About Valyr

Gabriel Albanes, our CEO/project manager/engineer (we’re small– we wear a few hats), served in the United States Marine Corps and later spent time doing contract work for the U.S. Department of State. Mission support. Security. The kind of work where the details matter and failure isn't an option. In the downtime between, he taught himself to code. Not because it was a career plan. Because he was curious and loved it.

When he got back to the states, he started making some freelance handshake deals. Mostly with small projects working directly with business owners. His portfolio grew because word got around (both Pittsburgh and St. Augustine are “big small towns,” so when everyone knows each other’s moms– word travels fast). He did good work, didn’t overcharge or fuss about the little stuff, and treated people well.

Melissa Albanes, our COO/business development/sometimes-accountant is a third generation entrepreneur. She grew up watching her family build things from scratch and take care of people right. She brought that into a product marketing and solutions architect career and became a consultant for some of the best tech companies in the world, including Google, Docusign, Databricks, and others.

They saw the same thing from different angles. Bloated processes. Firms that cared more about their own methodology than their client's outcome. Extra layers that existed to justify extra headcount. The self-importance of “partners” who seemed to forget who they were there to serve.

It was dumb. There's a better way.

In April 2019, we launched American Web Devs. The name was straightforward and the intention was simple.

“Goodness begets goodness” is our ethos and our growth strategy. Do right by the client. The next one follows.

In 2023 we started working more and more from St. Augustine, FL, because business meetings just hit differently in the sand!

In 2024, American Web Devs became Valyr. The company had grown into something more than its original name suggested. The programs were structured. The model was defined. The clients were the right ones.

Gabriel Albanes, CEO

"I didn't come from software. I came from infantry… a background where you do the job or you don't. There's no in-between. No blaming the brief. No hiding behind process. You said you'd do something, so you do it.

That's what I brought into this company and it's what I look for in everyone who works here. Not titles. Accountability. The willingness to own the outcome all the way to the end.

We built Valyr for clients who are tired of being managed instead of served. Who've been handed a project plan when they needed a solution. Who's paid for a team and gotten a stranger on the other end of a ticket system on the other side of the world.

We're not that. We never will be."

Melissa Albanes, COO

"Over the years, I've seen firsthand how much trust goes into a software project. Clients aren't just hiring a development team. They're inviting people into their operations, their challenges, and often some of their biggest opportunities.

That's why we've built Valyr around relationships first. We intentionally keep our client roster manageable so we can stay engaged, responsive, and connected to the people we serve.

When questions come up or priorities shift, we aren't starting from scratch. We already know the business, the goals, and the context. That familiarity allows us to be a better partner, and it's one of the things I'm most proud of about our team."

We're a small team by design. Everyone who works at Valyr was brought in because someone we trust vouched for them or because their work spoke loudly enough that we couldn't ignore it. We work with veterans when we can. We hire only in the US because that's the promise we make to our clients. Offshore models work for some companies, but ours isn't built that way. Every person on your engagement lives and works in the United States. Because when something needs attention, we want no barriers between you and the person who already knows your system.

Nobody here coasts. The work is too visible and the client roster is too small for anything to get lost. When you're working with a limited number of clients at a time, every engagement is the engagement. That's how we think about it.

We only take on work when we know we can do it exceptionally well.

We won't ask you to commit to a full engagement before you know exactly what you're getting into. Every program starts with a fixed-price discovery phase. No surprises. No exceptions. That protects both sides of the relationship. You shouldn't have to trust us blindly. You shouldn't have to sign a large contract before we've proven anything. The Audit and the Blueprint exist because we believe the right work depends entirely on knowing what you're actually fixing or building.

If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you. We'd rather walk away from a project than make a promise we can't keep.