This year's Captain John Smith Award, presented by the County for outstanding business achievement, went to the John Deere Vehicle Group, manufacturer of Gator® utility vehicles. In accepting the award, Marty Schramm, Manager Product Development, remarked, "John Deere is proud to be a part of James City County.


Marty Schramm (second from left), Manager Product Development for John Deere Vehicle Group holds the Captain John Smith.  Standing by him are members of the JCC EDA.  Left to right:  Gil Bartlett, John Berkenkamp, Sterling Nichols, and Virginia Hartmann.

We have received a warm welcome from the community and feel quite at home here." The company began operations in James City County in 1999 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deere & Company. Construction and outfitting of its 300,000-square foot facility involved an initial capital investment of $30 million and $12.5 million more this year with the addition of a paint facility. In addition to manufacturing, the complex includes a major design and engineering component, along with the sales and marketing group. 


Marty Schramm (left), Manager Project Development for John Deere Vehicle Group. stands with Sandy Wanner  (right), James City County Administrator at the eight annual Celebration of Business Event.

In presenting the award, Board of Supervisors Chairman John McGlennon noted that John Deere has already become involved in the community in a number of ways, including partnering with Toano Middle School, where it provides mentors and sponsors the robotics manufacturing club. Deere has also established a scholarship for women engineers at ODU, has corporate membership at the Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown-Yorktown Foundations, and is a corporate donor at the College of William and Mary. 

In further remarks, EDA Chairman Gil Bartlett noted that business has historically played an important role in James City County and continues to do so today. He cited the opportunity jobs offer citizens for personal and professional development, and the contributions companies and their employees make to the many civic and charitable causes. He noted that businesses typically pay more in taxes than they consume in public services, which helps fund services for the entire community while keeping everyone's taxes lower than they would be otherwise. And finally, he observed that, by the nature of their own continuous improvement processes and highly competitive environments, they also encourage the community at large to continue to address problems and identify improvements. 

The event was held in conjunction with the state-wide Business Appreciation Week declared by Governor Jim Gilmore for May 13-19.