When Denise Brown graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1985, she had no idea she'd one day return to campus not as a student — but as a client. As the founder of the Caregiving Years Training Academy, Brown was looking to scale her small business. She found the perfect partner in the University of Illinois System’s Diverse Supplier Development Program, where teams of driven students became her consultants, collaborators, and champions.

What followed was more than a website redesign. Brown learned valuable lessons from a dedicated team of Master of Science in Management students with a stake in her success. “They really felt like they were part of my organization,” Brown said. “They were in it to win it for me.”

The result: a sharper digital strategy, increased enrollment, and a renewed connection to the institution that helped shape her career. This isn’t just student learning — it’s a statewide impact.

“This is a win-win-win for students, companies, and the system,” said Jacob Kinsey, director of Gies Consulting. It’s also a case study in how the U of I System grows more than minds — it grows businesses, strengthens communities, and moves the Illinois economy forward.

This collaboration is part of a broader initiative where the U of I System leverages its resources to support the state's economic engine: small businesses.

Throughout 2010 to 2020, Illinois businesses with fewer than 50 employees were responsible for 64% of the state’s job growth, per the Illinois Policy Institute. And, according to a 2024 report from the Illinois Department of Commerce, women-owned businesses constitute 42% of Illinois's small businesses, employing over 445,300 people and contributing an annual payroll exceeding $18.5 billion.

Brown put it best: “It was really quite inspiring to see the talent that the university really nurtures and nourishes. I would encourage all companies to consider working with a team of students.” In other words, the U of I System doesn’t just teach success — it delivers it.