Growth-fueled HR tech startup moving to Crossroads after announcing $9M defense contract
April 16, 2025 | Startland News Staff
Jumping from a handful of employees to 15 over the past year has come with growing pains for Piccadilly Software Group, said co-founder Abe Dick, but the flip-side comes in the form of enhanced community presence, new office space, and greater opportunity for its signature product.
The company this month announced its move to a 6,400-square-foot office space in the Wonder Hub building at 1607 Oak St. — just months after lauding a $9 million contract supporting the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense’s submarine industrial base initiatives. (That project provides the startup’s TEQ Connect platform to help defense contractors accelerate the hiring of qualified candidates and boost worker retention in the national defense industry.)
“Piccadilly Software Group has grown significantly in the past year, and we now have the room we need to accommodate future growth, and we get to do it right in the heart of the city,” said Dick, who also is chief technology officer at Piccadilly Software Group.
“The Crossroads is an ideal location for our new headquarters,” he continued. “This is where our current and future team members want to be, and we look forward to rapidly expanding our organization in 2025 and beyond.”
Piccadilly Cloud’s TEQ Connect product was developed by father-son duo Ray Dick (CEO), a University of Kansas engineering instructor-turned-entrepreneur, and Abe Dick, a software engineer who previously worked at such top startups as PayIt and Pepper IoT; and a growing team in Kansas City.
The company’s first-of-its-kind SaaS platform was developed to enable human resources managers in manufacturing and the skilled trades to speed hiring, enhance retention and increase productivity.
Needs across industries abound, its co-founders said.
The U.S. Navy, for example, needs three new nuclear-powered submarines each year for the next 10 years to secure the nation, Ray Dick said previously, noting it’s an effort that will require an estimated 140,000 “highly skilled, well-trained and highly motivated workers.”
“Using TEQ Connect, military contractors can quickly identify and hire the ‘best fit’ employees they need to fulfill their missions and keep America strong,” he added.
The Wonder Hub building also is home to O’Neill Events & Marketing. It previously housed the Head for the Cure Foundation, which relocated to 3238 Gillham Rd, Kansas City.
Featured Business

2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Governor-in-waiting talks startup funding, Amazon and why entrepreneurism is bigger than KC
The strongest person in the room isn’t necessarily the loudest, Jeff Colyer said. “Kansans are used to being overlooked,” he said. “My role as lieutenant governor was to be a little quieter. You give your best advice. And when decisions are made, you’re going to work to support them.” Soon, however, he’ll be the state’s…
Bus tech startup Transportant announces $11M in pre-sales at Lean Lab pitch night
School districts across North America are on board with Transportant — to the tune of $11 million in pre-sale agreements, co-founder John Styers said. The startup, which uses video-based technology to allow students, parents and school administrators to better monitor school buses, announced the milestone — $10 million over its goal of $1 million in…
Councilman introduces east side investment proposal with $15/hour wage provision
As economic development surges in pockets across Kansas City, residents and businesses on the east side shouldn’t be left behind, Scott Taylor said. “Our clock is ticking as a city on this, and we need to do more,” said Taylor, councilman for the sixth district, at-large. At a press conference Thursday, Taylor introduced a draft…
KCPS superintendent to city struggling with violence: When do we all come together?
It’s inexcusable for Kansas City to simply accept 130 murders before it’s even December, Mark Bedell said. “Who do you think are committing these crimes?” Bedell, superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools, asked a crowd gathered Thursday for the Lean Lab’s Launch[ED) Day. “Probably people who have been victims of schools that have failed them…

