David Hardt, a servant leader at heart, believes a successful business comes from the health and wellbeing of his employees. He is extremely passionate about Front Row Sales and Marketing and the impact that his business has in the marketplace and the communities that we live in. David is a graduate from Colorado State with a BA in Marketing- Public Relations and a minor in Sociology. And with over 23 years of experience in the Hardware business, it is no surprise that David’s business philosophy has sustained continued growth, on-going community impact, and a team of employees that share his same passion for creating and executing solutions that fuel growth. 

David’s passion for people is a lifestyle. In his spare time, David coaches Edina Girls Softball and Edina Boys Baseball, and serves as a mentor for the teams that he coaches on and off the field. David is a steward in our community that encourages and allows his employees time to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, a foundation that builds houses for those in need and additionally allows each employee in the organization a give back day to volunteer at a place of their choice each year. David is a family man that enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 kids, whether they are attending a sporting event, outdoor activities, or watching the greatest sports team on earth (the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers), he is always up for an adventure! 

James Ross, Vice President of Digital Marketing began his career in 2004, with an emphasis on dev operations and SEO. In 2006, James owned Minneapolis Gaming LLC. In 2010, James founded MNI, a digital marketing company and later sold it to Front Row Sales and Marketing in 2021. James has over 22 years of experience solving tough technology problems. He applies a unique and inquisitive approach to his solutions.

As a leader of the people, James is supportive of his team and is laid back. He encourages his team to problem solve and create solutions. James leads the growth and operations for the Digital Marketing Department at Front Row Sales and Marketing.

In his spare time, James enjoys creating small electronics from scratch, modifying, and enhancing cars, photography, traveling and building drones.

Shawn Plep, Lead Developer, at Front Row Sales and Marketing leads the development team with over 20 years of experience as a developer. Shawn comes to us with a B.S. in Cybersecurity, from Ft. Hays State University and has certifications in CCNA, CompTia A+, and CompTia Network +. In Shawn’s words, “We help companies present their products in the best possible light – in the ways that customers can most easily see the products. Whether that is through an endcap display or on a website landing page, the medium is secondary to the mission of “what” we do. Our service can be summed up as: “providing engaging presentation of our clients and their products”. 

Shawn and his team also stay on the cutting edge of technology by implementing the latest advancements in AI-assisted programming into our development process. As a leader, Shawn believes he is only part of a team of very talent people and in that light, he sees himself as the organizer, facilitator, and the supporter of his employees and department. In Shawn’s spare time, he enjoys playing guitar, volunteering at his church, and learning Spanish.