Atlantic BT was founded on September 14th in 1998, just 10 days shy of the almighty Google. While we may not have grown to Google’s size (yet!), we take great pride in the fact that we have been in the game for as long as the most popular search engine in the world. Our founding belief was in the power of technology to shape the future, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing for the last 25 years – delivering innovative technologies.
What better way to commemorate our journey than by raising 25 cheers for all 25 years that we’ve spent transforming technology? Let us take you on a journey through the remarkable milestones that shaped Atlantic BT into the powerhouse it is today.
1. Cheers to the beginning.
One of our very first projects was building software to help medical offices process prescriptions faster. An innovative idea for new technology 25 years ago, that’s become a real game-changer today for doctor’s offices and patients alike.
2. Cheers to surviving Y2K.
As the new millennium approached, there was widespread fear among computer experts and financial analysts about the potential chaos that could ensue from transitioning from a two-digit year ’99 to ’00. The worry extended to various computer systems, including those used for airline reservations, financial databases, and government operations. Spoiler alert, nothing happened!
3. Cheers to free resources like The Wayback Machine.
Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, launched the Wayback Machine in 2001. It allows users to view previous versions of websites and observe their appearance at different points in time. Here is a link to their search engine. Type your website into the search bar to check out what your own site looked like “way back in time”.
4. Cheers to making everyday business better.
It’s clear we’ve been laser focused on our mission from the very beginning. In 2002 our website read:
Now that the dust is beginning to settle, it is more obvious that the real future of the Internet is not replacing regular business but making regular business better. That’s what Atlantic BT does. We make everyday business better.
5. Cheers to Tom, everyone’s first social media friend.
Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe first introduced the world to social media with MySpace. The platform launched on August 1, 2023 and was the first social networking service to reach a global audience. “Tom” was everyone’s first friend on the platform.
6. Cheers to building trust with reputable brands, like NC State University.
In 2004 Atlantic BT launched a new version of our website, where we highlighted the work we were doing with NC State University – the largest four-year university in the state of North Carolina.
7. Cheers to being the hostess with the mostest.
Atlantic BT has been and remains a leader in providing secure, reliable web hosting services.
“I started with ABT in 2005 and have been consistently happy with the service. It’s been fun to watch ABT grow alongside my company.” – Andy Jones, Founder & Managing Director of Private Equity Info.
8. Cheers to innovating technology with the cloud.
In 2006, Amazon launched Amazon Web Services, which is now the world’s most broadly adopted cloud. Cloud computing provides a huge cost savings to businesses and Atlantic BT is proud to help our clients with the shift to the cloud as a Select Tier AWS Partner.
9. Cheers to blogging.
There are currently 500+ articles on our blog where we share our knowledge and learned experiences with our users. Our very first article was published on August 15, 2007 and featured advice from our CEO and Founder, Jon Jordan.
10. Cheers to forging long-time client relationships.
In 2008 we launched a newly revamped website for Training Industry, a leading source of information on the business of learning. They needed a more robust CMS to allow them to add additional functionality to their website. Atlantic BT delivered that and more, as Training Industry remains one of our most loyal clients to date. Our gratitude is immeasurable. Thanks Training Industry!
11. Cheers to interactive website design.
In 2009 we created a fun way to display our newest work on our website. Users could click to “open” a folder and see what we were up to.
12. Cheers to tablet computing.
On April 3, 2010 Apple released its newest invention, the iPad, pushing tablet computing into the mainstream.
13. Cheers to The Drupal Association.
Drupal is an open-source CMS supported by The Drupal Association, a non-profit organization. Drupal 7 is one of the longest-running versions of Drupal to date. It was released on January 5, 2011 and nearly half of all Drupal websites are still running on Drupal 7. As the saying goes though, all good things must come to an end as Drupal 7’s EOL date has been set for early 2025.
14. Cheers to leveling the funding playing field.
Passed in 2012, the JOBS Act loosened some of the regulations around investing, making it easier for companies to raise money through equity crowdfunding. Plus, it gave innovators of all types and sizes an opportunity to make their ideas a reality. Kickstarter became a household name by the end of 2012 when a smartwatch company crowdsourced over $10M in funding.
15. Cheers to building great website + long-term partnerships.
Since its inception in 1932, the American Board of Dermatology has certified over 15,000 physicians in dermatology and dermatopathology. In 2013 they partnered with Atlantic BT to overhaul their website with a fresh, updated look. They also tasked us with building a membership portal, which we continue to support today.
16. Cheers to building a “work hard and play hard” culture.
Building a company that people love to show up to everyday has always been important to Atlantic BT. In 2014, our website read “our guys and girls work hard to deliver amazing results but we are careful to create a balance of work, fun, and professional development”. And we were clearly diggin’ that new scooter trend in 2014…
17. And cheers to receiving awards for that culture.
The Triangle Business Journal awarded Atlantic BT with the 2015 Best Places to Work award. It was our third time winning it in four years. Click here to read how our CEO, Jon Jordan, worked to build an award winning culture.
An amazing culture is more important to me than any other measure of business success, including how much revenue we generate.” – Jon Jordan, Atlantic BT Founder & CEO
18. Cheers to the release of Figma.
When building websites for our clients, we need to be able to share our early ideas with them before we get too far into the development process. Released in 2016 as a web application, Figma allows designers and developers to work together to build and fine-tune user interface designs in real-time. And to easily share these early ideas with our clients via a web browser, unlike prior UI design programs that came before it.
19. Cheers to solving tough challenges.
“Your Toughest Challenges Are Where We Begin”. This was the welcome message on our homepage in 2017. It was a time where many organizations were making the shift from manual business processes to automated ones. Businesses were struggling to adapt to new technology and integrate all of their systems to work together. We enjoy a good challenge and learned this is where we shine. We’ve been very fortunate that so many companies have trusted with their biggest tech challenges.
20. Cheers to our fearless leader, Matt Lemke.
In late 2018 Atlantic BT’s CEO & Founder, Jon Jordan, approached our Chief Operating Officer, Matt Lemke, about assuming leadership of the company. Matt began working as a web developer with Atlantic BT in 2005 and then went on to serve as IT Director and VP of Technology. Today, he still serves as President while Jon Jordan remains Atlantic BT’s CEO and is still very active in the company.
21. Cheers to one of the largest software acquisitions in history.
Atlantic BT has been very fortunate to work as a trusted partner of Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of enterprise open source solutions. In 2019, Red Hat joined forces with IBM in one of the largest software acquisitions in history.
22. Cheers to redesigning websites.
In 2020 we launched the current version of our website, making it the 16th design in our website’s history. Redoing our own website so many times, we know this is where we thrive- building complex websites. Websites that handle large amounts of traffic and content. Our clients aren’t building their websites for the first time, but rather require improvements / redesigns for the 3rd, 4th, 5th generation of their original site.
23. Cheers to creating progress people love.
Creating progress people love has been our mantra for a few years now. It means putting our customers, and our customers’ customers, as the center of our efforts. Understanding their needs, desires, and pain points, and designing innovative technology that solve their problems and improve their lives. It means creating progress that resonates with them on an emotional level, and engaging with them in a way that builds trust and loyalty. This type of customer-centric thinking has been what’s kept our business thriving with such a loyal client base. We cannot express in words how grateful we are, but that’s not going to stop us from trying. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
24. Cheers to setting milestones for general aviation.
In September of 2022, General Aviation Modifications Inc. (GAMI), received approval from the FAA on an expansion of a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that would allow their unleaded fuel to be used by the entire general aviation fleet. The approval came after more than 12 years of testing by the FAA to ensure the fuel was safe for general aviation. We worked with GAMI to digitize the STC generation process. We are so honored to have been a part of this momentous milestone.
25. Cheers to ChatGPT and the mainstreaming of artificial intelligence.
While 2023 marks a huge milestone for Atlantic BT, it will also go down in history as a monumental year for innovative technology with the launch of ChatGPT. Artificial intelligence is going to completely change the way we live and work. It’s the beginning of a new era in technology and as an organization that’s helping other businesses build and adapt to AI, we’re so excited to have a front row seat to history in the making.
The journey to 25 years has been exhilarating. And it’s only the beginning. We plan to keep pushing boundaries and breaking barriers to develop innovative technologies that simplifies the lives of every client we touch.
If you want to get in touch, click here to start the conversation.
Cheers!
