When Jim Fox joined as HR Director, Forge Fire was using another payroll vendor that he found rigid, expensive, and was making day-to-day management harder than it needed to be.

With 35 employees across sales, design, fabrication, logistics, and construction — many working on-site across the country and covered by prevailing wage requirements — payroll and compliance had to be flexible, reliable, and well documented.

• “We needed a partner with great service to back up the right software. An organization to help us maintain control as we adapt to organizational needs, industry opportunities, and regulatory requirements.”

Jim needed a payroll platform that could handle complexity without adding more friction — and give him someone to call when questions came up.

In mid-2024, after evaluating their needs, options, and consulting with Chat-GPT, Forge Fire moved to Gusto and signed up for the Premium plan.

The switch immediately simplified payroll and benefits while giving Jim the flexibility to pay employees weekly — a big win for recruiting and retention without additional expense.

• “Because we have a Dedicated Service Advisor (DSA), I had much more confidence to make that transition from biweekly to weekly pay.”

That advisor — Alan — quickly became a trusted partner.

• “When I’m calling Alan, I feel like I’m calling a friend. He’s very humble and collaborative. I can go weeks without needing him, and then call every other day when we’re making changes.”

Together, they configured payroll, prevailing wage rates, and information tracking unique to Forge Fire’s industry and state requirements.

• “He once told me, ‘I’m not an HR professional. My job is to figure out in Gusto how we’re going to meet your needs.’ That’s exactly what he does.”

Alan also put Jim in touch with a trusted Benefits Advisor, helped him set up a 401k through Guideline, now part of Gusto, and integrated various tools so they can streamline more HR workflows through Gusto. 

• “The implementation of Guideline within Gusto could not have been easier. Like Gusto, it was the right solution at the right time for the best-possible fees.”

Since moving to Gusto Premium, Forge Fire has:

✅ Reduced platform costs by 40%

✅ Transitioned from biweekly to weekly payroll, giving employees faster access to earnings

✅ Maintained full compliance with prevailing wage requirements across multiple states

✅ Streamlined and improved HR, payroll, and benefits operations

✅ Improved employee experience with intuitive, automated tools

✅ Leveraged additional record-keeping and reporting tools

• “The DSA model puts the ‘service’ in Software as a Service. For complex, always changing  organizations like ours, having somebody with empathy, patience, and technical expertise is crucial.”

Forge Fire’s use of Gusto will continue to grow as Forge Fire grows and leverages more tools to keep employees connected and diverse employee groups using a single payroll and HR platform. 

• “There’s no comparison. With Gusto, there’s real service — not just software. Everyone I’ve worked at Gusto has reinforced that we made the right decision in choosing Gusto Premium with a DSA.”

By moving to Gusto Premium, Forge Fire & Company gained confidence, control, along with flexibility and partnership — all while cutting costs nearly in half.

Now, they can focus on what matters most: building safer training environments for the people who protect ours.

Disclosure: This customer received compensation/discount for their testimonial.

Visit gusto.com/product/pricing to learn more about Gusto plans.