Deere players flying in style to British Open

Pro golfers, make that pro athletes, really know how to travel. While I’m schlepping by van to places like Galesburg, Burlilngton and Dubuque, they’ll be flying to Scotland in a luxury wide-body 767 jet.

Provided by the John Deere Classic, it offers hassle-free security and customs screening (nice!), spacious leather seats (yes!), two in-flight meals (yum,yum!) plus entertainment systems, ground transportation and the guarantee that their golf clubs and luggage will arrive on time.

These pampered pros get to fly for free with one caviat — that they make a minimum $1,000 donation per seat to help fund the more than 600 charities that benefit from the tournament each year.

Oh, I’ll think about all this the next time I’m flying coach, in the middle seat, with my arms and legs scrunched together.

Deere’s Sam Allen speaks as business activity climbs

June is going out with some good news — U.S. business activity expanded for the ninth straight month.

Bloomberg is reporting that developing countries are leading the recovery and driving sales at companies like Deere & Company.

Deere’s top boss, Sam Allen, says that sales and inventories “are very much in synch.” He said that Deere also has started adding stockpiles on the construction side in recent months.

“We do believe the recovery is underway,” Allen said. “We do believe it is on stable ground at this time.”

Thanks for the clicks to “Deere, John”

Hard to believe the month of June is almost over. Just wanted to thank everybody for supporting the blog. Since April, we’ve more than doubled our page views. That’s always good news, and it’s all thanks to you.

Keep clicking, and I’ll keep looking for the latest on Deere & Company.

Nothing steals like a Deere

Detectives in Everett, Washington, used Craigslist to solve a string of riding lawn mower thefts.

Investigators say the John Deere mowers were heisted from Lowe’s stores in three locations. The mowers were valued at between $1,700 and $2,700. They were then put up for sale on Craigslist.

Detectives set up a sting to solve the case. Two suspects face multiple felony charges. They found three additional mowers at the residence. And other stolen mowers may have already been sold.

Nobody knows or is saying just yet how they made off with the mowers in the first place.

Deere’s blowing in the wind

Our neighbors to the north in Michigan just inked a deal to buy renewable energy generated by three wind farms operated by John Deere.

Utility company Consumers Energy will buy more than 230 megawatts of renewable energy from Deere’s wind farms in eastern and southern Michigan starting in 2012.

Michigan’s Governor Jennifer Granholm says the deal will help power Michigan homes and businesses, build markets for its growing wind manufacturing industry and create jobs.

Choi set to swing in John Deere Classic

Hot off the presses from the John Deere Classic comes word Thursday that international star K.J. Choi will play in the event this July.

Choi will be among those to take a seat on the John Deere Classic charter, which will leave for Scotland just after the Classic ends.

It seems that the number 40 is wild. Choi is 40, and the John Deere Classic is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

You can see for yourself July 8-11 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

Hells Bells ringing at John Deere Commons

A hot summer weekend in Moline is about to get hotter. That’s as Tributefest 2010, Monsters of Tribute Rock, gets ready for a big show on Friday, June 25 from 5 p.m. to midnight at John Deere Commons.

The outdoor music festival will feature live music, food and drinks. Admission is $10 in advance and $12 at the gate. Parking is free.

Friday’s lineup includes tribute bands for the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, AC/DC and Bon Jovi.

No word yet if Hells Bells — A Tribute to AC/DC will become the house band at Deere corporate headquarters. But you can see them for yourselves at 8:45 p.m. on Friday.

Should it rain (and haven’t we had enough of that) they’ll move into the i wireless Center.

Former Deere executive honored by Hall of Fame

Former Deere & Company executive Chuck Toney will be inducted posthumously into the African-American Hall of Fame.

Mr. Toney, who was former director of affirmative action at Deere, will be honored along with four others that have enhanced quality of life in Iowa.

The 2010 inductees will be recognized at a reception and banquet on August 6 in Altoona, Iowa.

The Hall of Fame is housed in Iowa State University’s Black Cultural Center.

Soldiers swing with the pros at John Deere Classic

PGA champion Shaun Micheel and five-time PGA Tour winner Billy Mayfair will give a clinic for soldiers, Arsenal employees and guests at the Rock Island Arsenal at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 6.

Starting at 9 on the same day, Iowa Section PGA pros will help select wounded warriors fine-tune their golf games. They participate in the Army’s Community Based Warrior Transition Unit.

To me, it sounds like a nice gesture to help those who have served and sacrificed.

For more information, contact Kerry Skinner at (563) 676-6892.

Nice work if you can get it

I came across an item on the web today about Deere’s top boss Sam Allen. It seems that he’s joining the Whirlpool Board of Directors.

Whirlpool, you may recall, bought Iowa-based Maytag a few years back. Maytag, in turn, closed its plant in Galesburg in 2004. That’s still an understandably sore spot with my friends who used to make refrigerators in the plant.

Anyway, Allen will become part of a great gig that top executives have enjoyed for years. His predecessor at Deere, Bob Lane, came under fire at some annual meetings for a similar role he took on with General Electric.

These guys get some pretty nice compensation for serving on these boards. Some Deere diehards criticized Lane for devoting time to another company while he was on the Deere payroll. And I imagine Mr. Allen might come under similar scrutiny.

Now I’m not here to criticize. But I leave with this thought. Wow, it is nice work if you can get it. What do you think?