A Western Illinois University office in Columbia recently received a substantial state grant meant to help further efforts in connecting local businesses with government contracting opportunities.

APEX Accelerator Program Director Theresa Ebeler offered some insight into what the office does in the community and how it helps businesses grow through working with the federal, state and local government.

Ebeler said she’s been involved with the program since 2001, though the APEX Accelerator’s local presence has mainly come about in the past few years.

The office previously had a home in Quincy before renting in Waterloo and ultimately landing in its current location at 109 W. Legion Street in Columbia.

“In 2016, 2017, I had requested that we bring the program closer to Scott Air Force Base because we are a program that helps with government contracts,” Ebeler said. “We’re on a very tight budget, so we certainly wanted to keep in the metro area so that we can serve the metro businesses, Southwestern Illinois businesses in helping them get government contracts.”

As Ebeler explained, the program has been around since 1987 and is currently associated with the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs and the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity.

The APEX Accelerator program which serves Southwestern Illinois is hosted by Western Illinois University’s Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs.

Ebeler said the program serves as a general point of contact for those businesses interested in pursuing government contracts.

“Government contracting is federal, state and local, and even at the municipal level,” Ebeler said. “So we are that direct resource for helping businesses with every facet of government contracting.”

There can be many complex aspects to applying for a government contract at any level, and the program is meant to guide businesses as they expand by working with the government.

One of the more common forms of assistance the program provides is business certification.

Ebeler noted how specific contracts are set aside for small and diverse firms – those owned by women, veterans or minority groups or rural firms in areas with high unemployment – and the program helps such businesses through the certification and registration processes.

She emphasized how businesses can be very good at what they do but might encounter challenges as they navigate these areas on their own.

“We can help them with researching agencies that are a good fit for their capabilities,” Ebeler said. “We can help them prepare for what they call a briefing, where they can present their business to Scott Air Force Base or maybe the (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers in St. Louis.”

Ebeler also stressed how beneficial government contracting can be for a wide variety of businesses, recalling having worked with a bakery seeking to have a food truck at Scott Air Force Base to a business looking to sell technology to NASA and the Department of Defense.

“The federal government essentially buys everything, from farm fresh eggs to very sophisticated, innovative technologies,” Ebeler said.

A key aspect of the APEX Accelerator program Ebeler spoke about is the fact that the resources provided are free for businesses.

In late May, the Columbia office – along with 10 similar organizations throughout the state – received a grant for $103,000 from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

This sort of funding, Ebeler said, goes toward the program’s operational costs in order for her and her colleagues to continue providing resources to local businesses as they do.

“We do not charge for any of our services, ever,” Ebeler said. “Anyone that comes to our office, they know that they’re getting the direct source of information, and they know that they’re not going to have to pay for any access to our program or resources.”

A press release from the DCEO announcing the grant funding also touched on some of the goals of state APEX Accelerators, with focus placed on, among other things, “increasing equity and inclusion in government supply chains” and “connecting innovative businesses to government-led innovation programs.”

Ebeler offered a general summary of the program and what she and the office can do for local businesses.

“We’re here to help them make the most efficient process and path for them to grow their businesses, and to expand, do better things, to diversify their businesses beyond commercial markets,” Ebeler said.

For more information on the APEX Accelerator program, contact the Columbia office at illinoisapex@gmail.com.