There’s more good news to share from TE Network, as members continue to demonstrate the value of recruiter collaboration through successful split placements!

First, congratulations to Pam Petitpren of PRA USA and David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc. on their recent split placement of an IT – Infrastructure Manager. The placement generated a $34,000 split placement fee at 20%, highlighting the opportunities that can arise when recruiting professionals combine their expertise, candidate relationships, and industry connections.

This accomplishment is another example of how TE Network helps recruiters work together to fill critical positions, expand their reach, and generate additional revenue through split placements.

We’re also excited to recognize Maggie Duckstad of SmartTech Staffing Partners, who recently celebrated her first placement in TE Network! Reaching this milestone is an exciting achievement and an important step in building a successful track record of Network participation.

Congratulations to Pam, David, and Maggie on their accomplishments. Their success reflects the collaborative spirit of TE Network and the opportunities available when recruiters connect, share resources, and work toward a common goal.

As a friendly neighborhood reminder, here is the information that we publish with our split 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 October 26 through November 1, 2026.

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.

Once again, congratulations to everybody below for the split placements they made in TE Network!

This Week’s Split Placements

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Overall placement fee: $14,760

Fee percentage: 18%

— — —

Job recruiter: Brendan Smith of Southern Staffing Group

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIAN

Overall placement fee: $16,016

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Anthony Ferrara of Twelve09 Executive Placement

Candidate recruiter: Brad Dodge of iLocatum Recruiting

Job title: PROJECT ENGINEER

Overall placement fee: $27,500

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Job recruiter: Wayne Miller of THR Partners

Candidate recruiter: Maggie Duckstad of SmartTech Staffing Partners

Job title: PROJECT ENGINEER – VENTILATION HOOD

Overall placement fee: $27,500

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Christopher Hollinger of Elevate Direct

Job title: WAREHOUSE MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $26,250

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Job recruiter: Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC

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

Job title: PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Overall placement fee: $14,040

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

Job recruiter: Pam Petitpren of PRA USA

Candidate recruiter: David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc.

Job title: IT – INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER

Overall placement fee: $34,000

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Brendan Smith of Southern Staffing Group

Candidate recruiter: Thomas Trese of Tom Trese Networking, LLC

Job title: FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIAN

Overall placement fee: $14,144

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Brendan Smith of Southern Staffing Group

Candidate recruiter: Thomas Trese of Tom Trese Networking, LLC

Job title: FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIAN

Overall placement fee: $22,048

Fee percentage: 20%

— — —

Job recruiter: Clint Martz of A to Z Search Group

Candidate recruiter: Lisa Vella Puff of L.V. Enterprises

Job title: INTERNATIONAL TRADE SPECIALIST

Overall placement fee: $28,750

Fee percentage: 25%

— — —

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

Candidate recruiter: Lisa Vella Puff of L.V. Enterprises

Job title: SENIOR DESIGNER – CHARACTER LICENSED CHILDRENSWEAR

Overall placement fee: $23,400

Fee percentage: 18%

— — —

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.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

The only thing better than split recruiting fees are big split recruiting fees. And those are exactly what we have in this issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog!

Specifically, we have the biggest split recruiting fees in TE Network for the month of October. In case you were wondering the biggest of the big fees for the month totaled $41,250.

The recruiters responsible for earning this fee are Adam Krueger of Sun Recruiting, Inc. and Irina Kirnos of Executive Placement Network. Adam and Irina placed a Commercial Operations Accounting Manager to earn their large fee at 25%.

However, there are other big split fees listed below, so I encourage you to peruse them and make plans to join them before we publish the largest split fees in the Network for November. (Are we challenging you? Of course we are!)

As a friendly reminder, Top Echelon determines the monthly and quarterly winners of its TE 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 Placement Fees – October 2026

— — —

First Place:

Adam Krueger of Sun Recruiting, Inc. and Irina Kirnos of Executive Placement Network

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

Adam was the job order recruiter and Irina was the candidate recruiter.

The fee for this split placement was $41,250.

— — —

Second Place:

Christina Boudreaux of Connectly Recruiting and David Manns of Access Staffing

The position for this split placement was an Estimator and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 22%.

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

The fee for this split placement was $38,500.

— — —

Third Place:

Laura Cisneros of Agency 8 and Iris Desire of Essenti Talent

The position for this split placement was a Production Manager and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 23%.

Laura was the job order recruiter and Iris was the candidate recruiter.

The fee for this split placement was $37,950.

— — —

Fourth Place:

Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC and Adam Krueger of Sun Recruiting, Inc.

The position for this split placement was a Manufacturing Engineering Manager and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 27.50%.

Maria was the job order recruiter and Adam was the candidate recruiter.

The fee for this split placement was $37,125.

— — —

Fifth Place:

Pam Petitpren of PRA USA and David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc.

The position for this split placement was an IT – Infrastructure Manager and the fee percentage associated with this placement was 20%.

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

The fee for this split placement was $34,000.

— — —

If YOU want to make more money through Top Echelon’s recruiting 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 dominated the race for Recruiter of the Month in TE Network for the month of October.

Brad was part of nine split placements during the month. Those nine splits brough him a cash-in total of nearly $85K.

Since we’re already 10 months into the year, we can pretty much guarantee that Brad is going to once again win Recruiter of the Year in TE Network. He has a rather substantial lead with less than two months to go.

Stay tuned to see how the Top Producers in TE Network finish the year strong in preparation for 2027!

Here is the information that we include with the Recruiter of the Month feature in TE 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 TE Network career.
5. Each recruiter’s cash-in total for their TE Network career.

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

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

Recruiters of the Month – October 2026

— — —

First Place:

Recruiter: Brad Dodge
Agency: iLocatum Recruiting
Placements: Nine (9)
Cash-in total: $84,693.22
Career Top Echelon placements: 310
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $2,695,850.56

— — —

Second Place:

Recruiter: Adam Krueger 
Agency: Sun Recruiting, Inc.
Placements: Two (2)
Cash-in total: $36,836.25
Career Top Echelon placements: 56
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $670,288.93

— — —

Third Place:

Recruiter: Michael Stuck
Agency: Gables Search Group
Placements: Four (4)
Cash-in total: $30,379.70
Career Top Echelon placements: 636
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $4,620,106.88

— — —

Fourth Place:

Recruiter: Pam Petitpren 
Agency: PRA USA
Placements: Two (2)
Cash-in total: $29,610.00
Career Top Echelon placements: 8
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $89,124.93

— — —

Fifth Place:

Recruiter: Wayne Miller 
Agency: THR Partners
Placements: Two (2)
Cash-in total: $25,262.50
Career Top Echelon placements: 4
Career Top Echelon cash-in: $49,350.00

— — —

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.

The success of TE Network is built on the relationships, expertise, and collaboration of its members. Every recruiting agency that joins the Network brings valuable industry knowledge, client relationships, candidate connections, and unique perspectives that can create new opportunities for everyone involved.

During October, 14 recruiting agencies joined TE Network, expanding the community of recruiting professionals who can connect, share resources, and work together to make successful split placements. Each new agency brings additional opportunities for collaboration, whether through sharing job orders, presenting qualified candidates, or providing specialized market knowledge that helps fellow members better serve their clients.

Of course, the real value of Network membership comes from the relationships that members build with one another. Sometimes, a simple introduction can lead to a valuable conversation about a difficult-to-fill position, an available candidate, or a shared recruiting specialty. Those conversations can become the foundation for long-term trading partner relationships and profitable split placements.

That’s why we encourage existing members to welcome the 14 recruiting agencies that joined TE Network in October. Take a few minutes to introduce yourself, learn about their recruiting specialties, and explore where your businesses might complement one another. You never know when a new connection could lead to your next successful placement.

As TE Network continues to grow, so does the potential for members to expand their reach and accomplish more together. By actively engaging with fellow recruiters, sharing opportunities, and developing strong trading partner relationships, members can turn the Network’s collective resources into additional placements, stronger businesses, and increased revenue.

You can view applicants and recently approved members at any time in the Network Dashboard section within the software. However, we also list our new members in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog. This list typically includes the:

• Name of the agency
• Industries and/or specialties in which the agency operates
• Names of the recruiters working at the agency
• Geographic location of the agency

So I’d like to take this moment to congratulate the recruiting agencies listed below and publicly welcome them to TE Network. I look forward to helping them make split placements!

(Note: If you have any questions about reaching out to new members or about your membership in general, please contact me. My contact information is listed at the end of this blog post.)

New Member Agencies – October 2026

— — —

Acumen Unlimited, LLC
Industries: Manufacturing, Technology, and Government Contractors
Recruiters: Tammy Gracia
Location: Kingsport, TN

— — —

Alchemy Recruiting Group
Industries: Hospitality, Construction, and Wellness
Recruiters: Jamaloan Abraham
Location: North Miami, FL

— — —

APG Search Corp
Industries: Generalist
Recruiters: Linda Blakemore
Location: Savannah, GA

— — —

DuVall Enterprises, LLC
Industries: Engineering, Design Builds, and all trades
Recruiters: Heather DuVall
Location: Charmco, WV

— — —

Friday Workforce Solutions
Industries: Light Industrial, Manufacturing, Custom Home, Legal, Outdoor Recreation, and Sports
Recruiters: William Irving
Location: Asheville, NC

— — —

Jamison Link Business Solutions, LLC
Industries: Government Contractors, Start-ups, Finance, and ML/AI 
Recruiters: Alisha E Jamison
Location: Rowlett, TX

— — —

Lex Duo Search
Industries: Engineering, Technology/AI, Talent Acquisition/HR, Sales, and Leadership
Recruiters: Mike Wolford
Location: Washington, DC

— — —

Lyday Talent Partners
Industries: Manufacturing, Healthcare, Distribution, Logistics, and Supply Chain
Recruiters: Kimberley Lyday
Location: Lawrenceville, GA

— — —

ProSource Talent
Industries: Healthcare, Nonprofit, Human Services, and Education
Recruiters: Kayla Johnson
Location: Chicago, IL

— — —

Tink AI, Inc.
Industries: Healthcare
Recruiters: Tom Chevalier
Location: Stow, MA

— — —

TransDirectUSA, LLC
Industries: Transportation and Logistics
Recruiters: Peggy O’Donnell
Location: Neosho, WI

— — —

Vértice Strategy & Search Partners
Industries: Outdoor and Active Lifestyle
Recruiters: Teresa Litwinczuk
Location: Raynham, MA

— — —

Voss Recruitment
Industries: Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Elastomers/Plastics, and Industrial Engineering
Recruiters: Steve Griffiths
Location: Cypress, TX

— — —

Xprtas Talent Acquisition
Industries: Printing/Packaging, Chemical, and Auto Body Paint/Repair
Recruiters: Russel Woods
Location: Saint Augustine, FL

— — —

It doesn’t matter if you’re a newer member of our split network or an established member. If you want help making split placements with other Network recruiters, then I encourage you to contact me.

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

Doing anything for 25 years in a row is impressive . . . and that most definitely includes membership in TE Network.

Why do I bring this up? Because we have not just one, but two recruiting agencies that are celebrating their 25th anniversary as a member of TE Network during the month of November. The agencies in question are Technology Recruiting Solution in Houston, Texas and The Boland Group in Baltimore, Maryland.

However, those agencies are not the only ones that are celebrating impressive anniversaries in November. As you can see below, there are four more member agencies that have been in TE Network for 11 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 recruiting agencies celebrating anniversaries in our split fee recruiting network during the month of November!

— — —

25-Year Anniversary

• Technology Recruiting Solution, Houston, TX
• The Boland Group, Baltimore, MD

— — —

19-Year Anniversary

• A. Marasco Recruiting, LLC, Bellbrook, OH

— — —

16-Year Anniversary

• Lea Randolph & Associates, Inc., Plano, TX

— — —

15-Year Anniversary

• Global Talent Resources Corp., North Canton, OH

— — —

12-Year Anniversary

• SSG, Elm Grove, WI

— — —

11-Year Anniversary

• Food Management Search, Springfield, MA
• TradeLink Solutions, Donelson, TN

— — —

9-Year Anniversary

• Afton Consulting Group, Yardley, PA
• Stratus Staffing, Laguna Hills, CA

— — —

7-Year Anniversary

• ExecFX, Austin, TX
• The Search Company, Inc., Carlsbad, CA

— — —

6-Year Anniversary

• Orion Recruiting, LLC, Celina, TX

— — —

5-Year Anniversary

• Aquaneer Technologies, Middletown, CT
• Jericho HR Group, New York, NY

— — —

4-Year Anniversary

• Bradley Professional, Lexington, NC
• Kyler Professional Search, Bluffton, SC
• Soap Creek Resources, Monroe, IA

— — —

3-Year Anniversary

• AB Recruiting & Staffing, LLC, El Paso, TX
• Accounting Search, Mount Prospect, IL
• Horan Hiring Solutions, LLC, Louisville, KY
• In House Recruiting Services, LLC, Owasso, OK
• LRSolutions, LLC, Brookpark, OH
• START, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
• SteveRecruiter, LLC, Shelby Township, MI

— — —

2-Year Anniversary

• Apex Electronics Talent, Christina Lake, BC
• Franklin Executive Solutions, LLC, Overland Park, KS
• Morgan Stephens, Arlington, VA

— — —

1-Year Anniversary

• Elevate Direct, Livermore, CA
• Enginuity Advantage, LLC, Everett, WA
• Kace Premier Medical Talent, Inc., Crofton, MD
• Kirk Recruitment, Ltd., Los Angeles, CA
• People Plus Solutions, McDonough, GA
• William Estes & Associates, Concord, CA

— — —

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