Not only do we have 16 Top Echelon Network split placements in this week’s issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, but we also have four members who made their very first TE split!

Those recruiters are:

1. Deborah Irvin of DC Tech, Inc.
2. Mike Cook of Frontline Resources Group, Inc.
3. Patrick King of Royalty Hospitality Staffing
4. Katrina Pankuch of Aspire Talent Solutions, LLC

We hope that these splits represent the beginning of a beautiful Top Echelon journey for these recruiters, as has been the case for countless Network members down through the years and decades.

Congratulations!

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

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

Please note that the placements listed below reflect deals finalized in Top Echelon Network for the period from July 29 through August 4, 2024.

Remember, if you don’t want information related to your Network 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 Top Echelon Network!

This Week’s Top Echelon Split Placements

— — —

Job recruiter: Cindy Sommer of SearchStars, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Zachary Anderson of Zaddy Solutions

Job title: LEAD AUTOMATION ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $21,000

Fee percentage: 15%

— — —

Job recruiter: James Clarke of Astra Resources, LLC (inactive)

Candidate recruiter: William DeAngelis of Crescent City Recruitment Group

Job title: REGISTERED NURSE

Overall placement fee: $15,692

Fee percentage: Flat

— — —

Job recruiter: Bruce Widnes of Bruce Widnes

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: APPLICATION ENGINEER – PARTICAL/SURFACE CHARACTERIZATION

Overall placement fee: $15,400

Fee percentage: 22%

— — —

Job recruiter: David J. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: AUDIT SENIOR

Overall placement fee: $25,000

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Job recruiter: Mike Cook of Frontline Source Group, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: MEAT MARKET MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $20,800

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Job recruiter: James Sullivan of Ethical Search Professionals, Ltd.

Candidate recruiter: Phil Hurd of Oculus Search Partners, LLC

Job title: PLANT MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $30,000

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Job recruiter: Charlie Schrauth of BSI Management Search & Consulting

Candidate recruiter: Jon Johnson of JSR Associates, LLC

Job title: SALES ENGINEER/ACCOUNT MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $30,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Josh Slimmer of Jericho HR Group

Candidate recruiter: Sarah Katz of First Search, Inc.

Job title: SENIOR COMPENSATION ANALYST

Overall placement fee: $20,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Deborah Irvin of DC Tech, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Sarah Katz of First Search, Inc.

Job title: CHIEF ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $30,000

Fee percentage: 15%

— — —

Job recruiter: Doug Boyce of Priority One Search

Candidate recruiter: Patrick King of Royalty Hospitality Staffing

Job title: DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Overall placement fee: $32,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Kerry Boehner of KOB Solutions, Inc.

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

Job title: SCIENTIST

Overall placement fee: $21,000

Fee percentage: Flat

— — —

Job recruiter: Elizabeth Henderson of Horan Hiring Solutions, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Michael Mabry of Sora Resource Group, LLC

Job title: PLANT MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $33,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Jeff Katz of JSK Recruiting

Candidate recruiter: Patrick Novick of Metro Associates

Job title: MAINENTANCE MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $25,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Doug Boyce of Priority One Search

Candidate recruiter: Katrina Pankuch of Aspire Talent Solutions, LLC

Job title: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $25,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Alan Daum of Alan N. Daum & Associates, Inc.

Candidate recruiter: Mike Pettit of Channel Personnel Services, Inc.

Job title: AUTOMATION ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $21,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Jason Kaminsky of bizjobz, LLC

Candidate recruiter: Debra Wilkens of The Monroe Agency

Job title: SENIOR PARALEGAL

Overall placement fee: $11,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

If you’re a newer 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.

What goes with “Top Echelon’s Epic 95 Days of Summer”? Epic split placement fees, that’s what!

And we have some in this issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog! In fact, we have the Largest Split Fee of the Month in Top Echelon for the month of July.

Responsible for that fee are David Wood, CPC of The David Wood Company and Steve Copeland of fulltimeGiGS/Albert Energy, LLC.

David and Steve placed a Chief Financial Officer at 25% to generate an impressive fee of $62,500. That fee might just be in the running for the largest split fee of the quarter . . . or maybe even for the year!

As a friendly reminder, Top Echelon determines the monthly and quarterly winners of its Network split fee recruiting awards in four distinct categories:

1.) Recruiter of the Month
2.) Largest Split Fee of the Month
3.) Recruiter of the Quarter
4.) Largest Split Fee of the Quarter

We only announce the winners of these awards in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog. We do so usually (but not always) in the issue following the conclusion of each month and/or quarter.

So congratulations to everybody on the list below for scoring some BIG placement fees during the month!

Largest Split Fees – July 2024

— — —

First Place:

David Wood, CPC of The David Wood Company and Steve Copeland of fulltimeGiGS/Albert Energy LLC

The position for this split placement was a Chief Financial Officer and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 25%.

David was the job order recruiter and Steve was the candidate recruiter.

The fee for this split placement was $62,500.

— — —

Second Place:

Russ Hovendick of Client Staffing Solutions, Inc. and Sarah Katz of First Search, Inc.

The position for this split placement was a Plant Manager and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 22%.

Russ was the job order recruiter and Sarah was the candidate recruiter.

The fee for this split placement was $44,000.

— — —

Third Place:

Elizabeth Henderson of Horan Hiring Solutions, LLC and Michael Mabry of Sora Resource Group, LLC

The position for this split placement was a Plant Manager and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 20%.

Elizabeth was the job order recruiter and Michael was the candidate recruiter.

The fee for this split placement was $33,000.

— — —

Fourth Place:

Doug Boyce of Priority One Search and Patrick King of Royalty Hospitality Staffing

The position for this split placement was a Director of Human Resources and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 20%.

Doug was the job order recruiter and Patrick was the candidate recruiter.

The fee for this split placement was $32,000.

— — —

Fifth Place:

James Sullivan of Ethical Search Professionals, Ltd. and Phil Hurd of Oculus Search Partners, LLC

The position for this split placement was a Plant Manager and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 25%.

James was the job order recruiter and Phil was the candidate recruiter.

The fee for this split placement was $30,000.

— — —

If YOU want to make more money through Top Echelon’s recruiter network, then contact Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS.

You can reach Drea by calling 330.595.1742 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting has been “on fire” as a member of Top Echelon Network recently. (Figuratively and not literally . . . as far as we know.)

So it should come as no surprise that Brad is the Recruiter of the Month in the Network for the month of July!

However, as you can see below, other recruiters certainly earned a hefty return on their monthly investment in Top Echelon’s recruiting network. While the monthly membership fee is $150, the cash-in numbers below certainly dwarf that number from a business perspective.

In addition, below is the information that we include with the Recruiter of the Month feature in Top Echelon Network:

1. The top five (5) recruiters for the month.
2. The cash-in total for each recruiter during the month. (We base the order of the recruiters on their amount of cash-in dollars, as opposed to the number of split placements they’ve made.)
3. The number of splits that the recruiters made during the month.
4. The number of splits each recruiter has made during their Network career.
5. Each recruiter’s cash-in total for their Network career.

With this format, it’s more likely that there will be ties among recruiters, especially with those Network members who have made split placements with each other.

Congratulations to the recruiters listed below . . . and congratulations to every Network member who made a split placement (or multiple splits) during the month!

Recruiters of the Month – July 2024

— — —

First Place:

Recruiter: Brad Dodge
Agency: iLocatum Recruiting
Placements: Nine (9)
Cash-in total: $72,253.10
Career Top Echelon placements: 163
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $1,246,991.07

— — —

Second Place:

Recruiter: Sarah Katz 
Agency: First Search, Inc.
Placements: Four (4)
Cash-in total: $51,183.00
Career Top Echelon placements: 29
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $307,624.16

— — —

Third Place:

Recruiter: David Wood, CPC 
Agency: The David Wood Company
Placements: Two (2)
Cash-in total: $40,655.00
Career Top Echelon placements: 115
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $1,239,594.94

— — —

Fourth Place:

Recruiter: Russ Hovendick
Agency: Client Staffing Solutions, Inc.
Placements: Two (2)
Cash-in total: $34,192.50
Career Top Echelon placements: 26
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $267,858.00

— — —

Fifth Place:

Recruiter: Steve Copeland
Agency: fulltimeGiGS/Albert Energy LLC
Placements: One (1)
Cash-in total: $29,375.00
Career Top Echelon placements: 62
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $512,992.38

— — —

If YOU want to make more money through Top Echelon’s recruiter network, then contact Director of Network Operations, Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS.

You can reach Drea by calling 330.595.1742 or by sending an email to drea@topechelon.com.

We’ve been announcing Top Echelon Hall of Fame inductions fast and furious during our “Epic 95 Days of Summer,” and we have four more announcements to make this week!

Another four individual recruiters have qualified for induction into our Hall of Fame. And you’re probably wondering who they are, so without further adieu, below is a list of this week’s inductees!

1. Michael Agen of New Solutions Group
2. Bob White of Impact Solutions, Inc.
3. Keith Cornelison of Personnel Resources
4. Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc.

We’re rapidly reaching the midway point of our HOF inductees for this year. Of course, since this is the first class we’ve ever had, the first one is expected to be large.

Next year’s class will be smaller, but will still be filled with successful, split-minded recruiters who leveraged the resources of Top Echelon Network to increase their billings and grow their business!

— — —

— — —

QUICK STUDY: Perhaps no recruiter has enjoyed as much success in Top Echelon Network as quickly as Michael Agen of New Solutions Group.

Michael joined the Network in October of 2016. A little over five years later, he made his 100th split placement in Top Echelon. Nearly three years after that, he now has 117 Network splits.

Michael is an executive recruiter with more than 35 years of Healthcare sales and operations management experience. Top Echelon Network has been a factor in his success, helping him to fill his clients’ open job orders with top-notch candidates.

“As an agency, and as a recruiter with 20+ years in Healthcare recruiting, my sweet spot is customer acquisition and retention,” said Michael. “Joining TE has allowed me to be an importer of candidates and has worked out very well. I am 100% in [as a Top Echelon member.]”

Michael had been working as an executive recruiter for 15 years before joining Top Echelon Network. Since the beginning of his membership, he has recognized the value of split placements and how they can generate additional revenue for his agency.

“I can say that as an organization, [Top Echelon is] top notch . . . I have been in business for 20 years and have well-established clients, so I am primarily an importer of candidates,” said Michael. “Having access to TE partners who are willing to source quality candidates for my jobs has significantly increased my activity and placements. It’s pretty simple math: 47% of three placements is better than 100% of one.”

We at Top Echelon are pleased to announce the induction of Michael Agen into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class!

— — —

— — —

WHAT ABOUT BOB: What about Bob? That’s a great question!

Bob White of Impact Solutions, Inc. is a quick study, similar to the recruiter we inducted into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame yesterday: Michael Agen of New Solutions Group.

Bob joined Top Echelon in May of 2018, and since that time, he’s compiled 106 TE placements, which is a rather impressive feat.

One of the mental obstacles that some new Network members must conquer is the belief that other recruiters operating in their niche are competition. While that might have been the case before joining Top Echelon, it certainly is not once they become a member.

“Our perspective has completely changed,” said Bob. “In our 25 years of existence before joining the network, we never made a split placement, as we just did not trust our clients and candidates to other recruiting firms that we felt were our competition.”

Bob no longer views other Top Echelon Network recruiting firms that work in his industry and niche as competition. Instead, he sees them as trusted trading partners helping him to grow his business, including in areas that are technically outside of his areas of expertise (Engineering, Manufacturing, and Information Technology).

“The best example we can give is a company we had called for years that never wanted to work with us because they were satisfied with their current recruiters,” said Bob. “Then, a few years ago, they gave us searches because the current recruiting firms they were using could not provide the candidates they wanted. Both positions were outside our niche, so we did not have candidates for the positions. In the end, we filled both positions through the Network. Now, the client only wants us to work with us and no longer works with the other recruiting firms they have in the past.”

Bob and his agency have come a long way since he was skeptical of the value that membership in a recruiting network could offer to him. However, like many before him, he’s a believer in Top Echelon Network and in split placements.

“Trust the network and make the network a priority,” he said. “Go all in and see what works for you and your firm. You have nothing to lose.”

So THAT is what about Bob . . .

We at Top Echelon are pleased to announce the induction of Bob White into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class!

— — —

— — —

BLIND TRUST: During Top Echelon’s rich history, there have been many recruiters who had to be convinced that the split placement model would work, and not only that, but could also work for them and their agency.

You can count Keith Cornelison of Personnel Resources in Tipp City, Ohio among them.

Keith, who specializes in the Healthcare industry, made his first split placement in Top Echelon’s recruiting network in 2017. Since then, he’s made a total of 148 TE splits in a little over seven years, an impressive run of success.

In fact, Keith is one of the fastest-ever to reach 100 split placements within Top Echelon Network, doing so in five years. Michael Agen of New Solutions Group also accomplished this feat. However, Keith has now outpaced Michael, making 148 splits in seven years to Michael’s 117.

The goal now? Keith wants to reach 200 TE placements by 2027, which would make him the fastest-ever recruiter to reach that mark within their first 10 years of Network membership.

In discussing his success, Keith indicated that Top Echelon Director of Network Operations Drea Codispoti, CPC/CERS was instrumental in convincing him to join the Network.

“I remember the first time Drea approached me about being in TE to do splits, but I was very hesitant,” said Keith. “I had been burnt by a split placement situation before. But I was already using the [Big Biller] software for years and he suggested giving membership a try.”

Keith went from being cynical about Network membership to fully embracing it, leveraging Top Echelon’s resources to grow his business. And the philosophy that he’s used to do so—and continues to use—is simple, but effective.

“I treat my trading partners’ candidates the way I’d want my candidates to be treated,” said Keith, who operates as an importer in the Network.” (An importer works the client side of a split placement situation and “imports” candidates from their trading partners for consideration.)

“My partners know that when they send me a candidate, I’m on it. They trust that I know what needs to be done to get their people hired.”

Trust is one of The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network (along with Quality, Communication, and Active Participation). Keith exercised trust to join TE and it continues to play an integral role in his success within the Network.

“I’m glad that Drea talked me into joining [the Network], because 47% of something is better than 100% of nothing.”

We at Top Echelon are pleased to announce the induction of Keith Cornelison into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class!

— — —

— — —

HIGH STANDARD: Quite a few of the recruiters who we’ve inducted into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame so far could be categorized as “old-school, dyed-in-the wool” headhunters who operated a desk before the advent of social media and smartphones.

Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc. in Amherst, New York also fits into that category.

Colleen was most definitely a top producer in Top Echelon’s recruiting network. She made 131 placements during her time as a member.

In addition, Colleen was in the recruiting profession for over 30 years. The profession changed dramatically during that time, but she changed along with it, adapting and evolving while still maintaining high levels of production.

Colleen once quit the Network—and recruiting—to pursue another business venture. Then she came back to recruiting—and to Top Echelon. Not surprisingly, she picked up right where she left off, making placements right away. Colleen believed in Top Echelon Network, her split partners, and split placements.

According to Top Echelon President Mark Demaree, Colleen embraced all of the philosophies of the Network, embodied the spirit of networking, and was committed to her membership and to her TE trading partners.

“Colleen Switala exemplified the best of what Top Echelon was during her tenure in the Network,” he said. “She set a high standard for what it meant to be a Top Echelon Network member.”

We at Top Echelon are pleased to announce the induction of Colleen Switala into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class!

— — —

Be sure to check The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog—as well as Top Echelon’s official LinkedIn account—for future announcements regarding 2024 inductees into Top Echelon’s Hall of Fame!

We inducted Larry Ploscowe of EXEK Recruiters, Ltd. into the Top Echelon Hall of Fame just a few weeks ago.

And now Larry has another reason to celebrate: his agency is marking its 31st anniversary as a member of Top Echelon’s recruiting network!

EXEK Recruiters is one of 35 recruiting agencies celebrating a TE anniversary during the month of August. Counting Larry’s agency, five of those firms have been in the Network for 20 years or longer.

When recognizing Network agencies for their anniversaries, Top Echelon includes the name of the agency; the length of the anniversary; and the location of the agency, including the city and state.

So congratulations to all of the agencies celebrating anniversaries in our split fee recruiting network during the month of August!

— — —

31-Year Anniversary

• EXEK Recruiters, Ltd. in Rochester, NY

— — —

26-Year Anniversary

• Career Search Associates in Des Moines, IA

— — —

24-Year Anniversary

• Telequest Communications, Inc. in Mahwah, NJ

— — —

23-Year Anniversary

• Knowhirematch, LLC in San Diego, CA

— — —

22-Year Anniversary

• Welsh & Associates, Inc. in Kalamazoo, MI

— — —

19-Year Anniversary

• MJ Recruiters, LLC in Tiffin, Ohio

— — —

17-Year Anniversary

• Eric V. Stearley, CPC & Associates in Brazil, IN
• One Source Technical, Inc. in Solon, OH
• Ron Sunshine Associates, LLC in Frisco, TX

— — —

12-Year Anniversary

• Top Dog Recruiting in Williamsburg, VA

— — —

11-Year Anniversary

• Management Performance Associates in La Quinta, CA

— — —

10-Year Anniversary

• Brian Dussault in Woburn, MA
• JC2 Technologies in Seabrook, TX

— — —

9-Year Anniversary

• The Hastings Group in Jacksonville, NC

— — —

8-Year Anniversary

• ConcreteCareers.com in Atlanta, GA
• Mackie Search, LLC in Delphos, OH

— — —

7-Year Anniversary

• C. H. Thomas Search, LLC in Omaha, NE
• Sterling St. James, LLC in Liberty, MO

— — —

6-Year Anniversary

• Innovative Search Solutions in Cleveland/Akron, OH

— — —

5-Year Anniversary

• Dimensions Professional Search in Greenville, NC
• Litton Resource Group in Pineville, NC
• Provision People in Jersey City, NJ

— — —

4-Year Anniversary

• Agile 4 Solutions in Lakewood, CO
• Bob Jones in Camby, IN
• Oculus Search Partners, LLC in Lexington, MA
• Precise Resource, Inc. in Westerville, OH

— — —

3-Year Anniversary

• Ashford Connex, LLC in Bloomfield Hills, MI
• EnTech Resources, LLC in Cumming, GA
• Wilson James in Greenville, SC

— — —

2-Year Anniversary

• Quest Energy Group in Katy, TX
• Resource Squared in Columbus, OH

— — —

1-Year Anniversary

• AKP Recruiting in Billings, MT
• Divergent Talent, LLC in Rahway, NJ
• GETS Partners | Global Executive & Technical Search in Miami Beach, FL
• Pillar Staffing Solutions in San Bernardino, CA

— — —

Thank you to all of these agencies and to the many others that have joined Top Echelon Network over the years. We look forward to many more anniversaries and split placements in the years ahead!