And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.” — Pink Floyd, “Time”
Those lyrics. They haunt me.
I know it isn’t “professional” to post a YouTube music video on a professional business website. I hear you. It isn’t what professional web developers do, right? This had to happen, though. For you to understand, I need to tell the story of Buckeye Web Development and what I’m doing with it now.
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day.
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.”
It has been 13 years since I shifted my focus away from Buckeye Web Development. Five of those years were spent dedicated to a former client, while the last eight were spent in a full-time manufacturing job, mainly as a forklift operator.
Spending 13 years away from the helm might look like lost time to some. But the foundation I laid is still there. In this game, the starting gun is important, but how you finish the race is what actually matters. I’m back on the track.
Run and you run to catch up with the sun
“And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking.
Racing around to come up behind you again.”
You see, I started building websites about 23 years ago. It started as a hobby. It was just cool to have a website that you built back then while everyone else was using Angelfire and GeoCities. I actually began learning HTML and CSS on a WebTV. I didn’t even have a computer.
Later, when I did get a computer, I learned to use an FTP program to write code and upload it to a web server. I learned SEO by visiting forums and message boards and reading articles online.
By 2007, I made the transition from hobbyist to professional almost by accident. I had my first exit worth $150,000. A year or so later, my second exit was worth over $230,000. By age 33, I had over $380,000 in exits under my belt. I felt unstoppable. Everything I touched turned to gold. I owned the internet.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
“Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town,
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.“
Then Panda happened.
In February 2011, Google released an update that wasn’t just a change—it was a bloodbath. Google didn’t care about the small guys like us who had spent years laying the foundation. They ripped through the independent web like the Angel of Death in Egypt, passing over the corporate giants and leveling everyone else.
Buckeye Web Development actually came after the upheaval as a way to pivot into the local market. I tried to use my knowledge to build a stable base for businesses in my community. But being in a small town of about 8,000 people made that approach unsustainable. There are only so many businesses to serve, and the national competition for everything else was steep.
The reality was that Panda had ruined me. I was unable to defeat the giant, so I walked away.
Thirteen years in exile.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you’re older
“The sun is the same in a relative way but you’re older.
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.”
During my hiatus, a Chinese domain squatter snatched up my domain after I walked away and let it expire. They held it for years, thinking they could get me to buy it back for some ridiculous amount.
In the summer of 2025, out of curiosity, I did a domain search for it again. It was available! I wasted no time in snatching it back up, and the fire was rekindled.
But I had a problem on my hands. Buckeye Web Development was as dead a brand as they come.
You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just start a new brand, and the answer is simple. I own the LLC that matches the domain, and that domain and company are my legacy. I also saw an opportunity.
If I could bring that brand back from the dead in the public eye, people would know exactly why I’m their guy. I’m the man who can build their website for long-term longevity and resilience. Not just because I said so, or the website said so, but because it is documented online for all to see.
Thought I’d something more to say
“The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I’d something more to say.”
I’ve recently updated my social profiles to reflect this, going by the handle The Necro Dev.
This isn’t just a clever name. It’s the mission. I am documenting the resurrection of this brand in real-time. I’m trading the forklift for the keyboard, and I’m relearning the modern web—moving from the old ways of the past to modern architectures like Node.js.
It’s also about the vision. You’re going to see a distinct style in my work—dark, gritty, and unapologetic. I’m not just rebuilding the code; I’m crafting a visual identity that matches the story. A brand needs a soul, and I intend to design one that stands out in a sea of corporate sameness.
I am going to show you the rust. I am going to show you the art. I am going to show you the work.
For 13 years, I thought the song was over. I thought the time was gone. But looking at that domain again, I realized I wasn’t done.
I still have something more to say.
