Jason Loudenburg Named 2023 John Deere Territory Tech of the Year

Here at Prairie State Tractor, we take great pride in seeing our employees succeed. And so we are proud to announce one of our very own, Jason Loudenburg, has been selected as a Territory Champion for the 2023 John Deere Technician of the Year Award Program. Jason becomes just 1 of only 95 Territory Champions awarded among all technicians at John Deere dealers throughout the United States and Canada. He was selected as the winning nomination over other John Deere service technicians in the western Illinois service territory.

John Deere launched the Technician of the Year Program in 2022 with the goal of highlighting John Deere technicians who go above and beyond to service customers and are outstanding members of their communities. This is the second straight year a service technician from Prairie State Tractor has been awarded this honor.

"It's a great honor to be recognized by John Deere for my commitment and work as a Service Technician," says Jason, "There are so many great John Deere technicians at Prairie State Tractor, let alone in Illinois."

Jason has demonstrated great mechanical abilities from a young age. While attending Illinois Central College for their Diesel Powered Equipment Technology program, he won state in the Skills USA competition for the diesel equipment technology category and went on to place 14th nationally. 

Jason's former college instructor Jeff Gardner, now Lincoln Land Community College's program director of diesel technologies, had this to say about Jason: "He's really the future of the industry and I feel pretty good about having guys like him on the job as machines get more and more complicated." 

Now with 15 years under his belt at Prairie State Tractor, Jason's passion and expertise have only deepened. His dedication to the craft has led him to mentor new team members, sharing his knowledge and ensuring the dealership's legacy of excellence endures.

"Jason is exceptional at teaching and explaining the 'why' in repairs," says Todd Crowley, Corporate Service Manager for Prairie State Tractor, "He is willing to help anyone out and is second to none helping the young inexperienced techs." 

Jason's willingness to help is not only found at work, but he also carries his passions into his community. He believes that anywhere that you can be of assistance can go a long way as one bit of good helps everybody. Outside of working full-time at Prairie State and farming part-time, Jason takes time to help with his local county fair and is actively involved with the 4-H in Stark County. He also volunteers with a local cemetery to look after and maintain their grounds. 

“We try to make our employees look as good as we can at Prairie State Tractor" adds Crowley, "but Jason returns that back to us with all the nice things he does. He is making a difference in this world, and we appreciate that."

Does becoming a John Deere Service Technician like Jason interest you? Visit our Tech Student Program page to learn more about how you can train to be a tech or explore current job openings.