David Smith, who last September became the factory manager at the John Deere Power Products facility in Greeneville, said in a recent interview, "This is the most welcoming plant I've ever been in."

Smith speaks from experience, having had an 18-year career as an executive with John Deere, working at some half-dozen other Deere facilities.

Speaking of John Deere's local employees, Smith called them "very competent," adding that he much appreciates the "absolutely can do" attitude the plant's employees demonstrate when faced with challenges.

An Ohio native, Smith earned an engineering degree from Ohio State University and a master's degree in business from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

As head of one of Greeneville's main manufacturing facilities, Smith is a busy man. He estimates that he is traveling on business about 30 percent of his time.

At the Deere plant, he often will have three different group meetings in steady succession by mid-morning.

The Deere plant, which has four main production lines, has been operating this winter on two shifts, but with its peak production season ending, the plant is moving back this month to one shift, with many seasonal "contingent employees" being laid off.

Smith said the local plant this year has had about 500 regular employees and about 250 contingent employees who are hired on a seasonal basis, for a total of about 750 workers.

Of the personnel, 48 are salaried employees, and the others are hourly production workers.

The Deere plant in previous years has had as many as 1,100 workers in peak production periods.

Smith said because of the country's economic downturn, the Deere plant this year likely will manufacture 10 percent fewer lawn tractors than last year.

Adding to the sales challenges, he said, at this time of year many northern states still have snow on the ground. Such cold weather is not likely to encourage homeowners to rush out and buy lawn tractors costing about $2,000.

The Greeneville plant produces seven different models of lawn tractors.

Smith is proud of the John Deere plant's efficiency. "Give us an order today, and we'll have the product shipped to you by tomorrow," he said.

John Deere has about 40,000 of its recently-made lawn tractors stored and ready for delivery from a warehouse that Landair, the Greeneville-based trucking company, has in Jefferson City.

Smith said a current challenge for Deere, as it is for most companies and individuals, is spiraling prices.

He said the price of steel used in the lawn tractors has gone up 35 percent in one year, and the prices of copper, aluminum, lead used in batteries, and resins also have been rapidly escalating.

Smith came here from a Deere plant in Welland, Ontario, Canada.

He began his career with Deere at its headquarters in Moline, Ill.. He then worked for Deere in Davenport, Iowa. Next, it was then back to Moline, then to Minneapolis, then to Knoxville, then to Dubuque, Iowa, and then to Canada before Smith and his family moved here.

He and his wife, Debbie, have five children ranging in age from 14 to five years. They are Ben, Jacob, Madeline, Caleb and Lauren.

"I'm blessed to have a very supportive family," Smith said.

Tennessee is the furthest south the family has lived.

Smith said they are very appreciative and enthusiastic about the friendliness and quality of life of this community, as well as of the climate here, which is much milder than that in Canada or the Midwest.