Our Story
We started helping businesses grow in 2013. We became North Dakota's first Google Partner and in less than a year we were helping 25 businesses.
Today, we've helped grow 170+ businesses through performance-driven digital marketing and even made it onto the Inc. 5000 list in 2020.
Our Team
We are a talented group of shark-loving marketers that love what we do.
Rick Berg
CEO | Co-Founder
Rick Berg
CEO | Co-Founder
Fun Facts About Rick:
- He once lost a game of poker while playing by himself.
- Legend says that Rick never sleeps or eats.
- His favorite craft beer is Bud Light.
Sean Maki
President | Co-Founder
Sean Maki
President | Co-Founder
Sean was born in Singapore but considers Hopkins, MN his hometown. He studied Industrial Engineering & Management at NDSU and helped start AdShark back in 2013.
Fun Facts About Sean:
- He casually tests gravity on the weekend by jumping out of planes.
- He exclusively wears flannels from backcountry.com.
- He flunked out of joke school.
Whitney Jensen
Digital Marketing Manager
Whitney Jensen
Digital Marketing Manager
Whitney is from Cleveland, ND and has a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. She graduated from Minnesota State University of Moorhead. Whitney has been part of the AdShark team since 2018.
Fun Facts About Whitney:
- She's easily the hardest working person in the office.
- Her first desk "wasn't good enough".
- Not the biggest fan of Applebee's.
Jack Yakowicz
Business Development Manager
Jack Yakowicz
Business Development Manager
Jack grew up in the Twin Cities and moved to the Fargo-Moorhead area for college in 2011. He's now a proud Concordia College alum with years of marketing and business development experience. Jack joined the AdShark team in 2020.
Fun Facts About Jack:
- Jack records music in his free time under the name Jacksun.
- Jack claims a banana is a better start to his morning than coffee.
- Jack is great at holding conversations because he's legitimately interested in everything.
Nick Due
Creative Manager
Nick Due
Creative Manager
Raised in the small town of Washburn in central North Dakota, Nick graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. He has been with AdShark Marketing since 2016.
Fun Facts About Nick:
- He pretends to be fluent in German.
- He has a special savings account just for buying board games.
- Still waits outside Best Buy certain mornings to get his hands on new release CDs.
Aubrey Hovland
Digital Marketing Strategist
Aubrey Hovland
Digital Marketing Strategist
Aubrey is originally from Rugby, ND, famously known for being the geographical center of North America. She is a recent grad from the University of North Dakota with degrees in marketing and management and a minor in international business. She started with AdShark Marketing in 2018.
Fun Facts About Aubrey:
- She auditioned to be one of the voice actors for Memberberries on South Park (Member!?).
- She was hired strictly on her ability to roast the PPC team.
- She's not very talented when it comes to eating turkey legs.
Christina Knutson
Digital Creative Designer
Christina Knutson
Digital Creative Designer
Christina is from Karlstad, Minnesota and moved to Fargo in 2015. She graduated from Concordia College with a degree in Graphic Design. She started with AdShark in September of 2019.
Fun Facts About Christina:
- She claims she was born with two different colored eyes but we're convinced a colored contact is stuck in her eye.
- Her grandma is her best friend, which for most people would be kinda lame, but she makes it super cool.
- She proudly displays her rabbits, Moose & Peaches, as her computer backgrounds.
Mike Mulvaney
Manager of Web Services
Mike Mulvaney
Manager of Web Services
Raised in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Mike graduated from MState with a degree in Computer Programming. He has been part of the AdShark team since 2016.
Fun Facts About Mike:
- Leaves the country so often the TSA knows him by name.
- Supports the AdShark team all the way from sunny Florida.
- Sole supporter of the sugar-free drink industry.
Azam Muhammad
Digital Marketing Strategist
Azam Muhammad
Digital Marketing Strategist
Azam joined our team in January of 2020 to help our PPC team manage client Facebook and Google Ads accounts. He is currently attending MSUM and studying Business Administration and Marketing.
Fun Facts About Azam:
- Easily the most famous person on YouTube in our office.
- Sits closest to the front door so involuntarily serves as our guest greeter.
- Has gotten suspiciously good at drafting storyboards in Google Docs.
Samantha Carver
Digital Creative Designer
Samantha Carver
Digital Creative Designer
Sam is from the small town of Carlos, MN. She received her Associate's degree in Digital Media Design from Southeast Tech in Sioux Falls, SD. Sam joined the AdShark team in 2020.
Fun Facts About Sam:
- She's the office TikTok expert.
- Tea doesn't have enough zing for her, so she orders special stuff with TRIPLE caffeine.
- She comes off as timid and quiet - but we expect she's filled with rage like most designers.
Tim Gullekson
Digital Marketing Strategist
Tim Gullekson
Digital Marketing Strategist
Tim is from the small town of Fertile, MN. He received his degree in Business Management from the University of Minnesota. Tim joined the AdShark team in 2015.
Fun Facts About Tim:
- He is easily the most photogenic person in the office.
- He has yet to admit he has a black belt in foosball.
- He is responsible for starting the standing desk trend in the office.
Justin Monroe
Digital Marketing Strategist
Justin Monroe
Digital Marketing Strategist
Justin is from Moorhead, MN and has stayed in the area to this day. He graduated from Concordia College where he majored in marketing and minored in english writing. He joined our team in April of 2021.
Fun Facts About Justin:
- Has only been on one rollercoaster and it remains the most terrifying experience in his life.
- Once convinced a group of college students on a bus to spontaneously drive to Nevada from Salt Lake City just so they could say they've been there.
- Originally wanted to be a music teacher but changed his mind on the day he was signing up for classes. Regrets nothing.
Hanna Melting
Digital Marketing Intern
Hanna Melting
Digital Marketing Intern
Hanna is from Fargo, ND but moved around the midwest and south while growing up. She returned to Fargo for college to pursue digital marketing and joined our team in April of 2021.
Fun Facts About Hanna:
- Says she moved back to Fargo because she missed the snow.
- Most people are 60% water. Hanna says she's 60% sweet tea.
- She's prone to accidents and is called the "Hannanator" (like Terminator) by her family.
Chris Jensen
Digital Marketing Strategist
Chris Jensen
Digital Marketing Strategist
Chris proudly calls Moorhead, MN his hometown. He graduated from Concordia College with a degree in Hospital Administration & Business. He has spent over a decade working in the marketing industry. Chris joined the AdShark team in 2018.
Fun Facts About Chris:
- He starts each morning in the bakery section at the grocery store.
- Chrissypoo claims he has never had a nickname in his life.
- He consistently beats the sun to work.
Eric Anderson
Creative Content Strategist
Eric Anderson
Creative Content Strategist
Eric is from Fargo, ND and is proud to call it his home. He graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a BS in Advertising and a Minor in Mass Communications. He has been with AdShark Marketing since 2018.
Fun Facts About Eric:
- He forgets his lunch every day.
- Naturally one of the funniest humans to walk the planet.
- He likes to answer telemarketer phone calls as a telemarketer himself.
What Is An AdShark?
Great question, we'll spell it out for you Webster style.
Ad•Shark
[ad-shark]
noun, plural Ad•Sharks. (capital "A" and "S")
1. A person highly skilled at internet marketing or online advertising.
2. A highly effective digital marketing agency
Join Our Team
Our relaxed office atmosphere, outgoing culture, and variety of employee perks make AdShark a great place to work. Interested in joining the fiercest sharks in the game? Check out our openings and apply today!
