OLATHE, Kan. — John D. Lagemann, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Ag & Turf Division – Regions 3 and 4 for John Deere, has been elected 2019 Chair of the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). He previously served as chair of the ag sector board for the association.

AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing 1,000 companies in the off-road equipment manufacturing industry, which includes the agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors. Officers and directors of the association work on behalf of member companies to provide strategic direction for AEM’s business development initiatives in areas of public policy, market data and exhibitions, as well as technical, safety and regulatory issues training.

“We welcome our 2019 officers and new and returning directors and want to publicly thank them and their companies for continued support of the association and its goals,” said AEM President Dennis Slater. “AEM could not succeed and grow without the dedication of its volunteer leadership and active member participation. They help ensure AEM delivers quality results that continue to strengthen member companies and the industries they serve.”

Lagemann works at the John Deere Ag Marketing Center in Olathe, Kansas, and brings 36 years of ag-industry experience to the AEM board. He began working at John Deere in various sales and marketing roles at the Kansas City branch in 1982, then served as factory marketing manager at John Deere Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois in 1994. Lagemann also spent two years in Brisbane, Australia, managing the company’s operations in Australia, New Zealand and East Asia before returning to the U.S. to become vice president of sales for the U.S. and Canada in 2002.

In 2012 Lagemann was promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing for the company’s Ag and Turf Divisions for the Americas and Australia. A native of Concordia, Kansas, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Feed Science and Management and a Master of Business Administration degree from Kansas State University.