They say that change is inevitable, but growth is optional. At WebDevStudios (WDS), we’re choosing to grow by leaps and bounds in order to support the success of our clients and their website projects.
As such, we’ve brought on board two new engineers we’d like to introduce. Meet David (Dave) Romsey, Backend Engineer, and Alfredo Navas, Frontend Engineer. They are recent additions to the WebDevStudios team, bringing with them experience and an eagerness to contribute to our mission. Please take a moment to get to know them now.
David Romsey
Dave loves building solutions. “I like to make stuff, particularly things that solve problems,” he explains. “It can be in code or something physical, but I’ve always just liked making things.”
Recently, while freelancing, he was tasked with taking over the development of a WooCommerce site that was in an unfinished, buggy state. There was a quick, firm deadline because the client was doing a live TV interview where he’d be launching his product and website. Dave was able to right the ship and complete the project on time, which was made more difficult by the fact that his apartment had flooded the weekend before launch.
“Everything in my place was propped up on wooden blocks wrapped in Glad Press’n Seal in order to keep things dry,” he says. “I launched the site from my flooded apartment in bare feet wearing swimming trunks, but I did it on time and the client was thrilled with the results.” Now, that’s dedication!
David has accumulated over 10 years of experience developing with WordPress and has loved watching it evolve year after year, saying, “Custom post types are the most notable evolutionary milestone that has occurred during my tenure with WordPress. Prior to CPTs, WordPress was really struggling with the, ‘It’s just a blogging platform,’ argument, which to be fair, was pretty accurate before CPTs were incorporated. WordPress just keeps marching on and on and I think that’s a big part of why its market share continues to grow too.”
Ever since Dave picked up the book Professional WordPress Plugin Development, co-authored by WDS’s Co-Founder and CEO, Brad Williams, he has had WDS on his radar. “Originally, I had ordered the book because I was a fan of its co-author, Justin Tadlock. I did some research, and thought, ‘Ya know, this Brad guy is pretty cool, too,'” David says, adding, “WebDevStudios has been my dream job for many years, but I always thought I wasn’t ready yet. This summer, I saw an opening and convinced myself to go just for it, and here I am.”
Alfredo Navas
People interested in working at WDS often tweet us a question asking whether or not we hire engineers based outside of the US. With two team members living in Canada and one in the Philippines, the answer is a solid yes. We can now add Costa Rica to the list of countries where you can find WDS, thanks to Alfredo, who has built an impressive WordPress community there.
“The WordPress community of Costa Rica has more than 2000 members,” reports Alfredo. “We do meetups at least once a month. When we started the community, we had less than 100 members.”
A friend told Alfredo about WordCamps, and he attended his first one in 2016 in Miami. There, Alfredo was inspired to build a community in Costa Rica.
“At that time, we told ourselves how good it would be to do an event like this in Costa Rica, and that’s how we started,” he says. “First we began with meetups, inviting people to collaborate; that’s how in September 2016 we managed to host our first WordCamp. There were 150 attendees. This year is the fourth edition. We managed to reach 780 attendees making it the largest WordCamp in Latin America!”
Alfredo travels the world volunteering at other WordCamp events. “In my case, volunteering at other camps is an incredible experience,” he confirms, “Meeting new people who share your same interests is enriching. The collaborative environment is something that sustains these events.”
Alfredo verifies that there is not much difference among the different WordPress communities—at least, not in Latin America. He explains, “We share the same language and many of the customs. The experience is similar. I always feel welcomed and at home.”
Like Dave, Alfredo has been following WDS for some time, saying that he has always admired the work we do and especially what we do for the community. He’s very optimistic about his new journey here, expressing, “I look forward to being a better developer, learning from the best. There are very intelligent people to work with at WDS. I have followed their success and I am honored to be able to work by their side.”
WDS Is Hiring
Are you interested in joining our team like Dave and Alfredo? We’re hiring. Take a look at our career opportunities now.
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