Press
Solon, Ohio – Direct Recruiters, Inc. (DRI) is proud to announce our 2022 Award Winners. Nominated and chosen by our leadership teams, these employees exemplify our core values. They are respectfully tenacious and passionately focused. They are team players that act for the greater good. They positively impact others and are accountable to our clients, candidates, and co-workers. They are solutions oriented and take initiative to solve problems. The award categories are Rookie of the Year, Recruiter of the Year, Researcher of the Year, and Operations Person of the Year.
Dan Charney, President & CEO said, “We are beyond proud to have so many talented individuals on our team who come to work each day with passion, tenacity, and drive. The 2022 award winners are exemplary representatives of our entire team, and their hard work of the past year has cumulated into today’s success. Congratulations all!"
Rookie of the Year, Ben Shamis, has had an outstanding year! Ben puts in effort every day and consistently ranks well for basic metrics (resumes, send outs, phone time) as well as bigger things (deal closings and billings). Not only does Ben exceed goals, but he also sets a great example of hard work, organization and client delivery for his team and the rest of DRI. Congratulations Ben!
Recruiter of the Year, Mitchell Herman, has had another record-breaking year! For the third year in a row, he has led the company in billings and has continued to build out his client portfolio. Incredibly humble, Mitch continues to be a valuable resource to the entire Digital Health team and make himself available to offer his time and expertise for newer employees. With just four years under his belt, Mitch continues to set and surpass ambitious goals and his accolades speak for him. Congratulations Mitch!
Researcher of the Year, Kayla Fleeter comes to work every day with a smile on her face and tackles the mountain of challenges she is tasked with, with grace and skill. She is always upbeat and appreciative, but it is the rest of our team who is appreciative. The research work that she does makes our group go. The projects that hit her desk vary greatly and all require urgency, yet she is constantly gracious and always hits her deadlines and does so with great work quality. She is a pleasure to have on the team from a cultural perspective and despite some adversity, she has been an amazing performer this year. Bottom-line she’s a delight, hard-worker, and coachable! Congratulations Kayla!
Operations Person of the Year, Kim Jaber, directly impacts the people-side of DRI on a day-to-day basis. For example, she is integral in onboarding new employees, helping Managing Partner, Frank Myeroff, with invoicing our Contractors, planning our company outings, helping employees and their families work through questions around the healthcare plans – and the list goes on. The Managing Partners provided a few words that describe Kim: caring, thoughtful, dependable, efficient, great listener, extremely helpful and more. With DRI being a service-based business, you have the numbers and then you have the people. Without the people, we could not have achieved the level of success that we have over the years. Congratulations Kim!
Solon, Ohio- Direct Recruiters, Inc. (DRI), Executive Search, is pleased to announce the promotion of three team members. Rachel Makoski and Trevor Yasinow have both been promoted to Partner, while Josh Olgin has been promoted to Managing Partner. Rachel, Trevor and Josh all are impactful leaders on the DRI team and have exemplified our core values throughout their years at DRI.
Rachel Makoski joined the DRI team in 2016 and built the Food & Beverage Processing and Foodservice E&S practices and team of recruiters, all of which she currently leads. Rachel is a devoted learner with an insatiable appetite to gain new knowledge, pushing her to become a high-performing leader in the food recruiting industry. Rachel’s leadership, dedication, focus and tenacity drives her to cultivate and maintain quality relationships with both clients and candidates, leading to successful placements in top organizations. Rachel has been published in several industry publications surrounding the topic of recruiting, acquiring and retaining top talent.
Trevor Yasinow joined the DRI Digital Health team in 2020, focusing on recruiting top talent in the space that exceeds client expectations. Trevor’s natural communication skills, ability to build meaningful relationships and infectious positive attitude has allowed him to quickly gain recognition as a top digital health recruiter. His drive and dedication to providing customized search solutions to clients has been evident in his short time at DRI so far. Trevor has excelled in the Digital Health recruiting space and will continue to be a vital asset in DRI’s growth in the future.
Josh Olgin has been a part of the DRI team for over 12 years. Josh was promoted to Partner in 2020, and continued to grow and manage the Robotics practice, leading to his promotion to Managing Partner this month. Josh is known for his dedication, tenacity, and building strategic partnerships with both clients and candidates across the industry. He has laser-focus on finding the best possible talent to fulfill his clients’ specific strategic needs. Josh is a member of Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and has also been a speaker at both Advanced Design Manufacturing (ADM) and Design News’ ATX events. Josh has also played an active role in mentoring DRI’s newest employees and teaching them the skills necessary to be successful.
According to Dan Charney, President, “Speaking on behalf of the current Partners and employees we are thrilled to congratulate Rachel, Trevor and Josh on their promotions. We are proud of their achievements and the challenges they have overcome to get to this point. As DRI continues to grow, we look forward to Rachel, Trevor and Josh’s contributions towards our success and accomplishments.”
Starfish Partners, an international investment and ownership platform for niched professional and mid to upper management search specialists, is proud to announce the acquisition of Raymond Search Group, a Florida-based firm that works throughout North America placing talent in Construction, Real Estate, Engineering, Architecture and Manufacturing. Raymond Search Group will work under the Direct Recruiters, Inc. (DRI) umbrella and will expand DRI’s reach into additional industry segments.
Raymond and DRI along with Kaye/Bassman International (KBIC), Full Spectrum Search Group, the Sanford Rose Associates International (SRAI) network, and the recruiting industry's largest consulting and training firm Next Level Exchange (NLE) make up the current Starfish Partners family of companies.
Jeff Raymond, President of Raymond Search Group shared, "We're excited to join DRI's team. It will allow us to expand our footprint and our reach in the Construction, Real Estate, Engineering, and Architecture spaces in North America. DRI has a great team and a strong legacy. We're looking forward to adding to that legacy and continuing to solve the most complex recruiting challenges for our clients."
Starfish Partners provides capital for recruiting firms looking to scale, as well as exit strategies for owners seeking to secure value for their firm in cash and/or stock. It also provides liquidity and the ability to monetize some value while simultaneously providing equity opportunities for key producers and leaders.
“Several Starfish board members have known and respected the work Jeff and his team have done for many years. From the first time we spoke with Jeff, he checked all of our boxes and then some. We feel he is an innovator in our industry, and he will go out of his way to customize the best possible solution for his clients including having recruiting process outsourcing (RPO) solutions that will add value across DRI’s existing and future client base. We are excited to welcome Raymond Search Group to DRI and the Starfish family of companies,” shared Dan Charney, President of Direct Recruiters Inc.
Starfish Partners organizations have won multiple awards for the best places to work, workforce flexibility and charitable endeavors, and have ranked among the top recruiting firms nationally. Under the new alliance, the collective revenues of all SRAI offices with the search businesses and consulting organizations will exceed $300 million annually. All entities will maintain their brands, while many functions will become centralized where beneficial for the collective.
Learn more at www.starfishpartners.com
November 1, 2022
Solon, Ohio – Direct Recruiters, Inc. (DRI), Executive Search, is proud to announce that Jordan Freireich and Jaimie Bailey have been named Partners. Both Jordan and Jaimie are key members of DRI’s Operations team and the first members of the team to be promoted to Partner. Their contributions to DRI’s success have been evident over the years through their innovation, hard work and dedication.
Jordan began at DRI in 2013 and has played an integral role in DRI’s growth. Starting out in DRI’S IT department then being promoted to Director of IT and then again being promoted and currently serving as Director of Finance and Operations. Jordan also earned his MBA while working full time. Jordan establishes financial policies, procedures, controls, reporting systems and manages vendor relationships in addition to the management of company technologies and software. He is known for his organizational skills and has always exemplified DRI’s core values in each of the roles he has held. Jordan helped drive DRI’s acquisition by Starfish Partners in September of 2022, opening the doors for continued growth and success for the DRI team.
Jaimie Bailey joined Direct Recruiters in 2017 as a Researcher for DRI’s Hospital IT team. Due to her vast knowledge and invaluable skillset, Jaimie was promoted to Director of Research for DRI’s Healthcare Technology team, managing a team of sourcing professionals. Jaimie has created a variety of company processes, onboarding, and KPI programs, and trains and mentors other research associates. As a 3-time winner of DRI’s Researcher of the Year award, Jaimie Bailey is an indispensable resource for knowledge of the market, key competitors, and talent mapping, and has enhanced DRI’s Research department immensely.
According to Dan Charney, President & CEO, “Our team is excited for the promotions of Jordan and Jaimie as Partners. Their success and achievements are admirable and worthy of recognition. Both have allowed DRI to scale and have helped create a foundation that sets the stage for growth throughout the entire organization including our sister Starfish companies. We are proud of Jordan and Jaimie for being true examples of DRI’s core values and helping us reach our aggressive growth goals.”
October 13, 2022
DRI is proud to be named a winner of the Weatherhead 100 for 2022. Recognized by Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management, the Weatherhead 100 awards were established to celebrate Northeast Ohio’s spirit of entrepreneurship and to reward companies that serve as a beacon to all the region’s businesses.
Winners for this award have been chosen based on revenue from 2017 to 2021. DRI is proud to be celebrating their 9th win of the Weatherhead 100 award.
Direct Recruiters, Inc. has been named a 2022 NorthCoast 99 award winner by ERC, the Employers Resource Council. The NorthCoast 99 award honors 99 great Northeast Ohio workplaces for top talent. This is the 11th time that Direct Recruiters has received the prestigious NorthCoast 99 award.
NorthCoast 99 winners participated in a rigorous application process that asked for detailed information on how their organization addresses top-performer attraction, development, and retention in the areas of organizational strategy, policies, and benefits; talent attraction, acquisition, and onboarding; employee well-being; employee engagement and talent development; total rewards; and diversity, equity, and inclusion.