Dave Heller is the president and CEO of Main Street Baseball and the majority owner and Managing Partner of three minor league baseball teams: the Quad Cities River Bandits (Advanced-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals), the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Advanced-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals), and the Billings Mustangs (Pioneer League, independent).

In 2016, Main Street Baseball earned Ballpark Digest’s coveted “Minor League Baseball Organization of the Year” award – one of the industry’s highest honors. His Quad Cities team, the River Bandits, was named Ballpark Digest’s 2021 “Team of the Year” and one of Baseball America’s “Most Accomplished Franchises of the 2010s.” In 2022, the Kansas City Royals presented Heller with their Matt Minker Award as the outstanding person in their minor league system. Quad Cities was the only non-MLB city to host the Baseball Hall of Fame traveling exhibit (2016) and the only minor league team to host a game at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville. Heller’s teams are known for fun, innovative promotions; making significant ballpark improvements; and giving back to their home communities. In 2021, Stadium Journey magazine named both Modern Woodmen Park (Quad Cities) and Frawley Stadium (Wilmington) to its Top-5 list of best game-day experiences in Advanced-A ballparks.

In the Quad Cities, Heller’s River Bandits have enjoyed a stunning resurgence, becoming the only team in Midwest League history to win four championships in ten seasons, setting per-game attendance records, and earning numerous awards. His team has set records for group and sponsorship sales, attendance, concessions, and merchandise sales. The team’s home, Modern Woodmen Park, has earned as many accolades as any ballpark in the country. It was twice named “best minor league ballpark” by USA Today and 10Best.com and chosen the Midwest League’s best ballpark by Baseball America. It earned a 5-star rating from Ballpark Digest, one of the top 10 by Parade Magazine and “the #2 Coolest Minor League Ballpark in America” by Complex Magazine. The team even won multiple awards for best TV commercial!

Under Heller’s leadership, the Bandits have added many fun new features to the ballpark, including two outfield bars, five concourse-level “loge boxes,” an 80-foot HD ribbon-board, a 36’ x 42’ HD videoboard, new sound system, playground, a renovated suite level, new playing field, and a large, multi-purpose banquet hall with glass garage doors that open/close based on the weather. The team also added a new Diamond Club, a triple suite, a Hall of Fame autographed jersey display, three new group areas, a special seating area for our nation’s veterans, a 58-panel solar farm, a permanent home for the Quad-Cities Sports Hall of Fame, and a (sponsored) corn field from where the players are introduced at the game’s outset. Last, the team added more than $4 million worth of new rides, including a 105-foot-tall Ferris wheel, a spinning kids’ coaster, two thrill rides, and a 30-foot-tall Drop-N-Twist to go with a myriad of bounce houses, a kiddie train, and Iowa’s only double-decker carousel.

The team has also seen improvements to the “back of the house”: the entire ballpark is now flood-protected, the batting cages enclosed, three large storage spaces have been added, the home and visitors’ clubhouses were renovated, new weight and workout rooms added along with a new players’ parking lot, the playing field and irrigation system was redone, new protective netting covering every seat in the park was added, the kitchen facilities expanded, the HVAC system replaced and updated, and the team added a video classroom, nutritionist’s office, and new trainer’s room. Modern Woodmen Park was even the first Single-A ballpark in the country to install new, energy-efficient LED lights.

Heller and the Bandits love giving back: the team has donated more than $5 million to area charities, helped raise $101,000 for flood relief, and won multiple U.S. Army Gold Awards for its community service. Its “Bandit Scholars” program, which pays an entire year’s college tuition to three area colleges. In addition, the team annually pays for free flu shots for every Quad Cities child, helps fund Camp Genesis (for kids dealing with cancer) and the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit, and supports the Genesis Family Connects program. In 2015, 2017 and again in 2019, Ballpark Digest honored the River Bandits with its “Commitment to Charity” award, the only minor league team to win that distinction three times (no other club has won twice).

Heller’s second club, the Wilmington Blue Rocks, has also garnered its share of accolades. The Blue Rocks earned league-wide awards for Marketing & Promotions, Community Service, Female Executive of the Year, and, five years in a row the club won the league’s award for its charitable work. Its mascot, Mr. Celery, was named one of the top 5 mascots in minor league baseball by USA Today. The team even won an ESPN award for best new food item! Its ballpark, Frawley Stadium, was voted Best Ballpark in Advanced-A baseball by Ballpark Digest. The team has also improved its venue: more than $8,000,000 worth of structural improvements to the park have been made since Heller and his friend Clark Minker took over, including new seats, new netting, a new concourse floor, an expanded Batter’s Eye, two new outfield bullpens, two new videoboards, new dugout flooring, new home and visitor’s clubhouses, two new trainers’ rooms, a new dressing area for female coaches, and new energy-efficient LED field lights.

Heller’s third club, the Billings Mustangs, have also been tremendously successful. Since Heller purchased the club, it has consistently ranked among the top three in Pioneer League attendance and has seen increases in every area – from corporate sponsorships to concessions and merchandise sales to in-game promotions. The team has also earned league-wide honors for its playing field and its charitable work. In 2019 and again in 2022, it was awarded the prestigious Jim McCurdy Award for Excellence – the only Pioneer League Club to win that coveted honor twice. Since taking over, Heller has added a new beer stand, a new dessert stand, and several new portable concessions carts. He also negotiated a 10-year lease extension with the City of Billings, securing the Mustangs’ future through 2026. The team’s home, Dehler Park, was voted by Ballpark Digest “the best minor league ballpark in Rookie Ball.”

Heller is also regarded as a top political media consultant and campaign strategist. As president of Main Street Communications, an award-winning political media firm, he compiled the best won-loss record among media consultants in the Democratic Party. His clients won 15 out of 19 general election open seat races for Congress, including many of the nation’s toughest races, such as Governor John Baldacci (D-Me.); U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.); U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), who in 2012 won in a redrawn R+13 district; U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas (D-Ky.), who in 1998 won a seat the Democrats had not won since 1964 (and have never won since); U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), who repeatedly won re-election in a district in which Hillary Clinton garnered just 30% of the vote – the nation’s “reddest” district to be won by a Democrat – and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who in 2022 earned the largest winning percentage of any Democrat running in a Trump district. Heller has helped elect more “Blue Dogs,” the party’s most conservative voices, than any other media consultant, as well as more members of the Congressional Black Caucus (10), including the late civil rights leader, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the late John Conyers (D-Mich.), Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), and his dear friend, the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who in 2003 performed Heller’s wedding.

Heller graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with honors from Brown University, then earned a Master's Degree in Politics from Oxford University (Nuffield College), where he was awarded an Overseas Research Scholarship. He went on to Yale University, where he completed his Masters thesis and designed and taught an undergraduate seminar on Political Protest Movements in 20^th Century America. Heller and his wife June live in Davenport, Iowa, with their two sons, Dylan and Cade.

Roby Smith is in his second year as minority owner of the Quad Cities River Bandits. Smith is in his second term as State Senator and resides in Davenport, Iowa with his wife, Kari, and their four children. With a business degree from Concordia University, Smith is also a small business owner in addition to his legislative commitments. He is chairman of the State Government committee in the senate and also serves on the Transportation and Ways and Means committees. The local leader joins the River Bandits on the heels of eight straight seasons averaging over 3,500 fans per game at Modern Woodmen Park.

Joe Kubly is the Chief Operating Officer of Main Street Baseball. As COO, Joe oversees the team operations for Main Street's three teams, the Quad Cities River Bandits, Wilmington Blue Rocks, and Billings Mustangs.

Before Joe became the COO of Main Street Baseball, he served as General Manager of the Quad Cities River Bandits, High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. As GM, Joe led the team to its most profitable year in history and helped set the team’s single season record for sponsorship sales. During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the club also set single-season team records for merchandise sales and amusement revenues as well as the single-season team record for overall game-day experience per caps. Joe has also helped grow the Bandits’ social media follower base by 55% and its social media reach/engagement by 750%.

Joe started his career in 2011 as a Ticket Sales Representative with the Atlanta Hawks. The following season, he began his career in baseball when he was named Group Sales Coordinator for the Oklahoma City RedHawks (now the Oklahoma City Dodgers). There, Joe helped attract 15 sellout crowds in 2013, an Oklahoma City record at the time. He was then promoted to Corporate Marketing Manager.

In 2014, Joe joined the River Bandits as Director of Group Sales. There, he developed new processes for the sales and ticketing department. In 2015, he was promoted to Director of Sales and Ticketing. In that position, Joe led the team to its highest per-game average attendance in history, drawing more than 250,000 fans into Modern Woodmen Park. Joe also started a charity golf outing to raise funds for the Bandit Scholars program, the largest college scholarship program in Minor League Baseball.

In 2016, Joe was named President and General Manager of the Grand Junction Rockies. In four years with the Rockies, Joe led the team to four straight years of attendance increases, set single-game attendance marks, single-season sponsorship marks, gave back more than $300,000 to the local community, increased season tickets to over 1,200 full season ticket holders, increased concession revenues, and was named 2018 Pioneer League Executive of the Year.

For the 2017 season, Joe partnered with the Junior College World Series to bring a state-of-the art video board to Suplizio Field. In 2018, the Rockies hosted the Pioneer League vs. Northwest League All-Star Game and Joe put a deal together to have it televised nationally on Altitude Sports. Joe also secured a partnership with Colorado Mesa University and KGJT-TV to televise all home games, making the team one of only two MiLB teams in the country to televise all of its home games. He returned to Quad Cities to be the River Bandits' General Manager following the 2019 season.

Joe graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Art and again in 2011 with a Master of Science in Sport Management.

Call Joe Directly: 563-333-2768

Paul Kleinhans-Schulz is the General Manager for the Midwest League Quad Cities River Bandits, High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

Paul began his career in baseball in 2011 and had his first position in affiliated baseball with the River Bandits on the promotional team, where Paul grew a passion for sales and creating one-of-a-kind memories for every fan who entered Modern Woodmen Park. He also worked for the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League and the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League before joining the River Bandits full-time in 2014.

After helping the team set multiple single game and full season attendance records during his first two seasons, Paul left the River Bandits in 2016 to become Director of Group Sales for the New Orleans Zephyrs/Baby Cakes of the Pacific Coast League, where he ultimately became Assistant General Manager of Sales. In New Orleans, he helped the team with its name change and rebrand, which garnered national attention for its Mardi Gras themes and community ties. The Baby Cakes went on to win Baseball America's "Logomania" contest and the golden bobblehead from Minor League Baseball for Best Community Promotion for their Baby Cakes Nation program giving free season tickets for life for every baby born in the state of Louisiana in 2017.

Paul left New Orleans to become Assistant General Manager for the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League, another Main Street Baseball team, then served as AGM for the Fort Myers Miracle of the Florida State League. There, Paul helped build the team's 2019 promotional schedule that earned the Florida State League's nomination for the Larry MacPhail Award, given to the club which demonstrates the most outstanding and creative marketing and promotional efforts.

Paul returned to the Quad Cities as Assistant General Manager of Baseball Operations for the River Bandits in 2020. Since coming back, the River Bandits have seen increases in group sales and corporate partnership revenue, including setting the River Bandits' single-season record for sponsorship sales in 2022. Paul has overseen the installation and operation of new marketing and sales platforms while coordinating the baseball operations needs for the ballpark and team personnel.

Paul is a native of Waverly, Iowa and a graduate of Augustana College in the Quad Cities with a degree in Business Administration with a Marketing concentration and a minor in Psychology.

Call Paul Directly: 563-333-2730

Brown joined the River Bandits front office in December of 2009. His responsibilities include an emphasis on corporate marketing and overseeing the team's ticket and group sales efforts.

Already well-established in the business community, Brown spent the previous eight years working for the Quad City Steamwheelers of the Arena Football League 2. After starting in 2002 as their Vice President of Sales and Marketing, he worked his way up to President and General Manager of the Steamwheelers before leaving following their 2009 season. Brown's experience in sports business also includes three years as the Director of Corporate Sales for the Fort Wayne Fury of the Continental Basketball Association.

A native of Burlington, Iowa, Brown graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Sports, Health and Leisure Studies. He currently resides in Bettendorf with his wife, Ashley, three sons, William, Justin and Drake.

Call Shawn Direct: 563-333-2770

Julia enters her second season as Assistant General Manager of Baseball Operations after serving as the Bandits' Senior Director of Ticketing and Fulfillment in 2022, Director of Ticketing and Sales from 2020 to 2021, and Box Office Manager in 2019. Prior to joining the River Bandits, she worked for the Lowell Spinners for three years, and during that time held multiple roles in the ticketing department. She began her career in baseball during the summer of 2014 as an intern for the Nashua Silver Knights.

Julia was a member of the inaugural MiLB LIFT (Leaders Inspiring Future Talent) program. This program matched women in the industry to build relationships and help further the careers of women in baseball. In 2019 Julia was the recipient of the MiLB Women in Baseball Leadership Scholarship which provided four women in the industry the opportunity to attend the Baseball Winter Meetings.

Away from the ballpark, Julia serves as President of the Jaycees of the Quad Cities, a young professional’s organization that works to enhance the local community through volunteer and networking opportunities. She previously sat on the Board of Directors as the Vice President of Individual Development after serving as the Vice President of Community Development in 2022.

A native of Massachusetts, Julia attended college at Northern Vermont University-Lyndon. In her free time, you can find Julia exploring the outdoors or cheering on her New England sports teams.

Call Julia Directly: 563-333-2737

Tyler joined the River Bandits front office in January 2022.

Tyler returns to the River Bandits as a full-time member of the front office after beginning his career with the team as a part-time box office employee in 2018.

A native of Davenport, Tyler graduated from St. Ambrose University in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in sports management.

In his free time, Tyler enjoys traveling the world and watching his favorite teams.

Call Tyler Directly: 563-333-2744

Dan joined the River Bandits front office in January 2022.

Call Dan Directly: 563-333-2741

Mikayla joined the River Bandits front office in January 2024.

Call Mikayla Directly: 563-324-3000

Leah joined the River Bandits front office in October 2023 and brings over five years of event experience to the Quad Cities.

Previously, Leah served as the Special Events Coordinator for the Tennessee Titans and gained her first experience in Minor League Baseball as a box office and events intern with the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League.

Leah graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in sales and service marketing with a specialization in events.

Away from the ballpark, Leah enjoys being outdoors and going on adventures with her Dalmatian, Georgie.

Call Leah Directly: 563-333-2739

Justin joined the River Bandits front office in January 2022.

After getting his first taste of working in sports helping run audio during a UCF basketball game, Justin began his career in Minor League Baseball as a member of the Tennessee Smokies' game day staff in 2019, before serving as a production intern in 2020 and 2021. During the 2021 season, Justin played a critical role in helping broadcast the Smokies' first ever appearance on Chicago's Marquee Network.

Justin graduated with bachelor's degrees in film and show production from Full Sail University in 2019.

In his free time, Justin enjoys watching baseball, hockey, and motor racing, while rooting for his St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Capitals. If it's a Formula 1 race weekend, you know what he'll be watching!

Call Justin Directly: 563-333-2748

Chris joined the River Bandits front office in January 2024.

Call Chris Directly: 563-333-2748

Samantha joined the River Bandits front office in March 2024.

Call Samantha Directly: 563-333-2723

Kyle joined the River Bandits front office in April 2021.

Kyle began his career in 2019 as the play-by-play voice of the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer Baseball League prior to joining the Rockies' front office full-time in 2020 as the Director of Broadcasting and Sales. In four years at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kyle covered Major League Spring Training, the Phoenix Suns, Sun Devil athletics, and spent two summers as a broadcaster for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Kyle is a native of Parker, Colorado and graduated from Arizona State University in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in sports journalism and a minor in business.

Away from the ballpark, Kyle enjoys calling local high school sports, listening to his favorite '80s bands, and is an avid bowler, proud to have formerly owned the top score in the front office (299).

Call Kyle Directly: 563-333-2732

Morgan joined the River Bandits front office in January 2023.

Before joining the River Bandits staff, Morgan completed internships with the Chicago Cubs, Billings Mustangs, and Indianapolis Indians. In 2022, she served as the Head Sports Turf Manager for the Columbia Fireflies.

Morgan is a native of Assumption, Illinois and attended Lake Land College before graduating from Ohio State University, where she received a bachelor's degree in Turfgrass Science.

When she isn't at the ballpark, Morgan enjoys spending time outdoors and hopes to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.

Call Morgan Directly: 563-333-2769

Jon joined the River Bandits front office in May 2023.

Call Jon Directly: 563-333-2721

Henry joined the River Bandits front office in June 2023.

Call Henry Directly: 563-333-2721

Charlie joined the River Bandits front office in January 2024.

Call Charlie Directly: 563-333-2754

Tenisha joined the River Bandits front office in March, 2023.

Call Tenisha Directly: 563-333-2747

Brian joined the River Bandits front office in July 2023.

A graduate of St. Ambrose University, Brian earned a batchelor's degree in Sports Management and pitched for the baseball team. Prior to his time with the River Bandits, beginning as an intern in the spring of 2023, Brain interned with the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League.

Brian is originally from the cheese state of Wisconsin and is a self-appointed cheese connoisseur.

In his free time, Brian enjoys golfing, listening to classic rock, weightlifting, and playing video games.

Call Brian Directly: 563-333-2717

Allen joined the River Bandits front office in January 2024.

Call Allen Directly: 563-333-2742