The engineer behind Peak Beak.
Peak Beak is not a reseller of someone else's platform. It is a small studio led by a computer scientist who builds the website, the software behind it, and the infrastructure it runs on.
Matthew Carnes, Computer Scientist · Founder of Peak Beak
I earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Kent State University with a concentration in Computer and Information Security and a minor in Mathematics. That background is the whole reason Peak Beak builds things the way it does.
I like the layer underneath the obvious answer. Writing the code matters — but so does understanding why it works, what the tradeoffs are, what happens when it fails, and whether the person using it is actually better off.
Building for small businesses keeps that grounded. A site has to look right, load quickly, be maintainable, and help someone understand what to do next. If it does not do the last one, the rest barely matters.
I don't just want code that works.
I want to understand why it works, how it fails, what it costs to maintain, and what will keep it working six months from now. The best solution is not always the cleverest one — it is the one that makes the whole system easier to live with.
Understand the problem
Before choosing a tool or writing a line of code, get clear on what is actually happening, who it affects, and where it breaks today.
Build the simplest useful version
The smallest thing that removes the real bottleneck beats an elaborate build that nobody can change later.
Design for failure
Anything that runs will eventually break. Plan for what happens when it does, not just for the happy path.
Count the maintenance
Software is a relationship, not a receipt. The ongoing cost of keeping something healthy is part of the decision, not an afterthought.
Built by someone who has to run a business, too.
Peak Beak came out of building for my own work first — the family agency, the tools that had to be understandable to people who did not ask for a new system. That experience shapes what Peak Beak ships: technology that sits inside a real workflow instead of on top of it.
Design that carries its weight
A site is judged in seconds. We build the look and the structure together, so the design communicates what the business does rather than just decorating it.
Operations, not just pages
Hosting, email, forms, backups, and the systems behind the site are handled too — because a website is a piece of infrastructure, not a one-time file.
Security by default
Information security was part of the degree, not a bolt-on. Encrypted connections, least-access data handling, and honest limits are baked into how we build.
The toolkit behind the work.
No five-star skill bars. If you want to know what I can do with something, the finished projects are a better answer.
Languages
C++ · C# · Python · JavaScript · TypeScript · Assembly
Web & backend
React · Next.js · APIs · backend systems · databases · responsive interfaces
Systems
Linux · self-hosting · servers · networking · browser automation
You'll work with the person who builds it.
No handoffs between a designer, a developer, and an account manager. Book a free call and talk directly with the engineer who will own the result.