The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog has been published—in one form or another—for as long as Top Echelon Network has been in existence: nearly 27 years, to be exact.

Along the way, it’s changed and evolved to where it is today.  However, as you know, the only thing that’s constant is change.  With that in mind, I’d like to announce some changes to the The Pinnacle going forward.

Specifically, information and announcements that can already be accessed within the Top Echelon Network software, specifically the Members’ Area, will no longer be published in the newsletter.  This applies to the following things, among others:

• New Preferred Member recruiting firms
• Recruiting firms applying for Membership
• The Virtual Core Group teleconference call schedule
• Recent split placements between Network recruiters

Now, I understand that recruiters enjoy seeing their placements published.  That’s why we made a change to the Members’ Area.  You can now see all recent Network split placements and corresponding fees, along with not only the name and firm name of the recruiters involved, but their photos, as well.  (You can also view the offers accepted by clicking on the appropriate tab.)

Click here to view recent split placements in the Members’ Area!

So—what WILL be published in The Pinnacle?  I’m glad you asked.  Below is a sampling of that content:

• Recruiters complimenting one another for placements made (still one of the most popular features in the newsletter)
• Success stories regarding Network recruiters
• Exemplary examples of Trading Partner relationships
• Milestones achieved by Network recruiters
• Blog posts about networking and maximizing your Network Membership
• Blog posts about Network recruiters meeting and networking face-to-face
• Network statistics and trends
• Blog posts about contract staffing

One more thing: we’ll be communicating with you in different ways starting in 2015, not just in The Pinnacle.  These ways include the following:

• More announcements and items in the news section (also located in the Members’ Area)
• Announcements and news items in the Discussion Forum (it’s a captive audience, after all)
• Emails regarding special announcements and items of interest

This past year was a good one for the recruiters in Top Echelon Network, and we’re looking forward to an even better year in 2015.  We’re committed to your success as Network recruiters, and we’re going to do everything we can to continue ensuring that success.

FRIENDLY RIVALRY: Pictured are Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiters networking face-to-face earlier this month—Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search, left, and Steve Copeland of fulltimeGiGS/Albert Energy, LLC.

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We at Top Echelon Network are continually emphasizing that Preferred Members should engage in recruiter networking on a face-to-face basis.  That’s one of the many reasons we hold a National Convention and Fall Conference every year.  But we also like to encourage Members to meet outside of those events, as well, and as often as possible.

The above photo was sent to Top Echelon by Network recruiter Steve Copeland of fulltimeGiGS/Albert Energy, LLC.  Below is the information that Copeland emailed along with the photo:

“The Copelands and the Kohns spent a glorious Monday afternoon together in sunny South Florida in an iced tea, pie, and brainstorming session devoted to improving the quality of candidates they deliver to their fellow TE partners.

“The half-day poolside session gave both Steves the opportunity to share their knowledge, strategies, and overall philosophy that co-op-etition is the best formula for success.  When two of the leading split recruiters in Top Echelon get together for a session like this, this can only mean good news for the TE recruiters who are hoping to make more split placements!”

(Editor’s note: Kohn is currently the #2 recruiter in Top Echelon Network in terms of cash-in, while Copeland is #3.)

If you have information and/or a photo of you networking face-to-face with another Preferred Member recruiter, please send that information to marketing@topechelon.com!

At Top Echelon Network, we recognize top recruiters for both monthly and quarterly performance in four categories—Recruiter of the Month, Recruiter of the Quarter, Largest Split Fee of the Month, and Largest Split Fee of the Quarter.

A rare thing has occurred with our monthly awards: somebody has won the “Largest Split Fee of the Month Award” for the second straight month!

That recruiter is Larry Barlow of Tax Advantage Personnel, who shares the award this month with Bob Long of Executive Personnel Services.  In October, Barlow shared the award with John Moskonas of The ARGroup of Search Companies.

Larry will be celebrating his ninth anniversary in the Network next month (January 12, to be exact).  He’s made 19 Network placements during his tenure in TE, but as you might have guessed, those placements have come with a rather hefty average fee.

Larry specifically targets, recruits, and places Tax professionals within corporations. From everybody at Top Echelon, I’d like to congratulate Larry on his rare achievement . . . and why not go three-for-three with a huge split in December?

Just a friendly suggestion.

For more information about the recruiting awards listed below, login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the winning Network recruiters involved.

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Recruiter of the Month:

Trey Cameron

Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Hey, it’s a familiar face!  Yes, Trey Cameron has owned this award all year, although he didn’t make 16 Network placements during the month of November (as he did in October).  He ONLY made 10 Network placements last month.  What a slacker!

Regardless, Trey won the Recruiter of the Month Award for November, handily.  That’s because the second-place recruiter, Deb North of Deb North Consulting, made three placements during the month.  In third place with two split placements apiece in November were Melissa Truax of Premier Health Careers, Inc./Premier Paths; Bob Small of Carroll Technology Services, Inc.; and Maria Hemminger of MJ Recruiters, LLC.

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Largest Split Fee of the Month:

Bob Long

Larry Barlow

Larry Barlow of Tax Advantage Personnel, Inc. and Bob Long of Executive Personnel Services

The position for this split placement was a Senior Manager of Tax Accounting and Compliance.  Barlow was the job order recruiter, and Long was the candidate recruiter.  The action that stimulated this split placement was listed as, “Regular communication with another Top Echelon Network Preferred Member recruiter.”

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Top Echelon Network determines the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two criteria, which are listed below in order of importance:

1.) The number of split placements made
2.) The amount of “cash-in” dollars earned as a result of those split placements

This explains why, when multiple recruiters are tied with the same number of split placements during a given month or quarter, the recruiter with the largest “cash-in” total for their placements is deemed the winner.

We’ve been “singing this song” in Top Echelon Network for quite some time . . . and we’re going to keep singing it.

The song could be titled, “More, More MORE Quality Candidates!”  That’s because quality candidates for recruiters is exactly what you find in the Network—IF you’ve invested some time in your Membership and forged Trading Partner relationships with other recruiters.

Just about every week in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, we publish real-life stories of recruiters who have made placements as a direct result of quality candidates that they received from their Trading Partners.  We’re talking about placements they would NOT have made otherwise!

Everybody wins: the job order recruiter wins, the candidate recruiter wins, and the client wins because they got the candidate they wanted all along.  (Oh, and TE wins, too, but it’s only 6% of the win . . . hey, “but for” and all.)

Build those Trading Partner relationship, share those quality candidates, and make those placements!  Then repeat as necessary.

Congratulations to everybody who made split placements this week!

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Dave Wick, CPC

Don Pergal

“Dave furnished complete and accurate information on the candidate, who was right on target!”

Submitted by Don Pergal of Pergal and Company, LLC regarding his Network split placement with David Wick, CPC of Career Center of Cincinnati, Inc.

Position Title—MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split placement that Pergal and Wick have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Trey Cameron

“The client was very happy with the candidate that was selected for this sales position and would like another just like him for Ohio!”

Submitted by Gary Wright of Client Staffing Solutions, Inc. regarding his Network split placement with Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Position Title—ACCOUNT MANAGER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the first Network split placement that Wright and Cameron have made together in Top Echelon.)

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Debbi Reiger

Catherine Reynolds

“Debbi sourced a handful of qualified candidates for this position and was a true partner in the search.  Thank you!“

Submitted by Catherine Reynolds of OnBoard Recruitment Advisers regarding her Network split placement with Debbie Reiger of Reiger Technical Search

Position Title—SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Fee Percentage—25%

(Editor’s note: This is the second Network split placement that Reynolds and Reiger have made together in Top Echelon.)