Kristi Gage-Linderman

Growing a Family Legacy

Under Kristi’s leadership, Gage Talent & Business Solutions has evolved far beyond its traditional staffing roots. What began as a staffing firm now spans executive search, professional recruiting, fractional recruiting, RPO, and other customized talent solutions designed to meet clients exactly where they are. Today the company has been recognized as a Forbes Top 200 firm in executive search, professional recruiting, and staffing, and it has also been named to Business Insider’s list of America’s Best Recruiting Firms.

Those recognitions are meaningful to Kristi not only for what they say about the company, but for the context in which they were earned. “We’re still a small business,” she says. “We’re still locally owned and operated.”

The growth has been driven by a simple but powerful philosophy: listen to what clients need, then figure out how to help. “A client asks us to do something, and we never say no,” Kristi says. “We say, absolutely, let us figure that out with you or for you.”

Keeping People at the Center

Even as the business has grown, Kristi has worked to preserve the human-centered approach that has defined the firm for generations. Her team meets and speaks with every person they place rather than relying solely on a click of a button or an automated match, and the focus stays on understanding the full person behind the resume. “We keep that human touch,” she says.

That philosophy extends beyond clients and candidates. The company has partnered with local school districts to create career programs that help students transition into the workforce more quickly, and through one of the region’s largest high schools it helped co-found a program designed to give students defined career pathways and stronger connections to real employment opportunities. For Kristi, that work reflects the broader mission of the business: connecting people and empowering businesses.

Lessons From Family and Team

When reflecting on the people who shaped her career, Kristi points first to her grandmother, who founded the company and created the original vision, and then to her mother, who stepped into the business without formal training when Kristi’s grandmother became ill. “My mom built our business into what it is now,” Kristi says. “She brought the people-first aspect into everything we do.” Those values continue to guide her today.

She credits the longtime team members who have helped her grow as a leader as well. Some have been with the company for 20 years, supporting the business through change, growth, and reinvention. “We help each other grow,” she says. “I’ve learned from them.” Earning the respect of the team while stepping into leadership of a family business has been one of the most meaningful parts of her journey. “I’m proud to say we’ve done it the right way.”

Technology, AI, and the Human Element

As AI continues to reshape recruiting, Kristi sees both opportunity and risk. She believes AI can help move the recruiting process forward faster, especially when it comes to searching databases and identifying possible matches, and her team is currently exploring how to incorporate more AI into their existing systems, including the possibility of building something tailored specifically to their business. What she resists is over-reliance. “I caution everybody not to rely on it,” she says. “You’re going to miss out on that human connection.”

Resumes, in her experience, rarely tell the whole story. The details that truly matter often come through conversation: the follow-up question, the deeper explanation, the personal context that may not appear on paper. “It’s the details that we get out of people that really help paint the broader picture of who they are.” That human insight is especially valuable when clients are not well-versed in interviewing or evaluating resumes on their own. Her team helps them see what they may have missed, connecting the dots between a candidate’s experience and a company’s real needs.

Advice for Talent Leaders Heading into 2026

As recruiting continues to evolve, Kristi encourages talent leaders to keep exploring new tools without abandoning what has already proven valuable. Her advice is to be curious, but thoughtful. “Don’t make the next jump to something just because you’ve heard it’s the best from somebody else,” she says. Instead, leaders should dedicate time to fully understand new platforms, evaluate their reach, study their data, and determine what actually works for their business.

Success in talent acquisition, in her view, will continue to require a mix of tools, platforms, relationships, and human judgment. AI matching can be powerful, but recruiters still need to use their own eyes, instincts, and expertise to double-check the details. “You could miss out on a really great person,” she says.

The future of work may continue to change, but businesses still rely on people to get work done. By combining family legacy, community impact, entrepreneurial creativity, and a people-first approach to technology, Kristi Gage-Linderman represents the kind of talent leader helping recruiting evolve without losing sight of what matters most: people.