The AgAmerican: The Culture of our Employees
The foundation that supports our great workplace culture.
AgAmerica is honored to be recognized as a 2020 Best Place to Work by the Tampa Bay Business Journal (TBBJ). A positive work culture is a top priority for our company and a key factor in what makes us all excited to come to work every day. As AgAmericans, we find tremendous meaning in our work of serving the American farmer alongside the best teammates and leaders.
Why is Work Culture Important to Us?
“To build the right company, you must first tend to the company’s culture.”
Brian Philpot, President and CEO of AgAmerica
We believe a transparent and collaborative environment is vital to eliminate internal friction that can create barriers to best serving our farmers and ranchers. We accomplish this through team-building activities such as quarterly reconnects and weekly team huddles where we share department wins, projects, goals, and challenges. A transparent work culture also creates a space for big-picture thinking, healthy risk-taking, and innovative problem-solving. This space also helps us focus on our primary purpose: to provide innovative financing for the American Farmer. We pride ourselves on fostering community engagement, leadership development, and a family-oriented atmosphere.
How We Foster a Thriving Team Environment
Core Values
We have clear core values that lay the foundation for our business and how we approach decisions and problem-solving within our company.
1. Revolutionary
Our collaborative team has the unique ability to navigate through complicated challenges that naturally arise with the rapid company growth we have experienced. We believe conventions are made to be broken and we aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo of traditional lending. Healthy debates are encouraged, and we believe collective input helps us consistently improve. The breakthroughs we’ve had in the industry have brought life-changing innovation to farms and agricultural financing.
2. Learners
We recognize that continued learning is vital to ensure even the most educated, experienced teammates maintain and improve their skillsets. While our team’s expertise in the areas of agriculture and financing is extensive, we are constantly finding ways to motivate our AgAmericans and are committed to self-improvement and high emotional intelligence. We encourage questions, mental flexibility, and curiosity, which leads to stronger problem-solving abilities. We believe that professional development and growth is fueled by an attitude of learning.
3. Farmer-Focused
Our team has the utmost respect for our nation’s hardworking farmers and ranchers. We view farming as not just a job, but a noble, rewarding, and profound way of life. We share a collective passion for supporting and standing with our farmers, through both the good and bad farming years. We are empathetic to their struggles in an unpredictable industry and encourage accountability within their operation and finances as a way to reach their business goals. Our farmer-focused mentality allows us to provide simple, yet flexible solutions to complicated financial problems.
4. Family
Nearly ninety-eight percent of farms and ranches are operated as a family business. We pride ourselves on being a relationship business and carry our family-values into the workplace. Coworkers aren’t simply the people we say good morning to every day when we walk through the door, but they’re the type of family built on trust and reciprocity. We value transparency, empathy, and the ability to have difficult conversations, all while knowing we have each other’s backs and are committed to excellence together.
5. Competitors
At AgAmerica, we don’t settle for mediocrity and believe that healthy competition effectively raises the bar and holds us to a high standard of hard work and accuracy. Our determination to bring innovation to our services is seen within our creative, competitive, and encouraging work environment. We use positive reinforcement to push each other outside of our comfort zones and expand our collective potential.
In-depth Cross-Department Onboarding
Our onboarding process is extensive and comprehensive. Aligning new hires with the overall company mission as well as their department and role’s specific goals is paramount to successful onboarding. We ensure new hires not only know the people on their own team but are introduced to the entire AgAmerica team. We understand the importance of cross-department communication when it comes to collaboration, brainstorming, and designing new efficiencies in the products offered. Gaining an understanding of the ins and outs of other departments gives us the ability to lean in and provide well-informed service to our stakeholders. Our expertise in agriculture and finance create offsetting strengths and ensures that we are thinking through all aspects of farm finances.
We pride ourselves in not simply helping the farmer but getting to know them in a way that builds lasting relationships. Our goal is to equip the American Farmer with the resources needed for them to not simply survive, but to thrive in good times and in bad. We aim to go beyond a financial institution. We follow our mission and hope to see our innovative, collaborative, and positive environment spread into a way of life for those who work with our brand.
AgAmerica Mission Statement
To know the farmer.
To counsel the farmer.
To provide a financial structure that allows the farmer to thrive in good times and to sleep well during the tough times.
To celebrate the critical role of the farmer in America, and to champion all that the American farmer represents in a changing world.
As we continue to grow and provide customized loan solutions for farmers and ranchers across the nation, we strive to both follow and maintain our mission in helping family farms build a stable financial future for generations to come, as well as provide a work environment for employees that supports this goal.
