Here’s A Little About Us

Based out of Des Moines, Iowa since 2001, HR Hotline Associates offers program and consulting services in several Human Resources specializations.  Whether you need additional resources, expertise, or both, we will work with you to meet your needs that will not only contribute to the value of your people but will in turn help to increase your overall organization value.

Our Mission

HR Hotline Associates’ mission is to increase the value of people capital, the most critical intangible asset of your organization.
We take a thoughtful, holistic and strategic approach, so it may be successfully realized — something we do diligently with expertise and commitment to our clients.

HR Hotline Associates is Led by Julie Caspar

Julie Caspar, founder and President of HR Hotline Associates, has over 25 years’ experience specializing in multiple areas that make up the Human Resources function. Julie began her consulting practice in 2001 and since then has grown her practice to include a variety of long-term clients with whom she has successfully assisted in increasing quality of performance results through a number of different HR based programs and solutions.

Prior to owning HR Hotline, Julie held professional to executive positions in different industries on the East Coast and in the Midwest. She has held roles with international and domestic scope in union and non-union environments. Julie attended graduate school at Loyola and Drake Universities, earning a Master’s degree in Learning and Organizational Performance from the latter. Julie served as adjunct faculty in the Leadership Development graduate program at Drake University for ten and a half years. She has been on the board for Central Iowa SHRM serving as VP Membership and currently volunteers on an o  HR Advisory Committee for Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity. She has facilitated and presented at numerous workshops, conferences and webinars; has been published in the Des Moines Register and HR publications; consulted on and was featured in, Let’s T.A.L.K.: Handling the Difficult Performance Appraisal video; was a frequent guest on the Today’s Learning Workplace podcast; and authored & self-published, The Manager’s Candidate Search Toolbox; A Guide to Increasing Your Hiring Success Ratio (2011). Julie’s latest book, The Seven Steps to Increasing Your Hiring Success Ratio, is now available for purchase on Amazon.

Our Associates

Laura Debartolo-Tow

Laura DeBartolo-Tow brings over 20 years of human resources experience to HR Hotline Associates. Laura has held various generalist to benefit specialist roles with her most recent role being Director of Human Resources in a successful technology company. Laura has worked in several additional industries such as retail, manufacturing, transportation, and professional services. 

Laura's HR passion lies in employee engagement, talent acquisition, performance management and employee benefits. Her corporate roots and deep experiences have provided her with a wide range of skills, knowledge, and experiences that have increased her understanding of different workplace cultures and how they impact business. Laura has effectively worked as a liaison between management and employees to align communications while being a strong advocate for employees to enhance fairness and transparency in the workplace.  

Mollie Frideres-Smith

Mollie Frideres-Smith, owner of MFS Consulting, LLC, has 25 years of experience in HumanResources working in professional and leadership positions. Mollie started MFS Consulting,LLC to share her expertise and knowledge in human capital management to help businesses attain goals and solve problems. Mollie collaborates with businesses to develop and communicate policies, coach, and train employees. She is active in several local organizations including The Ames Chamber of Commerce, Ankeny Chamber of Commerce, Cyclone SHRM as the Diversity Chair, and the Iowa Chapter of NAWBO as co-Director of Advocacy. Mollie is also an adjunct professor at Des Moines Area Community College teaching a course in HumanResources.

Our Affiliations

Our customer

Hear what everyone is Saying

Hubbell Realty Company has grown significantly since 2008, and in 2018 Julie played an integral role in the delivery of our “Taking the Reins,” supervisor training series. She assisted our training coordinator with the third module of the training series and facilitated the “Recruitment and Selection Manager Training” workshop, providing managers with an understanding of our recruiting process, the manager’s role as it relates to the candidate experience, selection criteria, interviewing skills, and candidate evaluation and selection. Our supervisor training series has been successful in large part to Julie’s contributions.

I have relied on Julie Caspar’s knowledge and experience regarding talent acquisition in guiding our recruitment strategies over the years. She continues to be a valuable resource, and I would highly recommend her without reservation.

Beth Jaegar
Vice President, Human Resources, Hubbell Realty Company

Our organization worked with HR Hotline Associates to help us with our hiring process.  They screened applicants, conducted phone interviews, and made recommendations on which applicants we should invite for in-person interviews.  Their services really helped streamline the process and provided much-needed support to our hiring managers.  In addition, I personally attended [compensation] trainings hosted by HR Hotline Associates that were among the best I’ve ever attended.  I would highly recommend this company for anyone needing talent acquisition services and training.

Sara Schroeder
Chief Financial Officer, Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa

Interested in having Julie speak at your next event?

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