
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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