About Groover Labs
“Groover Labs is a space big enough to house people with big ideas.” — Co-Founder Curt Gridley
Groover Labs is a collaborative working environment where entrepreneurs and tech workers can get support and share ideas. Our 42,000 square foot facility features a variety of work and meeting spaces available on flexible terms. These spaces include large and small offices, dedicated and open desk seating, seven conference rooms, a large event venue and two classrooms, and a maker and prototyping space, all with high speed gigabit internet access.
Groover Labs is large enough to house all of the key elements necessary for successful product prototyping — providing members access to advanced equipment as well as a place to collaborate and learn new skills. The large maker and prototyping space features digital fabrication tools such as large format laser cutters, multiple styles of 3D printers and plastic forming tools, an electronics lab with PCB assembly tools, along with well stocked wood and metal shops.
Located in an Opportunity Zone in Wichita’s historic Old Town, Groover Labs is the best place to find the high quality workspace and helpful resources to build growing companies that drive economic impact in the Wichita region.
Our Team
Curt Gridley
Co-Founder
A software engineer, Curt is the big-picture guy at Groover Labs. His mind is always churning. He might have failed shop class at his small-town Kansas high school, but he went on to earn a master’s in math at Dartmouth and founded Amber Wave Systems, a venture-backed Boston startup that he sold to USRobotics. He’s a lifelong learner and a big proponent of online education. His life goals include gaining a fundamental understanding of Maxwell’s equations and rebooting his jazz guitar skills.
Jeremiah Burian
Metal Shop Lead
Of the 20 students in Jeremiah’s Tulsa Welding School program, only four graduated. He was one of them. He has earned several welding certifications from the American Welding Society in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Jeremiah enjoys teaching, continually learning and giving back to the community by sharing what he has learned along the way. He and Paul co-own Immortal Metal, which builds metal sculptures, custom fabrication and plasma art.
Paul Maseberg
IT Manager
Paul has been around metal work since he was 5 running water to his Dad and Grandpa as they built projects from windmills to bale movers at the ranch in Nebraska where he grew up. In the years since, Paul's hobbies have included woodworking, construction, electronics and anything to do with computers. He earned a degree in physics and then followed that up with one in computer science, which enabled him to work his day job as a software engineer at Hallmark.
Noel Habashy
Community Associate
Noel is a Theology student at Franciscan University. She loves event planning and has a passion for interior design. Noel has a heart for the youth in the Wichita community and enjoys giving back through ministry. Her interest in nutrition spurred her to learn how to make kombucha and kiefer.
Tracy Hoover
Co-Founder
Attention to detail is Tracy’s forte at Groover Labs. She worked as a software engineer for Hewlett-Packard before becoming a full-time parent to Henry and Fiona. She manages the financial side of Groover Labs, handling bookkeeping, payroll and purchasing. She plays the viola da gamba, a bowed Renaissance string instrument, and taught private lessons at Wichita State University. Her superpower is being able to construct a garment that fits a human form with just two sticks and a string.
Parker McConachie
Community Development Manager
With a master’s in English and an MBA, Parker is as likely to quote Shakespeare as he is an article from The Wall Street Journal. Parker has operated a program that renovated homes for injured veterans returning from overseas, worked on $250 million multi-platform marketing campaigns and taught English and business communications at Wichita State University. He and his wife love adventure, including kayaking, mountaineering, biking and paddle boarding.
Michelle Barrett
Community Associate
Curiosity and the desire to learn new things has led Michelle on many adventures including developing educational programs, coordinating unique events, and co-owning a coffee shop. As a community-minded creative, she is interested in helping organizations tell their stories and develop better customer relationships using Strategic Content Marketing. Her happy places include many of the local coffee shops, bookstores, breweries, and Farmers' Markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is coworking?
Coworking is a collaborative environment where startup founders, small business owners, freelancers and remote workers share a common workspace and equipment to lower overhead costs and build networks. At Groover Labs, we hope our members find greater success by bouncing ideas off each other.
What is a makerspace?
A makerspace is a place to innovate. Featuring equipment that most people can’t afford or don’t have access to — think circuit board assembly and a 3-axis CNC machine — Groover Labs is a next-level product lab where people can work together to bring concepts from the idea stage to the market.
What sets groover labs apart?
Groover Labs isn’t just a coworking space or just a makerspace. It’s more than the sum of its spaces and its 42,000 square feet. Groover Labs is where collaboration, entrepreneurship and prototyping meet — in downtown Wichita’s hottest new area. Count on our team of mentors and staff members to help you get where you want to be.
why the name “Groover Labs”?
Curt Gridley and Tracy Hoover are the co-founders at Groover Labs.
Gridley + Hoover = Groover.