The Origin of Front Row Ag: Matt and Egan Explain

Matt Curran (Founder & CEO) and Egan O’Keefe (Co-Founder) share how a passion for plants turned into building one of the most trusted fertilizer brands in commercial cultivation. From the early Colorado caregiver days to catastrophic salt-blending mistakes, they explain how those lessons shaped the Front Row Ag system—and why simplicity, precision, and real grower support matter now more than ever.

As they tell it, Front Row Ag was born from frustration: bottled nutrients were too expensive, early salt mixes went wrong, and growers needed a better option. The solution was a precise three-part formula paired with a support team that treats cultivation problems as their own. 

Transcript:

I’ve wanted to grow since I was a kid. At CSU I walked into the greenhouses while studying chemical engineering and realized I wanted to spend my life growing plants. Around 2009 in Colorado, the medical retail framework was emerging—people could get a card, buy flower, and see professional cultivation up close. In class I learned the basics of fertilizer making—calcium nitrate, cheap lights, feeding petunias, daisies, Easter lilies—while I begged for any job across the street: budtending, sweeping floors, cleaning bathrooms, anything to get inside a grow and learn. That’s where fertilizer “clicked,” and it’s also where I met the people who would shape my path.

The early days were rough and raw—OSB plywood, exposed drywall, water on the floor—before the industry professionalized into clean, commercial environments. We started as caregivers with limited plant counts, then counts expanded and gardens grew tenfold. We chased yield and quality by testing everything at once—open fixtures, no trellis, tap water, every feed chart in the book—changing too many variables to know what actually worked.

Eventually we stripped it back to first principles: what are the essential inputs? How do we simplify and still hit elite quality? Fertilizer was a major cost driver, so we learned to mix salts, not just liquids—blending raw inputs by growth stage, discovering which combinations are compatible and which cause precipitation or outright failure. After one painful mix-up with look-alike white powders, we realized we needed to “dummy-proof” the process—color-coding parts so no one can confuse them on a busy day.

We focused on giving growers everything they need and nothing they don’t: a three-part base with just a few purposeful additions. No gimmicks. There’s plenty of “miracle” bottles that come and go; there are also other great companies doing solid work. Our aim has always been quality, consistency, and honesty about what’s truly required to feed a crop—fewer additives, correct ratios, no compatibility traps.

Most important, it’s a partnership. We don’t ship a pallet and disappear. Our small team of seasoned cultivators supports customers well beyond fertilizer—helping troubleshoot facilities, processes, and pitfalls we’ve already lived through. That hands-on problem solving is as much the product as what’s in the bag.