Olson to Lead New John Deere Marketing & Promotions Department

MOLINE, Ill. Craig Olson recently was promoted to manager, marketing communications, promotions and events at John Deere Construction & Forestry Co. He is assuming the role of Jim Mitchell, who is retiring in September after 33 years of distinguished service to John Deere. Olson will lead the new marketing communications, promotions and events department, which recently was formed by combining two existing departments within the company.

In his new position, Olson is responsible for all advertising and public relations activities for John Deere construction products worldwide, and for Hitachi construction and mining products in the western hemisphere. Olson's career at John Deere spans 29 years, during which time he held a variety of management positions in training, field and factory product support, sales and marketing. Most recently, Olson has played a key role in perfecting the product launch process, and he led the division's participation in the 2005 ConExpo exhibition.

"Craig's focus on the customer and the dealer make him a natural fit for this challenging position," said James Orr, director of marketing, John Deere Construction & Forestry Co.

Retiring manager Jim Mitchell has made countless contributions to building the John Deere brand and communicating the company's message to the market. Recent accomplishments include communicating the Construction & Forestry value proposition through a range of media, as well as his leadership in promoting a consistent look and process for machine paint, graphics and nomenclature. Mitchell began his career with John Deere as an advertising copywriter in 1972. He became the creative group supervisor for Construction & Forestry in 1984, then for Commercial & Consumer Equipment (C&CE) in 1986. In 1992, he was promoted to manager of advertising and marketing communications, the role from which he will retire in September.