Four More Inductees into the Top Echelon HOF
We’ve been announcing Top Echelon Hall of Fame inductions fast and furious during our “Epic 95 Days of Summer,” and we have four more announcements to make this week!
Another four individual recruiters have qualified for induction into our Hall of Fame. And you’re probably wondering who they are, so without further adieu, below is a list of this week’s inductees!
- Michael Agen of New Solutions Group
- Bob White of Impact Solutions, Inc.
- Keith Cornelison of Personnel Resources
- Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc.
We’re rapidly reaching the midway point of our HOF inductees for this year. Of course, since this is the first class we’ve ever had, the first one is expected to be large.
Next year’s class will be smaller, but will still be filled with successful, split-minded recruiters who leveraged the resources of Top Echelon Network to increase their billings and grow their business!
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QUICK STUDY: Perhaps no recruiter has enjoyed as much success in Top Echelon Network as quickly as Michael Agen of New Solutions Group.
Michael joined the Network in October of 2016. A little over five years later, he made his 100th split placement in Top Echelon. Nearly three years after that, he now has 117 Network splits.
Michael is an executive recruiter with more than 35 years of Healthcare sales and operations management experience. Top Echelon Network has been a factor in his success, helping him to fill his clients’ open job orders with top-notch candidates.
“As an agency, and as a recruiter with 20+ years in Healthcare recruiting, my sweet spot is customer acquisition and retention,” said Michael. “Joining TE has allowed me to be an importer of candidates and has worked out very well. I am 100% in [as a Top Echelon member.]”
Michael had been working as an executive recruiter for 15 years before joining Top Echelon Network. Since the beginning of his membership, he has recognized the value of split placements and how they can generate additional revenue for his agency.
“I can say that as an organization, [Top Echelon is] top notch . . . I have been in business for 20 years and have well-established clients, so I am primarily an importer of candidates,” said Michael. “Having access to TE partners who are willing to source quality candidates for my jobs has significantly increased my activity and placements. It’s pretty simple math: 47% of three placements is better than 100% of one.”
We at Top Echelon are pleased to announce the induction of Michael Agen into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class!
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WHAT ABOUT BOB: What about Bob? That’s a great question!
Bob White of Impact Solutions, Inc. is a quick study, similar to the recruiter we inducted into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame yesterday: Michael Agen of New Solutions Group.
Bob joined Top Echelon in May of 2018, and since that time, he’s compiled 106 TE placements, which is a rather impressive feat.
One of the mental obstacles that some new Network members must conquer is the belief that other recruiters operating in their niche are competition. While that might have been the case before joining Top Echelon, it certainly is not once they become a member.
“Our perspective has completely changed,” said Bob. “In our 25 years of existence before joining the network, we never made a split placement, as we just did not trust our clients and candidates to other recruiting firms that we felt were our competition.”
Bob no longer views other Top Echelon Network recruiting firms that work in his industry and niche as competition. Instead, he sees them as trusted trading partners helping him to grow his business, including in areas that are technically outside of his areas of expertise (Engineering, Manufacturing, and Information Technology).
“The best example we can give is a company we had called for years that never wanted to work with us because they were satisfied with their current recruiters,” said Bob. “Then, a few years ago, they gave us searches because the current recruiting firms they were using could not provide the candidates they wanted. Both positions were outside our niche, so we did not have candidates for the positions. In the end, we filled both positions through the Network. Now, the client only wants us to work with us and no longer works with the other recruiting firms they have in the past.”
Bob and his agency have come a long way since he was skeptical of the value that membership in a recruiting network could offer to him. However, like many before him, he’s a believer in Top Echelon Network and in split placements.
“Trust the network and make the network a priority,” he said. “Go all in and see what works for you and your firm. You have nothing to lose.”
So THAT is what about Bob . . .
We at Top Echelon are pleased to announce the induction of Bob White into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class!
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BLIND TRUST: During Top Echelon’s rich history, there have been many recruiters who had to be convinced that the split placement model would work, and not only that, but could also work for them and their agency.
You can count Keith Cornelison of Personnel Resources in Tipp City, Ohio among them.
Keith, who specializes in the Healthcare industry, made his first split placement in Top Echelon’s recruiting network in 2017. Since then, he’s made a total of 148 TE splits in a little over seven years, an impressive run of success.
In fact, Keith is one of the fastest-ever to reach 100 split placements within Top Echelon Network, doing so in five years. Michael Agen of New Solutions Group also accomplished this feat. However, Keith has now outpaced Michael, making 148 splits in seven years to Michael’s 117.
The goal now? Keith wants to reach 200 TE placements by 2027, which would make him the fastest-ever recruiter to reach that mark within their first 10 years of Network membership.
In discussing his success, Keith indicated that Top Echelon Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS was instrumental in convincing him to join the Network.
“I remember the first time Drea approached me about being in TE to do splits, but I was very hesitant,” said Keith. “I had been burnt by a split placement situation before. But I was already using the [Big Biller] software for years and he suggested giving membership a try.”
Keith went from being cynical about Network membership to fully embracing it, leveraging Top Echelon’s resources to grow his business. And the philosophy that he’s used to do so—and continues to use—is simple, but effective.
“I treat my trading partners’ candidates the way I’d want my candidates to be treated,” said Keith, who operates as an importer in the Network.” (An importer works the client side of a split placement situation and “imports” candidates from their trading partners for consideration.)
“My partners know that when they send me a candidate, I’m on it. They trust that I know what needs to be done to get their people hired.”
Trust is one of The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network (along with Quality, Communication, and Active Participation). Keith exercised trust to join TE and it continues to play an integral role in his success within the Network.
“I’m glad that Drea talked me into joining [the Network], because 47% of something is better than 100% of nothing.”
We at Top Echelon are pleased to announce the induction of Keith Cornelison into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class!
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HIGH STANDARD: Quite a few of the recruiters who we’ve inducted into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame so far could be categorized as “old-school, dyed-in-the wool” headhunters who operated a desk before the advent of social media and smartphones.
Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc. in Amherst, New York also fits into that category.
Colleen was most definitely a top producer in Top Echelon’s recruiting network. She made 131 placements during her time as a member.
In addition, Colleen was in the recruiting profession for over 30 years. The profession changed dramatically during that time, but she changed along with it, adapting and evolving while still maintaining high levels of production.
Colleen once quit the Network—and recruiting—to pursue another business venture. Then she came back to recruiting—and to Top Echelon. Not surprisingly, she picked up right where she left off, making placements right away. Colleen believed in Top Echelon Network, her split partners, and split placements.
According to Top Echelon President Mark Demaree, Colleen embraced all of the philosophies of the Network, embodied the spirit of networking, and was committed to her membership and to her TE trading partners.
“Colleen Switala exemplified the best of what Top Echelon was during her tenure in the Network,” he said. “She set a high standard for what it meant to be a Top Echelon Network member.”
We at Top Echelon are pleased to announce the induction of Colleen Switala into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class!
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Be sure to check The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog—as well as Top Echelon’s official LinkedIn account—for future announcements regarding 2024 inductees into Top Echelon’s Hall of Fame!