First we gave you “The Top 15 Moments in Top Echelon Network in 2015!”

Then we gave you “The Top 10 Milestones in Top Echelon in 2015!”

So you probably figured that this list was next . . . especially since we announce this list every year . . . and give recruiters awards based upon the list.

Yes, that’s right: it’s “The Top 10 Recruiters in Top Echelon in 2015.”

This list is determined by recruiters’ cash-in total in Top Echelon Network on a rolling 12-month basis. The order of the list was reflects the recruiters’ cash-in total for the 2015 calendar year, which ended at midnight on December 31, 2015. (I know, when else would it end, right?)

TE’s Top 10 recruiters: #10 to #1

For the purposes of this blog post, we’re going to count down the list, starting with #10. That way, the identity of #1 will be a surprise when you get to the bottom of the blog post. (Add the appropriate amount of sarcasm here.)

Without further adieu, let’s count down “The Top 10 Recruiters in Top Echelon in 2015”!

#10—Mary Anne Buckley, CPC of Interstate Recruiters Corp

As we Mark Demaree chronicled in our previous blog post, Mary Anne made five placements in the Network last year, but the smallest fee for any of those placements was $26,950. When you’re scoring fees that large, you’re going to make this list eventually, and if she continues to do so this year, Mary Anne will be back on this list a year from now. In fact, she might be higher on the list than #10.

#9—John Peterson of Sun Recruiting, Inc.

John has been a consistent producer in Top Echelon Network ever since he became a member in January of 2012. (Happy fourth anniversary, John!) In fact, he’s made a total of 41 placements in those four years, including 12 placements in 2015. That kind of production is going to result in a Top 10 finish in the Network, and John is already on the board with a placement in 2016.

#8—David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants, Inc.

Speaking of consistency, it’s tough to beat the kind of streak that Dave Sgro has been enjoying during the last several years. Dave makes both split placements and contract placements in Top Echelon, he has high-quality relationships with more than one trading partner, and he it completely committed to the Top Echelon system. With 13 placements in 2015 and 83 placements overall, Dave has set himself up for another big year in 2016.

#7—Ron Sunshine of Ron Sunshine Associates, LLC

Ron Sunshine joined Top Echelon Network back in 2010, and he hit the ground running, enjoying success in a relatively short amount of time. Ron is a veteran recruiter who knows the ins and outs of both the industry and how to deal effectively with other Network members in a split placement situation. He attends networking events, he follows the best practices, he deals in quality, and he follows through. Ron is everything we want in a Top Echelon Network recruiter. Thanks, Ron!

#6—Bill Kubena of Kubena & Associates

Bill is new to the list of Top 10 recruiters, having made a big splash in the Network during 2015. He’s formed solid trading partner relationships with multiple recruiters, resulting in a thoroughly impressive total of 19 Top Echelon placements in 2015. Considering the fact that he became a Network member in November of 2013, Bill was a quick study and his short learning curve is apparent in his production: 24 placements in just 26 months. Almost one Network placement per month is nothing to sneeze at. Or cough at, either.

#5—Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC

Maria Hemminger, Joanna Spaun, and the rest of the gang at MJ Recruiters have been “churning and burning” since they joined the Network 10 years ago. Maria recently made her 100th Network placement, but she will be quick to tell you that her production is the reflection of a total team effort by her firm. MJ Recruiters has created a system that allows it to leverage the resources of the Network in a maximum fashion year after year after year after year . . .

#4—Pam Copeland of Albert Energy, LLC/fulltimeGiGS

Pam and her husband Steve were Top Producers throughout all of 2015, and this is her first time cracking the final list of Top 10 recruiters. In fact, Steve just missed this list, finishing 11th on the list. At one point, both Pam and Steve were in the Top 10, marking the first time that a husband and wife team were on the list. Pam made a whopping 25 placements in the Network during 2015, and considering how much networking she and Steve do within Top Echelon, comparable production is almost certainly in store for her this year.

#3—Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Sean Napoles is like the “Cal Ripken, Jr.” of Top Echelon Network. Sean joined TE back in 2000, and he has been “nails” ever since he joined. He is a member of an exclusive club. That club includes Top Echelon recruiters who have both made 200 Network placements and billed over $2 million through TE during their career. Considering Sean’s work ethic and commitment to quality, 300 career placements and $3 million are not out of the question.

#2—Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search

Steve enjoyed one of the best years that a Top Echelon Network recruiter has ever enjoyed. In fact, if it wasn’t for the #1 recruiter on this list, Steve’s production in the Network during 2015 might very well have represented the best year for a TE recruiter ever. What did that production look like? A total of 66 placements and close to $400K cash-in. Steve has already made over 150 career placements in Top Echelon and billed over $1 million. Bigger and better milestones await.

#1—Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

What more can be said about the year that Trey Cameron had in Top Echelon Network in 2015? The numbers pretty much say it all. We’re talking about 112 placements and over $800K cash-in (both TE records). Those are “video game numbers,” friends and neighbors. So where does that put Trey for his career in Top Echelon. As of the writing of this blog post, it puts him at 396 placements and $2.9 million. Will he reach 500 career placements and $4 million by the end of this year? Stay tuned.

Thank you for joining for this countdown of “Top 10 Recruiters in Top Echelon in 2015.” These recruiters will receive awards for their production at the 2016 Top Echelon National Convention in Las Vegas this spring.

Early Bird Registration for the convention is still underway, so sign up today and join us in Vegas. The recruiters above will be there. They know how to make money in this Network, and they can show you how to do it.

Elvis Presley’s birthday was earlier this month! If he was alive, he would have been 81 years old.

Wait a minute . . . you mean he’s not alive? After all, people have spotted him all over the world since his (purported) death in 1977.

In face, WE just spotted Elvis recently! Well, okay . . . we didn’t really spot him. We sort of spotted him.

What we spotted was “Elvis-podi.” What the heck is that? I’m glad you asked.

Elvis-podi is a combination of Elvis Presley and Drea Codispoti. One was a singer, actor, and one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. The other is the Director of Network Operations for Top Echelon. I’ll let you figure out which is which.

Anyway, Elvis-podi has a special message for Top Echelon Network members. Specifically, he wants recruiters to attend the upcoming National Convention in Las Vegas, and he has three BIG reasons why they should!

Below are a few more facts about the National Convention:

• The dates are Tuesday, April 19, and Wednesday, April 20.
• The cost of Early Bird Registration is just $295 per person.
• The main speaker will be Greg Doersching of Bullseye Mentor.
• The site will be the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino.

Yes, Elvis-podi wants recruiters to attend the National Convention, and for all we know, Elvis Presley wants you to attend, too. However, what’s important is that your trading partners want you to attend. They want to meet you, get to know you better, have some drinks and laughs together, and make money together.

The National Convention is not just a business trip, it’s a business development and relationship building trip.

Recruiters who attend these events do not regret attending these events. They’re glad that they went, and they look forward to attending more events. They make friends, they build business, and they make placements.

You don’t need Elvis for that . . . although Elvis-podi might just able to lend a hand.

Okay, there are plenty of interesting aspects regarding the largest Network recruiting fee in Top Echelon last month. Here are a few of them:

• The largest Network recruiting fee in December of 2015 was $68,600.
• That fee was NOT the largest fee in Top Echelon Network in 2015.
• The reason that it was not the largest fee is because the largest one was $78,750.
• Mary Anne Buckley, CPC of Interstate Recruiters Corp was part of both placements.

Those two placements helped Buckley crack the top 10 list of recruiters in the Network in terms of cash-in during 2015. (Of course, when the placement fees are that large, you’d have to expect that she would be among the cash-in leaders.)

Largest Network recruiting fee = big honking “half a loaf”

In fact, Buckley made five placements in the Network last year, and the smallest fee associated with any of them was $26,950. In these five instances, “half a loaf” is definitely better than no loaf at all.

At $68,600, that’s one big honking “half a loaf”!

If you have that desire and want to be a big biller in the Network, then I encourage you to to contact Top Echelon Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.

Congratulations to Buckley and McGinty, as well as to everybody else who enjoyed a great month of December in Top Echelon Network. We’re looking forward to even bigger and better things (and placement fees) in 2016!

— — —

Largest Split Fee of the Month:

Stephanie McGinty

Mary Anne Buckley, CPC

Mary Anne Buckley, CPC of Interstate Recruiters Corp and Stephanie McGinty of Ives & Associates, Inc.

The position for this split placement was a Director of Medical Affairs, Hermatology. Buckley was the job order recruiter, and McGinty was the candidate recruiter.

The action that stimulated this split placement was listed as, “Regular communication with a Top Echelon Network member.”

The fee for this split placement was $68,600.

— — —

Top Echelon determines the monthly and quarterly winners of its Network recruiting awards in four distinct categories, which are listed below:

1.) Recruiter of the Month
2.) Largest Split Fee of the Month
3.) Recruiter of the Quarter
4.) Largest Split Fee of the Quarter

The winners of these awards are only announced in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, usually (but not always) in the issue following the conclusion of each month and/or quarter.

I’m not going to mince words: we have some HUGE recruiter anniversaries in Top Echelon Network this month.

That’s because we have three firms that are celebrating an anniversary of 20 years or more. At the top of the list is Markent Personnel, which has been in the Network for 27 years. (Keep in mind that Top Echelon will be celebrating its 28th birthday in a couple of months.)

Then we have a silver anniversary with Adel-Lawrence Associates, which joined the Top Echelon Network 25 years ago. And if that wasn’t enough, Fitzpatrick Associates is right behind Adel-Lawrence, celebrating its 24th anniversary.

We can’t say enough good things about the recruiters in these firms, about their willingness to make split placements, about their commitment to the Network, and about their talent and expertise as executive recruiters.

Of course, we also want to congratulate the other firms celebrating recruiter anniversaries this month. They include three celebrating 10 years in TE and two more at the five-year mark. Their longevity is notworthy and their contributions are appreciated.

We want ALL recruiting firms in Top Echelon Network to succeed, and we want to recognize them for their achievements. Here’s to a great start to 2016 and to a great year for every single recruiter in this Network!

— — —

27-Year Anniversary

Markent Personnel in Portage, Wisconsin
Staff Members: Thomas L. Udulutch; Mark Udulutch, CPC; Kelly Kallungi; Kelly Zahn; Rhonda Pratsch; and Dawn Lochner
Agency Join Date: January 20, 1989
Placements: 214

— — —

25-Year Anniversary

Adel-Lawrence Associates, Inc. in Aberdeen, New Jersey
Staff Members: Larry Radzely and Rosemary Barbato
Agency Join Date: January 28, 1991
Placements: 99

— — —

24-Year Anniversary

Fitzpatrick & Associates in Canton, Ohio
Staff Members: Jim Fitzpatrick
Agency Join Date: January 1, 1992
Placements: 180

— — —

10-Year Anniversary

Tax Advantage Personnel, Inc. in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Staff Members: Larry Barlow
Agency Join Date: January 12, 2006
Placements: 20

JN Adams & Associates in Madison, Connecticut
Staff Members: Eric Berg
Agency Join Date: January 25, 2006
Placements: 31

M.J. Lupidi & Associates, Inc. in Middletown, Ohio
Staff Members: Mike Lupidi, CPC
Agency Join Date: January 25, 2006
Placements: 37

— — —

5-Year Anniversaries

Cube Management Port Charlotte, Florida
Staff Members: Wayne Cozad, Barry Backner, Lou Maki, Nancy Backner, Russ Lloyd, Gayle Donner, and Kristin Podelnyk
Agency Join Date: January 3, 2011
Placements: 6

Bulldog Recruiters, Inc. in Hudson, Florida
Staff Members: Cindy Szajkovics, Chuck Szajkovics, and Curtis Szajkovics
Agency Join Date: January 31, 2011
Placements: 19

Last year was a good year for recruiters in Top Echelon Network. As we announced last week, placements in the Network have increased in each of the past four years.

Job orders are abundant, companies are looking to hire, they have an urgent need to hire, and they’re willing to pay recruiters to find the candidates they want. Good news is good news, and we’re not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. (And I don’t even know what that means.)

While last year was also a good year for Regional Core Groups within Top Echelon Network, 2016 is shaping up to be an even better year. Why is that? Because we have more meeting scheduled with more recruiters who want to make more placements with their trading partners.

First up was the Florida Regional Core Group meeting, which was held on Friday, January 15, in Orlando. It was a great even, with over 20 Network recruiters on hand. These recruiters met each other face-to-face, networking and sharing hot job orders and candidates.

Do placements result when Top Echelon Florida recruiters meet? Of course they do, and they will! Placements always happen when TE recruiters meet one another.

Photos happen at these meetings, as well, and we have plenty from the Florida Regional Core Group meeting.

Our “Florida Regional Core Group” Photo Album!

Just like placements will happen when Florida recruiters meet, placements will also happen when Indiana recruiters meet. I say that because there will be a regional core group meeting in Indiana next month. This will be a meeting of the Midwest Regional Core Group.

Appropriately, the name of the meeting is the Midwest Mid-Winter Regional Core Group Meeting.

Click here for more information about this event.

As always, if you’d like to join one of the Network’s regional core groups or if you’re interested in starting one of your own, please contact me at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.