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Brian MessenlehnerCustom AI Workflows, WordPress, Mobile Apps, and Web Development in Wall Township, New Jersey, but Serving the World

Brian Messenlehner in US Marine Corps Dress Blues
Portrait of Brian Messenlehner, founder of AlphaWeb, smiling outdoors

I write code that people depend on, and I have been doing it since I was 19. Marine. Developer. Author. Co-founder. Today I lead AlphaWeb and AppPresser from Wall Township in Monmouth County, building WordPress sites and mobile apps for New Jersey businesses and brands around the world.

My story starts with humble beginnings in Lakewood, New Jersey. I went to high school in Jackson, and I have been a tech enthusiast for as long as I can remember. I am all about open source for saving people and businesses time and money. Software anyone can read, improve, and share.

From Marine Corps to Web Development

I joined the US Marine Corps at 18, went through boot camp at Parris Island, served on recruiter's assistance duty, and started coding at 19 when I trained as a 4067 Computer Programmer, learning Ada (named after Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer) at Twentynine Palms. I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom. I left active duty as a Sergeant in August 2003 with an honorable discharge and a secret clearance. My decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Rifle Expert Badge and Pistol Expert Badge. Read about my Marine Corps years.

Next I joined Pringle, Quinn, Anzano in Belmar, New Jersey, as a Web Application Developer and Database Administrator. The firm represented insurance company special investigation units, and I built applications in ASP.NET, C#, Classic ASP, SQL Server and Access to help fight insurance fraud. Read about my law firm years.

I started it in 2001, but in 2008 officially co-founded WebDevStudios in the state of New Jersey, and served as its CTO until 2017. There I led sales and engineering as the company grew. Read about my agency years.

Along the way I co-authored O'Reilly's Building Web Apps with WordPress (first edition 2014, second edition 2019) and served as technical editor of PACKT's BuddyPress Theme Development. I have also developed BuddyPress themes for WordPress community sites. See my WordPress books.

I co-founded SchoolPresser to bring WordPress to school districts, giving schools modern, easy to manage websites without the cost of proprietary platforms. See SchoolPresser in my timeline.

I own AppPresser, which lets WordPress sites become native iOS and Android apps. It has helped businesses, creators and communities put their content and members in their pockets. See AppPresser in my timeline.

Today I lead AlphaWeb, building WordPress sites and custom AI workflows for New Jersey and beyond. See AlphaWeb in my timeline.

In My Words: Learning Ada as my first language in the middle of the Mojave Desert at Twentynine Palms gave me habits of structure and precision that I still lean on every time I write code.

Brian Messenlehner

Highlight projects

Provenance timeline

2017 to present

AlphaWeb

Owner, WordPress sites and AI for New Jersey and beyond

See all 4 stories in AlphaWeb Era

2013 to present

AppPresser

Owner of AppPresser

See all 25 stories in AppPresser

2014 to present

SchoolPresser

Co-founder of SchoolPresser

2013 to 2019

WordPress Books

Author and technical reviewer

2001 to 2017

WebDevStudios, co-founder and CTO

Enterprise WordPress builds and two O'Reilly book editions

See all 10 stories in WordPress Agency

2004 to 2010

Pringle, Quinn, Anzano

Web Application Developer and DBA, Belmar, New Jersey

See all 4 stories in Law Firm Era

1999 to 2003

US Marine Corps

4067 Computer Programmer, Sergeant

Brian Messenlehner as a Marine Corps sergeant in desert camouflage, smiling in a vehicle with his rifle

See all 7 stories in Marine Corps Era

Skills, Old School and New School

Events

Photos from WordPress events, client events and community meetups.

Brian with a friend at the WordCamp US 2023 after party
The WordCamp US 2023 after party at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
After hours networking at Affiliate Summit West 2020
After hours networking at Affiliate Summit West 2020.
Collage from Affiliate Summit West 2020
Affiliate Summit West 2020, a month before Miami.
Brian dressed as Axl Rose in front of a slide of client brands
The Axl Rose talk from a past WordCamp Miami, in front of a slide of client brands.
Collage of slides from the WordCamp Miami 2020 talk
Slides from the content automation talk.
Collage of sponsors and attendees at WordCamp Miami 2020
Sponsors, speakers and friends at WordCamp Miami 2020.
Brian with Joomla President Rowan Hoskyns Abrahall at WordCamp Miami 2020
Talking shop with Joomla President Rowan Hoskyns Abrahall.
Brian and David Vogelpohl presenting at Affiliate Summit West 2019
Brian and David Vogelpohl presenting the content automation session.
Brian and Ashwin Bhargava on stage at Affiliate Summit East 2019
Brian with Ashwin Bhargava of WP Engine at Affiliate Summit East 2019.
Another view of the Affiliate Summit East 2018 closing keynote
The closing keynote crowd at Affiliate Summit East 2018.
Brian and David Vogelpohl speaking at Affiliate Summit East 2017
The 2017 Affiliate Summit East keynote that led to the 2018 closing keynote.
Brian Messenlehner with attendees at Affiliate Summit Europe 2018
Catching up with attendees at Affiliate Summit Europe 2018.
Collage of attendees at PressNomics 4 in 2016
Faces from PressNomics 4, the business of WordPress conference in Tempe.
Brian Messenlehner performing a WordPress rap at WordCamp Miami
The WordPress rap from WordCamp Miami 2015, still a community favorite.
The Building Web Apps with WordPress authors on a live podcast
Brian and Jason Coleman talking about the book on WP Watercooler in 2013.
Brian Messenlehner and Scott Bolinger on stage at Macworld 2014
Brian and Scott Bolinger presenting AppPresser on stage at Macworld 2014.
Contributor Day at WordCamp Sofia 2013
Contributor Day at WordCamp Sofia, where attendees worked on WordPress together.
Brian Messenlehner at the podium and David Vogelpohl beside him during the Affiliate Summit East 2018 closing keynote
At the podium on the keynote stage at Affiliate Summit East 2018.
David Vogelpohl at the podium and Brian Messenlehner, in a SchoolPresser shirt and cap, on the Affiliate Summit East 2018 keynote stage
On the closing keynote stage at Affiliate Summit East 2018.
The SchoolPresser team at NSBA 2018
The SchoolPresser team at NSBA 2018.
With Pluginize at WordCamp Buffalo 2016
With Pluginize at WordCamp Buffalo 2016.
An evening at PressNomics 4 in 2016
An evening at PressNomics 4 in 2016.
With the book at WordCamp US 2023
With the book at WordCamp US 2023.
At WordCamp Montclair 2023
At WordCamp Montclair 2023.
The Axl Rose live demo at WordCamp Miami 2017
The Axl Rose live demo at WordCamp Miami 2017.
Presenting at WordCamp Miami 2020
Presenting at WordCamp Miami 2020.
At Affiliate Summit West 2019 in Las Vegas
At Affiliate Summit West 2019 in Las Vegas.
Giving a talk at Affiliate Summit East 2019
Giving a talk at Affiliate Summit East 2019.
The keynote announcement for Affiliate Summit East 2018
The keynote announcement for Affiliate Summit East 2018.
A BuddyPress talk at a WordPress meetup in 2015
A BuddyPress talk at a WordPress meetup in 2015.
Speaking at Affiliate Summit Europe 2018
Speaking at Affiliate Summit Europe 2018.
A session at Affiliate Summit West 2017
A session at Affiliate Summit West 2017.
The migration talk at WordCamp Toronto 2016
The migration talk at WordCamp Toronto 2016.
On a panel at WordCamp Toronto 2016
On a panel at WordCamp Toronto 2016.
The Best Under 40 induction in 2015
The Best Under 40 induction in 2015.
Brian speaking at WordCamp Sofia 2013
Brian speaking at WordCamp Sofia 2013.

Life outside work in Wall Township

Home for me is Wall Township, New Jersey, where I am raising my five kids, not far from where I grew up. Being a dad of five is a big part of why education and school transparency matter so much to me. My kids have also become my favorite students. I taught every one of them to swim, ride a bike, play chess, and of course, use WordPress by the age of five. I try to pass on discipline and integrity, and the Marine Corps' values that shaped me: honor, courage, and commitment. I've brought them along to WordPress events too, and to some of my clients' events, so they can learn firsthand and see the wonderful community behind it.

When we step away from the screens, we stay active together, usually on bikes or skateboards. These days my own curiosity is pulling me deep into robotics and artificial intelligence, and I love seeing my kids get just as excited about what we can build.

My young daughter wearing my desert camouflage U.S. Marines blouse and boonie hat at a laptop covered in WordPress and AppPresser stickers
My young son in a Cookie Monster hat and a shirt covered in WordPress stickers at WordCamp Miami
A young child in a backwards cap and a green WordPress T-shirt
Brian Messenlehner and one of his kids in matching AppPresser caps at WordCamp Montclair
A young child eating chicken fingers by a pool next to a laptop showing the AppPresser website
A smiling young child wearing a red WordPress logo T-shirt
Brian Messenlehner and his young child in matching AppPresser hats and event lanyards
A smiling young child in an AppPresser hat and an astronaut T-shirt standing on a stage
My kids, growing up around WordPress.

I also love giving back to the community that gave me a career. I have helped organize the New Jersey WordPress Meetup in Asbury Park. I enjoy speaking at WordCamps and other tech-related conferences and sharing what I've learned about building apps and websites with WordPress.

All talks, books and events

Currently booking projects

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