Peek inside: Engenious Design expands its hands-on R&D collaboration space in Prairie Village
April 8, 2025 | Startland News Staff
A 56,000-square-foot design center for his business is about more than just space, said Chris Justice; it’s what’s inside the high-tech facility by design: people.
“Our work of designing, prototyping and testing is hands-on with specialized tools and equipment. That means our team works together, in person,” said Justice, co-founder, principal and CEO of Engenious Design. “Our design center space is key to creating a great experience for our team and for our clients who visit often. We are happy to continue our partnership with Karbank who has been a valuable real estate partner.”
The expanded site at 2400 West 75th Street in Prairie Village will help the company keep pace with ongoing growth — focused on helping R&D leaders create new medical devices and other high technology systems. Engenious Design plans to renovate the space — jumping up dramatically from its original 18,000-square-foot footprint — to better suit its expanding operations and create an environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.
Launched in 2013 by co-founders Chris and Holly Justice, the team already has grown from two to more than 78. Expertise includes electrical, embedded software, mechanical and test engineering, industrial and interaction design, product management and design strategy.
Engenious Design capabilities include an on-site electronics lab, test labs, prototype model shop, and short-run production capabilities with a full medical device quality management system.
“Engenious has always been focused on organizational sustainability as more important than growth,” said Melissa Nickel, vice president of operations for Engenious Design. “Growth has been a natural result of providing good experiences for clients and the Engenious team. Our steady and deliberate growth has allowed us to add new team members, new roles, promotions and leadership opportunities. We are excited to have more space for our growing team.”
Featured Business

2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Thirsty Coconut buys country’s worth of smoothie machines, hops state line
When opportunity knocks, entrepreneurs must throw risk out the window and do whatever it takes to open the door, said Luke Einsel. “[This was] really the deal of a lifetime,” said Einsel, founder and CEO of Thirsty Coconut, detailing a business deal he struck with 7-Eleven stores across Mexico late last year. The transaction saw…
WIRED together: How mentorship led 22 women to a million-dollar investment
Collaboration among like-minded women forms a dangerous advantage, said Sheryl Vickers and Audrey Navarro. The duo helped found WIRED — Women in Real Estate Development — to foster mentorship and investment among women in the male-dominated and individualistic commercial real estate world. “We believe we have a leg up in the industry because that siloed,…
Founder facing gender bias: Don’t call me a victim; call me investors
It’s like pulling teeth to get key investors and resource organizations to help push female entrepreneurs forward, said Carlanda McKinney, citing implicit bias and a lack of effective support mechanisms. “I don’t think it’s intentional at all. I think it’s a byproduct,” said McKinney, co-founder of Raaxo, an online tech platform used to design and…
Even gatekeepers struggle to bring KC’s women-led companies in from the cold
Female entrepreneurs are falling behind as a new generation of highly-scalable startups rises in the Kansas City, said Darcy Howe, reporting too few women-led firms even approaching KCRise Fund for investment. “My experience with those ‘Hey, I hear you have money’ calls that I do get [from female entrepreneurs] — many of them are not…




