About Us
Based in West Michigan, but with national reach, we leverage our 400+ years of experience, extensive professional networks, and best-in-class tools and technology to help our clients’ hire the right people, strengthen their teams, and keep their best talent — the (not so) secret sauce to long-term growth.
Who is HR Collaborative?
We're a women-owned and led full-service HR firm. We work tirelessly to make work better for small to mid-sized organizations by filling in the HR gaps they have today and working with them to build sustainable people practices for tomorrow.
Our Solutions
As an Everything DiSC® Authorized Partner, our community of Flexible HR Professionals is equipped to deliver creative learning experiences for clients and is well known for delivering lasting impacts in every industry, no matter the size or location.
Our Communities
While based in West Michigan, we support clients across Michigan, including Metro Detroit. And our reach is quickly growing! We serve clients throughout the Midwest and a growing number with multi-state locations.
What We Value
We become part of the organizations we serve. We attend staff meetings. We answer an employee’s calls. We go to holiday parties and summer picnics. We don’t just know our clients' HR. We know their business goals and aspirations, fears, and concerns. We believe that HR should complement and enhance the business, not be a necessary evil that is pushed to the corner of the operation. We have relationships that go beyond the transactions and become transformational.
It’s part of our company name and part of our fabric. No one of us alone can serve the client as well as all of us together can. Every client has at least two people at HR Collaborative that they can contact directly about their services with us. When any client needs even more expertise than those two people offer, we bring in an expert in search, compensation or in leadership development. As talented as each one of us is alone, we succeed because each person builds on the strengths of others to accomplish the goal for the organization.
We all aspire to have relationships built on trust. But as easy as it is to say, it’s really hard to do. How do you become worthy of trust? In this organization, we operate with integrity. We honor our promises and commitments to the client and to each other. If we truly can’t deliver, we own it, confess it, and work to find a better solution.
We lift each other up and help everyone to be successful. If there’s a problem or a mistake, we don’t point fingers or place blame. Instead, we look for a way to fix it, and to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If someone needs a new skill or ability to do a job, we help them learn it. We invest in professional development and encourage learning. We support each other in our journey of professional growth and success.
Every person at HR Collaborative does a little extra to add value to our clients' services. Our clients are often delighted that we provide a fully-facilitated approach to search, or a comprehensive discovery of their organization. They don’t expect such a high level of service. But, because we know them personally, and because we work collaboratively, we are able to offer an even better solution than any client would expect.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) makes work better. That’s why we are committed to creating spaces where all are welcome and able to do their best work.
What does our DEIB commitment mean for our clients?
We recognize that every organization is in a different place on its DEIB journey. We meet our clients where they are at and walk alongside them.
In all of our talent acquisition and placement opportunities, we strive to present our clients with a diverse slate of talent that best represents the communities they work in and serve.
What does our DEIB commitment mean for our community?
We prioritize our sponsorship, donations, and time to programs, events, and organizations that advance DEIB in the community. We actively seek out local, minority vendors to diversify our supply chains.
What does our DEIB commitment mean for ourselves?
Yes, we are a women-owned and led organization, but we know we have more miles to go on our own DEIB journey.
So what actions are we taking right now?
- Improving representation. We are committed to being unapologetically intentional in our efforts to build a more diverse HR Collaborative. We are weighing every hiring and growth position through a DEIB lens.
- Creating paths for conversations. We are proactively encouraging and supporting opportunities, both at HR Collaborative and in the community, for us to learn, to meet others, and to grow. We are in the process of assigning an ombudsperson to provide staff a space to openly and confidentially discuss their experiences here at HR Collaborative.
- Identifying our blind spots. Being a consulting firm ourselves, we know the value of having an outside perspective guiding internal transformation. We are excited to be working with Skot Welch and Global Bridgebuilders to audit our policies and practices.
Preaching What We Practice
We don't just recommend evidence-based talent strategies to our clients; we live them.
We Run on EOS®
Since 2018, we've run on the Entrepreneurial Operating System® — strengthening our Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction.
Women's Business Enterprise
HR Collaborative is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
West Michigan's Best and Brightest
The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® program identifies and honors organizations that display a commitment to excellence in their human resource practices and employee enrichment.
Meet the HR Collaborative Team
Beth Kelly
President & Visionary
beth.kelly@hrcollaborative.com
616.710.4065
Debbie Lockwood
Chief Operating Officer & Integrator
debbie.lockwood@hrcollaborative.com
616.965.7860
Nancy Johnson, MSA, PHR
Chief People Operations Officer
nancy.johnson@hrcollaborative.com
616.710.4055
Tara Kiely, PHR
VP of Client Services
tara.kiely@hrcollaborative.com
616.333.0983
Theresa DeVries, MLIR, GBA
VP of Talent Placement Strategy
theresa.devries@hrcollaborative.com
616.930.4844
Brenda Lenneman
HR Expert on Retainer Business Partner
brenda.lenneman@hrcollaborative.com
616.315.1794
Camille Thomas-Heinicke
Accountant
camille.thomas-heinicke@hrcollaborative.com
616.320.2556
Danielle Dorulla
People Operations Associate
danielle.dorulla@hrcollaborative.com
616.930.4354
Greg Collette
Director of Tech & Admin
greg.collette@hrcollaborative.com
616.333.0982
Jamie Knoertzer
People Strategist
jamie.knoertzer@hrcollaborative.com
616.930.4027
Julie Burmania, PHR, GBA
HR Business Partner
julie.burmania@hrcollaborative.com
616.710.4090
Kailyn Hamm
Talent Placement Strategist
kailyn.hamm@hrcollaborative.com
616.320.5279
Kalena Meeker
Marketing Lead
kalena.meeker@hrcollaborative.com
616.236.4837
Katie Brooks
Talent Placement Strategist
katie.brooks@hrcollaborative.com
616.930.4523
Jan Sinclair
HR Expert on Retainer Business Partner
jan.sinclair@hrcollaborative.com
616.315.2989
Lisa Brown, SHRM-CP
HR Business Partner
lisa.brown@hrcollaborative.com
616.893.0900
Lisa Struck, SHRM-CP, PHR
Director of Expert on Retainer
lisa.struck@hrcollaborative.com
616.278.0317
Pam Olson
HR Manager
pam.olson@hrcollaborative.com
616.219.1769
Trenton Kooistra
HR Associate
trenton.kooistra@hrcollaborative.com
616.315.2842
Our Clients
We've been honored to work with many amazing organizations. Here are just a few.
Nate Koetje, CEO, Feyen Zylstra
HRC was a good fit for us because they hit the ground running. I found their process to be complete and well-thought-out. What I appreciated is their willingness to look at what our expectations were and what we needed for our business, versus them telling me what I needed.
Beverly Grant, Interim CEO, D.A. Blodgett - St. John's
It was an absolute pleasure working with HR Collaborative! They were top-notch from the beginning to the end of our relationship. The process our agency experienced was thorough, comprehensive, and allowed for HR visioning and possibilities of our agency to be realized. I would recommend HRC for all your human resource needs. Thank you, HRC!
Michael Kunzler, Managing Partner, The C2 Group
We've had a handful of thorny situations arising out of the COVID-19 mess, and [Stephanie] handled each with grace and urgency. She's teaching our team how to apply HR best practices and she's making a big difference. We're grateful for her focus and hard work.
Associate VP for HR, Grand Valley State University
In the changing landscape of Human Resources in higher education, HR Collaborative has helped GVSU HR respond to the changing talent demands of the institution. I view the HR Collaborative team as an extension of my HR team. With their expertise, high level of responsiveness, and professionalism, they help me extend the impact of what human resources can deliver to the community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? We've got answers. Here are some of our most frequently asked questions.
Absolutely! For example, we provide hourly, interim HR services for those times when your HR professional leaves unexpectedly. We also engage with our clients to deliver strategic HR projects such as performance management program design, leadership development, compensation planning, etc.
We create custom solutions rather than using cookie-cutter approaches, and we work alongside our clients at every step to implement a plan rather than telling them what to do. Unlike consulting firms, we both advise and implement changes to improve your business. Other firms tend to be either high-tech or high-touch; we're both.
With an individual HR professional, your benefit is limited to one person’s expertise. When you engage with HR Collaborative, you have access to a team of HR professionals. We make it possible for small and medium-sized businesses to have the same HR prowess at hand as do large employers.
We can walk with you through the entire search and hiring process. HR Collaborative will help you determine the talent gaps in your staff, create job descriptions, recruit viable candidates, draft offer letters, map out compensation plans, and conduct background checks. We will search for the perfect fit for as long as it takes.
Take a deep breath—that’s why we’re here! We can help you identify which services you require right now, establish a timeline and workplan for future needs, and walk with you throughout the entire lifespan of your business.
Ready to Connect?
Reach out to us today, and let's start collaborating!