Interview with WP Engine/Flywheel

As part of its work highlighting innovators in the dynamic tech sector in Nebraska and beyond, the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center is reaching out to regional tech leaders and organizations to ask them a few questions about their work, how they got started, and where they see their organization headed in the future. Today we are featuring an interview with Flywheel, and it's parent company WP Engine, about their shared evolution and the business climate here in Nebraska.

Tell us a little about Flywheel and the work that you do.

Founded in Omaha in 2012, Flywheel serves digital agencies that build, manage, and resell website hosting services on WordPress, a Content Management System (CMS). In 2019 Flywheel was acquired by WP Engine, and over 2020 the companies merged to provide the leading products in WordPress, including WP Engine, Growth Suite, Local, Atlas, Genesis, and more. On a daily basis, WP Engine tools and platform power 8% of daily web experiences.  

What advantages or challenges does Nebraska pose for a tech firm?

Historically, Nebraska has had a number of challenges with tech firms, specifically experienced sales and technical talent and limited visibility and investment from traditional institutions. In the case of Flywheel, we recognized that we could build a stronger foundation of talent through partnering with local colleges and universities, betting on talented people who had very high upside, and focusing on the value of collaboration and cultivating innovation. 

Now as a part of WP Engine, we’re continuing to invest in Nebraska by hiring local talent in sales, support, engineering, and more. In 2020, we opened a large new office in Millwork Commons, providing a hub for employees to collaborate in person, or work remotely. 

Where do you see Flywheel and WP Engine heading over the next five to ten years?

Websites are really hard to predict that far out, particularly after the last 2 years where we’ve seen the world transform to being more creative, more nimble, and more innovative through the power of technology. The demand for web users is clearly going bigger and people want fast, safe, immersive experiences that are right in our wheelhouse. We see dynamic web creating being the new norm, where sites have more content, media, and interactive tools, but operate even faster than we see today. Digital agencies are demanding we continue to set the pace for innovation in open-source, commercial web experiences, which we fully plan to stay ahead of.