Last week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, we reprinted the first message that Top Echelon founder Mike Kappel sent to the Network membership. That membership consisted of just 20 firms. The owner of one of those firms was Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems, a Charter Member of the Network.

Of those 20 recruiting firms that started with Nationwide Interchange Service (Top Echelon Network) in 1988, Steve Brody’s firm is the only one left. Because of that and many other reasons, Steve is the Recruiter of the Week in the Network!

Below is a partial list of Steve Brody’s accomplishments:

• In the recruiting profession since 1982
• 114 placements in Top Echelon Network
• Over $750K cash-in through the Network
• Recruiter of the Month winner in the Network (October of 2011)

Charter Member pearls of wisdom

Last year, we published “5 Things a Charter Member Can Teach Split Recruiters.” We were, of course, talking about Steve. Those five things were as follows:

1. No matter how long you’ve been a recruiter, you can make split placements.

2. No matter how long you’ve been a Network Member, you can make split placements with new trading partners.

3. Making split placements starts with a desire to make split placements.

4. No matter how much success you’ve enjoyed, praising another recruiter for their efforts is a great way to invest in your Trading Partner relationship.

5. The Four Pillars of the Network (Quality, Communication, Trust, Active Participation) aren’t a bunch of baloney; they serve as the cornerstone of success in this Network.

Praise for a job well done

And Steve does a great job of praising his split trading partners for the work they do to help him fill job orders and make split placements. In fact, examples of his praise are listed below. Steve has proven himself to be a model Network member . . . literally from the very beginning.

So Congratulations to Charter Member Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems, the Recruiter of the Week in Top Echelon Network!

— — —

“Gene did a great job of sourcing this candidate, checking references, and overall assistance with the placement process.”

Submitted by Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems regarding his Network split placement with Gene McQueen of the Cameron Craig Group

Position Title—AUDIT STAFF

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the fourth Network split placement that Brody and McQueen have made together in Top Echelon.)

— — —

“Jana and her team at Chicago Search once again did a great job in sourcing an exceptional candidate, checking references, and helping to facilitate all aspects of the placement process.”

Submitted by Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems regarding his Network split placement with Jana Haugh of Chicago Search Group

Position Title—SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

Fee Percentage—25%

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

March is a big month for anniversaries in Top Echelon Network, starting with the face that we’re celebrating our 29th birthday! And what better way to celebrate with a nice cup of coffee? (See above.) Why don’t you go get yourself a cup? I’ll wait . . .

But what about our Network members when it comes to anniversaries this month? Well, there are four Network firms that are celebrating anniversaries of 20 years or longer.

As you might imagine, the recruiters in those four firms have made a ton of TE placements over the years. In fact, the grand total is 360, an average of 90 placements per agency.

Celebrating placements AND longevity

And every March, Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems celebrates the same anniversary as Top Echelon Network. That’s because Steve has been with us since the beginning! Specifically, he’s been with us since March 8, 1988.

In addition to Steve, though, we want to congratulate David Kersey, Susan Lordan, and Debbie Harper for anniversaries their firms are celebrating this month. These recruiters have a ton of experience in the recruiting profession.

All told, those four recruiters have a combined 130 years in the profession. These recruiters deserve to be recognized as much for their longevity in recruiting as their longevity in the Network or their placements. Recruiting is not for the faint of heart. There’s no doubt that these recruiters are as tough (and as successful) as they come.

Congratulations to everybody celebrating an anniversary this month. Okay . . . what are you standing around for? Let’s make more split placements!

(Editor’s note: Top Echelon recognizes firms celebrating five, 10, 15, and 20-year Network anniversaries, plus any firm celebrating an anniversary in excess of 20 years.)

— — —

29-Year Anniversary

Steve Brody in Orange, California
Staff Members: Steve Brody and Stacie Miebach
Agency Join Date: March 8, 1988
Placements: 114

— — —

25-Year Anniversary

Kersey & Associates, Inc. in Brevard, North Carolina
Staff Members: David Kersey
Agency Join Date: March 6, 1992
Placements: 111

Lordan Associates in Clearwater, Florida
Staff Members: Susan Lordan
Agency Join Date: March 13, 1992
Placements: 72

— — —

23-Year Anniversary

Harper Hewes Executive Search & Recruiting in Rochester, New York
Staff Members: Debbie Harper, CPC/CERS
Agency Join Date: March 31, 1994
Placements: 63

— — —

15-Year Anniversary

7 Solutions USA in Kingston Springs, Tennessee
Staff Members: Ken Nunley
Agency Join Date: March 13, 2002
Placements: 38

Joseph Associates in Huntington, New York
Staff Members: Joe Nakelski
Agency Join Date: March 27, 2002
Placements: 23

— — —

5-Year Anniversary

DSS Staffing, LLC in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Staff Members: Mark Stein
Agency Join Date: March 12, 2012
Placements: 0

Lakeview Staffing Solutions, LLC in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Staff Members: Mike Ott
Agency Join Date: March 12, 2012
Placements: 4

Bartunek Group, Inc. in Overland Park, Kansas
Staff Members: Jeri Kling and Nisha Yaday
Agency Join Date: March 21, 2012
Placements: 31

True North Consulting, LLC in Fontana, Kansas
Staff Members: Deb North
Agency Join Date: March 28, 2012
Placements: 33

So . . . Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group hit the $4 million mark in Top Echelon Network in December. He was, of course, the first recruiter in the history of the Network to do so. Trey, the Recruiter of the Month for January, is now sitting at $4.4 million cash-in.

More importantly, though, Trey is also sitting at 583 career placements in Top Echelon Network. Is that also a record? Yeppers. So in the very near future, we’ll be congratulating Trey for his 600th Network placement.

In fact, it might be within the next month or so. That’s because Trey made 15 placements during February. Another 15 will not only result in another Recruiter of the Month award, it will also bring him to the doorstep of 600.

So it’s truly just a matter of time. And time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking into the future.

In the meantime, the Recruiter of the Week from last week, Jeff Katz of JSK Recruiting made an appearance on the list below. Specifically, he was the #5 recruiter for the month of February, with three placements and a cash-in total over $24,000. Not bad for somebody who joined the Network in September.

So congratulations to everybody else who made placements in Top Echelon Network last month! Below are the top five top-producing recruiters in Top Echelon Network for February 2017:

— — —

Recruiters of the Month:

1st Place: Trey Cameron
Agency: Cameron Craig Group
Placements: 15
Commission: $135,545

— — —

2nd Place: Sean Napoles, CPC
Agency: Career Brokers, Inc.
Placements: 6
Commission: $54,077

— — —

3rd Place: David M. Sgro, CPC
Agency: True North Consultants, Inc.
Placements: 4
Commission: $33,252

— — —

4th Place: Maria Hemminger
Agency: MJ Recruiters, LLC
Placements: 3
Commission: $25,615

— — —

5th Place: Jeff Katz
Agency: JSK Recruiting
Placements: 3
Commission: $24,393

— — —

If YOU are looking to make more placements with your Top Echelon Network membership, contact Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS by calling 330.455.1433, x156 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

When discussing contract staffing, you may hear the phrase “Employer of Record” and wonder what it means.

In general, this phrase refers to the entity that is the employer of a worker for tax purposes when that worker performs services at a different company. You may hear it more specifically referred to as the W-2 Employer of Record. That’s because this entity must issue W-2s to the employee. This entity also assumes responsibility for all of the traditional employment tasks and liabilities.

In a contract staffing situation, the Employer of Record is the contractor’s legal employer. This may be you as the recruiter. You can also outsource this responsibility to a third party known as a contract staffing back office.

Employer of Record for Recruiters

When you add contract staffing to your business model, one of the first things you need to determine is who will be the Employer of Record for your contractors. Are you going to do it? Or are you going to outsource it to contract staffing back office?

If you choose the “do it yourself” route, be aware. You’ll need significant time and resources to get set up (which can take several months) and to handle the ongoing tasks:

• Background checks and drug screenings
• Time sheet collection and tracking
• Payroll processing and funding
• Tax deposits and filings
• Employment contracts and paperwork
• Maintaining a Certificate of Insurance
• I-9 and E-Verify
• Unemployment Insurance
• Workers’ Compensation
• Contractor insurance package and benefits administration (health, dental, vision, life, 401k)
• Employee terminations
• Employee issues

Seem overwhelming? Remember, you don’t have to take on these responsibilities. A contract staffing back office can assume the tasks and liability. Not only that, but they can also have you up and running within hours, not weeks or months. You can IMMEDIATELY start accepting contracting job orders without any upfront financial investment or additional overhead.

Whether you become the Employer of Record for your contractors or you outsource those responsibilities, make sure they’re handled correctly. If not, you could face consequences at the state and federal level.