SRA Fall Conference 2024:
September 18-20, 2024 Ft. Worth, TX

SRA Fall Conference 2023:
October 11-13, 2023 Frisco, TX

R3 Summit: The Right Place, the Right Time, the Right People

AGENDA:

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

5:30 PM: WELCOME HAPPY HOUR: OMNI HOTEL (TEXAS BALLROOM FOYER)

For those arriving in time, we’ll kick the conference off with an informal Happy Hour at our Host Hotel, the Omni Ft Worth! Dinner is open for all guests to make their own arrangements; there are several restaurants within the Omni Hotel, and conveniently located in the heart of downtown within a few blocks walking distance to numerous others. Grab a quick bite or to gather a larger group together and spend some quality time with others in the network!

AGENDA:

Thursday, September 19, 2024

9 AM – 10:15 AM: WELCOME KEYNOTE

Jon Davis, President of Signature Back Office Solutions; Former CRO with MATRIX Resources

Jon Davis has been in the Recruiting & Staffing business for 30 years, serving the healthcare and information technology verticals as a top producer, Vice President and most recently as Chief Revenue Officer for MATRIX Resources where for the past 20 years he led sales and recruiting teams in 22 US markets with revenues of $277M.

In 2022-2023 he was part of the team that sold MATRIX to Motion Recruitment and subsequently Kelly Services. Jon began a new journey in his professional career as CEO of Signature Back Office as of June 2024. Jon is one of those special people that absolutely loves what he does in the staffing industry and builds teams and solutions that make a difference in the market.

With a passion and commitment to inspire and guide individuals and organizations to reach and achieve their highest potential, there is tremendous alignment with the ‘why’ for so many of our Sanford Rose Offices and Recruiters, and we are excited for Jon to kick off our 2024 Conference!

10:15: BREAK

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM: Thursday Breakout #1

Producer Breakout: SPIN Selling for Recruiters (Main Ballroom)

Mike Gionta, Founder, The RecruiterU
Kathleen Kurke, Lead Strategy Coach, The RecruiterU

Selling is NOT TELLING! Constantly feel like you’re making “pitches” to prospects and candidates? There’s a much better way! SPIN Selling for Recruiters is highly effective due to its structured approach that aligns with human decision-making. Key reasons include:

  • Customer Needs Focus: It uncovers explicit and implicit needs through targeted questions, tailoring recruitment solutions accordingly.
  • Builds Rapport: It fosters trust by prioritizing a consultative approach over aggressive & commoditized selling tactics.
  • Structured Conversations: The method ensures thorough coverage of sales
  • Questioning Technique: SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff) questions guide discussions to understand customer situations, problems, implications, and needs.
  • Value Proposition: Emphasizes how your recruiting solutions address customer needs, clarifying the service’s value.
  • Conversion Rates: Its focus on understanding and addressing customer needs help gets you higher fees, better terms with more cooperation.

Producer & Leader Breakout: The Competitive Edge of IDBH (HIJ Breakout)

Greg Doersching, Senior Advisor Client Success, Sanford Rose Associates

As Leaders, our primary responsibility is to make sure we have the right people, in the right seats, doing the right things. It’s why our clients rely on us to ensure they have it within their firms, and you should feel equally as confident that you have them within yours. Yet within today’s fiercely competitive market, it can feel like we’re all fishing in the same pond, and maybe even questioning if there are any fish in it at all.

One clear option? Expand to another pond. Broadening your hiring horizons to include Internationally Distance-Based Hires can be the key that unlocks access to more talent, and in roles that are a perfect fit for them and for you. But how do you find, hire, train, performance manage, and retain them? Join us for the debut of an entirely new SRA Program designed to help you build a global team tailored to your firm’s unique needs.

General Breakout: The Sequencing Secrets of Market Masters (ABC Breakout)

Justin Doyle, Director of Technology and Innovation, Starfish Partners
Jaimie Bailey, Partner, Direct Recruiters Inc.

In order to teach, you must first do. Jaimie and Justin are what some would describe as Unicorns within the recruiting industry – successful recruiters who are also patient, analytical, systems-oriented tech experts. They have spent the last several years deploying that expertise to highly productive and effective Market Masters across industries ranging from Healthcare Technology to Commercial Construction.

If there’s anyone who understands the nuance of niche to niche and person to person, it’s this duo. They have set up and now manage systems, programs and sequences for practices within DRI, then Starfish Partners, and presently consulting with several Sanford Rose offices around data aggregation, organization and dissemination. In this session, Jaimie and Justin will share their tactical steps to innovate and improve workflows through advanced research methodologies, integrate AI technologies to enhance operational efficiencies, and design comprehensive tech training to support organizational growth, progression, and production.

12:00 PM – 1:00PM: Networking Lunch

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM: BREAK

1:15 PM – 2:15 PM: Thursday Breakout #2

Producer Breakout: Old Tricks, New Dogs (ABC Breakout)

Jeff Kaye, Co-CEO, Sanford Rose Associates

Technology has allowed us to communicate more expeditiously, creatively, and broadly through continuing evolving mediums. While vocabulary and methodologies change, the fundamentals of search have not. All innovation is designed to increase the quantity of quality searches and candidates. Will, one day, placements happen without verbal communication? Perhaps, but that is not the market segment we want to compete in. Our competitive edge comes from combining new tools with the old tricks of effective verbal communication that will remain the bedrock of our industry.

What are the best practices and techniques to attract, close, qualify, question, persuade, explain, and demonstrate empathy? In this session, Jeff will share how we can best master the ability to communicate verbally with people in the way that they will receive it best and produce the best possible outcome. And of course, he will answer the age-old question: who let the new dogs out? Who?

Contract Staffing Breakout: Ensuring a Strong Takeoff – Optimizing Your Contract Staffing Foundation (D Breakout)

Jon Davis, CEO, Signature Back Office Solutions

Just like a pilot performs a pre-flight check, when was the last time you reviewed the core elements of your contract staffing business? This session will be your “cabin check,” helping you optimize volume, margins, contract lengths, and business development strategies. We’ll also explore how to handle common resistance and negotiation tactics. Take a critical look and ensure your “staffing plane” is ready for smooth sailing and maximized revenue!

Lead Generation Breakout: Turning Yesterday’s Work into Today’s Placements (HIJ Breakout)

Greg Doersching, Senior Advisor Client Success, Sanford Rose Associates

There are untapped placements of dollars in your database, waiting to be discovered. This revenue is hidden in the form of candidates who haven’t been contacted in months, or even years. The work has already been done to identify them, and a simple reconnection could turn them into your next most placeable candidate (MPC).

In this session, we will delve into this specific form of lead generation—the unique combination of candidate reconnection that transforms into a powerful business development tool: the MPC call. Join us to learn the detailed plan for generating new placements by mastering this strategy. Enhance your recruiting strategy and boost your business with a proven method – all while leveraging work that’s already been done!

Leadership Breakout: The Tactical Top 10 (Main Ballroom)

Dan Charney, Starfish Partners and President of Direct Recruiters (DRI)

Dan Charney, President & CEO of Direct Recruiters, has a 25-year history with the firm and drove growth from $5m to $30m in just over a decade. Like any path, there have been ups and downs combined with wins and losses, but this session will highlight the most formative Top 10 Tactical decisions that propelled growth. Leading and retaining producers who put the firm first, creating a culture of accountability and abundance, and learning the art of delegating and elevating are all aspirational milestones, but how do you actually put it into practice?

Dan will combine aspiration with action, and you’ll walk away from this breakout with steps to take today that lead you and your firm to its fullest future potential.

2:15 PM: BREAK

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM: Thursday Breakout #3

PRODUCER BREAKOUT: SRA Interactive Roundtables (HIJ Breakout)

Presented by All Participants

The #1 request, by far, at our SRA Conferences is wanting to hear from other producers, who are in the trenches every day, speak about what’s working for them. These breakouts are designed for maximum interaction but require maximum participation, so please be equipped to give and receive. You will register in advance for two of the topics below, so you will have ample time to prepare a one-page handout with your own examples, techniques, scripts, or templates to share with others.

With just under 30 minutes for each table topic, it will feel a bit like speed dating – yet with a full dance card of content at the conclusion!

  • Business Development Approaches
  • Successful Candidate Outreach Approaches
  • Placement Process Management
  • Demonstrating Market Mastery and Differentiation

Contract Staffing Breakout: Landing the Big Fish – Securing Master Services Agreements (D Breakout)

Jon Davis, CEO, Signature Back Office Solutions

In the world of contract staffing, Master Service Agreements are the “big fish” you want to catch. This session dives deep with Jon Davis, who will share his experience, success stories, and best practices to help you secure and maximize these coveted agreements. He will share case studies and lessons learned in the sales and delivery cycle of higher volume in the enterprise marketplace.

We will spend time talking through the nuances of MSP/VMS and the growing impact they have on your business. Learn the unique negotiation and delivery strategies needed to land these valuable contracts and boost your business that pays dividends and increases overall value of your firm.

Lead Generation Breakout: Your Super Bowl Commercial (ABC Breakout)

Greg Doersching, Senior Advisor Client Success, Sanford Rose Associates

Imagine you got the opportunity to have a FREE 30-second commercial at the next Super Bowl. A pitch on why you and your firm, with a limited window of opportunity, broadcast to millions. Would you revise your current pitch at all, or is it game-ready? The success of getting in the door and securing new appointments rests on the quality of the commercial. In this breakout, we’ll scrap the statements that provide little differentiation and replace them with quantifiable achievements.

We’ll ask you the questions that you need to answer, because it’s what your prospects want to know (even if they don’t ask). We’ll do some dry runs of the new and improved commercials, in order to better evaluate and refine your own. Welcome to the SRA Super Bowl!

LEADERSHIP BREAKOUT: Why Leaders Plans Often Fail; What to Know about Building a Plan that Actually Works (Main Ballroom)

Mike Gionta, Founder, The RecruiterU

It is human nature for us to go through cycles; we reach a point where we desire a change in our life, and we want it NOW! Think New Year’s Resolutions – you are determined to change your life, but by the end of January, you’ve bounced back to your comfort zones. It is important to manage the implementation of change realistically. In this session, Mike will reveal:

  • The MORTAL SIN in recruiting and how to avoid it
  • The 1st and most ESSENTIAL step to achievement that most recruiters leave out
  • Secrets he uncovered building his own successful firm
  • The mistakes that MOST recruiters and leaders make, and how to avoid them while building your team, firm, and legacy

You will learn:

  • The questions to get clear on what you REALLY want within your recruiting business
  • How to be clear on exactly what you need to do each day to add significantly more revenue to your business
  • Know what the “land mines” are that can destroy your plan… and how to AVOID them!
  • The key elements of Plans that work That GROW your revenues
  • Leave this session with a blueprint for your next 12 months Business/Desk Growth Plan

4:00 PM: BREAK

4:15 PM – 5:15 PM Thursday Breakout #4

General Breakout: TIP-A-PALOOZA 2024 (Main Ballroom)

Amanda Jones, Senior Executive Search Consultant, The Anderson Search Group
Stephen Smithers, Senior Executive Recruiter, The Bridger Group
Emily Weaver, Practice Director, Global ESG
Khadiza Hannan, Nearterm
Lisa Glenn, Director of Recruiting, NW Recruiting Partners

Back by popular demand, it’s the PALOOZA! Being part of something bigger than oneself is something most people crave. It may be cliché, but if there was an illustration in the dictionary of the expression that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, the image would be a group photo at our conference!

Surrounding oneself with the right people is a significant contributor to professional growth and success for most any professional – but in a pure people business like recruiting, it is crucial. The recruiters in our Network may have differences in tenure, industry, or style – but one of the strongest commonalities is the shared mindset of operating from abundance. If Lollapalooza brings together some of the world’s most famous artists and bands, SRA does the same each year as we spotlight many successful recruiters within our Network, all sharing their insights and top tips for success!

Whether this is your first SRA Conference or you are already hoping that this year’s breakout bears a strong resemblance to last years (iykyk), what continues to be the best thing about our SRA Network are the people. In this Owners-only session, we will structure table assignments in a way to maximize new introductions by combining veteran offices and new. You will leave this Breakout with a few more familiar faces in the crowd, and with some insights from others that will prove valuable as well!

*Country Western attire encouraged; bring out your inner Yellowstone!

Buses will begin to load at 5:30pm in the lobby of the Omni Hotel, and dinner at River Ranch will be from 6pm – 10pm. The last bus will start loading at 9:45pm.

AGENDA:

Friday, September 20, 2024

9:15 AM – 10:30 AM: Keynote: Creating Certain Revenue in UnCertain Economic Times – The Formula for Success in ANY Economy

Mike Gionta, Founder, The RecruiterU

In today’s unpredictable economy, recruiters often face challenges that can hinder growth and success. Whether you’re struggling in slow economic periods or striving to maintain momentum in good times, this event offers a transformative formula that has empowered recruiters to not only survive but thrive. 

What sets the top 5% of recruiters apart? It’s not just about having the right niche or polished presentations—it’s about understanding and implementing a proven formula for consistent success. Gain insights into the strategies and tactics that successful recruiters use to achieve certain revenue regardless of economic conditions.

Discover the key to thriving as a recruiter no matter the economic climate!

10:30 AM: BREAK

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Friday Breakout #1

Producer Breakout: How to Get Searches When No One Can (Main Ballroom)

Michael Pietrack, Executive Vice President, TMAC Direct

Michael Pietrack is a highly sought after recruiting trainer and speaker. He emerged on the scene in 2013 as the top solo biller in the MRI Network. Since then, he has been a perennial top-5 biller in the elite Pinnacle Society. In 2015, Michael was named in the PharmaVoice’s Top 100 Most Inspirational People in Pharma, and in 2023, he joined forces with Kaye/Bassman International to lead their Pharma and Biotech expansion efforts. Along with being a mega producer, he is also an author of a bestselling book entitled Legacy: The Saga Begins.

Join Michael Pietrack as he shares his weekly systematic approach to getting searches in a down market. Follow this step-by-step approach and you’ll not only survive but thrive!

Contract Staffing Breakout: Recognizing Renewable Revenue (D Breakout)

Jim Fisher, Managing Partner, Simply Driven Executive Search
Mark Howard, President/CEO, Berkeley Search Group

Everyone is always looking for their next key account. But what if your next key account was actually a client you already have today? In this session, Jim Fisher and Mark Howard will explore methods to strengthen client and candidate engagement, build long-term trusted relationships, and identify new opportunities for extending contracts and contractors within your current client base. Develop a built-in mechanism for ongoing touch points that position you as not just a professional ally, but a personal mentor and confidante. With a blend of both permanent and contract business, join us as these two tenured producers help you recognize more renewable revenue, today.

General Breakout: Time Management Techniques and a Peak Performance Mindset (ABC Breakout)

Frances Walker, Lead Mindset Coach, The RecruiterU

In this breakout, you will learn daily planning strategies to maximize productivity, prioritize tasks effectively, and streamline your workflow in the fast-paced world we live in as recruiters. You will leave with proven mindset techniques to reduce overwhelm, minimize time-wasting distractions, eliminate procrastination, and stay focused on what truly drives results.

Understanding the importance of mindset in creating a flow state is crucial to peak performance; research suggests it enables entrepreneurs to achieve productivity levels five times higher than their peers, making this training essential for staying ahead in the competitive field of talent acquisition. Frances Walker is a Certified Mindset Coach who combines science and psychology into a simple- to-follow structure tailored to recruiters.

Leadership Breakout: SRA Topic Roundtables (HIJ Breakout)

Presented by All Participants

This is your opportunity to learn from a broad slate of other industry leaders. These breakouts are designed for maximum interaction but require maximum participation, so please be equipped to give and receive.

You will register in advance for two of the topics below, so you will have ample time to prepare a one-page handout with your own organizational chart, job descriptions, performance management templates, training calendars, or examples to share with others. With just under 30 minutes for each table topic, it will feel a bit like speed dating – yet with a full dance card of content at the conclusion!

  • Team / Firm Models and Organizational Design / Comp Plans
  • Performance Management
  • Initiatives driven corporately to support Business Development activities to producers
  • Culture
  • Hiring

12:00 PM: Break

12:15 PM – 1:15 PM NETWORKING LUNCH

1:15 PM: Break

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Friday Breakout #2

Producer Breakout: The Art of Making it Rain (Main Ballroom)

Mike Knox, Executive Recruiter, Global Executive Solutions Group
Erica Rothman, Executive Search Consultant, Remedy Group
Mike Silverstein, Managing Partner, Direct Recruiters Inc.

No matter the tenure of the recruiter, everyone is always looking for insights into breaking through to their OWN next level. This panel of rainmakers have a proven track record of success and will share with you a variety of best practices all designed to help you secure more quantity of quality business, dominate within the market you’ve mastered, and balance the challenges that come with a limited amount of time in which to do it ALL.

Contract Staffing Breakout: Transformative Traction within Staffing (D Breakout)

Clark Young, Senior Advisor Client Success, Dimensional Search

This breakout is designed to help strengthen the grip you have on your contract staffing business. We will focus on building greater momentum within your market, increasing your candidate and client pipelines. That momentum has to be met with proven methodologies – methodologies for differentiating what you offer, why you, and why now. Whether your desk is a blend of permanent and contract or all staffing, being prepared to address the wants, needs and desires of the interim market is paramount. In this session, 30-year staffing veteran Clark Young will bring his expertise ranging from Account Executive up to Vice President within the Healthcare, Finance & Accounting, and Office Administration verticals.

Clark oversaw and staffed the opening of new markets for Robert Half’s Management Resources (now RHI Consulting) and The Creative Group, and expanded the market footprint for Kforce’s Healthcare Staffing Division to include per-diem. Join us for some transformative traction, tailored to you!

Lead Generation Breakout: Metrics and Messages for Lead Gen Mastery (HIJ Breakout)

Jon Bartos, Chief Investment Officer, Starfish Partners, Chief Operating Officer, Dimensional Search

A metric is just a data point, and one that is nearly arbitrary with no context. It’s knowing how to interpret the inputs and outputs of that data point that matter, and will allow you to combine quantity with quality to unlock the highest success within effective lead generation. What are the metrics that matter, and how do you adjust both the inputs (the quantity of contacts) with the outputs (the quality of the messaging)?

Jon Bartos has been the metrics master for decades, and has adapted the traditional metrics of recruiting into tested results for lead generation. He will equip you with the essentials of not just what to measure, but how to adjust variables such as cadence and frequency, technological tools and delivery mechanisms, and the messages themselves.

Leadership Breakout: R2 on R2 (ABC Breakout)

Ryan Lange, Managing Partner, Direct Recruiters, Inc.
Ruben Moreno, Founding Partner and Practice Leader, Blue Rock Search

Recruiting is a people business, and putting the Right people in the Right seats has been paramount to the track records of leadership success for both Ryan and Ruben. From solo to now an 8-person team with an average tenure of 6.5 years and $3m in production, Ryan Lange has built a deeply talented and dedicated layer of future leaders within the firm and industry. As one of the most successful retained rainmakers in our industry, Ruben Moreno has led his firm from the front, scaling year over year and perpetually performing as one of the Top 10 SRA Offices. In this Leadership Session, R2 will share how they have created cultures of accountability and excellence, develop their own replacements, and ultimately ensure they have the R2 (right people in the right seats) to continue to build on their upward trajectories for years to come.

2:30 PM – 2:45 PM: BREAK

2:45 PM – 3:30 PM

GENERAL SESSION: Closing Notes from Conference (Main Ballroom)

Jon Bartos, Chief Investment Officer, Starfish Partners, Chief Operating Officer, Dimensional Search
Erin Bent, Senior Advisor Client Success, Sanford Rose Associates
Dan Charney, Managing Director, Starfish Partners
Christine Geiger, Senior Advisor Client Success, Sanford Rose Associates
Karen Schmidt, President, Sanford Rose Associates
Lil Vaughn, Senior Advisor Client Success, Sanford Rose Associates

So much information shared in such little time; this final session will condense the standout takeaways, tips and techniques gleaned from all of the breakouts by all of our SRA Leadership Team. Get your notes app ready as this rapid-fire amalgamation is delivered by people who talk for a living, talk even faster, so they can fit all of the best practices into the attention spans of recruiters at the tail end of a conference!

3:30 PM – 6:00 PM: BREAK

Friday, SEPTEMBER 20th

Omni Hotel Ft Worth: 1300 Houston Street, Ft Worth TX

Cocktail Hour starts at 6p,
followed by dinner and a copacetic dance party

Click here to book a room at the Omni Ft Worth (rate secured at $249/night until block sold out)

The Starfish Foundation Presents: Disco Inferno! Get ready to Shake Your Groove Thing

In true 70’s style! You’ll remember, the 20th night of September, as we dance the night away. Don your best sequins, bell-bottoms, and platforms for our Ballroom Blitz, and get ready to Get Down Tonight at our Disco Inferno! (Omni Hotel Ft Worth)

Your SRA Conference Registration Fee includes a Village Person (single guest) pass and two drink tickets.

Additional Sponsorship Levels:

Village People
$250

2 Guests + 4 Drink Tickets

Funkytown
$500

Village People + VIP Lounge Access (Unlimited Drink Wristbands good for VIP Bar Area)

Hot Stuff
$1000

Village People + VIP Lounge Access + VIP Dinner Table Seating

Dancing Queens
$2500

Village People + VIP Lounge Access + VIP Dinner Table Seating + Naming Rights for Specialty Area of Choice (first come, first served)

Super Freaks
$5000

Village People + VIP Lounge Access + VIP Dinner Table Seating + Title Sponsor and Naming Rights

Last Dance
Donation

Flat Donation of Any Amount

Raffle:
Pacesetter Trip for Two

Over the past 21 years, we have supported various incredible charities; last year, our foundation donated $50,000 to Baylor Health Care Systems Cancer Department and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. With 100% of donations going directly to our beneficiaries, we have donated over $1.8 million since the inception of the Foundation in 2001. Thank you for helping us ALL make a difference!