Breakout Sessions
Friday, November 15 - 9:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Economic & Staffing Industry Update: Where to Find Opportunity in a Changing World
Presenter: Tom Kosnik
Tom Kosnik is the founder and president of the Visus Group, a leading expert in staffing industry organizational design, profitability improvement, and work culture transformation. With over 25 years of consulting experience, he empowers staffing
firms to enhance their value and grow their businesses through his “Organizational Development Business Model” (ODBM).
Tom founded the Presidents RoundTable, a nationwide forum for staffing leaders to collaborate and tackle industry challenges.
He has facilitated thousands of RoundTable sessions, advising executives on business decisions, profitability benchmarking, and best practices.
A frequent speaker for major industry organizations, Tom has addressed topics such as leadership
development, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions. His research has appeared in numerous industry publications, including Staffing Industry Review and the International Human Resource Management Journal.
Tom holds an M.A. in
Organizational Development from Bowling Green State University and a B.A. in Psychology from Seattle University. He is also certified by the Center for Creative Leadership and the MH Group.
Session Description: The staffing
industry is getting pounded. Every sector of it. The current economic data makes little to no sense. The GDP is doing well, the staffing industry is shrinking. The unemployment rate is relatively low, the staffing industry
continues to shrink. What is a staffing business owner to do. In this session we are going to try to make sense of the economic data and what it is telling us. We are also going to show what is in store for the staffing industry.
The best part of this session is showing what is currently working for staffing firms that are growing and have been growing in this very odd economic cycle. Tom Kosnik, Founding Partner of the Visus Group, meets with over 100 staffing firms
across the country every four months in his company’s Presidents RoundTable. No other consultant in the staffing industry has an understanding from the ground level of where the opportunities lie in our industry. Join us for this very
informative session that will be packed with ideas.
Friday, November 15 - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Adapting to the Shifting Staffing Landscape: A Model for Effective Sales Strategies in Changing Markets
Presenter: Mark Winter
Mark is a seasoned sales performance expert with over 20 years of experience across all sales roles, from Branch Manager to Vice President of Sales for a $2.5B staffing company. His deep understanding of effective strategies allows him to identify and eliminate barriers to performance. A Six Sigma Black Belt, Mark holds master certifications from leading sales training organizations. He specializes in strategic planning, sales process development, customer acquisition, and team performance, ready to help your team succeed.
Session Description: he field of play is rapidly changing for staffing. Buying behavior has changed, and we must adapt our sales process to suit. The problem is that our actions reflect what feels right based on past experience, not a product of aligning behavior to current market conditions. We’ll introduce you to a model that shows four market phases, the strategies that work best in each, and how to assess your company’s position and strategy to get the best results.
The session will be broken out into two segments the first being a keynote style session that will cover the four-block concept in detail and the second will be a panel discussion with four staffing TempNet partners where they will share real-world experiences being in one of the four market phases.
You will come away with practical things you can to do make an impact immediately and determine if you have the right sales team in place and how to get them ready to tackle what’s next.
Friday, November 15 - 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Protecting Your Gross Margin:
Masterclass for Staffing Leaders
Presenter: Jerry Grady, CPA
Jerry Grady is a partner with UHY LLP, a Board Member of UHY Advisors Inc.,and is the Managing Partner for the firm’s Ann Arbor, MI office. He has acquired a wealth of knowledge throughout his 40 years in public accounting. Jerry is the Chairperson
of the firm’s National Staffing Practice, where he leads a team of more than 40 professionals who provide attest, tax, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and M&A services to more than 250 staffing companies across the U.S. Jerry is the past
chair of the American Staffing Association’s (ASA) Professional Managerial Section Council, policy council member of the ASA, board member of the Ohio Staffing & Search Association, industry partner board member of the New York Staffing Association,
and industry partner member of the Colorado Staffing Association. He is an annual speaker at various staffing conferences across the country such as ASA, Staffing Industry Analysts, TechServe Alliance, the Affiliated Staffing Group, and a multitude
of state staffing associations.
Session Description: Gross Margin is the life blood of any staffing firm and impacts cash flow daily. A slight decrease in a customer's gross margin could impact the overall mix and start a downward decline. This session will explore the various accruals to which staffing
firms misstate, an understanding of what truly makes up gross margin, how sales mix is an unknown loss leader, and how salespeople are overpaid based on misstatement of gross margin. Margins have become razor thin - and a full understanding
is needed to survive in this current marketplace.
Friday, November 15 - 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM
CSP Legal Update
Presenter: Susan Steward
Susan Steward is a partner in the Cerritos office of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo. She counsels and represents public and private sector employers in all employment-related matters, including defending against claims of discrimination,
harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination. Ms. Steward also defends employers in class action lawsuits, particularly class actions involving claims for unpaid overtime and meal and rest periods. She represents for-profit and nonprofit companies,
governmental agencies. In addition, Ms. Steward has extensive experience advising and representing regional and national staffing agencies in all aspects of employment law.
Session Description: Check Back Soon!
Friday, November 15 - 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
CSP Legislative Update
Presenter: Mike Robson
Mike Robson has worked in California politics for over 30 years. He joined the firm in 2001 after working in the California State Legislature for Dede Alpert during her service in both houses of the State Legislature. Mike worked his way up
from legislative aide in the Assembly to Staff Director/Chief of Staff when Senator Alpert presided over the Senate Committee on Appropriations. These experiences have given him an insider's knowledge of State Capital operations and procedures.
Session Description:
Check Back Soon!
Saturday, November 16 - 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM
Prodoscore Data Review: The State of the Staffing Industry
Presenter: Adrian Reece
Adrian Reece is a seasoned Data Scientist and People Analytics Specialist with a profound ability to transform raw data into actionable insights. With a background that spans across various industries, including time spent as a fitness coach, serving
in the US Navy, and multiple entrepreneurial endeavors, Adrian has developed a unique and versatile skill set that contributes to his invaluable expertise in data science and organizational behavior
Session Description:
In this session, Prodoscore's VP of Data Science, Adrian Reece, will reveal the latest staffing industry findings based on Prodoscore's proprietary productivity data. Some of the areas we'll touch on include overall productivity among staffing professionals
Saturday, November 16 - 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Navigating the Capital Spectrum: Strategic Funding Solutions for Middle-Market Staffing Companies
Presenter: Terry Keating
Terry Keating is CEO of Access Capital, a New York-based commercial finance firm and the nation’s leading independent lender to the staffing industry.
Terry has over 40 years of leadership, senior management, and board experience,
encompassing leading asset-based lending and factoring businesses. He also served as a lender to the asset-based lending industry for 15 years, a decade spent as a consultant and investment banker. In addition, he currently serves on the board of
an aerospace parts manufacturer/distribution/MRO company and an early-stage fintech capital platform.
Terry is active in various industry associations. He is also an active member of the Secured Finance Network, serving on its Industry
Data Committee and DEI Committee and leading its Mentoring Program. Additionally, he is active in the New York Institute of Credit, Association for Corporate Growth and Turnaround Management Association.
Terry is a frequent speaker on
various industry topics, has written numerous articles, and has contributed to books on topics such as middle market mergers and acquisitions.
Session Description:
This presentation, led by Terry M. Keating, CEO of Access Capital, reviews capital-raising options and strategic funding considerations for middle-market staffing companies. He covers various funding types—ranging from senior debt and mezzanine financing to equity—and explains how each option fits into a company’s growth phase, cash flow trends, and capital needs.
Additionally, he will discuss how to cultivate and maintain relationships with capital providers, focusing on what lenders and investors expect regarding financial information, strategic planning, and ongoing communication.
Key takeaways include understanding the full spectrum of capital options, selecting the right advisors, and ensuring clear, consistent interactions with funding partners to support long-term growth and financial health.
Saturday, November 16 - 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Closing General Session - Bringing It All Together
Presenter: Tom Kosnik
Session Description:
Our 2024 Owner’s Only Retreat is packed with speakers and topics. From Tom Kosnik, Visus Group, we are going to get an idea of what is in store for the economy and the staffing industry in 2025. We also are going to hear about critical threats descending upon the staffing industry. From Mark Winter, WinSource, we are going to learn that succeeding in sales will require a new approach from what we have been doing in 2024 and before. Susan Steward and Mike Robson are going to offer us updates on the ever-changing legal & legislative issues facing staffing. Jerry Grady, UHY and Terry Keating, Access Capital are going to break open the outlook for financing trends as well as merger & acquisition. Lastly, Adriane Reece, Prodoscore, is going to share some unique information about the staffing industry. In our closing session, we are going to bring it all together. Arranged for small group discussions, we will walk through a series of questions. We will discuss our biggest takeaways, our greatest challenges, the best ideas for immediate changes we can make in our businesses to increase sales & profitability, and long-term issues that will take all of 2025 for us to work. This final session will be highly interactive and sure to generate additional takeaways and ideas that all of us can utilize in 2025.
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