Omaha-based Elevator expands its co-working with warehousing model to North Kansas City
February 26, 2025 | Ben Goeser
Editor’s note: The following story was published by Silicon Prairie News, an Omaha-based publication of the Nebraska Journalism Trust. Click here to read the original article or here to subscribe to SPN’s newsletter.
Following its expansion into Des Moines, Elevator is set to begin development on an additional space in Kansas City that will open later this year; This will be Elevator’s third location since opening in Omaha in October 2021, and its co-founders hope to continue expanding into other cities in the Midwest
Elevator, a co-warehousing startup that initially launched in Omaha in 2021, has secured a building to develop its concept in Kansas City, Missouri. The announcement follows the company’s expansion into Des Moines in late 2024.
Elevator’s new location is situated in North Kansas City at 20 W. 14th Ave., near businesses like Callsign Brewing and Chicken N Pickle. This will be the third Elevator location. Elevator’s efforts to bring its model to other Midwest cities is backed by a recent $1.6 million investment.
Elevator combines co-working with warehousing, offering entrepreneurs time and cost-saving efficiencies to scale their operations, according to a blog post announcing the Kansas City location. Flexible month-to-month memberships include micro-warehouse units, private offices, and co-working spaces. Members can easily adapt their space needs as they grow without the burden of long-term leases.
“Our first location has proven that small businesses are seeking flexible, supportive environments that address their unique challenges,” said Shannon Lerda, co-founder and president. “We’re excited to bring this model to Kansas City and help local entrepreneurs grow and thrive in this incredible community.”
Click here to join Elevator’s Kansas City waitlist.
Co-founders Shannon and Emiliano Lerda said they were attracted to their current locations and Kansas City because of the local maker mentality, entrepreneurial spirit and revitalization efforts that exist in these communities and among their leaders.
Shannon said the Kansas City location will have capacity for 100 businesses.
Silicon Prairie News (SPN) is the leading independent publication covering Nebraska’s startup ecosystem. It reports on entrepreneurs, investors and innovators shaping the region, providing in-depth stories, analysis and community-driven insights. SPN’s coverage highlights early-stage founders, high-growth companies and the ecosystem supporting them.
In addition to news, SPN hosts events like Silicon Prairie Startup Week and 10 Hour Challenge to foster collaboration and growth.
Featured Business
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Chris Boyle wants you to reach for kombucha on instinct; his plan: make it as accessible (and tasty) as your favorite beer
Daily Culture Kombucha’s expansion is not quite as effortlessly self-replicating as the scoby that powers the Kansas City brand’s bold, full-bodied flavors — but a commitment to consistency and authenticity has fermented a strategy founder Chris Boyle said keeps his company on the tip of consumers’ tongues. “We’ve just been growing,” Boyle said, noting Daily…
Olathe restaurateur brings comfort food home from the Mediterranean (starting with falafel bowls)
Summer Salem looked around her city for an authentic Mediterranean restaurant and found a gap in the Olathe marketplace. So a year ago she began planning one of her own. She teamed with her husband, Abraham, who also is a partner in a downtown Kansas City Mediterranean restaurant. But the recipes would be Summer’s own.…
Cook to CEO: Chad Offerdahl sticks to Big Biscuit basics as breakfast industry trends funky — ‘That’s not us’
Chad Offerdahl’s journey with The Big Biscuit didn’t start in an office — it began in the kitchen, explained the CEO of the fast-growing, locally owned breakfast brand. That’s where he first learned the classics that define the company, its mission and the menu. “I started as a cook,” said Offerdahl. “I trained in the…
How this founder’s hobby (plus a little trouble) became Oak Park retail incubator’s biggest success story
“Big Chunky Blankets” — soft as a baby’s cheek and custom knitted in any color of the rainbow — folded into the foundation of what would become Maryann Nzioki Hult’s resilient, nearly pandemic-proof foray into entrepreneurship. They put local Tabu Knits on the online map of must-have-items, and then became the seed of two Johnson…