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.

He was doing corporate recruiting for a Los Angeles firm from his home in San Francisco.

He and his wife, Adrienne Graf, decided to start their own firm working for the outdoor industry – focusing on products, companies and corporate cultures he believed in.

"Our inspiration came from a walk that Adrienne and I were doing in Tilden Park (in Berkeley,)" he said. "We thought, 'We could do this work anywhere we want to.' "

Jackson Hole, Wyo.? Bozeman, Mont.? or Durango, Colo.?

"At the end of the day, we chose Coloma-Lotus," he said.

The reason: Graf was in love with the whitewater.

It was a struggle to get Internet there, but they were drawn to Lotus for the recreation – and cheaper real estate than San Francisco.

The area reflects the recreation industry he works in. It is his alignment of passion and profession.

"Our clients appreciate where we live, in that our lifestyle is reflective of who their customers are," Forest said.

In addition, Forest has been a leader in nonprofit environmental projects associated with the outdoor industry, serving on the boards of 1% for the Planet and the Conservation Alliance.

Doing that has allowed him to connect those funding groups with worthy projects in his area, like the American River Conservancy.

"The Forest Group is really key" to the area, said Alan Ehrgott, director of the American River Conservancy.

Though there are now many professionals working out of the area, utilizing Internet technology, the Forest Group sticks out for how it participates locally.

"It's not just one of those little businesses out in the landscape," he said.

Forest's colleagues Deanna Lloyd and Mary Maliff have been given rein to serve the community and environment in the ways they see fit.

Lloyd, in addition to working with the Conservation Alliance, has been active in building a Lotus-Coloma alliance for community projects.

Maliff is a part-time river guide who does outdoor education for kids through the Mother Lode River Center.

Forest's good deeds extend to his style of recruiting.

"His job is not to put butts in seats," said Jim Osgood, who as the new president of Klean Kanteen, has been on both sides of the Forest Group's recruiting process.

"Our job is to find the missing member of the tribe," Forest said, in what is a reversal of the usual metaphor for his job: headhunter.

"That person could build fire, make shelter or be the vice president of marketing," he added.

But they must fit the culture, not just the title.

His process involves careful research of the client, followed by a job description that rivals a New Yorker article in length and incisiveness.

Then he makes sure companies and candidates connect.

It happens to such a great degree that, after he recruited Osgood for another job, Osgood still exchanges holiday cards with the people there, though he didn't take the job.

The network of relationships is key to the company, agreed Alex Kutches, president of Outdoor Research in Seattle.

He went to the Forest Group for help filling spots for three primary managers, knowing of that network.

Though Kutches sits in an office looking at the Space Needle, he reached out to Lotus.

"It's not so much where you live, as can you do a great job getting things done," Kutches said. "Adam and Deanna, they reach out and make it happen."

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