BETTENDORF, Iowa (KWQC/Gray News) – John Deere announced hundreds of layoffs in July, and the layoffs hit one family hard.

Mathew Shiltz and his wife were laid off from Davenport Works on the same day.

“It was tough. I mean, we kind of already knew it. When I had heard it I was, I was on second shift. So the first-shift meeting had already happened. So when I got to work at noon that day, people had told me and we kind of knew it was happening beforehand,” Shiltz said.

The disappointment and betrayal Shiltz said he feels contrasts with how he previously felt about Deere & Company as a brand and its integrity.

https://www.kwtx.com/2024/08/01/husband-wife-get-laid-off-john-deere-same-day/

 

John C. May was elected to the Ford Motor Company board of directors in December 2021.  He serves on the finance, compensation, talent and culture, and nominating and governance committees.

May is chairman and CEO of Deere & Company, a world leader in agriculture and construction products, technology and services.  He was named to those positions in May 2020 and November 2019, respectively.

Under May’s leadership, Deere is revolutionizing the agriculture and construction industries through the rapid introduction of connectivity and advanced technology.

May, who has spent most of his career with Moline, Ill.-based Deere, is only the 10th CEO in its more than 180-year history.  His leadership roles at the company have included president and COO; president of the Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division, responsible for the Americas and Australia and several major global businesses; chief information officer; and president, Agricultural Solutions.

Previously, May was managing director of Deere’s China operations during a three-year period of significant growth.  He joined the company 1997 after five years as a management consultant at KPMG Peat Marwick.

May holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine.