John Deere today officially opened a new sales and marketing center in Olathe, Kansas. In a ribbon cutting ceremony with employees, city and state officials, and other special guests, the LEED Certified building was officially opened with special tours of the facility.

"This is quite a day," said John Lagemann, vice president, John Deere Ag & Turf Division. "We actually started the ground-breaking in October of 2008, but delayed construction because of the uncertain economy. We resumed the project in 2010 and it is quite gratifying to see the completion of this beautiful facility."

Employees actually moved into the building in early September, but final touches remained until this big event today. The new 126,150 square-foot facility is designed to accomodate nearly 500 marketing professionals who will provide support and service to John Deere sales branches and agricultural and turf dealerships in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

"This new building is a strong affirmation of our commitment to the agriculture and turf business," emphasized Lagemann. "This world-class facility will feature the latest technology to communicate to other divisions, world-wide, and help to support and service our industry-leading John Deere dealer channel."

The state-of-the-art building meets the U.S. Green Building Council requirements and is designed according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards to qualify for a "gold" classification which will be confirmed in the near future. The facility is also laid out to enhance the work environment for employees and to help support teamwork and collaboration between all work groups. It will meet changing organizational needs and provide common work areas to support a more flexible workforce.

"We are also extremely pleased that we could build in the Olathe area," Lagemann added. "We're in a central location with easy access to Greater Kansas City and the airport. We’re also part of a new Ag Research and Bioscience Corridor which will integrate nicely with our Agricultural strategic initiatives in the future."

For more information about John Deere products and services, visit our Web site at www.JohnDeere.com or visit with your local John Deere dealer.