Texas firm acquiring Omaha-based Flywheel

An Austin technology company is acquiring

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WP Engine, the WordPress Digital Experience Platform, announced Monday it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Flywheel, a WordPress hosting and management company.

The Texas firm said in a news release by combining their strengths, WP Engine and Flywheel are enhancing the WP Engine Digital Experience Platform for WordPress with the best creative and business workflows for agencies, building upon their collective investments and leadership in WordPress and creating the largest Agency Partner Program in WordPress.

“On behalf of the WP Engine team, we couldn’t be more excited to join forces with one of the most respected brands in WordPress," said Heather Brunner, Chairwoman and CEO of WP Engine. "I personally welcome each employee and customer into the WP Engine family and I’m excited about the opportunities we will create in the years to come,”

Flywheel was founded in 2012 by Dusty Davidson, Tony Noecker and Rick Knudtson, all of whom came from web development backgrounds at agencies. They focused on creating targeted and innovative products to help agencies grow their business on WordPress. Flywheel numbers more than 200 employees around the world, headquartered in Omaha, Neb., and complements WP Engine’s employees and customer base in North America, Australia and Europe.

The company serves more than 28,000 customers globally. In 2018, Flywheel was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States and as the fastest-growing company in Nebraska.

“We founded Flywheel with the belief that in order to help creatives do their best work, we needed to create an internal culture that encourages our employees to do the same,” said Dusty Davidson, CEO and co-founder of Flywheel. “That philosophy has led us to build an incredible company and some of the most well-loved products in WordPress, supported by an impressive group of talented people and the most remarkable open source community in the world. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved to date, or more excited for what the future holds for us working together!”