Our team of experts can help ensure your business has the foundation for success. Whether you are looking to start a new business, strengthen an existing one, export a product, secure a government contract, or formulate a succession plan, the advisors at the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Champaign County EDC and Illinois APEX Accelerator at Champaign County EDC are here to provide advice, resources, and support — all at no cost to you.
Think of us as a valuable member of your team.
Lauren Gramly
DIRECTOR, ILLINOIS Small business development center at champaign county edc
Originally from Buffalo, NY, Lauren Gramly has spent more than 20 years rooted in the Champaign-Urbana community. As Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Champaign County EDC, she draws on a career built at the intersection of business operations and public service. Lauren holds an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a BA in English from Boston College.
Lauren’s professional background includes nearly two decades in small business management, as well as five years serving as Development Director for Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County. Most recently, as Business Specialist at the Champaign Public Library, she provided direct support and resources to local entrepreneurs, including area high school students. Her commitment to the local community also includes six years on the Board of Champaign Center Partnership, where she supported the small businesses that define downtown, midtown, and Campustown.
Lauren lives in Champaign with her husband, two teenage daughters, and a small menagerie of pets, including a corgi and four guinea pigs. Her interests include gardening, (winning at) fantasy football, and karaoke, and she is a regular at local flea markets and trivia nights. On summer evenings, Lauren and her family are frequent visitors to the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-In Movie Theatre in Gibson City.
Keli Krueger-Huhra
DIRECTOR, ILLINOIS APEX ACCELERATOR AT CHAMPAIGN COUNTY EDC
Keli has served as the Director of the Illinois APEX Accelerator at Champaign County EDC since September 2024. In her role, Keli delivers critical program resources that reduce barriers for small businesses to become suppliers to the Department of Defense and other government agencies. She also develops effective and engaging technical learning experiences to train businesses on performing market analysis and navigating contracting requirements through client consulting and instructing training seminars. She commits to advancing supplier diversity with focused outreach to Disadvantaged, Women-Owned, Veteran-Owned, and Minority businesses.
Prior to joining the team at the Champaign County EDC, served as the Director of the Illinois APEX Accelerator at Bradley University’s Turner Center for Entrepreneurship for 7 years. She also has more than 25 years of progressive career growth in automotive manufacturing integrating Procurement and Supply with the organization’s strategic objectives.
Keli is an MBA graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business and has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Illinois State University
Outside of work, Keli cherishes her family time, Rotary community service opportunities, and participating on the Board of Outreach for her church.
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Contact us today. We’re ready to help.