Information on John Deere and near by cities (Cedar Rapids, Waterloo: home, employment)

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Maybe Moline should have signs reading "JETSET".

I think the Quad Cities has tried (perhaps too hard) avoiding that kind of faux-trendiness. Sadly, there are a large number of people in the area who don't appreciate what progress has been made since the dark days of the 1980s. Davenport spent tens of millions revitalizing 2nd Street with the Figge and Skybridge, yet some locals just ridicule those efforts.

I guess trying to appear hip and trendy is one way of attracting people. It just seems that trends, like all things fickle, eventually run their course. Whatever marketing image the QC "chamber types" eventually settle on, I hope it is something real and substantive.

[zz4guy]

Personally I don't see why QC has such a bad rap. I never hear people come back and say, what a crap hole. There is a large tourism industry there and a ton of stuff to do outside work. The neat thing about QC is each city has its own identity.I am a Dubuque fan first because they are the design center for C/F and I like the scenery and countryside around Dubuque. But the QC would be my second choice of Deere employment, before Waterloo, Ottumwa or Ankeny.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Personally I don't see why QC has such a bad rap. I never hear people come back and say, what a crap hole. There is a large tourism industry there and a ton of stuff to do outside work. The neat thing about QC is each city has its own identity.

I think the "bad rap" comes from people who heard what happened to the area in the 1980s and operate under the assumption it is still the same place it was back then. While the QC hasn't changed dramatically from a population standpoint, the number of cultural amenities added over the last 15 years has been quite substantial.

Dubuque is another great Mississippi River town, which has really excelled in making the river an economic resource. So much of the history and character of eastern Iowa is derived from having the Mississippi around. There is no other natural resource in the Midwest (or perhaps the entire country) that has played such a historical role in shaping cities.

[zach123]

Thank you zz4guy! I am vying for a professional (white collar) position in Moline. I just wanted to learn a bit what it is like working for John Deere and also if working, where is the best area to live. By the way, friend, can you shade some light on what you mean when you said 'once you leave permanent employment you cannot be hired back to work direct. Also their health insurance is slightly lacking compared to other companies'?

Thanks again

Originally Posted by zz4guy

They have factories in

Waterloo - they make row crop tractors and engines. There's a foundry, major assembly area, and a very large product design/engineerin center. Probably the largest Deere employing city in IA.

Dubuque - they make forestry and construction equipment. They are also the product design center for all construction/forestry products made in Dubuque and Davenport. May be the single largest Deere plant. I used to work there myself as an engineer. It's a very clean world class facility and very automated. Dubuque is a great town too. If I was to go work for Deere again it'd be in Dubuque no questions asked. The Dbq factory makes backhoes, dozers, skidsteers, winches, hoes for 110TLBs and an assortment of forestry equipment. They used to cast their own engines there until the 90s.

Davenport - ATDs, Loaders, and other construction equipment. Large facility, but not as large as DBQ. I believe they make harvesters at davenport too. Nice clean facility, just like DBQ. Although maybe not as automated.

Ankeny - not sure what they make here. They do some GPS designing I hear.

Working at Deere is great. People are excited about their product and are friendly. One negative I hear is that once you leave permanent employment you cannot be hired back to work direct. Also their health insurance is slightly lacking compared to other companies. But it's still good.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by zach123

I am vying for a professional (white collar) position in Moline. I just wanted to learn a bit what it is like working for John Deere and also if working, where is the best area to live.
Thanks again

I can't tell you all the specifics about working for Deere, but I can tell you a great deal about the Moline/Quad City area.

If you're looking for the safest city in the QC, Bettendorf is your best choice. There's virtually no violent crime in the city whatsoever. It is also the most expensive city to live in because of all the new construction underway there.

The northeast corner of Davenport, south side of Moline, and southeast side of Rock Island are also safe neighborhoods. Overall, Moline has the best combination of low-crime areas, low-cost housing, and quick access to amenities.

[zack123]

Moline

[pepe1]

For what it's worth...

The Ankeny plant produces cotton pickers, spraying equipment, and some tillage implements.

[pioneer98]

Originally Posted by mfrerkes

I can't tell you all the specifics about working for Deere, but I can tell you a great deal about the Moline/Quad City area.

If you're looking for the safest city in the QC, Bettendorf is your best choice. There's virtually no violent crime in the city whatsoever. It is also the most expensive city to live in because of all the new construction underway there.

The northeast corner of Davenport, south side of Moline, and southeast side of Rock Island are also safe neighborhoods. Overall, Moline has the best combination of low-crime areas, low-cost housing, and quick access to amenities.

I can't disagree with your assessment of Moline, but I think Davenport offers much of the same as Moline. I'll admit that you have to be a little more careful about what neighborhood you pick, but you can do quite well in Davenport.

I wonder when Deere built their world headquarters in Moline in the 1960s if there was any competition to lure it someplace else.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by pioneer98

I wonder when Deere built their world headquarters in Moline in the 1960s if there was any competition to lure it someplace else.

I don't believe there would've been much competition. Deere has always considered Moline its home base and the company recently had to knock down more rumors about possibly moving the world headquarters. The Deere HQ campus in Moline is still very striking architectually speaking, despite being over 40 years old. I doubt they'd want to vacate those premises any time soon.

[5starson23]

Sorry that your thread got hijacked.

The QC is complicated to comment on because it is several cities grouped together and each has its own charachteristics. Without knowing your demographic and interests its hard to say what would be best for you.

If you don't mind an extra few minutes on your commute, places like Le Claire, Buffalo, Princeton, and other outlying towns offer small town appeal and great access to the river.

If you prefer newer, nicer, suburban type living, I'd suggest the west side of Davenport and/ot Bettendorf.

Personally, I like the Illinois side of the river better, but the Illinois side tends to be a bit more rough around the edges in a lot of ways.