Contributors – Kurt Pease

Kurt Pease was born on June 8th, 1961, in Portage, Wisconsin. He grew up in Whitewater, Wisconsin, in a family where his father worked as a university professor and his mother was a speech pathologist. From an early age, Kurt was instilled with a strong work ethic that would shape his future endeavors.

After completing his education, Kurt graduated from UW Whitewater in 1983 with a BA in marketing. He embarked on a successful career spanning several industries, where he held various management positions and achieved notable accomplishments.

In 1985, Kurt joined Sherwood Medical in Chula Vista, California, and later in Tijuana, Mexico. As a Master Scheduler and Production Planner, he was responsible for material, production, and sterilization control. During his tenure, Kurt designed and computerized the Production Plan, leading to increased efficiency and reduced backorders by 200% while maintaining low inventory levels. He also played a key role in implementing MRP software.

In 1987, Kurt joined Interactor America in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, as the National Sales Manager. In this role, he oversaw aftermarket sales and marketing activities, including dealer development and profit and loss accountability. Kurt successfully created a nationwide dealer organization and significantly increased potential income to $25 million through targeted dealer benefits. Additionally, he spearheaded the establishment of a $5.5 million wholesale market, representing 20% of corporate sales.

In 1993, Kurt joined John Deere Construction Equipment Company in Moline, Illinois, where he remained until 2017. He held various positions of increasing responsibility, including Territory Sales Manager, Sales and Marketing Manager, and Product Manager. As a Territory Sales Manager, Kurt promoted the sale of products and services to dealer/channel partners in the western United States. He excelled in building relationships and resolving issues between channel partners and the company. In his role as Sales and Marketing Manager, Kurt achieved outstanding results, with annual sales exceeding $80 million and independent distributor sales totaling $20 million. He also assumed the position of Product Manager, where he initiated a start-up program through the Deere dealer channel, overseeing new product development, inventory management, and advertising and promotion.

From 2017 to 2019, Kurt worked at John Deere Financial in Johnston, Iowa, as a Regional Finance Manager. He trained and coached finance managers to improve sales performance and increase market share. Kurt also developed effective channel partner relationships and supervised a team of six employees.

Most recently, from 2019 to 2022, Kurt served as the Director of Customer Support at 4Rivers Equipment, a John Deere and Hitachi dealer, located in Greeley, Colorado. In this role, he led the agricultural and construction organizations’ product support business efforts, aligning with financial and operational objectives to maximize profitability. Kurt excelled in attracting, retaining, and effectively engaging department personnel.

Throughout his career, Kurt Pease has achieved numerous accomplishments, including coaching, and motivating the largest dealer territory to maximize market share, creating replacement component programs and independent dealer organizations, and driving significant sales growth. His leadership, strategic thinking, and ability to build strong relationships have been instrumental in his success.

Currently, Kurt is semi-retired working for a local medical school. In his free time, he enjoys fly fishing in the rivers of the Colorado front range.