The 2012 Top Echelon Network National Convention is next week!  Specifically, it’s scheduled for Thursday, March 22, through Saturday, March 24, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn.

As you probably know, Top Echelon Network is represented well on the various social media websites, including Twitter.  As such, it’s common not only for us to tweet during special events like the upcoming National Convention, but it’s also common for the Preferred Member recruiters who attend such an event to tweet during it, too.

This makes sense, since we all want to share what we’re learning and experiencing.  However, to facilitate a more organized tweeting environment (if that’s even possible), I’d like to present the “Official Hashtag of the 2012 National Convention.”

First, that sounds more important than it actually is, which was by design.  And second, it’s easier to use than it sounds.

A hashtag is a tool within Twitter used to aggregate the conversation surrounding a topic, or in this case, an event.  You create a hashtag by combining the pound sign (#) with a word, acronym, or phrase.

As an example, this is the “Official Hashtag of the 2012 National Convention”:

#TENAT12

All you have to do is include this hashtag with every one of your tweets regarding the National Convention.  And you don’t have to actually be at the convention to do it.  You can use the hashtag even if you’re just tweeting your thoughts from the comfort of your own home . . . or while you’re at the office . . . or via your smartphone.

When I tweet this blog post, I’ll insert #TENAT12 at the end of my tweet.  Later, if you conduct a search in Twitter using #TENAT12, Twitter will find and present all the tweets that include that hashtag.  Once you do that, you can also view “Realtime” results for that hashtag.

So if you’re attending the convention, I look forward to seeing you there, and I encourage you to tweet heavily.  If you’re not attending the convention, shame on you, but I encourage you to tweet heavily, anyway.  (And as always, tweet responsibly.)

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330.455.1433, x125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
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During the past few weeks, we’ve been publishing the names of our 2011 Network Award Winners, specifically the Top Ten Producing Recruiters and the Regional Award Winners.  These Preferred Members will receive an award for their accomplishments, and if they attend the upcoming National Convention in Nashville, Tenn., they’ll receive their award in person and in front of their peers.

In the meantime, though, we’re going to wrap up our series of blog posts regarding the 2011 Network Award Winners by presenting the names of those recruiters who won Special Awards.  (You’ll notice that the name of the Network’s Top-Producing Recruiter for 2011 is mentioned frequently.)

Without further adieu, below are our Special Award Winners for 2011.

Highest Split Placement Fee of the Year
Denise Milano Sprung of Joseph Associates and Gail Williams of Williams Recruiting, Inc.

This placement was for a Head of Cancer Biology.  Milano Sprung was the job order recruiter, and Williams was the candidate recruiter.  The action causing this split placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with a Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiter in my specialty area.”  Login to the Members’ Area to view the total fee associated with this placement.

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Importer of the Year
Russell Schutt, CSP of Progressive Executive, Inc.

This award is for the recruiter who supplied the job order in the split placement situations that produced the greatest amount of cash-in revenue during the 2011 calendar year.  Login to the Members’ Area in order to view the overall cash-in revenue that Schutt earned last year, as well as the number of times he provided the job order in a split placement situation.

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Exporter of the Year
Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

This award is for the recruiter who supplied the candidate in the split placement situations that produced the greatest amount of cash-in revenue during the 2011 calendar year.  Login to the Members’ Area in order to view the overall cash-in revenue that Cameron earned last year, as well as the number of times he provided the candidate in a split placement situation.

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100 Career Placements
Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Cameron didn’t just eclipse the 100-placement mark, he shot past it in 2011.  In fact, he made a total of 26 Network placements during the calendar year.  Right now, his total stands at 116.  If he keeps making 26 placements per year, he’ll reach the 200-placement plateau fairly quickly.  Not only that, but he’s also closing in on $1 million cash-in for his Network career.  More awards await him.

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Highest Producing Agency
Cameron Craig Group

It’s probably not surprising that the Cameron Craig Group won this award, since this is Trey Cameron’s firm.  However, he wasn’t the only recruiter in the firm who generated revenue through the Network last year.  In addition to Cameron’s 26 placements, Gene McQueen made five placements.  The cash-in total from those 31 placements makes the Cameron Craig Group the Network’s Highest Producing Agency for 2011.

We’d like to congratulate ALL of our Special Award Winners, and we wish them continued success in Top Echelon Network in 2012!

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330.455.1433, Ext. 172
MDemaree@TopEchelon.com
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Here’s the great aspect of this week’s split placements in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog: some of the recruiters making split placements have made deals before, while others are making their first split placement with one another.

That, in a nutshell, is what Preferred Membership in Top Echelon Network is all about.

First, there’s the value of making split placements with the same Trading Partners over and over.  You know them, they know you, you know the routine, and you make the splits. Mo’ money, mo’ money.

Second, there’s the value of making split placements with NEW recruiters.  You’ve never made a split together before, so on one level, it’s new and exciting.  Not only that, but there’s the possibility that this new Trading Partner will become a regular Trading Partner, which means you could start making split after split with them, too.

Whether you’re making split placements with recruiters you’ve worked with for years or making them with recruiters you’ve just met, Top Echelon Network provides value to its Preferred Members—namely additional revenue for their recruiting firm.

Perhaps that’s the greatest aspect of making split placements in the Network: sweet, thirst-quenching revenue.  Ah . . . feels refreshing just thinking about it.

THIS WEEK’S COMPLETED SPLIT PLACEMENTS!

Job order recruiter: Georgette Sandifer of Gallman Consulting

Candidate recruiter: Larry Radzely of Adel-Lawrence Associates, Inc.

Job title: DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Fee Percentage—25%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiter

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Job order recruiter: Amy Simpson of The James Allen Companies, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Gene McQueen of the Cameron Craig Group

Job title: IT INTERNAL AUDITOR

Fee Percentage—25%

Action causing split placement: The job seeker or client was found through my Hiring Hook website.

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Job order recruiter: Shanda Davey of Management Analysis & Utilization, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: David Wick of Career Center of Cincinnati, Inc.

Job title: RECRUITER

Fee Percentage—12.5%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiter

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Job order recruiter: Kim Kirby of Balanced Career Solutions, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Debbi Reiger of Reiger Technical Search

Job title: SENIOR USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER

Fee Percentage—20%

Action causing split placement: Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiter

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If you’d like to see the amount of the fees associated with each of the split placements listed above, login to the Members’ Area and click on the profiles of the recruiters involved.  The fee totals will be included along with those split placements.

Remember, you can opt out of having your split placement highlighted.  Just send an email to marketing@TopEchelon.com indicating your desire to be left out.  Once you do so, you won’t be included in future installments of this feature.

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330.455.1433, x125
MDeutsch@TopEchelon.com
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
Follow Matt on Twitter.

Welcome to what might be the most scandalous edition of “‘Comments’ and Compliments” yet!  There’s talk of beer, dancing, and rock and roll!

Actually, we’re just exaggerating a bit—but it did get your attention.  As if splitting a hefty placement fee with another recruiter isn’t enough to grab your attention.  C’mon, who wouldn’t want to do that?

But of course, that’s not all (when IS it all?)  There’s also mention of the upcoming Top Echelon Network National Convention in this edition, and what a coincidence, since the convention will be held next week at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn.

That means Regular Registration for the convention is rapidly coming to an end.  You have until the end of the business day on Tuesday, March 13, to sign up for the convention at the Regular Registration price.  After that, you’ll have to pay the Late Registration fee.  Don’t do that.  Sign up now!

And as far as $9,000 in beer is concerned, we have no idea what you’re talking about.  Just know that if you do attend the convention, there’s a chance we might disavow knowledge of your existence.  You know, if it’s for the greater good and all.

Click here to register for the 2012 Top Echelon Network National Convention.  If you’d like  to recognize another recruiter for their efforts in a split placement situation (and maybe demand alcohol from them in the process), send your information to marketing@topechelon.com.  Your comments might be featured in an upcoming issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

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“Jim owes me about $9,000 in beer for this one.  The Nashville conference is coming up soon, right?”

Submitted by Alan Carty of Automationtechies.com regarding his split placement with Jim Folger of ONESource Technical

Position Title—SENIOR MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: this is the first split placement that Carty and Folger have made together in Top Echelon Network.)

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“Hoping his momma can dance and his daddy can rock and roll!”

Submitted by Steve Copeland of Albert Energy, LLC regarding his split placement with Chuck Szajkovics of Bulldog Recruiters, Inc.

Position Title—FIELD SERVICE ENGINEER
Fee Percentage—22.5%

(Editor’s note: this is the first split placement that Copeland and Szajkovics have made together in Top Echelon Network.)

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Remember, if you have compliments for a Trading Partner regarding a split placement, please email them to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

For years, The Cornerstone, the newsletter of Top Echelon contract staffing recruiters, was sent to the Preferred Members of Top Echelon Network.  The Cornerstone was eventually discontinued in favor of another newsletter, Contracting Corner, which is now published once a quarter.

However, we still run contracting statistics in select issues of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.  These statistics include Non-Split Contract Placements, Split Contract Placements, and Non-Recruited Placements, among others.

Below are the most recent statistics regarding contract placements made by Preferred Member recruiters, courtesy of Top Echelon Contracting.

Many of the Top Producers in Top Echelon Network have added contract staffing to their business model and have also taken advantage of the services provided by Top Echelon Contracting, the recruiter’s employer of record services.

For more information about the benefits of contract staffing and the services that Top Echelon Contracting provides, call (888) 627-3678, Ext. 2.