Presenters
Dan Berg, Development Team Leader, has been with John Deere Agri Services for over 28 years, beginning in 1980 when AGRIS Corporation was a two-man operation in Illinois. Dan has been instrumental in the design and development of every version of the AGRIS Product Suite, from the first customer through today. He is a graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in Business Administration/Business Information Systems.
Kirk Collins, Services Team Leader, has been with John Deere Agri Services since 1996. He has also served as a Hardware Implementer and Hardware Support Specialist. Kirk has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology from Kansas State University.
Jeff Cook, Manager, Support and Implementation Services, joined John Deere Agri Services in 2005. Previously, Jeff was a Principle Partner for VMG where he specialized in crisis management and business development for small- to medium-sized businesses. Jeff also led the technology support and implementation division for FTD, Inc. as the Vice President of Support Services. Other past roles include Senior Systems Analyst for Sears, Roebuck, and Company and Network Engineer for John Deere Health Care. Jeff has an Applied Computer Science degree from Illinois State University.
Lyle Hartz, Director of Sales, has been with John Deere Agri Services since 1981 when he began his career as a Sales Manager responsible for key national accounts, sales force recruiting and training, and new sales programs as well as corporate marketing programs and marketing strategies. Currently he manages sales efforts for the grain, oilseeds, biofuels, and inputs market segment. In his various sales roles, Lyle has also been involved in developing a dealer/technology partner distribution network and serving on an operating committee board that was charged with providing direction in software development, market penetration, and profitability. Lyle has also worked for HBO & Co. as a Sales Consultant for the company’s enterprise scheduling/resource management software for hospitals and as Director of Marketing for John Deere Golf Technologies, which provided global positioning systems for the golf industry. Early on in his career, he held positions as a Sales Representative and an Assistant Manager of commodity seeds, grain elevator, and rice dryer businesses. Lyle received a B.S. degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville.
Jerry Jackson, Regional Sales Manager, has been with John Deere Agri Services for 14 years. He covers the north central United States. Previous to his employment at John Deere Agri Services, Jerry worked for Centrak data processing services as an account representative and managed a local cooperative. He graduated from Willmar Area Technical Institute with a degree in ag business.
Jerry Marcks, Account Manager, has been with John Deere Agri Services for 18 years. He has also worked in product development for several of the AGRIS Product Suite systems and served as Development Manager. During previous careers, he was Vice President of Development for Beacon Systems where he also assisted in sales and was responsible for software installation/training with special emphasis on grain accounting and financial accounting for agribusiness. Jerry has a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Computer Programming from Eau Claire State University.
Alisa Mueller, Customer Support Senior Analyst, has been with John Deere Agri Services for 13 years in various analyst and support roles. Previously, she was an Office Manager for an elevator that handled fertilizer, chemicals, seed, fuel, and grain. Alisa has a B.S. in Accounting & Computer Information Systems with a minor in Business & Natural Science.
Dr. J.B. Penn, Chief Economist with Deere & Company, is responsible for analyzing global macroeconomic, policy, and trade developments. Before joining John Deere in August 2006, he served as Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services in the United States Department of Agriculture for more than five years. Dr. Penn holds an undergraduate degree from Arkansas State University, M.S. from Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. from Purdue University. He began his career with USDA where he held several increasingly responsible positions including Deputy Administrator for Economics in the Economics and Statistics Service. He also served as Senior Staff Economist in the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Following his work in the federal government, Dr. Penn moved to the private sector for more than two decades. He was a founding principal and president of Economic Perspectives, Inc., a firm of economic and food consultants that was acquired by Sparks Companies, Inc., a larger firm in the same field where he served as Senior Vice President and head of the Washington office from 1988 until 2001. Dr. Penn is a member of the Farm Foundation Board of Trustees, the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council, the United States Trade Representatives' Africa Trade Advisory Committee, and a Fellow of the American Agricultural Economics Association.
Trenton Prieb, Senior IT Analyst, has been with John Deere Agri Services for 7 years. He has also served as a Software Support Specialist. Prior to joining John Deere Agri Services he was a Staff Accountant for Bartlett Grain Co. Trenton holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from Kansas State University.
Dusty Rauschenberg, Project Manager, joined John Deere Agri Services in 2007. Previously he was employed with Olton Grain Coop, Inc., as Controller, using AGRIS Product Suite systems for 8 years. Prior work experience also includes Office Manager for Farmland Industries Feedmill Division with regional human resources responsibilities for Texas and New Mexico. Dusty holds a certification in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science from Tarleton State University.
Tim Roberts, Senior Support Specialist, joined John Deere Agri Services in 2005. Previously he worked at a cooperative for five years using the AGRIS Product Suite. His agricultural background also includes being a farm owner and operator for 18 years. Tim also has experience in automotive dealership management.
Russ Shirley, Technical Product Manager, has been with John Deere Agri Services for 11 years. Russ has served in various roles assisting in the analysis, implementation, and support of software solutions for agronomy, fuel, feed, and retail agribusinesses. During previous careers, he has worked in numerous roles throughout the agricultural inputs value chain. Russ has a B.S. in Ag Business from Northwest Missouri State University with a focus on business management.
Allen Smith, Technical Product Manager, has been with John Deere Agri Services for 8 years. Additional roles include Product Designer, Industry Specialist, and Support Representative for agronomy products. He holds a B.S. degree in Agribusiness and Business Administration and has also received Varsity Series Management Training (Farmland Industries). Allen has 26 years of experience in cooperative agribusiness management.
Susanna Stout, Account Manager, has been with John Deere Agri Services for 9 years. Prior to her Account Manager role, she was a Product Manager and also served as Project Manager for Customer Business Solutions for Heritage Systems and as a Product Analyst. Susanna's previous experience includes working for Koch Industries as a business systems analyst, spending four years at Farmland Industries, and working as an Office Manager and Grain Merchandiser in local cooperatives in Kansas. Susanna has a B.B.A. from Fort Hays State University.