Hiring Through Your Network — Employee Referral Programs & Beyond – Hosted by Castle HR
July 28 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Join us for our next Small Business Network session featuring Tom Nickalls, CEO of Castle HR. Tom and his team specialize in helping growth-stage companies build high-performing teams, and he’ll kick things off by exploring why some of the best hires come through employee referral programs — and how to design one that actually works for your organization.
From there, Tom will open the floor to a broader conversation, drawing on his HR expertise to address whatever talent and team-building questions are top of mind for our members.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your hiring strategy or just want to pick the brain of an HR expert, this session is a great opportunity to learn and connect.
Tom Nickalls, CEO, Castle HR
Tom is a two-time founder and currently leads Castle HR. His team helps companies with 20+ people go from founder-led to systems & processes.
After building and leading teams of 40+ people, Tom understands the moment when teams start missing goals they should be hitting because managers are winging it and performance issues are piling up, which causes payroll to grow faster than results. Castle HR solves that challenge by giving companies a Senior HR Pro and a proven HR Roadmap to help managers lead, teams perform, and founders avoid burnout.
Outside of work, Tom is usually chasing a lower handicap on the golf course, experimenting on the stove/BBQ as an amateur chef, or spending as much of the Canadian winter as possible in Mexico.
Questions we will answer:
- Why referrals outperform “post and pray” hiring?
- Why build a referral waiting list before roles are urgent?
- What to offer so employees actually tap their networks?
- How to promote the program so it does not die after launch week?
- How to protect fairness, quality, and diversity?
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the webinar, ACEC members will know how to:
- Design a referral program that supports your growth goals, not just one-off vacancies.
- Build a bench of future candidates before you need to hire.
- Choose referral incentives that motivate your team without breaking the bank.
- Promote the program consistently so participation does not fade.
- Track referral quality, speed, retention, and source-of-hire results.
- Avoid common referral pitfalls that can hurt fairness or candidate quality.
Who Should Attend?
This session is ideal for:
- Principals and owners of small and emerging consulting engineering firms looking to grow their teams strategically
- HR leads or office managers wearing the “HR hat” alongside other responsibilities (common in smaller firms)
- Anyone involved in hiring decisions who wants to build a more consistent, lower-cost pipeline of strong candidates
- Members curious about broader HR practices — performance management, retention, team culture — who want direct access to an HR expert’s perspective
Note: This is a member‑only event. Please log in to your member account to register. If you need assistance accessing your account, contact Valeriia Makarenko at vmakarenko@acecontario.ca.
Register by July 23, 2026.
