About Forward Progress Staffing
Eric Kinsey — Founder & CEO
Eric Kinsey didn’t plan on becoming one of Southern California’s most respected recruiting professionals. He planned on working in IT.
Originally from the East Coast, Eric moved to Southern California at a young age and grew up the way most driven kids do — playing sports, exploring acting, and holding down jobs starting in middle school. He put himself through Chico State by setting up Christmas lights for clients around the holidays — a hustle that, as it turned out, would change the course of his career.
One of those clients happened to be the president of a national recruiting firm. Impressed by Eric’s work ethic and personality, he extended an offer to join his company after graduation — an offer Eric initially set aside. He had already received offers from Deloitte & Touche, Intel, and PeopleSoft, and chose instead to join Teradyne’s IT department, wanting to build a life close to home and family.
But after a few years in IT, Eric discovered something: his real passion wasn’t technology — it was people. He called the recruiting firm president back, took the job, and never looked back. Within two years of leading the Los Angeles office, it became the number one office in the country.
After more than two decades in the industry, Eric launched Forward Progress Staffing in 2019 with a clear purpose: to build the firm he always wished existed. One that goes beyond the cookie-cutter approach, offers white-glove service, and treats every search — and every person — as unique. FPS was built to be agile, creative, and genuinely invested in the outcomes of the clients and candidates it serves.
Outside of the office, Eric is a devoted father of two, an avid golfer, a passionate traveler who follows his favorite sports teams across the country, and a surprisingly dedicated vegetable gardener.
Our Story
Forward Progress Staffing was founded in 2019 on a simple but powerful belief: that recruiting done right changes lives. Not just for the candidates who land their dream jobs, but for the companies that hire them, the teams they join, and the families they support.
We started FPS because we saw an industry too focused on volume and not enough on fit. Too reliant on keyword searches and not enough on genuine understanding. Too transactional and not nearly personal enough.
We built FPS to be different — a boutique firm with the reach of a national player, the expertise of seasoned industry veterans, and the care of a partner who is genuinely invested in your success.
Our Values
Transparency
We tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear. Whether it’s honest feedback on a candidate, a realistic timeline, or straight talk about market conditions — you can count on us to give it to you straight.
Trust
Everything we do is built on trust. We earn it by standing behind our process, our people, and our placements. Our 90-day replacement guarantee isn’t just a policy — it’s a reflection of how confident we are in the work we do.
Experience
With over 20 years of recruiting experience across every major market cycle — the dot-com bust, the 2008 crash, the pandemic boom, and today’s AI-driven disruption — we bring hard-won perspective to every search. We’ve seen it all, and that experience directly benefits every client and candidate we work with.
Our Team
Behind every successful placement is a team of skilled recruiters who genuinely care. Our team is comprised of passionate professionals who take pride in finding dream jobs for candidates and exceptional people for our clients. We don’t measure success by the number of resumes we send — we measure it by the relationships we build and the placements that stick.
When you work with Forward Progress Staffing, you work directly with experienced recruiters — not junior coordinators or offshore screeners. Every search gets the attention and expertise it deserves.
Why Forward Progress?
- Boutique service, national reach — personal attention with the ability to recruit coast to coast
- 25+ years of experience — deep market knowledge across IT and finance
- Speed — qualified candidates presented within 2 days on average
- Precision — an average of just 2 interviews needed to make a hiring decision
- 90-day replacement guarantee — on all direct hire placements
- Creative solutions — no cookie-cutter approaches, ever
Ready to Work Together?
Whether you’re a company looking to build your team or a professional ready for your next move, we’d love to connect.
Call us: 805-383-9556 (CA) | 702-381-3422 (NV)
Or schedule a free consultation below.