MKSSA Annual Conference - Kansas City

September 27th-28th, 2018

We are very excited about the 2018 MKSSA Annual Conference - Master the Staffing Industry at the Midwest Conference- Investigate, Inquire, and Implement Innovative Staffing Standards. Join 100+ attendees for the staffing and recruiting event that you don't want to miss! Interact with Industry Partners to see new tools and services to grow your business!

When:
September 27th and 28th

Location:
Crowne Plaza
1301 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, MO 64105
816-474-6664
MKSS Room Rate: $149
Room Reservation Deadline: September 10th
Missouri-Kansas Search and Staffing Assoc

Cost:
Members:
$289 (when registering 1-3 attendees)
$259 (when registering 4 + attendees)
Non Members:
$389
Non Member Special- MKSSA Annual Membership and Conference Registration:
$450

Registration deadline is September 10, 2018.
CLICK HERE to register.  Space is limited; please register early.

Hear from the industry experts:

Jon Bartos
Global Performance Search

People focused on performance hitting their potential.   That has been Jon’s life work. As many have introduced him, Jon is the quintessential thought leader, trainer, speaker and consultant on all aspects of Human Capital, Talent Management and Performance Management.

After a 17 year career in the Supply Chain Technology – Auto ID industry, Jon realized the strong demand for talent and for companies who could deliver high performing talent.  He then purchased a Management Recruiters International franchise in November of 1998. As President and CEO of his new firm, MRI/Jonathan Scott International in Ohio, Jon achieved industry-leading success as one of an elite group of executive recruiters who billed over $1 million annually while building a multi-million dollar top 10 Office. In a 10 year period (1999–2009), he cashed in over $10 million in personal production and established JSI as a top 10% executive search and staffing firm winning 17 international awards in the MRINetwork. Jon sold the business in 2012.

In 2015 – started a new firm, focus on Retained Search - Global Performance Search. Today, GPS has offices in Toronto, Ohio, Colorado and Medellin, Columbia. GPS is a leader in talent solutions for Workday, Supply Chain Technology and SAP. In 2008 Jon founded Revenue Performance Management, LLC. The RPM Dashboard System is a business intelligence tool for metrics management and performance improvement used by over 500 recruiting and staffing firms worldwide. Today Jon is also still on a desk.  As of today, he has billed over 17 million in personal production.

Jon has been rated as the top speaker at many industry events and has had an opportunity to speak with audiences all over the world including South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Bulgaria, Australia, Greece, France, UK and North America.

His two block buster seminars “Contingent to Retained (Mutually Committed)” to the Executive Search Industry and “Hiring High Performing Teams” to the Human Resource Management industry are both being offered at various locations world wide. In the last 10 years Jon has published over 100 articles, 10 white papers and 3 books on the above topics. Jon’s events and seminars are held at major cities all around the world.

Peter Mallouk
President and Chief Investment Officer of Creative Planning
and Affiliated Companies

Peter Mallouk is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Creative Planning and affiliated companies. Peter's companies provide comprehensive wealth management services to its clients, including investment management, financial planning, charitable planning, retirement plan consulting, tax, and estate planning services.

Creative Planning provides wealth management services to high net worth clients, manages over $36 billion for clients in all 50 states and abroad, is featured as the #1 Independent Wealth Management Firm in America by Barron's, (2017) and has been featured on CNBC's only two wealth manager rankings as the '#1 Wealth

Management Firm in America' (2014 and 2015). The New York Times, in an article about the firm, said "Creative Planning is at the vanguard of a profound shift in finance." (2017)

Peter is featured in every eligible listing of Barron's as one of the 'Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors in America,' and is the only advisor to have ever been featured at #1 for three consecutive years (2013-2015). Since 2015, Creative Planning has been featured on Barron's new top independent firms list, instead of the top advisors list. Peter is featured on Worth magazine's 'Power 100', featuring the most powerful men and women in global finance (2017). Peter is featured in Boomer Advisor as the 'Boomer Advisor of the Year' (2008). Creative Planning was featured in Forbes in 2016 as the #1 RIA for growth over the last 10 years, and Financial Times' 'Top RIA List' (2014-2017). Creative Planning is also featured in Ingram's magazines' issues on 'Best Places to Work' and 'Most Charitable Organizations.'

Peter graduated from the University of Kansas in 1993 with four majors, including degrees in Business Administration and Economics. He went on to earn a law degree and Master of Business Administration in 1996, also at the University of Kansas. Peter has also earned the Certified Financial Planner^TM designation.

Peter is the founder, current executive board member, and former five-year Chairman of KC CAN!, an organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the quality of life of children in Kansas City. Peter is a recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Peter and his wife Veronica are the recipients of the Giving the Basics Human Dignity Award for their contributions towards helping those less fortunate meet basic needs, and recipients of the Variety Presidential Citation Award for their work supporting those with special needs. Peter has served on Boards of Pathway to Hope, American Stroke Foundation, St. Michael's Finance Council, Kansas City Hospice and KCCAN! Peter is married to Veronica and has three children, Michael, John Peter, and Gabrielle.

Meagan Johnson
Generational Expert, Speaker and Author 

Never before have there been so many generations in the workplace and the marketplace at the same time.  Never before has there been such an opportunity for collaboration.  Never before has there been such an opportunity for conflict.  Meagan Johnson is here to help us ZAP THE GENERATIONAL GAP!

During the 1990s, while working for companies like Quaker Oats, Kraft Foods and Xerox, Meagan often heard negative comments about Gen Xers. Things like “they’re all slackers,” “gold collar workers,” and “it’s the Beavis and Butthead generation” were not uncommon.  Being a Gen Xer herself, Meagan knew those terms were unfair, untrue and hurtful so she began researching small and large businesses to debunk generational myths and discover the most effective ways to solve multi-generational clashes. That research gave birth to thousands of generational presentations and to her best selling book "Generations Inc., From Boomers To Linksters Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work”.

Our generations and the gaps that separate them are in constant flux, what worked last year probably won’t work today. Anybody still using their VCR? What seemed like a perfect solution yesterday is the source of tomorrow’s problem. You really need to get all those home movies put on disc! … Wait! I mean Digital Storage. Oh No! I mean The Cloud!

The potential for collision, conflict and confusion between the generations has never been greater and the chasm is growing wider every day we ignore the problem.  Unwilling to accept standard, by-the-book generalizations, Meagan tackles the generational challenges, myths and misunderstandings head on. Meagan demonstrates to audiences, through her own experience, in depth research and program customization, that all generations have differences and strengths that go beyond mere age and appearance.

Stop complaining about the generational differences and learn from Meagan Johnson what you can do right now to make the most of all the generations.

The workplace is NOT what it used to be.  The global marketplace has become a myriad of different generations. What people want from an employer; their expectations of corporate benefits, organizational culture and motivation to do what’s best for business differs from generation to generation. Your challenge is to figure out how to communicate successfully with the individual generations to achieve financial success, personal growth and enriched company morale.

Her clients include: Harley-Davidson, CISCO, Comcast, Procter & Gamble, Starwood Resorts, Nestle Purina, American Health Care Association, Boeing, THE C.I.A. and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. She has been quoted in many publications including; The Chicago Tribune, CNNMoney.com, & US News & World Report.  She and her dad, professional speaker Larry Johnson, are co-authors of the best-selling book Generations, Inc., Managing the Friction between Generations at Work.

Meagan gives audiences a chance to not only laugh at their own generation (and the other ones) but flourish in the presence of others.

“She is the de-facto expert when it comes to navigating the maze of generational quandaries’ every organization faces.**

**Quoted by the Chicago Tribune, CNNMoney.com and US News & World Report, she has been heard on ABC Talk Live, NPR and profiled on Conde’ Nast’s Portfolio.com. Meagan has become the ‘Go To’ expert for all things generational.

Aaron Wandtke, CERS

Aaron Wandtke is the Senior Partner at Executive Staffing Solutions (ESS) which was founded in 2000.  ESS recruits for the health care industry on a national basis. Aaron's recruiting firm employs 23 individuals.  ESS was named “Best Places to Work” in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Forbes magazine named ESS as one of the top 150 executive across all industries in 2017 and 2018.

Aaron is a Past Chairman for the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) as well as the Ohio Recruiters Association.  Aaron has spoken at NAPS, CSP, NEAPS and ORA.

Chris Batz
Legal Recruiter and Owner of The Lion Group, LLC

Chris Batz is a legal recruiter and owner of The Lion Group, LLC, a Kansas City-based national legal recruiting firm. The Lion Group, LLC places corporate legal department attorneys and law partners across the United States.

With 26,000+ connections on LinkedIn and the host of a Legal Industry Podcast, Chris speaks regularly with Chief Legal Officers and General Counsel of public and private companies looking to grow their teams with strategic legal talent. Also having a background in public accounting and a passion for marketing and strategy, he is an asset to corporate defense law firm chairmen/women and managing partners looking to expand strategically through partner candidates, groups, new offices, and combinations.

Chris is the author of Lateral Moves: A Guide for Partners and Law Firms, which addresses the nuances of law partner lateral moves and is available on Amazon Kindle. Chris hosts The Law Firm Leadership Podcast and interviews corporate defense law firm leaders, partners, their consultants and general counsel on Legal Industry Trends and Leadership Insights.

Todd Bossler
Software Product Manager for Top Echelon

Todd Bossler has been involved in the recruiting industry and the technology around it for over 20 years. He is a self-professed student of "recruitment geekery" and loves to show others the hints, tips, and tricks he's learned from some of the brightest minds in the business.  Todd currently serves as the Software Product Manager at Top Echelon, a company dedicated to helping recruiters make more placements through its products and services that include Big Biller Applicant Tracking System, Split Network, and Contract Staffing Back Office.

Aaron Eastlack
Social Media Marketing Advisor
Haley Marketing Group

Aaron Eastlack is a Social Media Marketing Advisor at Haley Marketing Group, the nation’s largest marketing firm dedicated to servicing the staffing and recruiting industry. As a Certified Inbound Marketing Specialist, Aaron works with over 30 staffing and recruiting companies and consults with them to match their business goals with strategic online marketing plans that include search engine optimization, online reputation management, email campaigns, blogging, and social media marketing.

Aaron is a frequent contributor to Haley Marketing’s educational blog and is focused on refining integrated digital marketing plans for businesses that will help them best reach their goals.  With a background in teaching, Aaron enjoys helping customers find practical solutions that work for them.  When he comes in to work each day, he makes it his goal to provide awesome service to his clients. Aaron enjoys being a part of the Social Media team at Haley Marketing because he gets to collaborate with awesome professionals and gets to work for a company that is leading the charge in the staffing industry. When Aaron heads home after work, he enjoys spending time with his family, running, and catching up on the newest tools and tech in his Popular Mechanics subscription.

Conference Schedule

Thursday

9:00 - 10:00 am:    Registration

10:00 - 10:15 am:  Opening Remarks

10:15 -11:30 am:   Keynote – Jon Bartos, Global Performance Search

“An Introduction to the Quantum Leap Theorems (QLTs)”

A Quantum Leap Theorem is a ratio by which we have the ability to attain a “Quantum Leap” in results without working any harder or longer.  The term Quantum Leap comes from the scientific discipline of Quantum Physics. In physics, a quantum leap is the movement of an electron from one orbit in an atom to another, sending out or taking on a proton in the process. It’s a dramatic move that defies conventional science; a move that doesn’t seem to take any additional effort yet changes everything. In recruiting, a Quantum Leap Theorem is a specific thing you need to do in order to see huge leaps in performance without any increase in activity or volume. Quantum Leap Theorems typically focus on skill set changes.  To get results that are 2-5x better than what you are doing without additional volume – like the top 1% billers in the world and the top recruiting and staffing offices, you will need to focus on the Quantum Leap Theorems. In This Session – Jon will go over what they are for Recruiting and Staffing firms and individual contributors.

11:30 - 11:45 am:  Industry Partner Highlights

11:45 - 1:00 pm:    Lunch

1:00 - 2:00 pm:      General Session - Peter Mallouk, Creative Planning

“Wealth Management in a Complex World”

Peter, President and CEO of Creative Planning, provides clients with uncluttered, professional advice, striving to organize and simplify life that maximizes the family’s enjoyment of their wealth now and in the future.

2:15 -3:30 pm:       Breakout Sessions

Session 1: Jon Bartos, Global Performance Search

“The Deadly Sins of Staffing and Recruiting Firm Management”

If you are not achieving your desired result from your Staffing or Recruiting Firm – chances are you are committing one of the Deadly sins of Management and Ownership. In this session, after working with hundreds of firms in the industry worldwide, Jon will review the most common Deadly Sins and share details on how to stop committing those sins – to help obtain your vision as a Recruiting and Staffing Firm.

Session 2: Todd Bosler, Top Echelon

“KILLER (and free) Sourcing Tools for Busy Recruiters”

Finding qualified candidates has been a trouble spot for recruiters since the beginning of time.  With the advent of social networks, it should be easier than ever to find them, but tools like LinkedIn and Facebook can suck you into a time vacuum that not only produces little to no leads, but put a major dent in your productivity... keeping you from the other essential steps in you recruiting process.  In this session, Todd will show you a few of the hottest tools and techniques he's learned about from some of the industry's brightest sourcing minds.

3:30 - 3:45 pm:     Break

3:45 - 5:00 pm:     Breakout Session

Session 1: Jon Bartos, Global Performance Search

“How to Hire High Performing Teams”

In this session, Jon will share the secret to helping you and your clients hire top performers.  He will go over why the standard outcome for hiring is 1 out of 2 mishires and how to can change that to hiring 9 out of 10 high performers.  For many who go through this session – this becomes your Value Proposition.  This is WHY your clients will use YOU opposed to anyone else from now one...

Session 2: Chris Batz, The Lion Group

“You're Not Visible on LinkedIn and 4 Simple Steps to Being Top of Mind”

Do you get on the First Page of Search Results? Did you know that was a thing?

Your clients certainly exist on LinkedIn and for some of you your candidates too but do they see you?  Chris will teach you 4 Simple Steps to getting active and passive results on the most important social media platform for recruiting. Not only can your team apply these steps but you can provide it as a value add service to your candidates (and clients) as important career development advice. And they eat it up. Chris will not stop there though. He will talk about advance LinkedIn techniques on leverage and results.

5:15 - 6:00 pm:     Reception

6:00 pm +              Dinner

Friday

8:00 - 9:00 am:     Breakfast

9:00 - 10:30 am:   Keynote – Megan Johnson, Generational Humorist

“Decoding the Generation Gap - A Comical Way to Communicate”

The potential for collision, conflict and confusion between the generations has never been greater and the chasm is growing wider every day we ignore the problem.  Unwilling to accept standard, by-the-book generalizations, Meagan tackles the generational challenges, myths and misunderstandings head on. Meagan demonstrates to audiences, through her own experience, in depth research and program customization, that all generations have differences and strengths that go beyond mere age and appearance.  Stop complaining about the generational differences and learn from Meagan Johnson what you can do right now to make the most of all the generations.

10:30 - 10:40 am: Break

10:40 - 12:00 pm: Breakout Session

Session 1: Aaron Wandtke, Executive Staffing Solutions

“Clients – Successful Strategies for Building Trust”

Aaron will focus exclusively on the client side.  He will reveal his best practices for prospecting and branding, break down his sales call strategies, and share how to successfully raise fees while retaining clients. By providing specific examples, Aaron will illustrate in detail the how and the why behind each strategy that his firm has implemented. Expect to leave this session with actionable items that you can use with your clients right away.

Session 2: Chris Batz, The Lion Group

“Inbound Marketing, your Website and Automating Client and Candidate Screening”

What do Funnels, Lead Magnets and Automation have to do with Recruiting? How would you like to: Drive more targeted traffic to your site, capture and convert it, vett it and begin to win more business and identify key candidates? Chris will show you how he used content assets such as his book, Podcast and written content to drive web and LinkedIn traffic to his site, converted and screened valuable clients and candidates via automation SAAS (software-as-a-Service) tools while he slept, ate, worked and played.

12:00 -1:00 pm:    Lunch

1:00 - 2:20 pm:     Breakout Session

Session 1: Aaron Eastlack, Haley Marketing

“Recruiting Insights and Innovations”

Marketing data is indicating major shifts in how people interact with brands.  Some of the “old” rules still apply but there are major paradigms on the horizon and some are already here.  So, how can proven marketing strategies, paired with innovative tactics, make recruiting easier, and your sales more effective?

Why does your reputation and branding mean more now than ever? Are you using social media effectively? Are you taking full advantage of your internal resources?  In this session, we’ll discuss best practices, explore the data, and map out marketing strategies that will actually drive results.

Session 2: Aaron Wandtke, Executive Staffing Solutions

“Candidates – Our 360 Approach”

Aaron will cover his successful approach to working with candidates.  Learn how his team optimizes specific tools like LinkedIn, a targeted newsletter and multiple social media strategies.  Additionally, he will be sharing his top tips for elevating spouse calls, using candidate testimonials as a marketing strategy, and the specific questions you can’t afford to skip over.

2:20 - 2:30 pm:    Break

2:30 - 3:45 pm:    Keynote – Aaron Wandtke, Executive Staffing Solutions

“Where Am I Headed?”

Recruiting is a marathon, not a sprint, and a successful recruiter knows how to play the long game. How do we keep our focus when everything is changing?  Do I know where this industry is heading? Do I have a vision of where I want to go and an open mind of how I might get there?