• LEPA Store Online retail store offering LEPA-branded apparel and merchandise for members, supporters, and emergency preparedness professionals.

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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GOHSEP (Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGOHSEP is Louisiana's state emergency management agency. LEPA displays GOHSEP logos and links to their resources, including the state emergency management training schedule and the Get A Game Plan disaster preparedness initiative. The organizations collaborate on professional development and emergency management standards.
• BLD LLCminorOthersBLD LLC is listed as a corporate sponsor of LEPA, appearing in the sponsor section of the website alongside other supporting organizations.
• Storm ServicesminorOthersStorm Services is listed as a corporate sponsor of LEPA, appearing in the sponsor section of the website alongside other supporting organizations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Association of Emergency Managers: IAEM is the leading global professional association for emergency managers and offers the AEM/CEM credential. It is the most direct peer to LEPA — both are membership-and-certification bodies serving emergency management professionals with a similar business model.
• National Emergency Management Association: NEMA is a national association representing state emergency management directors and agencies. Like LEPA, it serves emergency preparedness professionals through membership and policy advocacy, but at the state-director level across all U.S. states rather than practitioners in a single state.
• International Association of Fire Chiefs: IAFC is a professional membership association for fire and emergency service leaders offering credentials and training. Comparable as a peer professional association model targeting emergency service practitioners, though focused on fire leadership rather than emergency management.
• Emergency Management Accreditation Program: EMAP is the national accreditation body for emergency management programs. While it accredits programs rather than individuals, it operates in the same credentialing ecosystem as LEPA's LEM certification and represents an adjacent standard-setting authority.
• Disaster Recovery Institute International: DRI International offers the CBCP/CBCM credentials for business continuity and disaster recovery professionals. It is a certification-and-membership association operating in the adjacent disaster preparedness credentialing space, making it a closely comparable peer in business model.

Emerging players

• National Incident Management Association: NIMA is a smaller professional body focused on incident management and ICS-related training/certification. It overlaps with LEPA's emergency management certification domain and represents a niche competitor in the credentialing market.

Broad incumbents

• ASIS International: ASIS is a large established professional association offering security certifications (CPP, PSP, PCI). Comparable in operating a membership-and-certification model for security/risk professionals, though in the broader security field rather than emergency management.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency: FEMA is the federal agency that sets nationwide emergency management training standards (e.g., ICS 100/200/700/800 referenced in LEM-B requirements). It is a broad incumbent whose training and credentialing frameworks define the environment LEPA operates in.

Regional players

• Texas Emergency Management Association: TEMA is a state-level association serving emergency management professionals in Texas. It mirrors LEPA's statewide membership-and-certification model but for a different geography, making it a strong functional analogue rather than a direct competitor.
• Florida Emergency Preparedness Association: FEPA is a Florida-based professional association for emergency management and preparedness practitioners, paralleling LEPA's structure and mission in a peer hurricane-exposed state. Operates independently without direct competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Louisianaemergencypreparednessassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/louisiana-emergency-preparedness-association

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 Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association