The engineers on this page write the code.
We build custom software for companies that have outgrown their spreadsheets and old systems. Every engineer is a full-time employee in the US. No contractors. No offshore.
Each stage of the build has a fixed price, set before the work starts. Anything over it is on us. If the software does not work the way we agreed, we fix it. Bugs are fixed free for twelve months.
If your own team has the people and a clear plan, you do not need us.
Engineers
There are about 25 of us. Here are some of the engineers who write the code. Who works on your project depends on what it needs.
Ethan Fertsch
Software Engineer & Product Manager
Plans the work and writes the code.
Steve Zelaznik
Senior Software Engineer
Helped build AARP tools behind $10M+ in property tax relief.
Dane Wilson
Senior Software Engineer
Built the returns side of Onepak’s e-waste recycling.
Ethan Fertsch Software Engineer & Product Manager
Ethan has nearly ten years of experience building software. He works as both an engineer and a product manager, so he plans the work and writes the code. He is a certified Scrum Master, so he is trained to run how a team plans its work.
Steve Zelaznik Senior Software Engineer
Steve is a senior software engineer at Gnar. He leads complex projects for government agencies and big companies. He built systems the Massachusetts Department of Transportation relies on. He also built tools for the AARP Foundation’s Property Tax-Aide program. People with disabilities can use them. Those tools have helped older adults get more than $10 million in property tax relief. He is good at turning government rules into software people find easy to use.
Dane Wilson Senior Software Engineer
Dane is a senior software engineer at Gnar. At Gnar he built software to track defibrillators. It was for a large emergency response company. He also built the returns side of Onepak’s e-waste recycling platform. He has more than ten years of experience. Before Gnar, he updated old code and set engineering standards at Teladoc, Primary.Health and Kinship. He cares about clear code and about mentoring newer developers. Away from work he follows Manchester United and is a proud girl dad.
Some of what this team has built
- Tools for the AARP Foundation that helped low-income older adults get more than $10M in property tax relief. Read the case study
- The background check systems Massachusetts uses today for Uber and Lyft drivers and for daycare workers.
- Onepak recycles old electronics. We built the part of its platform that handles returns.
- Gridly, an app for home electric upgrades. It launched in 2023 and Elephant Energy bought it in 2024. Read the case study
Leadership
Nicholas Maloney and Mike Stone founded Gnar in 2015 and still lead it.
Nicholas Maloney
Co-Founder
Leads Gnar’s technical work. 20+ years in software.
Mike Stone
Co-Founder
Runs operations and project delivery.
Pete Whiting
Head of Sales
Leads sales and client service.
Nicholas Maloney Co-Founder
Nick has more than 20 years of experience building software and leading engineers. He leads Gnar’s technical work. He has worked at large companies with strict legal and compliance rules. He has also worked at small startups launching their first product. Wherever he works, he aims for simple software that does the job, keeps working and can grow.
Mike Stone Co-Founder
Mike runs operations and project delivery at Gnar. He has more than ten years in software engineering and has co-founded several startups. He was a professional athlete. He runs teams so everyone knows what comes first and they avoid wasted effort.
Pete Whiting Head of Sales
Pete has been with Gnar from the start. He leads sales and client service. Before Gnar he was a management consultant and a tech executive. He has a BS and an MS in Materials Science and Engineering from Brown University. He also has an MBA from UCLA Anderson.
Based outside Boston, working across the US.
Based outside Boston, working across the US.
Our home office is in Needham, Massachusetts. Our engineers, designers and product managers work remotely across the US.
What the team does
- Web apps: the screens your staff and customers use, and the systems behind them
- Mobile apps
- Design: how the software looks and how it works
- Testing (QA): checking the software works before your team gets it
- Data: moving data out of old systems and making it usable
- Requirements: writing down exactly what to build, before we build it
- Accessibility: software that works for people with disabilities
- Product management: deciding what to build first
The tools, for your technical people
Web: React, Next.js and Hotwire. Mobile: React Native. Back end: Ruby on Rails, Node.js, Go and Python. See all technologies
Why Trust The Gnar?
What clients say,
and what we promise
Their team was highly organized and proactive, ensuring that all objectives were met on time and with excellence.Krystal Downie, Business Operations Manager, AARP Foundation Property Tax‑Aide
Common Questions
What buyers ask about our team
Still have questions? Talk to us.
No. The Gnar Company’s team is 100% US-based. The reason to go offshore was cheap code production. Code production is nearly free now. What you are paying the premium for is the communication. That is the part that decides whether the thing you get is the thing you asked for.
Nicholas Maloney and Mike Stone founded The Gnar Company in 2015, and they still run it together: Nick leads the technical work, while Mike runs operations and project delivery. Pete Whiting, Head of Sales, has been with Gnar from the start. He leads sales and client service.
The Gnar Company is based in Needham, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. Our engineers work remotely across the US. Every person on the team is a full-time W-2 employee, not a contractor. We build for startups, large companies and government agencies. Call (617) 202-2222 or email hi@thegnar.co, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern.
Ask for names. The Gnar Company names the engineers who work on its client projects. Dane Wilson has more than ten years of experience building software. Ethan Fertsch has nearly ten. Co-founder Nicholas Maloney has more than 20. Ask any agency you talk to for the same list.
The Gnar Company’s guarantee has three parts on every build. Each stage of the work has a fixed price, and anything over that price is on us. The software works the way we agreed, or we fix it. Bugs are fixed free for twelve months. It covers four of our services: Discovery, Build, Forge and Maintain. Together they are the planning, the building and the support after launch. It does not cover Embed, where we add engineers to your team. For Compass, Immerse and Integrate, ask us.
Yes. The Gnar Company can add senior engineers to your own software team. They join your daily meetings and work in your tools and your code. We call this service Embed. Some people call it staff augmentation. The guarantee does not cover Embed, because there we strengthen your team rather than run the project. If your own team has the people and a clear plan, do it yourselves. We will tell you that on the call.
Next Steps
Talk to our team
Tell us where you are and what you’re trying to do. We’ll point you to the right starting line, even if it isn’t us.
Contact us
Let’s Talk About Your Big Idea
Bring us your gnarliest software conundrum. Our team will find the solution that fits.
- 4.8/5 on Clutch
- 100% US-based engineers
- Claude Select Services Partner
