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I’m excited to officially announce the full launch of the Certified Split Placement Partner (CSPP) Program, a major milestone in our ongoing mission to enhance the professionalism, performance, and potential of every recruiter in Top Echelon Network.

Top Echelon Network Membership Development Coordinator Drea Codispoti, CERS

Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS

As of today, the program is live. But even more importantly, the CSPP initiative is live in spirit—because it represents not just a feature, but a philosophy.

It’s a commitment to becoming the kind of partner others want to work with. The kind of recruiter who builds trust immediately, communicates clearly, follows through consistently, and engages proactively.

That’s what CSPP is all about and that’s what we’re inviting you to join.

Why CSPP? Why Now?

At Top Echelon, we believe success in recruiting (and especially in split placements) comes down to one thing: relationships. And the foundation of every great relationship is trust.

But here’s the challenge: in a network as large and diverse as TE, you may be working with new partners all the time. How do you build trust quickly when you’ve never collaborated before? How do you signal your reliability without months of working together?

That’s exactly the problem the CSPP Program was built to solve.

By creating a shared framework of standards, expectations, and values, we’re giving TE Network members the ability to accelerate trust from the very first connection. CSPP certification isn’t just a badge; it’s a signal. A signal that says: “I know the rules; I’ve invested in the Network; and I’m here to work professionally, respectfully, and effectively.”

Whether you’re a brand-new member just starting out, or a seasoned veteran with dozens of splits under your belt, CSPP levels the playing field. It ensures that when you see that badge on someone’s profile, you know what kind of partner they are, before you even pick up the phone.

The Four Pillars: Foundation of the CSPP Program

At the heart of the Certified Split Placement Partner Program are the Four Pillars of TE Network. These are not new ideas, but codifying them into the CSPP process helps ensure consistency and clarity for all members.

1. Quality

Quality means showing up with your best every time. Whether it’s a job order, a candidate submission, or a follow-up call, CSPP-certified members are expected to deliver with professionalism, accuracy, and reliability. This pillar reflects your personal brand and the reputation you build inside the Network.

2. Communication

Great splits fall apart without communication. CSPP emphasizes timely, transparent, and proactive communication. Certified members understand how to keep their partners informed, manage expectations, and maintain alignment throughout the placement process.

3. Trust

Trust is earned, but it can also be signaled. When you complete the CSPP training and pass the exam, you’re making a clear declaration: “You can count on me.” In a split placement world, that kind of confidence is very valuable.

4. Active Participation

Passive members don’t make placements. The most successful TE recruiters are the ones who show up consistently—posting jobs, submitting candidates, responding quickly, and engaging with others. CSPP teaches you how to be the kind of member others want on their team.

What You’ll Learn: A Look Inside the CSPP Program

The CSPP training experience is structured into six clear, focused learning modules:

Section 1 (Parts 1–3): TE Network Policies

Learn the guidelines, etiquette, and expectations that govern how we work together. Understanding the “rules of the road” is essential to navigating split partnerships smoothly. (Click HERE to review the TE Network Policies.)

Section 2: Partnership

Explore what a productive TE partnership looks like, and how to align goals and responsibilities with your split partners.

Section 3: Active Participation

Understand the tools, behaviors, and mindsets that lead to sustained success in the Network.

Section 4: Trust

Learn how to earn and maintain trust through consistency, honesty, and accountability.

Section 5: Communication

Discover practical strategies for keeping your partners informed, engaged, and confident throughout the recruitment cycle.

Section 6: Quality

Dive into what “quality” really means in the context of job orders, candidate submissions, and process management.

At the end of each section, you’ll complete a short quiz to reinforce your learning. A score of 80% or higher on all quizzes is required to earn your certification.

Your Badge of Trust and Excellence

Once certified, your Recruiter Profile in TE Network will proudly display a “Certified Split Placement Partner” badge directly beneath your photo.

This isn’t just for show. It’s a trust accelerator. It tells other members:

  • You’ve invested in your own development.
  • You understand the standards of the Network.
  • You’re ready to collaborate with clarity and confidence.

And let’s be honest: in the world of recruiting, anything that gives your partners greater confidence in you is a competitive advantage.

Real Impact: Why CSPP Means More Placements

We didn’t create CSPP as a feel-good initiative. We created it to solve real problems and to drive real results.

Here’s what happens when more members become certified:

  • Faster deals – Less time spent “figuring each other out.”
  • Better submissions – Clarity on expectations = better candidate alignment.
  • Stronger partnerships – Trust is built-in from the start.
  • Fewer misunderstandings – Everyone’s working from the same playbook.
  • Higher earnings – Less friction, more productivity, and more closed deals.

CSPP helps eliminate the speed bumps and communication breakdowns that often derail split placements. When you and your partner are aligned from day one, there’s nothing stopping you from making the match.

How to Get Started

The CSPP Program is now live and you can access the test by clicking the link below. You can begin your training, take the test, and earn your badge today.

Get Certified Today!

The process is streamlined, and you can complete it at your own pace. Whether you knock it out in one afternoon or tackle it over several days, the outcome is the same: a powerful step forward in your TE Network membership.

The Future of the Network Starts Here

CSPP isn’t just about you; it’s about all of us. It’s about building a network that operates with greater trust, respect, and reliability. It’s about raising the bar for what it means to be a Top Echelon recruiter.

When more members earn their CSPP certification, we all win. We close more deals. We build better relationships. We strengthen the foundation of our shared success.

So I’ll leave you with this:

  • Are you ready to lead by example?
  • Are you ready to maximize your potential as a TE Network member?

Then it’s time to get certified.

Let’s raise the bar. Let’s build something better. And let’s make more placements.

See you in certification!

There are some big recruiting fees in this issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog!

Top Echelon Content and Communications Manager Matthew Deutsch

Matthew Deutsch

There is, of course, the largest split fee of the week. That honor goes to Jeff Katz of JSK Recruiting and Thomas Trese of Tom Trese Networking, LLC. Jeff and Thomas placed a Procurement Packaging Manager to earn a fee of $41,400 at 23%!

In addition, of the 12 split placements listed below, 10 of them commanded fees of $20K or more. That’s roughly $10K per member (or more), even after Top Echelon’s 6% brokerage fee.

And who couldn’t use $10K right now? Everybody could use it, that’s who, so let’s maximize the resources of TE Network and make more placements!

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 June 30 through July 14, 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

— — —

Sara Alexandroff of Sterling St. James, Inc.

Sara Alexandroff

Pat Batchelor of Engineering Search Partners

Pat Batchelor

Job recruiter: Pat Batchelor of Engineering Search Partners

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

Job title: PES – SENIOR STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $29,025

Fee percentage: 27%

— — —

Paul Danowski of Grace Search Service, Inc.

Paul Danowski

Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc.

Veronica Snyder

Job recruiter: Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Paul Danowski of Grace Search Service, Inc.

Job title: EH&S SPECIALIST

Overall placement fee: $21,250

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Brad Dodge

James Grayem of James Grayem

James Grayem

Job recruiter: James Grayem of Jamie Graham

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: INFECTION PREVENTIONIST

Overall placement fee: $24,750

Fee percentage: 15%

— — —

Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Brad Dodge

Robert Litton of the Litton Resource Group

Robert Litton

Job recruiter: Robert Litton of Litton Resource Group

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: BREAST BIOPSY MAMMOGRAPHER

Overall placement fee: $20,160

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Gary Elias of Elias Associates, Inc.

Gary Elias

Clint Martz of A to Z Search Group

Clint Martz

Job recruiter: Clint Martz of A to Z Search Group

Candidate recruiter: Gary Elias of Elias Associates, Inc.

Job title: SAFETY ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $23,750

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Rich Grunenwald of Advisory and Consulting Services, LLC

Rich Grunenwald

Kristy Staggs of Byrnes & Rupkey, Inc.

Kristy Staggs

Job recruiter: Kristy Staggs of Byrnes & Rupkey, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Rich Grunenwald of Advisory and Consulting Services, LLC

Job title: WELDING SUPERVISOR

Overall placement fee: $17,680

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search, Inc.

Steve Kohn

Teresa Pernini of Pernini Legal, LLC

Teresa Pernini

Job recruiter: Teresa Pernini of Pernini Legal, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search, Inc.

Job title: NATIONAL COMMERCIAL TITLE INSURANCE UNDERWRITER

Overall placement fee: $14,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search, Inc.

Steve Kohn

Connie Dorigan of Dorigan & Associates

Connie Dorigan

Job recruiter: Connie Dorigan of Dorigan & Associates

Candidate recruiter: Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search, Inc.

Job title: FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $27,500

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

David Manns of Access Staffing

David Manns

Nick Stoia, CPC of ASAP Search & Recruiters

Nick Stoia, CPC

Job recruiter: Nick Stoia, CPC of ASAP Search

Candidate recruiter: David Manns of Access Staffing

Job title: APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT CHEMIST

Overall placement fee: $20,900

Fee percentage: 22%

— — —

Angela Marasco of A. Marasco Recruiting, LLC

Angela Marasco

Tish Stanton of Triad Consulting, LLC

Tish Stanton

Job recruiter: Angela Marasco of A. Marasco Recruiting, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Tish Stanton of Triad Consulting, LLC

Job title: PRODUCT ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $22,500

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group

Michael Stuck

Doug Boyce of Priority One Search

Doug Boyce

Job recruiter: Doug Boyce of Priority One Search

Candidate recruiter: Michael Stuck of Gables Search Group

Job title: OPERATIONS/MANUFACTURING MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $28,750

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Thomas Trese of Tom Trese Networking, LLC

Thomas Trese

Jeff Katz of JSK Recruiting

Jeff Katz

Job recruiter: Jeff Katz of JSK Recruiting

Candidate recruiter: Thomas Trese of Tom Trese Networking, LLC

Job title: PROCUREMENT PACKAGING MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $41,400

Fee percentage: 23%

— — —

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.

As you may have noticed, we’re continuing to release quite a few updates and upgrades, both to our recruiting software and also to the Top Echelon Network software.

In light of all these updates, we recently promoted the Top Echelon Product Updates Page!

On that page, you can see the most recent updates and upgrades to our software. We break the updates into categories based upon the month that we’ve released them. Not only that, but we also supply an answer to the question, “What’s next?”

However, this week, I would like to remind you of another page related to our applicant tracking software and the Top Echelon Network split placement software.

That page is the Top Echelon Software Status Page.

We update this page if there is ever a service interruption regarding our software. This includes scheduled maintenance of our systems, which we do from time to time. When you visit this page, you can see there are five “Top Echelon Software Systems” listed:

  1. Recruiting Software
  2. Careers Page
  3. Job Posting Service
  4. Top Echelon Network
  5. Website Hosting

Ideally, what you want to see is the word “Operational” next to all of them. About 99% of the time, that is what they say. However, if there is an outage for any reason (once again, including scheduled maintenance), there will be information communicating the status of the situation and when the software will be fully operational and accessible again. There is even a history section, where you can browse through past incidents.

Like the Product Updates Page, the Top Echelon Software Status Page is designed to communicate the most important information to you, our customers. We want you to stay informed about our products and services, so that you can use those products and services to the best of your ability to generate more revenue for your recruiting agency.

If you have questions about these updates or about any other aspect of your Top Echelon Network and/or recruiting software account, you can:

→ Send an email to support@topechelon.com.

→ Visit our Help Center.

I have made it a point in my TE Network articles, trainings, webinars, phone conversations, and emails over the years to encourage members to pick up the phone and talk to one another.

That’s because “magic” can happen in a conversation. It allows people who are fighting the same battles every day to connect and find a way to work together towards success.

Yet, from time to time, when a Network member says, “We are not receiving a good response from the recruiter in regards to the candidates we sent over for their job,” my reflex and response is to ask “Did you call the recruiter before you started working the job?”

Sometimes there is a moment of silence. Sometimes there is a “Yes” and then I find out, which I usually do, that the “call” was actually an email conversation.

So in order to help everybody, I want to define the types of conversations that can occur in Top Echelon’s split fee recruiting network.

Speaking = A phone conversation. This is where you can establish rules regarding how you will communicate in the future while working on this job order and those to come.

Talking = A phone conversation and possibly an email dialogue.

Example: A candidate interview, sent via email

“Hey Sally, I scheduled Fred for a face-to-face on Friday @ 3:00 p.m. Regards, Drea.”

“Thank you, Drea. Let me know how it goes and if you need me to do anything. Regards, Sally.”

Ergo, Sally and I “talked” about an event.

Another example: I connect with my friends about playing music together. The operative word here is “together.” This denotes that we’re going to meet face-to-face and be in the same room.

“Joe, are you going to jam-nite at TJ’s on Thursday? If so, do you want me to pick you up?”

I could send that question via text, but it does not fit the definition of “talking.” It is simply a form of communication.

However, that form of communication is going to lead to “connecting,” which is the ultimate form of communicating within Top Echelon’s recruiter network. (As you might have already guessed, “talking” and “speaking,” as defined above, also fall into the category of communication.)

The bottom line is that communication between TE Network members needs to be of the highest quality possible. After all, Quality is one of The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network.

It doesn’t matter if you speak on the telephone, use email, use texting, or use all three. The quality of the communication must be high.

Don’t just “talk” or “speak” with other Network members. But connect with them in a meaningful way that will help your recruiting business and your agency to grow!

Top Echelon offers a free monthly webinar as part of its Expert Recruiter Coaching Series.

Top Echelon Content and Communications Manager Matthew Deutsch

Matthew Deutsch

These webinars touch upon a variety of recruiter-related topics. These topics deal with both job candidates and clients. As always, our goal with these webinars is to help agency recruiters and search consultants just like YOU make more placements.

We record these webinars for recruiters who can’t attend the live presentation, and we’re now pleased to offer the video from our most recent webinar by industry trainer and speaker Mike Lejeune.

The title of that webinar (and corresponding training video) is “Composed, Clear, and in Control: The New Standard for Recruiting Leaders.”

Below is the official description for this training video:

— — —

When pressure hits, great leaders create clarity—not chaos. In today’s recruiting world, high-stakes decisions, shifting client demands, and emotional fatigue are part of the job.

Mike Lejeune

Mike Lejeune

But the best leaders aren’t just technically sharp—they’re emotionally intelligent. They know how to pause before reacting, lead hard conversations without burning bridges, and create a tone that lifts performance instead of draining it.

And the next webinar video in Top Echelon’s Expert Recruiter Coaching Series will give you the mindset and tactical tools to lead with confidence, calm, and credibility. Recruiting industry trainer and speaker Mike Lejeune will show you how emotionally intelligent leadership not only sharpens your decisions, but builds the trust, focus, and resilience your team needs to thrive.

This is not about soft skills; it’s about strategic advantage. If you’re ready to level up your influence, steady your team in the storm, and lead with greater intention, this training video is your next step. What you’ll walk away with:

  • A simple, powerful framework for navigating pressure with clarity and composure
  • Strategies to build trust and reduce emotional friction on your team
  • Tools to shift from reactive leadership to purposeful influence
  • Language to model empathy, accountability, and calm in high-stress conversations

So roll up your sleeves and watch this FREE training video to learn all about “The New Standard for Recruiting Leaders”!

Watch this FREE training video!

 — — —

Recorded versions of our Expert Recruiter Coaching Series of webinars are posted on our website as free online recruitment training courses in the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Library.

Keep an eye out for the next free webinar in our Expert Recruiter Coaching Series!