Scaling high-performing teams in Costa Rica staffing legend Doug Firestone on growing to 225 LATAM

Scaling high-performing teams in Costa Rica staffing legend Doug Firestone on growing to 225 LATAM

From The Nearshore Cafe by Brian Samson

April 27, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

Doug Firestone discusses his journey in growing an IT staffing firm to $28M in revenue while navigating the challenges of nearshoring in Latin America.

What does it take to grow an IT staffing firm to $28M in revenue while competing against giants like Tech Systems? For Doug Firestone, the answer was found in the jungles of Costa Rica. In this episode, Doug shares his transition from a Pennsylvania-based founder to a nearshoring pioneer. We explore the logistical and cultural "must-haves" for setting up shop in Latin America, from choosing the right free trade zones to hiring talent directly from tech hubs like IBM and Amazon. Doug als...

People in this episode

Host: Brian Samson

Guest: Doug Firestone

Topics covered

  • IT staffing
  • nearshoring
  • Latin America
  • business growth
  • team management

Keywords

  • IT staffing
  • nearshoring
  • Costa Rica
  • business growth
  • Tech Systems
  • IBM
  • Amazon
  • free trade zones
  • hiring talent

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IBM, Amazon, Tech Systems

Places: Costa Rica, Pennsylvania

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