About > History
Our History
From Marine Corps code to WordPress agencies and apps.
AlphaWeb sits on a long track record: Marine Corps programming, law-firm systems work, leading WordPress teams since 2008, becoming owner of AppPresser, co-founding SchoolPresser, and writing the book on WordPress web apps. Here is the timeline.
Timeline
U.S. Marine Corps
Brian Messenlehner served as a Sergeant and 4067 Computer Programmer. Parris Island, Camp Lejeune, 29 Palms. Built an Armory Management System. Deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom and earned a Navy Achievement Medal for a secure logistics web app for the Marine Logistics Command. Honorably discharged in 2004.
Pringle Quinn Anzano, P.C.
After the Corps, Brian worked as a web application developer and DBA on insurance fraud litigation systems for the New Jersey law firm Pringle Quinn Anzano, P.C.
WordPress at scale, 2008
In 2008 Brian co-founded a custom WordPress agency and served as its CTO. That team built WordPress sites and plugins for brands including TIME Magazine, NBC, Microsoft, Constant Contact, Uber, Campbell's Soup, Starbucks and the National Park Service. He later sold his shares to take on AppPresser. The projects from those years are part of the AlphaWeb team's track record under his leadership.
AppPresser
Brian is the Owner of AppPresser, the platform for building iOS and Android apps with WordPress. AlphaWeb owns AppPresser, so AppPresser custom apps are AlphaWeb work. Showcase apps include 'Olelo, Palmer Square, Diversify STEM, All Stars Connected Community and All the World (featured in the Apple App Store).
- 2014: Reactor by AppPresser: Launched Reactor, letting anyone set up a WordPress powered mobile app for free.
- 2017: AppPresser 3: Released AppPresser 3.
- 2020: AppPresser 4: Released AppPresser 4 with automated app store submission.
- October 2020: App Page Builder: Launched the AppPresser App Page Builder for combining WordPress features on one app page.
Brian remains the Owner of AppPresser.
SchoolPresser
Brian co-founded and served as president of SchoolPresser, focused on WordPress for public school districts. That education focus continues in AlphaWeb's school migration work.
Building Web Apps with WordPress
Brian co-authored O'Reilly's Building Web Apps with WordPress with Jason Coleman. The 2nd edition, published in 2019, covers WordPress through 5.4 including the REST API and Gutenberg, and the book is also available in a Spanish translation. He was also technical editor of BuddyPress Theme Development (Packt).
AlphaWeb
AlphaWeb offers custom website and mobile app development and support services, from simple small business websites to complex enterprise web applications, leveraging open source WordPress. It is a U.S. veteran owned business capable of providing customized web and mobile solutions for the United States Government and Military.
Today AlphaWeb positions as WordPress specialists: migrations, Multisite, custom development, AppPresser mobile apps, support and maintenance, and AI implementation consulting for teams that already run on WordPress.
Speaking and community
Spoken at WordCamps across the US and Europe and keynoted Affiliate Summit East 2018.
- WordCamp Sofia 2013: Speaker at WordCamp Sofia in Bulgaria.
- WordCamp Norway 2014: Speaker at WordCamp Norway.
- WordCamp St. Louis 2014: Session speaker at WordCamp St. Louis.
- WordCamp Miami 2015: Talk: "Move all the things to WordPress!"
- WordCamp Philly 2015: Panel on WordPress in Schools.
- WordCamp Toronto 2016: Speaker at WordCamp Toronto.
- WordCamp Miami 2017: Talk: "Building mobile apps with BuddyPress and AppPresser" at BuddyCamp.
- Affiliate Summit East 2018: Closing keynote with David Vogelpohl: "Advanced Strategies for Common WordPress Questions."
- WordCamp Miami 2020: Talk: "Clever Ways To Help Automate Content Creation With WordPress."
That conference trail is part of how AlphaWeb stays connected to the WordPress community.
How to read our client logos
Logos you see for Microsoft, Campbell's, Allstate, Discovery, TIME, Kaspersky, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, LexisNexis, Newark Public Schools, YMCA, Skype, HP, Starbucks, USMC, US Army, National Park Service and APSA reflect brands our leadership has built for throughout their careers.
Why teams choose AlphaWeb
Veteran owned WordPress specialists
Mission driven, not trend chasing
AlphaWeb is a U.S. veteran owned business. We plan, build, secure and support WordPress sites and mobile apps with the same discipline Brian learned as a Marine Corps programmer.
We wrote the book on WordPress apps
Brian Messenlehner co-authored O'Reilly's Building Web Apps with WordPress, has led WordPress teams since 2008, and went on to become owner of AppPresser and co-found SchoolPresser.