Ryan Lilly is Vice President of Business Creation for the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership in Ocala, Florida. In this role Ryan serves as a catalyst for the creation, attraction and growth of startup companies both in the Power Plant Business Incubator and throughout Marion County.
Prior to joining the CEP, Ryan was Manager of the Entrepreneurship Center of West Central Illinois. There, he assisted incubator and community startups by providing them with technical assistance, programming, and access to capital — all as part of a $1.2 million grant under the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
In all, he’s helped over 600 entrepreneurs in 3 states start or grow their businesses!
Ryan graduated from Virginia Tech and first began a career in incubation at an on-campus accelerator. Ryan holds a B.S. in Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Business Leadership. He earned a certificate in Serial Innovation from the University of Illinois BIS program and has trained with the International Economic Development Council and the Rural Policy Research Institute’s Center for Entrepreneurship. In 2015 he received a Certificate in Business Incubation Management from the International Business Innovation Association after having completed training in Boston, New Orleans, and Orlando.
Ryan has spoken at local, state, and national conferences on his ideas in entrepreneurship support, incubation, and economic development. Recently, he delivered a TEDxTalk entitled “5 Steps to Get Your Local Economy Back to the Future.”
In 2016, Ryan was named “40 Under 40” by Ocala Magazine.
His wife of six years is Pamela, a North Carolina native who shares his passion for collecting books. In December of 2016 they welcomed a new daughter named Harmony. They also have a two year-old Boston Terrier named Gracie.
