We don’t view our clients as mere customers. We consider them as valued partners in our WordPress journey. By getting to know our staff and their expertise, you’ll experience our passion, dedication, and innovation that drive us daily. Let’s take a moment to get to know John right now.

John Heimkes, Engineering Manager

We couldn’t help but notice in John’s bio, that he describes himself as a “servant leader.” He says that means he prioritizes service for the greater good.

“I believe in the importance of listening instead of speaking, being empathetic, seeing success through growth and development rather than only output,” he says. “It’s not about me, but it’s about everyone else. My top priority is to be there for the awesome engineers who work on this team and to emphasize ‘we’ versus ‘me.’ No one is ‘my’ engineer just because they report to me. We are a team, and we’re all in this together.”

As an active member of the WordPress community, John already knew WebDevStudios COO Lisa Sabin-Wilson and other current and former WDS employees. He says, “WDS has always been a place I’ve had great respect for, and given the opportunity to, I was willing to apply. As it turns out, the perfect opportunity appeared at the perfect time!”

However, despite his familiarity with our website agency, team members, and previous agency experience, John says his transition hasn’t been as easy as pie. That’s because John takes his leadership role seriously.

“There’s a level of trust that many establish with their manager, not just on a professional level but also a personal one, and that’s something I have been very careful about,” John explains, adding, “Being three months into it now, I feel like I have a good rapport with everyone on the team. Acclimating to the expectations of the role itself was crazy and awesome, but not as hard as I expected, thanks to all the documentation we have here.”

Now that John has acclimated, his day-to-day activities include a lot of meetings that involve providing support to our project managers and engineers. “Some days have a spattering of meetings with others in leadership; some are filled with one-on-ones,” he says.

John’s days also include analyzing opportunities for improvement. “Successfully implementing our new Scrumfall process is something I’m passionate about. More importantly, I’m looking forward to continuing to build this excellent team of engineers,” John reports.

When he isn’t working, John enjoys video games, movies, and shows (just like many of the members of our team). He has lots of recommendations.

“For video games, I recommend Starfield and Final Fantasy XVI. Also, Cyberpunk 2077’s new expansion DLC has been taking up my time lately, and that’ll be the case for a while! Two of my go-to’s with certain friends are Rainbow Six Siege and Rocket League. The latter is a game I’m annoyingly passionate about,” says John.

As for shows, John started watching Outlander. “I managed to get completely caught up when the Season 7 mid-season finale aired this month! Other go-to’s would have to be South Park, Trailer Park Boys, Letterkenny, Veep, and Ted Lasso. Just like Rocket League, I’m annoyingly passionate about Ted Lasso.”

The post Pioneering a Path to WordPress Excellence: Get to Know Our Newest Engineering Manager appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Meet our two newest Frontend Engineers: Ashley Stanley and Jennifer Farhat. We are fortunate to have recruited Ashley and Jennifer months ago. They were eager to dive right into client work. Ashley and Jennifer have already made a significant contribution to our team, and we are confident that they will continue to do great things.

The right people can make a big difference in the success of a team. They can bring new ideas, perspectives, and skills to the table. They can also help to create a positive and productive work environment, which is very important at WebDevStudios (WDS). We are excited to see what Ashley and Jennifer will accomplish in their new roles. We know that they will be valuable assets to our team.

Ashley Stanley, Frontend Engineer

“I love the community of WordPress developers,” Ashley exclaims, adding, “I’ve been an active member since 2011 and have seen it grow from powering 11% of the CMS market to the incredible force that it is now dominating 65.1% of the market.”

This passion for WordPress seems to be a driving force in Ashley’s career. Before joining WDS, she worked on Fortune 500 website overhauls and helped launch new brands where she got to help tech founders take an idea from concept to something that they were able to grow and scale.

“I’ve worked with and learned from international companies that have a global impact, but I kind of have a special place in my heart for smaller local brands,” Ashley describes her career. “It’s fun to be driving down the street or see a product in a store and think, ‘Oh! I worked on their site!’ I’ve also had the honor of working with solopreneurs who I get to help grow and expand their footprint. It’s so cool that WordPress can be used for both enterprise and small business.”

Lucky for us, Ashley was looking for a break from being a freelancer when she happened upon the opportunity at WebDevStudios. “The more I got to know the team during the interview process, the more excited I was to work alongside some REALLY smart, funny, and kind people who love to do what I do,” she says.

So far, she has settled in quite nicely. “It’s been ridiculously easy to integrate into the team,” Ashley reports. “I honestly feel like I’ve been here forever! Everyone has been so welcoming, and it’s honestly been a breath of fresh air. I’m not going to lie; after working solo for so long, I was initially a little nervous about potentially finding myself in an unhealthy team dynamic. So there was this tension—where I was excited about the upsides of being on a team while considering the what-ifs. The good news is that the team dynamic has surpassed my expectations!”

When Ashley isn’t heads-down on a client project, she is active on social media and has been exploring the potential of Threads, Instagram’s answer to X, which was formerly Twitter. If you’re on the fence about joining Threads, here’s what Ashley says.

“As a big extrovert (and a social media lover), I have had the best time on Threads! I know people have lots of different opinions about it, but to me, it feels like one fun chaotic group chat that I love being a part of. It’s been fun to have a mix of coworkers (shout out to Mitch Canter) and devs, along with my favorite Instagram personalities.”

Ashley adds that it can feel a little bit like whiplash when you first get on Threads because there’s so much to sift through, but she has these two tips:

• Use the mute function as much as you use the like and reply functions. The algorithms are still being built, so anything you don’t like or that doesn’t fit with what you’re trying to get out of Threads—MUTE IT.
• Respond to everyone’s Threads the way you respond to Instagram stories after a couple of glasses of wine, as though the post was a personal message sent to just you and you’ve been friends forever. Sound crazy? Ashley says to trust the process. You’ll enjoy your Threads experience even more, plus you never know who you’ll get to meet. Heck, you might even get to meet Ashley!

Jennifer Farhat, Frontend Engineer

Jennifer joined WDS around the same time as Ashley months ago, and she says the experience has been fantastic so far. “The onboarding process was very smooth, and I got to meet most of my teammates and learn about their roles at the company within the first week.” She adds, “I am very inspired by the culture of always sharing knowledge and helping others and meeting client needs while being on top of the new technologies and standards.”

Like most WordPress developers, users, and all-around fans, Jennifer appreciates that the software is free and open-source. She also likes that it is scalable and user-friendly. Knowing that WDS is founded by pioneers of WordPress and that our team is heavily involved in its community appealed to her and inspired her to apply to join.

“Several developer friends reached out to me as soon as they knew that the website agency was hiring and encouraged me to apply,” reports Jennifer. “After joining, it has gotten even better. WDS offers a great work-life balance, and it gives back to the community. For example, the last Friday of every month is Five for the Future.”

Now, our team at WebDevStudios is quite diverse, with members who have interesting backgrounds and histories. Jennifer is no different. Prior to web development, she had already established a career in tennis as a player and a coach.

Jennifer began playing tennis at the tender age of seven. Over time, she played in several International Tennis Federation tournaments and ranked among the best in her country. Later, she got into coaching.

“It was a wonderful stage of my life where I had a highly competitive team between the ages of 8 and 16 with whom I traveled several times a year throughout Venezuela to play important tournaments,” explains Jennifer. “Despite the fact that I decided to continue my career as a web developer and dedicate all my time to it, I am still in contact with many of them. They are the ones who now support me after I decided to play leagues again in British Columbia, Canada.”

Surely, life as a tennis coach has helped Jennifer in her career as a web developer, right? She confirms yes.

“One of the things that my background as an athlete and coach has helped me in my career as a frontend engineer has been discipline,” she answers. “Another one is the desire always to learn and improve even though there could be days when things are not working. It always comes down to giving our best efforts and being better. Tennis can be a bit of a lonely sport and that is why I am very grateful for the supportive, team-building, and communication culture that exists at WDS.”

We’re Hiring a Director of Accounts

Reading through Ashley’s and Jennifer’s interviews surely has inspired you to join the team at WebDevStudios. We can’t blame you. Currently, we have an open position for a sales pro. The Director of Accounts is responsible for leading our sales team to achieving and exceeding our sales goals.

If you’re a seasoned sales professional with excellent leadership and client relations skills, please take a look at the job description for the role and apply online today.

The post Two New Team Members, One Big Impact appeared first on WebDevStudios.

As our website company continues to evolve in an ever-advancing digital landscape, we recognize the paramount importance of staying at the forefront of technological advancements. With Rami’s background in internal ops and security and Ramsés’ deep expertise in WordPress multisite network maintenance, we are embarking on an exciting journey of growth and innovation.

Please take a moment to meet Rami and Ramsés, and you’ll quickly understand why we are delighted to add their expertise to our website agency team.

Rami Abraham, Lead Engineer

Fun fact: not only is Rami not new to WordPress, having worked with the software since 2008, he’s not new to WebDevStudios, either. Rami worked for our website agency about 10 years ago.

“When reconnecting with Brad and Lisa last winter, I was impressed that the strong, positive, collaborative culture had been maintained,” Rami reports. “Everyone is still working to build each other up, as if it was day one, despite the company now being way larger than when I was first here. Throughout my career, I’ve come to learn this isn’t an easy thing to do—maintaining a certain culture at a remote company—especially one experiencing rapid growth. It requires persistent, constant effort.”

In ten years, a lot can happen. While WebDevStudios has excelled at upholding a positive and supportive company culture, many things have changed.

“There are much more female employees and much more international employees,” says Rami, adding, “Both are really great to see. I feel a high percentage of female employees can be indicative of a healthy company culture. JavaScript expertise is also much more common among coworkers for obvious reasons.”

There are certain things that Rami appreciates about WordPress. He says it’s built to make deep-customization and enterprise-scale engineering projects like those we build at WebDevStudios straightforward to plan and support after launch. However, what really impresses Rami about WordPress is the community. So, he got involved.

Rami has organized and mentored WordCamps and meetups, contributed to the WordPress core, and worked in team leadership roles and in WordPress product development. He expands on his involvement a bit more.

“I was an organizer of WordCamp Lancaster for a few years and volunteered prior to that for the conference and the meetup,” Rami says. “I’ve volunteered and presented at a variety of meetups and conferences over the years. I’ve also mentored WordCamps in Maryland, Virginia, and Minneapolis per the mentoring program at the WordPress Foundation, under the guidance of Cami and Kevin.”

But there’s more to Rami than his passion for WordPress and his talent for building amazing projects at WebDevStudios. He’s a musician, too.

“I’m an amateur classical guitarist, composer, and occasionally transcribe music from different formats into standard notation as well as tablature,” Rami explains. “Typically, this involves transcribing video game soundtracks, but I’ve also tried my hand at transcribing various Baroque works by Bach and Buxtehude and some contemporary genres like jazz and various kinds of metal.”

Ramsés Del Rosario, Backend Engineer

With awe-inspiring experience in WordPress, which includes a focus on performance, custom migrations, and third-party integrations, Ramsés brings valuable expertise to our website agency. He says what he loves most about WordPress is its flexibility.

It was Senior Frontend Engineer Alfredo Navas who piqued Ramsés’ interest in working at WebDevStudios. Ramsés explains, “I saw him in an interview a couple of years ago when I started to find about WordPress agencies, and he talked about the company and what he was working on at the time (Headless WordPress and Gatsby). I found that interesting.”

Since he joined the team, Ramsés says he’s settling in well. “It has been better than expected,” he reports, “The people here are so nice, everybody is willing to help, and you can express yourself freely without the need for a lot of formality.”

One of Ramsés’ WordPress specialties is performance. He offers some tips.

“Use lazy loading to avoid loading all the images at once,” Ramsés advises, adding, “Use a cache layer either through Cloudflare or Object cache if you are more experienced. Install query monitor, and fix any slow queries that you have, making sure you only request the necessary data.”

Ramsés lives with his wife and his dog. He loves video games and considers himself a mixology enthusiast, an interest he adopted during the pandemic.

“I played around with some ingredients, and a friend of mine gave me a cocktail based on rum, ginger ale, and Angostura bitters,” he explains. “And then I was like, ‘Hey! You don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to make a cocktail.’ After that, I usually start my weekends with a good old fashion or a negroni, depending on the mood.”

Tap Into Our Expertise

We are glad to welcome these two new engineers to our team and give you the chance to get to know them. Both Rami and Ramsés bring with them a wealth of skills and expertise in WordPress and leading technological solutions. These new additions to our team further solidify our position as a leading WordPress website agency, and we are confident that they will help us to continue to provide our clients with the best possible service.

If you are looking for a website agency that can help you to achieve your online goals, then we encourage you to contact us today. We would be happy to discuss your project and create a custom solution that meets your needs.

The post Two New Engineers Bring New Skills and Expertise to Our Website Agency Team appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Meet UX Designer Spencer Ravago and Frontend Engineer Nick Guzman. They have an unwavering dedication to excellence and an appetite for pushing boundaries. Spencer and Nick embody the spirit of innovation that defines our agency. We can’t wait to witness the impact they will make on our projects.

So please help us roll out the red carpet for these two new team members. Make sure to keep an eye out for their incredible contributions as they revolutionize the way we approach design and development. Together, we’ll continue to create extraordinary digital experiences that amaze and inspire.

Spencer Ravago, UX Designer

A common theme among the teammates at WebDevStudios (WDS) is a passion for WordPress. That resonates with Spencer.

“What I like most about WordPress as a platform is its versatility,” Spencer explains. “It can be a simple platform for the average person who would use it out of the box for blogging. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, WordPress can also be customized with complex features for enterprise-level clients, like what we do for our clients at WDS. With the addition of Gutenberg blocks and full site editing, there are so many possibilities with WordPress.”

Lucky for us, Spencer was no stranger to WDS. He and Engineering Manager JC Palmes are longtime friends. In fact, both are lead organizers for WordCamp Iloilo 2023. We can give thanks to JC for nudging Spencer to apply to join our team.

“JC told me about the vacant designer position here and encouraged me to apply,” reports Spencer. “I was honestly intimidated and hesitant at first. But thinking about the great people on the team, the collaborative work environment, and the caliber of clients WebDevStudios has, it was too good not to even give it a shot. Thankfully, I did.” We’re grateful, too!

In Spencer’s team bio, he mentions that he enjoys the “problem-solving aspect of design.” When asked why that is, he says it’s just how he’s wired.

“I generally have a hard time doing something that doesn’t have a specific goal in mind,” Spencer clarifies, adding, “Which is probably why I consider myself more of a designer than an artist since art leans more toward self-expression. Design allows me to be creative in a way that focuses on a specific goal or problem that I can work towards.”

As mentioned earlier, Spencer and JC were lead organizers of WordCamp Iloilo. (WebDevStudios was a proud sponsor.) The pair also headed up the Kids Camp portion of the event, too. Spencer has been actively involved with his local WordPress community since 2008.

“What keeps me interested in being involved with WordCamps and the local WordPress community is how tight-knit and collaborative our group has become,” Spencer says. “Some of the people in the community have even moved on to other non-WordPress careers, yet they continue to be active in our community, especially during WordCamps.”

When Spencer isn’t working or getting involved with the WordPress community, he focuses on his interest in the San Antonio Spurs. He hasn’t been to a game yet, since he is located halfway around the world from the team, but going to a game is on his bucket list.

“What I admire about the San Antonio Spurs is that they’re generally low-key and not very flashy since they’re a small market team,” Spencer explains his adoration for the team. “Yet they’re one of the more successful teams in the league, having won five championships. This is largely due to the team’s emphasis on fundamentals, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Great values to live by even outside of sports.”

Nick Guzman, Frontend Engineer

“My journey with WordPress began during my time as a junior at university,” shares Nick, adding, “I quickly developed a deep appreciation for its capabilities. Working with WordPress not only ignited my passion for web development but also provided me with opportunities to earn income while pursuing my education.”

Nick was inspired to join the team at WDS after discovering our blog. “Some years ago, I was googling for a starter custom theme for a WordPress client, and I stumbled upon the WebDevStudios starter theme wd_s, which was the subject of the blog post ‘Building a WordPress Theme,'” he explains. “I started following the blog closely, and when I saw a frontend engineer job opening, I decided to apply, and here I am.”

Prior to joining WDS, Nick worked on some interesting mobile projects. For example, he worked closely with the chief technology officer building Remble, which is on the mission to enhance the lives of millions of people throughout the world by making relationship and mental health support accessible to everyone.

“We used WordPress very heavily on the content side and as a Headless CMS, and on the frontend, we used React and React Native,” Nick explains. Before that, he also worked on the AAA mobile app. Additionally, he has worked for nonprofits and enterprise clients, too.

Nick really enjoys enterprise-level projects. He says they bring a unique set of challenges and opportunities.

“One aspect I particularly enjoy is the scale and complexity of these projects. They often involve integrating various systems, handling large amounts of data, and implementing advanced functionality,” he adds.

You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but Nick loves all things Disney. He has visited both Disney US properties multiple times and gone on Disney cruises. Plus, he also attends other Disney events, such as marathons or horse riding events. But when it comes to Disney movies, there’s one in particular that captures Nick’s heart. “I love ‘Toy Story!'” Nick exclaims.

The post These New Hires Bring Fresh Ideas and Expertise to WebDevStudios appeared first on WebDevStudios.

With that in mind, we couldn’t be more excited to introduce Aslam Doctor and Django Doucet. Both are frontend engineers and bring a wealth of expertise and passion for web development to our agency.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into their background, skills, and interests. We invite you to join us in extending a warm welcome to Aslam and Django. Let’s celebrate the exciting possibilities that lie ahead as we continue to grow and thrive as a leading WordPress website agency powered by a team of brilliant minds.

Aslam Doctor, Frontend Engineer

A passion for WordPress is normally one of the preferences for joining the team at WebDevStudios (WDS). Aslam meets that requirement. Here are the elements he listed that he likes most about WordPress.

• Open-source
• Flexible and customizable
• Active community and support
• Regular updates related to security and new features
• Ability to choose different development workflows
• Ability to add more features using plugins

These reasons helped him fit right in! Aslam says he applied to work at WDS  because he sought a work-life balance. “Especially after the Covid period, securing a remote position with these benefits was highly appealing,” Aslam says.

Aslam also says that he was impressed with WDS’ impact on the WordPress ecosystem. “A compelling reason for joining the team was the fact that WDS is a prominent contributor to the WordPress community. Having relied on the CPTUI plugin throughout my entire freelance career, the prospect of working for its developers presents an incredible opportunity.”

It has been nearly six months since Aslam joined WDS, and he reports that every single day has been an exciting journey. “I am fortunate to be part of a team filled with highly talented individuals who are always ready to lend a helping hand whenever I face challenges,” says Aslam.

He says he really appreciates the team standups, describing them as engaging and helpful. “Our daily team standup meetings are not only focused on planning the day’s work but also provide an opportunity to discuss fun topics,” Aslam says, adding, “This dynamic atmosphere brings a refreshing boost of energy to the team.”

Of course, Aslam is grateful for the opportunity to participate in Five for the Future. “It is a rewarding experience to give back and be part of something bigger,” exclaims Aslam.

He has a lot to say when it comes to comparing his previous freelance lifestyle with working in a website agency setting, such as WebDevStudios, offering the following advice. “I recommend looking for an agency that fulfills the following criteria: extensive experience on the platform or technology you specialize in, a fair and decent pay structure, a collaborative team environment, and a commitment to work-life balance.”

When he’s not building amazing WordPress websites, Aslam is exploring his interest in sci-fi movies and video games, and Sufi music, which is a genre of devotional music that is associated with Sufism, a mystical and spiritual tradition within Islam.

“It often includes poetry and lyrics that express themes of love, longing and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment,” explains Aslam. “The music is performed with traditional instruments such as the tabla, harmonium, sarangi, and dholak. The universal themes and melodic richness of Sufi music continue to resonate with people from various backgrounds, fostering a sense of unity and shared human experience.”

If you’re interested in learning more about and listening to Sufi music, Aslam recommends this playlist on Spotify.

Django Doucet, Frontend Engineer

Like Aslam, Django is also a big fan of WordPress, saying, “It’s a great and generally accessible software. A big part of what makes it that way is the community, the force behind the documentation, plugins, themes, and events.”

Django was inspired to join WDS because of our blog. “I was looking to dive deeper into Gutenberg and full-site editing and many of the helpful articles were written by folks at WDS,” he says.

So far, Django is enjoying settling into the team and processes at WDS. “Everyone is passionate about their work and pushing boundaries of what is possible,” Django reports.

Before joining our team, Django worked on educational websites. He has some great advice to offer anyone in charge of that area.

“Think of the students! Prioritizing accessibility and performance are essential baselines,” Django advises. “In-demand features include being able to compare programs and facilitate building a schedule before committing to registering for classes,” he concludes.

Django lives in Edmonton, Canada, where he explores the hiking trails. “A family favorite is the Millcreek Ravine trail,” says Django. “We usually end up quite conveniently at Kind Ice Cream afterward,” he adds.

Join Our Team

Don’t Aslam and Django make working in WordPress and at WebDevStudios sound incredible? That’s because it is! Plus, we’re hiring.

If you want the kind of work-life balance that Aslam talks about on a passionate team that Django describes, please check out our Careers page to find an opportunity that works for you. Apply online and join our fresh crop of talent.

The post Fresh Talent! Meet Two of Our Newest Team Members appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Mitch Canter, Director of Engineering

Mitch was originally hired to fulfill an engineering manager role (which we now have an opening for), but it didn’t take long to see he had the potential for a larger leadership position. Within a few months, the WDS leadership team asked him to take over as Director of Engineering.

“Honestly, it wasn’t something that I was actively looking for, but it was a natural progression when it happened,” Mitch says. “When I stepped into the engineering manager role, I told my teams that I had one real mission: make sure that all of the engineers and leaders under me had the resources and information they needed to ‘write poetry’ in WordPress. As needs popped up, I did my best to address them. Sometimes it came in the form of updating documentation or processes. Other times, it was more visionary and on a larger scale. But the transition happened naturally when we all realized this work could be done across the company. Not to make bad things good, but to help the already amazing talent we have here to really shine.”

Now, as Director of Engineering, Mitch had to rethink his goals. He says his daily focus is on ensuring the engineering team has what it needs to succeed, and that includes continuing education.

“I’m constantly working with team leaders and engineers to determine opportunities for learning, growth, and career movement. Even as the director, I try to have one-on-ones with all of the engineers to see how they feel about work and how we do business,” Mitch explains.

He also says, however, that he takes it upon himself to keep an eye on the WordPress ecosystem and ensure that WDS meets all best practices and coding methods.

“I want to strike a fine balance between being on the bleeding edge of what’s out there while still giving our clients the best WordPress experience we can give them,” Mitch relays, adding, “And it’s not an easy task, but it’s one that I know all of our engineers and leads are up for tackling!”

Before joining WDS, Mitch already had a connection here as COO Lisa Sabin-Wilson’s technical editor on her WordPress for Dummies books. As her technical editor, he reviews her included code and ensures it works correctly and is formatted well for the book. Joining the team at WebDevStudios gave him the chance to “get down and dirty with WordPress.”

“I knew that my true passions lay with working with developers and helping to manage the relationship between developer teams and the businesses and clients they work with,” Mitch explains.

Mitch is a great addition to our team and is currently keeping busy with job interviews. We’re hiring! If you’re hoping to join the WDS team, here is some advice from Mitch.

• “I would rather hire someone with less experience and knowledge that is more willing to learn and grow. Technical knowledge, and even softer skills like leadership, are things that can be taught and molded. But if someone’s unwilling to put in the time and effort to be a long-time learner, they’ll quickly be left behind in a place like WebDevStudios.”
• “Show us what you know, but also show us what you don’t know and are working on learning. That’s not to say we aren’t pushing the boundaries of WordPress here, but it means that there are opportunities for mentorship and learning in the midst of ‘getting things done.'”

Matt Ryan, Backend Engineer

Matt has been working with WordPress for 10 years now, remaining active in meetups and WordCamps in his area. He had been operating his own agency since 2013, but he felt as though he needed to level up his skills and desired interaction with other professionals like himself. Luckily, he attended a talk at a local WordPress meetup given by WDS Principal Engineer Sal Ferrarello, who mentioned we were hiring. That’s when Matt submitted his application.

“WebDevStudios has been so supportive of me during my onboarding process as I ramped up to working in a collaborative team environment,” Matt says. “Coming from a solopreneur environment, it was quite a change. Even though we are a completely remote workforce of over 50 people, the company offers many ways for us all to interact.”

One of Matt’s favorite activities is the monthly WDS-sponsored Five for the Future (5FTF) Friday. During his first three 5FTF days, Matt worked to publish a plugin in the WordPress repository. And he was successful! Matt’s plugin is called Simple URLs Legacy.

“That was a huge proverbial feather in my cap. I was so excited to go through the process, learning how to build, refactor and deliver well-documented code that others can use. It was a successful mission, totally encouraged by WDS,” Matt reports.

Matt says the biggest challenge of the process was getting the code to be fully compliant as far as WordPress coding standards are concerned. Matt has this recommendation for anyone interested in developing their first plugin: start with the Plugin Developer Handbook.

“It has all the information you will need, full of examples and additional resources to help you through the process,” Matt explains. “I just started working on my second plugin this past month. Thank you, WebDevStudios, for giving me this opportunity.”

The post Do You Know These New Team Members? appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Meet Frontend Engineer Inna Gutnik and Project Manager Ali Lyons. They bring a great deal of talent and dedication to our growing team. We know you will enjoy getting to know them as much as we have.

Inna Gutnik, Frontend Engineer

Inna decided to apply for her current position at WebDevStudios (WDS) after her good friend, who was also working at WDS, told her about the opportunity. She had been working on an artificial intelligence (AI) product for a long time but desired to work on websites again.

Now that Inna is acclimating to her new position, she says the experience has been fantastic. “I love the people, and I have learned a lot about WordPress and modern ways to create websites using WordPress. It’s pretty cool!” Inna says.

Her frontend engineer duties include analyzing client requirements and evaluating different solutions. However, Inna also says her duties include, “Knowledge sharing with my team and writing awesome code.”

One of the many things that makes Inna a valuable addition to the WDS team is her expertise in all things animation and interactive. She loves to create highly interactive interfaces because the process poses the challenge of answering questions like, “What if the user does this? What if the user wants to do this?”

“I love to analyze and then map out use cases in granularity,” Inna explains, adding, “I also love that along with those numerous use cases, a lot of logic is required to support them. It has become kind of a game for me to create architecture that is very easy to read and understand by anyone, and is as simply constructed as possible, to allow for a lot of flexibility if ever updates or changes are required.”

When Inna isn’t working, she enjoys knitting, sewing, drawing, and painting, which may seem like a departure from her regular job, but Inna sees a connection. “I think software engineering has allowed me to develop granular planning skills, to really enhance my logical thinking. I think software engineering helps me better execute my hobby tasks, and more systematically load my dishwasher,” Inna jokes.

Ali Lyons, Project Manager

While Ali is new to WDS, she is very familiar with WordPress. Her journey began by attending a WordPress New York City Meetup in 2016. She found the community members to be really welcoming, and the group itself was made up of an impressive mix of talented developers and WordPress users.

“As I started to pursue a career in WordPress, I began to really appreciate how its popularity produces a virtuous cycle of more users attracting more developers, which leads to more plugins and integrations,” says Ali. “It’s such a powerful and flexible CMS and It is always satisfying to witness how WordPress can provide highly tailored solutions to address even the most complex problems.”

Eventually, Ali’s immersion in the WordPress space led her to her new role at WDS. “At my previous job, we had the opportunity to collaborate on a project with WDS and it was an incredibly positive experience. The team was friendly, fun to work with, and had excellent processes in place that made everything very efficient and streamlined,” reports Ali.

‘When I learned about the open PM position, it was a no-brainer for me to apply,” Ali continues. “I knew that by having already experienced the company’s work culture and professionalism firsthand, I was eager to explore the opportunity further.”

As a project manager, Ali says that her most important responsibility is to support the developers on her team. “This includes ensuring we are all working on the correct tasks in the correct priority and having the necessary resources and assistance to complete projects on time,” explains Ali. “I also maintain clear and concise communication with stakeholders, providing weekly updates, identifying potential risks, and managing expectations to ensure the successful delivery of all projects.”

Not only is Ali a WordPress website and project management expert, but she also knows quite a bit about wine. Here’s her advice on how you can be one, too: take a picture of each label of wine you consume and jot down some quick notes, especially what you liked or didn’t like.

“Once you have an idea of your general preferences, seek out a local wine shop and have them help you pick out a mixed case with lots of variety in terms of grapes and regions,” Ali advises. “Usually, people can hone in on what their preferences are pretty quickly that way.”

WebDevStudios Is Hiring!

Now that you have become acquainted with our new staff members, are you interested in joining them on our team? WebDevStudios is hiring! We’re searching for frontend and backend engineers. Check out our Careers page and apply online.

The post Get Acquainted with These New WebDevStudios Staff Members appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Leonel Torres, Project Manager

Our website company was first brought to Leo’s attention by WebDevStudios (WDS) Account Manager, Pia Miranda.

“Pia talked to me so much about WDS and her experience working there that I was impressed and wanted to be part of that great environment. So far, I’m very happy to be here, and I love the great teams we have,” says Leo.

Besides that, Leo was also inspired to join our team because he wanted to learn more about web development, specifically how project management plays a role in the lifecycle of a project.

“Normally, other companies combine project and product management, and that doesn’t allows you to be fully focused on the project management process,” Leo explains.

He’s looking forward to expanding his knowledge of WordPress, which is also one of his 2023 goals, and learning from our engineering team. However, he’s also interested in playing a supporting role.

“I want to be a great support for my team. As a project manager, you are a facilitator, and you are a server, so being able to do that in an outstanding way is key for keeping the team committed to the cause and happy,” Leo elaborates.

Leo loves to cook when he isn’t making his mark at WDS. He claims three dishes to be his specialty: grilled steak, baby back ribs, and homemade breakfast.

“I just love grilling, and I marinate my steak with light beer, so it gets softer, and it tastes as if it’s smoked,” explains Leo. As for breakfast, he loves making an omelet with mushrooms, roasted beef, and muenster melted cheese.

Sounds delish! We look forward to seeing how well Leo also cooks up the projects he manages.

Mauricio Andrade, Backend Engineer

We love when a new staff member joins our team because they have already heard of us.

“I initially heard about WDS because of open-source projects like CMB2 and CPTUI, which I used routinely on my projects,” Mauricio reports. He adds that when he was ready to find a new position, he knew he wanted to work for a company whose values aligned with his own.

“Researching online about WDS convinced me that it was a very cool workplace,” he says.

Mauricio wants to learn and collaborate. “I am particularly interested in furthering my knowledge and skills in WordPress, especially in features like blocks and full-site editing,” he states.

It’s also Maurcio’s first time working remotely, so he places great importance on being organized and productive. He really values open-source technology, saying, “I genuinely believe it’s a powerful idea already changing the world.”

Mauricio strongly believes that, considering WordPress’ popularity and growth, it warrants quality support from companies and users. We’re confident that Maurcio’s drive and skills will contribute greatly to its innovation, especially when you consider his interests—philosophy and logic.

However, Maurcio’s focus is on more than just quoting philosophers. He says, “My interest revolves around the philosophy of science, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of logic as subjects matter. Special mention to modal logics, such as epistemic logic, the logic of mathematical proofs, inductive logic, and probability logic.”

Wow! That’s impressive. It’s no wonder that Mauricio is already making his mark at WebDevStudios. You could, too. We’re hiring now.

Please look at our Careers page to view our current job openings. You could be the next new teammate that WebDevStudios welcomes aboard.

The post WebDevStudios Welcomes Aboard New Teammates appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Today, you’re going to meet and greet UX Designer,  Melissa Rausch, and Lead Engineer, David Walz. Both jumped right into their new roles at WDS, and it feels like they’ve been a part of our team forever. Keep reading to learn more about them.

Melissa Rausch, UX Dsigner

Melissa says she enjoys design because she loves communicating messages in engaging ways for everyone. “Like, making storytelling visual and interactive because, to me, that is more exciting and efficient.”

She applied to work at WDS because she felt our website company offered thought-provoking culture and the opportunity to work with reputable web professionals. So far, she is relishing her experience.

“It has been beyond delightful with an inviting and supportive group of people who I came to care about so quickly,” Melissa describes her time at WebDevStudios. “The projects I’ve worked on already help me build my skills while also passing on improved UX to our clients. I feel lucky to help transform websites that improve both business and user goals.”

Melissa has an interesting pastime that she engages in when she’s not designing big client projects. At home, she creates 3D printer projects. She explains that not only do she and her husband use these projects as a way to bond, but they also exercise their creative and technical minds.

For instance, her proudest project occurred after a piece of her computer mouse broke. “I measured the mouse cover and then recreated it on a 3D modeling application,” recounts Melissa. “My husband prototyped the attachment section on our 3D printer a few times which only took a few minutes. Finally, we were able to attach a new piece to my mouse so I can use it again.”

On another recent 3D project, Melissa and her husband designed a custom lamp as a wedding gift for their friends who had a cactus-themed wedding. “We laser-engraved one of their photos onto a green acrylic sheet then laser-cut it into a cactus shape,” says Melissa. “We then 3D-printed a stand to hold both the photo and an LED light. Our next idea is to 3D-print climbing holds and laser-cut decorations to build a rock-climbing wall for our cat.”

David Walz, Lead Engineer

As a lead engineer at WebDevStudios, David says it’s his job to remove barriers. “It’s important to me to help push projects forward and help my team by providing clarity when needed,” he clarifies. “This could be getting information from the client, third-party vendor, or even a development framework.”

David says one of his favorite parts of his job role is providing test support when a team member is pushing up a fix or feature improvement. “This gives my team important knowledge about how their code is working in an actual environment,” he says.

Before joining WDS, David focused on websites for travel and tourism. One of his first significant code pushes was to update the South Dakota tourism website.

“I added a small component to the homepage, a series of square tile links. The code push itself was straightforward, but the feeling I got was impactful,” says David, “I had already worked on some freelance sites in the past and personal projects. However, this was the first time that I got to make a change that was going to be used by a large number of people. That idea and feeling were empowering for me. I was thankful that I was surrounded by a team of people, who allowed the quality assurance guy to have that realization and experience.”

We’re glad David brings that level of expertise with him to WebDevStudios. In fact, what attracted him to apply here was our team. And, we can’t blame him.

“I was referred to the company by a past coworker and friend. I believe we share a lot of the same values in terms of the team we are on being super important to us,” David says. “So far I’ve met a lot of great and super-talented people at WDS. I also like the fact that WDS has clients from a variety of industries and different products. The last few years have been focused on a single industry for me, so this is a breath of fresh air. Some of the products that WDS has to offer I’ve already used years ago. That was a cool realization!”

Another cool thing about David is that he collects old tech and gives it a new life.

“I clean up computers, game consoles, game controllers, typewriters, etc. I’m still trying to figure out what drives me in doing this. It’s a cocktail of nostalgia, right-to-repair therapy, and an understanding that a good deep cleaning can bring a thing back to life,” David explains.

David tries to focus on his own old junk, but he has purchased a couple of Sega Saturns from Japan really cheap and untested. He disassembles them and cleans each piece. Best of all, he actually gets them up and running. However, these rehabs can be complex and take a lot of time.

“Cleaning a game controller might take a couple of hours. I’m usually just chilling and taking my time when doing that kind of stuff. I’ve worked on a PC cleanup that took weeks though,” David reports.

So far, he’s been keeping his rescued technology or giving them to friends. But one day, he might sell a few on eBay.

WebDevStudios Is Recruiting

We are currently on the hunt for top-tiered talents like Melissa and David. Do you love WordPress, open-source technology, relationship building, and tacos? Well, then you will probably fit right in at WebDevStudios. Apply online today.

The post Meet and Greet These New Teammates appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Meet two new WebDevStudios team members. Both are backend engineers who are passionate about WordPress and are looking forward to building big things. Take some time to get to know them.

Jairo Perez, Backend Engineer

What makes web development fun? “Web development gives us the opportunity to express ourselves creatively on the internet and that makes it a fun experience for me,” says Jairo Perez, Backend Engineer.

Since 2015, Jairo has been involved with WordPress and the community. He has contributed to WordPress in a myriad of ways: the Core, plugin development, and translations.

“One of the things I like most about the WordPress community is how big and inclusive it is,” Jairo says further, adding, “From developers to designers, agencies to freelancers, and professionals to beginners, the WordPress community includes many people across the globe.” On Jairo’s bucket list for next year is attending a WordCamp.

Jairo decided to join WebDevStudios (WDS) because he believes our website agency makes a difference. “I am excited by the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the WordPress community. Plus the environment is highly motivating and promotes personal and professional growth,” he says.

During his off time, Jairo and his wife love to binge Netflix. He says that loves comedy, action, and fantasy, but his wife enjoys drama and romance. Their latest picks include “The Playlist,” “Slumberland,” “Falling for Christmas.” and “The Sandman.”

Garrett Baldwin, Backend Engineer

Backend Engineer, Garrett Baldwin, says he enjoys working with open-source technology because the community is helpful. “It’s also a great feeling to be able to contribute back to projects that you’ve benefitted from or are inspired by,” he adds.

Garrett had heard about WebDevStudios through the WordPress community and has even used some of our plugins. When he heard about our recruitment of backend engineers he knew he had to give it a try. “I jumped at the chance to be able to learn and grow from some of the best in the biz,” Garrett exclaims.

“I’m looking forward to learning and growing as a developer, working on fun and challenging projects, and being part of and contributing to this fabulous team,” Garrett continues to say. “I’ve already learned so much in my short time at WDS and am excited to continue!”

Not only is Garrett talented as an engineer, but he’s also a musician and an experienced sourdough bread maker. Garrett currently plays in two bands: Craig’s Brother and Brookhurst. Craig’s Brother is scheduled to play at Redbridge Fest in Montreal next June.

As for his (soon-to-be-world-famous) sourdough bread, Garrett loves to toast it for sandwiches, but he also uses it as a bowl for homemade chowder. He has two great sourdough bread-making tips. He says:

• Out of or can’t find bread flour? Add some vital wheat gluten to regular all-purpose flour to boost the protein content and make your own.
• If you can, leave your shaped loaf in the fridge overnight for extra flavor. This will slow down the yeast activity and let the good bacteria go wild creating acetic acid for a more sour flavor.

WebDevStudios Is Recruiting Frontend Engineers

Now that you have met two of our newest backend engineers, wouldn’t you love to work alongside them? Good, because we need some new frontend engineers and a project manager to join our team.  Please take a look at our Careers page and apply online today. We would love to welcome you as a new WebDevStudios team member.

The post Introducing New WebDevStudios Team Members appeared first on WebDevStudios.