“If you have different contractors, it’s hard to manage communications,” said Haren, founder and CEO of AGPROfessionals in Greeley. “That’s a big deal for a lot of our clients, confidentiality when there are too many moving parts.”

Originally, AGPROfessionals was part of the Colorado Livestock Association in Aurora, a nonprofit trade organization that represents livestock producers and agribusinesses by providing regulatory and legislative advocacy. AGPROfessionals, which is for-profit, provided various environmental services, assisting agricultural producers with regulatory compliance, permitting and resource management. But soon AGPROfessionals outgrew the CLA and in 2000 went on its own, still remaining an active member by offering private consulting.

“The client demand was exceptional, not just outside of the association in Colorado but regionally and nationwide,” Haren said. “We grew out of necessity and a little frustration. People were asking for help, and my mission was to serve and that was one way.”

AGPROfessionals, a development and advocacy company, provides agricultural consulting services, working with farmers, ranchers, investors and other stakeholders nationwide to help them get the most out of their large agriculture development projects. The company’s services include agricultural consulting, environmental consulting, engineering, surveying, land use, planning and real estate. More specifically, AGPROfessionals helps with civil, structural and geotechnical engineering; annexing and selling property; and obtaining special use permits and planning and zoning entitlements, keeping all of the steps and service providers under one roof.

“We’re one of a few organizations that are this big that advocates for the growth and expansion and profitability and success of agriculture,” Haren said. “Agriculture is shrinking—less than one percent of the population is involved in agriculture. We hope to grow and sustain the business.”

AGPROfessionals provides other agricultural services that include environmental assessments and compliance, soil science and agronomy to ensure farming and dairy operations comply with environmental regulations.

The company provides various services to help those operations and its other clients with their strategic objectives so they can get the most out of their investments.

“They have to make just one call and go to one office,” Haren said. “The demand is there. We continue to add services if we see a demand.”

Haren plans to add appraisal services in the company’s real estate department and land management services to the appraisal services within the next six to 12 months, he said.

“We hope this year, whenever we find the right people,” Haren said. “Finding the right people when we need them is our biggest hurdle. We’re an exclusive organization. We just don’t want anybody who wants a job; we want people who are passionate about our clients and industry.”

Currently, AGPROfessionals has 32 employees and is considering adding six new positions.

“We’ve been lucky since 2013 with hiring, training and onboarding,” Haren said. “We have special, talented people who work here. Our average longevity is 10 to 12 years.”

A passionate staff is important since agriculture is generally misunderstood, Haren said.

“Agriculture has a lot of regulations and a lot of environmentalists that are opposed to our clients’ business,” Haren said.

AGPROfessionals joined the BBB in 2011 to give its clients peace of mind and to connect with an organization with a great reputation.

“People look at that and feel confident that they’re not dealing with a con artist, a crook,” Haren said. “They’ve done so well establishing a trusted organization, to attach BBB to our name, to our company, means a lot to us, and I think it means a lot to our clients.”

Haren sees BBB’s value, especially with out-of-state clients who research the companies they want to hire, often checking BBB rankings. Being a member gives AGPROfessionals a stamp of approval, especially since the company is a 2019 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics winner—the award honors businesses and nonprofits for putting integrity into action.

“It brings value to our name and our reputation to have BBB alongside us,” Haren said. “It shows we’re responsive.”

For example, Haren has seen complaints with other companies not responding to inquiries, especially if the company doesn’t provide the requested service, but calling back is a common courtesy, he said.

Another benefit of being a part of the BBB is demonstrating credibility, giving companies like AGPROfessionals another avenue to reach clients and respond to their issues.

“I want to know if somebody’s unhappy out there. It gives us a chance to address it,” Haren said. “We actually welcome people who didn’t feel our services are adequate.”

He appreciates his company receiving a Torch Award. “It was a tremendous honor,” Haren said. “I definitely encourage businesses to be a part of the BBB, and I challenge them to apply for the Torch Award if they have integrity and are an ethical company. There’s a big difference between being a BBB member and an ethical award winner. It makes a statement to the world, to our clients and new candidates and the people who work here.”

The award has also given employees something to be proud of and has helped with morale, Haren said.

“Internally, with our culture and attracting new talent has been the biggest benefit,” Haren said. “We feel like we’re an honest, upstanding company, so we assume everyone else is too. To rise above that and be recognized is amazing.”