Deere offers look at manufacturing giant’s big local footprint

When Master Sgt. Germán Ortiz began preparing for retirement, he set out to find a place his family could call home and a private-sector employer who could use the skills, education and training he amassed during two decades in the U.S. Air Force. 

His research led him to the Quad Cities and Moline-based John Deere via the company’s partnership with the Department of…