Q3 2026 · Four of ten client engagements remaining · First come, first served

A trusted advisor in your pocket EN · ES SW Florida · Nationwide

The HR partner
for operators who can't
afford to get it wrong.

Asena & Co builds, revamps, and runs HR and compliance functions for new businesses standing up their first HR department, growing companies whose systems have outgrown their setup, and family-held principals running multi-generational operations. Discreet. Bilingual. Nationwide. Available when it matters, not just nine to five. We work as if your name is on the door, because for our clients, it usually is.

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Begin

Book a thirty-minute conversation.

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How we are different

Four standards we hold ourselves to.
Without exception.

Available, not idle

The DOL does not call ahead. Consulates reschedule without warning. We answer the phone when it matters. Not just from nine to five.

ii.

Discreet by default

Whether we are standing up your first HR department, running a workers compensation defense, or handling a sensitive matter for a family-held principal, our work is confidential. We never name clients without written permission. References available on request.

iii.

Cultural fluency

We speak Spanish with the crew, English with counsel, and we read the room in both. Workforce culture is not a translation problem, and we do not need a third party to bridge it.

iv.

Scarce by design

Ten clients per quarter. First come, first served. Personalized advisory requires availability, and availability requires limits we keep.

Who we serve

Three points of entry.
One standard of work.

i. Build

New Businesses Standing Up HR for the First Time

You hired your tenth, twentieth, fiftieth employee, and then realized you have no handbook, no I-9 binder, no policy library, and no idea what an EEO-1 filing is. We build the HR function from zero: documents, systems, compliance calendar, and the operating cadence that keeps you out of trouble while you scale.

ii. Revamp

Existing Operations That Have Outgrown Their HR Setup

You have HR, but it grew up in pieces. Documents in three folders, payroll in two systems, handbooks last updated three years ago, a DOL notice that arrived last Tuesday. We diagnose the leakages in your HRIS, rebuild what's broken, and hand back a function that actually holds up.

iii. Run

Family-Legacy Operators & Family-Held Businesses

Multi-generational businesses, family-held operations, and privately-held principals across regulated industries. Embedded HR, compliance, payroll, and operations counsel, including discreet family mediation before disputes become legal matters. Monthly onsite presence available on request for clients within range.

What we do

Three practices.
One discipline: systems that hold up under scrutiny.

i. Foundation

HR & Compliance
Build or Revamp

Stand up an HR department from zero, or rebuild one that has grown out of order. Handbooks, policy libraries, I-9 and E-Verify hygiene, payroll oversight, multi-state tax registration, HRIS selection and migration, audit readiness. We diagnose leakages in your existing HRIS and seal them.

HRIS Diagnosis Multi-Entity H-2A

ii. Defense

Investigations
& Enforcement

DOL Wage and Hour investigations, OSHA inspections, workers' comp defense, union outreach, and consulate-related disruptions rarely arrive at a convenient time. We handle the phone screens, document production, and counsel coordination so you can stay focused on the harvest, the season, or the quarter.

WHD Defense OSHA Consulate Coordination

iii. Counsel

Family Mediation
& Operations Advisory

In family-held businesses, the hardest problems are rarely on the balance sheet. We mediate between family members on roles, succession, and operating decisions, before disputes become legal matters and outside counsel becomes a line item. Monthly onsite presence available on request.

Family Mediation Succession Monthly Onsite

Selected engagements

Anonymized as a matter of policy.
The problem tells the story. The fix tells the rest.

Family-Held Pole Tomato & Brussels Sprouts Operation Southern California

Embedded HR & Compliance Lead, Multi-Generational California Growing Operation

Engagement Context

Multi-generational family operation, year-round workforce across two crops
Bilingual workforce, California regulatory exposure, no in-house HR infrastructure
Recruitment, onboarding, ER, documentation, and supervisor coordination all on one desk

Scope Delivered

Bilingual recruitment and onboarding system, end-to-end
Employee relations investigations and conflict resolution
Documentation against CalOSHA, AB 1825, wage statement, and heat illness requirements
Supervisor coordination across crops and growing seasons
Daily HR cadence freeing principals to focus on operations

2 crops

Year-round workforce continuity

Compliance held throughout tenure

Multi-State Organic Produce Operation FL · GA · PA

HR Function Architect, Multi-State Organic Produce Operation

Engagement Context

200+ employee workforce across three states, four growing seasons per year
Federal contractor obligations, recurring DOL exposure, no formal HR function
Compliance audits arriving on no predictable schedule

Scope Delivered

Full HR function built from zero: policy library, handbooks (EN/ES), supervisor training
Multi-state payroll across the operation, biweekly cadence
Workers compensation defense and claims management
H-2A recruitment, onboarding, housing readiness, program compliance
PrimusGFS audit prep, organic certification documentation, mock recall planning
15+ audits passed across DOL, OSHA, food safety, state labor. Zero findings.

15+

Audits passed, zero findings

200+

Employees across three states

Family-Held Multi-Entity Ag Enterprise OR · AZ

Multi-Entity Compliance & Operations Consultant, Family-Held Ag Enterprise

Engagement Context

Three legal entities operating across two states
Payroll on a mix of QuickBooks Desktop and paper-based processes
H-2A workforce moving between entities seasonally
State withholding errors, bookkeeping inconsistencies, unorganized audit files

Scope Delivered

Migrated all three entities to QuickBooks Online with proper separation
Took over payroll management and biweekly processing across the operation
Reconciled state DOR balances, configured e-pay infrastructure
Supplied H-2A recruitment leads through partner network
Organized food safety audit material into a working file with homework delegated
Embedded as the principal's compliance and operations partner on retainer

Entities consolidated & processed

100%

State tax reconciliation

Family-Held Ag Enterprise Multi-Generational

Family mediation before the lawyers got involved

The Problem

Two siblings in operating roles, father preparing to step back from leadership
Third sibling drawing distributions for three years without operating involvement
Tension in every operations meeting; HR caught in the middle on reporting structure
Outside counsel quoted six figures for a dispute that did not yet exist

How We Fixed It

Individual sessions mapping operating, ownership, and emotional positions to plain language
Three facilitated working sessions with the full family group
Written role-and-decision framework drafted and signed by all four parties
Outside counsel retained only to paper the final agreement, at a fraction of scope

Litigation initiated

Quarterly

Family operating cadence held

Privately-Held Hospitality Group Multi-Unit

Right hand to the principal. Operations, HR, and discretion at the executive level.

The Problem

High-net-worth principal running a multi-unit operating business
Calendar pressure, HR oversight across units, vendor and counsel coordination
Family-office dimension requiring absolute discretion
Principal needed a trusted second set of hands, not another team to manage

How We Fixed It

Direct embed as the principal's right hand across all operating matters
Calendar, vendor relationships, and HR oversight across units
Confidential coordination across counsel, finance, and family-office advisors
Single trusted channel; principal kept his time for the work only he could do

Direct

Reporting to principal

Trusted

Reference upon request

Regulated Ag Workforce Operator Multiple jurisdictions

Workers comp defense, third-party labor outreach response, and a sensitive separation

The Problem

Active workers compensation hearing on the calendar
Third-party labor outreach to the workforce running in parallel
Sensitive separation requiring documentation, severance, and exit protocol
Three concurrent pressure points, no playbook in place for any of them

Scope Delivered

Coordinated outside counsel through workers compensation hearing prep
Documented labor outreach timeline and built response playbook
Managed separation with written severance, exit protocol, post-separation plan
Leadership stayed focused on operations; none of the three matters escalated

Low

Post-engagement risk profile

Operational disruption

Investigations & Enforcement

What DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement actually looks like right now.

The Wage and Hour Division has not slowed down. Recent enforcement actions against agricultural employers, including some of the largest producers in the country, show what regulators are looking at: adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) calculations, housing and transportation standards, worker notification of hours and duties, day-of-rest documentation, and retaliation claims. The penalties below are public record. The patterns are the part that matters.

Eastern District of WA · 2025

Grimmway Enterprises. H-2A AEWR and housing violations

$427,456

$207,456 in back wages plus $220,000 in civil money penalties. WHD found AEWR underpayment to H-2A workers and corresponding US workers, housing and transportation safety violations, and failures to notify workers of required hours, duties, and overtime eligibility.

Source: US DOL News Release

District of NJ · OALJ Decision

Sun Valley Orchards. Terminations and meal-charge violations

$556,745

$344,945 in back wages to 147 farmworkers plus $211,800 in civil money penalties. ALJ found the employer terminated 20+ workers without cause mid-season, attempted to coerce waivers of H-2A guarantees, and charged workers for meals at a profit.

Source: US DOL Wage and Hour Division

Western NY · WHD Investigation

Lake Breeze Fruit Farms. Overtime and daily hours recordkeeping

$37,103

Back wages recovered for 86 workers across three agricultural employers. Findings included unpaid overtime for salaried non-exempt staff, failure to pay H-2A day-of-rest overtime under New York state law, and failure to record daily hours worked per H-2A program requirements.

Source: US DOL Wage and Hour Division

How We Prevent It

The eight workforce-rights and recordkeeping disciplines we run for every ag client, before WHD shows up.

AEWR audit, every cycle. We reconcile your paid rate to the published AEWR for the state, position, and crop, with a written record per pay period.
Daily hours recordkeeping. H-2A requires daily, not weekly. We configure timekeeping to capture both, and audit it monthly.
Worker notification documentation. Hours, duties, overtime eligibility, day-of-rest policy, and meal arrangements, all in writing, in Spanish, signed at hire.
Housing & transportation standards review. Annual walkthrough against 20 CFR 655.122(d). Licensed drivers, safe vehicles, sanitary housing. No exceptions.
Workers' rights training. Bilingual supervisor and crew sessions on retaliation prohibitions, complaint channels, and the consequences of coercion. Signed attendance log.
I-9 and reverification hygiene. Quarterly internal audit, TNC clearance log, IER-compliant correction protocol, separate binders by entity.
Investigation readiness file. Pre-built document production package. If WHD calls Tuesday, we produce by Thursday, without disrupting the harvest.
Consulate & recruitment coordination. H-2A appointment scheduling, document review, and worker travel reimbursement tracking through our recruitment partner network.

We believe American agriculture is worth saving, and that the families who feed this country deserve advisors who treat their legacy like our own.

Asena, Founder

Programs & templates

Built-once,
delivered-many. Ready when you are.

Employee Handbook. Agriculture Edition

Bilingual EN/ES. H-2A-compatible. Updated for 2026 federal and state guidance.

$295

PrimusGFS & Food Safety Audit Prep Pack

Document templates, SOP library, mock recall checklist, and a sixty-day prep timeline for growers facing certification or renewal.

$495

Workplace Violence Prevention Program

Bilingual EN/ES. Compliant with CA SB-553 and parallel state mandates.

$495

Supervisor Training Deck. Harassment Prevention

Editable presentation, facilitator notes, attendance log. EN/ES.

$395

View our program library

Diagnostic offers

Two ways to start small.
Both end with you knowing more than you did.

Complimentary · Limited Scope

I-9 Spot Review

We review up to 25 randomly selected I-9 forms and flag every defect: missing signatures, expired identification, Section 2 errors, reverification gaps. You receive a written summary identifying remediation priorities.

Request a review →

Complimentary for up to 25 forms. Engagements beyond that scope are billed at $75 per defect identified, with a $250 minimum to open a remediation file. Review is informational and does not constitute legal advice or representation.

Complimentary · Diagnostic

Food Safety & Audit Readiness Scan

A focused diagnostic for growers preparing for PrimusGFS, organic certification renewal, or a mock recall drill. We review your current documentation posture, surface the gaps most often flagged by auditors, and deliver a written readiness summary with a prioritized remediation list.

Request the scan →

Diagnostic review only. Not a certification, audit, or attestation. Full audit-prep and mock recall engagements quoted separately after the diagnostic.

Launching August 2026 On the roadmap

AI Governance
Readiness Reviews, complimentary for the first ten.

Beginning August 2026, we will be opening a limited cohort of complimentary AI Governance Readiness Reviews for operating businesses that want to understand their exposure before regulators do. Shadow-AI inventory, acceptable-use policy gaps, vendor risk surfaces, and a written readiness summary mapped to recognized governance frameworks.

The first ten clients pay nothing for the review. After the cohort closes, the engagement moves to a paid retainer. Eight of ten slots are currently available. Join the waitlist now and we will reach out as soon as scheduling opens.

Launch is contingent on completion of the IAPP AIGP credential (cohort 2026) and the Columbia Business School AI for Business & Finance executive education program (July 2026). Readiness Review is a diagnostic instrument and does not constitute a certified audit, attestation, or assurance engagement. Audit-grade work performed under credentialed practitioners on request.

Q3 2026 Launch Cohort

8 / 10

Complimentary slots remaining

Join the waitlist

Credentials

Earned, not
self-awarded.

A current snapshot. Full credential file and verification details available on request.

MBA

Universidad Carlos III Madrid

SHRM-CP

SHRM · Active

HRPA

Active

ISC2 CC

Cybersecurity · Active

PSA

Active

FL RON Notary

Commission HH 757932

HR Management Certificate

UC San Diego

CELTA

Cambridge English

BA · Language Interpretation

Yeditepe University

AIGP

IAPP

In Progress · 2026

AI for Business & Finance

Columbia Business School Exec Ed

Cohort · July 2026

CAMS

ACAMS

Planned

About the firm

Built on trust,
not theory.

We work with operators who carry real risk and real reputation. Payroll across multiple states, workers in the field, audits on the calendar, family names on the door.

Asena & Co is led by a senior bilingual HR and compliance consultant. The firm draws on a curated bench of specialists for multilingual training rollouts, food safety audit preparation, and advanced labor matters.

Based in Southwest Florida. Working nationally. Bilingual in English and Spanish. Available when our clients need us, including the hours regulators tend to choose.

EnglishNative

EspañolFluent

Begin

Most engagements start with a thirty-minute conversation.

No commitment. We listen, you talk, we send a written scope if there is a fit. If there is not, we will tell you who to call instead.

Q3 2026. Four of ten engagement slots remaining.

Request a conversation →

Begin a Conversation

Request a Conversation.

For new engagement inquiries, August 2026 AI Governance Readiness Review waitlist, or to discuss whether we are a fit for your operation.

Direct Contact

Email
info@asenaandco.com

Phone
(239) 373-3729

Location
Punta Gorda, FL
Working Nationwide

Languages

English (native)
Spanish (fluent, full professional working proficiency)

All inquiries are treated as confidential. We typically respond within one business day. For urgent matters, please call directly.

The HR partner for operators who can't afford to get it wrong.

Book a thirty-minute conversation.

Four standards we hold ourselves to.Without exception.

Available, not idle

Discreet by default

Cultural fluency

Scarce by design

Three points of entry.One standard of work.

New Businesses Standing Up HR for the First Time

Existing Operations That Have Outgrown Their HR Setup

Family-Legacy Operators & Family-Held Businesses

Three practices.One discipline: systems that hold up under scrutiny.

HR & ComplianceBuild or Revamp

Investigations& Enforcement

Family Mediation& Operations Advisory

Anonymized as a matter of policy.The problem tells the story. The fix tells the rest.

Embedded HR & Compliance Lead, Multi-Generational California Growing Operation

HR Function Architect, Multi-State Organic Produce Operation

Multi-Entity Compliance & Operations Consultant, Family-Held Ag Enterprise

Family mediation before the lawyers got involved

Right hand to the principal. Operations, HR, and discretion at the executive level.

Workers comp defense, third-party labor outreach response, and a sensitive separation

What DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement actually looks like right now.

Grimmway Enterprises. H-2A AEWR and housing violations

Sun Valley Orchards. Terminations and meal-charge violations

Lake Breeze Fruit Farms. Overtime and daily hours recordkeeping

The eight workforce-rights and recordkeeping disciplines we run for every ag client, before WHD shows up.

We believe American agriculture is worth saving, and that the families who feed this country deserve advisors who treat their legacy like our own.

Built-once,delivered-many. Ready when you are.

Employee Handbook. Agriculture Edition

PrimusGFS & Food Safety Audit Prep Pack

Workplace Violence Prevention Program

Supervisor Training Deck. Harassment Prevention

Two ways to start small.Both end with you knowing more than you did.

I-9 Spot Review

Food Safety & Audit Readiness Scan

AI GovernanceReadiness Reviews, complimentary for the first ten.

Earned, notself-awarded.

Built on trust,not theory.

Most engagements start with a thirty-minute conversation.

Request a Conversation.

Direct Contact

Languages

The HR partner
for operators who can't
afford to get it wrong.

Four standards we hold ourselves to.
Without exception.

Three points of entry.
One standard of work.

Three practices.
One discipline: systems that hold up under scrutiny.

HR & Compliance
Build or Revamp

Investigations
& Enforcement

Family Mediation
& Operations Advisory

Anonymized as a matter of policy.
The problem tells the story. The fix tells the rest.

Built-once,
delivered-many. Ready when you are.

Two ways to start small.
Both end with you knowing more than you did.

AI Governance
Readiness Reviews, complimentary for the first ten.

Earned, not
self-awarded.

Built on trust,
not theory.