About 52 Limited.
Twenty years placing the people who build what's next.
52 Limited is a boutique staffing firm founded in Portland in 2005. We specialize in creative, digital, and technology talent, placing contract, contract-to-hire, and direct-hire professionals with companies nationwide.
We operate differently. Every search is handled by a senior recruiter. No handoffs. No junior coordinators. No resume dumps. Just experienced people who know the market and respect your time.
A boutique firm with national reach.
Brooks Gilley founded 52 Limited in Portland with a single conviction: that creative and technology talent deserved recruiters who actually understood their work. Not generalists filling seats, but specialists who knew the difference between a brand designer and an art director, a frontend engineer and a full-stack architect. The firm launched with a handful of client relationships and a reputation built entirely on quality of match.
Seven years in, 52 Limited had become one of the most trusted boutique staffing firms in the Pacific Northwest. Nike, Adidas, Wieden+Kennedy, Microsoft, and hundreds of other companies had made us their first call for creative and technology talent. We expanded our practice areas, deepened our bench of senior recruiters, and formalized our commitment to putting a tenured recruiter on every single search, regardless of size.
As the market for digital and technology talent became increasingly competitive, we doubled down on what makes boutique recruiting work: relationships. We built out dedicated practices for UX and product design, engineering, and marketing technology, staffing some of the most complex and high-visibility searches in the region. Our placement guarantee and direct-recruiter model became the standard we refused to compromise on.
We became an AI-native firm, integrating sourcing intelligence and candidate research tools into every search. Not to replace the judgment of our recruiters, but to make them faster and sharper. Two decades of market knowledge paired with the best tools available means our clients get a first shortlist in days, not weeks, and our candidates get matched to roles that are actually worth their time.
Meet the team behind every search.
Every search at 52 Limited is run by a senior recruiter with deep roots in the market. No handoffs. No junior coordinators. Just experienced people who pick up the phone.
Industry-leading focus.
We exclusively place creative and technology talent. Not everything -- just the space we know better than anyone else in the Pacific Northwest.
Your success is the metric.
We offer paid sick leave, health insurance, and voluntary benefits. Our team checks in regularly, advocates for your needs, and stays connected long after placement.
Rooted in the PNW.
Our reputation was built here in Portland and it travels. A tenured team placing world-class talent across the United States for twenty years and counting.
Let's find your
next hire.
Tell us the role. We'll take it from there.