How in the world is it the fourth quarter of 2011 already?  We have no idea . . . but we do know that means it’s time for our award winners for the third quarter of the year, not to mention the month of September.

And wouldn’t you know it?  We have a familiar face among the winners.  That face belongs to none other than Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group, who has been part of these monthly and quarterly awards quite a bit during the past year.

Below are the winners of the awards for September of 2011, as well as the third quarter of the year.  We’d like to congratulate those recruiters who earned them and thank them for their efforts.  For more information about the placements and cash-in totals associated with these awards, please login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the recruiters involved.

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Recruiter of the Month
Angela Marasco of A. Marasco Recruiting, LLC

Marasco was the only recruiter in the Network to make three split placements during the month of September.

Three recruiters made two split placements apiece.  They were Carolyn Barcus of Barcus Associates, Cameron, and John Hope of Tri-Force.

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Recruiter of the Quarter
Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Cameron, who also won this award for the fourth quarter of 2010, made a total of seven split placements during the recently completed third quarter.  Following Cameron were Russell Schutt, CSP of Progressive Executive, Inc. with six split placements; Pamela Ratz DeVille, CPC of Health Career Professional, LLC with four split placements; and Bob Small of Carroll Technology Services, Inc. and Marasco with three split placements apiece.

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month
Patrick Walsh of the PSW Group and Denise Milano Sprung of JA Pharma, Inc.

This placement was for a Scientific Team Leader.  Walsh was the job order recruiter, and Milano Sprung was the candidate recruiter.  The action causing this placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with a TE Network Member in my specialty area.”

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Quarter
Amy Recker of Bridgeway Professionals, Inc. and Frank Gregg of Gregg & Associates

This placement was for a Vice President of Operations.  Recker was the job order recruiter, and Gregg was the candidate recruiter.  The action causing this placement was listed as “The job order or candidate was found by searching the Members’ Area.”

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Top Echelon Network is a split placement network.  As such, we place an emphasis on split placements, and that emphasis constitutes our criteria for these awards.  We determine the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two things: 1.) The number of split placements made, and 2.) The amount of cash-in dollars earned.

We have a multiple winner in our “Recruiter of the Month” award!  Not that we haven’t had a multiple winner before.  We have, but that was back when The Pinnacle was in delivered via email in a PDF format.  The winner for the month of August: Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group.  Cameron was also the “Recruiter of the Month” back in December of 2010, and the way he’s been churning out split placements lately, he might win the award again in the near future.  As it is, he’s currently the number-one recruiter in the Network in terms of cash-in.

As always, we recognize recruiters for achievement in two categories every month and quarter.  Those categories are “Recruiter of the Month” (as we’ve already mentioned) and “Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month.”  Below are the winners of these awards for August.  We’d like to congratulate the recruiters who earned them and thank them for their efforts.  Remember, for more information about the placements and cash-in totals associated with these awards, please login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the recruiters involved.

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Recruiter of the Month
Trey Cameron of the Cameron Craig Group

Cameron ran away from the field with five split placements, finishing ahead of two recruiters who had three placements each. Those recruiters were Russell Schutt, CSP of Progressive Executive, Inc., and Bob Small of Carroll Technology Services, Inc.  Schutt edged Small for second place by the smallest of margins—$140.  How close is that?  The closest two recruiters have been since the inception of these awards a few years ago.

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month
Steve Brody of Executive Resource Systems and Ross Causley, CTS of QCI Technical Staffing

This hefty fee was earned by placing an Audit Partner.  The action causing this placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with a Top Echelon Network Member in my specialty area.”

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Our criteria for these awards:

Top Echelon Network is a split placement network.  As such, we place an emphasis on split placements, and that emphasis constitutes the basis of our criteria for these awards.  We determine the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two factors, 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

In other words, the number of split placements that recruiters make is our first consideration.  In the event of a tie, the cash-in total earned from those split placements is the deciding factor and serves to break the tie.  Obviously, the recruiter with more cash-in dollars in the event of a tie is the recruiter who wins the award.

There are many recruiters in Top Echelon who are enjoying success using the Network’s tools and services.  In this feature, “The Recruiter’s Resume,” we’re going to highlight those recruiters, their accomplishments, and how they’ve been successful.

If you’d like to nominate somebody for this feature (including yourself), send an email to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

Preferred Member recruiter:

Russ Schutt, CSP of Progressive Executive, Inc. in Concord, Ohio

Schutt’s Network Accomplishments:

Schutt has made a total of 24 placements in Top Echelon Network, seven so far in 2011.  He earned the “Recruiter of the Month” award for the month of July, and he also recently ascended to the number-one spot in the Network in terms of overall production.  He’s currently ranked fourth on that list.

Schutt’s Keys to Success in the Network:

“I post all of my jobs and I look at other people’s candidates that are in the Network.  Also, I have open communication with other recruiters as much as possible.  When I don’t have job orders, I look at other people’s job openings and see if my industry specialty or candidates would fit them.  That’s led to quite a few placements.

“I also participate in the Virtual Core Group meetings and Regional Core Group meetings like the annual Ohio Golf Outing.  Last November, I attended the Top Echelon [Network regional conference] in Columbus, where I met a lot of recruiters.  I’m not purely an importer or exporter.  I do both.”

Schutt’s Trading Partners:

Steve Kohn of Affinity Executive Search; Jim Strickland of BioSource International; Scott Riffle, CPC of SJR & Associates; and Larry Gallin of Gallin Associates, among others.

Schutt’s Goals for Future Production in the Network:

“I’ve had good success in the Network, and I plan to keep working it.  My goal is to make multiple split placements with my Trading Partners, and I’ve already done that with some of them.  I think that once you make one split, the potential is always there to make more.”

Schutt’s Advice to Other Preferred Members:

“There’s some trial and error involved.  You have to identify people in your niche and reach out to them.  Maybe they can help you, or maybe you can help them.  One of the ways to find somebody is with the ‘Who Works What’ tool, which I’ve used.”

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Remember, if you’d like to nominate somebody for this feature, send an email to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

It’s August!  Which means that the “dog days” of summer are here . . . whatever that actually means.  Anyway, it also means that we have our award winners for the month of July in Top Echelon Network, and we have a brand-new “Recruiter of the Month” recipient.  In fact, this recruiter just recently ascended to the top spot in the Network.  That’s right—not only is Russ Schutt, CSP of Progressive Executive, Inc. the “Recruiter of the Month,” he’s also currently the #1-ranked recruiter in the entire Network.

As always, we recognize recruiters for achievement in two categories every month and quarter.  Those categories are “Recruiter of the Month” (as we’ve already mentioned) and “Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month.”  Below are the winners of these awards for July.  We’d like to congratulate the recruiters who earned them and thank them for their efforts.  Remember, for more information about the placements and cash-in totals associated with these awards, please login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the recruiters involved.

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Recruiter of the Month
Russ Schutt, CSP of Progressive Executive, Inc.

Russ made three placements in the Network during the month of July to claim top honors.

Behind him in second and third place, respectively, with two placements apiece were Pamela Ratz DeVille, CPC of Health Career Professional, LLC and Eric V. Stearley, CPC of Eric V. Stearley & Associates.

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month
Amy Recker of Bridgeway Professionals, Inc. and Frank Gregg of Gregg & Associates

This large fee was earned by placing a Vice President of Operations.  The action causing this placement was listed as “The job order or candidate was found by searching the Members’ Area.”

(Editor’s Note: Click here to read The Pinnacle Blog post that details the story behind this particular placement.)

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Our criteria for these awards:

Top Echelon’s recruiting network is a split fee recruiting network.  As such, we place an emphasis on split placements, and that emphasis constitutes the basis of our criteria for these awards.  We determine the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two factors, 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

In other words, the number of split placements that recruiters make is our first consideration.  In the event of a tie, the cash-in total earned from those split placements is the deciding factor and serves to break the tie.  Obviously, the recruiter with more cash-in dollars in the event of a tie is the recruiter who wins the award.

It’s that time again—time to recognize recruiters in The Top Echelon recruiter network for their accomplishments and achievements.  That’s because the second quarter ended recently, and that means we have the award winners for not only the month of June, but also for the second quarter of 2011.  Just to review, we recognize Preferred Member recruiters for both monthly and quarterly performance in two categories—Recruiter of the Month and Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month.

Below are the winners of these awards for June of 2011, as well as the second quarter of the year.  We’d like to congratulate those recruiters who earned them and thank them for their efforts.  For more information about the placements and cash-in totals associated with these awards, please login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the recruiters involved.

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Recruiter of the Month
David M. Sgro of True North Consultants, Inc.

Sgro was one of two recruiters who made two Network split placements during the month of June.

He edged out Juli Smith of The Smith Consulting Group, LLC for this award based upon his cash-in total for those two split placements.

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Recruiter of the Quarter
Juli Smith of The Smith Consulting Group, LLC

Sgro may have won the “Recruiter of the Month” award, but Smith snagged this honor for the second quarter of 2011.  She did so by making four split placements within the Network during the quarter.

Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates and James Compton of Compton & Associates finished second and third, respectively, with three split placements apiece.

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month
Denise Milano Sprung of Joseph Associates and Gail Williams of Williams Recruiting, Inc.

This placement was for a Head of Cancer Biology.  Milano Sprung was the job order recruiter, and Williams was the candidate recruiter.  The action causing this placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with a TE Network Member in my specialty area.”

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Quarter
Denise Milano Sprung of Joseph Associates and Gail Williams of Williams Recruiting, Inc.

Not surprisingly, the placement that Milano Sprung and Williams made in June was also worthy of this award.  In fact, there’s a good chance that this placement will garner the “Largest Split Placement” award for all of 2011.  If you haven’t already done so, read the blog post that describes how this placement was made.

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Top Echelon Network is a split placement network.  As such, we place an emphasis on split placements, and that emphasis constitutes our criteria for these awards.  We determine the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two things: 1.) The number of split placements made, and 2.) The amount of cash-in dollars earned.

So . . . Eric Berg of JN Adams & Associates, Inc. was “The Recruiter of the Month” in Top Echelon Network for April, and now Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates is “The Recruiter of the Month” for May.  Who’s “The Recruiter of the Month” for June?  Well, you’ll have to stay tuned for the answer to that question.  We haven’t built a time machine.  Yet.

In the meantime, we recognize recruiters for achievement in two categories every month and quarter.  Those categories are “Recruiter of the Month” (as we’ve already mentioned) and “Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month.”  Below are the winners of these awards for May.  We’d like to congratulate the recruiters who earned them and thank them for their efforts.  Remember, for more information about the placements and cash-in totals associated with these awards, please login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the recruiters involved.

(And yes, more information about the placements associated with these awards may be included in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.  Why?  Why not?)

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Recruiter of the Month
Jim Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick & Associates

Jim was one of four recruiters who made two Network placements during the month of May.  However, he edged out Hani Mussa of KnowPeople, Inc.; Larry Ploscowe of EXEK Recruiters, Ltd.; and Bob Wylan of R.A. Wylan & Co., Inc. based upon his cash-in total for those placements, which was $36,542.50.  Although the other three recruiters also made two placements during the month, Fitzpatrick boasted a greater cash-in total than they did.

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month
Jim Crumpley of Jim Crumpley & Associates and Arthur Rogove of Merit Consulting, Inc.

This hefty fee was earned by placing a Director of Design Assurance.  The action causing this placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with a TE Network Member in my specialty area.”

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Our criteria for these awards:

Top Echelon Network is a split placement network.  As such, we place an emphasis on split placements, and that emphasis constitutes the basis of our criteria for these awards.  We determine the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two factors, 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

In other words, the number of split placements that recruiters make is our first consideration.  In the event of a tie, the cash-in total earned from those split placements is the deciding factor and serves to break the tie.  Obviously, the recruiter with more cash-in dollars in the event of a tie is the recruiter who wins the award.

In the “The Hot Sheet” feature, we highlight successful Trading Partner relationships within Top Echelon Network.  We’re talking about relationships that have resulted in split placement income for the recruiters involved.

We’d like to congratulate those recruiters who are part of this week’s installment, and we wish them even more placement success in the future!

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The Players:

• Juli Smith of The Smith Consulting Group, LLC in Jackson, Mich.
• Chris Burchell of Recruiting Excellence in Raleigh, N.C.

The Money:

Since April of last year, Smith and Burchell have made four split placements together in the Healthcare IT industry.

The Sizzle:

“In late 2009, we switched recruiting disciplines from Civil Engineering to Healthcare IT.  I reached out to everyone in the Network who was working in our new discipline of Healthcare IT, and Chris Burchell was one of the people I called.  We made our first split about four months after we first spoke.

“Chris is enthusiastic, very open, and very trustworthy.  We communicate on a weekly basis and some weeks on a daily basis about our hot candidates, as well as the jobs we have that are hot.  In February, we both realized that we would be attending the HIMSS Conference in Orlando, so it was really nice to meet him in person and put the face with the voice.  He has become a very important extension of our team and one of our best teaming partners.  I love his sense of humor, too.  He’s been great to work with!”

—Juli Smith

“Working with The Smith Group over the past year and a half has been a terrific experience.  We have made numerous placements together over that time, and much of it is due to our constant communication with one another.  Our relationship developed pretty quickly, as we happened to be entering a new vertical at roughly the same time.  Instead of looking at ourselves as separate agencies, we chose to pool our resources, industry knowledge, and of course, candidates and job orders.  This enabled us to leverage our knowledge capital and ‘get a feel’ for each other and how we work.

“Today, we are so close that we’re on [instant messenger] together, and constantly provide candidate/job order updates, along with random ‘digs’ every now and then.  I even had the pleasure of meeting Juli at the 2011 HIMSS meeting in February, and she looks a lot younger in person (yes, that would be one of those ‘digs’).  My business is better because of our relationship, but I have also been fortunate enough to make some good friends.”

—Chris Burchell

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You think you’re ‘Hot Sheet’ material, don’t you?

Do you have a Trading Partner with whom you work particularly well?  Are you churning out split placements year after year?  Well, then you just might be “Hot Sheet” material!  We’re always looking to highlight the most successful Trading Partner relationships within the pages of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog, and yours could be next.  Feel free to nominate yourself (and your Trading Partner) by sending an email to marketing@TopEchelon.com.  We’ll take care of the rest.  Well, most of the rest, anyway.

Okay, we’re a tad bit behind . . . it happens to the best of us.  However, we would be remiss if we didn’t announce the winners of our monthly awards, and this week, those awards are from the month of April.  We now recognize recruiters for achievement in two categories every month and quarter.  Those categories are “Recruiter of the Month” and “Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month.”

Below are the winners of these awards for April.  We’d like to congratulate the recruiters who earned them and thank them for their efforts.  Remember, for more information about the placements and cash-in totals associated with these awards, please login to the Members’ Area and view the profiles and placement details of the recruiters involved.

(And yes, more information about the placements associated with these awards may be included in a future issue of The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.  Because inquiring minds want to know.)

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Recruiter of the Month
Eric Berg of JN Adams & Associates, Inc.

Eric was one of two recruiters who made two Network placements during the month of January.  However, he edged out David Wick of Career Center of Cincinnati, Inc. based upon his cash-in total for those placements, which was $19,951.50.  In third place was Stephanie McGinty of Ives & Associates, Inc. and Steve Kane of Bio-Partners Search Group, LLC.

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Highest Split Placement Fee of the Month
Steve Kane of Bio-Partners Search Group, LLC and Stephanie McGinty of Ives & Associates, Inc.

Speaking of Steve and Stephanie . . . this placement was for a Senior Manager of Business Analytics.  The action causing this placement was listed as “Regular phone communication with a TE Network Member in my specialty area.”

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Our criteria for these awards:

Top Echelon Network is a split placement network.  As such, we place an emphasis on split placements, and that emphasis constitutes the basis of our criteria for these awards.  We determine the monthly and quarterly award winners based upon two factors, 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

In other words, the number of split placements that recruiters make is our first consideration.  In the event of a tie, the cash-total earned from those split placements is the deciding factor and serves to break the tie.  Obviously, the recruiter with more cash-in dollars in the event of a tie is the recruiter who wins the award.

The best way to find out how to enjoy success in Top Echelon Network . . . is to ask the Top Producers how they’ve enjoyed success.  Last week, we presented Part 1 of our interview with Glenda Smith of MetalJobs Network.

Glenda is currently ranked fifth overall in Top Echelon Network in terms of production.  She’s made a total of six split placements in the Network during the past year and 71 placements overall during her tenure as a Preferred Member recruiter.  Her specialty is Aluminum Extrusion Manufacturing.

In the second part of our interview with Glenda, she provides excellent advice for not only newer Members of the Network, but also for any Top Echelon recruiter who wants to enjoy more Network success.  So, without further adieu, below is Part 2 of Glenda’s interview . . .

6. If a new Preferred Member asked your advice about how to find good Trading Partners, what would you tell them?

I’d say to go to the associate recruiter TE database and run a search on your specialty.  When you get the list of recruiters working your industry, go through it, see who is closer to you in distance (so you can meet, if possible), see who the higher split placers are, look at their numbers (jobs and candidates in the system), and then call the ones you think look like good recruiters with whom to work.  Some recruiters are only exporters and some are only importers—that should help make your decision.

7. What other advice would you give a new Member?

First, be active in using Top Echelon as your “back office.”  There are Members who specialize in all different areas, including some in Accounting/Finance, some in Engineering, some in Safety/EHS, some in IT, and some in Building/Construction.  Use them and call upon their expertise.

And when you get a job order outside of your normal arena, say for a VP of Finance or a Controller or a Plant Engineer or a Corporate EHS Manager or a Manager of Construction—or a Metallurgist—you’ll already know at least one expert in that area.  When I get a call for a specific type of employee, one I wouldn’t ordinarily have ready knowledge of or access to, I call on my team members for help.  I always tell client companies that I might not be the expert in [whatever], but I know someone who is and that person will recruit on this job for me.

Second, be open and honest.  Give as good as you get, if not better.  Be ready to share a joke.  Never, ever be afraid to ask for advice from anyone in TE—every recruiter in Top Echelon Network has been where you are.  ALWAYS send a completed RDS (Resume Data Sheet) with every resume you submit to a TE recruiter and ALWAYS send a “submission-ready” resume with the RDS.  Never bug another recruiter about a candidate you’ve sent to him/her.  If there’s an interest, you’ll hear about it.

If someone sends you a candidate directly and you have no interest, respond to him/her, saying why the candidate is not a good match.  Always sign your emails to another recruiter with your TE designation, as in “Glenda at KY10.”

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If there’s a Top Producer you think we should be asking questions, email their name to marketing@TopEchelon.com.

The best way to find out how to enjoy success in Top Echelon Network . . . is to ask the Top Producers how they’ve enjoyed success.  Makes sense, right?  Well, that’s exactly what we did, and now we’re going to present their answers in The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog.

This week, we’re highlighting Glenda Smith of MetalJobs Network.  Glenda is currently ranked fifth overall in the Network in terms of production.  She’s made a total of six split placements in Top Echelon Network during the past year and 71 placements overall during her tenure as a Preferred Member recruiter.  Her specialty is Aluminum Extrusion Manufacturing.

We asked Glenda some questions to find out exactly what she’s doing right in the Network and how she’s making split placements.  Our questions—and her answers—are listed below.  Thanks, Glenda . . . and congratulations!

1. What factors have led to your success as a Preferred Member?

Reputation in TE. I think because recruiters know when it comes to the Metals industry, MetalJobs Network can be counted on to have specific candidates and open positions.

2. How have The Four Pillars of Top Echelon Network (Quality, Communication, Trust, and Active Participation) played a role in your success?

The primary “pillar” to me is Trust.  You have to be able to maintain a very high level of trust with your Trading Partners.  I think we all learned early on to keep information about our companies very confidential, just in case another recruiter tried to “steal” your company or your job order.  In fact, a recruiter who asked for the exact location or the name of your company was suspect.  Now that’s changed, with the ups and downs of the economy and the knowledge that we’re all in this together.

I always share the exact location on every job order and most of the time, I’m okay with sharing the company name, too.  I share every one of the job orders I get on the Big Biller recruiting software and my worthy candidates, as well (Active Participation).  If I’m working with another recruiter’s candidate, I keep that recruiter apprised of the progress of that candidate through interviews, etc. (Communication).  When I do submit a candidate to other recruiters for one of their job orders, I try very hard to match the candidate’s skills, education, and experience with the requirements of the job order.  I always send a completed Resume Data Sheet, along with a resume that can be submitted to a client as-is (Quality).

3. Have Regional Core Groups, Virtual Core Groups, or attending Top Echelon conferences and conventions played a role in your success?  If so, how?

I LOVE attending conferences and conventions—meeting new people and saying hello again to recruiters you already know—what fun!  I’m always able to take away at least one thing that I can use in my business, and sometimes that’s making a split placement with a recruiter I’ve just met!

4. How have the split placements you’ve made in the Network enhanced the overall production of your recruiting desk?

Split placements are about 20% to 25% of my total placements, so it’s significant to my income.

5. What is your philosophy regarding split placements (i.e., how they fit into your business model, how many you strive to make in a given year, etc.)?

I always count on a certain percentage of placements being split with other Preferred Members.  Over the years, it’s become an important part of our business model—one of the aspects of it that hasn’t changed at all.

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Be sure to check The Pinnacle Newsletter Blog next week for the second part of Glenda’s interview, and if there’s a Top Producer you think we should be asking questions, email their name to marketing@TopEchelon.com.