ASGroup Charlotte 2024
12:00pm-6:00pm
Arrival & Social Activities

Tour of Charlotte

12:45pm
Golf

Sunset Hills Golf Club
800 Radio Road, Charlotte, NC
Reserve Rental Clubs - Call 704.399.0980
When you arrive, you can check in and pay. Cost is only $30 plus golf cart fees

6:00pm
Welcome Reception

The Coin Bar
(Omni Rooftop Bar)
Visit Website

8:00am-8:45am
Buffet Breakfast

with Affiliate Industry Partners

8:50am-9:15am
Welcome to Charlotte

Meeting Overview & Introductions

9:20am-10:40am
Keynote Presentation:
The Challenges of Selling Staffing Services

Justin Uselton, Avionte, Director of Sales
This session will shine a light on both organizational and individual challenges of selling in the staffing industry. Justin will focus on how to build a winning staffing sales organization that is founded on strategy and scalability, while providing a nurturing environment for attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional sales talent.

10:55am-11:55am
Adapting to the Shifting Staffing Landscape:
A Model for Effective Sales Strategies in Changing Markets

Mark Winter, WinSource
The 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. 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.

12:00pm-1:15pm
Buffet Lunch with Industry Partners

5-minute Industry Partner Overview Presentations/Special Programs

1:15pm-4:00pm
Breakout Sessions
Owners & Executives -
Magnolia

Building Resiliency and Opportunity in an Unsettling Environment
Are you seeing resemblances of 2007 and 2008? If so, this session will focus on best practices for staffing financial executives as we work through the past 18 months of rising interest rates as well as inflationary issues. Discussions will center around how to focus on an operational balance sheet and income statement. The session will also provide an overview of why a 13-week cash flow is your key to surviving the next 18 months. We will also touch upon how lending institutions are tightening the credit. This will be an interactive session that will allow you to find the right tools your organization needs to drive profitability, understand a bottom-up approach to income, benchmarking around the industry, and operational thoughts to prepare for any downturn we may face.

CFO/Key Financial Manager -
Poplar

Mastermind - Led by Brian Seiberling, CFO, Reserves Network and Angelia Terry, Controller, Pro Resources

Opening Presentation – Jerry Grady, UHY
Followed by Topics pre-submitted and discussed in detail amongst our Key Financial Managers.

Leadership & Key Managers -
Birch Dogwood
  • Part I - ASGroup Sales MasterMind - Led by Christine Proffitt, Integrity Staffing, Mary Ann McLaughlin, Partner, Butler Street
  • Part II - Practice...Who Needs Practice? - Led by Christine Proffitt and Mary Ann McLaughlin on the topic from their MasterMind Session. Coaching and Role- Playing Session on Sales.
5:30pm-8:30pm
Evening Social Event – sponsored by Bullhorn & other Industry Partners

Ole Mecklenburg Brewery
Visit Website
Bullhorn, Asurint and MJ&A will be sponsoring Happy Hour & appetizers from 5:30pm-8:30pm
4150 Yancey Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217

8:00am-8:45am
Buffet Breakfast

with Affiliate Industry Partners

8:50am-10:15am
Keynote Presentation
Outgrow: A proven, simple system for winning market share and predictably growing your sales

Alex Goldfayn,
The Revenue Growth Consultancy

Join 3-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author and revenue growth consultant Alex Goldfayn for this memorable and powerful speech on how to predictably grow your revenue. The key is to take fast, simple, proactive actions that are proven to add sales quickly. Alex will review how to plan these actions, implement them, and track them. Whether it’s your salespeople, managers, or even you, the owner, Alex will demonstrate high-impact, immediately applicable techniques that his clients use to bring on dramatically expand business with current customers and bring on new ones. Alex’s clients proactively add 15 to 30% new sales annually, and in this speech, Alex will share how you can too. Every...single...year.

10:30am-11:15am
How You Sell Beats What You Sell: Staffing is NOT a Commodity!

Jay Mattern, CEO, TerraFirma
The staffing industry has always had to fight off the perception that all staffing firms are the same. The common belief is that differentiation is the responsibility of marketing. That is true, but it can also be the key to closing the next opportunity without competing on price. In part one, we discuss how to use differentiation as a sales tool and review the six areas of differentiation where the sales professional can create a unique position in the buyer’s mind. In part two, we look at the difference between a sales problem and a lead generation problem — how to diagnose each one and, once properly diagnosed — how to solve them.

11:15am-12:00pm
Presentation Title:
Bracing for Change: Strategizing for the Impending AI Revolution

Ben Schiller, ConverzAI
This session will delve into the transformational value AI promises to deliver to the staffing industry.

We are standing on the brink of a technological revolution, one that will redefine the way we conduct business and interact with the world. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just a buzzword; it is a set of tools that promise to bring transformative value to the staffing industry.

In this presentation, we will demystify AI and its potential impacts on the staffing industry. We will share real-life use cases illustrating how staffing firms have leveraged AI to drive success and efficiency. But how can your organization harness this wave of change? We will provide concrete advice and actionable strategies to help you make the most of these revolutionary technologies. We will discuss how to integrate AI into your existing processes, train your team, and position your business for future success.

12:05pm-12:55pm
Lunch & Visit Affiliate Industry Partner Tables
12:55pm–3:30pm
Breakout Sessions
Owners & Executives -
Magnolia

Roundtable on Issues & Opportunities

Masterclass in Automation - Jeff Staats - Chief
Marketing Officer, Forest City Digital An interactive session discussing challenges, process, ROI… providing a worksheet to review flow and success stories members will share. Objective of this session is show what is working and how to do it.

Creating a Culture of Openness through Effective Meetings – Derek Pittak, CEO, Lingo Staffing former EOS Traction Implementor Owner-operator lead companies have often had a command-and-control style of leadership. Many times, it requires it. As your organization grows however, your people will not develop nor will you be able to scale if you do not turn doers into leaders and managers where you are not the bottle neck for all decision making. Running effective meetings and creating a culture of open and honest dialogue can help.

Pre-submitted Issues or Opportunities - Depending on time - deep dive into the presentations on Automation and Effective Meetings.

Key Manager Roundtable -
Birch Dogwood

Communicating Your Sales Differentiation - Mark Winter, Partner, WinSource

What Truly Differentiates Your Company - Presentation followed by Roundtable documenting participants responses. This session would also include role playing by participants.

CFO/Key Financial Manager -
Poplar

Mastermind - Led by Brian Seiberling, CFO Reserves Network and Angelia Terry, Controller, Pro Resources

Topics pre-submitted and discussed in detail amongst our Key Financial Managers

3:30pm–4:30pm
Sales Department Checkup

Bill Brennan, Professional EOS Implementer, EOS Worldwide
In this session, we will delve into tools designed to empower your sales team and fuel sales growth and success. We'll emphasize the significance of maintaining consistency throughout the sales function and instilling a culture of accountability.

6:00pm-9:30pm
Dinner and Drinks

Sponsored by Avionte and Timerack
The NASCAR Hall of Fame
Visit Website
400 E M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28202

8:00am-8:45am
Buffet Breakfast

with Affiliate Industry Partners

8:50am–10:15am
Keynote - From Good to Great: CX, Trust, and Reputation in Staffing; Followed by a Panel of Best of Staffing AsGroup Members

Lesly Cardec, SVP, Marketing & Recruiting, ClearEdge
What Separates the Good from the Great in Staffing?

In business, the line that separates the good from the great can be drawn by a combination of factors. However, in staffing, those factors can differ when it comes to the expectations of two equally important perspectives: clients and candidates.

In this session, Lesly Cardec, SVP of Marketing and Recruiting at ClearEdge, will share the latest findings of ClearlyRated’s Inside the Staffing Mindset report, which uncovers the top 10 trends that are reshaping the landscape, including what priorities are driving candidate behavior, how economic and AI-driven uncertainty has changed expectations around service and how reputation (both at the company and individual level) impacts both clients and job seekers’ decisions on who they ultimately want to work with.

Following this, Lesly will then moderate an esteemed panel of ASGroup members who have consistently earned the Best of Staffing honor. We’ll dive into real-world examples of how they’ve consistently invested in their vision for service excellence and relationships-first mindset to build loyalty, and why building a culture of continuous feedback is an integral part to their roadmap and business strategy. Attendees will walk away with actionable insights and strategies to enhance client and candidate satisfaction, boost brand reputation, and strengthen overall performance.

10:20am – 11:00am
Take Home Value

The value of stating 1-3 take-homes from the conference are incredible in effectiveness to make it happen. A Valuable Session to Implementing What You Are Taking Home

Alex Goldfayn

Alex Goldfayn

Alex Goldfayn is the CEO of The Revenue Growth Consultancy, a solo consulting practice that exceeds $4M in annual revenue, and is one of the top-grossing solo consulting firms in the nation. Alex applies all of the techniques he teaches. His clients average 20-30% additional sales annually -- every single year — when working with Alex and applying his growth approaches. Combined, his clients have generated billions of dollars in new sales which can be tied directly to the systems and techniques Alex has taught them.

Alex’s clients include business-to-business companies like manufacturers, distributors, and service organizations, typically in mature industries — which make the world go around. He is one of the highest-rated and most sought-after sales speakers in the world, motivating sales teams, managers, executives, and owners to take simple action which will grow their sales. He delivers 75 to 100 sales workshops, speeches, and webinars annually. His speaking work is represented by the Washington Speakers Bureau.

Alex’s three most recent books, Pick Up The Phone & Sell (Wiley 2021) 5-Minute Selling (Wiley 2020), and Selling Boldly (Wiley 2018) are Wall Street Journal bestsellers. His 2015 book, The Revenue Growth Habit was honored as the sales book of the year by 800-CEO-Read, and Evangelist Marketing was published in 2011 by BenBella Books.

His next book, called Outgrow, will be published by Matt Holt Books, an imprint of BenBella Books, in the Spring of 2025.

Alex lives in the Chicago area with his wife, Lisa, and 14-year-old twins, and it’s immediately obvious to everyone that Lisa -- who raises the kids and feeds Alex -- works much harder than he does.

Bill Brennan

Bill Brennan

As the founder and CEO of a prominent staffing firm based in the Southeastern United States, Bill started small but ended up achieving great success. From the inception of the company, he navigated the challenges of growth, expanding from a single location with no revenue to a network of 16 locations spanning 23 states, boasting revenues exceeding $50 million. Their growth and expansion was fueled by adopting a straightforward set of tools and practices known as the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). After selling the company, Bill transitioned into the role of an EOS Implementer because he witnessed firsthand the remarkable effectiveness of EOS within his own business. Now, Bill is passionate about assisting entrepreneurial leaders and business owners in implementing EOS within their companies, helping them get more of the right stuff done.

Lesly Cardec

Lesly Cardec

Lesly Cardec joined ClearEdge Marketing in 2020 and is SVP of Marketing and Recruiting. She is responsible for overseeing key accounts, and also leads the organization's search business line focused on placing marketers at organizations in need of brand builders and growth drivers. Prior to ClearEdge, Lesly was SVP of Marketing at Interim HealthCare, a healthcare franchise company, and led the organization’s brand, marketing initiatives, advertising strategies, public and industry relations, media relations and marketing metrics designed to drive growth throughout the franchise network. Before joining Interim HealthCare Inc., Cardec served as Vice President of Corporate PR, Social & Communications for Randstad US. In this role, Cardec was responsible for the strategic direction and execution of Randstad’s social, public relations, communications and thought leadership platform including branding, research, surveys, whitepapers and innovative programming for the U.S. market across all brands including commercial staffing, healthcare and engineering.

Jerry Grady

Jerry Grady

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.

Jay Mattern

Jay Mattern

Jay Mattern, TerraFirma Marketing CEO and former CEO of The Peoplelink Group, spent 32 years in the staffing industry. Under his leadership, Peoplelink had a compound annual growth rate of nearly 12 percent and became the 35th largest staffing firm in the United States. Jay was named to Staffing Industry Analysts’ 100 most prominent staffing leaders for three consecutive years. He is also a Certified Staffing Professional (CSP). He retired from Peoplelink in 2019 and now brings his staffing background to the field of marketing communications. His primary objective is to help staffing firms become more effective at integrating marketing programs with their selling efforts, and to improve their recruiting results. Jay firmly believes in the power of marketing to turn an average company into a dynamic one, and his mission is to share that passion with anyone who will listen. He’s also a fan of the “try it before you buy it” philosophy – prior to taking ownership, Jay was a client of the company he now leads and obviously liked what he saw. With enthusiasm and energy to burn, there’s no doubt the Energizer bunny could never keep up.

Mary Ann McLaughlin

Mary Ann McLaughlin

Mary Ann serves as a Managing Partner and co-owner of Butler Street. Since 2013, Butler Street has delivered sales, recruiting, account management and leadership solutions that are proving to help staffing companies grow. Prior to Butler Street, Mary Ann served in senior executive roles for fifteen years, including Chief Operating Officer, President, and Managing Director in the staffing, revenue cycle and print industries. As a Six Sigma Champion certified executive, Mary Ann leverages her robust process background with thirty-three years of sales and operational leadership experience to help companies achieve lasting results. Mary Ann is an advocate for women leaders through active participation in ASA Women in Leadership Council and serving on the board of George Washington University’s Women in Leadership program. She holds a B.S. Degree in Marketing from Bradley University and resides in Nashville.

Derek Pittak

Derek Pittak

Over the first 15 years of his career, Derek worked for large organizations having served in the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, and KeyBank. After gaining an appreciation for the staffing industry from his days at Key, Derek joined TalentLaunch, a network of independently operated staffing companies. He was responsible for the corporate support functions of the then $125M organization as their Chief Operating Officer. The network hit the ceiling and found EOS where Derek was responsible for the rollout and served as the Integrator during that time.

Derek began a new journey in early 2019, starting an EOS practice. As an EOS Franchise owner and Certified EOS Implementer, he has been able to make a meaningful difference by helping business owners get what they want from their business. Derek’s unique style brings his own experience as an Integrator of a rapidly growing organization and now as an entrepreneur himself, he sees the complexity that even small organizations can quickly become immersed in.

Five years into running his EOS practice, in January 2024, he decided to jump back into the staffing industry and now is running Lingo Staffing full time as CEO, while maintaining a small EOS practice to continue helping local small businesses. In his role as CEO, Derek has full day to day responsibilities of the entire organization focusing on overall growth and profitability of the company.

He resides in the Cleveland area, with his wife Kelli, their four children, and golden doodle!

Ben Schiller

Ben Schiller

Ben Schiller is a Sr. Marketing Manager at ConverzAI, which offers a readily deployable Voice AI platform for staffing organizations. The platform automatically sources and screens candidates through 6 – 21 minute phone conversations to boost staffing topline, improve profit margin, and candidate experience. Before joining ConverzAI, Ben was a Marketing Manager at UiPath where he commercialized AI and automation products, creating a multi-billion dollar business. Outside of work, Ben enjoys playing basketball and winning pub trivia nights in the Los Angeles, California area.

Justin Uselton

Justin Uselton

As the Director of Sales at Avionte, Justin leads multiple teams that are directly responsible for adding to Avionte’s roster of more than 1,000 clients. With over 15 years of experience leading teams in the staffing industry and two years at Avionte, he is passionate about leadership and partnering with customers to create a cohesive strategy as they lean into digital transformation. Justin is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, and currently resides in Orlando, Florida. He leads the session “The Challenges of Selling Staffing Services”, which will shine a light on both organizational and individual challenges of selling in the staffing industry. This session focuses on how to build a winning staffing sales organization that is founded on strategy and scalability, while providing a nurturing environment for attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional sales talent.

Mark Winter

Mark Winter

Mark is an expert at driving sales performance, keeping focus on customers, and keeping things simple. For 20+ years, Mark has held every sales role out there- from Branch Manager to Vice President of Sales and Enablement for a $2.5B publicly traded staffing company. During that time, he has spent countless hours figuring out what works and of course, what doesn't. This enables Mark to sniff out things that are blocking performance, remove the barrier, and get people to act. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt and holds master certifications from some of the top sales training organizations in the world. Whether its strategic planning, sales process development, sales training, customer acquisition & engagement, sales team performance, or system and tool adoption- Mark can help get your team on track.