Who is Steve?
- Steve was born and raised in DeKalb and is a 1969 graduate of DeKalb High School.
- He is a long time active resident of DeKalb County.
- He received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from University of Illinois in 1973, and a Masters of Business Administration from the Northern Illinois University Executive MBA Program in 1988.
Steve has served on the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, Kishwaukee Community Health System Council, Greater DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, and has twice been elected to the DeKalb County Board. He is a retired board member, and past president and treasurer of the Ellwood House Museum Association, and a board member of the DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association.
To learn more about Steve's life please scroll down.
Steve worked from 1973 to 1993 on his family’s northern Illinois grain farm, serving as managing partner from 1983 to 1993 and managed the family’s farm real estate holdings.
Steve and fellow DeKalb County farmer/innovator, Dave Larson, developed one of the first commercially available yield monitors, demonstrated real-time use of a Global Positioning System and remote data transmission to John Deere in 1992. They were instrumental in the founding and management of several agricultural software and equipment development companies.
From 1993 to 1995, Steve consulted with several ag companies on precision farming software, grain accounting, and hardware development and implementation. He was recruited by Case Corporation (now CNH Industrial) in December of 1995, to manage the development of Case’s advanced farming system products and served as a director of the Advanced Farming Systems Group from 1997 through 1999. He was Director of Advanced Technologies from 1999 until leaving the company in December of 2000. He was also a member of the company’s Global Ag Vision 20/20 strategic planning team.
Steve joined Deere & Company’s Agricultural Equipment Division in December of 2000, and served as Director of Innovation for John Deere AgriServices and Innovation Manager for the company’s Enterprise Advanced Marketing group in Moline, IL. He retired from Deere in January 2009.
Steve was a startup founder and Managing Partner of IntelliCrop, LLC from 2010 thru 2013, and is currently an Innovation Strategy Consultant with Memes Associates, Ltd. of Naperville (currently consulting with CNH on future concept opportunities). He has been awarded more than a dozen patents for precision farming concepts and products and has been a member of American Society of Agricultural Engineers since 1973.
Steve lives in Sycamore, IL, with his wife, Pat. They have two children and four grandchildren.
Steve and fellow DeKalb County farmer/innovator, Dave Larson, developed one of the first commercially available yield monitors, demonstrated real-time use of a Global Positioning System and remote data transmission to John Deere in 1992. They were instrumental in the founding and management of several agricultural software and equipment development companies.
From 1993 to 1995, Steve consulted with several ag companies on precision farming software, grain accounting, and hardware development and implementation. He was recruited by Case Corporation (now CNH Industrial) in December of 1995, to manage the development of Case’s advanced farming system products and served as a director of the Advanced Farming Systems Group from 1997 through 1999. He was Director of Advanced Technologies from 1999 until leaving the company in December of 2000. He was also a member of the company’s Global Ag Vision 20/20 strategic planning team.
Steve joined Deere & Company’s Agricultural Equipment Division in December of 2000, and served as Director of Innovation for John Deere AgriServices and Innovation Manager for the company’s Enterprise Advanced Marketing group in Moline, IL. He retired from Deere in January 2009.
Steve was a startup founder and Managing Partner of IntelliCrop, LLC from 2010 thru 2013, and is currently an Innovation Strategy Consultant with Memes Associates, Ltd. of Naperville (currently consulting with CNH on future concept opportunities). He has been awarded more than a dozen patents for precision farming concepts and products and has been a member of American Society of Agricultural Engineers since 1973.
Steve lives in Sycamore, IL, with his wife, Pat. They have two children and four grandchildren.