Growing Our New Home for WordPress Innovation in Ireland
WP Engine’s new office hub in Limerick, Ireland opened to a warm reception last week, with employees, customers, partners, and government officials all in attendance at a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony in the recently-renovated space.
The new office, located on Henry Street in downtown Limerick, reflects WP Engine’s massive international momentum and investment in Ireland, where it was recently recognized as a Great Place to Work for the fourth year in a row, and where the new, larger space will accommodate the addition of 20 new hires—bringing WP Engine’s team in Ireland to 150-strong.
WP Engine’s Limerick team is responsible for helping major brands and small businesses win on WordPress, and WP Engine Ireland has doubled its customers from over 3,000 three years ago to more than 8,000 today. As the team continues to grow, the new roles being added include Lead Software Engineers, Senior DevOps Engineer, and Product Designers.
Last Wednesday, WP Engine Chairwoman and CEO Heather Brunner was joined by Deputy Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Kieran O’Hanlon and IDA Ireland Executive Director Mary Buckley for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting and guest reception at the new office.
“As we’ve seen through the pandemic, nothing replaces the warmth and spontaneity of being together in person,” Brunner told local news outlet Limerick Live.
“We’ve leaned in as a virtual-first company and our employees have a lot of choice about where they work and what they do, but we also knew we needed a special workplace for people to come together, collaborate, ideate, and work on new projects and planning together. That’s what we’ve tried to create here on Henry Street.”
Noting a new buzz of activity and creativity in Limerick upon returning to the city, Brunner also highlighted the importance of WP Engine’s Core Value, Design Matters, and the intention and thoughtfulness that went into crafting the new Henry Street space.
“We’re just very proud of the space we’ve built, it has a great creative sensibility and I feel like all of the little details we put through in terms of the design and comfort and having a place where people could feel at home, allows them to do their best work.”
Acclaim for the new office and WP Engine’s growing presence in Ireland was widespread, with local and national media outlets highlighting the company’s momentum.
Numerous government leaders also shared messages of support and well-wishes for the new office opening and WP Engine’s continued growth in Ireland.
“Congratulations to WP Engine on this really welcome news, opening a new office in Limerick City,” said Tánaiste & Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar, who also spoke to local radio about WP Engine’s growing presence in Ireland within the context of the country’s booming technology sector.
“These new jobs are a fantastic addition to what is a vibrant and growing technology sector in the area,” Varadkar said. “WP Engine is on an impressive trajectory, with significant growth in both customers and staff since establishing in Ireland in 2016. I wish the team every continued success with this new chapter.”
IDA Ireland Executive Director Mary Buckley, who spoke at the event, also noted WP Engine’s continued growth in the region and the role it’s played in Ireland’s expanding tech landscape.
“Since WP Engine first landed in Limerick in 2016, it has grown from strength to strength and is a welcome addition to the region’s established Technology cluster. Winning jobs and investment for regional locations remains central to IDA Ireland’s mission. I wish all at WP Engine continued success.”
WP Engine Senior Director and Site Lead Paul Ryan, who oversees operations for WP Engine in Ireland, underscored the outpouring of support from customers, partners, government officials, and WP Engine employees.
“The growth trajectory of this team and the impact they have had over nearly six years is simply astounding,” Ryan said, “and that’s both a testament to their hard work, as well as the amazing partnership and support we receive from our local partners and government officials.”
“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far in Limerick, and the opening of our new office is a fitting start to the next chapter of growth and innovation we have in store.”
About WP Engine:
WP Engine, the WordPress technology company, provides the most relied upon and trusted brands and developer-centric WordPress products for companies and agencies of all sizes, including managed WordPress hosting, enterprise WordPress, headless WordPress, Flywheel, Local, and Genesis. WP Engine’s tech innovation and award-winning WordPress experts help to power more than 1.5 million sites across 150 countries.
Photos courtesy of The Pudding
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