Forum Group

What Forum Group does

The Forum Group is a New York-based, veteran-owned professional staffing and recruiting firm founded in 1974 by Marine Corps veteran and CPA Frank Fusaro, currently led by his son Chris Fusaro as CEO with Jim Minogue as COO. The firm operates across ten practice area divisions — Accounting/Finance/Tax, Administrative & Executive Support, Compliance & Regulatory, Healthcare, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Marketing/Market Research/Communications, Investment Banking & Private Equity, and Specialty Manufacturing & Supply Chain — delivering retained executive search, contingency recruitment, and contract/temporary/per diem staffing to clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Named enterprise clients include NYU Langone Health, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The firm is recognized as the 4th largest executive recruiting firm in New York by Crain's New York Business, was named one of Forbes' America's Best Temporary Staffing Firms in 2020, and holds The Joint Commission's Healthcare Staffing Services Certification Gold Seal of Approval.

The service model rests on five integrated offerings — Retained Services & Executive Search, Contract & Direct Hire Staffing, Vendor Management, Payroll Services, and Corporate Governance/Financial Reporting/Transaction Services — delivered by approximately 100 internal recruiters and research staff. Revenue is generated primarily through transaction fees on permanent direct-hire placements and contract/temporary billings, supplemented by professional-services fees for retained executive searches and managed-services/payroll engagements for contingent workforces. The underlying technology is described as a proprietary candidate database and sourcing methodology rather than an AI/ML-driven platform; the firm uses standard ATS infrastructure (including a Crelate-hosted portal for its HR division) and a WordPress-based website. The firm has operated debt-free since inception, funding all growth with internal capital.

Distribution is regional and relationship-driven: direct enterprise field sales from two physical offices (Midtown Manhattan headquarters at 550 7th Avenue and Norwalk, Connecticut), phone-based sales, a website job portal, and industry-event participation (notably Hunt Scanlon's PE Operating Partners Talent Forum). Marketing relies on website content, LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter presence, blog content, and community/philanthropy work including a Tunnel to Towers smart-home build for severely wounded veterans. The customer base spans financial services (investment banks, broker-dealers, asset managers, hedge funds, PE firms), legal, healthcare, IT, manufacturing, and administrative support, with horizontal segmentation across multiple industries and a sales-led GTM motion built on multi-decade client relationships.

Name

Forum Group

Legal name

The Forum Group

Website

https://forumgrp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Forum Group is a veteran-owned, New York-based professional staffing and recruiting firm founded in 1974 that delivers retained executive search, direct hire, contract, and payroll staffing across ten practice areas to clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Direct Hire Staffing: Placement of permanent candidates for client organizations across various industries and functional areas.
2. Contract/Temporary Staffing: Provides temporary and per diem staffing services to fill immediate workforce needs.
3. Retained Executive Search: Exclusive retained search engagements for executive and senior-level positions, typically at premium fees.
4. Payroll Services: Employer payroll services for contract workers placed by the firm.
5. Vendor Management: Managed service provider solutions for clients managing multiple staffing vendors.
6. Corporate Governance and Finance Consulting: Financial consulting services including corporate governance, financial reporting, and transaction services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Forum Group is a veteran-owned professional staffing and recruiting firm providing retained executive search, contract and direct hire staffing, vendor management, payroll services, and corporate governance and financial consulting. Services are delivered through ten specialized practice area divisions spanning accounting, finance, compliance, IT, healthcare, legal, HR, marketing/creative, investment banking/private equity, and specialty manufacturing/supply chain, serving clients from startups to Fortune 100 firms.

Product overview

The Forum Group is a veteran-owned staffing and recruiting firm offering a unified portfolio of talent solutions. The core service model consists of five integrated offerings: Retained Services & Executive Search, Contract & Direct Hire Staffing Services, Vendor Management, Payroll Services, and Corporate Governance & Financial Consulting. These services are delivered through ten specialized practice area divisions that cover distinct industry verticals: Accounting/Finance/Tax, Administrative/Executive Support, Compliance/Regulatory, Healthcare, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal Staffing, Digital Marketing/Media/Communications, Investment Banking/Private Equity, and Specialty Manufacturing/Supply Chain. The firm serves clients ranging from entrepreneurial startups to Fortune 100 global giants, placing both permanent and contract/temporary professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retained Services & Executive Search Exclusive retained search engagements for placing senior-level executives and specialized professionals across all Forum Group practice areas, typically at premium fees.
• Contract & Direct Hire Staffing Services Temporary, contract, per diem, and direct hire staffing solutions for placing professionals at all levels across multiple industries and practice areas.
• Vendor Management Managed service provider solutions for overseeing and optimizing contingent workforce staffing programs across organizations.
• Payroll Services Payroll processing and administration services for temporary and contract workers placed by Forum Group on behalf of client employers.
• Corporate Governance, Financial Reporting & Transaction Services Consulting services for corporate governance, financial reporting, and transaction-related professional needs.
• Investment Banking & Private Equity Recruitment Practice Dedicated nationwide practice for recruiting elite investment banking and private equity professionals, placing candidates from Analyst to Managing Director levels, including M&A and buy-side roles.
• Forum Group HR Recruitment Partners Dedicated HR recruitment division placing HR professionals at all levels including Chief People Officers, HR Business Partners, Compensation and Benefits Experts, and Talent Management specialists.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85-90% retention rate after one year for manufacturing and supply chain placements

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tunnel to Towers FoundationminorOthers · 1 May 2023Veteran-owned firm partnered with Tunnel to Towers Foundation to fund construction of a smart home for severely wounded veteran Major Ivan Castro. The Forum Group committed to funding this construction as part of their 50th anniversary celebration in May 2023. Raised just under $2.6 million for the initiative.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half International: Publicly-traded global staffing leader with parallel practice areas in finance/accounting, IT, legal, administrative, and executive search. Directly comparable to Forum Group's service mix but at materially larger scale, serving as the primary large-cap benchmark for this firm's competitive positioning.
• Randstad NV: Global staffing leader operating across all major verticals Forum Group serves, including finance, IT, legal, healthcare, and executive search. Public, much larger, and a key incumbent competitor for any large enterprise staffing engagement.

Direct peers

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with substantial executive search and permanent placement operations across financial services, healthcare, and technology. Closest direct competitor to Forum Group's retained executive search and IB/PE practice, with similar fee-per-placement economics.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with dedicated Financial Services, Healthcare, and Legal practices that overlap directly with Forum Group's divisions. Comparable fee structure and target client base, especially in financial services and legal leadership placements.
• Kforce Inc. Publicly-traded professional staffing firm focused on technology, finance/accounting, and government sectors with direct hire and contract staffing. Most directly comparable mid-sized public peer in scale, vertical mix, and contract/direct hire blend.
• Insight Global: Large private staffing firm providing IT, accounting/finance, healthcare, and engineering staffing nationwide. Comparable to Forum Group in offering multi-vertical staffing with both contract and direct hire, though at significantly larger headcount and revenue scale.
• Beacon Hill Staffing Group: Boston-based staffing firm with divisions in accounting/finance, IT, legal, healthcare, and administrative support. Highly comparable in size, vertical mix, and Northeast geographic focus — and notably a prior employer of Forum Group's Boston Practice Director.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with dedicated Financial Services, Healthcare, and Technology practices. Closest peer to Forum Group's retained executive search offerings at the senior and board level.
• Lucas Group (now part of Korn Ferry): Executive search firm specializing in HR, accounting/finance, and military transition placement, now operating as a Korn Ferry subsidiary. Directly comparable to Forum Group's HR Recruitment Partners and accounting/finance practices, and a prior employer of Forum Group's Head of Talent Acquisition.
• Howard-Sloan Search: Mid-sized executive search firm focused on accounting/finance, IT, and HR placements in the Northeast. Closest private peer in scale and vertical mix, and a prior employer of Forum Group's Head of Talent Acquisition.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theforumgroupny

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forum Group