Well, we might not have three recruiting firms celebrating anniversaries of 20 years or more in Top Echelon Network during the month of February, but we do have one. That one is Pam American Search, Inc. in El Paso Texas, which has now been in the Network for 21 years.

We also have a 15-year anniversary in Quality Source Inc. of Ohio in Delray Beach, Florida. Debra L. Stitt, CPC of Quality Source has made 39 placements in the Network since she joined. (Her office was originally in Ohio before she moved to Florida. As Ohio residents, we don’t blame her.)

Also celebrating an anniversary is Albert Energy, LLC/fulltimeGiGs, run by the husband and wife team of Steve Copeland and Pam Copeland. Combined, the two of them have made a whopping total of 84 placements in just five years’ time. (And since they’re a husband and wife team, of course they joined the Network on Valentine’s Day!)

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

We’re excited for these anniversaries, and we’re optimistic about the success that Network recruiting firms can enjoy in 2016. Last year was a good one for Network recruiters, and we’re working to make this year even better!

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21-Year Anniversary

Pan American Search, Inc. in El Paso, Texas
Staff Members: Stephanie Caviness
Agency Join Date: February 27, 1995
Placements: 10

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15-Year Anniversary

Quality Source Inc. of Ohio in Delray Beach, Florida
Staff Members: Debra L. Stitt, CPC
Agency Join Date: February 28, 2001
Placements: 39

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10-Year Anniversary

ICONSTAFF in Haverhill, Massachusetts
Staff Members: Vito Chesky, Denise DeLongis, and Michael Fallon
Agency Join Date: February 28, 2006
Placements: 17

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5-Year Anniversaries

Albert Energy, LLC/fulltimeGiGS in St. Simons Island, Georgia
Staff Members: Steve Copeland and Pam Copeland
Agency Join Date: February 14, 2011
Placements: 84

Dunson & Associates, Inc. in Clayton, Ohio
Staff Members: Crystal Dunson Watson, Deborah Wills, and Ron Watson
Agency Join Date: February 17, 2011
Placements: 5

The Pursell Group, LLC in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Staff Members: Stacy Pursell
Agency Join Date: February 21, 2011
Placements: 4

On April 1, 2015, Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group had 303 placements in Top Echelon Network.

It’s now February 8, 2016, and Trey has 403 placements. That’s right, he’s made 100 placements in a span of 313 days.

Needless to say, that puts Trey at the top of our list of the Top 25 Recruiters in the History of Top Echelon. As you might imagine, this list is based on the number of overall placements made, not total cash-in. (Although Trey would be at the top of that list, too.)

So while we congratulate Trey for this latest achievement and for becoming the most successful recruiter in the history of Top Echelon Network, we also want to tip our hats to the other recruiters who comprise our Top 25 list.

Some of the recruiters below are still active in the Network, and some are not. The names of those who are not are italicized.

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Top 25 Recruiters in the History of Top Echelon

1. Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group—403
2. Bruce Ramstad of Ramstad Recruiting—308
3. Gary Silver of The Shay Group—239
5. Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.—229
4. Jim Bostic of The Bostic Group, Inc.—224
6. Dan Simmons, CPC of Continental Search & Outplacement, Inc.—188
7. Jerry Walter of Walter & Associates, Inc.—182
8. Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates—180
9. Dan Regan of Maxwell Marcus Corporate Recruiters—171
10. Lou Michaels of Lou Michaels Associates, Inc.—171
11. Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search—161
12. Kate Bell of Bell & Associates—157
13. Al Katz of First Search—152
14. Elvin Erickson of Erickson & Associates, Inc.—143
15. Donna Carroll, CPC of Systems Personnel—142
16. Allen Davis of SoftwareJobs.com, Inc.—140
17. Heidi Kay of Kay Concepts, Inc.—139 (four of those placements were with another Preferred Member firm)
18. Terry Rhodes of NewCareers—132
19. Richard Lechtenberg of Dick Berg & Associates—131
20. Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc.—131
21. Bill Williams—114
22. David Kersey of Kersey & Associates, Inc.—109
23. Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems—109
24. Johnny Winn of The Anchor Group—106
25. Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC—106

Everybody at Top Echelon would like to recognize Trey Cameron for becoming the first recruiter in the history of the Network to hit the 400-placement plateau, and we’d also like to congratulate everybody else on this list. Your accomplishments are impressive and your dedication is appreciated!

SELFLESS, BUT NOT SELFIE-LESS: Top Echelon Network member and top producer David M. Sgro, CPC of True North Consultants has helped to pioneer the “split placement selfie” in the Network. Now he’s taken a “National Convention split placement selfie” with Lyndsey Hurm of The Recruiting Pro, whom he met at the 2015 National Convention in Atlanta.

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Would it be overkill to call Dave Sgro a pioneer of sorts? Maybe, but we kind of specialize in overkill, so that’s what we’re going to do.

Sgro and Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC brought us the “split placement selfie.” Then they brought us the “split placement sales selfie.”

Now Sgro is back with the “National Convention split placement selfie”!

Sgro met Lyndsey Hurm of The Recruiting Pro at the 2015 Top Echelon National Convention, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. As a result of that meeting, Sgro and Hurm built a trading partner relationship.

As a result of that trading partner relationship, they recently made their first placement together!

It also happened to be Hurm’s first placement as a member of the Network. She and Sgro placed a SQL Developer last October. The candidate started, the guarantee period elapses, the placement check was sent, and Sgro and Hurm split the fee.

Then they took a “split placement selfie”!

That reminds me, Early Bird Registration for the 2016 National Convention in Las Vegas ends on Friday, February 12. That’s one reason you should sign up now, so you can take advantage of the Early Bird price of just $295 per person.

The other reason? Because you can make more split placements! Viva Las Vegas!

(To sign up for the 2016 National Convention with a credit card, login to the Members’ Area and locate the convention registration links in the left-hand side of the page. Click on the appropriate links and follow the instructions to submit the correct information.)

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If you’ve taken a “split placement selfie” with another Top Echelon recruiter and you’d like to share that “selfie” with the rest of the membership, send your photo and any accompanying information to marketing@topechelon.com!

Sometimes the Top Echelon Network member that takes weekly recruiter honors in TE has made 161 Network placements, and sometimes they’ve made 16 placements.

However, the reasons these recruiters win the Recruiter of the Week Award is the same: because they’ve exemplified exceptional attributes in their pursuit of excellence as a member of Top Echelon Network.

And for that reason, Melinda O’Neil of Enterprise Search Associates, LLC is Recruiter of the Week!

Relationships = recruiter honors

Is raw production the sole determining factor in the distribution of recruiter honors and awards in Top Echelon Network? Absolutely not.

Relationships form the foundation of all success in the Network. You can’t make split placements without building relationships, and you can’t make multiple split placements with the same trading partner without nurturing those relationships.

Melinda has built and nurtured a number of trading partner relationships in Top Echelon Network, and as you can see below, her efforts have paid off. In fact, just as we mentioned in our “‘Comments’ and Compliments” feature, Melinda and her trading partners are “looking forward to making more split placements.”

So congratulations to Melinda for her accomplishments and her Recruiter of the Week Award! We look forward to her enjoying even more success in 2016!

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Melinda O’Neil

Lloyd Shoemaker

“Excellent service from my trading partner Mindy O’Neil. First split with her, and I’m looking forward to many more. She is very professional, thorough, and persistent when it comes to finding the right candidate. Love her!”

Submitted by Lloyd E. Shoemaker of TriVista Professional Placement Services, LLC regarding his Network split placement with Melinda O’Neil of Enterprise Search Associates, LLC

Position Title—BUSINESS SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR – PROGRAMMER

Fee Percentage—22%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split placement that Shoemaker and O’Neil have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Debbi Reiger

“Debbi rocks! She is a pleasure to work with, and I’ve enjoyed working with her on several placements this year. Hope to do more splits with her in the future!”

Submitted by Melinda O’Neil of Enterprise Search Associates, LLC regarding her Network split placement with Debbi Reiger of Reiger Technical Search

Position Title—SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Fee Percentage—22%

(Editor’s note: This is the fifth Network split placement that O’Neil and Reiger have made together in Top Echelon.)

What is the litmus test for determining the success of a split placement?

No, this is not a trick question. You might say, “The placement fee, you idiot!” and you’d be right. (About the placement fee part, not the idiot part. Nice try.)

A split placement is really successful when both of the recruiters involved are looking forward to making more split placements with each other in the future. That’s because the only thing better than making one split is making multiple splits.

Making more split placements in TE

Who’s looking forward to making more split placements in Top Echelon? The Network members below, that’s who?

Not only did they make split placements recently, and not only are they excited about those placements and pleased with their experience, but they’re also looking forward to making more. And since they’re looking forward to it, they’ll be seeking opportunities to make it happen.

That’s what it means to be “split-minded.” It doesn’t mean you have two opinions. Or two brains. Or you’re a politician. It means you believe in split placements, you enjoy making them, and you want to make them.

If you want to make more of them, I encourage you to contact Top Echelon Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS at 330.455.1433, x156 or via email at drea@topechelon.com.

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Kerry Boehner

Cindy Jabaay

“Cindy is a great trading partner! She really listened to what my client needed and delivered exceptional candidates. I look forward to making more splits in 2016.”

Submitted by Kerry Boehner of KOB Solutions, Inc. regarding her Network split placement with Cindy Jabaay of Career Development Partners

Position Title—VIROLOGIST

Fee Percentage—22%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split placement that Boehner and Jabaay have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Bob Long

Greg Downs, CPC

“Greg came up with an excellent candidate for this very specific job opening. His wife already lived in the area, and the candidate was working out of state. Everything worked out for both the client company, the candidate, Greg, myself, and Top Echelon. This is the second placement we’ve made together. I look forward to doing more with you!”

Submitted by Bob Long of Executive Personnel Services regarding his Network split placement with Greg Downs, CPC of Downs Associates 

Position Title—MRO SOURCING MANAGER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the second Network split placement that Long and Downs have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Maria Hemminger

David Wick, CPC

“GREAT candidate for a hard position to fill! Filling a hard-to-fill job with an excellent importer on December 23 . . . BEST Christmas present! Thank you, Dave, for your help on this job.”

Submitted by Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC regarding her Network split placement with David Wick, CPC of Wick Jobs (Career Center of Cincinnati)

Position Title—PROCESS ENGINEERING SUPERVISOR

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the second Network split placement that Hemminger and Wick have made together in Top Echelon.)