It’s no secret that we’re building Flywheel smack dab in the middle of the country – on the Silicon Prairie. Where’s that you say? Silicon Prairie News defines the “Silicon Prairie” as the areas surrounding Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City, and Flywheel’s located right in the heart of it all in lovely Omaha, Nebraska.

The Silicon Prairie is more than just a physical location in the country though. It means being part of a growing and vibrant community of people that believe in the idea that you can truly build great companies anywhere. I’ve long held the belief that a strong and connected community of people is what makes any so-called “startup hub” great. Access to resources when you need them, access to capital, access to talent. These are all things that are critical for a young company (like Flywheel) to succeed, and contrary to popular belief, the coasts do not hold a monopoly on these.

Building in the Silicon Prairie also means that we’re placing ourselves in the company of many who have gone before us, and many who are building and growing amazing startups at this very moment. We look at groups like Hudl, MindMixer and Dwolla (and countless others) as shining examples of the types of companies that can thrive in the middle of the country. We hope to be that example for the next generation of young (and not young) entrepreneurs.

Lastly I’m proud to say that the Silicon Prairie community is a melting pot of people from all walks of life – techies, designers, investors, marketers, founders, non-founders and just plain regular guys and gals. With Flywheel we’re aiming to serve a portion of this community – the web designers and developers – and I’m excited to call many of these people our friends. This support network is critical in the early stages of any company, and to be able to work closely with friends and fellow members of the Silicon Prairie community is truly amazing.

I’ve watched the community grow over the past 5 years, and it’s hard to believe just how far we’ve come. We’re excited to be a part of the its growth and maturation for the next 5+ years, and can only imagine how much further we can take it.

We’re based in the Silicon Prairie, and we’re damn proud of it!