This month, Top Echelon celebrates its 37th birthday.

In fact, our official birth date was March 8, 1988. That just happened to be the day that the first Pinnacle newsletter was distributed . . . to all 20 members of Nationwide Interchange Service.

Now, I haven’t been with Top Echelon for all 37 years. However, I have been with TE for a quarter of a century. Saying it that what, though, makes me sound old. So let’s just say that I’ve been with TE for 25 years. (As proof, the photo above was taken at a Top Echelon networking event in 1999.)

However, this anniversary isn’t just about looking back; it’s about looking forward. As we commemorate nearly four decades in the recruiting industry, we’re also excited to introduce a brand-new user interface (UI) for both TE Recruit and TE Network, reinforcing our commitment to continuous improvement and customer success.

A Legacy of Innovation and Relationships

For 37 years, Top Echelon has evolved alongside the ever-changing recruiting landscape. From the early days of phone calls and paper resumes to today’s digital and AI-powered recruiting tools, one thing remains constant—our dedication to simplifying the process so recruiters can focus on what truly matters: building relationships and making more placements.

The industry has transformed, and while technology has made certain aspects easier, it has also introduced new challenges. That’s why we continue to refine our solutions, ensuring that recruiters can work more efficiently and effectively.

Introducing a Modernized UI for TE Recruit and TE Network

Our latest milestone isn’t just about longevity; it’s about progress. We’re excited to unveil a modernized, intuitive user interface for TE Recruit and TE Network. This update reflects our ongoing mission to improve user experience by making workflows more seamless and efficient.

Built with direct customer feedback, the redesigned UI provides:

• A cleaner, more intuitive layout for easier navigation.
• Streamlined workflows to help recruiters save time and increase productivity.
• A consistent look and feel across TE Recruit and TE Network for a more unified experience.

This redesign underscores our commitment to delivering tools that adapt to recruiters’ needs, making their day-to-day operations smoother and more effective.

Listening, Adapting, and Evolving

Top Echelon’s evolution is driven by the voices of our users. Through multiple user conferences each year and ongoing feedback channels, we stay closely connected with recruiters to understand their challenges and requirements. These insights directly shape our product roadmap, ensuring that our updates and innovations are rooted in real-world recruiter needs.

We are constantly looking for ways to enhance efficiency, improve productivity, and ultimately, help recruiters succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

Expanding Partnerships and Integrations

No single tool can do everything, and we recognize the value of collaboration. That’s why we continue to expand our partnerships and integrations with complementary solutions, giving recruiters access to a broader ecosystem of tools designed to save time, automate tasks, and streamline workflows.

With these integrations, we empower recruiters with more resources, allowing them to focus on their core mission—connecting top talent with the right opportunities.

The Future of Recruiting Tech: What’s Next?

Innovation doesn’t stop here. We’re committed to staying ahead of industry trends, ensuring that our technology evolves to meet the changing demands of recruiting.

Our focus remains on balancing automation and AI-driven efficiencies with the human touch that makes recruiting so impactful. Future advancements will continue to enhance the recruiter experience, providing even more tools to improve efficiency while keeping relationship-building at the heart of the process.

Our Mission: Helping Recruiters Succeed

At Top Echelon, everything we do is centered around one goal—helping recruiters make more placements. Whether through TE Recruit, TE Network, or our expanding suite of tools and integrations, we remain dedicated to simplifying workflows, fostering collaboration, and driving success for recruiting professionals everywhere.

As we celebrate 37 years, we want to thank you—our users, partners, and the recruiting community—for your trust and collaboration. The journey continues, and we’re excited for what’s ahead. Here’s to the future of recruiting and the next era of innovation at Top Echelon!

Congratulations to Brad Dodge this week, who was part of five of the eight split placements featured in this issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog!

Not only that, but as TE Network celebrates its 37th birthday, Brad is on both the All-Time Cash-In Leaders List and the All-Time Placements Leaders List in the Network.

But wait, there’s more! Brad is also closing in on 200 TE Network placements during his tenure in Top Echelon.

So, there’s a lot to celebrate this week . . . not just for Brad, but for all members of TE Network!

As a friendly neighborhood reminder, here is the information that we publish with our placements:

• Names of the trading partners involved (with their profile photos, when available)
• Job title
• Overall placement fee (before TE Network’s 6% brokerage fee, of course)
• Fee percentage

Please note that the placements listed below reflect deals finalized in TE Network for the period from March 3 through March 9, 2025.

Remember, if you don’t want information related to your split placements published in The Pinnacle, please send an email to marketing@topechelon.com to that effect.

Congratulations to everybody below for the split placements they made in TE Network!

This Week’s Split Placements

— — —

Job recruiter: Pat Batchelor of Engineering Search Partners

Candidate recruiter: Sara Alexandroff of Sterling St. James, Inc.

Job title: ENTRY LEVEL STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $17,930

Fee percentage: 22%

— — —

Job recruiter: Nathan Gruen of Gruen Search Consultants, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: DIRECTOR OF ECOMMERCE – AMAZON

Overall placement fee: $24,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Jerred Hebert of Quest Energy Group

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $25,300

Fee percentage: 22%

— — —

Job recruiter: Larry Radzely of Larry Radzely

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: FIELD SERVICE ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $14,995.50

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Larry Radzely of Larry Radzely

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: FIELD SERVICE ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $15,385.50

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Steve Schroeder of Stratus Staffing

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: DIALYSIS RN

Overall placement fee: $1,173.56

Fee percentage: 10%

— — —

Job recruiter: Rhonda Dove of KB Search Team, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Brian Halford of Horan Hiring Solutions, LLC

Job title: MANUFACTURING ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $20,937.50

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Job recruiter: John Peterson of Sun Recruiting, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Teresa Pernini of Pernini Legal, LLC

Job title: PROCESS PROJECT ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $28,000

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

If you’re a newer TE Network member and you’d like to enjoy more success in our recruiter network, then I encourage you to contact Top Echelon Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS.

You can do so by calling 330.595.1742 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

Okay, so maybe we still prioritize cash-in over placements. But let’s not start throwing stones—after all, we’re guessing you probably do, too.

That being said, placements matter. A lot.

After all, without placements, there wouldn’t be any cash-in to prioritize in the first place. And today, in honor of TE Network’s 37th birthday, we’re recognizing the recruiters who have made more placements than anyone in the history of our Network.

Last year, to celebrate 36 years, we revealed the active placement leaders. This year, we’re thinking even bigger: The All-Time Placement Leaders.

These are the recruiters who have racked up a jaw-dropping number of successful placements over the years, proving that consistency, collaboration, and commitment lead to incredible results.

As you scan the list, you might notice some familiar names—many of these recruiters also appeared on our All-Time Cash-In Leaders list. Not surprising, right? More placements tend to lead to more cash-in.

Everybody on the list below has made at least 150 placements as a TE Network member, which is a remarkable feat. So let’s take a moment to celebrate these recruiting legends and their incredible contributions to our Network.

Here’s to them, and here’s to many more placements in all of our futures!

— — —

#20—Donna Carroll of Systems Personnel (150 placements)

#19—Keith Cornelison of Personnel Resources (153 placements)

#18—Kate Bell of Bell & Associates (157 placements)

#17—Al Katz of First Search, Inc. (159 placements)

#16—Dan Regan of Maxwell Marcus Corporate Recruiters (171 placements)

#15—Lou Michaels of Lou Michaels Associates, Inc. (173 placements)

#14—Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates (175 placements)

#13—Jerry Walter of Walter & Associates, Inc. (180 placements)

#12—Brad Dodge of iLocaum Recruiting (183 placements)

#11—Dan Simmons, CPC of Continental Search & Outplacement, Inc. (192 placements)

#10—Jim Bostic of The Bostic Group (221 placements)

#9—Jim Strickland of BioSource Recruiters (235 placements)

#8—Gary Silver of The Shay Group (239 placements)

#7—Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC (249 placements)

#6—Sean Napoles of Career Brokers, Inc. (270 placements)

#5—Bruce Ramstad of Bruce L. Ramstad (307 placements)

#4—Terry Rhodes of NewCareers (330 placements)

#3—Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search, Inc. (540 placements)

#2—Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group (542 placements)

#1—Trey Cameron of Cameron Craig Group (1,289 placements)

— — —

Remember, you can keep track of the Top Producers on a 12-month rolling basis in the Main Dashboard of the Members’ Area.

The top 10 recruiters can be seen on the left-hand side of the Members’ Area. You can also access the entire list by clicking the “See All Top Producers” link at the bottom of the list.

And now you can also reorder the list by the past month, the past year, or all time (which, incidentally, is how we created the list above). You can reorder the list by clicking the drop-down box in the upper right-hand side of the screen.

As you may already know, this is the Birthday Edition of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog! We’re turning 37 this year, and what better way to celebrate than by shining a light on the recruiters who have truly stood the test of time in Top Echelon?

Last year, for our 36th birthday, we revealed the top active cash-in leaders in the Network. This year, we’re taking it a step further by unveiling the All-Time Cash-In Leaders—the recruiters who have racked up the most cash-in dollars over the entire history of TE Network.

That’s right, we’re talking about the best of the best, the heavy hitters, the legends.

As you may also already know, we rank our recruiters based on cash-in dollars, not just placements. (Placements are great. We love placements. But let’s be honest—cash-in dollars are even better.)

The list below is arranged in descending order, so feel free to read it in your best Casey Kasem voice—or don’t. We’ll never know. And in the interest of posterity, active members are denoted in italics.

So happy birthday to us, happy birthday to YOU as an elite split placement network of recruiters, and congratulations to the all-time great recruiters on the list below!

— — —

#20—John Peterson of Sun Recruiting, Inc. ($1,113,981)

#19—Nick Stoia, CPC of ASAP Search ($1,114,135)

#18—Amy Chapman of Key People Staffing ($1,144,897)

#17—Jim Bostic of The Bostic Group, Inc. ($1,155,319)

#16—Gary Silver of The Shay Group ($1,175,954)

#15—Lawrence T. Ploscowe of EXEK Recruiters, Ltd. ($1,219,800)

#14—David Wood, CPC of The David Wood Company ($1,275,969)

#13—Pat McCombs, CPC of KB Search Team, LLC ($1,291,970)

#12—David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc. ($1,308,442)

#11—Dan Simmons, CPC of Continental Search and Outplacement, Inc. ($1,390,455)

#10—Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates ($1,441,533)

#9—Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting ($1,594,929)

#8—Bruce Ramstad of Bruce L. Ramstad ($1,756,450)

#7—Jim Strickland of BioSource Recruiters ($1,853,256)

#6—Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC ($2,162,036)

#5—Terry Rhodes, CPC of NewCareers ($2,408,279)

#4—Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc. ($2,447,292)

#3—Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group ($4,225,945)

#2—Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search, Inc. ($5,099,456)

#1—Trey Cameron of Cameron Craig Group ($10,394,054)

— — —

Remember, you can keep track of the active Top Producers on a 12-month rolling basis in the Main Dashboard of the Members’ Area.

The top 10 recruiters can be seen on the left-hand side of the Dashboard. You can also access the entire list by clicking the “See All Top Producers” link at the bottom of the list.

In addition, you can reorder the list by the past month, the past year, or all time. To reorder the list, click the drop-down box in the upper right-hand side of the screen.

This month marks a major milestone for Top Echelon as we celebrate 37 years of empowering recruiters with cutting-edge tools and technology. And what better way to celebrate than by launching a brand-new user interface for both TE Network™ and TE Recruit™!

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes, listening to your feedback, and refining our platform to deliver a fresh, modern look with enhanced usability. Now, the time has come to introduce you to a new and improved Top Echelon experience.

A Fresh Look for TE Network™

The all-new TE Network™ interface is officially live! You’ll notice a sleek, modern design and intuitive navigation that makes managing your recruiting workflow easier than ever. Plus, we’ve added a seamless toggle feature at the top of every page, allowing you to switch between the new and legacy UI at your own pace.

Enhanced Mobile Experience

For recruiters on the go, we’ve made significant improvements to the TE Recruit™ UI, ensuring a smoother mobile experience. The enhanced navigation and responsiveness make it effortless to manage your recruiting tasks from any device. Whether you’re in the office or out in the field, TE Recruit™ is now more accessible than ever.

Saying Goodbye to the Legacy UI

With overwhelmingly positive feedback on the new TE Recruit™ interface, we’re officially sunsetting the old UI on March 11. If you haven’t switched yet, now’s the time! Simply click the toggle link in the announcement bar to experience the future of recruiting management today.

Exciting New Integrations

Our latest update isn’t just about looks—we’re also introducing powerful new integrations to streamline your workflow and supercharge your recruiting efforts.

CallMantra Integration

Enhance your communication with candidates using our new CallMantra integration. This feature provides powerful calling and texting tools directly within TE Recruit™, including:

• Automated call and text logging
• Personalized outreach capabilities
• Built-in spam prevention

Want to see it in action? Schedule a demo or start your free trial with CallMantra today.

Dubb Integration

Take your candidate engagement to the next level with video communication! Our integration with Dubb’s video management platform allows you to:

• Record and send videos directly from TE Recruit™’s emailer
• Track video engagement with detailed analytics
• Use the Dubb Chrome extension for seamless video integration

Try a free trial or schedule a demo to explore the impact of video on your recruiting strategy.

Coming Soon: Beta Sequencing for Advanced Automation

We’re always looking ahead, and our next exciting feature—Sequencing—is on the horizon! This powerful tool will allow you to automate a series of actions with configured delays, perfect for creating seamless recruiting campaigns and internal workflows.

Want early access? Email beta@topechelon.com to join our beta program and help shape the future of automation in TE Recruit™.

There’s never been a better time to explore the new TE Network™ experience and TE Recruit™ UI. Whether on desktop or mobile, these enhancements are designed to streamline your workflow and make recruiting more efficient than ever.

Join us in celebrating 37 years of innovation—try out the new interface today and let us know what you think!

Cheers to the future of recruiting with Top Echelon!