We Are People For A Hire Purpose

ForceBrands is the leading strategic recruiting firm for consumer brands. Our industry-specific divisions — BevForce, FoodForce, BeautyForce, HerbForce, and PetForce — help employers connect to specialized talent at all levels.

Josh Wand. Founder & CEO

Our History

It all started with a mojito.

I ran a rum company in the early 2000s where I built deep industry relationships from my experiences hiring my team, managing business development, and running a national sales and distribution network.

The idea for ForceBrands can be traced back to the conversations I had in 2006 when I was promoting our brand at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival in Miami. I was making mojitos with my feet in the sand when someone from a champagne company approached me and asked, “I’m looking to hire a Regional Sales Manager; do you know anyone?” It was the question that started it all. A few minutes later, I met someone from a different champagne company who asked me, “I’m interested in changing jobs. Do you know anyone who’s hiring?” And just like that, my professional matchmaking career was born.

It was this simple interaction that cultivated within me a desire to fill a specific need in the market that didn’t exist at the time: high-quality recruiting for the beverage industry. The few recruiting firms that did exist in the space were either traditional agencies with a limited candidate pool or big firms that knew nothing about our specific industry, emerging brands, or entrepreneurial companies. I knew there was a better way to connect great people to great jobs. In 2007, BevForce was launched.

Equal parts expertise and heart.

We have built a fully remote company, with employees across the US., that strives to engage with job seekers and employers in a real way — getting to know their strengths, weaknesses, and goals for the future. From day one, we wanted to collaborate with clients as friends and trusted colleagues in the pursuit of transformational goals.

While the ForceBrands’ portfolio has expanded over the years — creating distinct divisions, each with an intense focus on consumer brand categories — we remain true to our core principles. We approach recruiting through a human lens, recognizing that the connections we’ve established and the relationships we’ve built are the heart of what we do. We’ve always measured our success in clients and candidates who tell us that we’ve changed the trajectory of their lives for the better.

Meet the Team

Jason Santarcangelo
Vice President of Technology
Sean Conner
Co-Founder, Chief Progress Officer
Rob Ganjon
President
Rachel Mayse
CHRO
Shaun Kelleher
Vice President of Marketing
Josh Wand
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Justin Chenault
Chief Financial Officer
Connor MacWilliams
Vice President of Executive Recruitment - Direct H
Colleen Ogg
Chief Operating Officer
Alex Clarke
Chief Client Officer
Bruce Brustmeyer
Senior Vice President, Finance & Operations
Olivia Rodriguez
Recruiting Manager
Jen Tierney
Strategic Recruitment Manager
Daniella McBride
Head of Creator Partnerships
Abigail Rassel
Recruiting Manager
Marisa Symeonides
Senior Executive Recruiter
Lindsey Schwartz
Manager, Business Development
Kim Krauszer
Executive Recruiter
Jade Rowland
Executive Assistant to the CEO
Emily Wallace
Senior Executive Recruiter
Nina Lapenta
Sr. Principal
Dustin Cherry
Director, Client Strategy
Lauren Nitting
Director, Executive Recruitment
Anna Johnson
Senior Partner
Elizabeth Osman
Senior Executive Recruiter
Adrienne Eagan
Manager, Learning and Producer Operations
Diana Mercer
Sr. Strategic Recruitment Manager
Christine Darwin
Senior Executive Recruiter
Semiramis Sophroniou
Marketing Coordinator
Tanya Briggs
Director of Business Development
Brooke Westley
Strategic Recruitment Manager
Benjamin Flajnik
Director of Business Development
Rebecca Fryer
Senior Editorial Director
Madison Burch
Senior Executive Recruiter
Megan Aguirre
Senior Executive Recruiter
Daniel Sivertsen
Director, CS
Marion Price
Senior IT Analyst
Allisyn LaBarca
Creative Director
Rachel Doueck
Senior Director, Client Strategy
Brittany McGarr
Lead Software Engineer
Andie Turitz
Sr. Principal
Melissa Golden
Sr. Principal
Amy Canepa (Donahue)
Executive Recruiter
Hannah Touby
Sr. Strategic Recruitment Manager
Lisa Lanza
Recruiting Manager
Annette Kim
Director, Client Strategy
Eva Scofield
Division Director, Client Strategy
Leah Pointer
Billing Collections Specialist
Erin Linfonte
Sales Operations
Eric Rosen
Client Strategist