About Us
Far West Staffing Services connects great talent with great companies. We put people to work in critical jobs that help organizations deliver on their mission.
We specialize in project management, medical construction, information technology and biomedical technology, but our eye for talent means we can find the best fit for any job at hand. Whether you’re an organization that needs proven talent or an individual looking for the next step in your career, we know how to put the pieces together to form win-win situations every day. And our experience and network help us put the most qualified people to work.
Our Team
President
A great day for Michele ends with a satisfied client, probably because she started in an offshoot of the hospitality business. Working in construction management at Disneyland Resort, Michele eventually was involved in procuring and installing all stage equipment at Disneyland California Adventure Park.
Leaving Disney to expand her skills, Michele worked for two prominent construction management firms, St. Joseph Health System and Petra. Over two decades, Michele has managed the design and construction of two dozen healthcare projects up to $400 million in value. Since 2015, Michele has been putting her construction management skills to work in new ways. At Far West, she oversees financial reporting, but she’s also our lead in recruiting and onboarding staffing for construction management jobs.
Operations Manager
With over 10 years of administrative, human resources and customer service experience, Cristina delivers expert-level service to clients and talent. In 2021, she brought that experience and a certificate in HR Management to Far West to assist with operations. Her passion for quality customer care and her can-do attitude make her an invaluable asset to our team. She also loves to challenge the status quo to improve customer service and find new paths to success.
As Operations Manager, Cristina spends most her time communicating directly with clients, current employees, and future candidates – keeping the team on-track and solving any surprise challenges. Outside the office, she enjoys spending time with her dog, Ringo; solving jigsaw puzzles; and visiting the local theme park – not to mention adding stamps to her passport. Her international travels include Paris, where her now-husband proposed.
Account Manager
As our front line at Far West, Tony is often the first team member that candidates or clients speak to when they want our expertise. Tony came to us with more than 25 years of experience in multi-site operations, configuration management, system definition, specifications and trade-off studies. If that’s not enough, he also managed California’s multi-million-dollar Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for medical facilities. In other words, he knows what it takes for every assignment that comes our way.
Tony spends much of his time networking to identify new talent and the kinds of jobs they want. On the organization side, he helps hiring teams define their job needs so Far West can match the right people for the right jobs.
Mike Barragan
Technical Consultant
With 40 years of hands-on experience working with healthcare technology in hospitals, 20 of which spent as a supervisor, Mike Barragan joined the Far West Staffing Services team as a Technical Consultant in 2021. From sorting through resumes to conducting interviews, Mike lends his experience as a certified healthcare technology manager (CHTM) to support our team in “peeling back the onion” of candidates’ capabilities for the biomedical technology jobs in our network. He’s watched the shift of hospital technologies throughout the years and has the stories to prove it.
A Los Angeles native, Mike loves spending time outdoors with his wife, their two sons and their grandsons. When he’s not matching candidates to the perfect opportunities, he can be found tending to his garden, where he grows a wide variety of fruits and veggies.
Technical Consultant
Trust Mitch to bring both his construction and engineering experience (his undergraduate degrees) and his business experience (his graduate degree) to the table when matching the right people to the right jobs. With over 40 years in the design/build and construction industries, he can tell within minutes whether someone has what it takes to succeed on the job site. At Far West Staffing Services (FWSS), he has become particularly adept at hiring biomedical technicians. His business instincts help him match the right personality and experience level with the position to be filled.
Mitch has principally worked in project development and preconstruction services over the years, including nearly three decades at HBE Corporation. More recently, Mitch supported Petra Integrated Construction Services as regional director of operations, managing several healthcare projects from design to construction.
Far West Staffing Services is a portfolio company of The Innovation Institute, an incubator that works with inventors from ideation to the commercialization of products and services to improve health care delivery, eliminate waste, and extend human life.