Samuel Allen leading Deere & Company into the future

After nine years of service with John Deere, current CEO and President Bob Lane is being replaced by a new man: Samuel Allen. Deere's board of directors made the move after an 18-month long process to restructure its leadership team.

Allen, 55, will become the ninth chief executive officer on August 1, and the changeover will end Lane's nine-year tenure at the helm. Lane had joined the company in 1982 and landed the top job in 2000. However, after five record years of earnings under Lane, that same "high performance culture" became tested during trying times.

Financial analyst John Miller commented, "If Lane's history of performance was not exemplary, you would say, earnings are down -- out he goes."

The current economic temperature is just one of the challenges facing Allen.

But at places like the Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce, there's a feeling he's the right man for the job. He helped to bring Air Tran to the region as a volunteer and now is flying Deere & Company into the future.

Allen joined Deere & Company as an industrial engineer in 1975 right out of college. He says that his promotion will bring significant challenges but exciting global opportunities. With 34 years experience at the company, he knows all about its issues from the production line to corporate headquarters.

"He certainly understands the company and knows it from the inside," said Mike Stohlmeyer, a retired Deere executive who worked with Allen, "I much prefer seeing somebody inside the company being promoted to that position rather than bringing one in from the outside."

The decision came as a "big surprise" to UAW-Deere Coordinator Jim Hecker, though he commented, "We had a good relationship and dialog with Bob Lane," he said. "We expect the same with Sam Allen."

"He's a very thoughtful person," said Rick Baker, the Chamber's president. "He has a good background with the corporation, and I think he'll do a tremendous job leading Deere & Company."