photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Courtney Masterson, right, speaks during a grand opening event on May 19, 2026 at Midco's Lawrence store, 644 New Hampshire St. She and Pat McAdaragh, the Midco CEO, left, expressed excitement about a future park being developed next door.

Midco’s CEO said the internet company was putting its roots in downtown Lawrence, both with its revamped store location and a native prairie park that will take shape next door.

Pat McAdaragh, the chair and CEO for Midco, said the company entered the Lawrence market around 10 years ago and it “took a while to figure out how to get into the community.” The company’s store also bounced around — going from downtown, to Iowa Street, to downtown to its current location at 644 New Hampshire St. The only issue at the recently renovated downtown location was a weedy empty lot beside the store with “chunks of concrete.”

Along with putting its store’s figurative roots in downtown Lawrence, McAdaragh wound up turning to Courtney Masterson, an ecologist and executive director for Native Lands Restoration Collaborative, to put down some literal roots next door to tidy up the lot.

The old parking lot, which is owned by Midco, is currently getting renovated and converted into a public park that will feature all native plants, including species from the three main ecosystems in the area: native prairie grassland, woodlands and wetlands. As the Journal-World reported, Masterson and other partners began work on redeveloping the site in April, and the park is expected to open in the fall.

During an official grand opening event on Tuesday, which brought together several dozen Lawrence business leaders and city officials for an official ribbon cutting by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, Masterson thanked McAdaragh for helping to lead the “cool project,” which is being designed with all local partners and will allow visitors to “step into (Lawrence’s) historic landscapes.”

The site of the future park has undergone a noticeable change with the old concrete being replaced with dirt. Although Masterson noted it looks like just dirt, the next steps will be putting in pathways and plants. She said she is thankful for the support of city leaders who will “walk along on this adventure with us.”

City Commissioner Amber Sellers also spoke at the event. She said she was appreciative of the company’s efforts to “anchor themselves” to an important corner in downtown Lawrence.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

A former parking lot in downtown Lawrence near Seventh and New Hampshire Streets. This photo from May 19, 2026, shows the concrete has been removed and replaced with dirt for plants.