Selective by Design
We don’t take every job. We focus on a few clients at a time so we can go deep, move fast, and deliver better outcomes.
Strategic and Aligned
Clients come to us when job boards, referrals, and big-box recruiters fall short. We understand your industry and speak your language.
Vetted, Ready Candidates
Every candidate we send has been pre-screened, qualified, and evaluated for technical and cultural fit. If they’re in your inbox, it’s because we know they’re worth your time.
Why Teams Choose Forge
We partner with intent and deliver with precision. Here’s what sets us apart.
Meet Our Head of Recruitment, Christy
My path into recruiting wasn’t traditional. I spent more than a decade in healthcare, working inside hospitals and clinics where listening deeply, solving complex problems, and building trust were essential. A staffing agency reached out in 2021 and encouraged me to consider recruiting. I took the leap and immediately realized I had found my new purpose.
The skills I developed in patient care translated seamlessly:
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Listening beyond the surface
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Handling pressure with calm and clarity
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Identifying what people truly need, not just what they say they want
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Building trust quickly and authentically
Since then, I’ve placed hundreds of professionals, partnered with leaders nationwide, and developed a reputation for being honest, reliable, relentless, and refreshingly real. My clients trust me because I follow through. I ask better questions. I’m accessible. And I keep searching long after others stop.
Before co-founding Forge Strategies, I was very successful as an independent recruiter specializing in manufacturing and construction. I saw firsthand how desperate companies were for a partner who genuinely understood their world, not just roles and job titles, but the pace, the pressure, the culture, and the real cost of a bad hire.
That’s why I launched Forge Strategies: to raise the standard of recruiting.
No quotas. No gimmicks. No transactional shortcuts. Just disciplined search, genuine partnership, and results that actually matter.
I specialize in recruiting for roles where great talent is hard to find and even harder to hire. Whether a manufacturer sorting through hundreds of unqualified resumes or a construction executive needing urgent staffing across state lines, I deliver high-quality candidates with speed, clarity, and care.
If you need a recruiting partner who is relentless, responsive, and driven by outcomes, not empty promises, let’s connect.
Meet Brennan, Co-Founder and Managing Partner
I founded Forge Strategies to redefine business partnerships through a disciplined, strategic, and results-driven process that truly supports how companies operate, grow, and win.
At Forge, we blend military precision, healthcare-level standards, and Fortune 500 operational insight to deliver talent solutions that move businesses forward. These pillars guide every search we take on and set us apart from traditional recruiting firms.
As a U.S. Army Officer still serving in the Reserve, I learned how to lead teams under pressure and make decisions that matter. The military instilled discipline, integrity, and a mission-first mindset, traits that influence how I work with clients and how we operate as a firm.
Before founding Forge Strategies, I spent nearly a decade supporting executive teams, C-suite leaders, and operational directors across multiple Fortune 500 organizations in numerous industries. My work, predominantly in manufacturing, spanned operations, logistics, supply chain, EHS, quality systems, program development, and workforce strategy, often stepping into environments where performance, compliance, and team effectiveness were mission critical.
Earlier in my career, I worked in top-tier healthcare systems alongside world-renowned surgeons, where accuracy and attention to detail weren’t optional, they were required. During that time, I received the CEO Service Excellence Award, recognizing leadership, service, and the ability to elevate team performance. These experiences reinforced a core truth: exceptional outcomes always start with exceptional people.
Those lessons led directly to the creation of Forge Strategies.We partner with companies that value discipline, clarity, and results, and who understand that the right hire can change everything.
Today, I bring that same passion and leadership into every engagement. My mission is to support organizations with the right people and strategic partnership to grow, execute, and win; anchored in integrity and guided by a disciplined, consultative approach.
If you’re looking for a recruiting partner who understands people, operations, and leadership at a deeper level, that’s exactly what Forge Strategies was built for.
The Values Behind Every Placement
We lead with clarity, empathy, and commitment so you can hire with confidence and build with purpose.
Integrity
Every interaction is built on transparency and trust.
Partnership
We treat clients and candidates like long-term collaborators.
Accountability
We do what we say—on time and with clarity.
Adaptability
We evolve with your needs, no matter how fast things move.
Communication
Always informed. You’ll know where things stand.
Built by Operators, Backed by Experience
Brennan and Christy lead Forge with a rare mix of operational insight and human-centered focus. With experience in healthcare, business, and recruiting, they’ve built a firm grounded in clarity, service, and follow-through.
Christy Russo
Founder | Head of Recruitment
Christy built a successful healthcare career before transitioning into recruiting. She applies the same focus, empathy, and drive to every client search, helping teams find talent that truly fits.
Brennan Russo
Co-Founder | Managing Partner
Brennan brings a background in business leadership and enterprise operations to Forge. With years of experience building national hiring programs, he understands what it takes to find the right people and scale with purpose.