Eii Triumphs in Government Contracting
APEX Accelerator at UCF Paves the Way
April 8, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or HThayer@ucf.edu
Steven South, Manager, Florida APEX Accelerator at UCF, 412.888.9401 or Steve.South@ucf.edu
Orlando, FL – Selling to the expansive government market is a major opportunity for small businesses, one that is often overlooked. It is different in important ways, however, with a specific vocabulary and new and often unfamiliar processes, procedures and tools. In fact, it often requires training and guidance to enter the market, win contracts and be successful. For Janine Klein, CEO of Eii, a leadership and emotional intelligence training company, opportunities abounded in government contracting and she turned to the no-cost, expert consulting, business training and market research resources of the Florida APEX Accelerator at the University of Central Florida (Florida APEX at UCF) for the assistance she needed. Her payoff has been remarkable.
Eii provides a mental training gym that bridges the gap left by artificial intelligence (AI) with live, human-led interactions through advanced avatar technology. Using familiar platforms like Zoom, their solutions bring nuance, empathy, and adaptability to create authentic experiences tailored to their clients’ needs. “We work in a very niche space with a blend of AI and human interaction,” Klein states, “addressing emotional, trauma-based issues. We create customized scenarios with our clients and train our interactors to perform as avatars with their staff to practice real world difficult conversations in real time.”
Having successfully penetrated the private sector, Klein saw an unmet need for Eii’s services in the government, especially the military where hard conversations are the order of the day. To educate herself on how to enter that market, she contacted the Florida APEX at UCF, an affiliate of the Florida SBDC at UCF.
“Our journey with the APEX Accelerator has been instrumental for us in navigating government contracting,” recalls Klein. “Their expertise has helped us secure our Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification and their continuous guidance in this ever-changing landscape of government contracting has been invaluable. We’ve benefited greatly from their seminars and workshops. They have helped us understand local contracting opportunities and having access to their market research and databases has been crucial in tracking requests for information and requests for proposals and to identify potential opportunities.”
“Personally, working with APEX has been great for me,” Kelin shared. “To find support when I’ve felt alone as a leader has contributed to my success as an owner and as a person.” She has also seen a lot of success on the business side. “The changes that have happened since working with APEX is our revenues have increased steadily these last four (4) years from $500,000 to $3.6 million. We started with one and have grown to 25 employees. We currently hold four (4) active government contracts with the help of APEX and are exploring loan opportunities as well,” Klein reports.
“I would highly recommend anyone to work with the APEX Accelerator, “ Klein concluded. “Their expert guidance, resources and support have been invaluable in navigating the challenges of government contracting and achieve business growth. Having experienced advisors and consultants who understand the industry and have offered tailored solutions is something that money really can’t buy. If you’re looking to grow, APEX is a game changer.”
For information about Eii, please visit https://www.eiieq.com/ .
— FSBDC —
About the Florida APEX Accelerator
The Florida APEX Accelerator (formerly the Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center) is part of a national network of APEX Accelerators working to help businesses compete successfully in the government marketplace. The Florida APEX Accelerator is powered statewide by the University of West Florida and funded in part by the State of Florida and local partners. This APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense. In 2022, the Florida APEX Accelerator network served 1,387 new clients, resulting in businesses creating and retaining 25,919 jobs and helping businesses secure $246 million in government contracts. For more information, please visit www.flapex.org.
About the FSBDC at UCF
Hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF), and with its main office in the National Entrepreneur Center located at the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is part of part of UCF’s Office of the President and the Florida SBDC Network.
The Florida SBDC at UCF provides aspiring and existing small businesses with no-cost consulting, low-cost training, and access to business data and research resources. In addition to its core service offering, the Florida SBDC at UCF also offers specialized services to qualifying companies, including capital access, market growth, government contracting, international trade, business continuation, cybersecurity, disaster planning and recovery, and more. The FSBDC at UCF serves an eight-county area that includes Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties and maintains 10 service centers across Central Florida.
In 2020, the FSBDC at UCF served more than 2,800 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 10,000 jobs created, retained or saved; $1.2 billion in sales growth; $92.4 million in capital formation; $92.7 million in government contract awards; and 86 new businesses started. For more information, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.
About the Florida SBDC Network
For more than 45 years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy.
In 2023, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 11,720 hours of consulting to 14,808 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $346 million in capital, $576 million in government contracting, impacting 19,2635 jobs, increasing sales by over $3.9 billion, and creating 1,058 businesses.
With over 40 offices statewide, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida and other private and public partners. The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
FSBDC at UCF | 3201 E. Colonial Drive | Orlando, FL 32801 | p 407.420.4850 | f 407.420.4862
sbdc@ucf.edu | www.sbdcorlando.com
