Benson Verbel has been named the 2026 Realtor of the Year by the Greeley Area Realtor Association (GARA), one of the association’s highest honors, recognizing his commitment to the real estate profession, leadership and service to the Northern Colorado community.
The award was presented during GARA’s annual Installation & Awards Breakfast, a long-standing tradition that brings together Realtors, industry partners and community leaders to celebrate the profession, recognize outstanding service and formally install the association’s incoming leadership. The tradition has historically included some of GARA’s most significant member recognitions, including Realtor of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and Affiliate of the Year Award.
The installation breakfast represents more than the beginning of a new leadership year. It is an opportunity to recognize those who have invested their time and energy into strengthening the local real estate profession while passing responsibility from one generation of association leadership to the next.
For Verbel, the 2026 recognition carries particular significance following his service as GARA president in 2025 as well as serving as president of the Colorado Association of Realtors Young Professionals Network (YPN) in 2025. Verbel also championed a YPN chapter for Greeley Realtors and played a significant part in formally creating the chapter in 2023, serving as president in both 2023 and 2024. He has served as a GARA board member since 2018 and numerous years as a member of the board of directors for the Colorado association. His continued involvement with the association and his commitment to GARA reflect a belief that being a Realtor extends beyond helping clients buy and sell homes—it also means contributing to the profession, supporting fellow Realtors, protecting property rights for all, following a strict code of ethics and serving the community.
“I’m incredibly honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” Verbel says. “Real estate has given me the opportunity to serve people every day, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to also serve the profession and the community that have given me so much. The relationships, friendships and experiences I’ve gained through GARA are something I truly value.”
The Realtor of the Year recognition celebrates the broader impact a Realtor makes through leadership, professionalism, volunteer service and a commitment to the people and communities they serve.
