Forest Group merges outdoors, corporate management
By Carlos Alcalá, Sacramento Bee
Adam Forest works in a virtual Eden, as seems appropriate for his name.
His commute is less than a paper carrier’s toss from a log cabin house to a log cabin office, both with views of the oak woodlands along the south fork of the American River in the tiny community of Lotus, north of Placerville.
He may do his job in shorts and sandals at times, but it is not stress-free work.
His small firm, the Forest Group, does high level corporate executive recruitment around the country for companies that are household names.
If you’ve nibbled on a Clif Bar, sipped from a stainless steel Klean Kanteen or just set foot in an REI store, Forest has a hand in your world.
He has recruited directors for REI’s board and managers pulling down six figures for other outdoor recreation companies.
All from a spot along a poorly paved road, miles from any freeway, in a region of poor-to-nonexistent cellphone reception.
It began in the late 1990s.
“In my early 30s, I really had to ask myself – and this is a question I ask candidates, as well: Is my profession and my passion … are they aligned? And they weren’t,” he said.