James Johnston earned the nickname “John Deere Jimmie” from a customer of another OEM that he refused to give up on.
When that customer eventually agreed to start buying John Deere equipment, the nickname stuck, and John Deere Jimmie became a well-known entity in Ontario’s equipment community.
“People all over Ontario knew him as John Deere Jimmie,” said Kristine Johnston, his wife of 58 years. “One of his customers in Erin, Ontario, nicknamed him that and it followed him forever.”
With heavy hearts, Johnston’s family announced the passing of John Deere Jimmie on December 30, 2024.
Throughout his 35-year career selling John Deere machinery, Johnston also earned a name for himself as a mentor to new sales staff, a talented salesman and someone that embodied the Deere brand.
“He just loved it. He loved the people, and he was good at it, he was a people person,” Kristine said.
Johnston was born in South Durham, Quebec, in 1946. After studying agriculture at McGill University, he moved to Brampton, Ontario, and found a job with Ford as a merchandiser.
He would then join Wajax as Ontario’s only Ditch Witch salesman. In 1971, his efforts with Ditch Witch led to his recruitment by Truck and Tractor Equipment, the region’s John Deere dealer at the time. In 1976, Johnston moved to Orillia, Ontario, to help open a new branch of Truck and Tractor Equipment.
“He just loved John Deere, and he knew the machines inside and out,” Kristine said.
Johnston retired from Ontrac (formerly Truck and Tractor) in 2006.
“He had had enough of his Blackberry,” Kristine said.
While he put down his Blackberry, his passion persisted. Shortly after retiring, he opened Jim Johnston Construction Equipment Supplier Inc., which the Johnston’s operated for nearly a decade.
Whether a dozer, loader or excavator — new or used — Johnston was passionate about selling equipment.
“He sold them all. From the minis to the big guys, he was all over the place,” Kristine said.
Deere recognized that passion. Alongside numerous awards and recognitions, Deere recruited Johnston to help introduce new employees to the brand and its machinery.
In 1985, Don Switzer was one of the new employees joining John Deere’s training program.
“John Deere Jimmie was one of the guys that John Deere kind of hand-picked for new recruits to get an impression on what a high performing, passionate, caring salesperson looks like,” Switzer said, who is now Chief Operating Officer for Brandt.
In the 90s, Switzer became a territory manager for Deere and was able to build upon his relationship with Johnston.
“He would take you out to call on customers, and that’s where the magic starts to happen, because he was absolutely a master with customers in terms of understanding what their needs were,” Switzer said.
Throughout Johnston’s career, Switzer explained he exemplified what a “true professional” looks like.
“It was just that he wore that badge so proud. He wore it so proud that it kind of rubbed off on everybody around him, including the customer,” Switzer said. “When people say John Deere Jimmie’s name, it still lights up the room.”
While Johnston was proud of the Deere brand, he also liked to make sure everyone was having a good time. George MacInnis, the former John Deere sales rep for Robren Equipment, worked in the territory next to Johnston. The duo quickly became close friends.
“We kind of had a standing joke. I always accused Jimmie of having a floating boundary line,” MacInnis said. “So, we’d be talking about something, and I’d say, ‘Jimmie, are we calling on the same guy again?’ We’d have a big laugh.”
From conferences to trade shows to dealer education sessions, MacInnis said Johnston had a knack for ensuring everyone had a good time, even if it meant an occasional scolding from the higher ups.
“He always kind of brightened up the situation when it was dragging on at a course or a meeting,” MacInnis said. “We always, always had a good laugh with Jim.”
A Celebration of Life for John Deere Jimmie takes place on July 26 at Hawk Ridge Golf Club in Orillia, from 1-5 p.m. Family and friends will be invited to share “Jimmie” stories around 2:30 pm.
