Showing results for ""

This year, Top Echelon Network is celebrating its 25th anniversary.  So that makes the fact Charter Member Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems recently made his 100th Network placement all the more fitting!

Steve BrodyBrody joined Top Echelon Network on March 8, 1988 . . . which, incidentally, was the exact date that the first Pinnacle newsletter was distributed by Top Echelon founder Mike Kappel.  (Yes, it was delivered via “snail mail.”  It was prehistoric times.)

Brody’s area of specialization is Accounting and Finance, and he’s made splits in that area with a number of different Top Echelon Network recruiters down through the years.

Not only that, but Brody has attended a great many Network events like the National Convention and the Fall Conference—and he continues to attend!  (He was at the 2013 National Convention in Florida this past spring.)

Everybody at Top Echelon would like to recognize Steve for his impressive accomplishment and also thank him for his dedication and commitment as a Preferred Member of the Network for the past 25 years.  Congratulations!

Here’s to the next 100 placements!  (Just kidding . . . actually, no we’re not.)


THE RECRUITERS:

Recruiting AwardsTo have one Top Echelon recruiter make seven Network split placements in a single month is unique . . . having two recruiters make seven Network split placements in a single month is even more unique.

But those recruiters making their seven split placements during the SAME month?  That might be unprecedented in the annals of Top Echelon Network lore, but it happened last month.  The recruiters in question?  Trey Cameron and Steve Kohn.

As always, the recruiter with the greater “cash-in total” for their split placements is deemed the Recruiter of the Month, and that recruiter is Cameron.  Don’t cry for Kohn, though.  His runner-up prize is a whole lot of placement cash.  Congratulations to both recruiters, and we hope you make seven Network split placements this month, too!

THE AWARDS:

At Top Echelon Network, we recognize 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.

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

 — — —


RECRUITER OF THE MONTH:

Trey CameronTrey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

As mentioned above, Cameron made seven split placements, the same as Kohn, but his cash-in total for those seven was greater.  As a result, he’s the winner of the Recruiter of the Month award.

Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc. and Robert Briones, CPC of R.A. Briones & Company made four split placements apiece in July, while Veronica Snyder of Career Professionals, Inc. made three splits.

 — — —


LARGEST SPLIT FEE OF THE MONTH:


Network Recruiter Joe NotoNetwork Recruiter George MancusoGeorge Mancuso of Client Growth Consultants, Inc. and Joe Noto of Regency Search Group

The position for this split placement was a President.  Mancuso was the job order recruiter, and Noto was the candidate recruiter.  The action that stimulated this split placement was listed as, “Regular phone communication with another Top Echelon Network recruiter in my specialty area.”

 — — —


OUR CRITERIA FOR THESE RECRUITING AWARDS:

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.  That was the case this month with Trey Cameron and Steve Kohn.

— — —


Visit Top Echelon on Google+.
Connect with Top Echelon on LinkedIn.

‘Like’ Top Echelon on Facebook.
Follow Top Echelon on Twitter.

If there’s anything that the story of Network recruiter Terry Rhodes proves, it’s that perseverance is rewarded.

In his case, it was rewarded with a $1 million cash-in through Top Echelon Network, primarily by being an exporter.

Despite enjoying substantial success earlier in his recruiting career, Rhodes of NewCareers in Harrisonburg, VA hit some obstacles a few years ago inside Network.  He made just one placement in the Network each year from 2009 to 2011.  Placements in general became fewer and farther between.

The reason?  Rhodes acknowledged that, in addition to the general economic decline, his reluctance to embrace the rapidly expanding world of social media hampered his business.

Network Recruiter Terry Rhodes“During that time period, things had been tailing off,” said Rhodes, who joined Top Echelon Network in 1994.  “I didn’t respond in as timely a fashion as I needed in changing my [business] model and making it more attuned to today’s environment.  As a result, I saw a real change in production, and it took longer than I would have hoped to get back, but praise the Lord, I have since the end of 2011.”

Rhodes’s recent split placement with Neil Goldman of Neil Goldman & Associates was his 125th placement in Top Echelon Network.  Not only that, but the placement pushed his cash-in total as a Top Echelon Network recruiter to $1,002,551.  For his part, Rhodes is both pleased and relieved to have reached the rare milestone.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said.

Before becoming an executive recruiter, Rhodes worked for almost 25 years in corporate America for seven companies.  By his account, he held over 20 different jobs.  It was his experience with those companies and jobs that led him to the recruiting profession.

“I used recruiters to find jobs, and I used recruiters to find talent,” said Rhodes. “I thought I at least knew a little about the profession, and I was tired of corporate America.  I decided to do my own thing, which was recruiting.”

However, Rhodes acknowledged the irony that accompanied his new career choice.

“In the end, I still ended up working with corporate America,” he said, “but at least I was my own boss, in a way.  Recruiting is an unusual business, though.  You’re actually working for two people.  You’re working for the client company and also working for the candidate, and in the end, you don’t have control over either one.”

Rhodes started recruiting in April of 1994 and in November of that same year, he joined Top Echelon Network.

“I had no background whatsoever,” he said.  “I was just self-taught, and I learned from my mistakes.  The smartest thing I did was join Top Echelon.  Without TE, I wouldn’t be where I am now, 20 years later.

“There were some rough times initially, and it was definitely interesting because I didn’t know any different.  I was just totally gung-ho.  The enthusiasm and adrenaline is really what got me started, and I still get that adrenaline.”

In the early days, those feelings of adrenaline were certainly intensified when Rhodes made a placement.

“It’s a feeling of satisfaction, for sure, but it doesn’t last long,” Rhodes said with a chuckle.  “You always have to be looking at where the next one is coming from.”

When Rhodes joined Top Echelon, his attitude regarding his participation in the Network was instrumental.

“There are a lot of different ways to have success, but they all boil down to one thing: hard work,” said Rhodes.  “When I joined the Network, I made the decision that I was going to put significant effort into it and it was going to be an important part of what I did.  If you do something, do it right and commit to it.

“If I can do that, there’s no reason why other people can’t.”

One of the things that’s unique about Rhodes’s success in the Network is that his 125 split placements have been made with a diverse group of recruiters.  In many cases, when a Network recruiter makes a considerable amount of placements, they have a Core Group of Trading Partners—four or five other recruiters with whom they work.  Such is not the case with Rhodes.

“If you go through the 125 splits I’ve made, you’re going to find only about four or five recruiters that I’ve made more than three splits with,” said Rhodes.  “I guess that’s indicative of the fact that I’m a true generalist rather than a niche player, which kind of hits the bread basket of the Network.”

In short, Rhodes hasn’t relied upon a niche market or industry to help achieve tremendous amounts of success in Top Echelon.  Working as a generalist, he’s relied upon his commitment to the Network, a commitment rooted in hard work and determination.  In addition, he expressed appreciation for the quality and commitment of his Trading Partners, a group of highly competent professionals.

Network Recruiter Mary Beth RhodesRhodes has also relied heavily upon his assistant . . . who also happens to be his wife, Mary Beth Rhodes.

“None of this would have been accomplished without Mary Beth,” said Rhodes. “We’ve worked as a team for over 20 years.  A lot of people have asked us, ‘How in the world can you work with your spouse?’  It was just a natural transition.  Mary Beth was a homemaker while the kids were growing up, and when the children left, she worked in the business.”

Rhodes and his wife have four children, all grown.

“They all graduated from different Virginia state universities during those 20 years, without any debt at the end,” he said. “I thank God and the business for that.  I feel that God has blessed me during these many years, and I certainly want to acknowledge that.”

So while Terry Rhodes’s story proves that perseverance and hard work is rewarded, perhaps it also proves that faith is rewarded, as well.

— — —


Connect with Matt Deutsch on LinkedIn.
Follow Matt Deutsch on Twitter.
Visit Matt Deutsch on Google+.

Top Echelon Network recruiter Terry Rhodes of NewCareers recently became the 18th recruiter in the history of the Network to reach the $1 million cash-in mark!

Rhodes hit the mark by virtue of his split placement with Neil Goldman of Neil Goldman & Associates.  Rhodes and Goldman placed a Director of Engineering with a 30% fee.

NewCareers joined Top Echelon Network as a Preferred Member agency in 1994.  Since then, Rhodes has made 125 placements in the Network.

Below is a list of the current Top Echelon Network job placement recruiters who have reached the $1 million mark, as well as those who are closest to reaching it.

(Note: Totals reflect Network placements only.  Five Network recruiters reached $1 million with contract placements made through Top Echelon Contracting.  These recruiters include current Members Chuck Szajkovics of Bulldog Recruiters, Inc.; Rosemarie Christopher of Med Exec International; and Keith Adams of PediaStaff.)

$1,978,667 – Bruce Ramstad of Ramstad Recruiting
$1,621,779 – Sean Napoles, CPC of Career Brokers, Inc.
$1,568,525 – Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates
$1,265,919 – Dan Simmons, CPC of Continental Search and Outplacement, Inc.
$1,222,104 – Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group
$1,176,697 – Gary Silver of The Shay Group
$1,048,275 – Lou Michaels of Lou Michaels Associates, Inc.
$1,002,551 – Terry Rhodes of NewCareers
$915,572 – Colleen Switala of Database Search, Inc.
$883,100 – Jerry Walter of Walter & Associates, Inc.
$773,223 – Lawrence T. Ploscowe of EXEK Recruiters, Ltd.

Everybody at Top Echelon would like to congratulate Terry Rhodes on his achievement, and next week there will be a special feature about Rhodes in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog!

— — —


Connect with Matt Deutsch on LinkedIn.
Follow Matt Deutsch on Twitter.
‘Like’ Top Echelon Network on Facebook.